Franchise (4)
Franchise (4)
I showed Jeong-hwan's Mother the plan I had scribbled down here and there during class.
Since it wasn't in a proper document format and was only roughly organized, it must have seemed like a very inadequate plan to someone who leads South Korea's fisheries industry.
Jeong-hwan's Mother had her hand in various businesses, so people from all over apparently came to her for consultations.
I'd heard that even a single consultation was extremely expensive and so hard to get that it was called trying to pluck a star from the sky...
The master chefs of Korea's high-end Japanese restaurants and omakase sushi spots had almost all received consultations from Jeong-hwan's Mother.
Well, it's a route you naturally have to go through if you want to secure quality seafood in Seoul.
"Is our third son really 22 years old?"
After reading through it all, Jeong-hwan's Mother looked at me with a surprised expression.
Beside her, Lee Min-ho, now the second son, and Jeong Hwan-yi, who had suddenly gained a younger brother, were wearing wry smiles.
"I seem to have gained younger brothers without even realizing it..."
"Mother, no matter what, wouldn't I be the hyung to Jeong Hwan-yi?"
Lee Min-ho sat next to her, saying silly things that made Jeong-hwan's Mother smile.
From what I'd seen, Jeong Hwan-yi was definitely the hyung.
As recently as three years ago, whenever someone got drunk and wandered off, it was Jeong Hwan-yi who took care of them.
No, that wasn't what mattered right now.
The important thing was the opinion of Jeong Hwan-yi's mother, who continued to examine the plan.
"What do you think?"
"If you flesh it out just a little, it seems like you could turn it into a proper business plan. If done well, you might even receive government subsidies... However..."
"Ho...However?"
Was there something she found lacking?
I felt both happy to receive a critique from the most famous person in this world and a little embarrassed.
What kind of advice would it be?
My heart was beating a little faster.
"Since you're going to do it anyway, how about making it a high-end restaurant? Set up just one counter table and hire serving staff."
To put it simply, she was suggesting turning it into a place like a high-end tempura omakase restaurant instead of a regular eatery.
Not a franchise, but a place where you intensively operate a single restaurant.
It was unexpected.
I had thought there would be some problematic part in the plan itself, but I never expected a suggestion to completely change the direction.
It seemed it wasn't bad for a first attempt.
"Then would it be better to give up on the franchise?"
"Probably. Maintaining a consistent taste across other branches is difficult."
"A... As expected, it's hard..."
"Unless you, Seong-hwan, build dozens of factories and place them here and there..."
That was impossible.
Some might think simply building multiple factories is easy, but all I had was the plan; I hadn't really thought about the proper equipment or details like that.
I probably couldn't do it without investment or going public.
As expected, the franchise... there was no choice but to give it up...
"If you decide to open a proper high-end Japanese restaurant, this ajumma will actively help you."
"Ah... Oh... Really?"
If Jeong Hwan-yi's ajumma helped, it would be like gaining an army of thousands.
Should I say victory was already guaranteed?
"Of course! In return, when this ajumma comes to the restaurant... you know, right?"
"O... Of course! I was at my wit's end, having no one to consult with!"
I shot up from my seat and bowed my head deeply.
On that day, at another turning point in my life, I joined hands with its most important figure.
*
"Oh, look at the time already..."
"Your wife will be waiting at home. You should head on back now."
"Yes, thank you, Mother."
I bowed my head deeply once more and stood up.
Just then, Jeong Hwan-yi came in from outside, carrying two bags.
It was the insulated bag I often saw, with King Crab inside.
"Then, I'll be going now."
"Go home carefully~ And if you ever want to become this ajumma's son, just call anytime~"
"Mom!"
Jeong Hwan-yi thrust the King Crab bag into my hands, pushed me outside, and closed the door.
It seemed the roles of parent and child had gotten reversed.
Haah...
Well then, should I head back soon?
The goodbyes were done, and I'd just have to call Jeong Hwan-yi separately later.
Anyway, the King Crab bag felt heavier than usual.
It shouldn't be this heavy just from one extra snow crab being added.
I swung the bag containing the crab as I walked outside.
To think I arrived during the day, and the sun was already setting...
So the King Crab had already cooled down?
I felt it, but it didn't really seem like that was the case...
"Oh? Seong-hwan-ssi, long time no see?"
Hearing a voice greeting me, I turned around.
There, I saw someone I had exchanged greetings with a few times.
"Hello, Noona."
"Looks like you came to buy King Crab again today too? As expected, A-ra-nim must love crustaceans~"
This person was Kang Jeong-hui.
She was Jeong Hwan-yi's eldest noona.
I heard she was famous for having an impossibly youthful face; she was over thirty this year but looked no older than a high schooler.
She was already married and had a child, and that kid was ridiculously cute.
"Ahaha... Noona, you still call A-ra Noona 'A-ra-nim' as always, I see. You're much older than her, Noona."
"A-ra-nim is my idol! Bring her with you for sure next time! I'll give you a whole King Crab as a bonus service!"
"Wouldn't Noona get scolded really badly by Mother if you did that?"
"I'm prepared for that!"
She was offering a free King Crab with a King Crab purchase.
As the successor of the fishery center, whether that was an appropriate thing to say, well...
"But you didn't come just for King Crab, did you?"
Either she had already heard from Jeong Hwan-yi, or she had seen right through me.
Jeong-hui Noona had grasped my intentions.
Since starting a business wasn't exactly a secret, I just told her.
"Actually, I had a consultation with Mother about starting a business."
"What?! Seong-hwan-ssi, starting a business?! Not the shop your dongsaeng was running before?!"
Jeong-hui Noona began to express her shock that Tiny, who was still only twenty-two, was trying to start a business.
It wasn't a surprised 'what business at that age' kind of reaction, but an astonished look full of expectation about what kind of business he intended to pursue.
Come to think of it, didn't this noona love tempura too?
She was always at the tempura shop inside the fishery center.
"In the direction of Japanese tempura..."
"Tempura! Do you happen to need a business partner?!"
"A... A business partner isn't needed... but a chef is..."
"Among my friends, there's someone who graduated from a hotel culinary arts department and worked at the Japanese cuisine section of the Lotte Hotel for seven years! Shall I introduce you?!"
"Oh... Really?"
Why did the timing match up so perfectly like this?
Was God really helping me out?
***
"I'm home."
Along with the sound of the door lock engaging, I heard barking.
Our little puppy rascals must have noticed that Dad was back and were running from the living room to the front door.
"Seong-hwan came? Hug your noona."
Faster than the dogs... no, to be more precise, A-ra, who had been waiting for me at the front door the moment I arrived, spread her arms wide.
I put down the King Crab bag I was holding, hugged A-ra tightly, and stroked her back and head.
"Did you have a hard time today?"
"Yeah... Today, you know, I wanted to eat a fried chicken dosirak, but I picked up the bulgogi dosirak by mistake, right?"
Since it was so like A-ra to act clingy over a lunchbox, I burst out laughing.
Only after I said to A-ra, who was puffing up her cheeks, "I'll pack you a chicken lunchbox tomorrow," did she retract her pout.
I patted her back as we walked to the living room.
As usual, I hugged Lil' One and Pipsqueak, then stuck close to A-ra and spent some time like that.
It wasn't that we needed any specific words; just sticking together for a while was an important time that could give us both strength.
"Aw, aw, our little puppy rascals, you even know how to run errands now?"
"Woof!"
Lil' One and Pipsqueak each grabbed one of the King Crab bags I'd left at the front door in their mouths and set them down in the kitchen.
It was enough to make me doubt whether they were really dogs, but wasn't this a world where the problem lay in doubting that something wasn't a dog?
For example, doubting their humanity?
"Hehe, it's King Crab."
"Looks good, right? I was a little late because I was buying this."
"Seeing the King Crab, my grudge over the fried chicken lunchbox has completely vanished."
She gulped and began stroking Pipsqueak's back.
Pipsqueak freely licked A-ra's cheek in return.
"Noona, I'm going to seriously try starting a business."
"Okay. If Seong-hwan wants to do it, Noona will support you to the end."
"Really? Even if I fail?"
"Our husband failing is probably harder to imagine... but Noona is on your side."
A-ra's hand, which stroked my head as she told me not to worry, was full of sincerity.
If I didn't trust that delicate and gentle hand, what else could I trust?
Only then did I feel the empty space fill completely.
What satisfied me more than gaining a good consultant or a good chef.
It was just one word from A-ra.
"Hehe, Noona, you'll let me come without a reservation, right?"
"Of course. I'll only do that specially for my wife."
There were already people who could eat for free, but maybe I should give A-ra a reserved seat...
I'd make fifteen seats, and one seat would be a spot where only A-ra could sit.
If I did that, rumors would probably spread that I was an incredibly devoted husband...
Would that backfire?
It seemed best to think of another method.