God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 148

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

Everyone was silent as the meat grilled on the hot plate.

'It's like a funeral atmosphere here.'

Hyun Ye-won was still in a gloomy state, and Baek Jae-ha was rubbing his eyes, seemingly tired.

I wondered if I had brought them for nothing, but I placed slightly cooked pieces of beef on their plates.

For reference, although Hyun Ye-won and Baek Jae-ha had volunteered to grill the meat, they were all defeated when I asked if they could grill better than me.

Of course. Meat should be grilled by someone who knows how to do it well. Especially when it's beef, not pork.

"Here. Eat quickly. Beef is most delicious when it's slightly undercooked."

"...Thank you for the meal."

Hyun Ye-won picked up her chopsticks first. She dipped a piece of meat in the oil sauce and popped it into her mouth.

"Gasp!"

And her eyes widened.

Her reaction was exactly as I had expected, so I grinned at Hyun Ye-won.

"How is it? Delicious, right?"

"Yes! Extremely!"

Hyun Ye-won said, her eyes sparkling.

"It seems to melt in my mouth. Beef is usually tender, but I've never had it this delicious before. Is it well-marbled meat? Is it Hanwoo?"

"Yes. It's Hanwoo."

"Wow...!"

"But it's not just delicious because it's Hanwoo. The most important thing in grilling meat is the skill."

I said, raising the hand holding the tongs.

"I'm a master at grilling meat, that's what I'm saying."

"Wow. Indeed. It's really delicious!"

Seeing her enjoy the food made me feel proud. It wasn't just flattery, but genuine appreciation from the heart, which made it even better.

"How delicious is it that you're reacting like that?"

Baek Jae-ha finally started using his chopsticks. After eating a piece of meat I had placed on his plate.

"...!"

"It's delicious, right? Right!"

Hyun Ye-won was bustling with excitement. As if she couldn't bear not sharing this emotion immediately.

"It melts as soon as it touches your mouth! When you try to chew, it's already so tender it's not tough at all, and then the savory taste and umami coat your tongue completely, it's just amazing!"

"Hmm. Indeed."

Baek Jae-ha responded calmly. Yet his eyes were still wide open.

Sizzle.

As I flipped the cooking meat, I blurted out.

"How about it? Delicious enough to blow away your worries in one go, right?"

At my words, they both paused. It seems they've just realized they had been sitting with gloomy faces in front of me. Feeling a bit guilty, perhaps?

Pretending not to notice their expressions, I continued.

"This is why I love food. Well, of course, since I'm running a company, profits are important. But in the end, the deepest driving force is my love for food."

This, at least, was sincere.

"Eating delicious food makes you feel good, doesn't it? That's true for everyone. When you have a satisfying meal, you can put aside your daily worries and concerns for a moment and focus on the present."

"......"

"How precious is that moment in this difficult world?"

It's true for me too.

When I eat delicious food, I feel happy and joyful first. Then I become curious about how it was made, and as I analyze the elements one by one, I lose track of time.

Even when I'm worrying about next month's rent, labor costs, or net sales. In front of delicious food, I often feel like I've returned to being a child.

Everyone must have had such an experience at least once.

"Just as we get hungry no matter how tired or exhausted we are, delicious food becomes a moment of comfort when life gets tough."

As I grinned, they both looked at me with blank faces for a moment.

Then Baek Jae-ha smiled first and responded cheekily.

"Haha. Nuna is still the same~"

"N-N-Nuna?!"

Hyun Ye-won jumped in surprise, looking back and forth between me and Baek Jae-ha. I could guess what she was thinking.

"It's not like that, so don't worry. Jae-ha, you should watch your words too."

"Yes~"

His tone suggested he hadn't understood at all. Is he still going through delayed puberty?

"Please understand. Maybe it's because there's not much age difference. He keeps trying to act familiar like this."

I told him to refrain from this at the company. As I sighed deeply, Hyun Ye-won hesitated as if she had a lot to say.

Right. Even if the company is running like a disorganized corner store, it's not good to see a new employee calling the CEO 'nuna, nuna'.

I was thinking I should scold Baek Jae-ha once more when it happened.

Hyun Ye-won, who had been trembling and watching cautiously, suddenly burst out.

"W-What about me?!"

"?"

What are you talking about?

As I stared blankly, not understanding, Hyun Ye-won added with a flushed face.

"Can't I call you nuna too?!"

"Pardon?"

But you're a woman.

"Ah, not nuna, but unnie!"

Hyun Ye-won quickly corrected her mistake. But there was an even bigger problem remaining.

"Well, I don't mind, but..."

I continued, unable to hide my puzzlement.

"Aren't you older than me, Hyun Ye-won?"

"Oh. That's right. I forgot."

"?"

How could you forget that? As I tilted my head, Hyun Ye-won said something incomprehensible about calling anyone cool 'unnie'.

But well, the title isn't important. Let's just let it slide.

I placed more meat on their plates and continued speaking.

"But you've cheered up a bit now, right?"

"Ah. ...Was it that obvious?"

"Yes. Very."

"I'm sorry."

Hyun Ye-won said, bowing her head deeply.

"...There's someone I really dislike. I've lived thinking I was different from that person. Promising myself that I would never become like them."

Although she was speaking vaguely, it was clearly about the Hyeonmu chaebol family.

"But."

Hyun Ye-won clenched her fist on her knee.

"I found that person's image inside me."

"......"

"After discovering that, honestly, um... I felt like giving up, I guess? I thought that in the end, I'm not much different from that person. I wonder if everything I've done until now had any meaning."

As she muttered, bitterness seeped through her profile that she couldn't hide.

Suddenly, I realized.

Before the regression, Hyun Ye-won must have had a similar experience in a different company, not here.

'Right. This must be why she returned to <Hyeonmu> after running away to another company.'

How painful must those times have been? She must have had to reconfirm the deeply rooted mindset mixed in her bloodline countless times.

When she finally had to admit that she wasn't different from Hyeonmu and return. How must Hyun Ye-won have felt?

'So that's why you had that expression before the regression.'

An expression devoid of any emotion, dried up and barren. It was so cold that it was hard to believe she was human.

She must have had to hone herself, struggling to fit her life into that frame while wearing the ill-fitting clothes of Hyeonmu.

"That person told me. 'No matter what, your roots won't change.' Back then, I sneered, saying I'd live well to prove them wrong. ...Now I'm not so sure."

Her tone was half self-deprecating. I placed my hand on top of Hyun Ye-won's.

"!"

Looking straight at Hyun Ye-won, who had a surprised expression, I said this.

"You're different."

"...Pardon?"

"I said you're different. You and the 'that person' you mentioned."

"What?"

Hyun Ye-won looked bewildered. Of course, it must sound out of the blue. But I was very serious.

"At least you're aware that you have aspects similar to 'that person' in you. That's only possible because your 'real self' and 'that person' are different."

"...!"

"If that value system was completely your own, you shouldn't even feel that it's strange. So the fact that you're worrying like this and continuously feeling distressed... that's proof that you're different, Hyun Ye-won."

I spoke with a tone full of conviction. Because I really had such conviction.

Hyun Ye-won is different from the other <Hyeonmu> people.

Because when I was in danger, it was you who couldn't hold back and secretly reached out to help me.

When everyone else was hell-bent on trampling me. When they turned their backs, pretending not to know my plea for help.

It was only you who sent an anonymous email, risking exposure of your identity.

Even if you didn't help openly, I could find solace in secret while reading the confidential documents you sent.

At least I could know that I wasn't wrong. That Hyeonmu had pushed me into a well-scripted scenario from beginning to end.

That alone gave me the strength to live on.

I could avoid falling further.

"...Do you really think so? I'm not sure."

Hyun Ye-won said, her voice quivering.

"I've been taught and raised that way since childhood. Is it possible to go against that now?"

With her eyes welling up, looking like she might burst into tears at any moment.

I answered without the slightest hesitation.

"It's possible."

Because even after working at Hyeonmu for over 10 years, you didn't lose that warm heart.

That in itself was proof that you were fundamentally different from them.

"I'll make it possible for you."

My vague expectation returned to concrete reality. Hyun Ye-won was writhing in pain and sobbing.

It means I wasn't the only victim who suffered from Hyeonmu.

"I'll help you."

Just as you helped me before the regression.

This time, it was my turn to save you.