God-Given Business Genius

“Move! Your! Car!”

The sudden outburst wasn’t surprising. I simply thought, ah, it’s finally happened.

I quickly assessed the appearance of the uninvited guest who had just entered.

A middle-aged man in casual attire—a jacket and jeans. His expression was ominous, as if he’d wreak havoc on anyone who crossed his path, his anger apparent to the tips of his hair.

More importantly, it was a face I’d seen in passing before.

Kim Jong-chun, who had been bustling about in the kitchen, poked his head out with wide eyes.

I gestured for him to wait a moment, then approached the man with a pleasant expression.

“Sir, may I ask for the license plate number of the car you’re looking for?”

“0X57!”

“I’ll find it right away and let you know. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No, no, a simple apology won’t cut it. Do you have any idea how many people have been parking against my house wall these past few days because of this restaurant?!”

His shouting seemed designed to be heard by everyone, and it was clear he wouldn’t back down easily. However, appeasing middle-aged and older individuals isn’t particularly challenging.

I bowed deeply once more.

“We’re terribly sorry. We’ll make sure to instruct our customers to use the building’s parking lot from now on.”

One shouldn’t think of bowing as damaging to one’s pride.

In the food service industry, pride is a side dish you sell along with the meal. If pride could solve problems, I’d use it, but it’s utterly useless in resolving issues like this.

“Ahem, hem.”

As I adopted a humble attitude, his enraged tone softened a bit.

It’s said you can’t spit on a smiling face. I kept a bright smile and spoke in a gentle, friendly manner.

“You’re a resident of this neighborhood, aren’t you?”

“Huh? How did you… Oh!”

He stared at my face intently, then his eyes widened as if remembering our previous encounters.

“I’ve seen you around. We should have visited you first to ask for your understanding. I’m sorry about that.”

“Well, um…”

“Our manager has been worried about this, you know. About causing inconvenience to the local residents.”

I discreetly signaled towards the kitchen. Come quickly.

Kim Jong-chun hurried out, removing his chef’s hat as he bowed.

“Sir, I’m sorry for the inconvenience we’ve caused.”

“Ah, ah~. You’re that manager who’s always cleaning out front, aren’t you?”

It seems he’s been diligently cleaning even the alleyway in front of the shop as I instructed. Upon seeing Kim Jong-chun’s face, the elderly man’s expression immediately brightened.

“We’ve only recently opened, so I’m afraid we overlooked that aspect. We’ll be more mindful in the future.”

Kim Jong-chun is also quite adept at dealing with people. As he smiled amiably and grasped the elderly man’s hand, the sharp aura from when he first entered melted away like snow.

“Ahem. Well. If I’d known it was your restaurant, I wouldn’t have gotten so angry… There are so many eateries around here, and I tend to have a bit of a temper.”

He averted his gaze, seemingly embarrassed. Good, we’re over 90% there.

“Not at all. It’s something we should have been more attentive to. We’ll find your customer right away and inform them.”

“No, no. It’s not like your customers will be here forever.”

The elderly man waved his hand, trying to stop Kim Jong-chun.

“Just have them move it in about three hours. And if anyone parks in front of my house, just leave a note saying they’re a customer of this restaurant.”

“Sir, thank you so much. Have you eaten yet?”

“I just had lunch.”

“Next time you visit, I’ll treat you to a delicious bowl of soup rice. Please do come by anytime before your meal.”

“Oh my, really now.”

The elderly man looked at Kim Jong-chun with an impressed, almost dumbfounded expression.

“This manager has quite the silver tongue!”

He even began patting Kim Jong-chun’s shoulder while laughing heartily. When Kim Jong-chun humbly replied, “Not at all, you’re the one being considerate, sir,” the man’s smile grew even wider.

“May your business prosper~.”

The elderly man who had stormed in huffing and puffing now left with a beaming smile on his face.

As Kim Jong-chun turned around after watching him leave, I gave him a thumbs up in approval.

“Whew. Thanks to you, we made it through that one, Woo-yeon.”

Kim Jong-chun said as he put his chef’s hat back on.

“I actually bumped into him yesterday dawn while cleaning in front of his house. He praised me then, saying I was unusually polite for someone these days.”

“Ah, I see.”

So that’s why he was particularly receptive to Kim Jong-chun.

“He said it was nice that I didn’t just clean in front of our own shop like all the other merchants around here…”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

I shrugged my shoulders once, then whispered.

“It all comes back around.”

“You’re right about that.”

“Especially in a neighborhood commercial area like this with limited parking, it’s good to be on friendly terms with the local residents.”

Customers coming from afar might not know and could park in front of residents’ homes.

If this happens repeatedly, the locals are bound to get upset. Then, the more the business thrives, the more it becomes a nuisance to the neighborhood.

To prevent such issues, it’s essential to build relationships from the very beginning.

“You handled that pretty well yourself, didn’t you?”

I knew he was good, but he was far more adept than I expected.

“Was I? I just treated him like I would a client. Wasn’t it a bit awkward?”

“Not at all. That’s exactly how you should do it. You don’t need to fret over every single thing customers say, but you shouldn’t be unfriendly either. It was just right.”

You’d be surprised how many people struggle to express an official stance with gentle words. In that sense, Kim Jong-chun’s response was nearly perfect.

“That’s a relief… Wow, I’m sweating. I must have been really tense.”

Although the weather is getting warmer, it’s not quite warm enough to break a sweat. Yet, beads of sweat were forming on Kim Jong-chun’s face.

‘I used to be like that too.’

While most customers eat and leave without incident, these occasional unexpected situations really drain your mental and physical energy.

“Pull yourself together. We still have plenty of customers left.”

The lunch rush is winding down now. There were still several bowls of soup rice that hadn’t been served yet.

“Right. I should.”

At my urging, Kim Jong-chun nodded and went back into the kitchen.

I quickly scanned the dining area.

‘While the initial opening boost is still in effect, the number of customers is quite good. If this continues, there’s a high chance the restaurant will steadily grow and trend upward.’

It was a smooth start.

Compared to the main branch, which struggled due to its second-floor location and lack of dinner customers, this was much better.

At this rate, it should establish itself firmly in a few months.

‘Phew. What a relief.’

At least now I’ll have something to show for myself when I face his wife.

As always, I feel more pressure when encouraging others to invest than when investing myself.

I was determined to make it succeed one way or another, but it seems to be going even better than expected.

“We’d like to pay.”

“Certainly~.”

I smiled as I saw the customers approaching the counter. Looking at the table they just left, I saw two empty soup rice bowls.

“I’ve processed your card. Would you like a receipt?”

“No, that’s fine.”

“Thank you very much.”

I set aside the receipt that came out with a soft whirr and handed the card back to the customer.

After watching the two customers leave, I quickly scanned the dining area. Good. It looks fine.

“Ahjussi, I’m going to step out for a moment. The dining area is almost cleared, right? Just five minutes!”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Kim Jong-chun nodded, not quite understanding, and I immediately took off my apron and dashed outside.

“What’s going on?”

I faintly heard Kim Jong-chun’s puzzled voice behind me, but I paid it no mind.

I let down my hair, which I had tied up while working, making it harder for someone who had only glanced at me to recognize me.

“Ah, I’m so full~.”

It was the customers who had just left.

I slowed my pace and walked behind them. I made sure to act natural, pretending to look at my phone.

“Was the portion size okay?”

“Yeah. One bowl was just right.”

“I need to take a nap when I get back~. Are you getting coffee?”

“Yeah, I’ll grab a cup before heading out.”

Their conversation flowed naturally. Feeling a bit anxious, I glanced ahead briefly before lowering my head again.

“By the way, is this soup rice place a chain?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard the name before.”

“Well, it said ‘Nowol Branch’ on the sign.”

Finally, some bait.

“The value for money seemed good. Might be nice to come here often.”

“Yeah, I agree. The broth was perfect for mixing with rice.”

“It was really crowded.”

“Well, it is K-fast food, after all.”

Their giggling voices revealed a fondness for the restaurant. It seems they have a good chance of becoming repeat customers.

‘That’s a relief.’

After eavesdropping on the customers’ reactions, I truly felt at ease.

Phew.

If I went any further, I’d be too far from the restaurant. Thinking I should head back now, I turned around abruptly.

“…….”

“…….”

If only our eyes hadn’t met, I would have returned to the restaurant immediately.

“…Hello.”

I bowed politely to Han Mi-ae. Oh dear. I just realized I was right in front of her snack shop.

“You changed your tteokbokki pan, I see.”

Noticing the obvious change, I spoke first. Han Mi-ae covered her mouth with both hands, startled.

“Oh my, oh my!”

“And you’re not using kitchen towels on top of the fried food anymore.”

“I’m sorry, young lady. I was just so surprised. I was actually thinking of going to eat lunch at your place. And then to run into you like this…”

No wonder she was looking at me like she’d seen a ghost.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear, as they say.”

“I heard your business is doing well. Congratulations.”

“It’s nothing special. You seem to have quite a few customers now too.”

Even though it was almost the end of the lunch hour, there were still one or two tables of customers inside.

“It’s all thanks to you, really.”

Han Mi-ae smiled gently, revealing pleasant wrinkles around her eyes.

“I’ve been wanting to repay you somehow, but our shop stays open later, so I haven’t had the time.”

Just then, an idea flashed through my mind.

Before my regression, I remembered running a small but excellent snack shop myself. It was a real gem of a place.

All my knowledge about snack shops came from that experience.

“Ma’am.”

I smiled brightly at Han Mi-ae. Then, I uttered a familiar phrase.

“If I told you there’s a secret that could increase this snack shop’s sales tenfold, what would you say?”