Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The Bingsu Plagiarism Storm
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"Hello, everyone. I never imagined I'd be writing a post like this. I'm a small business owner running a modest cafe in the neighborhood.
You've probably all heard about the 'Snowflake Bingsu' that's been blowing up on social media lately. Some bingsu shop claims they invented it first and is touting it as their trademark.
I can't even begin to tell you how shocked I was when I first saw it. Because it looked exactly like the bingsu we sell at our cafe.
(Photo)
This is the bingsu from our shop,
(Photo)
and this is the bingsu from that popular shop on social media.
From the thick layer of roasted soybean powder piled on top, to the condensed milk, to the finely shaved ice. There were so many similarities to our menu.
Of course, some might say it's nothing special, that great minds think alike and overlaps happen.
But I've always put my heart and soul into making my menu with pride, so every time I see this bingsu on social media, it breaks my heart and leaves me feeling suffocated.
One customer even ordered our version and asked, 'This is a copy of that famous Snowflake Bingsu, right?'
(Photo)
We launched this menu at our cafe two weeks before that company started selling their bingsu.
Two weeks is more than enough time to copy and recreate a menu item.
More than anything, I can't stand seeing my menu—which I treat like my own child—being dismissed as a knockoff of Snowflake Bingsu.
I'm just a humble individual cafe owner, while that company is a big corporation with multiple franchise brands. I don't know how to go about raising this issue, so I'm writing this to ask for others' opinions.
This post is written for the public interest.
Thank you for reading."
Best Comment 1 Anon
:Whoa, I went out of my way to try this bingsu because people said it was good, and I was totally disappointed. The presentation is identical...
Best Comment 2 JaehyeonILoveYou
: I thought the Snowflake Bingsu idea was genius, but turns out it's plagiarized from a small cafe dessert lol. Corporations these days don't develop products; they just rip off indie cafes. No shame at all.
Best Comment 3 IlllIIlll
: Hang in there, boss... I've been through something similar and thought I was going insane... Can't name names because I was scared of getting sued, but big corps are out of control.
*Click.*
The only sound was the mouse cursor rattling around noisily. Hmm. So that's how it happened.
"We caught on to the situation a bit late, but the inquiry calls haven't stopped. We've been getting a ton of interview requests from the media too."
No Se-hee reported the situation calmly.
"The phone's not ringing now, though?"
"I unplugged it."
Nice.
"We haven't decided on an official response from headquarters yet, so we've been sticking to no comment. But if we keep staying silent like this, public opinion could sour even more."
Probably. No response works sometimes, but not in this case.
"And the post cleverly frames it as 'big corporation vs. small business owner,' which is fueling even harsher backlash."
Big corporation.
We're a long way off from that label.
I looked around at Jo Yi-ruk, pale as a ghost; No Se-hee, barely holding it together but with trembling fingertips; and Park Sang-won, fidgeting anxiously.
With just four people, what big corporation? I barely suppressed a hollow laugh.
"To clarify the company's position, I have one question."
No Se-hee glanced at me cautiously before asking.
"Please be honest. That's the only way we can come up with proper countermeasures."
"No need to beat around the bush, Manager No."
I could tell exactly what she wanted to say. I smiled brightly and continued.
"You're wondering if we plagiarized or not, right? Spot on?"
"......Yes. That's right."
No Se-hee gripped her notebook tightly. Her knuckles turned white, bones protruding.
"If you did get the idea from that cafe, coming out and saying 'no plagiarism' rashly could backfire."
"Fair enough. If CCTV footage of me visiting popped up, it'd be trouble."
"President. Have you... ever been to that cafe?"
No Se-hee looked at me with trembling eyes.
I could even sense her desperation. She was praying I'd say no.
She wanted the boss she believed in and chose to follow not to be that petty. Makes sense. She'd been calling me a genius and marveling every time, so finding out it was stolen ideas would feel like betrayal.
Luckily, I could give her the answer that wouldn't let her down.
"Nope. I swear."
"Whew."
"Should we post a statement right now? I have drafts ready!"
Park Sang-won quickly set down his binder.
"Left side is a more cautious version just in case, right side is for a hardline response."
Fast worker. How'd he prep all this before I even asked?
A quick scan showed clean content.
"So the left one's what you'd post if I admitted plagiarism?"
*Cough*! "W-Well, not exactly! It's more like always preparing for the worst-case scenario..."
"Not blaming you. Good job."
You always need a Plan B.
"This blew up out of nowhere, so you must all be shocked. But you've handled it calmly so far—makes me feel better."
"No, sir. It's just what we had to do."
"We were caught off guard by the unexpected mess, but no need to worry too much."
Nothing like this happened before my regression.
Is the past changing, and the future with it? Yeah. Back then, Snowflake Bingsu had a complicated backstory.
'I created it, but it shone under someone else's hands.'
I lacked business savvy then, clueless about patents or trademarks.
I stumbled into the Snowflake Bingsu idea but didn't grasp its value.
Once it hit the market unprotected, copycats sprang up everywhere.
One cafe named their version 'Snowflake Bingsu' and blew up, with everyone thinking they were the originators.
'This time, I'm the accused culprit.'
Life's unpredictable. Pretty funny, huh.
The silver lining: I didn't repeat past mistakes, thanks to them.
*Bzzz-.*
My phone buzzed with a notification. I peeked at the screen and grinned.
Perfect timing.
I'd contacted them via Kang Yoo-ha the moment I learned about the incident.
"No need to worry... President, the media's involved now, and it's blowing up big. We need to post a statement ASAP..."
*Clunk.*
"Oh, here it is."
Right then.
The door opened, and a familiar man walked in. Long time no see.
"Song. Been a while."
"Come on in."
Moon Yoo-han.
The guy who made my Snowflake Bingsu ice shaver.
"Been waiting for you. Have a seat."
"So this is your office? Nice setup."
Moon Yoo-han looked around, letting out a hearty sigh of admiration. Spotting the other staff, he gave a polite bow.
"Oh, hello~."
"Ah, y-yes. President, who's..."
"Moon Yoo-han. He made our Snowflake Bingsu ice shaver."
At my introduction, everyone’s eyes went wide. They’d all wondered where I got that weird gadget made.
As all eyes turned to him, Moon Yoo-han bellowed.
"That's my masterpiece, that rascal~! Song was so picky. I nearly quit at first!"
"Haha. You say that, but you delivered way better performance than I expected."
"Was fun after a while."
He grinned, reminiscing. Boyish expression. People chasing childhood dreams don't age.
"Um... we're grateful and all, but why is he here now...?"
Jo Yi-ruk stammered.
Why? Obvious reason.
"Say hi, everyone."
I beamed and pointed at Moon Yoo-han.
"He's our lifesaver."
"......Pardon?"
"Moon Yoo-han. You brought the documents I mentioned, right?"
"Of course!"
*Thud!*
What he plopped on the table was a thick stack of papers.
"Take a look."
At my words, Jo Yi-ruk hesitantly approached and opened the binder.
He pulled out a few, flipped through pages, then his eyes bulged.
"Th-This is...!"
"Right. We've been prepping the ice shaver patent."
"The patent?"
No Se-hee took some sheets too. She rifled through them, muttering, "It's real..." What'd you think, fake?
"I started patent prep right after the shaver was done."
"I offered to put his name on it since he gave the idea, but he flat-out refused!"
"You actually built it, President Moon. I just suggested, 'What if we did it like this?'"
Possible because I knew pre-regression shavers. And since I only had vague images, Moon Yoo-han sweated buckets implementing it.
"That's great news, but..."
"What does it have to do with this? Everything."
I spun the computer monitor around for everyone to see.
「We launched this menu at our cafe two weeks before that company started selling their bingsu.」
"Ah!"
Jo Yi-ruk exclaimed loudly.
"I see! All these prep documents for the patent application prove it! Factor in development time and...!"
Yes. Correct.
I smiled brightly.
"I'm the one who came first."
Impossible to copy a menu we haven't even launched yet.