God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 145

"Go back."

It was a clear dismissal. Lee Kyung-ja visibly flinched at the cold tone and took a step back.

I reiterated more explicitly:

"There's nothing more to tell you. Please leave now."

"......"

As I took a firm stance, Lee Kyung-ja began to surreptitiously gauge my mood.

It's predictable. She had initially underestimated me due to my youth, but now, realizing I wouldn't be easily swayed, she was changing her attitude.

This behavior—submissive to the strong and domineering to the weak—is no longer surprising. I've seen it too often. In fact, it's more surprising to encounter someone who stands up to the strong and is gentle with the weak.

Lee Kyung-ja hesitated, then cautiously opened her mouth.

"Well, I'm not saying CEO Song did anything wrong..."

Just moments ago, she was acting as if the recipe was already hers. Has she finally come to her senses?

Not that it would change anything.

"Owner, have you done any recipe research recently?"

"W-What?"

"The recipe. The one you're trying to get from me for free. You run a spicy soup restaurant, right? Have you put any thought or effort into your recipe in the last three years?"

"...W-Well, I have regular customers who like the current taste~!"

"Ah, I see. Then you should be fine with your regular customers. Why are you asking for a new recipe?"

"...Ugh."

Lee Kyung-ja clenched her jaw, unable to offer a proper rebuttal.

"I understand. I didn't need to put it that way. It's embarrassing for you."

She muttered as if to herself and turned away abruptly. It seemed the matter was concluding.

Or so it appeared, until Lee Kyung-ja turned back one last time before opening the door, blurting out unnecessary words.

"Young lady, I'm telling you this as someone who's lived longer—that's not how you should live. That talent of yours was given by heaven to help those around you. If you keep it all to yourself, living well alone, heaven might take it back, you know?"

Her words seemed to express concern, but her tone suggested she'd be pleased if my talents were taken away.

Good grief.

I couldn't help but let out a laugh of disbelief, but Ahn Dong-woo raised his voice first.

"CEO!"

"Oh my, I'm just worried about her~"

"Please leave now! Quickly!"

Ahn Dong-woo strode forward as if to forcibly push Lee Kyung-ja out. I extended my hand to stop him.

"It's fine."

Of course, this wasn't to protect Lee Kyung-ja. People like her are the type to roll on the ground crying assault if you lay a hand on them.

It was better not to give her any excuse.

I stepped forward to face Lee Kyung-ja, looking her straight in the eye. She furtively averted her gaze.

"Owner, you know that recipes from famous restaurants can sell for high prices, right?"

"......"

Lee Kyung-ja nodded slightly.

"I don't understand how someone who knows this can so easily ask for someone else's hard work."

As I finished speaking with a smile, Lee Kyung-ja's face turned pale. She seemed to finally realize she had completely misjudged her opponent.

"When people are desperate, they even dig through the trash of famous restaurants. Curious about the ingredients used. Have you ever done that, Owner?"

"......"

"Do you think customers will suddenly flock to you and money will pour in if you just sit idly hoping for business to improve? You need to think hard and push forward."

The food service industry is one where trends change quickly and new competitors constantly emerge.

Fall behind even a little, and you're bound to be left in the dust. If you're going to dive into this field, you should be prepared for at least this much.

'...Not many people start a business knowing this reality.'

Most don't understand until they experience it themselves. Many open shops without much consideration, only to regret it later.

The reasons vary. It's not as profitable as they thought, or being a boss isn't as comfortable as they expected, or they can't devote enough time to their family due to lack of personal time...

And the market is cruel and cold, often weeding out such half-hearted individuals.

It seemed Lee Kyung-ja's shop was now on that precipice.

"Think hard, Owner. About how to improve your shop."

Of course, she probably won't, and will just badmouth me behind my back. People like this rarely change.

"Go. Unless you want to escalate this further."

"...Tch."

Lee Kyung-ja gritted her teeth audibly, then turned away dramatically.

Bang!

With the loud closing of the door, I was finally free from facing her.

Sigh. What a hassle this has been.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry. Because of me, suddenly......"

"Come on. How is this Owner Ahn's fault? That person was being unreasonable. I've run local businesses before, so I roughly understand the situation. Don't worry too much about it."

If Ahn Dong-woo wants to continue doing business here, it's better to maintain a cordial relationship with such people, like it or not.

Besides, isn't her shop right across the street? In a relationship where they could both harm and help each other, it wouldn't be wise to become enemies.

For example,

"If tomorrow morning, when you need to unload ingredients, they park their truck in this alley and refuse to move, let me know. I'll send our people to help move the ingredients."

Like this.

"Ah, yes... Surely they wouldn't actually do that, right?"

Ahn Dong-woo nodded at my words, then suddenly seemed to come to his senses, his eyes filling with worry.

If someone is determined to cause trouble, the methods are endless, to be honest.

Well, even so, it's just a matter of handling it well.

"You never know. Contact me if anything happens."

"Yes, yes!"

"You'll often encounter people like this. Some will ask to share recipes, and others will ask me to put in a good word for them. If it's troublesome, just use my name to refuse. Say I don't like that sort of thing."

"...Yes. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

If I become more disliked here, the glares when doing business could become quite harsh. Since I don't come here often anyway, it's better if he uses me as an excuse.

"Ah, this isn't why you came. Um, I'll quickly prepare the braised spicy chicken and soybean paste stew for you. If you could wait just a moment...!"

"No need. I've already eaten."

"Pardon?"

Ahn Dong-woo looked dumbfounded. His expression seemed to ask what I meant, so I answered with a bright smile.

"Come on. How could I eat something prepared knowing it was for me? I should eat exactly what other customers eat."

"...Excuse me?"

"That takeout order earlier. That was placed by one of our company employees. We brought it and I ate it in the car earlier."

"Oh!"

Ahn Dong-woo gasped, clearly not having expected this. He probably didn't realize I would be this thorough.

"If I don't do this, it's hard to know the real situation. I didn't mean to deceive you."

"Ah, no, it's not that. Rather... How did you find the taste?"

Ahn Dong-woo swallowed hard. His eyes trembled with tension.

"You have my autograph out there in the hall, right? Along with the restaurant endorsement."

"Yes, yes. It's there."

"What do people say when they see it?"

"They take a lot of photos. They use hashtags like 'Song Woo-yeon certified delicious restaurant'."

"Bring it here."

"...!"

A look of dismay crossed Ahn Dong-woo's face.

"Yes, sir."

But he quickly composed himself and hurried to retrieve the autograph from the hall.

"My goodness. What's all this?"

Laminated and even framed. He's really treating it like a treasure. As I expressed surprise, Ahn Dong-woo smiled shyly.

"It's very precious to me. I've kept it like this. To prevent it from fading."

"Is that so?"

I ran my fingertip over the surface of the frame. Glancing at Ahn Dong-woo, I saw his face filled with affection.

Just looking at that expression, I could guess what was going through his mind.

'This is goodbye to this autograph. The food must not have been good.' ...Something like that?

It's actually rather amusing how transparent he is. I couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Pfft, hahaha! There's no need to be so tense~"

"Y-Yes?"

"Here you go."

I handed the entire frame back to Ahn Dong-woo.

"Here. To commemorate the renewal of the certification, I present this again. Song Woo-yeon certified delicious restaurant, approved."

"...! Ah, ahhh! Thank you!"

Ahn Dong-woo's blank expression slowly widened, and finally, he bowed deeply in gratitude.

"It's nothing. I should be thanking you. It must be hard with more customers. And for sticking to the recipe."

"It's all... thanks to you, CEO. I... I can finally face my parents now. Just the fact that I didn't ruin the foundation they worked so hard to build, I'm truly, truly grateful..."

Ahn Dong-woo's voice became thick with emotion. He's quite the emotional person.

I tore off a sheet of kitchen paper towel from nearby and handed it to him.

"Hey now. Why are you crying? The business day isn't even over yet. If you serve customers with a puffy face, you'll scare them."

"Sniff! Y-You're right. I'm sorry. I'll fix it right away!"

Watching Ahn Dong-woo struggle to wipe away his tears and compose himself, I felt a strange sense of relief and satisfaction.

'It was good to help. The recipe has found its rightful owner.'

This much is enough. I couldn't ask for more. I chuckled as I looked at Ahn Dong-woo's disheveled face.

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Pfft.

I couldn't help but let out a sound like air escaping from a balloon.

"...?"

Jo I-ruk gave me a quizzical look from beside me.

"Ah, sorry. I just thought of something else for a moment."

I couldn't help but laugh as I recalled that dumpling-like face from earlier. Really, he's not a steamed bun or anything. How could he cry like a child no matter how overwhelmed with emotion he was.

"Ahem."

I cleared my throat and refocused my thoughts. Is this the time for daydreaming? I need to concentrate on the meeting.

As I thought this to myself, I felt my mind becoming clearer.

"Well then, shall we start our discussion in earnest?"

I said, glancing around at everyone.

"About our next franchise brand."

It was time to hit another grand slam.