God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 126

"What?!"

Hyun Ye-won exclaimed loudly in surprise. Only after receiving puzzled looks from those around did she seem to realize her mistake, lowering her head and reducing her voice.

"W-what do you mean by that...?"

"It's exactly as I said."

It seems Jo I-ruk felt it too. I could tell immediately after one bite. This taste is different.

"Both the jjajangmyeon with stir-fried pork and the jajangmyeon. It doesn't seem like the sauce is made with the ingredients we provide? I'll try the jjamppong too."

Usually, there's no place that only does one thing wrong. I stirred the jjamppong with new chopsticks and took a bite.

Slurp!

As I chewed the noodles thoroughly in my mouth, Hyun Ye-won stared at me intently with a tense expression.

Gulp.

"...As expected. Team Leader Jo. Would you confirm once more? I used new chopsticks."

"Yes. I'll taste it."

Jo I-ruk also tried the jjamppong with new utensils and nodded.

"The broth tastes different. And the toppings, if I remember correctly, were more abundant than this."

"Exactly. Team Leader Jo, you've become quite an expert from all the tastings during menu development."

"I-I'll try it too!"

Hyun Ye-won hastily picked up her chopsticks.

Slurp.

After taking a bite of the jjamppong, she tilted her head.

"You can't tell, right?"

"...Yes. I can't really tell. It just tastes like ordinary Chinese restaurant jajangmyeon and jjamppong to me..."

That's understandable.

Since Shanghai Restaurant was launched relatively recently, Hyun Ye-won probably hasn't had many chances to eat there often.

"That's the problem."

"Pardon?"

"That it just tastes like an ordinary Chinese restaurant."

"Huh?"

I tapped the rim of the jajangmyeon bowl with my fingertip.

"If they had followed my recipe, it wouldn't have tasted just 'ordinary'."

"...!"

"It would have been delicious. But this one lacks wok hei, has little meat, so the texture is much reduced compared to the original recipe. This significantly lowers satisfaction."

As I listed the problems, Hyun Ye-won looked at me with a 'Eureka!' expression.

"Judging by the cooking skills, which aren't bad, it seems to be someone who's handled a wok for a long time. It looks like they're making it according to their previous recipe. Out of habit."

"Ah...."

"That's correct."

Jo I-ruk whispered in a low voice, as if he had researched the owner in advance.

"They have a long career working in Chinese restaurants. I remember asking a few questions during the interview because of their extensive experience."

"What did you ask?"

"Since it's a franchise, there are restrictions on recipes and menu decisions, would that be okay? The methods might be completely different from what they're used to, could they follow them well? Things like that."

It seems Jo I-ruk had also been considering the possibility of such problems arising early on.

Well, we've even had someone who used to sell sundaeguk at Hapjae Soup before. That says it all.

"And what did they say?"

"During the interview, they seemed very determined, so I gave them a high score. They said they had already anticipated that much, and with so many Chinese restaurants these days, running a business individually lacks competitiveness. Wouldn't it be better to be with a big company that manages stores and even does promotion? ...That's what they said."

"Hmm."

Well, it's not wrong.

Both franchises and individual startups have their own pros and cons.

"Is that them?"

I looked at the person busily cooking something in the kitchen.

It was a middle-aged man. Usually, Chinese cuisine requires heavy woks and high heat, so it's often done by men with good strength.

Seeing him sweating profusely while properly dressed in chef's attire, wearing a chef's hat and mask.

It was hard to believe that this person had modified the recipe so arbitrarily.

They say you shouldn't judge a person by their appearance, but.

I turned my gaze from the kitchen back to the table. There's more than one or two problems.

"They seem to be working hard, but... the jjajangmyeon with stir-fried pork has less meat and more vegetables. At this rate, we should call it jjajangmyeon with stir-fried cabbage, not pork."

When I stirred the jjajangmyeon with stir-fried pork a bit with my chopsticks, I couldn't find the meat I was looking for, only an abundance of vegetables.

Isn't this going too far?

"And when I was mixing the jajangmyeon earlier, I noticed the noodles were all stuck together."

"Ah, yes. It was a bit difficult to mix."

"After boiling the noodles, you need to rinse them properly to wash off the starch. They didn't do that properly. That's why they're sticking together and forming clumps."

I picked up a clump of jajangmyeon with my chopsticks. The noodles were so friendly with each other that even the untouched ones came up in a bunch.

"...You're right."

"The sign may say 'Shanghai Restaurant', but essentially, it's no different from setting up their own independent Chinese restaurant."

This won't do. I clicked my tongue.

The lower ingredient costs are probably because they're sourcing from different routes.

Sigh. There's already so much to say about just this...

It's not easy to change the ways of an experienced person who's already set in their methods. It would be easier with a complete novice who doesn't know enough to try to cut corners.

Just because they've handled a wok for a while, they believe their way is right.

'Of course, that could be the answer.'

Depending on people's tastes, they might think what they make is more delicious than the recipe I provided.

But.

'If that's the case, they should have started their own business.'

At least as long as they're under the Shanghai Restaurant sign, they shouldn't be running the business in violation of company regulations.

That's not just a loss for that individual franchisee, but a loss for the entire brand. It's a loss for The Song, and also for other franchise owners who decided to start a Shanghai Restaurant trusting us.

The quality of each franchise accumulates to create the brand image.

"I'll need to brace myself for the kitchen inspection later."

"Gasp. Is it d-dirty?"

Hyun Ye-won quickly examined the dishes. Of course, these visible areas are well-maintained.

But real habits show in the areas that aren't easily visible.

"Many people think of the kitchen as their personal space. You know how some people's rooms are messy even though they look clean on the outside? The kitchen is a similar space."

It's somewhat better with an open kitchen. But customers don't pay as much attention as you might think, and it's difficult to see every nook and cranny in detail, so it's easier to be lax about hygiene compared to the dining area.

"It might look fine on the surface, but we don't know what it's like inside."

"...I see. I should prepare myself."

Hyun Ye-won nods, clenching her fist.

She looked just like a hamster steeling itself with determination, which was simply adorable.

'What on earth is happening here?'

This is so different from the image of Hyun Ye-won I know.

'How should I put it? Wasn't she like a puppet of Chairman Hyun Jung-hu?'

There was an excessively stiff and cold feeling for a relationship bound by blood. I thought it wasn't my place to care about the affairs of the owner's family, so I pretended not to notice, but.

-H-how could you do this?

Over my confused voice, a mocking sneer flew in.

-Oh my, CEO. Why are you doing this? Didn't we tell you everything in advance?

-This is the first I'm hearing of this!

-Good grief. It's clearly written in the contract you signed, CEO. It's troublesome for us if you say this now.

As I stood up abruptly, slamming the desk in frustration, the man rose as if he had been waiting for this, saying 'You're not listening to reason'.

-Even if you say that. A contract is a contract. If you have complaints, let's settle this legally. Our director has come in person, it's really rude...

As he glanced back, there sat a woman with an ice-cold expression.

Director Hyun Ye-won.

The daughter of Hyun Jung-hu and the granddaughter favored by founding Chairman Hyun Mu-jung, who had secured a director position at a young age and was said to be learning management.

-...

-Director. What did I tell you? This is why we shouldn't deal with small businesses. It's not like we're bartering at a market. They change their minds on a whim.

-Hey!

-Sigh. There's no point in talking further. Let's go, Director!

The man tried to lead Hyun Ye-won out of the conference room noisily. I was just trembling, clenching my fists in despair.

Perhaps because I wasn't prepared to accept this terrible reality that had befallen me. I was thinking that it felt terribly unreal.

-I'm sorry.

-?!

Hyun Ye-won whispered quietly as she passed by me.

I turned around in surprise, but Hyun Ye-won had already walked past me.

I could see the man who had mocked me now wearing a servile smile, trying to curry favor with Hyun Ye-won.

-...

As I was confused, unable to distinguish whether the words I heard were an auditory hallucination or not, it was then.

Not long after, an anonymous tip sent from a temporary account flew into my email.

-T-this is...!

It was an email with attached documents showing that Hyeonmu had deceived me from the beginning with premeditation.

It was the moment when my 'maybe' turned into 'as expected'.

Until then, I had thought that if I handled it well, I could resolve this issue.

I believed that law and justice were alive in this world. With such clear evidence, I thought I could definitely win in a legal battle.

It was an overestimation.

You can probably guess the result without me saying it.

The materials sent via an unidentified email were completely excluded from the judgment, deemed insufficient as evidence, and I was helplessly defeated in front of Hyeonmu's brilliant team of lawyers.

'...But if my guess is correct.'

I quietly observed Hyun Ye-won, who was busily slurping her jjamppong.

'The one who sent that email was probably Hyun Ye-won.'