Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Event Triumph and Merchant Confrontation
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"Whoa, it's going so fast! Think we'll nail it this time?"
"Ah, it's too spicy~! What do we do?"
"You got this!"
All eyes from the chattering crowd were fixed on one spot: the outdoor tables at [Happiness Snacks].
I'd quietly handed off to another employee and stepped back to watch how things played out.
I glanced at No Se-hee standing beside me.
"How's it looking? Seems pretty good, right?"
"Good? That's an understatement."
No Se-hee shot back without missing a beat.
"Look at that line just to join the event. That's massive publicity right there. And plenty of folks are coming in just to watch."
"Standing room only?"
"It's chaos in there."
"Haha."
Once the ice is broken, things get this easy.
"Da-on worked hard today, and with all these eyes on him, tell him to head home early. Let him know we'll pay him full for the day, no worries."
"Got it, I'll pass that along."
"That's one weight off my shoulders."
Phew. Imagine launching something with high hopes only for the public to reject it. How heartbreaking would that be?
Sure, market reactions not matching predictions happens all the time. Still, you can't help but sweat it every round. I'm human too.
"How'd you know?"
"Know what?"
"That people needed a hook like this."
No Se-hee met my eyes seriously.
"I've planned plenty of products myself, but I always second-guess. The public can be ruthless. All the passion and effort poured in doesn't guarantee success."
Of course. Opening someone else's wallet is never easy.
"I probably would've scrapped the event, revised it later, and tried again."
"That's the usual move."
The smart choice.
Results are always a mix of factors. Weather, season, trends, location, timing, lack of promo—too many variables to pinpoint one culprit.
"You're asking how I knew... but there's no grand formula or rule. Hard to put into words."
How could I sum up a phenomenon tangled with so many people in one phrase? It all depends on the moment.
"I just... rethink it from the customers' eye level."
"Customers' eye level?"
"People fear the unknown. But once it's right there in front of them, it's often better than they imagined, right?"
"Yeah."
Exactly. A product with zero reviews? Tough to buy. Everyone avoids risk.
But if a friend right in front of you buys it and loves it?
That's worlds apart from staring at a phone screen for hours.
"People love what they can see straight up. The poster's got a picture, but sizing it up? Not easy. High barrier to entry."
"..."
"But I had confidence. The portion isn't overwhelming, and the spice is 'super hot but still delicious' level."
After double-checking everything, the main roadblock felt like people's fear.
Fear of the unknown, hesitation.
"And the best fix? Show it right in front of them. Shops use this when business is slow, right?"
"Yeah. I've heard they seat part-timers at tables eating the food."
"Same principle."
Cozy interior, cheap bait menu, part-timers demoing dishes.
All sales tactics boil down to one goal.
Lower the psychological barrier!
Make customers step over the threshold without dread. That's step one in food business.
"So you were certain."
No Se-hee picked up the thread.
"Once people try it, it'll catch on."
"Something like that."
"Jo Team Leader nailed it."
"Huh?"
I widened my eyes at No Se-hee, wondering what Jo Yi-ruk had said. She smiled faintly and spoke.
"He said it sometimes feels like you've been blessed by the gods or something."
"Haha. Really?"
"Like you've seen the future... Anyway, I wondered what he meant, but today it clicked."
No Se-hee flashed a grin.
Ah, I know that smile. She smiled the same way the first time she decided to take my hand.
Deep dimples in both cheeks, fine wrinkles across the bridge of her nose. She always said she avoided big smiles because of that nose.
But to me, it's beautiful like this.
"I've got a lot to learn from you. Going forward."
Wrinkled or scrunched, a smile always lifts the viewer.
Seeing that bright grin, I smiled back.
"Same here."
Please take care of me, Team Leader No.
Slurp.
An alum from [I Live Alone] inhaled a mouthful of ramen swimming in eye-searing red sauce.
-Whew, haa. Ow, so spicy!
She kept complaining about the heat but never stopped chopsticking. After one bite of nuclear chicken stir-fried noodles, she cracked open a triangle kimbap.
Then plop.
She dropped the kimbap into the cup ramen and mashed it up.
-This is how you eat it for max flavor. Since it's spicy, toss in some cheese too.
White rice grains coated in red sauce gleamed. The panelists reacted with "Whoa~!", "That looks amazing!"
Munch munch.
Only after polishing off the whole bowl did she stand.
Ding.
I switched off the TV.
'Done.'
A killer blow to vault nuclear chicken stir-fried noodles from bubbling under to mainstream star.
It just landed.
Spicy food trend? Locked in.
I could picture it without watching: internet flooded with copycats trying the combo.
YouTubers rushing nuclear chicken challenges next.
'Should've waited a bit longer.'
Unsure when it'd blow up, I'd hustled the event to ride the wave early. A few more days would've done it.
Free promo on network TV.
'Time to crash.'
No worries tonight. I closed my eyes and drifted off.
Clueless about tomorrow's storm.
"How are the franchise openings going?"
Jo Yi-ruk rattled off at my question.
"Currently, 4 [Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212], 1 [Happiness Snacks], 3 —total 8 prepping. The 4 <hapjae> are in trial ops now. The rest should open sequentially within a month."
"Good. All in the capital area?"
"Yes. Mostly Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon."
On plan so far.
Franchisees all hand-picked via interviews. Some old hands from before, some new.
With franchises multiplying, HQ's core now adds 'franchise management.'
And that's usually the toughest part.
"Have the open gukbap spots report daily sales to me. Keep close tabs."
"Yep, will do."
"Hygiene checks will be strict—no mercy, you know the three-strikes rule?"
"Yes. Hammered home the hygiene inspections in training. Everyone kept up fine."
Everyone starts strong.
Trouble brews once they're comfy. Early days, they hustle nonstop fearing losses.
Jo Yi-ruk must've trained 'em right. After that, it's on the franchisee—we can't micromanage.
Just inspect regularly and remind 'em to stay sharp.
"Keep it rolling like that. Trial ops for about three months, then..."
Right then.
Crash bang!
"N-No, you can't do that!"
"Hey, let go!"
Security's pleas mixed with commotion from the stairs.
What the—?
The door flew open. A strange middle-aged man barged in. Sweaty security trailed, spotting me and grimacing helplessly.
"Aw man, Owner. Please, you can't just—"
"I just need a quick word!"
"That's why we have procedures. First, we confirm with our Owner here..."
"What's the issue?"
I approached, and security answered awkwardly.
"I said no, but he just bulldozed..."
"Bulldozed?! Watch your mouth!"
The man exploded at security. What was this racket?
"I'm here to see The Song's Owner! The one with [Hapjae Gukbap] and [Happiness Snacks]!"
Huh. Me?
"Perfect, you're here!"
He whipped around.
"You the Owner? Let's talk! I'm the Alleyway Merchants Association rep. If you've got any business ethics, this ain't right!"
"..."
"..."
"...Me?"
Jo Yi-ruk blinked blankly. The rep replied with total conviction.
"You the only CEO of The Song here?!"
"..."
"..."
All eyes silently turned to me.
I just gave a faint smile.
Things just got interesting.