God-Given Business Genius

“…And that’s how this fellow ended up working here too.”

I looked at the man standing awkwardly next to Lee In-cheol. He was a middle-aged man, about two heads taller than Lee In-cheol, with an affable demeanor that seemed to come from years in sales.

“I’m Kim Jong-chun.”

As he smiled and offered his hand, I could easily picture him in a suit, handing out business cards to people.

He hadn’t quite shed his corporate worker skin yet.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Song Woo-yeon.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you were a great help when the business was struggling.”

“It’s nothing special. I benefit from it too, after all.”

Kim Jong-chun spoke politely to me despite our vast age difference, adopting a humble posture.

‘So it’s already time for this person to appear….’

I think it was around this time before my regression too.

Kim Jong-chun.

Unlike Lee In-cheol, who came across as a stubborn old man, Kim Jong-chun lacked kitchen experience but excelled at dealing with people.

In the past, I learned a lot about customer service by watching Kim Jong-chun.

Starting work at Lee In-cheol’s restaurant after being laid off would set Kim Jong-chun on the path to the food service industry.

That’s still in the distant future. For now, he’s a complete novice who can’t even operate the cash register properly.

“Song Woo-yeon. Come here for a moment.”

“Yes.”

“Kim Jong-chun, you start by wiping those tables over there! Friend or not, you’ve got to work hard to earn your pay. Got it?!”

“Yes, sir.”

Kim Jong-chun grinned and picked up a cloth, heading to the dining area without showing any hurt pride.

Lee In-cheol watched Kim Jong-chun’s retreating figure for a moment before lowering his voice to a whisper.

“Sorry for this sudden change. He’s an old colleague from when I started at the company. Due to circumstances, he’s going to learn the ropes here while clearing his head.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I feigned ignorance, maintaining a calm expression.

“He’ll start with serving, and later I’ll teach him how to cook. We’ll do it after closing, so you can just finish up in the dining area and go home.”

“Hmm…”

I wouldn’t really recommend this, but it would be odd to interject here, so I just nodded silently.

“Okay. I’ll just teach him what needs to be done in the dining area.”

“Good. You take care of things out front.”

Lee In-cheol patted my shoulder and headed to the kitchen to start preparing for opening.

I made eye contact with Kim Jong-chun, who was waiting for me after polishing the tables to a shine.

“First, I’ll show you how to use the cash register, sir.”

“No need for ‘sir.’ Just call me ahjussi comfortably. I’m old enough to be your father. Haha.”

“Alright then? You can speak comfortably to me too, ahjussi.”

A smile involuntarily spread across my face.

What a stroke of luck. It was like a windfall.

After all, Kim Jong-chun would…

“I look forward to working with you.”

…eventually become the manager of the first branch of .

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“Can I get some more radish kimchi here!”

“Sorry, but we’re out of tissues.”

“Water over here~!”

Kim Jong-chun moved quickly in response to calls from all directions.

“Here you are.”

“I’ll bring you some tissues.”

“I’ll get your water right away!”

He worked without a moment’s rest. Plus, food kept coming out of the kitchen. Thanks to Song Woo-yeon quickly taking it to the customers’ tables, he just barely managed.

“Ahjussi. We’re almost out of water bottles. Please fill those bottles over there with water and put them in the fridge.”

“O-okay!”

“Then clear that table over there, it looks like they’re about to leave.”

“Got it!”

As he filled water bottles at the water purifier, Kim Jong-chun finally had a moment to catch his breath.

‘Phew.’

He couldn’t believe Song Woo-yeon had managed all this alone until he started working here.

It was tough even with two people. How did that young kid handle it?

‘Plus, this… is she giving me a chance to rest?’

It takes some time for the water containers to fill up. Kim Jong-chun could legally take a break.

Meanwhile, Song Woo-yeon kept bustling about.

‘Restaurant work is really not easy.’

Vowing to be kinder to restaurant staff in the future, Kim Jong-chun finished filling the water bottles.

He had filled about half when a customer at a nearby table who had just sat down raised their hand to call him.

“Two bowls of soup here, please.”

“Yes, certainly!”

Just as he was thinking he should enter two soups into the cash register, he heard a sound.

Screech.

He turned to see people getting up from the very table Song Woo-yeon had mentioned.

‘At the register?’

No one was there. Song Woo-yeon was clearing a table at the far end of the restaurant.

“I’ll help you with your bill!”

He hurried to assist with the payment, then cleared away the empty bowls. Just as he finished wiping the table clean, he noticed the half-filled water bottles.

Several bottles had already been taken from the fridge, leaving only a few.

‘I should finish that first.’

As he was refilling the water, a customer asked to store their luggage, so he put a carrier bag behind the counter. Then he politely answered a customer asking if they sold the delicious radish kimchi separately.

Amidst the busy work, he suddenly remembered.

‘Ah! I took an order for two bowls of soup earlier.’

He had almost forgotten. He rushed to enter the order into the register.

Two soups.

“Two soups for table 3!”

He called out the order as he had been taught. A sizzling sound of a ticket being printed was heard from inside.

“Two soups for table 3!”

A response came from the kitchen. This meant the order had been properly received.

A chill ran down his spine at the thought of almost making a mistake. Just as Kim Jong-chun turned around with a sigh of relief…

“Excuse me, boss. Table 3’s order was entered twice.”

Song Woo-yeon called out to the kitchen. Hearing the discrepancy, Lee In-cheol paused and poked his head out.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Table 3 ordered, but when their food didn’t come out, they told me again. I had already put in the order. It should be table 1’s order now, right? Table 3’s should be after that.”

“Ah…!”

As Kim Jong-chun looked surprised, Song Woo-yeon casually said while working the register:

“So discard the ticket for table 3 that just came in, and continue from table 1.”

“Alright, got it!”

As Lee In-cheol returned to the kitchen to resume work, Kim Jong-chun approached Song Woo-yeon awkwardly.

“I made a mistake. I’m sorry. Making you worry about me when you’re already so busy…”

“It’s okay. I’m the floor manager now. It’s natural for me to oversee things.”

Although he was prepared for a scolding, Song Woo-yeon replied as if it were no big deal.

“It’s okay to make mistakes. Of course, it would be a problem if it happened too often, but how can anyone not make mistakes?”

Though Song Woo-yeon herself hadn’t shown a single slip-up all day.

“I’m keeping an eye on the overall situation in the dining area. I’ll keep checking to prevent any major mistakes, so don’t worry.”

Song Woo-yeon continued with a gentle smile.

“It’s natural to be a bit clumsy at first. You’ll get used to it in a few days.”

“…….”

Those words were incredibly comforting.

Kim Jong-chun felt a lump in his throat as he remembered the humiliation he had endured just before being laid off from his company.

They had done everything to push him into resigning voluntarily. There was even a time when his desk and chair disappeared, and he spent the day sitting blankly in the restroom before going home.

He didn’t know how much he had cried then.

But here, in this small soup restaurant, they forgave his mistakes generously and even encouraged him, saying it was okay to make errors.

He felt like he was finally being treated as a human being. It was as if he could breathe freely at last.

“…Thank you, Woo-yeon.”

Kim Jong-chun’s eyes welled up with emotion.

Of course, Song Woo-yeon had her own reasons.

‘Just don’t run away.’

It was hard to find someone as decent and diligent as Kim Jong-chun.

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Rattle, rattle.

I pulled out the food waste bin placed in one corner of the kitchen. It was where leftover food from the bowls was collected before being washed.

“Hmm…”

I thought it might be my imagination, but…

As I peered intently into it, Lee In-cheol sidled up to me.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem? I’ve been managing the ingredients meticulously.”

“It’s not about the ingredients.”

Did he think I didn’t know about Lee In-cheol’s firm conviction about food quality? His cleanliness, ingredient management, and willingness to go the extra mile for taste.

Such foundations don’t change easily.

“The taste hasn’t changed either, has it?”

“I don’t think so either. I’ve been doing surprise inspections without you knowing, and the broth has been consistently good, and the food taste hasn’t changed.”

“You’ve been doing that too…?”

Of course. Trust is one thing, but thorough verification is another.

“Then why are you staring at the food waste like that? There must be a reason!”

Lee In-cheol exclaimed, sounding frustrated.

“Boss. The most basic thing in the food business is ‘checking leftovers’. It’s the most intuitive way to gauge customer satisfaction.”

While some customers eat less and others more, most converge to an average.

So if you’re selling similar amounts but suddenly see more leftovers, it’s a red flag that something serious might be wrong.

“It’s also the first thing to check in the dining area. I’ve been observing for the past few days, and at first, I thought it was because we were serving larger portions. But…”

I looked down at the food waste bin as I spoke.

“The amount of leftovers has increased.”