NOVEL NEXT 92
Seeing that face, like someone listening to unwelcome nagging, my mind went blank for a moment.
“…….”
I fell silent, at a loss for words.
That face. It was the same expression I’d seen on Park Seung-jae, the franchisee who had been selling yukgaejang without permission.
The look of a student being scolded by a teacher.
Involuntarily, I bit my lower lip and clenched my fists.
A sense of betrayal that seeped deep into my bones.
No, it was closer to a feeling of emptiness than betrayal.
‘You weren’t like this before, ahjussi.’
Where had the Kim Jong-chun I knew disappeared to? That question swirled in my mind.
An indescribable void left a gaping hole in the corner of my heart.
The Kim Jong-chun before my regression wasn’t like this. Wasn’t he the one who stubbornly kept working on-site, saying “What’s the point of an old man resting?” even when everyone urged him to retire?
Among the franchisees who were dropping off one by one, he was almost the only founding member who had been with us from the beginning.
I had thought that if anyone could be trusted, it was Kim Jong-chun. I had marveled at how there couldn’t be a more diligent person than him.
‘But how could you change so drastically?’
If I could, I wanted to confront him out loud, comparing him to the Kim Jong-chun before my regression.
But I knew better than anyone that it was nothing more than a meaningless assumption.
My mouth just tasted bitter.
‘Is it because of me?’
The only thing that had changed when comparing before my regression and now was me.
‘Right. Before my regression, we had more experiences of struggling together.’
Because we were both novice CEOs and novice franchisees. We grew together, going through various trials and errors.
There were countless nights when we put our heads together and stayed up for days.
How to attract more customers. How to increase the revisit rate. Why the number of visitors increased this weekend.
Kim Jong-chun and I had grown the business while wrestling with these tough questions.
But how was it this time?
‘I prepared everything. Ahjussi just followed what I said.’
Because I knew the shortcuts, I thought that was the much better path.
What would be the point of treading the exact same path I’d already walked? Since it was all knowledge Kim Jong-chun and I had gained through blood, sweat, and tears anyway, I didn’t mind sharing all the management know-how.
But now I realized.
‘It came too easily.’
That’s what completely ruined Kim Jong-chun. Boredom and laziness are the greatest poisons.
Maybe it’s more surprising to find someone who isn’t bored in such a smoothly running car.
‘I… to ahjussi…’
No. That’s an exaggeration. I reined in the emotions that were trying to burst out excessively. There was no time to be sentimental.
I was silent for a moment, trying to suppress the rising feelings. As I stopped speaking, Kim Jong-chun seemed to sense something was off and kept glancing at me nervously.
Sigh.
After letting out a deep breath, I released the tension that had built up throughout my body. I came out of the kitchen and sat down on a nearby chair.
“Sit down, ahjussi.”
“…Okay.”
Kim Jong-chun was still fidgeting, observing me.
With my eyes half-lowered, I blurted out:
“Ahjussi, do you remember how it was when you first came to Boss Lee In-cheol?”
“…….”
“You said you’d been fired from your company but couldn’t bring yourself to tell your wife.”
“That’s right.”
Kim Jong-chun’s face flushed as if recalling that time.
“Back then, even though Boss Lee In-cheol warned it wouldn’t be easy, you were the one who eagerly volunteered.”
At my words, Kim Jong-chun lowered his head slightly.
“Back then, ahjussi, you came out at dawn every day to boil the broth and prepare the shop to open. At night, you stayed behind to learn recipes from Boss Lee In-cheol. You worked so hard that I was worried about you.”
“…….”
“Back then, your eyes sparkled. I learned a lot watching you. I thought you were amazing, that you’d succeed at anything. That’s what I thought.”
Kim Jong-chun’s face gradually darkened.
As I recounted each detail, he must be realizing how much he had changed compared to when he first started.
The mindset he had when he first started the business would be vaguely coming back to him.
“Even when you were first selecting the shop location, you must have felt it while running around yourself. Ah, even shops like these can fail. This is how it can happen. You decided to start the business after considering all those things, right?”
“…That’s right.”
“Ahjussi.”
I lowered my voice.
I made eye contact with Kim Jong-chun and leaned forward, closing the distance. Staring directly into his slightly trembling eyes, I continued:
“Why did it turn out like this?”
“…….”
At my words, Kim Jong-chun seemed to feel something too.
I could see his hands on the table shaking slightly. Kim Jong-chun finally lowered his gaze completely.
As if he had become a criminal.
Today, more than ever, Kim Jong-chun looked small and shabby. Despite his size that should never look that way.
Plop. Plop.
Small noises arose as tears fell onto the table.
So I ended up seeing tears after all. Before my regression, this used to happen occasionally when I bickered with franchisees. But actually seeing Kim Jong-chun’s tears left an indescribable bitterness.
Guessing he wouldn’t want to show his crying face, I awkwardly turned my gaze to the side.
Rustle.
I sensed Kim Jong-chun pulling out a napkin from the table and wiping his eyes vigorously.
Still looking to the side, I continued speaking.
“I’ll leave it at this for today.”
“…….”
“I’ve said all I needed to say. How you take it is up to you, Boss.”
How could I, of all people, make someone change?
Even if someone does change, it’s not because I changed them. It’s because they decided to change themselves.
I just hoped that Kim Jong-chun would grasp the meaning of my words well.
“You don’t have to come to work for a while until you’ve made up your mind. We’ll look after the shop from our end.”
“…….”
“In recognition of your efforts so far, we could change just the franchisee while you keep part ownership of the shop. Or if you want to quit the business entirely, we can buy it out at a fair price based on expected earnings.”
Kim Jong-chun remained silent as I continued speaking. Guessing his complicated feelings, I spoke, trying not to let any emotion seep through:
“Whether you really want to retire or continue the business. Think it over carefully and let me know.”
Bow.
After bowing my head, I left the shop just like that.
Click.
As soon as I opened the door, a cold wind brushed my cheeks. I walked out briskly, not even feeling the cold.
Emotions that were hard to put into words swirled together, churning in my chest.
“…Ah, Woo-yeon!”
“!”
A familiar voice rang in my ears as I was lost in thought. I snapped my head up to see Han Mi-ae standing in front of me.
She must have rushed after me, as she was still wearing her apron. The
“…Boss Han.”
“Did something happen?”
She asked me with a worried face.
“No, I saw the lights on at the
Han Mi-ae trailed off, mumbling the last part. She must have watched me and Kim Jong-chun talking through the shop’s window.
“…It’s nothing. I just had something urgent to discuss. He might not come to the shop for a while, but don’t worry too much.”
But this wasn’t something to blurt out to Han Mi-ae. As I smiled gently and responded, Han Mi-ae took a step closer.
“Nothing? Your face looks so troubled. …I’ve barely seen Boss Kim lately. Is it because of that?”
Is it because her shop is across the street? There’s no way to hide it.
Being neighbors, they must have been on friendly terms. Han Mi-ae probably noticed Kim Jong-chun’s work hours and attitude early on.
I smiled bitterly and nodded.
“So it was that after all.”
“You suspected, didn’t you?”
“To some extent… I’ve been so busy with my own business lately that I didn’t have time to pay attention to others. I just thought, maybe he’s busy, and left it at that.”
But after seeing me having a serious conversation with Kim Jong-chun, she seemed to realize something was wrong.
“People can be so disappointing. Right, Woo-yeon?”
“I guess so. Well… what can we do? People are bound to change.”
How could we call them human if they didn’t change? I was already half-resigned to this part. Though Kim Jong-chun’s case was shocking in its own way.
“Sigh. That’s true. Don’t worry too much. It’s getting late, should I ask Da-on to take you home?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s busy dinner time now. It’s not that late, so I’ll go by myself.”
“But still…”
Han Mi-ae kept insisting, but I consistently refused. I wanted to walk alone and sort out my thoughts.
“Mom! Table 3 says their order hasn’t come out yet!”
“Oh my goodness. Look at me!”
Han Mi-ae snapped her head up at the voice calling her. Grasping my hand tightly, she repeatedly urged, “Call me anytime if you’re having a hard time,” before dashing off.
I watched her retreating figure and smirked.
Looks like I haven’t lived entirely in vain after all.
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Ring ring.
Click.
“Hello?”
“In-cheol.”
Lee In-cheol raised an eyebrow at the familiar voice.
“It’s me, Kim Jong-chun.”
“I know.”
“Do you have time? Want to grab a drink?”
It was almost 1 AM. Considering the next day’s business, there was no way he could say he “had time,” but…
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded so lifeless. Lee In-cheol let out a deep sigh before asking:
“Where are you now?”