God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 188

Even with a muffler wrapped around my neck, the knife-like cold pierced through the gaps. I gently rubbed my goosebump-covered nape with my fingertips.

"Ah, you're here, CEO Song~"

"Hello."

Im Hye-eun smiled at me warmly.

We chatted briefly while getting our makeup done.

"The weather's really cold today, isn't it?"

"Indeed. I was shocked on my way here."

"Have you been well?"

"Yes, of course."

Though some hectic events had briefly passed by. Hyeonmu's proposal had retreated as if it never happened, so there was nothing more to worry about.

"You seemed busy with work?"

"Haha, it can't be helped. The Fair Trade Commission's results will be out soon. Maybe because it's a case that's garnered a lot of public interest. They're investigating very thoroughly."

"Ah~ That's right. Which means, the first broadcast of this show isn't far off either."

Im Hye-eun seemed quite excited.

Besides <Alley Secrets>, she's been appearing on various other shows and recently rising to the ranks of a 'trending MC'. I didn't expect her to be so invested in just one show.

It seems her expressed expectations for this show weren't just empty words.

"Even before the broadcast, I hear the places that received your handwritten certification are rumored to be great restaurants? People seem to have noticed that we're filming a show, even if they don't know the details."

"When the show airs, even more people will flock to these places. I'm a bit worried if they'll be able to handle all that crowd."

Especially that mother-son army base stew place. The vegetable fritters are particularly labor-intensive.

Still, I could only hope they'd manage well.

I've given them enough warnings, so whether they modify the recipe for convenience or strictly maintain the original recipe - that's their choice to make.

Of course, if they modify it at will, they'll have to deal with the aftermath themselves.

"Today's filming location is... hmm."

I muttered while briefly skimming through the script.

"There's a pork kimchi stew place."

"Ah~ Sounds delicious, doesn't it?"

Im Hye-eun made a gesture of licking her lips. Despite looking like someone who'd only eat refined hansik or Western cuisine, she surprisingly likes these kinds of foods.

"For kimchi stew, the pork should be thick and a bit fatty to be delicious. Don't you think? When the rich taste of the fat blends with the kimchi stew broth in your mouth~ Oh, I'm really salivating."

"It is delicious."

I said with a smirk.

"If it's made well."

For dishes with meat, managing the gamey smell is a crucial point.

People sensitive to that smell might not even be able to touch the food.

'Well, we'll know when we get there and taste it.'

Thinking that, I put the script aside for a moment.

The makeup artist's hands had now reached my eyes.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

"Then we'll be heading out~!"

"Yes."

As we left the situation room and stepped onto the street, I was momentarily taken aback by the flood of people. It seemed like the place with the most foot traffic among all the filming locations we'd been to so far.

'There's a variety of restaurants, and the foot traffic isn't particularly skewed to one side. This neighborhood seems to be quite a bustling area.'

But this place was selected as the filming location for <Alley Secrets>? Feeling puzzled, I continued walking.

Soon, I could understand the reason.

As soon as we turned into an alley, people's footsteps abruptly stopped.

"Ah......"

I couldn't believe how different the atmosphere could be just across one street. I turned back to look at the main road. The people passing by busily didn't seem to notice the rows of shops inside this alley.

'It's truly poverty amidst abundance.'

That main road was lined with various shops, large shopping malls, and movie theaters, attracting people's attention.

Just slightly off that main path, inside, neglected shops stood shoulder to shoulder.

"It's an old alley. The atmosphere is very different from outside. We can say the commercial districts are almost completely separated."

I muttered to the camera, as if talking to myself.

"But inside here, you can see a lot of places like barbecue restaurants, makgeolli houses, hangover soup places. It means that even if it's quiet during the day, quite a few customers come looking for a drink at night."

That was a somewhat hopeful story. With pork kimchi stew, there was no reason not to have a drink.

If the ambiance of the shop supports it well, it could establish itself as a decent drinking spot.

"This is the place."

A pork kimchi stew restaurant, sitting alone among barbecue places and bars that hadn't even opened yet.

'The opening hours are wrong from the start.'

Or should I say, they chose the wrong location?

Generally, you can learn what kind of people frequent this alley and at what times they're most active through the shops that are already established here.

When all other shops have their lights off and this place is doing lunch business alone, it's evidence that they didn't do any market research at all.

'If they planned to do lunch business, they shouldn't have set up in this kind of commercial area, and if they wanted to maximize sales in this location, they should have focused on evening business, selling alcohol until dawn.'

Although it's hard to readily recommend staying open late for alcohol sales because I know how grueling it can be.

Thinking coldly, if sales were poor enough to apply for this show, that's the strategy they should have taken.

'Well, the exterior doesn't look bad.'

It has the appearance of an ordinary, unremarkable kimchi stew restaurant.

As I entered, I noticed a unique table.

'It's circular?'

It was a metal circular table like you'd see in a barbecue restaurant. Judging from the gas burners placed in the center of each, it seemed they boil the kimchi stew there and everyone sits around to share it.

'Not bad. This actually suits evening business better.'

Since this street is bound to have mainly evening business. It was forgivable to have a slightly bar-like atmosphere.

Rather, it looked good, as if it brought out a retro sensibility.

"Oh my! Goodness!"

A startled voice came from inside the kitchen. I smiled familiarly and greeted.

"Hello, Owner. Nice to meet you."

"Oh my, oh my. What should I do. I had no idea you were coming today, I didn't even put on makeup, how could you come on a day like this."

A middle-aged woman greeted me warmly, speaking playfully. The production team moves so secretly. Every Owner reacts with such surprise like this.

Lee Hyo-soon, the Owner of the pork kimchi stew restaurant, grasped my hand tightly and continued speaking.

"I'm a complete fan. I've watched all the shows Song Woo-yeon-ssi appears in. Oh my, goodness. Is this a dream or reality."

"Hahaha. Thank you, Owner."

"Look at me. You've been standing all this time. Please, sit here!"

She hurriedly pulled out a chair at the nearest table, and frantically brought wet towels, water, and water glasses.

That alone was bustling enough, but Lee Hyo-soon's continued chattering seemed to make my head spin.

"You know, I had a dream last night about meeting a noble person. A fist-sized acorn rolled towards me, and I thought, 'How peculiar,' and held onto it tightly. I guess that meant Song Woo-yeon-ssi was coming. Hoho."

"I see, haha. Owner, you only serve pork kimchi stew here, right?"

I quickly interrupted Lee Hyo-soon's words and picked up the menu first. It seemed the conversation wouldn't end if I just kept listening.

"Yes~"

"Then please give me one pork kimchi stew. What side dishes are popular?"

"Things like rolled omelette and kimchi pancake. Many people order them as drinking snacks in the evening."

"Then please bring those too."

Lee Hyo-soon answered with a 'Yes~' while writing down the order. Then she added playfully.

"Don't you need any makgeolli? Or soju?"

[ TN: Makgeolli (막걸리) is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage, often referred to as Korean rice wine. It is one of Korea's oldest alcoholic drinks and has been enjoyed for centuries. ]

"......"

A shot of soju with kimchi stew. It would be a lie to say it wasn't tempting, but since we're in the middle of filming, I decided to refrain for now.

"It's alright. Just the meal, please. It's still bright daylight."

"Oh my, what does the time matter? There are many people who drink during the day here~ Please wait a moment. I'll bring it right away!"

Her way of treating customers was full of warmth and good. While it might be polarizing among young people, in the end, neighborhood business is about building relationships.

Being this friendly was actually much more advantageous.

'She says quite a few people drink during the day? Is that why they open for lunch business? If they were targeting a niche market, it might be a smarter strategy than I thought.'

Just as I was thinking she might be an unexpectedly shrewd businesswoman, it happened.

"...?"

I reflexively stopped while setting up the utensils.

The spoon and chopsticks were in a somewhat nostalgic-looking utensil holder, but I could tell as soon as I touched it.

'There's something sticky... I can feel it?'

It was a sensation that made me want to unconsciously pull my hand away and step back. This wasn't stickiness that had developed in just a day or two.

It was something created by the traces of years, layer upon layer.

'This is a bit too much.'

For the container holding the utensils to be this dirty, of all things. It would make you lose your appetite even if you were about to eat something delicious.

Wouldn't other customers have noticed this too?

'No, the Owner must have known.'

But she dismissed it as insignificant. Thinking, this much is acceptable.

Even though it's not a trivial issue at all for consumers.

Feeling a bit uneasy, I discreetly peeked into the kitchen. I could see Lee Hyo-soon's back as she moved about busily, cooking.

I carefully stood up and moved closer to the kitchen. I could peek into the kitchen through the area where completed dishes come out.

"......"

I kept my mouth shut.

Without saying a word, I returned to my seat.

Not long after, all the dishes I ordered came out. Pork kimchi stew, a huge rolled omelette, and kimchi pancake.

"Enjoy your meal~"

Lee Hyo-soon smiled brightly as she greeted me and then quickly disappeared into the situation room.

Left alone with the food, I stared at it for a while.

After a long internal conflict, I blurted out one sentence.

"I can't eat this."