Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Caught Red-Handed
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"Oh my~. If it isn't you!"
A man with his head wrapped in a cloth band greeted us with a beaming smile.
"President Park, sorry for contacting you out of the blue like this."
"Oh, come on. No need for apologies. You're welcome anytime!"
His straightforward reply flowed smoothly. Franchise owner Park Seung-jae showed not a hint of embarrassment, carrying himself with complete confidence.
"How have you been, President Song?"
"Haha. Doing great, thanks to you."
My low blood pressure was completely cured. Totally.
"We're in the middle of systematically inspecting the franchises, so I was thinking of taking a look around your place today. That okay?"
"Of course. Come on in!"
He gestured us inside with a wave, probably having stashed the yukgaejang ingredients in some corner.
As I watched Park Seung-jae stride in confidently, Jo Yi-ruk whispered to me.
"Should we have given prior notice after all?"
"Inspections are best done unofficially, and feedback officially. It's fine. There's already a record of the daytime visit anyway."
No point in denying it. And who designed this store's interior, anyway?
'No matter where you hide it, it's still in the palm of my hand.'
I could read exactly how these scheming merchants would think.
We murmured as we followed Park Seung-jae inside and took our seats. With all the part-timers gone for the day, the empty shop held just the three of us.
Park Seung-jae struck up a friendly conversation first.
"How about it? Should I whip up a bowl of gukbap? We've still got some broth aging~."
"You threw out today's blended broth, right?"
"Of course. Selling out daily is the principle of Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap, isn't it?"
He sure could talk.
"Hmm. Hard to decide what to have."
"Aw, what's there to worry about? There's only one item on the menu here anyway."
I naturally picked up the menu and opened it. Unlike before, the 'yukgaejang' was nowhere to be seen.
It was the single-sheet menu planned by The Song, front and back. A quick glance around showed one on every table.
'Right. If you're going to fool the customers, you need at least this much effort.'
More than annoying, I felt a touch of appreciation for the dedication. I snapped the menu shut and said,
"Don't the customers complain a bit?"
"Complain?"
"People come for hangover remedies and look for haejangguk too. Or stone pot bulgogi, that sort of thing."
I probed subtly, and Park Seung-jae glanced at me cautiously. Seeing my calm smile, he grinned back.
"Why wouldn't there be? Of course there are. Even my acquaintances come by, throwing fits about how it would be great if there were just one or two more items... Oh, you might not know, but I used to run a yukgaejang place."
"Of course I know."
"Haha! Back then, my yukgaejang was out of this world~. Once my acquaintances found out, they all came demanding it, saying add it to the menu, just that one~."
"Oh, really? I'd love to try your yukgaejang sometime."
"Next time, I'll treat you for sure."
Not biting.
I was ready to pounce with 'Gotcha!' if he'd offered to make it right then.
"Blending new broth this late would mean redoing the kitchen cleanup, so no thanks. I'll just take a quick look around. It's a hygiene check too."
"Sure thing~. Take a look."
The kitchen looked even tidier than during the daytime visit. Must've cleaned up before we arrived.
'That's normal enough.'
Anyone gets warned of a head office visit and does an extra wipe-down.
Pretending to check the kitchen, I approached the spot where the yukgaejang had been boiling.
"You've got some stone pots here? Pretty far from the simmering area."
"Oh~. Forgot I left them there for a sec."
Park Seung-jae scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
"Guess I was pretty nervous. Haha."
"No need to tense up. Relax."
"How could I? I'm shaking already."
His evasive banter was impressively smooth. A seasoned merchant, after all.
"I'll check the fridge too."
"Yes. This way."
"Not a huge fridge, huh?"
"Yeah. It'll be the death of me~."
That was by design.
"Best to keep just 1.5 times the daily amount of ingredients."
"Isn't that too little? Bulk buys are cheaper..."
"We'll find a distribution method soon for frequent deliveries. Then at the head office level, we can do cheap bulk purchases."
"Still, 1.5 times is too skimpy~."
I could almost hear the unspoken part.
'Who is this guy with no business experience telling me how to run things? Like you know operations...'
A conclusion hard-won through sweat and tears. No point preaching to the deaf here. I decided not to drag it out.
"That's weird, though."
"Yes? What is?"
"This storage area seems bigger than this."
"...Haha. Does it? I think it's always been this size."
Who do you think you're fooling?
The kitchen wasn't expanded much, so space was tight. To stash a stack of stone pots in a hurry, fridge or here—those were the options.
Fridge was fully visible inside, but the storage had corners to hide in.
Crack!
I ripped off the thin plywood panel attached to the wall.
Instantly, a pile of stone pots came into view.
"Whoa."
I pulled one out.
Meat, green onions, seasoning, mushrooms... No wonder the meat reeked. Even after draining blood and blanching, leaving it like this in storage all day made it worse.
"What's this, President?"
"Uh..."
Park Seung-jae hesitated, then bowed his head deeply.
"I'm sorry, President Song. The thing is, my acquaintances kept insisting on yukgaejang...!"
Oh? Playing the sympathy card.
"I made them to serve my acquaintances. Never sold to other customers!"
He emphasized it earnestly, looking utterly sincere. A stranger would think Park Seung-jae was the real victim.
"I know I shouldn't have, but they begged so much I slipped up. Sorry!"
"Oh? But other customers must've asked. Eating something not on the menu."
"Some did inquire, but I said ingredients were sold out. ...I know that's wrong too. Sorry."
Not owning up straight. I sighed heavily and blurted,
"Why are you doing this, President?"
"...Pardon?"
"Let's not beat around the bush. We're both in the know."
I dragged out all the stone pots. Exactly 32 bowls.
Who knew how many sold a day, or how long they'd been prepped.
"Your acquaintances come 30 at a time daily?"
"N-No, not that, but..."
"You think I don't know? Pre-made, just add water, boil, and serve?"
My sharp tone made Park Seung-jae's eyes widen.
He hadn't expected the softly spoken me to turn stern. But I was skilled at handling people too.
Not yelling just because it wasn't the full toolkit. I could if I wanted.
"Make sense, why don't you. Thirty stone pots stacked— all for acquaintances? Does that fly? Say it yourself, President. Sound logical?"
"...I'm sorry."
"I asked if it makes sense."
Under my glare, he mumbled,
"It doesn't..."
"You think so too?"
"Yes."
"Then why lie? Think I wouldn't know?"
"N-No, not that... I was wrong."
About what.
Obvious he'd looked down on me inside: 'inexperienced guy playing boss.' Otherwise, no way he'd tell such a blatant lie.
I picked up the meat from a pot and sniffed. Gamey stench.
"Ugh. Smell that. When did you make this?"
"...Y-Yesterday."
"Sure? Doesn't smell like yesterday's meat."
At least three days in the fridge. Fresh wouldn't stink like this.
"Smell it yourself, President. Fresh or not? You ran a yukgaejang joint—you should know best."
I handed him the pot. He took it carefully, lifted the meat, and sniffed.
"Right?"
"...Yes. It does."
"You didn't notice?"
"I'm sorry."
Quick to admit faults—commendable. But shouldn't have done it in the first place.
Thud.
I set the pot aside and said,
"President. Be straight. You selling yukgaejang here or not?"
"..."
"Sold to customers or not. Say it yourself."
"...Well."
I crossed my arms and stared. This answer would decide the franchise's fate.
Park Seung-jae rolled his eyes, clearly agonizing.
Honesty meant punishment, maybe contract breach penalties.
Lying? Terrifying with my eyes locked on him.
Torn, he finally squeezed his eyes shut and said,
"I-It was just today!"
This guy?
Heat rushed to my head.
"Still lying?"