God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 177

Buzz-.

Feeling my phone vibrate, I briefly turned on the screen. A familiar name appeared.

[CEO Choi Yeo-hae: Review the contract]

Glancing at the date, it was the third day as promised. How punctual.

I barely managed to suppress the smile spreading across my face.

'Asking me to review the contract essentially means approval.'

It means we'll sign if there are no issues on both sides. In the end, it meant Choi Yeo-hae had accepted my proposal.

Thanks to this, I was about to gain countless benefits.

Just thinking about the future increase in rent, it's quite something. I only hoped to stay for a long time at a cheap price if possible.

After forwarding the contract to Jo I-ruk and sending a message asking him to review it, I put down my phone.

"My, who could it be that's making you smile like that?"

Im Hye-eun asked in a subtle tone from beside me. Sure enough, she was probing with an intrigued expression.

"A boyfriend?"

"As if."

What nonsense. I'm too busy just running the company to even breathe right now.

At my firm response, Im Hye-eun pouted and grumbled.

"Aw, you're no fun. Do-kyung-ssi, do you have any good news?"

Poor Do-kyung got caught in the crossfire for no reason. Do-kyung responded with a start.

"Idols don't date!"

The company must have trained him well. It felt like his mouth responded automatically before he could even think.

"Sigh. You're both in your prime, are you going to be this frustrating?"

"What about you, Hye-eun-ssi? Are you dating?"

"Oh my."

Im Hye-eun showed her left hand. The ring sparkling on her fourth finger was especially dazzling today.

"I'm a married woman."

I didn't know that. I had heard she was older than she looked, but I didn't realize she had already joined the ranks of married women.

"Enjoy yourself to the fullest until you get married. Take this advice from your senior who's a bit older."

"Haha. That's advice to take to heart."

As I tried to respond casually and move on, Im Hye-eun persistently probed.

"Are you sure there's nothing between you and that person?"

"That person?"

"You know, Chef An who appeared on 'Raid the Refrigerator'."

An Derek? Why is that name suddenly coming up? As I tilted my head in confusion, Im Hye-eun continued.

"What? Really nothing? I thought you two were at least flirting~"

"We're not like that."

As I cut her off firmly, Do-kyung hesitantly asked from the side.

"But during the 'Law of the Jungle' filming and all... Aren't you particularly close?"

"Not at all."

We barely even contact each other personally to begin with. I probably contact Chef Bong Kang-min more often than An Derek.

'Honestly. Everyone makes a fuss as soon as a young man and woman are together.'

I feel sorry. While I may look like a young person on the outside, my heart isn't. I lost interest in the excitement between men and women long ago.

As I wore an indifferent expression, Im Hye-eun looked like she was about to add something. Just then, with perfect timing, a staff member came in and shouted.

"Recording starts now. Please get ready~!"

"Yes."

"Understood."

The three of us who had been chatting while waiting now had to get up. As we moved to the situation room prepared by the production team, I looked over the script one more time.

This filming location was in Gyeonggi-do near Seoul, a place called 'Green Fragrance Village'.

Located at the foot of a mountain, it was a village with good air and water, truly living alongside nature.

There were more detached houses and small villas than apartments. It meant a quiet, rural neighborhood.

"CEO Song, please go straight to the first store."

Following the staff's guidance, I left the situation room.

"Wow."

As soon as I came out, there was a strong scent of pine trees. The whole village had a cool fragrance befitting the name 'Green Fragrance'.

'This would be a nice place for a day trip near the city?'

This quiet atmosphere would be somewhat disrupted, but for the business to do well, it's much better if people are bustling about.

'Once the broadcast airs and people start coming, the existing residents will be quite unhappy.'

Especially for stores lined up in places like this, the biggest drawback is that there's no proper place to park.

It was a problem that arose because it wasn't a place where many outsiders come and go. We'll need to come up with countermeasures for this issue.

As I was pondering various concerns, I had already reached my destination.

The introduction written in the script earlier came to mind.

'The only Western restaurant in this village, they say.'

Indeed.

From the stylishly arranged exterior to the neat interior. It exuded an 'urban-ness' that was hard to find in such a rural village.

Even the handmade menu board written in chalk, an essential prop for trendy pasta places, was displayed outside.

'It's a typical feel, but not bad.'

Nodding, I opened the door.

"Welcome... Oh!"

I smiled gently at the surprised face. Thick horn-rimmed glasses, a headscarf covering the hair, and even a slightly bushy beard.

Somehow, it was an unusual appearance.

"Hello."

As I smiled and extended my hand, the man hurriedly took off his gloves and came to shake hands.

"Nice to meet you!"

This person was Park Man-su, the owner of <Pine Noodles>.

"Wow. You look much better in person."

"Really? Haha."

"Yes, yes. Really."

Park Man-su gave two thumbs up and joked around. He doesn't seem like someone who would be bad at serving customers.

'In a neighborhood like this, regular customers are important. If the interior is neat and customer service isn't a problem... what's the issue?'

I quickly scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes. There didn't seem to be anything particularly off about the interior of the store either.

"Shall we talk after eating first?"

"Yes!"

I sat down in a suitable spot and asked.

"What's the best-selling menu item?"

"Ah. People seem to like this bulgogi aglio e olio the most."

"Then I'll have one bulgogi aglio e olio."

The menu board placed in front of the store door suddenly popped into my mind. It had large drawings and menu names written on it.

Recalling my memory, I ordered the menu items.

"Bacon carbonara, meatball tomato spaghetti... and mushroom risotto too, please."

"Yes. Order received."

Park Man-su immediately went to the POS machine, entered the menu items, and headed straight to the kitchen.

He washed his hands thoroughly and put on nitrile gloves first. It seemed he was very mindful of hygiene, so this part deserved extra points.

'If only it weren't for that beard.'

What's the point of being so careful about hygiene? That bushy beard was ruining the image of 'cleanliness'. It was unfortunate, but it would be better to either cover it with a mask or shave the beard.

To prepare three pastas and a risotto, the kitchen had to move busily.

Park Man-su showed off his skills by using all four burners simultaneously. His busy hand movements were unexpectedly impressive.

'It's the skill of someone familiar with cooking. It doesn't seem like he just learned haphazardly and jumped in.'

Before long, the dishes were placed in front of me one by one.

"Enjoy your meal!"

Park Man-su bowed slightly and headed to the situation room. I looked at the steaming pasta dishes and picked up a fork.

"Hmm. It should taste better before it gets cold. What should I try first?"

Since it was a broadcast, I deliberately talked to myself as I reached out. It was to take a bite of the bulgogi aglio e olio that was closest.

I took a bite with a bit of bulgogi on top and slurped it up.

"Oh..."

I moved on to the next dish without hesitation. I lightly stirred the bacon carbonara, coated it thoroughly with sauce, and took a bite.

As expected.

Without saying anything, I went through the meatball tomato spaghetti and mushroom risotto. After taking a bite of each, I put down my fork and folded my arms.

"This is strange."

This couldn't be right. My taste buds weren't lying.

I looked at the camera in the situation room and blurted out.

"It's delicious."

Yes. That was the biggest problem.

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-It's delicious.

"Huh..."

At Song Woo-yeon's words, Park Man-su let out a big sigh of relief.

"Ah, I think it's the first time CEO Song has said something is 'delicious'? Congratulations, Owner!"

"Thank you. Haa. I was so nervous, my heart hurts."

As Park Man-su clutched his chest and hunched over, Im Hye-eun made a fuss for the broadcast.

"Since CEO Song said it's delicious, I'm so curious about how it tastes!"

"But, um."

Just then, Do-kyung quietly interjected.

"For someone who said that... doesn't CEO's expression look too bad?"

At those words, Im Hye-eun quickly turned her head to look at the monitor. As Do-kyung said, Song Woo-yeon's face was still serious.

"You're right. CEO Song, is there a problem?"

As Im Hye-eun asked into the microphone, Song Woo-yeon on the screen nodded.

-Of course. There is a problem.

"W-what kind of problem is it? You said the food tastes good, didn't you?"

-That's just it. We need to find a reason why this store isn't doing well, but everything else is up to standard too. I thought there might be a problem with the taste of the food, but that's not it either...

Song Woo-yeon stroked her chin as if deep in thought.

That's right. This show was none other than <Alley Secrets>. The main content was Song Woo-yeon finding problems and providing solutions.

But to have no solution to provide?

That was truly a big problem.

"Ah~ Could the location be the issue after all?"

-No. The rent here isn't expensive anyway. It should be sustainable just with neighborhood business. Plus, there's no competition, right? But for the store to be struggling doesn't make sense...

What to do. Im Hye-eun felt cold sweat running down her back. If they gave up now, it would be a broadcasting accident.

-Ah.

Just then, Song Woo-yeon uttered a short exclamation, then blurted out.

-Owner. How much is this pasta?