NOVEL NEXT 5
“Two Hapjae soups here!”
“Coming right up~”
“Could I get some more radish kimchi, please?”
“I’ll bring it to you soon.”
“One more water bottle, please.”
“Certainly!”
Moving at a frenetic pace, eyebrows fluttering, the lunch rush finally ends. While wiping tables, I spot a customer heading to the register and dash over.
“Would you like a receipt?”
“No, you can toss it.”
“Thank you very much~!”
I bow slightly as I hand over the card, and the customer smiles and nods in return.
Phew.
Finally, a moment to catch my breath. As I tidy up the tables and head back, a pile of dishes greets me.
Beside me, Lee In-cheol sits on a makeshift chair, barely catching his breath.
“Boss?”
“Oh, oh yeah. Any new soup orders?”
“What? No, what are you talking about? The last customer just left. Lunch is over, let’s clean up. I’ll do the dishes, so could you prepare some more meat?”
“Ugh…”
Lee In-cheol stares at me, half-dazed.
“Aren’t you tired? My bones are aching, must be my age.”
“I’m tired too.”
I reply as I put on rubber gloves.
“But if you’re this exhausted now, what are you going to do? It’s only going to get tougher.”
“Tougher than this?”
“Today we filled all five tables three times over during lunch. People think we’re a new soup place because of the sign change, so we’re essentially riding the opening rush.”
While serving, I overheard customers’ conversations. Most seemed unaware that
Of course, some regulars recognized the boss and greeted him warmly.
“Usually, a restaurant’s sales peak at the start, then dip slightly, before settling at an average somewhere in between.”
“Now that you mention it, I think we did alright when we first opened…”
“People want to try a new place when it opens. And since they don’t eat the same food every day, it’ll take some time before they crave soup again. That’s when sales dip a bit.”
“I see.”
“After that, the restaurant’s revenue depends on how many first-time customers return for repeat visits.”
I continue talking as I wash the dishes.
“So the customers coming now are very important—they’ll be responsible for our future revenue.”
That’s why we need to leave the best impression possible on current visitors.
Well, it seems we’ve gotten good word-of-mouth. Tables fill up during lunch, and we’re seeing repeat customers, so there’s not much to worry about.
“I see… But how do you know all this?”
Oops.
“…That’s what they say on YouTube!”
“Really? YouTube teaches you these things?”
“If you look hard enough, you can find anything.”
Of course, that’s a lie.
It’s all wisdom and experience I’ve gained through years of hard work. Ugh. But there’s no way he’d believe that, so I have to fib for now.
“Times sure have changed. Back in my day, if you wanted to learn the restaurant business, you’d spend years doing menial tasks at a famous place, learning by watching…”
True. Even with all the advancements, the secrets of a great restaurant aren’t easily uncovered.
‘When I was younger, I even dug through the trash of popular restaurants.’
As I nod, lost in memories, Lee In-cheol interjects.
“Wait a minute. Isn’t this the hardest part then? You said it settles at an average, right?”
“That’s true for most restaurants.”
But this isn’t just any place.
“If the food is good, customers will come from further away, right? Right now we’re catering to office workers at lunchtime, but later we’ll have customers who drive for hours to get here.”
Once you establish yourself as a popular spot in the primary market, you get the chance to expand into the secondary market, 30 minutes to an hour away by car.
If you successfully make a name for yourself in the secondary market, you can finally become a nationally renowned restaurant that people travel from all over to visit.
“What? That’s just your wishful thinking.”
Lee In-cheol chuckles as he responds. Right now, I must look like a youngster dreaming big dreams in the midst of the restaurant’s boom.
But I know better.
‘This can’t help but succeed.’
I glance at the pot of boiling broth.
The reason this place was able to flourish even with advice from my clueless younger self before the regression was that Boss Lee In-cheol had already laid a solid foundation.
‘A clean kitchen, strict hygiene management, and an unwavering commitment to traditional methods and taste.’
The core of the food was already perfected, so it just needed a little push to gain momentum.
‘That’s why I could make such bold claims.’
For any other restaurant, even I would have struggled to increase sales tenfold in just three months.
Of course, I would have found a way somehow.
“Haha. Acting like you’ve seen it all, but this is the kind of spirit you need.”
I want to retort that it’s all about experience, but I hold my tongue. I’m twenty years old now, twenty years old…
“Well, having a tired body is better than staring into space with nothing to do.”
Lee In-cheol mutters as he gets up with a groan. Despite his complaints, his eyes sparkle with life.
Having customers who appreciate the food you’ve prepared with care.
That alone is enough to make him grateful, which is why he can remain so consistent.
‘A restaurant without customers easily falls into a rut.’
What’s the point of cleaning diligently if there are no customers? What’s the use of selecting the finest ingredients if there’s no one to eat them?
Once that vicious cycle starts, it’s hard to break free.
But Lee In-cheol continued to run his business to his exacting standards, even if only ten customers came in a day.
‘How many people can do that?’
I’d bet there’s maybe one in a hundred, if that.
“Hum hum hum~ Hum hum~”
Watching Lee In-cheol’s back as he hums, I busy my hands as well.
‘I’m glad he seems to be enjoying the business now. If only there wasn’t that one thing bothering me….’
An uneasiness stirs in my heart.
‘Well, let’s wait and see for now.’
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At the sound of the door opening, I reflexively look up and greet the customers.
“Welco…me.”
I almost falter for a moment.
Eight men with flushed faces stumble in together.
Quickly scanning the tables, I fortunately spot two adjacent four-person tables. If we push those together, we should be able to accommodate them somehow.
There are a few customers quietly having dinner after work. Drunk customers could disturb their peace.
“Boss! The soup here is amazing~!”
What a booming voice.
“That’s right. I came here for lunch once, and it was pretty good~”
“The third round is always soup!”
It seems they’ve already been drinking elsewhere. Some faces look familiar—they must have enjoyed lunch here and decided to come back.
“Eight people, right? Please have a seat over here.”
I guide them to the far corner to maintain some distance from other customers. Drunk people tend to get louder.
They crowd around the tables, laughing boisterously about something among themselves.
“Excuse me~”
One of them raises his hand high.
“We’ll have eight soups, and bring us three bottles with the red cap. Eight glasses, please.”
His tongue is on the verge of slurring. Not a good sign.
I take a deep breath, steel myself, and explain in a kind tone.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t sell alcohol here.”
“…What?”
“We can only serve you the soup. Would that be alright?”
As soon as I finish speaking, the man looks towards the drink refrigerator at the side of the restaurant.
Yes, it only contains soft drinks, not a single bottle of alcohol.
“What kind of soup place doesn’t sell alcohol?!”
The man looks flustered. I can see his discomfort—he brought all his coworkers here, what is he supposed to do now?
But I can’t serve alcohol we don’t have.
“I’m very sorry.”
As I keep apologizing and bowing my head, the man gestures in exasperation.
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, Boss. Well, you see…”
The man glances at me, then leans in to whisper to his boss. After hearing that we don’t sell alcohol, the boss’s expression changes subtly.
“Aish… What a hassle.”
The boss clicks his tongue and stands up abruptly.
“Boss?”
“Where are you going?”
Those too drunk to grasp the situation look up in belated surprise.
“Everyone, get up!”
“What?”
“They don’t sell alcohol here!”
At those words, everyone’s eyes widen as they finally understand the situation. As they hesitate, the boss puts on his coat, grabs his bag, and strides out.
“Boss~! Where are you going?!”
The man who had been so confident when entering the restaurant now follows behind with a face that looks on the verge of tears.
“Oh, come on. We’re moving again?”
“They don’t sell alcohol.”
“What kind of soup place doesn’t sell alcohol?”
Complaints erupt from all sides. They don’t seem to care that I can hear them.
“Ah.”
The last person to leave stops at the door and turns back.
“Tell the owner this: How do you expect to run a business in the evening without selling alcohol in an area with so many office workers?”
After delivering this advice-laced comment, he turns on his heel. I call out “Please take care!” to his retreating back one more time.
“Haah…”
As I turn around, my eyes meet those of Lee In-cheol, who has been watching this whole scene from the kitchen.
He wears a pensive expression.
As we’re closing up after the dinner service, he finally breaks the silence.
“Song Woo-yeon. What do you think about selling alcohol in the evenings?”