NOVEL NEXT 3
“Are you out of your mind?”
Lee In-cheol asked the obvious question. His pupils trembled slightly, as if trying to discern whether this was a dream or reality.
“What if I had said no? What were you planning to do after pulling a stunt like this?”
Well, I’d have been the fool who emptied his bank account to make a sign I couldn’t use.
‘I was so shocked when I checked my bank balance.’
Once upon a time, my account had countless zeros. The interest alone was enough to cover a month’s living expenses.
Of course, that glory was short-lived… Anyway.
You can imagine how light that account with only 3 million won felt to someone who once had so much.
I took that 3 million won to the sign shop and commissioned the design I wanted.
When a young kid like me came asking for a restaurant sign, the shop owner initially seemed annoyed. But his attitude changed when he saw the detailed design I had prepared.
In any case, there was a reason I poured almost all of my savings into the sign.
‘I knew he wouldn’t refuse.’
I grinned at Lee In-cheol’s aghast expression.
“I thought you’d agree.”
Even before my regression, when I was truly a clueless 20-year-old, Lee In-cheol had never dismissed my advice.
“I’m good at reading people too, you know.”
Lee In-cheol’s eyes widened, as if he’d heard something completely unexpected.
“Huh, well.”
Eventually, he let out a small sigh.
“Is it because you’re young? You’ve got no fear. I should have known from the moment you made that audacious proposal… You’ve got guts.”
“Haha, it’s nothing special.”
“That’s not a compliment, kid!”
Lee In-cheol shouted.
“You think I haven’t seen guys like you in all my years? People with guts so big they’re bursting out of their bellies usually go one of two ways! They either crash and burn, or they live large!”
I had a reasonable suspicion that maybe Lee In-cheol had regressed too. It was quite a coincidence that both scenarios described me.
“We’ll see which one you turn out to be.”
Looking at Lee In-cheol’s half-lidded eyes, I felt a twinge of bitterness. The Lee In-cheol before my regression had already witnessed my downfall.
The crash and burn option.
“…Don’t worry, Boss.”
I curled up the corners of my mouth in a show of confidence.
“I have no intention of repeating the same mistakes.”
“What?”
“Never mind that. You should come and see the new sign!”
I grabbed Lee In-cheol’s arm and pulled him outside. Though he grumbled, “Aish, why go out now when it’s all done?” he let himself be led out.
As soon as we reached the first floor, a familiar face greeted me.
“Oh, Woo-yeon. You’re here?”
“Yes, Boss. More importantly, the sign turned out beautifully. It looks even better now that it’s up.”
“Haha! Well, you came by every day for a week to nag me. Of course, I had to make it pretty.”
The sign shop owner laughed heartily and patted my shoulder. It’s exactly the design I had in mind.
‘I’d like to renovate the whole interior too, but… I’ll have to be patient for now.’
We don’t have the funds for interior renovations right now, and it would make the timeframe too tight for the period I promised Lee In-cheol.
Mentally promising to change it when we expand and relocate, I turned to Lee In-cheol with a satisfied smile.
“What do you think of the new sign?”
“…….”
Lee In-cheol was staring blankly at the sign being hoisted up. As I nodded in satisfaction, he muttered in disbelief.
“Song Woo-yeon… Can you… not see what’s written there?”
“I can see it just fine. If I couldn’t see that, I’d be blind, not just visually impaired, Boss.”
“Right? My eyes aren’t playing tricks on me?”
Lee In-cheol rubbed his eyes once and blinked several times. Not that it would change the letters before his eyes.
I turned my head to look up at the cleanly made sign.
Hmm. Satisfactory.
“…What kind of idiot changes the shop’s name, you fool!”
Lee In-cheol raised his voice as if he might collapse, clutching the back of his neck. He should be more careful at his age.
I inwardly clicked my tongue and calmly continued.
“Why? You said I could do as I please.”
“But changing the shop’s name? How could you! Oh no, our shop is doomed! Take down that sign! Put back the original sign!”
He looked ready to grab me by the collar. I could feel the sign shop owner beside us discreetly watching our exchange.
“It’s okay. Please continue. I just need to have a quick chat with the boss here…”
“Continue what! Take down that damn sign right now and put back the original…!”
“Come on, Boss. Let’s talk over here.”
I dragged Lee In-cheol to the alley right next to us.
The ground was littered with cigarette butts. Ugh. We’ll need to clean this up too.
“Boss. Please hear me out.”
“What is there to hear?!”
“In my opinion, there are quite a few things this restaurant needs to improve… but the first thing that needs to change, without a doubt, is that sign. Including the shop’s name.”
“What’s wrong with ‘Jeongseong Hall’!”
Lee In-cheol, veins popping in his neck, began to explain why the shop’s name absolutely had to be Jeongseong Hall.
“Food is all about sincerity, sincerity! Putting your heart into understanding the customer’s feelings is the essence of being in the food business!”
“Then why add ‘Hall’ at the end?”
“Just because!”
How bold.
“I spent days and nights thinking of this name! And what’s with the new name? Hapjae Soup?”
Lee In-cheol kept shouting, clearly displeased with the new name.
“You just slapped on the local area name, Hapjae-dong! And what’s with the 0212 at the end? Does it mean something? It’s not the shop’s opening date… which you wouldn’t even know, and it’s not February 12th either.”
“Ah, that’s the last four digits of my phone number.”
“What, you fool?!”
I quickly cut him off before my eardrums could burst.
“With ‘Jeongseong Hall,’ people outside can’t tell what kind of food you’re selling.”
“……!”
“This place is on the second floor, and it’s not in a high foot traffic area. Who’s going to see ‘Jeongseong Hall’ and think, ‘Ah~ that must be a soup restaurant~’ and come up?”
At my words, Lee In-cheol’s eyes widened and his mouth clamped shut. It meant he had no rebuttal.
This guy, his food taste was impeccable, but he had zero business sense. You can tell just by the fact that he chose a name for his shop that I wouldn’t use even with a knife to my throat.
“…That’s why I put up the menu on the window…”
“Ah, that’s a problem too. Plastering things all over the window makes it look unsightly and unhygienic.”
“Ugh.”
Lee In-cheol groaned, clutching his chest as if wounded by my words. I’m sorry, but the problems didn’t end there.
“Moreover, both ‘Jeongseong’ and ‘Hall’ are words that make the food sound expensive. Even one of them would be off-putting, let alone ‘Jeongseong Hall.’ It’s especially bad in this economic downturn.”
“…….”
“In that sense, ‘Hapjae Soup 0212’ immediately tells you what kind of shop it is, and it doesn’t sound expensive, making it more approachable.”
As I continued, Lee In-cheol’s face showed clear surprise.
What? Did he think I came up with the name thoughtlessly?
“Just ‘Hapjae Soup’ would be too plain and forgettable, so I added some plausible numbers at the end.”
The fact that it’s the last four digits of my phone number is just for fun.
“So, what do you think? Do you understand now why the name should be ‘Hapjae Soup 0212’ instead of ‘Jeongseong Hall’?”
“…….”
Lee In-cheol stared at me, his mouth clamped shut like a clam. Something intense flickered in his burning gaze.
How dare this young punk talk back to an adult?! A pinch of rising temper, a spoonful of relief from understanding after hearing the explanation, and…
‘Probably some self-reproach for not noticing something even a greenhorn like me knew.’
This is why the food business is difficult. Being good at cooking isn’t everything.
How many people have started businesses relying solely on their cooking skills, only to taste bitter failure? I’d seen countless such cases before my regression.
“…Song Woo-yeon.”
After a long silence, Lee In-cheol called my name in a choked voice.
“Do as you please.”
As expected.
“Watch me, Boss.”
I curled up the corners of my mouth in a smile.
“I intend to test how far this shop can go.”
For that, there was much to do. Not just the sign, but the interior of the shop needed work too.
While completely renovating the interior might be difficult, we couldn’t leave it in its current state.
“Boss, why don’t you stay here and watch them put up the sign? I’ll go inside and start tidying up.”
I was too anxious to just stand around.
Starting over from scratch should feel overwhelming, but strangely, I was as excited as a child who’d just received a new toy.
My eyes sparkled with life, and my heart raced with anticipation.
I flung open the door of what was now ‘Hapjae Soup 0212’ and took a deep breath.
“Hmm~”
A musty smell.
Damn. We’ll have to start with a deep cleaning.
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“…….”
Lee In-cheol stood there for a while, staring at the spot where Song Woo-yeon had disappeared.
– Give me just three months.
It felt like just yesterday when he had inwardly scoffed at the youngster’s bold declaration.
“…What an interesting kid.”
Lee In-cheol clicked his tongue and leaned against the wall.
“Well, I’ll be. The things he figured out after working at our shop for a week, I hadn’t realized in over ten years…. I’m a failure as a boss, a total failure. Aish, tsk.”
There was a bitter taste in his mouth. But at the same time, he felt a sense of anticipation.
As that confident kid had said.
He was curious to see just how far they could go.