God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 205

I walked down the street, thinking to myself.

'It's quite deserted.'

Usually, a large apartment complex would be responsible for the purchasing power of the surrounding area, but this was an alley lined with small villas.

Everyone must have gone to work, as there were hardly any people walking on the street. This meant it was difficult to identify who the main customer base for this alley was.

'Only the minimum commercial districts have formed. A small mart, convenience store, gas station...'

It was clearly a place used by those commuting to and from the nearby factory complex as a temporary resting spot.

It would be quiet during the day, so it wasn't suitable for lunch business.

'This place should focus on dinner service as well.'

With these thoughts in mind, I stood in front of the store where the first solution would take place.

'They said it was a handmade burger place.'

From the outside, it looked ordinary. A plain exterior with nothing particularly outstanding or terrible.

'It's an ambiguous menu for dinner service.'

If I had to point out a flaw, the menu selection was a bit of a miss from the start. If that was the case, they should have settled in a commercial area closer to the factory complex and focused on lunch service.

People could come here if they wanted to, but not many would be willing to walk a long distance during their precious lunch break.

'But the main commercial area near the factory complex must be quite expensive.'

In the end, it's a matter of premium.

Thinking this, I pushed the door open.

"Hello."

"Yes, welcome to One Bite Handmade Burgers... Oh?"

The voice greeting me sounded familiar somehow. It was a voice I'd heard many times before. As I raised my head...

Huh?

'...Why are you here?'

Just a few minutes ago, I thought nothing would surprise me. But now, my eyes were wide open.

It was because a completely unexpected person had appeared.

"...Choi Min-hyuk?"

"Uh, yeah."

The person answering my question with an awkward smile was none other than Choi Min-hyuk, whom I had met at the class reunion.

The recent memory came flooding back.

-I'm Choi Min-hyuk. You probably don't remember, but we weren't close.

-I remember.

-You remember?

-Yes. You used to come to the library often.

A face I often saw in the library where I escaped from noisy peers. We had never formally introduced ourselves, but I knew his name from his nametag.

I could recognize him right away because his face was exactly the same as when we were young.

I had crossed my arms and waited, wondering what he would say after suddenly approaching me, how far he would go.

But Choi Min-hyuk brought up an unexpected topic.

-About how you got back at Ahn Si-heon. It was satisfying for me too.

-......

-Anyway, I wanted to say this. Thank you and I'm sorry.

How welcome those words were.

I couldn't help but smile. Choi Min-hyuk probably couldn't imagine how much that clumsy consolation meant to me.

But why is he here?

After looking at Choi Min-hyuk for a moment, I turned to the camera and spoke.

"Can I have a quick chat? It's been a while since I've seen this classmate."

The cameraman responded as if he had been waiting for this.

"We'll film the two of you talking from a distance. We'll keep the audio as is."

It seems they intend to broadcast the fact that we're classmates. This is probably the most appetizing material for PD Kim Hui-seong.

How dramatic.

Two people of the same age who once attended the same school, now encountering each other as mentor and mentee.

I could already imagine how effectively they would use this in the preview.

But there's nothing to be done about it. We're currently recording for Alley Secrets, and I wasn't particularly close with Choi Min-hyuk, so there shouldn't be any problematic content.

"Okay. I understand."

Nodding, Choi Min-hyuk and I sat down facing each other at one side of the store.

Sipping the instant coffee provided by the store owner, I asked the most pressing question first.

"You went to the military, didn't you? How come you're here?"

Didn't he attend the class reunion with a closely cropped haircut? Was that near the end of his service? Even so, why is a perfectly normal college student suddenly serving here? Is he a part-timer?

As these questions filled my mind, Choi Min-hyuk scratched his cheek and said,

"I did, but I was discharged for medical reasons. I injured my knee."

"Ah."

"They said my anterior cruciate ligament was torn. It's fine now with consistent rehab therapy, but..."

I immediately understood why Choi Min-hyuk hadn't returned to university.

"It's not enough to do sports though."

"......"

The reason Choi Min-hyuk always fell asleep in the library. The reason he often ran into me who practically lived in the library.

It was because Choi Min-hyuk was an athlete who woke up early for morning training.

'Was it the track and field team?'

I hadn't paid much attention, but I vaguely knew because he often missed classes to participate in competitions.

But a knee injury.

I could roughly gauge how devastating this must have been for Choi Min-hyuk. As my expression darkened, Choi Min-hyuk rubbed the back of his neck and continued.

"I had already failed the national team selection, and my records were getting worse. I was wondering if I could continue with sports in the future."

I'm not familiar with the field, but everyone knows it's difficult to make a living solely from track and field.

"I thought I'd clear my head by going to the military. But I guess it turned out well. I was able to give up cleanly without any lingering attachments."

The smile on his face as he said this was filled with complex emotions.

Having devoted his entire life to sports, it must have been overwhelming to suddenly have to find a different path in life.

Perhaps that's why Choi Min-hyuk's face was a mix of relief, bitterness, regret, and a hint of love-hate.

"So you're working here part-time for a while?"

"Ah, the owner here is my older brother."

No wonder they looked somewhat alike.

"I'm working as an assistant at my brother's store."

I see. If this handmade burger place does well, he could potentially earn a title like vice president.

But at this point, with only flies buzzing around, I'm not sure if they can even properly pay minimum wage.

"Sorry. When we applied here, I thought we might get selected if I mentioned you were my classmate. I didn't think we'd actually get picked."

Choi Min-hyuk seemed visibly embarrassed, perhaps thinking he had used my name.

'They said applications flooded in after the first broadcast aired. Among the numerous candidates, this alley being selected was probably... indeed because of Choi Min-hyuk.'

But there was no need to reproach Choi Min-hyuk for this. It's a win-win situation for both the PD and Choi Min-hyuk, isn't it?

"It's fine. It's not a lie that we're classmates, so don't worry about it."

When you become famous, there's no shortage of people trying to use your name. I brushed it off with a wave of my hand.

"More importantly, serving at a restaurant must be quite hard on your knee. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

Choi Min-hyuk seemed surprised by my reaction, pausing for a moment before replying.

"I've always been pretty sturdy, and after resting well during rehab, I'm really fine now."

"That's good then."

Although I was a bit taken aback at first by encountering an unexpected person, it didn't really matter. It wasn't Ahn Si-heon, and Choi Min-hyuk had never left a bad impression on me.

"Just so you know, there's no special treatment for being a classmate. I'll be even stricter in evaluating the food."

"Of course! I'm confident too. My brother's handmade burgers are amazing."

"You're quite confident. Well then, shall we try one?"

I naturally picked up the menu placed beside me.

'Was it around this time that handmade burgers started becoming trendy in Korea? Many people must still find them unfamiliar.'

Perhaps that's why the menu was quite detailed. It listed in detail what ingredients went into each menu item.

The menu included basic handmade burgers, cheese handmade burgers, double handmade burgers with twice the patty, and so on.

It didn't stop there; perhaps in an attempt to attract lunch customers, there were also various meal options. Menu items like hamburger steak set meals or pork cutlet set meals.

'How many items are there?'

They cover all these menu items in that small kitchen? That's impossible if they get busy.

"Well, some customers don't really like handmade burgers, so..."

Sensing my sharp gaze, Choi Min-hyuk scrambled to explain. It seemed they had gradually added items as business struggled.

I could understand the sentiment. And in fact, having many menu items itself isn't the problem.

'The problem is that among these many menu items, some are bound to be neglected.'

If there are many menu items and all of them are delicious, wouldn't that be something to welcome with open arms?

"The hamburger steak, is it made here?"

"...No."

"Looking at the picture, it seems you serve it with miso soup. Is this miso soup store-bought?"

"......"

The silence confirmed it. There's no need to even try the hamburger steak set meal.

"What about the pork cutlet? Do you pound the meat and bread it here?"

"No..."

It wasn't surprising, as many places use pre-made products unless they specialize in pork cutlets.

It seems almost all the meal options besides the handmade burgers are pre-made products. They didn't seem to realize that these filler menu items are the quickest way to disappoint customers.

'Who would want to come back after eating a set meal made with pre-made hamburger steak?'

That must be the biggest factor in their declining sales.

Then what about the main menu?

"Is there only one type of bun used for the handmade burgers?"

"Ah, it's written on the back here. You can choose between brioche bun, sesame bun, or rye bun."

It felt like they had properly prepared at least for the handmade burgers. I nodded and placed my order.

"Alright. Then I'll order one basic handmade burger. With a brioche bun."

"Got it. Please wait a moment!"

Choi Min-hyuk quickly got up and headed to the kitchen. The owner, who looked similar to Choi Min-hyuk but with a slightly softer impression, nodded after hearing the order details.

His name tag read 'Choi Jun-hyuk'.

'They don't seem to have a big age difference.'

I had some doubts about how well such a young owner could make handmade burgers.

'Many people underestimate handmade burgers. But the quality of the patty can't be hidden.'

A patty made with various cuts of beef would lose its harmony if the ratio of fat to lean meat was even slightly off. It would easily become either too dry or too greasy.

Naturally, it requires a lot of handling by the chef, and the more experience, the higher the quality.

Sizzle, sizzle.

The sound of the patty cooking could be heard, and soon after, a perfectly set meal was prepared.

"Oh?!"

I was surprised as soon as I saw the handmade burger.

"No, this is...!"