Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Alley Comes to Life
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Tap-tap-tap.
The lights that started flickering from far down the alley spread through it like they were perfectly choreographed.
The pitch-dark alley burst into life in an instant.
"Wow..."
Kim Jong-chun's mouth fell open.
The moment 11 o'clock hit, every shop flipped on their lights and opened their doors like they'd all planned it together. A few pedestrians started passing through the once-deserted alley.
It was like magic had brought the place back to life.
"How is this possible?"
Kim Jong-chun couldn't wrap his head around it. Song Woo-yeon hadn't cast any spells—somehow, a dead commercial strip was reviving before his eyes.
Song Woo-yeon, watching the whole mystical scene unfold, looked utterly unfazed.
"This alley? I noticed while passing by that most shops open at 11."
"Yeah?"
He hadn't checked that closely. Now he saw the business hours posted outside the shops.
Just like Song Woo-yeon said, the earliest were 10:30, and the latest 11:30.
"To really understand a commercial area, it's best to come out when the shops open."
Song Woo-yeon said it like it was common sense. Even for someone over fifty like Kim Jong-chun, it felt like a revelation.
[Do they teach stuff like this in school these days?]
It was the kind of thought that crossed his mind unbidden. But no matter how many times the curriculum changed, they wouldn't teach the basics of business like this.
"I passed by earlier and saw a bunch of places prepping to open inside. Plus, this area's mostly food spots, right? It's an eating alley."
"I see..."
"If a lot of places only do dinner, it'd be a bar street. But since most open at 11 here, you can guess there's strong demand for lunch business."
Kim Jong-chun stared at Song Woo-yeon like he was seeing something utterly alien. It was downright astonishing.
Barely an adult, yet he talked and acted like a seasoned merchant with decades under his belt.
"The best commercial spots handle office workers for weekday lunches, then families for dinner or weekends. In that sense, this place is solid—close to office areas, and apartments line the main road, so it's not skewed one way."
Kim Jong-chun nodded vigorously. To him, the alley was starting to look like prime real estate as the foot traffic picked up.
"But the issue is..."
Song Woo-yeon narrowed his eyes.
"There's a problem?"
"No commercial area's perfect. This one's not right on a wide-open main road, so... parking's the problem."
"Huh?"
Parking, all of a sudden?
"Like we heard at the Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212 presentation, a specialist restaurant focusing on one menu needs to target not just primary trade areas, but secondary and tertiary ones too. That means drawing customers from neighboring neighborhoods who hear the buzz."
"Oh, right. Yeah."
"So it might be fine at first, but as business booms, parking could become a real headache. The alley's narrow, so expanding the shop won't be easy either."
Was this place a bust too?
Kim Jong-chun felt his energy drain away. He'd pounded the pavement for days hunting for a spot.
His phone had to have dozens of real estate contacts saved by now. And yet, every time...
It felt like tripping over rocks before he even started. As Kim Jong-chun slumped, shoulders sagging, Song Woo-yeon grinned.
"Let's go with this one."
"Huh?"
"Here. Used to be a sujebi place, and it's up for lease."
"......!"
Kim Jong-chun whipped his head around. There it was—a small shop with a big "For Rent" sign.
The old-fashioned sign confirmed it had been a sujebi house.
"P-Parking's a problem, though?"
He asked, puzzled, then regretted it. What if Song Woo-yeon changed his mind?
But Song Woo-yeon shrugged it off casually.
"This building at least has underground parking, so it's better. Sure, if the shop gets huge later, it'll be tough... but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. No point overthinking before we even start."
Song Woo-yeon shrugged, and somehow he looked monumental.
He was three full inches shorter, so Kim Jong-chun should have been looking down at him—but it felt like he was the one looking up.
Overwhelmed by the presence of this pint-sized giant, Kim Jong-chun could only stand there in awe.
He shuddered, then tears like chicken droppings streamed down his face.
"Uh, mister? You crying?"
"Aigoo, Woo-yeon! I feel so backed up now, yeah?"
He grabbed Song Woo-yeon's hand—ignoring the kid's flustered expression—and shook it vigorously up and down.
"Eek! What're you doing, mister?!"
"I'm just so grateful, that's all!"
His cheeks were tear-streaked, but Kim Jong-chun's face shone with joy.
"Yes, we'll be in touch again soon. Sure thing~."
Click.
Kim Jong-chun set down his phone, and I shot him a quick glance.
"That sujebi shop owner. She used to make her handmade noodles with rice from her parents back home, but her mom's not well anymore, so they quit farming."
"Ah."
"She said business wasn't great anyway, so she's closing up while she's at it."
Made sense. I nodded, and Kim Jong-chun's face—bright-eyed like an employee awaiting approval—lit up even more.
"She's unloading it quick, so the price is a steal. I still can't believe it, Woo-yeon."
He was pumped. Nothing's more fun than right before starting something new.
Once you dive in, headaches pile up, so best to let him enjoy it while it lasts.
I was deep in thought about transforming that tiny shop.
['Shop's cramped, so table placement's tricky. Small footprint means low fixed costs, but that caps revenue too... To boost margins without skimping on taste or value, cut labor as much as possible...']
No need to copy the main store's layout exactly for a franchise. Different target areas mean different strategies.
A shop's strategy shows in its interior and kitchen setup.
Before construction starts, I need to sketch layouts, minimize movement for efficiency.
My head was spinning when someone plunked down a steaming plate of tteokbokki on our table.
"?"
I looked up to see the tteokbokki shop owner grinning warmly at us.
Oh, right. We'd wandered the area scouting, and lunch hit, so we ducked into this nearby snack bar.
"Fried stuff coming right up. Hang tight~."
"Sure thing, ma'am. Take your time."
Kim Jong-chun replied amiably. I gave a quick bow in agreement.
"Man, tteokbokki. Been forever."
"Yeah."
Classic snack bar menu: tteokbokki, sundae, fritters, ramen. The unbeatable quartet.
['Owner runs it solo, huh.']
Only four tables. Kitchen's compact but fully equipped. A big tray of tteokbokki waited visibly for their turn.
['Lunch rush, and we're the only ones here. This should be peak time. With so few tables, turnover rate's gotta be...']
Oops. Lost in thought again.
It was a habit from our scouting frenzy. Entering a shop, I'd scrutinize interior, side dish variety, hygiene, front-of-house to kitchen flow—like research.
Kim Jong-chun just dug in happily, thoughtlessly.
That's the good life.
I chuckled and picked up my chopsticks. Popped a piece of tteokbokki in my mouth.
['Ah.']
...No wonder it's empty.
Too bad. Tteokbokki's the icon of snack bars. With a few elementary and middle schools nearby, kids should flock here...
['Way too mushy.']
Sure, soggy tteokbokki has its charm. But the sticky cling to your teeth wasn't great.
['This doesn't taste like today's batch.']
That texture? Probably yesterday's, reheated with water and gochujang.
Another bite confirmed it.
['This one's fresh.']
Night-and-day difference.
One plate, two textures: mushy and chewy. Think customers wouldn't notice?
['Sundae's boiled pre-made stuff. No offal. Usually there's at least some...']
Nothing special about the sundae. Home-cooked from the mart would taste the same.
['Ramen's... yeah, Shin Ramyun.']
Instant noodles, obviously. Extra green onions and an egg, but still.
['So, fritters?']
I eyed the owner bustling with the fryer. If anything stood out, it'd have to be those.
"Here ya go, fritters~."
Fresh-fried, I bit in.
Crunch!
['...No crunch.']
Greasy and soggy. Glanced at the display. Pre-fried, then double-fried on order?
['Yup.']
Kitchen towel draped over the pre-fried pile.
I wiped my mouth with a tissue.
"Whew. Stuffed."
"Yeah."
We finished silently and stood.
"Come again~."
The owner beamed goodbye. I paused, debating, then spoke up.
"Try halving that tteokbokki tray."