Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Faded Resolve
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Seeing that face—like he was grudgingly enduring unwanted nagging—my mind went blank for a moment.
“…….”
I lost my words and fell silent.
That face. It was the same one I'd seen on Park Seung-jae, the franchise owner who'd gone rogue and started selling sundae gukbap on the side.
The expression of a student getting scolded by their teacher.
My lower lip bit down hard on its own, my fist clenching tight.
A sense of betrayal seeped deep into my bones.
No, it wasn't quite betrayal—it felt more like hollow emptiness.
‘You're not supposed to be like this, Uncle.’
Where had the Kim Jong-chun I knew gone? The question swirled in my head.
An indescribable void opened a gaping hole in my chest.
The Kim Jong-chun from before my regression hadn't been like this. Even when everyone urged him to retire, he'd stubbornly kept working at the front lines, saying what was an old man supposed to do, just sit around?
He'd been one of the few founding members who'd stuck it out from the early days, even as franchise owners dropped off one by one.
I'd trusted Kim Jong-chun above all others. Who else was as diligent as him? I'd marveled at that.
‘So how the hell did you end up like this?’
If I could, I'd scream it out loud. Compare him to the old Kim Jong-chun.
But I knew better than anyone that it was a pointless what-if.
Still, my mouth tasted bitter.
‘Is it because of me?’
When I compared before and after the regression, the only thing that had changed was me.
‘Right. Before the regression, he struggled more, fought through it.’
We'd both been rookie owners, rookie franchisees. We'd grown together through trial and error.
We'd huddled our heads together, pulling all-nighters for days on end.
How to draw in more customers. How to boost repeat visits. Why had weekend traffic spiked this time?
Kim Jong-chun and I had wrestled with it fiercely, building the business step by step.
But this time around?
‘I handled everything. Uncle just followed my lead.’
I knew the shortcuts, and I figured that was the smarter path.
What was the point of making him retrace the same painful steps? We'd sweated blood for those lessons anyway—sharing every management tip wasn't a loss.
But now I realized.
‘It came too easy for him.’
That's what ruined Kim Jong-chun completely. Boredom and laziness are the deadliest poisons.
In a car this smoothly paved, it's the ones *not* bored who are the odd ones out.
‘I... ruined Uncle...’
No. That was jumping to conclusions. I reined in the emotions surging up. No time to get sentimental.
I swallowed down the rising feelings, staying silent for a beat. As I stopped talking, Kim Jong-chun seemed to sense something off, glancing at me nervously over and over.
Haa.
I let out a deep sigh, releasing the tension coiled through my body. I stepped out from behind the counter and slumped into the nearest chair.
“Sit down, Uncle.”
“……Yeah.”
Kim Jong-chun fidgeted, still watching me closely.
I half-lowered my eyes and spat it out bluntly.
“Uncle, remember when you first went to see Owner Lee In-cheol? What was that like?”
“…….”
“You said you got laid off from the company but couldn't tell your wife.”
“Yeah.”
Kim Jong-chun's face clouded over, the memory hitting him hard.
“Even when Owner Lee In-cheol warned you it'd be tough, you jumped right in. That was you.”
At my words, Kim Jong-chun slowly bowed his head.
“Back then, you were up at dawn brewing stock, prepping the shop. At night, you'd stay late learning recipes from Owner Lee In-cheol. You worked so hard even I worried.”
“…….”
“Back then, your eyes sparkled. I learned a lot just watching you. I thought you were amazing, like you'd succeed at anything.”
Kim Jong-chun's face grew darker by the shade.
As I laid it out point by point, he'd feel the gap between then and now.
That initial drive when we first started would flicker back to life, faintly.
“When we picked the location, you pounded the pavement yourself. You saw shops failing left and right, realized all the ways it could go wrong. You weighed it all before deciding to open.”
“……Yeah.”
“Uncle.”
I lowered my voice.
I locked eyes with him, leaning forward to close the distance. Staring straight into his trembling gaze, I continued.
“Why'd it come to this?”
“…….”
My single question seemed to hit him. I could see his hands shaking on the table. In the end, Kim Jong-chun dropped his eyes to the floor.
Like a criminal on trial.
Today, more than ever, Kim Jong-chun looked small and pathetic. Despite his build saying otherwise.
Plip. Drop.
Tears hit the table, making faint sounds.
I'd gone and seen his tears after all. Before the regression, these squabbles with franchise owners happened now and then. But seeing Kim Jong-chun cry left a bitterness words couldn't capture.
Not wanting to embarrass him further, I awkwardly looked away.
Swish.
I heard him grab a napkin from the table and roughly wipe his eyes.
Still facing aside, I pressed on.
“I'm heading out for today.”
“…….”
“I've said my piece. How you take it is up to you, Owner.”
What could I do to change a person?
Even if someone changes, it's not because of me. They decide it themselves.
I just hoped Kim Jong-chun truly grasped what I meant.
“Don't come in for a bit until you've made up your mind. We'll watch the shop.”
“…….”
“We can acknowledge your efforts so far—give you some equity stake and just swap out the franchisee. Or if you want out completely, we'll buy you at a fair buyout based on projected earnings.”
Kim Jong-chun stayed silent as I spoke. I could guess his turmoil, so I kept my voice flat, emotionless.
“Figure out if you really want retirement or the business. Call me when you know.”
I bowed my head in parting and walked out.
Clunk.
The door opened, cold wind brushing my cheek. I strode out without feeling the chill.
Indescribable emotions swirled in a storm inside my chest.
“……Ah, Woo-yeon!”
“!”
Lost in thought, a familiar voice rang in my ear. I snapped my head up—Han Mi-ae stood there.
She must've chased after me in a hurry; she still wore her apron, Happiness Snacks logo bold on it.
“…Owner Han.”
“What's going on?”
She asked with a worried face.
“No, I saw the Hapjae Gukbap shop lit up outside business hours. Figured something was up, so I…”
Han Mi-ae trailed off awkwardly. She'd probably watched us talking through the glass from her shop.
“…It's nothing. Just some urgent business. Uncle might not show up for a while, but don't worry too much.”
But it wasn't something to broadcast to her. I flashed a smile, and she stepped right up close.
“'Nothing'? Your face looks awful. …Kim Owner's been scarce lately. That's it, isn't it?”
Living across the street, there was no hiding it.
Neighbors got along well, so she'd have clocked his schedule and work ethic early on.
I gave a wry smile and nodded.
“I figured as much.”
“You suspected?”
“A bit… I've been busy with my own shop, no time to check on folks. Just thought he was swamped.”
Then she saw me having a serious talk with him and realized something was wrong.
“People can be so ruthless. Right, Woo-yeon?”
“Yeah. What can you do? People change.”
If they didn't, would they even be human? I'd half-accepted this already. Shocking as Kim Jong-chun's case was, it stood apart.
“Whew. Yeah. Don't stress too much. It's late—want me to have Da-on walk you home?”
“Nah. Evening rush is crazy. Not that late; I'll go alone.”
“Still…”
Han Mi-ae insisted, but I turned her down each time. I wanted to walk and sort my thoughts.
“Mom! Table 3's order's not out yet!”
“Oh god, what am I doing!”
She whipped her head at the call. Gripping my hand tight, she repeated 'call anytime you're struggling' before dashing off.
I watched her go and let out a small chuckle.
At least it wasn't all for nothing.
Rrring.
Click.
“Hello.”
-In-cheol-ah.
Lee In-cheol raised an eyebrow at the familiar voice.
-It's me, Kim Jong-chun.
“I know.”
-Got time? Wanna grab a drink?
It was nearing 1 a.m. Thinking of tomorrow's business, there was no way he had 'time'...
But the voice on the line sounded so dead. Lee In-cheol sighed deeply and asked.
“Where are you right now?”