God-Given Business Genius

Despite the chilly silence that had descended, the man seemed too busy huffing and puffing to notice the strange atmosphere. Otherwise, how could he continue staring only at Jo I-ruk while everyone’s gaze was fixed on me?

“I think there’s been some misunderstanding…”

“What misunderstanding!”

The man cut Jo I-ruk’s words in half before he could even finish speaking.

Well, well. Now I was curious to see how far this would go. I took a sip of coffee and observed the situation.

“Young man, you’re going too far! Huh? When you first said a soup restaurant was coming in, we all welcomed it! Aren’t we all just trying to make a living together~?”

“But sir, you shouldn’t be saying this to me…”

“Ah, where else am I supposed to go if not here?! I came here to resolve this amicably, but if you keep refusing to talk and denying everything, I’ll have no choice but to consider other methods!”

“No, that’s not…”

Jo I-ruk trailed off, looking utterly dejected.

His face screamed frustration. The man wouldn’t listen when he tried to explain he wasn’t the CEO, and now he was yelling about something Jo I-ruk didn’t even understand.

He must be wondering what on earth was going on.

Slurp.

A loud noise erupted as I finished my coffee. Well, I had considered that something like this might happen.

While Jo I-ruk seemed completely clueless, I knew exactly why this man had come all the way here.

I told the troubled security guard beside me that he could leave now. We couldn’t just send the man away after he’d come this far.

“Do you think I’d come all the way here if it wasn’t serious?! We’ve been patient for so long before speaking up. You know?”

At this rate, Jo I-ruk might burst into tears.

Perhaps it’s time to drop the act. I pushed my empty coffee cup aside and stood up.

“You seem quite upset.”

As I approached with a gentle smile, the man turned his head with a frown.

His expression clearly said, ‘Who are you to butt in?’ Behind me, Jo I-ruk shook his head slightly. He probably meant, ‘Don’t make this situation any worse.’

But I was the most experienced in dealing with this type of person.

“Pleased to meet you, Representative Yoon Kang-deok.”

I extended my hand and said,

“I’m Song Woo-yeon of .”

“…Huh? ‘Song’?”

“Yes. Song Woo-yeon.”

The merchants’ association representative, Yoon Kang-deok, looked back and forth between me and Jo I-ruk, as if trying to grasp the situation. Seeing his expression, Jo I-ruk pushed up his glasses and offered his business card.

“I’m Jo I-ruk. I’m the general team leader of .”

“So this one is Mr. Jo? And you’re Ms. Song?”

He subtly slipped into informal speech, pretending to be talking to himself. But falling for such provocation would be amateur. I maintained my bright smile and replied without showing any reaction.

“Yes, I’m Ms. Song, sir.”

“Well, I’ll be.”

Yoon Kang-deok let out a dry laugh as if he’d seen something truly bizarre. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he reluctantly shook my hand.

“I’m Yoon Kang-deok. How did you know my name?”

“Haha. How could I not know the representative of the merchants’ association where we do business? I should have greeted you first. I’m sorry for making you come all the way here.”

“Ahem, well. No need for all that~”

Yoon Kang-deok barely suppressed the corners of his mouth from curling up. It seemed he wasn’t entirely displeased by me, the CEO of a company called , showing him respect.

“Now this CEO seems like someone I can talk to! How can someone who understands so well do business like this~? Huh?”

“What on earth have you been talking about since earlier…”

“Team Leader Jo.”

I stopped Jo I-ruk as he tried to intervene. He gave me a prim look, like a scolded child.

His eyes seemed to say, ‘Didn’t you see how this person was talking just now?’ But there’s no point in Jo I-ruk confronting someone like this.

Unless it’s a conversation between CEOs, he’d likely respond with a ‘How dare you’ attitude.

“Please bring some coffee and light refreshments. It seems our conversation might be lengthy.”

“…Understood.”

Jo I-ruk hesitated for a moment but soon followed my instructions. Yoon Kang-deok watched him with a seemingly mocking gaze.

“Let’s go inside. It seems you have something to discuss with me.”

I guided Yoon Kang-deok to the separate reception room.

“Will you be alright?”

Roh Se-hee whispered to me with a worried look.

“It might be better if you’re not alone with him.”

“I know.”

While I appreciated her concern, it wasn’t what I needed right now. I reassured Roh Se-hee that I’d be fine and followed Yoon Kang-deok into the reception room.

Swish.

As I closed the blinds, the inside and outside were instantly separated.

“Representative Yoon. You have complaints about our company?”

“Complaints? You shouldn’t say it like that! I’m afraid someone might hear.”

Yoon Kang-deok waved his hands in an exaggerated gesture. Then, lowering his voice a bit, he whispered to me.

“Well, CEO, you seem inexperienced in business. Don’t you know there’s a code of ethics we merchants must follow?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve been working in this alley for over 20 years now. Let’s see… probably 26? 27 years? Something like that.”

Yoon Kang-deok started rambling about things I wasn’t particularly interested in. He was recounting the hardships he faced when he first started running a restaurant in the alley where Kim Jong-chun’s is now located.

“Ah, I see~”

As I nodded along absently, lost in my own thoughts, Yoon Kang-deok enthusiastically poured out more stories.

About 10 minutes passed. Yoon Kang-deok finally seemed to come to his senses and started getting to his main point.

“Ahem. Oh my, I’ve been talking too much. It’s just that you’re like my own child. When I see young CEOs like you, I feel like you’re my child, you know? Like my younger self, and I want to teach and take care of you as much as I can~”

“Oh, how kind of you.”

As I smiled and responded perfunctorily, Yoon Kang-deok beamed at me. He seemed to have concluded that I would be docile and listen well to what he had to say.

“So, here’s the thing~ Doing business in this neighborhood, it’s not something you do alone, you know!”

Of course.

“But these days, everyone’s saying the same thing~ That business is so tough they could die. Huh? This wasn’t originally a place where business was so bad, but all the customers have left, and sales have been cut exactly in half~!”

I knew this was coming.

I couldn’t help but smile, knowing full well what he was about to say. Yoon Kang-deok, interpreting my smile in his own way, started rattling off words.

“When I started doing business here 27 years ago, there was no one here! But we merchants all worked hard together to build up the commercial district, and that’s why people started coming here.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s why young business juniors like you can come in and do business here! Young people these days often forget this, but you should never, ever forget! Huh? This is all built on the foundation we laid with our blood, sweat, and tears, that’s what I’m saying~”

“I see.”

“But those same people, they’re all in an uproar now saying business is so bad they could die, so I’m dying too~”

“Oh my. What a pity.”

“That’s what I’m saying! You know that, what’s it called, financial crisis? They’re saying it’s as tough as back then, all of them?”

He’s beating around the bush more than I expected. This preamble is getting long.

My patience was starting to wear thin. Finally, Yoon Kang-deok showed his true colors.

“But why do you think that is?”

“I wonder? Our business has been doing well.”

As I tilted my head feigning ignorance, Yoon Kang-deok’s face suddenly contorted. Then, as if he’d suddenly come to his senses, he composed his expression and cleared his throat.

“CEO Song. Let’s talk honestly, merchant to merchant.”

What nonsense is he about to spout?

“The truth is, the number of customers coming to this alley is fixed, isn’t it? So if one place suddenly does really well, what are the rest of the stores supposed to live on? Huh?”

“Ah, I see.”

“That goes against business ethics!”

This seems quite different from the business ethics I know.

“You’ve made your place all fancy on the outside. And it’s not just one or two shops, but three or four, right? Because of that, our entire alley’s businesses are suffering.”

What a peculiar logic. I remained silent, as if waiting for him to continue, and Yoon Kang-deok raised his voice even more.

“Until now, we thought ‘let bygones be bygones’ and endured it. But we can’t take it anymore! We need to address this clearly!”

Slam!

The story he’s pouring out while pounding the table is quite a spectacle.

“You understand what I’m saying, right?”

“Of course, sir.”

I smiled faintly.

Just then, knock knock, Jo I-ruk’s knocking sound announced the arrival of refreshments.

Swish.

As the door opened and Jo I-ruk entered, I continued speaking with a calm smile.

“So, you’re throwing a tantrum and blaming us because your lack of skill is causing your business to fail. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

“……”

Jo I-ruk, who was entering, stopped in his tracks, and Yoon Kang-deok’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped. They seemed unable to believe the words that had just come out of my mouth.

I picked up a cup of coffee from the tray that Jo I-ruk hadn’t even managed to set down.

Slurp. After taking a sip, I smiled brightly.

“I understand that nearby merchants are upset because customers are flocking to our stores. But are we really the only ones that are busy?”

I glanced sharply at Yoon Kang-deok.

“As far as I know, quite often when our waiting times are too long, customers end up visiting nearby stores. Haven’t you considered that advantage?”

“Ha, hah!”

Yoon Kang-deok exhaled as if in disbelief.

“Or perhaps, seeing the bustling store next door, you’ve become so blinded by jealousy that you can’t see your own books properly?”

Without raising my voice, I questioned him calmly but thoroughly. Yoon Kang-deok pressed his lips tightly together.

It seemed he had finally realized I wasn’t an easy opponent.

“I have no intention of making monthly contributions to the merchants’ association under the guise of consolation money or donations.”

I’m sorry, but you’ve picked the wrong adversary.