God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 200

'I made a mistake.'

Kim Jong-chun quickly acknowledged this.

While he often considered himself slower and more naive than others, one of his few strengths lay here.

Quickly accepting his own mistakes.

And using that to take a step forward.

Just like when Kim Jong-chun once felt frustrated with his daily routine that seemed to go round in circles, but came to his senses after Song Woo-yeon's stern rebuke.

Kim Jong-chun felt a chill down his spine, like a herbivore facing a predator.

An intense gaze was scrutinizing Kim Jong-chun.

'If I speak carelessly, it's over.'

He could sense it instinctively. Kim Jong-chun deeply realized that he had momentarily been blinded by his familiarity with Song Woo-yeon and acted presumptuously.

Regardless of how they might be in private, business-wise, they clearly had a headquarters-franchisee relationship. It was wrong from the start to bring up such a sensitive matter in this private setting without going through proper procedures.

'I knew it. Even though I knew...'

Kim Jong-chun made a pained expression.

With his years of corporate experience, how could he not know such basic principles? Although he had shed much of his corporate persona in the past few years of self-employment, he hadn't become completely foolish.

But what blinded Kim Jong-chun wasn't ignorance or a gap in experience.

'The fact that I'm on casual terms with Woo-yeon actually blinded me.'

That was precisely it.

It's human nature to be softer towards those we're close to. There's a reason the term 'networking' exists.

So Kim Jong-chun had unconsciously thought:

'He'll forgive and overlook a bit of rudeness.'

But this was a big miscalculation.

He remembered something Lee In-cheol had once said. That no matter how Song Woo-yeon might appear on the surface, she wasn't an ordinary person to have built such a large company.

That was absolutely right.

If it wasn't Song Woo-yeon, Kim Jong-chun's presumptuous words might have been dismissed as casual chatter in a private setting.

But Song Woo-yeon scolded Kim Jong-chun mercilessly as soon as he crossed the line.

Gulp.

He had felt it before, but just facing Song Woo-yeon when she was serious was enough to feel immense pressure.

He had prided himself on his considerable experience from his corporate life. He had thought his seasoned skills were comparable to those of a veteran.

But standing before Song Woo-yeon, his heart pounded and he broke into a cold sweat like a boy soldier on his first battlefield.

"Woo-yeon, no... CEO Song."

Kim Jong-chun urgently called Song Woo-yeon's name, then quickly corrected his form of address.

Song Woo-yeon raised an eyebrow.

'Now I understand why others said they couldn't even make eye contact with Woo-yeon.'

Had the franchisees who had business meetings been dealing with this version of Song Woo-yeon? Kim Jong-chun bit his lip, having learned something he'd rather not have known.

"I'm sorry. I just realized that bringing this up without going through proper procedures was a great discourtesy in itself."

The fortunate thing was,

Kim Jong-chun wasn't the type to stand on pride or hesitate to bow his head to someone much younger than himself.

He cleanly admitted his mistake and had no reservations about bowing his head in apology.

At this, Song Woo-yeon's expression softened a little.

Kim Jong-chun continued speaking with his head still bowed low.

"I will make sure this never happens again. I sincerely apologize once more."

"Is that so? I still have many questions."

Song Woo-yeon's voice had a hint of playfulness. Kim Jong-chun was too tense to notice it properly.

"Questions such as..."

"Like what you were planning to do if I didn't accept this proposal. If you were going to resort to a collective strike, that would be quite troublesome for me too. Oh, has a union been formed without my knowledge?"

"Collective st..."

Kim Jong-chun's face turned pale. He hadn't intended to ignite such a serious labor-management conflict.

"No! I never had such thoughts! Really!"

Kim Jong-chun jumped up in denial. He was so flustered that he reverted to his usual speech pattern.

"Pfft."

"...?!"

"Ahahahaha!"

As Song Woo-yeon burst out laughing, unable to hold it in, Kim Jong-chun stared blankly with a bewildered expression. Seeing his face, Song Woo-yeon laughed even harder.

"Oh my, my stomach. I thought I was going to die laughing."

"...CEO Song?"

"Just call me Woo-yeon. Like usual."

Only then did the gravity leave Kim Jong-chun's face. As the tension eased, his legs wobbled and he collapsed back into his seat.

"Ugh. What. Were you teasing me?"

"Half and half."

"So half of it was serious."

Kim Jong-chun muttered dejectedly.

A collective strike? He had no idea how far ahead Song Woo-yeon was looking.

"Did I seem like I would do that? Stab you in the back and threaten to go on a collective strike if you didn't raise prices?"

Kim Jong-chun asked again, unable to believe it. Although they couldn't meet often due to their busy schedules, they were close enough to spend time together, squeezing out their busy hours.

How many drinks had they shared, the three of them including Han Mi-ae, and how many nights had they spent together?

'Did I seem so insincere?'

Kim Jong-chun had been blinded by that intimacy. Yet Song Woo-yeon had been considering the possibility that he might have betrayed her.

It all felt so unfamiliar that he couldn't help but ask, even knowing it wasn't his place to do so.

Song Woo-yeon's answer to this was very simple.

"No. Not at all."

"R-right?"

"Yes, of course. If you had stabbed me in the back, I would have given you a standing ovation. For perfectly deceiving me all this time."

Is this praise or criticism?

Anyway, it meant that Song Woo-yeon had also seen their friendship as sincere.

Kim Jong-chun let out a deep sigh of relief. Really. He thought his heart was going to drop.

"Then why did you say such a brutal thing?"

Being a bit stupid and crossing the line was completely different from deliberately testing the waters around that line.

Kim Jong-chun was relieved that he hadn't appeared to be the latter. If there had been such a misunderstanding, they wouldn't have been able to have this friendly conversation again.

'No. If she thought I was a traitor, how would Woo-yeon have reacted...'

Kim Jong-chun shuddered, his body trembling. Although he had only glimpsed a facet of it for a moment, it was enough to feel that opposing Song Woo-yeon would not end well.

Neither the brightly smiling face, nor the youthful appearance that still looked like a new entrant to society, nor the small frame that seemed like it could be blown away by the wind compared to the sturdy Kim Jong-chun.

None of these could hide Song Woo-yeon's true nature.

'Should I call him a born predator?'

There was an aura about Song Woo-yeon that somehow made people tense.

'From now on, never defy her. Yes. Never.'

While Kim Jong-chun was making this vow to himself over and over, Song Woo-yeon lowered her gaze for a moment before looking at Kim Jong-chun again.

"You never know what's in a person's heart. Just because they don't seem that way, doesn't mean they're really not that kind of person."

"......"

"But I think it's fortunate."

Song Woo-yeon looked straight at Kim Jong-chun and smiled brightly.

"That you didn't betray me."

Song Woo-yeon closed her mouth as if swallowing the rest of her words. But Kim Jong-chun somehow felt he knew what she meant.

'This time. ...right?'

In Song Woo-yeon's silent profile, Kim Jong-chun glimpsed an anxiety that would never wither.

'It's strange. You've never experienced failure, and you've been successful all this time.'

Why did she have the face of someone who had experienced such bitter failure?

Shouldn't a young genius be more arrogant, confident, and optimistic? But Song Woo-yeon was completely shattering Kim Jong-chun's perception.

He knew she worked hard.

He knew how she had quantified recipes all night and worked day and night until <The Song> was established.

But even after the company was on track to some extent, Song Woo-yeon continued to push herself.

'Is it normal to read the possibility of betrayal from just one of my words? Unless you've been backstabbed before?'

When his thoughts reached this point, he was again at a loss for words at Song Woo-yeon's contradictory history.

Is it okay to just gloss over something so logically inconsistent by saying it's possible because Song Woo-yeon is a 'genius'?

If so, isn't that too much?

'...Does that kid have to keep making such a lonely face forever?'

If this was due to his innate nature, it was truly cruel.

"It's never bad to be careful."

Song Woo-yeon said, changing her expression as if nothing had happened.

The loneliness and solitude that had permeated her face until just now had disappeared without a trace. Even Kim Jong-chun wondered for a moment if he had just been seeing things.

"Anyway. As I said, it would be better to keep your distance from the people who instigated you. I'm saying this for your sake, not because I'm upset about what you just said. You know that, right?"

"Of course."

Kim Jong-chun nodded vigorously.

"I'll get going first."

"Why? There's still a lot of food left. Why don't you wait until Owner Han business closes?"

"It's fine. You should get some rest too, thinking about tomorrow's business."

"Hmm. That's true, but."

Despite Kim Jong-chun's repeated attempts to keep him, Song Woo-yeon stood up, saying it was okay.

"I'm going."

She waved her hand and greeted with her usual smiling face.

Watching the retreating back, Kim Jong-chun leaned against the doorframe.

'Somehow, it feels like I've seen something I shouldn't have.'

With a strangely unsettling aftertaste, Kim Jong-chun scratched the back of his head.