God-Given Business Genius

“I’d like to acquire this cafe. Do you have a moment to talk?”

Before the cafe owner could grasp the meaning of those words, his eyes widened as he noticed the emblem of “The Song” on the business card.

“Ah…! That emblem!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You’ve probably seen it often on the sign of the soup rice restaurant across the street.”

“Ah~. So you’re from the headquarters of that soup rice place.”

It seemed he finally understood what I was saying. He must have sensed something unusual when I mentioned service for the soup rice restaurant.

“But what do you mean by wanting to acquire the cafe?” the cafe owner asked, his eyes round with curiosity.

Now that he knew I was affiliated with the restaurant, he realized this outlandish proposition might not be mere nonsense.

“It’s exactly as I said. As you know, our soup rice restaurant is thriving, but we keep causing trouble with parking issues.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“And since our customers need a place to wait, wouldn’t it be killing two birds with one stone if we acquired this cafe across the street and secured parking space?”

“What? You want to acquire this place to make a waiting area for soup rice customers?”

The cafe owner’s expression turned slightly displeased.

I could understand why. This place was likely something he had poured his heart into. And here I was, suddenly saying I wanted to acquire it, not because we needed a cafe, but merely as a ‘customer waiting area’.

While it’s true that buyers can use their purchases as they see fit, it’s only natural for the seller to feel a bit hurt.

I continued speaking to redirect the cafe owner’s thoughts.

“We plan to keep the existing cafe interior as is. Thanks to how beautifully you’ve decorated it, there’s hardly anything we’d need to change.”

“……”

“You might think of it as just a ‘waiting area’, but we take this matter quite seriously. Our customer base is bound to grow, and if we don’t have a suitable waiting area, not many people will be willing to stand in line during the hot summer months.”

In fact, this had been quite a concern before my regression.

‘We acquired the cafe across the street back then too.’

Thanks to that, customer satisfaction significantly improved for those waiting during summer and winter.

The cafe that started that way underwent several improvements and eventually grew into a budget-friendly coffee brand in one fell swoop…

That was quite profitable. Thinking this to myself, I continued speaking aloud.

“Wouldn’t it be frustrating to lose the customers we’ve worked hard to attract to other establishments?”

“I suppose it would be.”

“That’s why I’ve come to discuss this acquisition.”

The cafe owner’s expression softened a bit. He seemed to sense my sincerity that I wasn’t proposing this out of disrespect for his establishment.

‘Of course, that’s not the only reason.’

For now, it’s better to leave it at that. The cafe owner wore a contemplative expression.

‘He must be conflicted. It’s like I’m suddenly asking him to hand over his shop. But it must be quite tempting.’

Despite it being a time when the place should be bustling with customers, it was far too empty. I wondered if he was even managing to pay the monthly rent, let alone his own wages.

In such a situation, clinging to the shop would only lead to rapidly increasing debt.

hen an opportunity like this presents itself, it’s wiser to seize it and make a clean break.

That is, if he doesn’t have an ace up his sleeve to revive this failing cafe.

“…How much are you thinking?”

He asked.

The moment the cafe owner posed this question, the fate of this cafe was as good as decided.

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“So you acquired the cafe?”

I nodded at Jo I-ruk, who was asking in disbelief.

“Yep!”

“No, this isn’t something you can just brush off with a ‘yep’. Why suddenly a cafe? Do you even know how many projects we have ongoing right now?”

Of course I do.

The renewal opening of Han Mi-ae-nim’s “Happy Snack”, the expansion and relocation of Lee In-cheol-nim’s “Hapjae Soup 0212”, and now the cafe I’m in the process of acquiring.

Aren’t three major projects running simultaneously? It is a bit hectic, I’ll admit.

“It’s not more than we can handle, right? I’ve laid the groundwork for the expansion and relocation, and I’m checking on the progress regularly. As for ‘Happy Snack’, we’re in the final stages – just need to put up the sign.”

“That may be true, but isn’t this still too sudden…?”

“I was planning to acquire it at some point anyway.”

“Pardon?”

Jo I-ruk pushed up his glasses and asked.

“Wait a minute. Don’t tell me the reason you selected that location from the beginning was….”

“I figured if we had the cafe property, we’d solve the parking issue. We’ve caused some trouble with parking until now, but acquiring it on favorable terms should make up for that. It was a place that was difficult to keep running anyway.”

Jo I-ruk’s jaw dropped. He seemed surprised by my grand plan. One should keep these things in mind, you know.

“Well, acquisition aside, are you really going to use that space just as a waiting area for restaurant customers? Isn’t that a bit wasteful? Wouldn’t it be better to link it by offering cafe discount coupons to soup rice customers…?”

“Ah, that’s too weak. If I had intended to run a cafe, I would have gone somewhere else.”

If we were going to run a cafe, there are many better locations than this one, so there’d be no reason to choose this spot.

“Even so, considering the monthly rent, the profitability seems lacking.”

“Haha. Don’t worry. That place will become our golden goose.”

“Pardon? That place?”

Jo I-ruk asked as if questioning my sincerity. I simply grinned without offering any explanation.

When the time comes, Jo I-ruk will understand too.

“More importantly, you’ve become quite proficient at your job in such a short time.”

“Yes, thanks to a certain CEO who dumped all the work on me.”

“Haha, I feel called out. But I’ve been constantly checking and confirming things, haven’t I?”

I’ve been busy in my own way too. But it’s true that I’ve delegated a lot of work to Jo I-ruk, so I laughed awkwardly.

“I entrust you with so much because I believe in you~”

“Sigh. I still don’t understand why you trust me so much. I was just one of many ordinary students preparing for the civil service exam….”

Jo I-ruk muttered as if finding it strange.

‘It’s because I’ve seen the future.’

If I said that, I’d be treated like I was talking nonsense. Instead of telling the truth, I mixed in a suitable lie.

“I knew it the moment I saw you. Ah! This is the one! It must have been heaven-sent.”

“Sent by heaven to roll around under you? Whatever heaven it is, it’s quite mean.”

He doesn’t back down at all. This was Team Leader Jo’s charm, after all.

At The Song, my position was close to that of an almighty authority figure, thanks to the success story I had built.

As a result, there weren’t many people who stood in my way. One of the few was our Team Leader Jo.

We built up a lot of love-hate relationship because of that. There were times when I even asked why he was making my life so difficult.

But Jo I-ruk had his own sharp opinions to that extent.

“Is it hard doing it alone?”

“Of course!”

“Just wait a little bit.”

I said, humming a tune.

“I’ll bring in someone else soon.”

That would help lighten Jo I-ruk’s workload too.

“Ah, before that, please review this first. It’s about a contact from Kim Jong-chun-nim, saying there’s an acquaintance who wants to open another branch of ‘Hapjae Soup 0212’….”

But for now, it’s time to focus on work. Once again, the office lights wouldn’t go out until late into the night.

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Sign? Okay.

Interior design? Okay.

Tables and chairs are neat. The color scheme is harmonious. It has a retro style that’s not too outdated.

From the perspective of someone from the future, it’s a vintage look that won’t seem out of place even 10 years from now.

Perfect.

I approached Han Mi-ae and said,

“Congratulations on your reopening, Boss.”

“……!”

Han Mi-ae’s eyes widened before she broke into a broad smile.

It was the start of the renewed opening of the main “Happy Snack” branch.

“Oh.”

A man who was on his way home from work, planning to have a bowl of soup rice as usual, noticed something different.

“Did something new open here? They’ve been under construction for a few days….”

Finally, the tarp had been removed, revealing its appearance.

“Happy Snack”

The man unconsciously rolled the name around in his mouth. ‘Snack’, huh. It must be a place selling things like tteokbokki or ramyeon.

‘Wasn’t the place that was here before called something similar?’

As this thought crossed his mind, a sandwich board in front of the store caught his eye.

[Happy Snack Renewal Opening!]

‘Ah~. So it is the same place that was here before.’

Well, I got my hopes up thinking it was something new. The man started to walk away, feeling a bit disappointed.

‘Soup rice is good and all, but I’m really stressed out after getting chewed out by Manager Kim today. Isn’t there a place where I can grab a drink?’

Then the man remembered that the soup rice place he was heading to didn’t serve alcohol. Tch, can’t be helped then.

‘There’s nothing but samgyeopsal places around here. That’s too heavy. Isn’t there anywhere I can just have a quick drink? Seems like I have no choice but to eat soup rice and go home….’

That’s when, as if by fate’s prank, another sandwich board from “Happy Snack” caught the man’s eye.

[New Menu Item ‘Dakbal’ Launch!]

A large, appetizing photo was displayed. Look at that bright red sauce glistening.

It was clear that as soon as you put it in your mouth, a spicy flavor would spread all over. You wouldn’t be able to stop reaching for more dakbal even as you panted from the heat.

Gulp.

‘Huh?’

The man felt saliva pooling in his mouth.