NOVEL NEXT 22
“If I told you there’s a secret that could increase this snack shop’s sales tenfold, what would you say?”
“…Huh? Tenfold?”
Han Mi-ae’s eyes widened in surprise. She seemed perplexed by this sudden proposition.
But I wasn’t joking, nor am I one to throw around empty words carelessly. Just as with Lee In-cheol, I was simply offering a good deal.
‘The verification of my abilities is already done, so things can move much faster now.’
Not having to prove who I am is a significant advantage.
‘The location is good, and the menu selection isn’t bad. Since the customer base doesn’t overlap with the soup rice shop, it’s fine to be on the same street. It could even create a synergy effect.’
All things considered, it was a good option.
‘Besides, the more diverse the franchise brands, the better.’
The food service industry tends to have large fluctuations in performance.
If bird flu suddenly spreads, a company that only runs chicken restaurants will inevitably take a big hit. But what if they have not just chicken brands, but also snack food and soup rice brands?
Having diverse brands that complement and support each other is the ideal scenario.
“This is who I am.”
I pulled out a business card I had prepared earlier and handed it to her.
Han Mi-ae took the card as if in a trance.
“CEO of
“Yes.
As I finished speaking, Han Mi-ae looked at me with disbelief. Given my youthful appearance of someone in their early twenties, it must be hard to believe I’m the CEO of such a respectable company.
‘Even if I say CEO, it’s just at the level of a newly registered sole proprietorship.’
Far from being listed on the stock market, I don’t even have a single employee. But there’s no need to mention that right now.
“The Song plans to expand into various areas of the food industry, and I think acquiring your snack shop would be quite beneficial.”
“Acquisition… you mean you want to buy my shop?”
“It’s not like that. The Song respects the free decision-making of our shop owners. We share a portion of the sales in exchange for providing various services, including business consulting.”
“Ah!”
When I specifically mentioned business consulting as an example, Han Mi-ae seemed to understand.
“I thought it was unusual how you pinpointed areas for improvement after visiting our shop just once.”
“You can think of it as having access to such advice on a regular basis.”
Han Mi-ae stared curiously at the business card I had given her.
“My personal contact information is written there. If you’re interested, please give me a call. I’ll provide a more detailed explanation.”
I hurriedly wrapped up the conversation, as I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. I acted as if I had just casually mentioned it, implying that I wasn’t the one who would be at a loss here.
“I’ll see you next time, then.”
I bowed slightly and turned around.
Attitude is crucial in business.
‘Showing that I have nothing to lose makes people more eager.’
In reality, I didn’t have much to lose anyway. To put it bluntly, if I were to acquire another nearby shop and open my own snack shop, I could quickly make this
Of course, I wouldn’t do something so unethical. The point is, creating a snack shop like that isn’t particularly difficult.
The reason I’m trying to persuade and bring in Han Mi-ae is…
‘I lack the basic capital.’
Yes. At the moment, I didn’t have sufficient initial funds to pay the key money and acquire a shop.
I was receiving regular monthly royalties from Lee In-cheol, but that wasn’t enough to make me suddenly rich in just a few months.
‘Moreover, I spent quite a bit of money opening this
I could have proceeded with 100% of Kim Jong-chun’s money, but I felt that might leave us short on spare cash.
When starting a business, you should have enough funds to last at least six months even with zero profit. So, after pouring my own money into the interior design… my pockets were suddenly empty.
‘It will naturally fill up over time, but I can’t afford to wait for that.’
Time is as precious as gold. Especially now, when I’m trying to rapidly expand The Song’s size.
As I hurriedly entered the soup rice shop, I found a pile of tasks waiting for me after my brief absence.
“Woo-yeon, could you clear that table over there!”
“Yes~.”
I immediately tied up my hair and put on an apron. After helping with calculations, responding to customers requesting radish kimchi refills, and clearing a few tables, time had flown by.
“Phew. Now we can finally catch our breath.”
Around 4 PM, an awkward time between lunch and dinner, the shop became quiet. Kim Jong-chun finally rested his tired body in a chair.
“You worked hard.”
“It’s nothing. You had the toughest job. The dining area was really busy.”
Kim Jong-chun replied, wiping away his sweat. Despite being tired enough to justify complaining, he remained consistently positive.
I smiled wryly as I wiped down a table, while Kim Jong-chun kept circling around me like a puppy that needed to go out.
What’s going on?
“?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
When I turned my head abruptly out of curiosity, he jumped in surprise and pretended to be doing something else. There was no apparent reason for this behavior. Why was he acting like this?
Puzzled, I tilted my head but continued wiping the table I was working on.
Then, Kim Jong-chun casually approached my side and started speaking.
“Um, by the way, Woo-yeon…”
“What is it? Do you have something to say?”
Hmm. Was I too instructive and it offended him? That doesn’t seem like him. Or was it because I left my post for a while? It shouldn’t have been a big problem.
As my confusion grew, it was then that he said:
“Do you smoke, by any chance?”
“…Pardon?”
I was so taken aback by this unexpected question that I was momentarily stunned.
“Well, you might think this is old-fashioned advice, but smoking might start as fun at first, but when you try to quit later, it becomes incredibly difficult. I’m speaking from experience. Besides, smoking while working in the food industry doesn’t look good, right? Smoking is harmful in every way, so for your own sake, you should quit now if…”
“Wait, hold on. I don’t smoke, ahjussi.”
I was flabbergasted by this ridiculous assumption. Cigarettes? Even before my regression, I had never touched a cigarette.
As Kim Jong-chun said, how detrimental would smoking be while working in the food industry! You can’t handle food with nicotine-stained hands.
As I reacted with shock, Kim Jong-chun slowly blinked his eyes.
“Uh, um? Then why did you suddenly leave earlier?”
Good grief. That’s why he thought that?
“When someone suddenly rushes out like that in the middle of work, it’s usually either for the bathroom or a smoke… But since there’s a bathroom inside the shop, I naturally thought it must be for smoking.”
Kim Jong-chun scratched his cheek, seemingly embarrassed about his misunderstanding. I suppose it’s a reasonable assumption, but…
“Whew. If you don’t smoke, that’s a relief. I was just trying to give some advice as someone who’s lived life a bit longer, so don’t take it too badly.”
I wasn’t offended, but I should explain before leaving next time.
“I was monitoring customer reactions. I often do this when I want to hear honest feedback.”
It had been quite a while since I last searched for
“Really? What do the customers say? They all just tell me it’s delicious to my face.”
“The customers I followed also said it was delicious. It seems we’re doing alright so far.”
Kim Jong-chun smiled brightly, saying that was a relief.
“Hehe. I didn’t realize this before starting the business, but it’s really gratifying when people enjoy the food I make.”
“That’s the joy of running a business.”
“Is that so? Even though it’s tough, seeing customers finish a whole bowl makes me feel proud.”
Kim Jong-chun’s beaming face was as pure as a child who had just received a new toy. That disposition of his is truly a priceless treasure.
“I hope it stays like this, ahjussi.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s nothing.”
Unnecessary worry. Even before my regression, Kim Jong-chun’s diligence and hard work were unparalleled.
In my previous life, Kim Jong-chun had opened two or three branches of various brands under The Song and earned a considerable amount of money.
As someone who had been with The Song since its early days, he probably made enough money from stock options to never worry about finances again. Yet, he still regularly went to the front lines to manage the shops as a pastime.
I’m worrying about Kim Jong-chun because I have no one else to worry about.
“Phew. Well, we should prepare for the dinner service soon. Do we have any boiled meat left?”
“Yeah. We’ll probably need to boil some more later.”
“I’ll do a mid-day sales check. Ahjussi, could you double-check the kitchen once more… Huh?”
It was then.
As I turned my head at the sound of someone at the door, someone entered the restaurant.
“…Oh?”
I widened my eyes at the unexpected visitor.
“…Han Mi-ae-ssi?”
It was Han Mi-ae, whom I had spoken with earlier today. Kim Jong-chun, not understanding why Han Mi-ae had suddenly appeared, just looked confused.
“What brings you here, ma’am?”
“I came to see Woo-yeon. No…”
Han Mi-ae looked directly at me and said,
“Should I call you CEO Song instead?”
Her face showed a firm resolve. It seemed she was ready to take flight.
I smiled broadly and pointed Han Mi-ae to a table that had just been cleaned.
“Please, have a seat here. It looks like we’ll have a long conversation.”
That was the beginning of