God-Given Business Genius

“Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to make this? Honestly.”

Moon Yu-han grumbled as he swiftly pulled off the cloth covering the machine.

Whoosh.

As the cloth fluttered away, the snow flower bingsu machine finally revealed itself. Though some details were slightly different, it was unmistakably the same as the one I knew.

“What do you think? As you requested, it’s not the crushing type that breaks up ice chunks, but a completely new method.”

Moon Yu-han removed the lid to show the interior of the device.

“See that metal plate? It sprays milk onto the cooled plate, freezing it instantly. Then this part here scrapes it off! Creating paper-thin ice.”

It’s exactly what I had hoped for.

“I’d like to see it in action.”

“Of course. Seeing is believing, after all.”

Moon Yu-han said he had prepared in advance, closed the lid, and pressed the machine’s button.

Whirr-

With a slight noise, finely shaved ice began to pour into the prepared bowl.

“It’s just as you wanted, right? Nice and fluffy. Look at this.”

Moon Yu-han placed some of the milk ice that had spilled out of the machine onto his hand.

I could see it melting away instantly.

“Ah, look at this incredible thinness~”

“Indeed. It’s exactly what I wanted.”

Moon Yu-han’s eyes lit up at my approval. Perhaps it was because we had exchanged several messages, and I had been quite particular with my confirmations.

But when introducing a new menu item, one must be extra cautious.

“But, I made it exactly as you wanted~ What are you planning to do with this?”

“Why, make bingsu, of course.”

“No, who doesn’t know that? What I mean is, who’s going to buy this kind of bingsu!”

Moon Yu-han asked, seemingly unable to comprehend.

“When you think of bingsu, right? It’s crunchy ice! Sweet red beans! And colorful, pretty rice cakes! That’s the taste. But if you make bingsu with this, I can’t tell if I’m eating bingsu or drinking milk~, you know?”

Right. I knew he’d say something like that.

“Would you like to try some?”

“Huh?”

I held up the bag I had brought and said,

“I can make you a simple one right now. Please try it and give me your honest opinion.”

“No, you don’t have to do that…. Ahem. I’m just worried because you’re a young CEO, you know.”

How could I not understand that sentiment? I used to see it often before my regression.

‘It’s an industry where you can’t survive on unique ideas alone.’

While young people’s creative ideas certainly have merit on their own, selling them for money requires much more.

It was so disheartening to see young entrepreneurs fail with menu items that seemed like they just needed a bit more refinement.

“I’ll prepare it for you right away.”

I took out a clean bowl and started adding the ingredients one by one.

‘While there are many flavors of snow flower bingsu, if I had to pick the most distinctive menu item, it would definitely be this!’

I laid down a base of snow flower ice, then added a layer of injeolmi soybean powder and condensed milk. On top of that, I added more snow flower ice, ice cream, and thinly sliced nuts in order.

‘For the final touch….’

I mixed savory soybean powder with whole injeolmi rice cakes and piled it generously on top of the bingsu.

A drizzle of condensed milk around the edge, and it’s complete.

“Here you go, it’s ready.”

“Oh~ Let me try it… Huh?”

Moon Yu-han paused with his spoon raised. The appearance was completely different from the bingsu he was used to.

“This is… bingsu, right?”

“Yes, please try it. Just scoop up some of the soybean powder on top along with the milk ice.”

“But, there are no red beans in this bingsu?”

Right. I was wondering when that would come up.

Actually, I had prepared some sweet red beans too. Some people might prefer them, after all.

‘But the version without red beans has a stronger visual impact.’

I even made it so that it could be enjoyed without red beans. It’s perfect for those who don’t like red beans, and even those who do can still enjoy it.

“Please, give it a try.”

“If it’s going to be like this, why not just eat injeolmi instead of making it into bingsu….”

“Just try it.”

As I urged him once more, Moon Yu-han stopped grumbling and stared at the bingsu.

Though he looked perplexed, it must have looked quite appetizing because he boldly dug in with his spoon.

As he put the condensed milk-sprinkled soybean powder together with the milk-flavored snow flower ice into his mouth…….

“Whoa!”

Moon Yu-han’s eyes widened.

“It’s, it’s delicious!”

Then he started scooping up the bingsu rapidly, spoon after spoon. He even started coughing as he ate too quickly, likely from the soybean powder hitting the back of his throat.

Moon Yu-han accepted the milk I offered, gulped it down, let out a deep “Phew~”, and then exclaimed loudly.

“Wow, this is incredibly tasty!”

“Right?”

I grinned with satisfaction, and Moon Yu-han nodded vigorously. He still has clear likes and dislikes and expresses his emotions directly.

That’s why I chose him for the first tasting.

‘It tasted good to me too. But since I’m already accustomed to this type of bingsu, I needed a third-party perspective.’

In that sense, Moon Yu-han was perfect. Moreover, Moon Yu-han…….

“It’s nutty~, and just sweet enough to taste like bingsu. Is it because the ice is made from milk? It’s very smooth. And above all, this. It melts like snow in your mouth, so you can take big spoonfuls comfortably!”

His taste descriptions are very detailed and accurate.

‘This is why I used to seek him out to try new menu items before my regression.’

Of course, that was when the company was still small. Later on, we had a separate new menu development team, so it wasn’t necessary.

‘When was the last time I contacted him?’

When Moon Yu-han made prototypes, we used to send them to the factory to find ways for mass production. But later on, it seems he had less time to develop the quirky kitchen gadgets he loved so much.

At some point, his eyes began to look as lifeless as those of an office worker.

Somehow, it became uncomfortable to meet those eyes, so I avoided it subtly. I was so busy that I could have used two bodies anyway, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

‘…It bothered me that I seemed to have killed that passionate look in his eyes.’

It’s quite fortunate to be able to see it again.

“CEO!”

“Yes?”

I quickly turned my head at Moon Yu-han’s call.

“So where can I buy this? I need to go get some~”

“Oh, this?”

Haha. He might be a bit taken aback when he hears this.

“We’re not officially selling it yet, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that? Either you’re selling it or you’re not.”

“It’s a long story, but… Well, it looks unfamiliar and strange, doesn’t it? If we suddenly open a shop and say ‘Come buy this~’, it might not be very approachable.”

This is what I used to emphasize to young entrepreneurs.

To sell an innovative idea, you need to make it immediately clear to customers what it is and what it will taste like.

Snow flower bingsu.

The name itself gives some idea, but people might hesitate when it comes to actually buying it.

There’s a method I’ve used extensively in these situations.

“We need to let people taste it at a test store first.”

Who would refuse when it’s offered for free?

“Then, like you, they’ll be asking where they can buy it.”

I grinned, and Moon Yu-han let out a dry laugh.

“Wow. CEO…. I’ve seen many business owners in my line of work, but I’ve never met anyone who talks like you.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

“It is. Most people only think about what’s right in front of them.”

I know all too well.

How many have failed to see the big picture, chasing immediate gains only to stumble over small obstacles?

And among those swept-up competitors, I alone survived until the end.

Even I, however, eventually fell before Hyeonmu.

‘Perhaps I too was only focused on immediate profits at that time.’

I didn’t realize it then. Looking back now, as the company grew, we strayed somewhat from our original intentions.

“A test store, huh. Others would first calculate how much they’d lose in a day, how much the ingredients cost.”

“I’ve calculated that too, you know.”

“It’s not about being stingy, but about profit and loss calculation, right?”

That’s true.

“I can guarantee you this: someone who worries about every single tissue a customer uses rarely grows their business big. The person who hires someone detail-oriented to take care of the small stuff while they think big and move freely is much more successful in business.”

Moon Yu-han’s eyes sparkled as he continued.

“It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for a long time.”

“You think so? I was thinking something similar. What a remarkable coincidence.”

I said as I shook the hand Moon Yu-han offered.

“Ah, and I’d like to add one condition. This machine, I had it custom-made, right? I’d appreciate it if you could hold off on releasing similar machines for a while.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not even my idea, of course I will.”

“I won’t ask you not to sell it at all. You put effort into making it too. Just please wait until this menu item moves beyond the test store.”

“Yes, understood~”

The conversation flowed smoothly as Moon Yu-han also wanted to establish a friendly relationship with me.

‘The cafe I acquired should be ready to use from tomorrow. It should be enough to offer small servings as a service when it gets crowded.’

We could also give customers who finished their meal at the soup rice restaurant a ticket for a post-meal bingsu.

There are various methods, so we can adjust based on the situation.

With this, all preparations are complete.

‘Until now, we’ve just been a good value-for-money restaurant, nothing more.’

But from now on, it’s different.

We’re going to lead the food trends. Me, Song Woo-yeon.