God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 138

My heart sank. It seemed that due to the cameras filming from various angles, the inside of my sleeve was briefly visible.

It would be troublesome if this became a topic of discussion. I hurriedly scrolled down. Then the comment responses caught my eye.

[But what's this with Song!Woyan in 'Survival Law'?]

(Image showing a faint bandage between the sleeves)

Isn't that a bandage?

→Looks like just a shadow

→→You call that a shadow?? Look closely;;

→→→Yeah, it looks like a shadow? You're the one who needs to open your eyes and look properly

→What bandage LOL

→Nah, it's not~

→Song Woo-yeon must really be trending these days for all sorts of attention-seeking posts to pop up

Phew. I breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed that no one was taking it too seriously.

Even the person who raised the question quietly backed off as the comment responses were unanimous.

I felt that this wouldn't cause a big fuss.

Overall, there were many positive reactions. Although it was hard to understand some of the internet jargon scattered throughout, the general tone was favorable.

'I don't understand why they change people's names so strangely like that...'

Song Woo-yeon, Sugar Song, Chef Song. I've gotten used to these nicknames, but for some reason, they don't stop there and keep creating more variations.

'Maybe they're doing it to prevent me from finding it? To talk comfortably.'

I've heard that celebrities often search their own names. Thinking about it that way, I could somewhat understand.

'...But how does he know all this?'

I looked at Baek Jae-ha with a newfound curiosity. He's the one who navigated through all those strange variations to bring me these posts.

'Does he often look for these things?'

As I stared at him with that question in mind, Baek Jae-ha seemed to notice my gaze and said "Ah" before taking back the phone.

He tapped a few more times and showed me a new post.

"Here's the discussion about the grill."

Although that wasn't what I was curious about, hearing about it piqued my interest, so I picked up the phone again.

The post on the screen now seemed to be from a different age group. A much more mature writing style caught my eye.

[Dear members~~ Did you watch this <Survival Law of the Jungle>?^^]

Chef Song Woo-yeon appeared and made various delicious dishes~ I was so hungry watching it late at night haha

But that chicken grilling device was interesting, I wonder if it's something Song Woo-yeon sells? My husband saw it and said it would be perfect for camping, he's been searching for it~

But we couldn't find anything similar~~... If anyone knows any information, please leave a comment!!!~~~

→Her fingertips were so deft haha It's nice to see her often these days

→Maybe because she lost her parents early, she seems to have great survival skills. I hope my son meets such a frugal and caring girl to marry~~ Kids these days don't seem to have that quality haha

→I want that meat grilling machine too. We have a barbecue machine in the yard but it's too complicated and troublesome to use ㅠㅠ If anyone knows, please send me a message~

→→Me too!!~~

→→I'm lining up for a message...

→→Please message me

→→Does anyone know?

→→There's a similar foreign product but it's too expensive and needs a personal customs clearance number ㅠㅠ Too complicated

→My husband's eyes also lit up watching the show LOL Seems like there are many similar gentlemen

I see.

There were several other posts asking about where to purchase it. It seemed that people with such curiosity had started calling The Song directly one by one.

"So that's how it happened."

"I heard the ratings spiked just for the barbecue part. They're calling it a legendary mukbang, aren't they?"

"It was delicious."

The visuals were also mouthwatering. Everyone was so busy eating they hardly spoke.

Just like how cup noodles taste like honey after swimming, barbecue eaten after roughing it in the jungle was incomparably delicious.

"Now that I know the whole story, I feel less frustrated. Thanks, Jae-ha."

"It's nothing. Oh, by the way, I've been experimenting with a new menu item. Would you like to come by next time?"

"Again? Aren't you working too much?"

I mean, working hard is of course good for the company, but isn't he being too much of a workaholic?

It's only been about two months since we opened the test store, and this was already the fourth time he's asked me to come see a new menu he created.

'Once every two weeks. Isn't that too much?'

Of course, every time I went, the results were amazing. Baek Jae-ha was fully demonstrating his pent-up genius.

Even for a test store, I had told him that changing the menu too frequently wasn't good, and we should renew it once every few months.

Moreover, the Oreo churros were selling really well right now, and we were in the process of setting up a separate franchise.

"Why? Didn't you once say that the new menu development team is the future of the company and put a lot of pressure on us? To meet expectations, we need to work harder, right?"

As he said this with a bright smile, I felt a strange sense of discomfort. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed because of his flashy styling.

Grab.

I grabbed both of Baek Jae-ha's cheeks and pulled them forward.

"?!"

As a result, Baek Jae-ha's upper body tilted as if falling, but he urgently steadied himself by gripping the desk. This brought him right in front of my nose.

Our gazes met directly, then Baek Jae-ha rolled his eyes and looked away.

"...Wh-What are you doing?"

"I knew it."

My guess was right.

I asked with a deliberately stern expression.

"How many hours are you sleeping? The dark circles under your eyes are so dark."

"......"

"Answer me."

"...About... six... hours."

"Six hours?"

"...Maybe five hours."

"Five?"

"......"

As he kept avoiding my gaze, I pressed him once more.

"Tell me straight. Before I review the CCTV footage right now."

"I slept for four hours. I'm sure."

"Haa. Good grief."

I let go of Baek Jae-ha's face. I suspected as much. Four hours of sleep? That's absurd.

It's not like he has any other connections in Seoul. The only places he goes are probably home, work, and the gym. Only four hours of sleep? Unless he's an extreme exercise addict, doesn't this mean he spends most of his time working?

"The head chef you work with must have set working hours, right?"

"I just stayed alone after that to do more research."

"So you practically lived there?"

"I suppose so."

I couldn't hold back the sigh that burst out. As I let out a deep sigh, I could feel Baek Jae-ha glancing at my expression.

"...Why? Working hard is a good thing, isn't it? You praised me every time I made a new menu item."

"Jae-ha. At this rate, I'll be arrested for violating labor laws."

I'm serious.

How many hours of work per week is it nowadays? Regardless of the number of hours, this behavior of focusing on work for 20 hours a day, without distinguishing between weekdays and weekends, couldn't possibly be legal.

"It's fine if I don't report it, right?"

"That's not the point... There's such a thing as moderation in everything."

I like researching recipes too. When I was young, I would sometimes pull all-nighters. Ah, that is, before the regression.

But unless work and life maintain a proper balance, both are bound to collapse.

"I'm fine. I enjoy working. Compared to where I was before, this is heaven."

"That's not the issue here."

"You said you needed me."

There was a hint of desperation in Baek Jae-ha's voice as he said this.

"Am I not? Have I become unnecessary now?"

"......"

Now I understood the source of that strange discomfort. Baek Jae-ha at this time was in a much more unstable state than I had thought.

'The previous Baek Jae-ha escaped from that island on his own. But this time, I forcibly brought him out at an earlier stage.'

In that case, in this Seoul where he doesn't know anyone, I'm the only one Baek Jae-ha can rely on.

If he had worked in The Song's office, he might have naturally stabilized more while interacting with various people.

'It's my mistake.'

I expected too much from a kid who's just turned twenty. I left him alone, thinking that since he escaped from a difficult place, he should be able to take his first steps on his own.

Of course, to Baek Jae-ha who has just come out of the well, I, who extended a helping hand, must be his entire world.

'That's why he's obsessing over his usefulness and immersing himself excessively in work.'

He thinks I brought him here expecting that usefulness. He's anxious, thinking he might be discarded at any time if he doesn't prove his abilities.

This is extremely troublesome.

I'm not very good at handling these kinds of situations either. If I leave him like this, he might collapse from overwork. I should do something about it.

For now... I needed to broaden Baek Jae-ha's narrow world a bit.

"Jae-ha."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to go to university? Or even an academy is fine."

"......"

"I'll pay for the tuition."

Make friends, date someone. Naturally, the elements that make up Baek Jae-ha as an individual would diversify.

Even now, Baek Jae-ha is sufficiently genius-like, but there's no harm in refining that.

"Why? ...Are the new menu items I've created still not enough?"

"That's not it. Having a university name under your belt isn't a bad thing. You won't have to prove your abilities everywhere you go. Also, people your age usually go to university."

"You didn't go to university either, noona."

"Ugh. Well, in my case..."

I couldn't go.

I was too busy earning a living on my own to afford university tuition.

But if I say this, Baek Jae-ha might become discouraged and just try to read my mood. I carefully chose my words and spoke.

"It's just a suggestion to get some social experience. If you really don't like it, you can quit."

Maybe it's my vicarious satisfaction. From bringing Baek Jae-ha from that place to recommending university.

"......"

Baek Jae-ha looked a bit dissatisfied but didn't outright say he disliked the idea. He might find it burdensome to directly oppose my opinion. After all, I am his direct superior.

"Your school grades were good, weren't they? How about taking the college entrance exam this year? With the new menu items you've created so far, the test store should run well this year anyway."

At my suggestion, Baek Jae-ha stared at me silently for a moment before suddenly turning around.

And then,

Bang!

The sound of the door closing resounded loudly.

"......"

I sat there for a moment, at a loss for words.

Wait a minute. Did he just rebel? That was clearly the behavior of a sensitive adolescent, wasn't it?

"...Huh."

Is he going through puberty?