NOVEL NEXT 48
The bustling crowd, the long waiting line, and the constant click-click of cameras from all directions.
Our efforts on the interior design had paid off.
Exclamations of “Wow~” could be heard from every corner. The newly trained part-timers seemed to be doing a good job too.
Roh Se-hee, who had come with me to survey the scene, sidled up and said,
“Thanks to the extensive promotion through social media, it’s bustling with people on the first day as expected. No, it seems even busier than we anticipated.”
“Indeed.”
I thought it would be popular, but the effect is far better than expected.
As always, appealing to people’s desire to ‘fit in with mainstream culture’ proves effective.
“However, it’s a shame that the consumer base seems limited to young people because of this.”
“That’s just for now. Later, we’ll brand it as a place for the whole family to enjoy together.”
It was an unavoidable choice to increase accessibility for now. By the time the concept of snow flower bingsu is no longer novel, middle-aged and older people will be frequenting the place in droves.
Just as I saw in the future.
“Oh?”
At that moment, I spotted a familiar face.
“Sim Chae-yoon is here too.”
“Pardon? Who?”
“I just saw someone I know.”
It seems she came with the same friend as last time. An interesting idea struck me.
“Would you like to take the order for that table?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I already know them.”
“What? Isn’t that all the more reason for you to go, Boss?”
Well, there’s something to it. Just then, I saw Sim Chae-yoon’s table pressing the bell, presumably having finished looking at the menu.
Ding dong~
“We’re ready to order~”
“Go on, then.”
I pushed Roh Se-hee forward without further explanation. Though looking slightly puzzled, Roh Se-hee seemed to comply simply because I had instructed her to do so. She stood before Sim Chae-yoon.
“Yes, are you ready to order?”
Sim Chae-yoon opened the menu and pointed to the top left corner.
“From here.”
Then she drew a diagonal line down to the bottom right.
“To here, please.”
“…Pardon?”
Roh Se-hee stared at Sim Chae-yoon with a dumbfounded expression. Yes, that’s the reaction.
Anyone would make that silly face when first witnessing Sim Chae-yoon’s appetite. They’d doubt if they heard correctly.
“Can you… really eat all of this?”
“Haha. Yes, I eat well.”
Sim Chae-yoon said with a bashful smile.
Roh Se-hee composed herself as best she could and said she understood. Then she returned to me with a bewildered look and asked,
“Is this an amount two people can eat?”
That’s the question.
“Watch closely.”
I whispered to Roh Se-hee.
“She’ll be a real goldmine later on.”
Leaving the perplexed Roh Se-hee behind, I casually approached Sim Chae-yoon’s table.
“Hello.”
“Oh! Hello. You’re from last time….”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Fortunately, it seemed Sim Chae-yoon remembered me too. This should make the conversation easier.
I lowered my voice and whispered,
“My, you’ve ordered so much. You’re our VIP customer~. I’ll give you a few items on the house, so please come often in the future, okay?”
“Gasp. Really?! Thank you!”
Sim Chae-yoon’s eyes sparkled. With that appetite and still being a college student, her food expenses must be astronomical.
“It’s my pleasure.”
I responded with a bright smile.
For now, the primary goal was to make her a regular customer, and then we’d proceed step by step after she started her mukbang.
To me, Sim Chae-yoon looked just like a goose that lays golden eggs. Hehehe.
Enjoy your meal. It would be even better if you eat it on your broadcast.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
“Wow! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
The man greeted me exuberantly, bowing deeply.
He wasn’t wearing a tie, but he had on a shirt with dress pants and a cardigan over them. An appropriate outfit, given that I had told him to dress comfortably.
He wore a metal watch on his left wrist and dress shoes. His hair was styled meticulously.
“I was so impressed by the success of
“You seem to have looked into us quite a bit, Jang Min-gyu-ssi.”
At my question, Jang Min-gyu nodded vigorously.
“Of course! It’s the company I want to open a franchise with. This level of research is basic!”
“I like your proactive attitude. Nice to meet you. I’m Song Woo-yeon, the CEO of
Jang Min-gyu’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he quickly smoothed his expression. He probably thought I was just in charge of franchising.
“Surprised? I’m quite young.”
“Ah, not at all! Age has nothing to do with business acumen. Haha.”
I have to commend his ability to manage his expression. I smirked and flipped through some documents.
“By the way, Jo I-ruk-ssi. We invited another person here too, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Jo I-ruk was sitting beside me. He’ll be in charge of this work from now on, so he should watch and learn.
“Is someone else coming too?”
“Yes. We’re receiving many franchise inquiries lately, but we want to proceed slowly and steadily if possible. After reviewing many candidates, we finally invited two people for interviews.”
“…! I see.”
“Ah, it seems the other person has arrived.”
A dark silhouette was visible through the door.
Swoosh.
The person who entered was a man of slightly short stature with a sturdy build, thick eyebrows, and tightly pressed lips that left an impression.
The man glanced around the office briefly, then looked back and forth between me and Jo I-ruk. He seemed unsure which of us was the CEO.
He seemed to be leaning towards Jo I-ruk, who looked older, so I stepped forward to prevent an awkward situation.
“Nice to meet you, Seo Beom-jun-ssi.”
Seo Beom-jun looked at me, startled. I extended my hand with a bright smile.
“I’m Song Woo-yeon.”
His ears, which were slightly folded and faint in shape, caught my attention first. Even in an ordinary shirt and pants, he gave off the impression of someone who worked out.
Seo Beom-jun hesitated for a moment before shaking my hand.
“…Thank you for inviting me. I’m Seo Beom-jun.”
“Haha. It’s my pleasure. Please, have a seat over here.”
I naturally guided him to the central table.
“This is Jang Min-gyu-ssi. He’s another interviewee like you, Seo Beom-jun-ssi. If you both pass and end up running franchises, you’ll likely have many occasions to contact each other, so we thought it best to bring you together early.”
At my explanation, Jang Min-gyu stepped forward first, extending his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Seo Beom-jun-ssi.”
“……”
Seo Beom-jun shook his hand and bowed slightly.
“Well then, now that you’re both here, shall we start the interview? There’s no need to be too nervous, just answer honestly and comfortably.”
I said, looking back and forth between Jang Min-gyu and Seo Beom-jun.
Their styles couldn’t be more different. Jang Min-gyu responded with a crisp “Yes!” while Seo Beom-jun just nodded silently.
“First, I was surprised by the number of franchise inquiries. Our franchise is just starting out, yet people have already been looking into us. What motivated you two to apply? Jang Min-gyu-ssi, please go first.”
“Yes!”
Jang Min-gyu’s eyes sparkled as he began speaking, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“I believe that market research and business plan preparation are essential for opening a franchise. This requires analysis of market segments, competition, and fund management. In that sense,
Hmm, it’s long.
It took about three minutes for Jang Min-gyu to finish his answer.
“…That’s all.”
“Yes, thank you. Then, Seo Beom-jun-ssi?”
As I turned my head, Seo Beom-jun spoke with a determined voice.
“…The soup rice was really delicious.”
“……”
“……”
“…Ah, I see.”
After a moment of awkward silence, I barely managed to respond.
The fact that my smile didn’t falter in this situation proves that I deserve to be called a professional.
Wow. I had forgotten because it had been so long since I last met him, but now I remember.
‘This person… had terrible speaking skills….’
I recall struggling quite a bit to fix that.
Jang Min-gyu couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly after hearing Seo Beom-jun’s brief answer.
‘An easy win! …Is that what he’s thinking?’
He’s not wrong. If I had to choose just one of them, Jang Min-gyu seems more suitable for business than Seo Beom-jun.
“Then I’ll ask the next question. This is something you might often encounter in the store. A customer complains that they found a hair in their food. When you examine it, it doesn’t seem to be yours, nor does it look like a mistake from the kitchen or serving staff. How would you handle this situation?”
“Ah, yes. Those black consumers. Such black consumers usually aim to get monetary compensation, and if you don’t comply with their intentions, they might leave bad reviews or post negative comments online. I think I would ask what kind of compensation they want and try to accommodate their wishes if possible!”
“I see. How about you, Seo Beom-jun-ssi?”
Seo Beom-jun looked straight at me and said,
“I would apologize sincerely.”
Jang Min-gyu shot him an incredulous look. He seemed to think Seo Beom-jun hadn’t heard what he just said, looking at him with disdain. I see.
I asked a couple more questions after that, and each time, Jang Min-gyu and Seo Beom-jun’s answers were starkly different.
“Alright, I understand. Thank you both for your efforts.”
I concluded the interview, addressing them both equally.
“We’ll contact you soon.”
“Yes!”
Jang Min-gyu nodded with a broad smile, while Seo Beom-jun bowed silently. How can they be so different, really.
Thud.
As soon as the two left and the door closed, Jo I-ruk shook his head.
“Wow~. They’re so different.”
“Aren’t they?”
“Their strengths and weaknesses are quite distinct too.”
“Oh? What do you think?”
I asked with great interest, and Jo I-ruk carefully counted on his fingers as he spoke.
“Jang Min-gyu-ssi seems… a bit cunning, I should say. He’s well-spoken too. He seems like he’d be good at customer service. As for his weakness… well, his personality doesn’t seem particularly pleasant.”
“Right.”
“On the other hand, Seo Beom-jun-ssi is like a bear. In a good way, he’s steadfast, but in a bad way, he lacks flexibility. He’s also too quiet.”
That’s accurate.
“To put it simply… it’s a choice between someone who’s good at the job but lacks tact, and someone who’s not so good at the job but is diligent.”
This is a dilemma every boss faces at some point.
I smiled and asked,
“Who would you choose, Jo I-ruk-ssi?”