Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Perfect Business Idea
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From a young age, there wasn't a single job Ji Sang-woo hadn't tried. He prided himself on working tirelessly, day in and day out, tackling the toughest and dirtiest jobs without complaint.
People who appreciated his diligent, no-nonsense attitude had given him several good opportunities, allowing him to steadily climb forward.
After drifting from one place to another, he finally scraped together enough money to call a "substantial sum."
He pondered what to do with it.
"Stocks? But wouldn't a manual laborer like me just end up losing it all if I touched them?"
The voices of the laborers at construction sites, chattering endlessly about stocks every day, echoed in his ears.
They'd boast about earning or losing a certain amount daily, their moods swinging wildly. He'd always pitied them inwardly.
No, that didn't feel like his path.
"But just saving it in the bank like this... it'd take forever to build up anything meaningful..."
He couldn't see a future. When would he ever buy a house, a car, set up a proper home, have kids?
"Working under someone is getting old anyway... Why not try starting a business?"
He had enough saved for a small venture. Ji Sang-woo recalled rumors about one of his old classmates striking it big with their own business.
"How about a cell phone dealership? Everyone's switching to smartphones these days."
But cell phone shops were everywhere you looked. Wasn't there something else?
"Something others don't know about yet, not widespread, but with real potential and a degree of stability..."
It was on one such day, lost in these worries as he walked the street.
"Huh? A new shop opened here."
That's when a place caught his eye.
"Shanghai Noodle House? A Chinese joint."
It looked clean and pretty decent. Prices seemed reasonable too.
"Ah, made by that chef? Song Woo-yeon or whatever his name is."
He'd caught it a few times flipping through TV channels. When there was nothing else to watch, he'd often stumble on reruns of cooking shows.
Of course, he hadn't followed it religiously, and he wasn't one to keep up with current events, so he didn't know the details. Still, running into a familiar face felt surprisingly nice.
"They said he's a businessman running all sorts of franchises."
Might as well give it a try.
He'd heard of Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap and Snowflake Bingsu being famous, but Ji Sang-woo had never tried them himself.
The main dish seemed to be advertised on a huge poster outside: "Chinese Pork Noodles."
Chinese Pork Noodles? He had no idea what that was, but a Chinese place had to sell something like jjajangmyeon, right?
He slipped inside.
As soon as he did, the aroma of pork infused with smoky char hit him full force.
"Whoa!"
Ji Sang-woo exclaimed without thinking. It was so tantalizing, saliva flooded his mouth instantly.
As if entranced, he ordered, "One Chinese Pork Noodles, please."
"Here's your Chinese Pork Noodles."
When the server brought the food...
Looking at the glossy noodles slicked with chili oil, Ji Sang-woo shouted "Eureka!" in his mind.
"This is it! The perfect business idea I've been looking for!"
Slurp!
After polishing off the bowl perfectly, he steeled his resolve and headed straight to the owner at the counter.
"Ah, customer. Enjoy your meal? One Chinese Pork Noodles, right...?"
"Owner, how do I go about franchising this?"
"Pardon?"
Ji Sang-woo fixed the owner with eyes blazing with determination.
"How do I open a Shanghai Noodle House franchise like this?"
That was Ji Sang-woo's first step.
"Yeah. After that, thankfully, he was kind enough to explain everything. He was thrilled, saying I'd be a fellow franchisee soon. He covered all the prep steps, funding, and even the challenges I'd face running it..."
Ji Sang-woo averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.
But no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, with the guy being who he was, he kept fumbling his movements.
He felt sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
"You never mentioned obstacles like this, Owner...!"
The greatest crisis of Ji Sang-woo's life.
What was it, you ask?
It was Song Woo-yeon, standing right beside him, staring intently!
"At first, I thought it was just my imagination! With so many aspiring franchisees around, why me out of everyone?"
Ji Sang-woo couldn't fathom it. Was he handsome? Rich? Nothing special about him—why was the head honcho watching him learn the menu?
Unable to endure the blatant stare, Ji Sang-woo finally spoke up.
"Is there something on my face...?"
Otherwise, it made no sense.
"No, nothing like that."
Song Woo-yeon flashed a picture-perfect smile. Wow, just like on TV. The thought flashed through Ji Sang-woo's mind.
Who'd have thought the day would come when he'd face someone he'd only seen on the screen this close up.
"You've got great skills. Real talent with your hands."
"...! Thank you!"
So that's what it was. Ji Sang-woo couldn't stop his lips from curling up into a huge grin.
He felt the curious stares from the other aspiring franchisees around them.
Probably thinking, "What makes him so good?" Some even sped up their knife work showily.
Whatever it was, cozying up to Song Woo-yeon, the boss of headquarters, couldn't hurt if he was set to become a Shanghai Noodle House franchisee.
"Um... but there's one thing I'd like to ask."
"Yes? Yes, sir!"
Ji Sang-woo snapped to attention, posture ramrod straight, ready not to miss a single word.
But the follow-up question was a bit out of left field.
"Do you drink alcohol by any chance?"
"...? Yeah, I do."
Was he suggesting a company dinner? Unable to read the intent, Ji Sang-woo answered briefly.
"How much? A lot at once? Not too often, right?"
"Uh, about once a week. Maybe a bottle of soju..."
"Hmm."
Song Woo-yeon wore an inscrutable expression. He muttered softly, "Kinda iffy..." then continued without explanation.
"Don't drink too much."
"Pardon?"
"Alcohol's harmful in general, but especially for you, Mr. Ji."
Ji Sang-woo was stunned. He hadn't expected Song Woo-yeon to know his name.
"Your mom drinks a lot too, doesn't she?"
"Gasp!"
How did he know that?
The shock showed plainly on Ji Sang-woo's face. Song Woo-yeon chuckled as if he could read his mind without being told.
"Tell your mom to cut back on the drinking too. Just to be safe, take her to the hospital. They say the liver's a silent organ."
Ji Sang-woo stood there, stammering incoherently.
Song Woo-yeon's words weren't much different from what a doctor might say at a checkup, but there was an inexplicable certainty in his voice.
It felt like consulting a mystical fortune-teller or shaman.
Those piercing eyes seemed to see right through him, overwhelming him completely.
"I must've made you uncomfortable. I'll head out now, so don't mind me—carry on."
Song Woo-yeon smiled faintly and bowed slightly. Ji Sang-woo had a sudden urge that he couldn't let him leave like this, blurting out despite the impropriety.
"Uh, how did you know?"
"..."
"Why bring up alcohol out of nowhere...? Do I look drunk right now?"
Song Woo-yeon looked a touch bitter, then brushed it off casually.
"I read faces a bit."
"Pardon?"
It was so absurd, Ji Sang-woo found himself asking again.
"For real. I'm pretty darn good at it. But your face... it shows your fate getting tangled up because of alcohol. Just giving you a heads-up."
It sounded ridiculous, but coming from a businessman of his caliber, it carried weight.
"Well, I'll be off then."
Song Woo-yeon left behind that awkward note and vanished. Staring at his retreating back, Ji Sang-woo let out a hollow laugh despite himself.
"Ha."
Face-reading? Did that crap even exist?
Could a businessman really buy into superstitions like that? But then Ji Sang-woo smacked his lips thoughtfully.
"No wonder everything he touches turns to gold. Maybe there's something supernatural about him?"
His eyes had an otherworldly glint, that's for sure. That thought led him back to one particular line Song Woo-yeon had said, which stuck in his chest.
"...Guess I should take Mom to the hospital."
With that resolve, Ji Sang-woo got back to work, hands moving briskly.
Aspiring franchisees had a ton to learn, and the training program was relentlessly packed, leaving no room for idle thoughts about Song Woo-yeon.
Every day started at dawn and stretched late into the night: mastering menus, memorizing manuals, studying how the flagship store operated.
Then, around the time headquarters picked a spot and said he could open there...
"...Liver cancer?"
Ji Sang-woo heard the bolt-from-the-blue news at the hospital with his mother.
His hands trembled uncontrollably as the doctor continued in a flat tone.
"Yes. We'll need to wait for the biopsy results, but the shape doesn't look good... You should prepare yourselves. On a hopeful note, it's been caught early—you're quite lucky. It's not large, and no metastasis to surrounding areas yet..."
The doctor's words faded, shattering into pieces.
He was dazed for a long while, but when he came to, there was hope.
Since it was early-stage, with proper treatment, survival odds were high barring any major complications.
The first thought in Ji Sang-woo's mind wasn't that—it was Song Woo-yeon.
"Thanks to him, Mom can live."
Otherwise, it might've been discovered much later, beyond help.
Ji Sang-woo squeezed his eyes shut, praying to Song Woo-yeon, or perhaps to God.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you...!"
And he vowed.
"As you advised, I won't touch alcohol again!"
In that moment, Ji Sang-woo felt not just his mother, but his own life had been saved too.
"I'll see this as a gift from heaven and live from now on even more diligently, helping others...!"