Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Troublesome Drunk
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Crash!
A sharp pain shot through my shoulder.
“Ugh.”
Ow, that hurts. It felt like I’d slammed my shoulder into the corner of the wall when I fell. I looked down at Han Mi-ae in my arms and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine, but Woo-yeon, you...!”
“I’ll probably just get a bruise. It’s not serious.”
It throbbed a little, but otherwise, I was good. Guess being young helps. Lucky my body was agile.
“What the hell are you?!”
The customer flew into a rage and barked at me. He seemed even more pissed that I’d butted in out of nowhere.
*Booze stench.*
Even from this distance, the alcohol reek was overpowering. His face was flushed red, tongue slightly slurred—he was definitely drunk.
“You a part-timer here? How dare a snot-nosed kid like you glare at me! I oughta...!”
The customer made a move like he was about to swing. I didn’t dodge, just stood my ground right in front of him.
“Huh? Look at this guy?”
Seeing I wasn’t scared, he got even madder and stepped closer.
Then, as he raised his hand again,
Smack.
“Enough.”
Jeong Da-on grabbed the customer’s wrist. Perfect timing. I’d been willing to take a slap to the face.
*One hit would make filing a police report easier.*
But I couldn’t do business with a bright red cheek. No choice.
“Sir, please calm down a bit...”
“Calm down? Like hell I will!”
Despite Jeong Da-on’s attempt to intervene, the customer’s fury only grew. He didn’t seem intimidated by Jeong Da-on, who was a good head taller than him.
He must’ve pegged Jeong Da-on as the underling because of the Happiness Snacks apron. Lowlifes like this always size up the pecking order in a flash.
Bang! Bang!
The customer slammed the table like he was trying to break it and yelled,
“Get the owner out here! How the hell do you train your staff?! Owner! Get out here!”
“I-I’m the owner!”
Han Mi-ae cried out in a trembling voice.
“If you keep this up, I’ll have to call the police!”
“What? Police? Watch your mouth, lady. Who’s the one begging to get the cops called?!”
The customer jabbed his finger at her, fuming.
“I ordered chicken feet, so why’d I get tteokbokki? Huh?!”
“We confirmed the order with you multiple times, and you said tteokbokki! And you ate almost all of it—how are we supposed to refund that?”
“Almost all? Who said almost?!”
The customer boldly lifted the tteokbokki bowl and declared,
“There’s some left!”
“......”
Fine, if there’s one piece of tteok left, then it’s left. Isn’t demanding a refund after leaving that a bit too shameless?
Murmur murmur.
The other customers who’d been watching the commotion started whispering, clearly thinking the same.
“What’s that? That’s what he left?”
“That’s too much. Looks like he ate it all.”
“Shouldn’t we call the cops?”
“Total scumbag.”
The murmurs made the customer explode even more.
“Who you calling a scumbag?! You think I’m some cheapskate pulling this crap for a free meal?!”
Yes.
“No, if you messed up and brought the wrong dish by mistake, you refund it or comp the right one. Your customer service is a joke!”
The customer stomped his feet, still seething.
*This is why selling booze makes business tough.*
The menu and evening rush made it unavoidable, but seeing the fallout right in front of me still felt heavy.
“What do we do...”
Han Mi-ae floundered in panic, while Jeong Da-on watched the scene with an uncharacteristically somber expression.
They’d probably dealt with plenty of drunks nitpicking over petty crap. But nothing that escalated this bad before.
*Better this way.*
Better it happen with me here. It was bound to occur eventually. Might as well get the vaccine shot early.
“You know who I am?! I’ve lived in this neighborhood over 30 years! The market boss is my buddy—my buddy!”
Yeah, sure.
“If I wanted to, I could shut this place down easy!”
Troublemakers all spout the exact same lines. Like they took a class at Troublemaker Academy or something.
“How long you gonna hold on? Let go, punk!”
Snap.
The customer shook off Jeong Da-on’s grip on his wrist. Jeong Da-on had no choice but to step back and check on me and Han Mi-ae.
I signaled that I was fine—no injuries—and stepped forward.
“Aigoo, ma’am. Looks like there was a communication mix-up.”
You can’t let pride get in the way of bowing to jerks like this.
The moment you decide to run a business, you steel yourself to eat some humiliation. That’s how you last.
I bowed deeply, and I could feel the customer’s momentum deflate a bit.
“Ahem. Yeah, admitting fault like that is better. All of you with your noses in the air...”
“We’re sorry. We should’ve been more careful, but we fell short. The shop’s only been open a short while, so we’ve got rough edges. Please forgive us with your generosity.”
Going low like this usually makes them back off awkwardly.
“Well, whatever... Shop’s busy, I get that. I’m not that unreasonable~.”
Don’t bring up comps or money here. Too many eyes.
“You said you ordered chicken feet initially, right? Just give us a moment. We’ll bring out a fresh one right away.”
“Woo-yeon.”
I felt Han Mi-ae clutching my arm from the side. I ignored it and pressed on.
“Could you wait just a sec?”
“Hmm, well, if you’re gonna...”
The customer cleared his throat and sat back down.
“Thank you.”
I bowed again and headed to the kitchen, with Han Mi-ae and Jeong Da-on scurrying after me.
“Woo-yeon, you’re really giving him chicken feet?”
“We have to. He wants it.”
As Han Mi-ae fidgeted anxiously, Jeong Da-on spoke up from beside her.
“That guy’s lying.”
“Yeah?”
“I confirmed the order with him over and over—he clearly asked for tteokbokki. And now that he’s eaten most of it, he pulls this? Isn’t it obvious?”
“Obvious.”
I chuckled dryly.
“You think I can’t see that? I know.”
“Then why bend over backward?”
Jeong Da-on asked bluntly.
“He lied and he’s a jerk—why do we apologize and give him free food?”
“Other customers are watching.”
“Huh?”
I repeated it.
“Other customers are watching.”
“...So?”
“When a commotion like this happens at a shop, the priority is snuffing it out fast. People’s memories and emotions distort easily—if a loud argument sticks in their head, they won’t come back. Consciously or not.”
Even if it’s not the shop’s fault.
Frustrating, but unavoidable.
“Don’t charge him for the chicken feet when he leaves.”
I said while prepping the chicken feet in the kitchen.
“......Okay.”
Han Mi-ae replied with a glum face.
“I told you when we decided to sell booze. Stuff like this could happen.”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be everyday from now on. You’ll meet every type of person imaginable. That leads to burnout, hating everyone.”
She’d seen plenty of franchise owners quit, fed up with humanity’s underbelly, their faces gaunt. It always tugged at her heart.
That’s why business is so damn hard.
“So we gotta bow and scrape to assholes like that from now on?”
Jeong Da-on’s voice sharpened.
“Mom, let’s just quit.”
“Da-on!”
“Why bend over for jerks like him when we don’t need to? I hate that crap.”
“What’s gotten into you.”
It must pain Jeong Da-on to see it. Makes sense—who wants to watch their parent take crap from customers.
“Woo-yeon, I’m disappointed in you too.”
Jeong Da-on shot me a resentful glare.
“Didn’t expect that from you. When Mom wanted to reopen, I supported it thinking you’d get it.”
“......”
“Jeong Da-on! We’ll talk after work.”
“Why? I’ve got nothing more to say.”
Jeong Da-on untied his apron and tossed it in the corner.
“I’m against it. Mom shouldn’t put up with this crap.”
“Da-on!”
I could feel Han Mi-ae glancing at me amid her son’s outburst. With all the interior costs covered by my investment, how could they quit now? That’s probably what she was thinking.
Whoosh!
Right on cue, flames leaped up, infusing the chicken feet with smoky flavor. With practiced hands, I seasoned them just right, then transferred to a bowl.
“Jeong Da-on, you take it out.”
“...I said no. Didn’t you hear me? I’m quitting too, and Mom shouldn’t...!”
“Memorize his face good—so next time, he doesn’t set foot inside.”
“......!”
Jeong Da-on’s eyes widened at my follow-up.
He’d figured I’d tell him to placate the guy no matter what.
“If he shows his face again, kick him out. You’re the first to greet customers in the hall—that’s your job.”
“......”
“Dealing with trash like him just racks up losses. Even in neighborhood business, you gotta weed out the rot.”
“But then why give him this...?”
Jeong Da-on eyed the chicken feet.
“Told you. Other customers are watching. Troublemakers like him? They’re like natural disasters. Unpredictable, hard to prevent.”
You think I enjoy kissing up to jerks like that? There’s a reason.
“But if the shop’s on fire, can I just ignore it and say ‘not my fault’? Gotta put it out before it spreads.”
Han Mi-ae and Jeong Da-on’s eyes went wide at the metaphor.
“You gonna let him keep yelling and throwing stuff? You’ll lose real customers. But coddling him isn’t smart either—tag the place as a pushover, and more lowlifes swarm.”
So this chicken feet? Perfect for that.
Like a fire extinguisher for a sudden blaze.
“Here.”
I shoved the bowl toward Jeong Da-on.
“Go on. Get a good look at his face.”