God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 169

"The Fair Trade Commission issue... how is it progressing?"

She's suddenly asking about this?

Having recently endured hardships due to this matter, my eyes inadvertently sharpened.

For a moment, I wondered if she might be trying to get some information from me to leak to other media outlets.

Although I appreciated Im Hye-eun's neat hosting and work style, we weren't close enough yet for me to fully trust her.

Seemingly reading my wary gaze, Im Hye-eun hastily added:

"It's just that I heard Fair Trade Commission investigations usually take about six months."

"Yes, that's correct."

"By my calculations, that would be right around when this program is set to air."

Ah.

I finally understood why Im Hye-eun had cautiously inquired about this matter.

'If the Fair Trade Commission's investigation results come out right after the broadcast, it will surely attract attention. But what if the results are unfavorable to me?'

The fate of this program, which started with my name attached to it, would be obvious.

"Of course, I believe in your innocence, CEO Song. But in this world, just because you're innocent doesn't mean the results will always be favorable."

That's true.

Isn't that the rule of the world I know best? Just because you live righteously doesn't mean you'll always get righteous results.

Im Hye-eun moved even closer to me and whispered in my ear.

"Shall I speak more candidly?"

Her voice had lowered even further.

"I've only recently declared myself a freelancer, so I'm taking whatever jobs come my way. I got this program through a connection with PD Kim Hui-seong."

"......"

"To be honest, when I heard you were joining and that they were suddenly overhauling the entire program concept, I considered walking away."

That's understandable.

To Im Hye-eun, I must have seemed like a ticking time bomb. And this bomb was positioned at the core of the program.

If things went wrong, she could get caught in the blast and her position could be jeopardized.

"The reason I'm still here is because of my loyalty to PD Kim Hui-seong. He said the schedule was too tight to find another MC right away, but he'd replace me at an appropriate time."

So that was the inside story?

I hadn't given it much thought, but given that the program was using my name, it must have been difficult to find cast members. Do-kyung might have volunteered because he knew me, but Im Hye-eun didn't have that connection.

"The reason I'm asking so bluntly, at the risk of being rude, is because my thoughts have changed."

"Your thoughts have changed?"

"Yes."

Im Hye-eun looked straight at me and said:

"I don't want to leave this program anymore."

"...!"

"I'm ambitious. I have a feeling that if I hand this position over to someone else, I'll regret it bitterly. And my intuition is usually quite accurate."

As she said this, Im Hye-eun's face was filled with a strange confidence.

I internally exclaimed in admiration. It could be called a remarkable coincidence, but it was a given that this program would be a huge success.

I couldn't help but be amazed by Im Hye-eun's 'intuition' that had keenly picked up on this right after the first filming.

"So please, be honest with me."

Im Hye-eun looked at me with desperate eyes.

"How do you think the Fair Trade Commission investigation results will turn out?"

"......"

I pondered for a moment.

Whether I should say this, whether it was okay to carelessly comment on a matter still under investigation. Various concerns swirled in my mind... but I came to this conclusion:

"It should be fine."

"!"

"Of course, I'm not the one investigating, so I can't be 100% certain, but I can say with high probability that 'it should be fine'."

"Really?"

"The investigation is being conducted by the Fair Trade Commission, led by Chu Jong-wook-ssi who publicized the controversial content, but we've already clarified that there isn't a single falsehood in the data we provided to help calculate sales."

In other words, Chu Jong-wook's claim that 'we deceived franchise owners by presenting fake sales figures' was unfounded.

Although additional investigations will be conducted from various angles, now that this major premise has collapsed, the chances of a result favorable to Chu Jong-wook are extremely low.

"So you don't need to worry. I hope we can look at this long-term."

As I said this with a smile, Im Hye-eun's eyes lit up.

"Then, I look forward to working with you!"

I grasped her outstretched hand and replied:

"Likewise."

Just then, PD Kim Hui-seong intervened.

"Oh, what's this? You two seem to have become close already?"

"PD."

"We're going for a drink to celebrate the first filming. Will you two join us? By the way, it's on the company card~"

In response to Kim Hui-seong's playful tone, I added:

"Then I can't miss it."

"Shall we drain one of MBS's pillars today?"

"Whoa. CEO Song, be careful. Our Im Ana might not look it, but she's a tremendous drinker. She'll drink everyone around her under the table, so be warned!"

"Come on, PD. You're exaggerating too much~"

As she said this, she gave Kim Hui-seong's shoulder a solid punch, and the sound was alarmingly loud.

"Hahaha. Let's go, let's go!"

Im Hye-eun practically dragged Kim Hui-seong away. I shrugged and followed behind them.

It looked like I'd be getting home late today.

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"Army base stew......"

Baek Jae-ha tapped his chin with his fingertips. It was a habit he had when pondering something.

"I wondered why you came all the way here. So it was to talk about work?"

Baek Jae-ha pouted with a sulky face.

Haha. I haven't been able to pay much attention to him lately. I tried to coax and soothe him as I spoke.

"Sorry, sorry. I've been so busy lately. The Fair Trade Commission keeps asking for various documents needed for clarification."

"Hmph, I know. That's why I waited patiently. Until you called for me again."

"You're studying hard, right? The college entrance exam is coming up soon."

The weather was getting colder. It always used to freeze over around exam time.

Even this cold air seemed like evidence that the exam was approaching.

"Yes, yes, of course. Da-on hyung has been nagging me constantly. Always asking if I've done my homework."

"Da-on is doing well. You should really be grateful to him."

"I know. I'm planning to buy him a gift with my wages after the exam is over."

That's right. That's how it should be, give and take. I felt relieved to sense that Baek Jae-ha was getting more comfortable with Jung Da-on.

"So. Do you have any ideas that come to mind?"

As I prodded, Baek Jae-ha made a humming sound and then continued.

"Hmm. The safest bet is cheese. It goes well with anything, and it's not polarizing. Army base stew already has baked beans in it, so it won't feel out of place taste-wise."

"Not bad, but..."

Adding cheese on top of any dish is almost like cheating.

It's visually overwhelming, and especially when the cheese is hot and stretchy, it's a spectacle just to look at. Perfect for social media posts.

"If cheese alone is too plain, how about adding sweet potato? Cheese and sweet potato go well together."

"The broth would become too murky. And if you're eating it with rice, salty flavors are better than sweet ones."

If we added sweet potato, there was a risk of the army base stew becoming too sweet.

"We could mix in a creamy sauce to add a smooth taste. It goes well with the red broth, doesn't it?"

"That's not a bad idea. We could also let people choose the level of spiciness."

When discussing with Baek Jae-ha, there were times when I would get so absorbed that I'd lose track of time.

"Ah, if we're making it spicy, it might be interesting to add an egg topping. We could make it like a soft-boiled egg pudding and place it gently on top. It would help neutralize the spiciness and create a unique visual."

"How about using thinly sliced pork instead of ham?"

"The cost wouldn't work out."

"Adding canned corn and butter would be delicious too."

"Perilla leaves as an addition?"

"How about putting some fried food on top?"

One idea leads to two, then three. It felt like we were engaged in an endless ping-pong match of ideas.

It seemed like Baek Jae-ha knew what I was thinking, and I knew what he was thinking.

You know that peculiar sense of elation you feel when you meet someone with matching tastes and chat away?

As we went back and forth, before we knew it, dozens of ideas had piled up.

I rolled up my sleeves and said:

"Shall we try making them as we go?"

"Yes, sounds good."

As if we had planned it beforehand, we each started to realize one of the ideas we had proposed.

"Hmm. Adding sweet potato does make it harder to eat with rice, as expected."

"The creamy sauce does too. It changes the feel completely towards Western cuisine. The thick sauce does give it a risotto-like feel when eaten with rice, but it might be polarizing."

"How about the one with the egg topping?"

"It's delicious. But the egg topping is harder to make pretty than I thought."

"Considering the restaurant's turnover rate, we should probably leave it out."

"I tried making one with frozen pork belly. This way we can reduce costs, isn't it good?"

"It's too thin and dry. Lacks chewiness."

As we repeated various failures, the shortcomings of the ideas that seemed plausible in our heads started to become apparent.

And so, one by one... the hot pots kept piling up. By the time we lost count of how many versions of army base stew we had made.

Our mouths were so full of the taste of army base stew that it felt heavy, and after cooking for such a long time, our bodies felt tired from fatigue.

Just as I was about to suggest we wrap up and continue next time.

Slurp.

"...!"

After taking a bite of the last army base stew we made, my eyes widened. Looking to the side, it seemed Baek Jae-ha had a similar thought.

We looked at each other for a moment, then immediately took another spoonful.

Slurp.

This time, we tried various combinations with the solid ingredients.

"......"

However, the result remained the same.

Clack.

After putting down the chopsticks, I muttered softly.

"We've found it."