God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 127

Of course, I'm not certain.

However,

The only person from Hyeonmu who apologized to me was Hyun Ye-won and a mere low-level employee wouldn't have access to such internal documents.

I can only speculate that it might have been Hyun Ye-won who is both a director and part of the owner's family.

I'm not sure exactly why such an email was sent.

If I had to guess, it's probably related to why Hyun Ye-won doesn't seem to like Hyeonmu very much now.

'...I don't remember clearly, but I don't think Chairman Hyun Jung-hu's private life was particularly clean.'

Of course, I can't know the exact details of a chaebol family's private life. But when you're in the industry, you hear rumors.

I heard that Chairman Hyun Mu-jung, the founder of Hyeonmu, disapproved of his successor Hyun Jung-hu's womanizing and held onto the chairman position until the very end, reluctantly handing it over.

It was so widespread that it had become almost an established theory. Even thinking simply, it didn't seem likely that Hyun Ye-won would have liked a father who played around with other women while her mother was there.

There could be various other reasons too.

Anyway... Hyun Ye-won is about the only one from Hyeonmu that I can expect to have some goodwill towards me.

'Plus, she confessed to being my fan. I have no choice but to keep her close for now.'

In any case, even if Hyun Ye-won's work were to leak externally, it's not an area that would be harmful to The Song. And as a new employee, there's a limit to the information she can access.

Even if there's a possibility that she came in with some ulterior motive, I judged it better to keep her close and observe for now.

'If I can make Hyun Ye-won my ally, she'll surely be a great help in dealing with Hyeonmu.'

In that sense, this secret inspection, which will give Hyun Ye-won her first impression of me, can be said to be quite important.

"Thank you for the meal~"

Hyun Ye-won said with a bright smile after finishing a bowl of jjamppong.

Well, that's quite a distant matter. For now, shall we focus on the task at hand?

"Let's get up."

"Yes~"

We finished our meal simply and left the restaurant. We couldn't cause a disturbance where customers were present.

'We'll see later.'

We decided to visit again at the restaurant's closing time.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Ding-a-ling~

As I opened the door, I made eye contact with the owner who was sweeping the dining area.

At first, his face was indifferent, but when our eyes met, he gradually widened his eyes. I smiled softly and said,

"Hello, Owner Kim."

Responding to my greeting, Owner Kim, Myeong-seok, tried to hide his flustered expression and said,

"W-what brings Song Woo-yeon-ssi here...?"

"What do you mean, what brings me here?"

I held up the stack of documents in my hand and said,

The documents had a long checklist written on them. Based on this, if the total score is less than 80 points, it's a failed inspection.

"I'm here for an inspection."

"!"

His reaction suggested he hadn't anticipated this. Of course. That's the point of a secret inspection.

"The dining area seems to be kept clean and well-managed. I was thinking of taking a look around the kitchen. Would that be alright?"

At my question, Owner Kim rolled his eyes. He immediately showed signs of slight anxiety. But most franchisees are burdened by such sudden inspections, so it's not a particularly unusual reaction.

"The kitchen is still messy because I haven't cleaned up yet..."

Even saying this much is all within the expected range.

"Don't worry. We take everything into account when we inspect. Surely you don't think we can't distinguish between day-old oil stains and months-old ones?"

"......"

He looks even more anxious at my words.

"Then I'll take a look inside the kitchen. Please step aside."

"......"

"Owner Kim?"

Even at my call, Owner Kim didn't move from blocking the kitchen entrance. A brief standoff ensued, and I waited a moment, wondering what he was trying to do.

"......"

"Owner Kim. This is troublesome for us too. We need to finish the inspection quickly so you can finish cleaning up and go home."

I tried to coax him gently, but it had no effect. His head was bowed so low that I couldn't see what expression he was making.

But his determination to prevent entry into the kitchen seemed firm. He still hadn't moved, and when I tried to slip in from the side, he twisted his body to block the way.

I held back a deep sigh and said,

"Owner Kim. You can't do this."

"...Sigh."

But I heard a sigh from right in front of me. Owner Kim had let out a sigh.

What?

As I was feeling puzzled, Owner Kim lifted his head that had been bowed deeply.

Until just now, he seemed to feel a pang of conscience, but now his face was full of discontent as if nothing had happened.

"How can you do this so suddenly?"

His complexion had changed completely.

As he frowned, the atmosphere changed drastically. The impression of a solid Chinese restaurant owner was gone, and now there was a clearly threatening atmosphere.

On his rolled-up forearm, along with small burn scars, there was an elaborate tattoo.

"What? We have our own circumstances too, you should have given us notice or something~"

Oh my. Now he's even using informal speech?

His eyes looking down at me were full of displeasure.

Hmm. This happens sometimes.

'An owner who thinks a store inspection is an attack on them.'

There are people like this, not just owners. The type who get sulky when you give feedback on work issues, thinking you've said something bad about them personally.

It's tiring and annoying to work with such people. Because there are so many diverse types of people in the food service industry, I've encountered people like this before.

What can I do? With this type, it's counterproductive if I step in.

'He probably thinks a young woman is getting cocky because of her CEO title.'

Then he's unlikely to properly listen to what I say. It would only provoke him more.

I discreetly sent a glance to Jo I-ruk standing behind me.

Among the three of us here, I judged that Jo I-ruk was the one who could best ease Owner Kim's wariness.

Jo I-ruk is taller than Owner Kim, and is well-dressed in a suit. He's also the oldest among us.

Sometimes, these primitive conditions are necessary when dealing with people.

At my nod, Jo I-ruk nodded as if he understood and stepped forward.

"Owner Kim. Didn't we explain everything when you signed the franchise contract?"

Probably Jo I-ruk was the one who directly dealt with and explained to this person, so in that sense too, it's right to leave it to him.

"For brand management purposes, we can conduct unannounced inspections, and if you fail these inspections multiple times, you may be required to undergo re-education or face sanctions from headquarters. I clearly explained several times..."

"There's no such thing!"

Now he's using informal speech openly.

"You should have given notice before coming! Where's the business ethics, the business ethics! I know many people who run franchises, and they say hygiene inspections always come with prior notice. Is there no flexibility here?"

"Owner Kim, that's for regular inspections. We give notice for those. Today's visit is an unannounced inspection, so giving notice would defeat the purpose..."

"I don't care about that!"

He doesn't even try to listen to anything unfavorable to him. Owner Kim interrupted Jo I-ruk mid-sentence and angrily insisted on his own position.

"I mean, frankly speaking, what has the headquarters done for us? I do the cooking, I greet the customers! And you just take a cut of the sales every month!"

This person doesn't seem to understand what a franchise is.

"And now, as if that's not enough, you come to my store and tell me to do this and that~ Does that make any sense? Huh?!"

"Owner Kim. Please calm down first."

"Calm down my ass! I've been working in Chinese restaurant kitchens for 25 years, you think I know less than you? Who are you to inspect me~ You're being so arrogant!"

I'm not sure when a kitchen inspection became arrogance, but this method isn't working either.

"Yes, Owner Kim. I understand what you're saying."

I said with the best smile I could manage.

"It seems difficult to have a conversation today, so we'll visit again tomorrow."

"No. Why do you keep coming to a perfectly fine store?"

As I made a gesture of backing down, Owner Kim's tone also became a bit calmer. Why come again, he asks. Because there's a reason to come.

"Actually, we visited your store earlier today, and the recipe seemed a bit different from what we provided? So we have no choice but to visit once more to confirm."

"What?!"

He didn't seem to know we had already visited, and Owner Kim was startled. He chewed his lips, and then, as if realizing there was no way out, he shouted,

"Are you playing with me?! You knew everything from the start and were just toying with me?"

I really don't understand how the conversation turned this way.

"Y-you...! Just because you made some money by showing your face on TV, you think you can look down on small business owners like me? In my day, someone like you would have been married off and stuck at home cooking!"

Now it's personal insults. He's really something.

Sorry, but I've heard all sorts of harsh words before my regression, so this level doesn't affect me at all.

But he seemed overly excited, and there was nothing to gain by provoking him further.

I pulled Jo I-ruk back. With people like this, it's essential to maintain a safe distance because you never know what sudden actions they might take.

"...?"

But Jo I-ruk didn't step back even when I pulled him. What's this, why isn't he moving?

Puzzled, I looked at Jo I-ruk, and oh no. The look in his eyes had completely changed.

"You..."

A low, sunken voice resonated. Wow. He seems really angry.

Jo I-ruk continued speaking as he took off his glasses and put them in his pocket.

"Say that again."

Now he's using informal speech too.

"T-Team Leader Jo. What's wrong?"

You're not usually the type to lose your sense of judgment like this. You know there's nothing good to come from provoking someone like this.

I tried pulling on his sleeve, but Jo I-ruk's gaze remained fixed on Owner Kim as if nailed there.

"Huh! A young greenhorn daring to glare at an adult...!"

"And you."

Jo I-ruk instead took one more step forward. Standing right in front of Owner Kim, looking down at him, he twisted one corner of his mouth.

"Do you even deserve respect?"

"...Y-you...!"

That word seemed to have struck some nerve in Owner Kim.

It happened in an instant.

Whoosh!

Owner Kim grabbed an empty liquor bottle nearby and swung it at the closest table.

Crash!

"Kyaaaaaah!"

Along with Hyun Ye-won's loud scream, the sharp edge of the broken glass bottle gleamed as it caught the fluorescent light.

"You son of a bitch!"

Whoosh!

Oh no...!