Chapter 271
Translator: penny
Chapter: 270
Chapter Title: Caught in the Alley
The place was bustling with noise.
The street outside seemed unusually rowdy. Park Tae-ok paused in her shop preparations and poked her head out.
She could vaguely make out a crowd of people swarming over there.
"What's all the commotion? What's going on over there?"
A worker from the kitchen replied indifferently.
"Dunno. Heard someone showed up."
"Who? That boss guy? Choi Jun-hyuk?"
"Nah. If it was him, I'd recognize the name right away."
Who was it? It felt like such a familiar name. One she'd heard everywhere. After pondering for a moment, she muttered uncertainly.
"Song Sa-ri or something? Yeah, Song... Song whatever."
"Song Woo-yeon?"
"Yeah, yeah! That's it, that's the one!"
Song Woo-yeon. Park Tae-ok remembered the name crystal clear.
And no wonder—this quiet alley had been turned upside down because of her.
It started with all the fuss about some shoot, then people flocking to the handmade burger joint nearby after it got Song Woo-yeon's stamp of approval.
And after [Alley Secrets] aired? Total pandemonium.
"Sigh. What the hell's the big deal with that show."
Tsk tsk. Park Tae-ok clicked her tongue.
She had no idea how much grief it had caused. Her longtime regulars complained the alley didn't feel the same anymore and stopped coming, leaving only fly-by-night tourists who popped in once and never returned.
Parking became a nightmare, trash littered the streets.
The merchants who had quietly made their living here couldn't welcome the change at all.
"Hey, they say her business sense is no joke. Who knows? Maybe she'll swing by our place, give us a signature for good luck! Boom, jackpot."
Laughter erupted from the kitchen, but Park Tae-ok didn't join in. She tried to force a smile, but all that came out was a dry, raspy cough from her throat.
Because to Park Tae-ok, none of this was funny.
Park Tae-ok shot up from her seat, and a puzzled voice called from the kitchen.
"Sis, where you going?"
"Gotta see that famous face for myself!"
Just how great was this face that she went around judging shops like some goddess—this one's a gem, that one's trash? Did she sleep soundly at night after stirring up a place where folks had been living quietly?
What kind of person even pulls crap like that? At least she could gawk.
Stride, stride.
Stepping outside, the teeming crowd hit her all at once. Seemed even bigger than usual.
And right in the middle stood one woman, tall and composed.
Park Tae-ok recognized her instantly. That must be 'Song Woo-yeon.'
Her long black hair cascaded down, making her pale face—barely touched by sunlight—stand out even more. Even with that soft smile, there was an intimidating aura you wouldn't dare mess with.
She looked busy smiling around, signing autographs left and right, yet not a hair out of place. It felt somehow off-putting.
"Wow, it's like watching TV for real."
"Think I can get an autograph? Too many people."
"Aren't they filming something?"
Passersby tossed comments as they walked.
She seemed like she lived in another world altogether. Park Tae-ok felt a mix of resentment and awe.
"Huh? Boss lady!"
What snapped Park Tae-ok out of her thoughts and back to reality was Choi Min-hyuk calling out to her.
Choi Min-hyuk, standing a bit away from Song Woo-yeon, spotted Park Tae-ok and waved enthusiastically.
"Boss! Long time no see. You been well?"
Choi Min-hyuk approached with his usual cheer. Back when the broadcast crowd had swarmed the place, he'd personally dropped by with gifts to apologize to the local merchants.
They'd gotten acquainted then, exchanging hellos whenever their paths crossed. That was it.
Park Tae-ok never dreamed he'd greet her first, so her response came out awkward.
"Uh, yeah. Doing fine. You two as well?"
"Me and hyung? We're good. Just busy, that's all."
Park Tae-ok clamped her mouth shut at his afterthought.
Because her tent bar's customers were dwindling by the day. Meanwhile, Choi Min-hyuk's handmade burger spot was packed from dawn to dusk.
Even in the same alley, their situations were worlds apart. Casual chit-chat like this set her nerves on edge.
But Park Tae-ok forced a neutral face and continued.
"Looks like you brothers get along great. Lucky you. Must be tough for young folks."
"Aw, no big deal. Hyung's the one suffering more."
Choi Min-hyuk grinned sheepishly, then glanced at Song Woo-yeon.
"And thanks to Woo-yeon here, too."
"Oh? You two know each other?"
"Yeah. Middle school classmates."
Right. That's why people obsessed over connections. School ties shining through even here.
Park Tae-ok assumed this friendship had swayed the broadcast big time.
That's why they hyped the place so much, raving about how amazing it was.
'All those idiots lining up? Clueless about the rigged game.'
She muttered inwardly but kept a smiling face.
Not only that—she probed Choi Min-hyuk with feigned innocent curiosity.
"Aw, I see. So what's a busy person like her doing out here?"
"Well..."
Choi Min-hyuk chuckled awkwardly.
"Checking the local CCTV. Slipped out quietly, but word got out somehow. Haha."
Over there, it was practically a fan meet for Song Woo-yeon.
But that wasn't the point right now. Park Tae-ok squeezed out the words.
"CCTV?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Oh, someone keeps dumping food waste at our shop."
"......"
"Nothing on our CCTV, but there's a car parked across the street. Figured their dashcam might've caught something."
"......"
"They say the angle's good—might even get a face!"
Choi Min-hyuk explained excitedly. Park Tae-ok felt her mind go blank, but clung to her composure.
"Really? Could just be someone tossing trash wrong."
"Nah. Right in front of our 'Please don't litter' sign. Gotta be on purpose."
Choi Min-hyuk nodded firmly.
"Won't even get much of a fine though..."
"Right. Looked it up—max 1 million won or so."
Chicken feed compared to the mental anguish Choi Min-hyuk had endured. Could sue for damages, but it'd cost more than it was worth.
"And it's not just that—bunch of other stuff too. Feels like someone's targeting us on purpose. Told folks around, and they stepped up."
"Stepped up?"
"Yeah. False hygiene reports? If proven malicious, could hit 'em with false accusation or business interference charges. False accusation's up to 10 years jail or 15 mil fine. Interference, 3 years or 30 mil."
Choi Min-hyuk smiled brightly.
"Gotta catch 'em and make sure they pay."
"...Might not catch 'em. Could've covered their face dumping trash. Hygiene calls from a payphone nearby."
"Yeah, true. But malicious reviews need ID verification, right? Payphones got CCTV or dashcams too."
"......"
"Lucky, Woo-yeon's got lawyer friends helping out. Consultation went great—they're sure we can nail 'em."
Choi Min-hyuk's words stopped registering for Park Tae-ok.
Jail. Fines.
The words weighed heavy on her chest. Head spinning, vision blurring.
"...Boss? You okay?"
"Oh, yeah. Just zoned out."
"You look tired."
Even Choi Min-hyuk's concern felt chilling now. Park Tae-ok whipped her head away. Couldn't risk losing her poker face.
"Happens sometimes. No worries. Still got shop opening to prep—gotta head back."
Awkward, sure, but she couldn't stand being near him anymore. The moment Park Tae-ok spun around.
"Hm?"
She nearly collided with someone behind her. Stopping just in time, she looked up to see an unexpected face.
Song Woo-yeon, who moments ago had been signing autographs from afar.
"Hello."
"...Hi."
Song Woo-yeon glanced back at Choi Min-hyuk.
"You know her?"
"Neighbor boss."
"Oh."
Song Woo-yeon immediately flashed a bright smile and greeted her.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Song Woo-yeon."
"Oh, sure."
"Things have been noisy around here lately, huh? Sorry about that."
"No, no problem."
Without thinking, Park Tae-ok stepped back a couple paces. With Choi Min-hyuk now in front, she naturally turned to Song Woo-yeon.
"Dashcam?"
"Secured it."
"Good of them to help."
"Yeah. Once the investigation kicks off proper, we'll nab the perp quick."
Then Song Woo-yeon smiled at Park Tae-ok.
"Oh, sorry. Did the investigation talk startle you?"
"No. I overheard the gist just now."
"Such a shame. I didn't want it to come to this either."
Song Woo-yeon stared straight at Park Tae-ok as she continued.
"Would've been nice just to get an apology... But that's not easy, is it?"
In that instant, Park Tae-ok knew instinctively.
'She knows what I did.'