NOVEL NEXT 93
Scrape, pop.
The two sat facing each other at an outdoor convenience store table. They each cracked open a can of beer and took a couple of sips.
“Yah. What kind of snacks are these? Nothing but dry stuff.”
“These are delicious~ If you don’t like them, don’t eat. I’ll have them all to myself.”
“Who said I don’t like them? Ahem.”
They bickered playfully, easing the tense atmosphere. Lee In-cheol gulped down his beer and asked frankly:
“So. Why did you call me out at this hour? You have to work tomorrow too, don’t you?”
“Haha…”
Kim Jong-chun stared into space for a moment with a lost look, then smirked and replied:
“I’m not going to work tomorrow.”
“…What?”
“Woo-yeon said to sort out my thoughts. She said her team would look after the shop until then.”
Lee In-cheol silently gazed at Kim Jong-chun. Though they weren’t in frequent contact due to their busy shops, even Lee In-cheol had noticed that Kim Jong-chun’s condition had been off lately.
‘What was bound to happen, happened.’
He clicked his tongue at that assessment.
“Why are you making things complicated? For someone who’s already so busy.”
“That’s what I’m saying~ I’m really out of my mind.”
Kim Jong-chun chuckled weakly and muttered to himself.
“It’s because I’m full. Because I’m full…”
“If you know that, do better, you fool.”
“I want to do well~ I want to, but… it’s not as easy as I’d like.”
Kim Jong-chun murmured softly.
“In-cheol. How can you be so nonchalant? I’m… I’m sick to death of this daily routine at the shop.”
“…….”
“I used to feel happy and joyful seeing customers leave with smiles, but now I feel nothing. Sometimes when I get a difficult customer, I feel gloomy and irritable all day for no reason.”
Lee In-cheol listened silently, just tilting his beer can.
“Now I can’t even remember why I wanted to do this in the first place…”
Kim Jong-chun dropped his head and lamented. He smelled strongly of alcohol, as if he’d been drinking somewhere else before coming here.
“Should I just quit the business?”
Lee In-cheol looked down at the bowed head. The graying hair peeking through made it impossible to hide his age.
“Woo-yeon said… to choose between keeping my shares and leaving, selling the whole shop to headquarters, or running it properly…”
Unlike her usual self, that’s a generous offer, Lee In-cheol thought to himself.
Of course, he didn’t voice this out loud, as the dejected Kim Jong-chun in front of him wouldn’t hear it anyway.
“Is this just a roundabout way of telling me to get lost? Right. It must have been hard for her to tell me to leave outright. I’m not the same as I used to be, physically or mentally. Maybe I should just retire like this and look for something else to do?”
“…….”
“Hey! Why aren’t you saying anything when someone’s talking to you!”
When Kim Jong-chun couldn’t hold back and burst out, Lee In-cheol tore off a piece of the dried squid he had been chewing.
“Why? Because you’re just spouting nonsense, so I have nothing to say.”
“I’m being serious!”
“That’s why it’s even more absurd, you idiot.”
Lee In-cheol ripped off another piece of dried squid and smacked Kim Jong-chun’s forehead hard with it.
Feeling the pain as if he’d been flicked on the head, Kim Jong-chun yelped “Ouch!” and backed away. Lee In-cheol clicked his tongue at this.
“Everything you’re saying is nonsense. Alright, should I go through it in order? You’re asking if this job isn’t tedious! Of course it is!”
Bang!
Kim Jong-chun’s eyes widened as Lee In-cheol slammed the table while speaking.
“Every morning when I open my eyes, I curse a storm inside! Thinking, ‘Oh, another wretched morning has come~’. At night when I try to sleep, the thought of having to get up and run the shop again tomorrow makes everything go dark!”
“…….”
“Who doesn’t feel that way! Even office workers curse as they go to work! Did you think self-employed people skip to work singing la-la-la?”
“W-well, that’s not…”
As Kim Jong-chun stammered a response, Lee In-cheol thundered on.
“If it’s natural to not want to work, why are you whining so much? No matter how enjoyable it is, work is work!”
“…….”
“And you’re asking why you’re doing this? It’s for money, of course, money!”
Lee In-cheol made a circular gesture with his fingers, signifying cash.
“We’re all doing this to make money. What, you think you’re doing it to feel happy looking at customers’ faces? If that’s what you want, go volunteer!”
“Hey, why are you talking like that…”
“Am I wrong? You’re exactly right. Your belly is too full now.”
Lee In-cheol crunched loudly on some nuts for emphasis. The sound was so fierce that Kim Jong-chun hunched his shoulders.
“I told you about the time when my shop was empty before I met Song Woo-yeon, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Compared to that, you started your business in an incredibly blessed environment.”
“That’s true.”
“You don’t seem to realize how amazing your success is. There are countless people who pour in their life savings to start a business and fail!”
Kim Jong-chun felt like a scolded child somehow.
“You should really be carrying Song Woo-yeon on your back~ Do you even know?”
“Ugh.”
“And you think she’s telling you to get lost in a roundabout way? Look, no matter how young she is, a CEO is a CEO. Can’t you tell she’s not ordinary, growing her business to that level at her age?”
Lee In-cheol pointed at Kim Jong-chun with a piece of squid as he spoke.
“If she wanted to get rid of you, would she have spoken in such a roundabout way? She could have made up some books and kicked you out for breach of contract, you fool. Then you’d have to leave the shop without a penny. You get it?”
“…….”
“Of course, Song Woo-yeon isn’t the type to be that cutthroat. I’m just saying, hypothetically speaking.”
Lee In-cheol had somehow pulled his chair over to sit beside Kim Jong-chun. He forcibly put his arm around Kim Jong-chun’s shoulders and stared at him intently as he continued:
“Kim Jong-chun. You think everything’s going well because of your own efforts? Absolutely not. I know best. You think I was just some incompetent fool who only failed until I met Song Woo-yeon?”
Kim Jong-chun bit his lower lip hard.
“You’re trying to cut open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs. You get it?”
“…….”
When Kim Jong-chun couldn’t respond, Lee In-cheol clicked his tongue and backed away.
“Make a choice you won’t regret. From what I see, you’re making a big mistake right now.”
He patted Kim Jong-chun’s shoulder a couple of times and then stood up abruptly. By now, one beer can was empty.
Kim Jong-chun also rose from his seat, following suit.
“H-hey, where are you going?!”
“Home!”
“Already?”
“I may not be you, but I have to work tomorrow, you brat. I need to go home and sleep!”
Lee In-cheol waved his hand dismissively as he walked away alone.
“Think about it carefully again~!”
Watching his retreating figure, Kim Jong-chun let out a bewildered laugh. Geez. Even so, how could he just leave like this?
Kim Jong-chun stared blankly at the retreating figure before collapsing back into his chair.
Leftover dry snacks and a half-empty can of beer.
Looking at what remained on the table, he felt his drunkenness fading away. Kim Jong-chun pressed his throbbing temples as he mulled over what Lee In-cheol had said.
“Haah…”
With a deep sigh, something welled up from deep inside him.
“I really am crazy…”
It was a visceral regret and self-loathing.
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I walked briskly through the cold pre-dawn air.
I was heading to prepare for
‘I’m valuable personnel now, you know.’
Well, this is fine once in a while. I figured I could help with the opening and then head to the office.
‘When I was working part-time at Boss Lee In-cheol’s place, I did this almost every day.’
Doing it after so long felt nostalgic.
Anyway, I knew this shop like the back of my hand, so it wouldn’t be too difficult.
However, if I wanted to overhaul the current chef’s methods, I’d have to have a big argument, and since there wasn’t enough broth ready, I’d need to contact Lee In-cheol to ask if he had any spare broth. There were quite a few things to do.
‘First, I should start by cleaning up the shop… Huh?’
That’s strange.
I came much earlier than the usual opening time, but the lights were on in
‘Who could it be?’
A thief? No, if it were a thief, they’d be after the POS machine, not turning on lights in the kitchen.
Then another part-timer? What could they possibly have to do coming earlier than opening time?
Puzzled, I clutched my phone tightly and headed towards
A cloud of steam and a savory aroma hit my nose.
‘Wow. That smells delicious.’
It was a mouth-watering smell that made me swallow involuntarily. Moreover, it was very familiar. They say the taste you know is the most formidable, don’t they?
As the misty steam cleared a bit, a blurry figure came into view.
It was the back of a man busily stirring a large pot.
Dressed properly in chef’s attire after a long time, he was gripping a ladle as thick as an adult’s forearm with both hands and stirring vigorously.
I felt I knew who it was without being told.
Rustle.
At the sound of my presence, he whirled around.
“Ah!”
Kim Jong-chun was staring at me with a surprised face.
“You’re here.”
He grinned sheepishly and turned his body to face me fully.
“…What brings you here, ahjussi?”
At my question, Kim Jong-chun smiled faintly, as if pondering for a moment. Finally, seeming to have made up his mind, he set down the ladle.
“Woo-yeon.”
And facing me squarely, he said:
“Can you give me one more chance?”