Chapter 253
Chapter 253
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 253
Chapter Title: Juppi Brand Midterm Review
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Clunk, clunk.
Every time he planted the crutches, they made a loud racket. After finally dragging his foot all the way over, he took a seat.
Jo Yi-ruk naturally took the crutches and leaned them against the side. With a quick nod of thanks, he flashed a smile at the gathered group.
"Alright, shall we get the meeting started?"
It was time for the midterm check on preparations for launching the new cuttlefish & gorgonzola combo brand.
Project lead No Se-hee pulled up the materials first and spoke.
"We started with settling on a brand name. Since the cuttlefish-gorgonzola pairing is a bit unusual, we focused on straightforward names with a nice ring to them."
Whoosh.
A variety of names scrolled across the screen. Jjugon, Jju&Gon, Jjukkumi Queen, and so on.
"The top scorer in our internal evaluation was this one."
Swipe, swipe. The list vanished in an instant, leaving a single bold word in the empty space.
"Juppi."
It was a concise name taken from "jju" in cuttlefish and "ppi" in pizza. It clearly hinted at the menu while being easy to pronounce and memorable.
"The logo is still a draft, but it's planned to look something like this."
A logo in red and yellow popped up, simply shaped to evoke cuttlefish and pizza.
"Our core menu is, of course, the cuttlefish gorgonzola pizza. We're testing various combinations built around those two."
Everything up to that point checked out. But... He raised his hand, and No Se-hee paused her presentation.
"How spicy is the cuttlefish developing to be?"
"About Shin Ramen level."
"That might be a bit mild for hardcore cuttlefish fans. There are definitely consumers who crave heat."
"True, but for mass appeal, Shin Ramen spice feels right."
Not wrong there.
After a moment's thought, he blurted it out.
"Let's add spice level options."
It'd be standard later on, but at this point, few places listed it explicitly on the menu.
"Mild, medium, hot—split it like that, and both sides win. Kitchen'll get busier, sure. Make sure the cooking manual gets subdivided by option."
"Got it."
No Se-hee jotted notes and nodded.
"Straight-owned stores early on will build the brand image, so it's fine. But when we start franchising, lots of owners will rely solely on the manual."
"Yes."
"So make it as detailed and thorough as possible. You saw how thick the manuals are for our previous franchises?"
Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap's was relatively slim. Shanghai Banjeom's was as thick as a proper book.
They even had abridged and full versions—that said it all.
"I like Juppi for the name. Register the name and logo trademarks, and the franchise business too."
"Understood."
"Now, the tricky part: marketing..."
How to pitch this unfamiliar menu right? As he rubbed his chin in thought, No Se-hee continued.
"We're planning SNS promo centered on Facebook and Instagram. The 'Eatstagram' hashtag trend is booming these days, emphasizing food visuals."
She'd clearly prepped, pulling up sample screens.
"Like this. Cheese pulls from the gorgonzola pizza, or shots playing up the cuttlefish's red hue. We'll run giveaways for reviews via raffle, and collab with Instagram influencers too."
He nodded.
Textbook SNS strategy for the era. Dull enough from his regressed perspective to yawn over, but solid.
"Sounds good."
He had his own marketing ideas brewing, so no need to tweak now.
"Next up: store design. To go sleek and trendy, we've brainstormed various concepts..."
Bzzz-.
That's when it hit. Glancing at the vibrating phone, a familiar name lit up the screen.
[Photo]
[Today's practice sushi^^... What do you think~~? Looks tasty?? lol @@ I'll make even better next time~~~!]
A faint smile crept up unbidden.
Lee Hyung-bae, who'd pledged a month of intense practice, was faithfully keeping his word.
Every morning, a photo to start; minimum six hours, sometimes over ten, of practice; then evening shots of that day's sushi sent his way.
The platters packed with sushi testified to his sincerity and effort.
Zoom.
Enlarging the photo, the shapes looked way more convincing than before.
[Wrapping up early today? Good work. Looks delicious.]
Short reply sent, phone flipped face-down. Focus on the meeting.
'About three days left till the month's up?'
At this rate, Lee Hyung-bae would clear his condition no sweat.
'Once it's done, remodel his shop, hand over that mackerel sushi recipe he's been dying for.'
Could already picture the guy's joy.
His basic sushi skills had surpassed part-timer level. Not artisan yet, but solid for a budget sushi joint.
Good thing high-end wasn't the goal from the start.
'Sticking to it consistently ain't easy. Guy's got real fire.'
Inspiring, even.
He shook off the wandering thoughts and looked up; No Se-hee was onto the next topic.
"To clearly explain profit structures to franchisees, we need a solid breakdown of head office vs. franchise revenue splits..."
Focusing back in, he'd already forgotten about Lee Hyung-bae's message.
Bzzz-.
[Yep^^... Actually, today's my wife's death anniversary... lol Wrapped early to visit her grave, so I hustled a bit~!]
[Thanks to you, CEO, it feels like a second life^^ I think of you gratefully every day~~~!]
[Next time you stop by, let me treat you to a meal of my sushi~ Skills still lacking, haha]
[Have a great day, CEO, and fighting~~!! ^^]
The messages piled up unread.
"Ughhh~."
Stretching out the kinks in his stiff body, Jo Yi-ruk handed over the crutches from the side.
"Whew. Thanks."
"Very inconvenient, sir?"
"Don't ask. One foot rests, the other slaves away."
Plus, leaning his weight on the crutches chafed and throbbed where they pressed.
"Didn't expect the meeting to drag this long. Gotta tell Jae-ha I'll be working late... Huh?"
Casually picking up his phone, he jolted. Dozens of missed calls.
Mostly from PD Kim Hee-sung, a few from broadcast staff.
'What the hell?'
Something huge must've gone down with Alleyway Secret Recipes.
"What is it?"
"Hang on. Need to check something myself."
Dialed Kim Hee-sung first.
Ring ring ring.
- Hello?
Bluetooth in the car, voice echoing hollow. Faint nav prompting a left turn in 200m.
"Yeah, PD Kim. Saw your calls. Was in a meeting, what’s up?"
- Sigh. CEO Song.
PD Kim Hee-sung trailed off into silence. When he spoke again:
- Details once I hit the hospital. Almost there, but for now...
"Yes?"
Hospital? What?
Dread washed over him.
Why was Kim's voice so grim and subdued? The anxiety and tension bleeding through—what was causing it?
No clue, so he had to ask again.
"What do you mean, hospital? You heading there now?"
- Yes. That's right.
"Who got hurt?"
Some staffer? But that wouldn't warrant frantic calls to him.
If Do Kyung or Im Hye-eun were hurt, the news would be blowing up already.
Which meant...
A chill settled in his gut. The world blurred, leaving just him and Kim's voice.
PD Kim Hee-sung forced out the words.
- Owner Lee Hyung-bae... he got in a car accident...
"......"
- He's in emergency surgery now. We just heard from his son. Kid's young, totally shell-shocked.
Kim's voice grew distant.
- No relatives can rush over right away, and we're the only adults he knows, so guess he panicked and called. Won't know the damage till we get there. But from what the son said—not confirmed...
It all felt brutally unreal. Like a hidden camera prank on him.
Kim squeezed out one last line.
- Looks like his hand took a bad hit.