Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Proposal to Acquire the Cafe
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"Welcome~. Oh?"
As soon as I opened the door and stepped in, Kim Jong-chun greeted me with a big smile. This guy really suits the front of house better than the kitchen, just like I thought.
"Whoa, Woo-yeon! What brings you here out of the blue, no heads-up?"
"I came to the gukbap joint to eat gukbap. What other reason would there be?"
"What? This some kind of spot check?"
"Something like that."
We traded jokes with a laugh, and Kim Jong-chun chuckled heartily as he clapped me on the shoulder.
"One bowl of Hapjae Gukbap, please. Figured I'd check out the new head chef's skills while I'm at it."
"You got it. I'll tell them to make it exactly like what goes out to everyone else."
"Much appreciated."
Kim Jong-chun raised his voice and called out, "One bowl for table four!"
In response, a middle-aged man wearing a chef's toque echoed back, "Table four, one coming up!"
He had a friendly face and looked sturdy. His prep work seemed solid enough. He finely chopped some green onions to top it off, handling the knife with impressive skill.
"Got customers right now, so it'll take a minute."
"No rush. Take your time."
It's K-fast food gukbap and all, but when it gets busy, business grinds to a halt.
I timed it between lunch and dinner rush, and it's still like this. Must be packed solid during peak hours.
After a short wait, thunk.
A steaming bowl of gukbap landed on the table.
"One bowl of Hapjae Gukbap~."
"Thanks. Dig in."
I scooped up a spoonful and tasted it. The signature umami-rich broth hit just right, clean and not greasy at all.
It tasted like they'd stuck faithfully to the quantified recipe—no real variation.
Big points for that.
"It's good."
"Right?"
"You picked a great head chef."
"Heh heh. This is a secret, but..."
Kim Jong-chun glanced toward the kitchen and lowered his voice.
"At first, he kept saying my method was wrong, insisting on doing it his way since that's how he always did it. Took some time to hash it out, but when I said if he didn't like it, he could leave and I'd handle the kitchen myself, he backed down."
"Ah, got it."
"Like you said, for real! If I hadn't known a thing about the kitchen, I'd have been like 'Uh, okay?' and gotten swept up in his pace, messing up the taste."
Happens all the time.
Everyone wants to take the easy route. Putting up with the hassle for better flavor? That's purely the owner's greed. Kitchen staff are always thinking how to cut corners.
So an owner with no kitchen experience gets tossed around.
When the staff snaps, "This is how it's done. What do you even know?" the owner shrinks back.
"You handled it well. First time dealing with something like that, and you nailed it. Must've been nerve-wracking."
"Who do you think I am? I'm a pro at handling people. Things were a bit awkward at first since he was offended, but now we're all 'bro' this and 'big bro' that."
"Who's the big bro?"
"What kinda question is that? I'm the owner, so obviously me..."
Kim Jong-chun was getting all excited when he glanced at the kitchen and dropped his voice even lower.
"...I should be the big bro, but he's older than me, so we settled on me being the little bro."
Hilarious.
I let out a snicker, and Kim Jong-chun's eyes went wide as he insisted it was his generous concession. Sure, sure.
"By the way, heard In-cheol's place is expanding and relocating?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"That expert you hooked him up with? In-cheol won't shut up about how great he is. Praise after praise~."
"Sounds like you two got close checking out properties together. I can introduce you sometime too."
"For real?"
"Yeah. Looks like you'll need a waiting system here soon. Just run most ops stuff by him first."
"Whoa~. Owner Song, got your own staff now? Really stepping into the big boss role, huh?"
Kim Jong-chun teased. I waved it off, but compared to the old days, things were off to a smooth start, and I felt quietly proud.
Back then, I'd be hustling around this time, handing out homemade flyers to save a dying gukbap shop with Kim Jong-chun...
"That snack bar over there—Han Owner's place—looks like construction's moving right along. Doing well?"
"Yeah. Planning a relaunch event once it's done."
"Feels like brotherly establishments, so I hope it thrives. I see Han Owner around a lot too. Real good person."
Of course. I'm cherry-picking the nice ones for collaborations.
More precisely, not just nice—people who listen and follow my lead without pushback.
'Right now, I look like a green kid on the surface. Better to start with folks like this in the early days.'
Even if I have to train them from scratch. No matter how business-savvy or quick-handed they are, I can't work with people who won't listen.
Experience proved it.
"Oh yeah, how's the parking situation these days?"
"That? Ugh... Headache city. More customers means the lot's always full."
Trouble.
Good that the place is thriving, but this issue I'd flagged from the start keeps tripping them up.
Narrow alleys here, close to residential area. Parking's a nightmare to solve.
"Locals are cool about it for now, and we're on good terms, so I stick a note on the car saying 'Hapjae Gukbap customer' and they look the other way..."
That's some real savvy.
"But that's just once or twice. I feel bad, and that cafe across the street keeps complaining. Our customers park illegally and block their entrance. I put up notices saying not to, but with the basement full, where else are they gonna park?"
Fair point. Can't tell people to ditch their cars after driving here. Nearest public lot's a 30-minute walk.
Can't ask folks to spend an hour round-trip just for a meal.
"I'm losing my mind over it, Woo-yeon. What should I do? Huh?"
"Even if you say that... I can't just magic up a parking lot."
"I figured you could! Like, turn the rooftop into parking or something. No ideas like that?"
As if.
He thinks I'm some magic money wand. Sorry, Kim Jong-chun, no such tricks.
In-cheol's going the expansion route to a spot with parking, but that's not for a shop just getting established.
No easy fix, just...
"That cafe owner across the way—is he in right now?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Probably. Seems like he's always there."
"I'll go chat with him."
"For real? That'd be great for me, but... that owner's kinda cranky. I mean, he has reason to be pissed, but still, leaves a bad taste."
They must clash a lot. Kim Jong-chun's probably been dying inside.
Perfect timing.
I pushed aside my empty gukbap bowl and stood.
"Gukbap was great. I'll pay card."
"Aw, c'mon. No way I'm charging you. Right?"
"You have to. Gotta be strict about this stuff. Yeah? Keeps the books clean."
"Sheesh. Heartless kid."
Kim Jong-chun grumbled but took the card.
Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome~."
A whiff of fragrant coffee and soft music greeted me as I entered the cafe. The owner, looking a bit worn out, welcomed me from the counter.
"One iced Americano, please."
"Sure, one iced Americano. To go, or eat here?"
"Eat here."
"Card approved~."
The exchange flowed like clockwork. I watched quietly as he swiped the card, said "Right out," and headed to the machine.
"No other customers, huh."
I tossed it out casually, and he paused for a second. Then an awkward smile.
"Yeah. Think it's that big cafe that opened up nearby."
Likely. Indie cafes get ignored without something special. Cute decor, great taste, or a unique signature item. Otherwise, customers flock elsewhere.
"Your Americano."
"Thanks."
I took a sip. Standard Americano. Wait—no, a bitter aftertaste. Burnt the beans. Roasting issue... But the owner seemed oblivious. I kept up idle chit-chat, blaming the empty shop. He seemed mildly puzzled but responded readily enough. I eased into it.
"Heard a new gukbap place opened up front. You check it out?"
"Oh, that one?"
His tone sharpened instantly. He cleared his throat with a cough.
"Too crowded. Can't even get in with all the people..." And their customers block my entrance every time, killing my already dead business... The unspoken words hung vivid in the air. I get it without him saying.
"Really? You should stop by. I'll hook you up with a free bowl from the owner."
"...Pardon?"
Eyes wide, like what the hell?
"Belated intro. Here's me."
I slid over a business card and cut to the chase.
"I'd like to acquire this cafe. Got a minute now?"