Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Alcohol Proposal
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"Two bowls of Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap here!"
"Coming right up~."
"Can we get a bit more kimchi?"
"I'll bring it over shortly."
"One more bottle of water, please."
"Right away!"
Before I knew it, lunchtime was over, my eyebrows fluttering from how frantically I'd been running around. While wiping down a table, I spotted a customer heading to the register and dashed over.
"Would you like a receipt?"
"No, just throw it away."
"Yes, sir. Thank you~!"
I bowed deeply as I handed over the card, and the customer smiled and gave a slight nod in return.
Phew.
Finally, a moment to breathe. As I finished clearing the table and headed back inside, a mountain of dirty dishes greeted me.
Beside it sat Lee In-cheol on a folding chair, barely catching his breath.
"Owner?"
"Y-yeah. Any gukbap orders come in?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? The last customer just left. Lunchtime's over, so let's tidy up. I'll handle the dishes—you go boil some more meat."
"Urgh...."
Lee In-cheol stared at me in a daze.
"Aren't you tired? Must be my age, but my bones are killing me."
"I'm tired too."
I replied as I slipped on the rubber gloves.
"But if you're this worn out already, what are we gonna do? It's only gonna get busier."
"Busier than this?"
"We filled five tables solid today and turned them over three times. Now that we've changed the sign, people think it's a new gukbap joint, so this is basically opening hype."
I'd overheard customers chatting while serving—most didn't seem to know that this [Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212] was the same as the old [Integrity Hall].
Of course, the regulars who came occasionally recognized the owner's face and greeted him warmly.
"Sales at a place like this usually spike high at first, then dip a bit before settling around an average."
"Now that you mention it, this place was pretty good right after it opened too...."
"People get curious about new spots and check them out. And since they don't eat the same food every day, it'll be a while before they crave gukbap again. That's when sales dip slightly."
"Hoo."
"Then, it all depends on how many of those first-timers come back."
Clink. I continued while doing the dishes.
"So these customers right now are the ones who'll carry our sales going forward~ Precious people, every one of them."
That was exactly why I had to leave the best impression possible.
Word must be spreading decently, though—lunchtimes were packing tables lately, and we were getting repeat visitors, so no major worries there.
"I see.... But how do you know all this?"
Oops.
"...I saw it on NewTube!"
"NewTube teaches that stuff?"
"You can find it if you look hard enough."
Total lie, of course.
It was all wisdom and experience I'd picked up hustling on my feet. Ack. But no way they'd believe that, so a white lie it was.
"Times sure have changed for the better. Back in my day, to learn the business, you'd slave away for years at a famous spot, picking up scraps over the owner's shoulder...."
True enough. No matter how much the world improved, a true foodie's secrets weren't that easy to uncover.
*I used to dig through restaurant dumpsters in my prime too.*
I nodded along, lost in memories, when Lee In-cheol cut in.
"Hang on. Doesn't that mean right now's the toughest? You said it averages out."
"For a normal restaurant, yeah."
But this wasn't just any place.
[Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212] wasn't destined to be some neighborhood eatery. I planned to grow it huge.
"If the food's good, customers will come from farther away. Right now it's office workers grabbing lunch, but eventually we'll have folks driving hours to get here."
Once you establish as a must-visit in the primary trade area, you get chances to expand into secondary areas 30 minutes to an hour away by car.
Succeed there, and you become a national draw.
"Pfft. That's just your wishful thinking."
Lee In-cheol chuckled. To him, I probably looked like a cocky kid dreaming big amid the current boom.
But I knew better.
*This is destined to succeed.*
I glanced at the vigorously boiling broth pot.
Back before my regression, even my clueless rookie advice had led to massive success here. That was because Lee In-cheol already had the fundamentals down.
*Spotless kitchen, rigorous hygiene. And that stubborn adherence to classic flavor.*
The core dish was already perfected, so a little push sent it soaring.
*That's why I could make those bold claims.*
At any other restaurant, even I couldn't have boosted sales tenfold in three months.
Though I would've made it work somehow.
"Heh heh. Acting like an old-timer who's seen it all. Good—gotta have that fire."
I bit back the urge to say it was all from experience. *I'm twenty. Twenty...*
"Sigh. Still, being worn out from real work beats staring at nothing all day."
Lee In-cheol grumbled as he rose with a groan. Despite the fatigue, his eyes sparkled with vitality.
Having customers devour your carefully crafted food.
That gratitude alone kept him so steadfast.
*An empty shop breeds complacency easy.*
What's the point of scrubbing every inch? If no one's eating. Of picking the finest ingredients? If no one's coming.
Once that vicious cycle starts, escape's tough.
Yet Lee In-cheol stuck to his standards even on days with only ten customers.
*How many people could do that?*
I'd bet one in a hundred, tops.
"Hmm hmm hmm~. Hmm hmm~."
Watching Lee In-cheol hum as he worked, I hustled with the dishes too.
*Glad he's getting into the groove. Just one nagging worry....*
Unease squirmed in my gut.
*Well, we'll see.*
Swoosh—the door opened, and I reflexively looked up with a greeting.
"Welcome...!"
I nearly froze.
Eight red-faced men piled in.
A quick scan: luckily, two adjacent four-tops. Push them together, and we'd squeeze them in.
A few quiet diners were having early dinners. Drunks could unsettle them.
"Department Head! The gukbap here's killer~!"
Loud bunch.
"Yeah, tried it at lunch. Pretty good~."
"Third round's always gukbap!"
They'd dashed here after two other stops. Some faces looked familiar—lunch converts, probably.
"Eight of you? Right this way."
I herded them to the back, maximizing distance from others. Drunks tended to get loud.
They shuffled in, bursting into guffaws at their own jokes.
"Over here~."
One shot his hand up.
"Eight gukbap bowls. And three red-cap bottles. Eight glasses too."
Tongues wagging loose. Not a great sign.
I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and guided them gently.
"Sir, sorry, but we don't sell alcohol here."
"...Huh?"
"We can only serve gukbap. Would that work?"
He eyed the beverage fridge in the corner.
Yeah. Sodas only—no booze in sight.
"What kinda gukbap joint doesn't sell booze?!"
He looked flustered. Whole crew here—how to save face?
Couldn't conjure liquor from thin air, though.
"I'm sorry."
I kept apologizing, bowing low. He huffed, gesturing in disbelief.
"What's the problem?"
"Uh, Department Head. It's just..."
He glanced at me, then whispered to the boss. The news hit—the Department Head's face shifted oddly.
"Sheesh. Such a hassle."
He tsked and stood abruptly.
"Department Head?"
"Where you going?"
The oblivious drunks finally noticed.
"Everybody up!"
"Huh?"
"They don't sell booze here!"
Eyes widened as it sank in. While they dawdled, the Department Head grabbed his coat and bag, storming out.
"Department Heeead! Where ya going?!"
The once-triumphant guy trailed after, near tears.
"Aw, what? Moving again?"
"No booze."
"What gukbap place doesn't sell booze?"
Grumbles erupted everywhere, ignoring my presence.
"Ah."
The last one paused at the door, turning back.
"Tell the owner this: in a neighborhood crawling with office workers, no evening booze sales? How's that gonna work?"
He spat the advice and spun away. I called after him, "Take care!"
"Haa...."
Turning, I locked eyes with Lee In-cheol, who'd watched from the kitchen.
He looked deep in thought.
After dinner rush and closing up, he finally spoke first.
"Song Woo-yeon. How about we try selling alcohol in the evenings?"