Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Merchant Association Rep's Grudge
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Despite the chilling silence that had settled over the room, the man was too busy huffing and puffing to notice the awkward atmosphere.
Otherwise, how could he keep staring only at Jo Yi-ruk, oblivious to everyone's eyes locked on me?
"Something seems to be a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding my foot!"
No sooner had Jo Yi-ruk opened his mouth than the man cut him off halfway.
Well now. Let's see how far this goes, I thought. I took a sip of my coffee and watched the scene unfold.
"Young man, this is too much! Huh? We all welcomed you when you said you were opening a gukbap joint! We're all just trying to make a living together, aren't we~?"
"That's why, sir. You should be talking to..."
"Ah, if not here, where else am I supposed to say it?! I came here trying to resolve this amicably, but if you keep dodging the conversation like this, I'll have no choice but to take other measures?!"
"No, that's not..."
Jo Yi-ruk trailed off, his face crumpling in distress.
He looked utterly exasperated. He was trying to say he wasn't the owner, but the man wouldn't listen, just kept yelling for no apparent reason.
No wonder he was confused about what was going on.
Slurp.
My coffee hit bottom with a noisy slurp. Yeah, I had a feeling something like this might happen.
Jo Yi-ruk clearly had no idea what was going on, but I knew exactly why this guy had come all the way here.
I told the flustered security guard standing nearby that he could head back. No point sending him away now that he'd made it this far.
"How desperate do you think I have to be to come all the way here and do this! We've put up with it as long as we could. Right?"
At this rate, Jo Yi-ruk was going to burst into tears.
Maybe it was time to stop playing dumb. I pushed my empty coffee cup aside and stood up.
"You seem pretty upset."
I approached with a bright smile, but the man scowled and whipped his head away.
His face screamed, 'Who the hell are you to butt in?' Behind me, Jo Yi-ruk subtly shook his head. 'Don't make this a bigger deal than it needs to be.'
But dealing with types like this was right up my alley.
"Pleasure to meet you, President Yoon Kang-deok."
I extended my hand smoothly.
"I'm Song Woo-yeon of The Song."
"...Huh? 'Song'?"
"Yes. Song Woo-yeon."
Yoon Kang-deok, president of the merchant association, glanced back and forth between Jo Yi-ruk and me as if trying to piece it together. Jo Yi-ruk adjusted his glasses and handed over his business card.
"I'm Jo Yi-ruk. I handle the general team leader position at The Song."
"So you're the Jo guy? And this one's the Song?"
He muttered like it was to himself, slipping into casual speech. But falling for cheap provocations like that is amateur hour. I kept a straight face and smiled warmly.
"Yes. I'm the Song here, sir."
"Hah, well I'll be."
Yoon Kang-deok let out a hollow chuckle, like he'd seen the strangest thing. He hesitated for a moment, then grudgingly shook my hand.
"I'm Yoon Kang-deok. How'd you know my name?"
"Haha. How could anyone in business not know the merchant association president? I should've introduced myself first. Sorry you had to come all this way."
"Ahem, ahem. No need for that~."
Yoon Kang-deok barely suppressed a smirk tugging at his lips. Seemed like he wasn't hating the idea of the president of some company called The Song showing him respect.
"At least this owner's someone I can talk to! How could someone who knows so much do business like this~? Huh?"
"What exactly have you been going on about...?"
"Team Leader Jo."
I cut off Jo Yi-ruk before he could jump in. He shot me a petulant look, like a scolded kid.
He was basically saying, 'You saw what he was saying just now!' But against a guy like this, Jo Yi-ruk was outmatched no matter what.
Unless it was boss-to-boss, he'd just get prickly thinking, 'Who do you think you are?'
"Bring some coffee and light snacks. This might take a while."
"...Understood."
Jo Yi-ruk hesitated but followed my lead. Yoon Kang-deok watched him go with a mocking glint in his eye.
"Come on in. Sounds like you have something to say to me."
I led Yoon Kang-deok to the separate reception room.
"You sure about this?"
No Se-hee whispered to me with a worried look.
"It might be better not to be alone with him."
"I know."
I appreciated the concern, but it wasn't what I needed right now. I reassured No Se-hee it'd be fine and followed Yoon Kang-deok into the reception room.
Swish.
I drew the blinds, instantly separating inside from out.
"President Yoon. You have a problem with our business?"
"Problem? You can't put it like that. Someone might hear."
Yoon Kang-deok waved his hands dramatically. Then he lowered his voice and leaned in.
"See, President, you must not have much experience in this business. Us merchants have our own code of ethics we follow, you know."
"True enough."
"I've been working this alley for over 20 years now. Let's see... 26? 27 years? Something like that."
Yoon Kang-deok started rambling about stuff I couldn't care less about. It was the tale of the hardships he faced when he first opened his restaurant in the same alley as Kim Jong-chun's Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212.
"Yeah, sure~."
I nodded along vaguely, my mind elsewhere, as he got more and more excited.
About 10 minutes in, Yoon Kang-deok finally snapped out of it and got to the point.
"Ahem, ahem. Whoops, I got carried away. I just feel like these young owners are like my own kids. Or like my younger self, you know? Makes me want to teach you everything I can~."
"Oh, that's so kind of you."
I smiled and brushed it off. Yoon Kang-deok beamed at me, clearly thinking I was obedient and receptive.
"So here's the thing~. Doing business in this neighborhood isn't a solo act!"
No kidding.
"But lately, everyone's complaining~. Business is killing us. Huh? This wasn't a dead zone before—customers just started flocking somewhere else, and our sales got cut in half~?!"
Knew it.
I could see where this was headed, so I couldn't help but chuckle. Yoon Kang-deok either ignored it or took it as encouragement and kept babbling.
"Back when I started 27 years ago, there wasn't a soul around here! But us merchants banded together, built up the area, and that's why people started coming through."
"I see."
"So you young successors like you came in and started businesses! Kids these days forget this, but you absolutely can't! Huh? This foundation was all built with our blood and sweat~."
"Got it."
"And now those same folks are dying because business is bad, so I'm dying with them~."
"Oh dear. What to do."
"Exactly! They say it's worse than the financial crisis back then, everyone does."
He was beating around the bush more than I expected. Quite the preamble.
My patience was wearing thin when Yoon Kang-deok finally showed his true colors.
"But why do you think that's happening?"
"Who knows? Our business is doing just fine."
I tilted my head innocently, and Yoon Kang-deok's face twisted for a split second. Then he caught himself, smoothed his expression, and cleared his throat.
"Song, let's talk merchant to merchant, straight up."
What nonsense is he about to spew?
"Truth is, the number of customers coming to this alley is fixed, right? So if one place blows up, what are the rest of us supposed to eat? Huh?"
"Ah."
"That's against the code of ethics!"
Not the code of ethics I know.
"You've got it all fancy even out front. And it's not just one or two spots—three or four, right? That's hurting the entire alley's business."
What twisted logic. I stayed silent, letting him dig deeper, and he raised his voice more.
"We put up with it thinking good for one is good for all~. But no more! We need to clear this up once and for all!"
Thwack!
He slammed the table, his rant quite the spectacle.
"You get what I'm saying, right?"
"Of course, sir."
I smiled coolly.
Right on cue, there was a knock—Jo Yi-ruk bringing the snacks.
Slide.
As the door opened and Jo Yi-ruk stepped in, I continued with a pleasant smile.
"So basically, you're blaming us for your lack of skill making your business tank, and trying to strong-arm us, right?"
"...."
"...."
Jo Yi-ruk froze mid-step, and Yoon Kang-deok's eyes bugged out, mouth agape. He couldn't believe what had just come out of my mouth.
I picked up a coffee from the tray Jo Yi-ruk hadn't even set down yet.
Slurp. I took a sip and grinned wide.
"Of course, I get that nearby merchants are upset because our place is packed. But is it really just us drawing crowds?"
I shot Yoon Kang-deok a sharp look.
"I'm pretty sure plenty of customers who can't wait at our place end up going to shops nearby. Never thought of that advantage, huh?"
"Hah, hah!"
Yoon Kang-deok exhaled in disbelief.
"Or maybe seeing the crowds next door blinded you with envy, and you couldn't see your own books straight?"
I pressed him calmly from all angles without raising my voice, and he clamped his mouth shut.
He'd finally realized I wasn't an easy mark.
"I'm not interested in paying monthly tribute to the merchant association under names like 'consolation money' or 'donations.'"
Sorry, but you picked the wrong guy.