God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 196

The chairs and tables, which had previously shown clear signs of age, were completely replaced with new ones. Without the worn-out leather visible, the atmosphere had already changed significantly.

It would have been even better if the wallpaper had been replaced too, but even this much had greatly diminished the previous rural attic-like feel.

"Wow."

I walked around, carefully inspecting every corner. It seemed like all the furniture had been removed and then put back in.

The dust that had settled on small utensils was gone, and even under the drawers was clean.

"Owner. What magic did you use?"

I couldn't help but express my admiration. How could it change this much in just a few weeks?

"Here, please take a closer look at this too."

Lee Hyo-soon led me to the kitchen. It was originally where I had scolded her the most, but her steps were confident as she strode towards it.

"Wow."

The kitchen was the most impressive.

Everywhere I looked, there was a silvery shine. It was so clean you could believe a fly would slip if it tried to land.

If you put your face close, you might even see a faint reflection.

The once-grimy kitchen utensils had been transformed to look almost new. Scrubbing off the grime and polishing them had completely changed their appearance.

"Did you completely overhaul everything?"

"Don't even mention it. You have no idea how much trouble I went through cleaning these things."

As Lee Hyo-soon said this, her face showed a mix of pride and slight embarrassment.

She probably felt it the most while cleaning this place. How messy the kitchen had been all this time.

It was moving to see how thoroughly she had removed the dust and mold accumulated in the corners.

"I can't help but open this too."

As I tapped on the freezer and refrigerator, Lee Hyo-soon immediately responded.

"Go ahead and open it."

When I opened the freezer first, I saw a spotless interior without a single ice crystal. Pork cuts were neatly stacked and organized, with labels clearly showing the dates.

I took one out to check its condition.

The meat quality was much better than before.

"Did you change your meat supplier?"

"I made quite a fuss about it."

"You did well. There are often bad people who sell cheap meat to owners who don't know how to judge it. You need to inspect with eagle eyes, or you'll be taken advantage of."

How nice it would be if everything in the world operated honestly. But human affairs can't always be crystal clear.

To protect my store and my customers, I have no choice but to keep my eyes wide open. Because no one else will protect them for me.

"The freezer is fine, now let's check the refrigerator."

This time, I felt a bit nervous too. The last memory I had was of it being full of rotten kimchi.

With slight hesitation, I opened the door.

Swish.

"Oh."

First of all, the kimchi containers that had previously filled the space were all gone.

"I'll just open one."

I took out a nearby kimchi container and opened the lid. A sour smell wafted up.

I sniffed it, and the smell passed the test. It had the aroma of well-fermented kimchi.

"Can you give me some gloves?"

"Yes, here you go."

After receiving the plastic gloves, I cut a piece of kimchi and put it in my mouth.

Chew, chew.

The more I chewed, the more certain I became. It was just well-fermented, delicious kimchi.

"H-how is it? I brought some from my parents' home."

"It's delicious."

Lee Hyo-soon's face brightened. In the refrigerator, besides kimchi, there were a few other ingredients visible, some of which looked like leftover materials.

Noticing my gaze, Lee Hyo-soon hastily added.

"Oh my. These are from when I was practicing. I forgot to clean them out."

"It's fine. Leave them. They're ingredients, so they should be here."

"But still......"

"Really, it's okay. There's nowhere else to put them anyway."

As Lee Hyo-soon was sweating profusely while making excuses, I put an end to it.

"Owner."

I turned around and looked straight at Lee Hyo-soon as I spoke.

"Why did you contact me directly?"

"......."

"You asked me to come back and inspect this place, didn't you? You said to come whenever I had time, that it was okay anytime."

"......Yes."

"Now that I see it, I can feel that you've put in a lot of effort. It's not easy to do this much."

As I continued speaking, Lee Hyo-soon's eyes wavered. Soon, a tear rolled down from her moistened eyes.

"Oh my. I'm sorry. I'm being foolish in my old age."

Lee Hyo-soon sniffled as she wiped away her tears.

"CEO. I really thought a lot about this."

Her voice trembled slightly at the end.

"After you scolded me, I sat alone in this store and realized how incompetent I had been all this time."

Lee Hyo-soon continued in a calm but sincere voice.

"I deeply regretted everything I had done, and I wondered if it was too late for me to start anew at this point."

"......."

"But what good would it do to just sit here? I know that if I want to change, even at this point, I need to put in a desperate effort."

"......."

"So I turned the store upside down, threw out all the ingredients, and reorganized everything with the mindset of starting completely fresh."

Lee Hyo-soon's hands, which were adjusting her apron, were visibly calloused. To make these kitchen utensils sparkle like this, she must have used various harsh chemicals.

The evidence was clearly visible on her hands.

"I'm also researching and developing new recipes, thinking of it as starting from scratch. But this is the one thing that doesn't easily change due to old habits."

Lee Hyo-soon carefully raised her head as she spoke.

"That's why I contacted you, even though I know it's a shameless thing to do. CEO, I'll really work hard. Can't you help me just this once, please? Please?"

Her eyes, filled with desperation, were directed at me.

Lee Hyo-soon looked at me as if I were a lifeline. I could also see a firm determination mixed in her gaze.

I could tell she had made up her mind to change.

'But there are countless people like that.'

Isn't it human nature to use the name of a sick mother to overcome a crisis, and then act as if nothing happened afterward?

I had been disappointed countless times and had resigned myself to the idea that people's 'reformation' was nothing but an illusion.

What about Kim Jong-chun's case, you ask? That's truly one in a million.

For a person to overcome their own inertia and completely change into a new person is as likely as being struck by lightning.

And since I've already seen the rare case of Kim Jong-chun after my regression, the chances of seeing such a rare case again in the span of a year are close to zero.

"......."

Nevertheless.

I couldn't ignore Lee Hyo-soon.

"You said you were developing new recipes, right?"

"!"

"Give it a try. I'll taste it and let you know what needs to be improved."

When a person is pushed to the edge of a cliff, sometimes just having someone reach out a hand can prevent them from falling.

If we turn away even those who have made up their minds to change, who could ever change?

Even if we reach out a thousand times and fail 999 times, we must reach out one more time for that last person.

That's how the previous 999 failures won't be in vain.

"Thank you. Thank you!"

Lee Hyo-soon bowed deeply as she expressed her gratitude.

"I'll make it right away. Please wait just a moment. Just a moment!"

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes!"

I came out alone and sat near the kitchen, watching Lee Hyo-soon's busy back as she moved around in the kitchen.

After a short wait,

Thud.

A full meal was neatly placed in front of me. Pork kimchi stew with white rice. And even some simple side dishes.

'Since I refused to taste it last time, this must be the first time I'm eating the food.'

I picked up the spoon. First, to taste the broth of the pork kimchi stew.

Slurp.

As soon as I took a sip, a unique savory and rich flavor filled my mouth.

"H-how is it?"

Lee Hyo-soon couldn't contain herself and asked hurriedly. Without saying a word, I took a big spoonful of rice with kimchi and pork on top.

Chew, chew.

"How... is it?"

Lee Hyo-soon urged once more.

Gulp, after swallowing the food in my mouth, I smiled.

"It's delicious."

Of course, there are some parts of the recipe that I think should be modified. But Lee Hyo-soon's careful consideration and hard work were clearly conveyed.

So I decided to believe in her once more.

"Until the next filming day, please refine the recipe a bit more."

"Yes!"

"It would be better to increase the amount of meat and reduce the onions a bit. I think the sweetness is coming strongly from the onions. And do you blanch the meat before adding it?"

"Yes, yes."

"You don't use the water you blanched the meat in, right?"

"That's right."

Lee Hyo-soon answered while busily taking notes.

"Don't blanch the meat, put it in from the beginning and boil it together."

"Pardon?"

"That way, the fat from the pork will melt into the broth. That's what gives it a rich flavor."

"Ah~"

"Try modifying it like that, and if I see the kitchen in disarray when I come to check next time, I'll cancel the solution immediately. Keep that in mind."

"Yes! I understand!"

I smiled and offered a handshake to Lee Hyo-soon.

"Let's do well from now on. Us."

"......!"

Lee Hyo-soon's eyes widened, and then she smiled broadly in return.

"Yes!"

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Clink.

As the man put down his glass, the ice inside rattled, causing a small noise.

The shadow cast over his head seemed to shield his face.

Across from him, a tense counterpart was watching his every move.

The man, appearing deep in thought, kept his mouth tightly shut while tracing the rim of the glass with his fingertip.

"I see. So that's the rumor going around."

"Y-yes. We haven't yet confirmed where the rumor originated from, but we will investigate its veracity as soon as possible and report back to you."

"Ah, I see. I hope I can receive it quickly."

The man muttered while putting an ice cube from the glass into his mouth.

"I wonder what gutsy fellow dares to trade on the name of JC."

Crunch.

The ice shattered in the man's mouth.