Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Future First Branch Manager
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"…and that's how this guy ended up working here too."
I glanced at the man standing awkwardly next to Lee In-cheol. He was about two heads taller than Lee In-cheol, and with his long years in sales, he had a mild, affable look that stood out.
"I'm Kim Jong-chun."
Watching him smile and offer a handshake, I could easily picture him in a suit, handing out business cards to people.
He still carried that office worker vibe.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Song Wooyeun."
"I've heard a lot about you. They say you really helped the place out when things were tough."
"It wasn't anything major. I got something out of it too, after all."
Kim Jong-chun spoke politely to me, who was so much younger, and lowered his posture humbly.
'Is it time for this guy to show up already...?'
Even before my regression, it had been around this time.
Kim Jong-chun.
Unlike Lee In-cheol, who looked like a grumpy old man, Kim Jong-chun had little kitchen experience but was a real pro at dealing with people.
In the past, I'd learned a lot from him about handling customers.
After getting laid off from his company, he started working at Lee In-cheol's place, and that's how he got into the food business.
That was still a ways off in the future. For now, he was a total newbie who couldn't even handle the POS system properly.
"Song Wooyeun. Come here a sec."
"Yes?"
"Kim Jong-chun, you start by wiping down those tables over there! Even if he's a buddy of mine, he gotta work proper to earn his pay. Got it?!"
"Yes, sir!"
Kim Jong-chun grinned, grabbed a rag without a hint of wounded pride, and headed out to the floor.
Lee In-cheol watched his retreating back for a moment, then lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Sorry it happened so suddenly. That guy's an old colleague from when I started at the company. He's got some circumstances, so he's gonna work here a bit, learn the ropes, and cool his head."
"Oh, really?"
I pretended not to know, keeping a calm face.
"For now, he'll start with front-of-house serving. Later, I'll teach him the cooking side. We'll do it after closing, so you just finish up the floor and head out."
"Hmm..."
I wouldn't exactly recommend it. But chiming in rashly here would be weird, so I just nodded for now.
"Sure. I can show him what needs doing on the floor."
"Good. You'll handle the floor for a bit."
Lee In-cheol patted my shoulder and headed to the kitchen to start opening prep.
I locked eyes with Kim Jong-chun, who was waiting after polishing the tables until they gleamed.
"For starters... I'll show you how to use the POS, Owner."
"Owner? Nah, just call me uncle casually. I'm old enough to be your dad. Heh heh."
"You sure? You can drop the formal speech too, uncle."
A smile crept onto my lips naturally.
Talk about a windfall. It was like a pumpkin rolling in on the vine.
And for good reason—Kim Jong-chun...
"Pleasure working with you from here on."
...was destined to become the first branch manager of [Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212].
"More kimchi over here, please!"
"Sorry, but we're out of tissues."
"Water here~!"
With calls coming from all directions, Kim Jong-chun hustled around.
"Right here."
"I'll grab those tissues."
"Water coming right up!"
He worked nonstop. And with food constantly coming out of the kitchen too. Thanks to Song Wooyeun swiftly grabbing it and delivering to tables, it was at least manageable.
"Uncle, water pitchers are almost out. Grab some from over there, fill 'em, and stick in the fridge."
"Uh, yeah!"
"Then tidy up that table over there—looks like they're about to leave."
"Got it!"
As he fetched pitchers and filled them at the water purifier, Kim Jong-chun finally caught a breather.
'Whew.'
He couldn't believe Song Wooyeun had handled all this alone before he arrived.
Even with two people, it's tough. How'd that kid manage?
'And this... he's giving me a break, isn't he?'
Filling the pitchers took time. It was legit downtime.
Meanwhile, Song Wooyeun kept buzzing around diligently.
'Restaurant work is no joke.'
Vowing to be extra nice to diner ladies at other spots from now on, Kim Jong-chun finished filling the pitchers.
About halfway done, when a customer at the next table who'd just sat down raised a hand.
"Two bowls of gukbap here."
"Got it!"
He was mentally noting to ring up two gukbaps on the POS when—
Scraaaape.
Chairs scraping. He turned to see people getting up from exactly the table Song Wooyeun had mentioned.
'Counter?'
Empty. Song Wooyeun was clearing a table at the far back.
"I'll help with the check!"
He rushed to ring them up first, then cleared the empty stone pots. As he wiped the table spotless, he spotted the half-filled pitchers.
The ones in the fridge were already down to a couple.
'Gotta finish these quick.'
As he refilled, a customer asked him to store their luggage behind the counter. Then another asked if the kimchi was for sale since it was so good, and he responded kindly.
In the frenzy, it suddenly hit him.
'Oh! That two gukbaps from earlier.'
Almost forgot. He dashed to input it on the POS.
Two gukbaps.
"Table 3, two gukbaps!"
He called out the order like he'd been taught. Sizzle—fryer going in the back.
"Table 3, two gukbaps!"
Response from the kitchen. Order confirmed.
He shuddered thinking how close he'd come to messing up. As Kim Jong-chun sighed in relief and turned—
"Hold up, Owner. Table 3 order got duplicated."
Song Wooyeun called toward the kitchen. Hearing the mismatch, Lee In-cheol paused and poked his head out.
"What? What happened?"
"Table 3 ordered, but no food came out, so they told me again. I'd already put it in. Next is Table 1, right? Then Table 3."
"Oh...!"
Kim Jong-chun looked stunned, but Song Wooyeun fiddled with the POS casually.
"So scrap the latest Table 3 ticket and keep going from Table 1."
"Got it!"
Lee In-cheol went back to work, and Kim Jong-chun approached Song Wooyeun hesitantly.
"My bad. Sorry. Making you worry on top of being busy..."
"It's fine. I'm the floor manager right now. It's my job to handle it."
He'd braced for a scolding, but Song Wooyeun brushed it off.
"It's okay to mess up. Sure, too many times is a problem, but who doesn't make mistakes?"
Song Wooyeun himself hadn't slipped once today, of course.
"I'm keeping an eye on the overall floor. I'll catch any big errors, so don't sweat it."
Song Wooyeun smiled brightly as he continued.
"You're new to this, so it'll feel awkward at first. Few days in, you'll get the hang of it."
"......"
Those words were such a comfort.
Kim Jong-chun recalled the humiliations just before his layoff—his chest tightened.
They'd pulled every trick to force him to quit voluntarily. Desk and chair gone, he'd zoned out in the bathroom till quitting time.
He'd cried buckets.
But in this little gukbap joint, they forgave his mistakes generously and even encouraged him that it was okay.
Finally, he felt treated like a human. Like he could breathe.
"...Thanks, Wooyeun."
Tears welled in Kim Jong-chun's eyes.
Of course, Song Wooyeun had his own motives.
'Don't run away now.'
People as decent and hardworking as Kim Jong-chun were rare.
Scraaaape.
I pulled out the food waste bin from the corner of the kitchen. It collected scraps from stone pots before dishwashing.
"Hmm......"
Not my imagination, then.
As I peered inside intently, Lee In-cheol sidled up.
"What? Problem? I manage ingredients meticulously."
"Not the ingredients."
I knew his firm belief in food quality. His dedication to hygiene, ingredient handling, flavor—suffering for it all.
That foundation doesn't change easily.
"Taste hasn't changed either?"
"I feel the same. I've done surprise checks behind your back sometimes—broth's consistent, flavors steady."
"You were doing that too...?"
Of course. Trust is separate from verification.
"Then? Why you staring at food waste like it's a puzzle? There's gotta be a reason!"
Lee In-cheol yelled, exasperated.
"Owner, the basics of food business are 'leftover checks.' Most direct way to gauge customer satisfaction."
Some eat less, some more, but most average out.
So if sales are steady but leftovers spike suddenly, it's a red flag—something's wrong.
"It's the top thing to check on the floor. These past days, I thought it was just bigger portions at first. But......"
I looked down at the bin.
"Leftover amounts have increased."