Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: An Unbelievable Day
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“Is that for real?”
“That’s after taking out the cost of ingredients for today, and roughly calculating the hourly average for labor, utilities, and rent. It should be about right. But how did you know? Did you calculate it from the sales, too?”
“Ah, that’s a different story. I just suddenly came into 15 million won.”
“Really? Did you win the lottery or something?”
“You might think I’m crazy, but some girls I know chipped in so I wouldn’t starve, and it added up to 15 million won.”
The owner suddenly looked me up and down.
Does he not believe me?
But I can’t blame him.
“Why would that be crazy? For you, it makes perfect sense.”
“You believe me?”
“Yeah, with you, it’s believable. Your face is all the justification you need.”
Chang-woo.
Just how long are you going to keep surprising me?
My pathetic virgin imagination can’t keep up with your glamorous life.
15 million won in just nine days from donations.
Wow, I’m almost too scared to spend this.
“I’ll transfer it to your account now, so give me your number.”
“Yes, I’ll write it down for you.”
A moment later, the app notified me of the deposit.
[Sender: Gong Ji-cheol] [Amount: 15,000,000 Won] [Balance: 32,604,350 Won] “Boss? I think you sent the wrong amount. Wasn’t it supposed to be 40%?”
“I told you I wanted to get you hooked on the taste of money.”
The owner chuckled and patted my shoulder.
“Yesterday's profits are a special service just for you. I only kept 300,000 won for myself and sent you the rest.”
“But, how could you...”
“Normally, if I take home 300,000 won a day, that's a lot. I'm doing this to win you over because I want to work with you for a long time, so think of it as doing me a favor and just take it.”
“If I were a woman, I would have fallen for you.”
“If you were a woman with that face, I'd have offered you my entire fortune and proposed.”
I could almost see dazzling wings sprouting from the owner’s back.
If only my thesis advisor had half, no, a quarter of the owner's character, I wouldn't have gone through such hell.
“Can I order?”
Oops.
I quickly stood in front of the counter and responded with the kindest smile I could muster.
“I’m sorry, but all our tables are full right now, so we can only do takeout. Is that alright?”
“That’s fine! I’ll place my order!”
“Yes, I’ll take your order.”
Female customers streamed in one after another.
Quite a few of them looked vaguely familiar.
Seeing the owner beaming made me feel good, too.
Anyway, what should I do with this 15 million won?
I was originally going to give it to Hye-na, but it's obvious she would never accept such a large sum of money.
In that case, I should buy her a gift directly.
Is there a meaningful gift I could get?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I really burned myself out completely...
I was fine since all I did was handle customers, but the owner and the part-timers were insanely busy.
I even did something unnecessary again.
And because of it, the owner and the part-timers had to work even harder.
What did I do, you ask?
“Shall I clear your empty glass?”
“Oh my, no. I can take it myself!”
“Not at all. If you’d like, I can clear it for you.”
Feeling like I had to do something, I politely cleared away any empty glasses or plates I saw.
That led to a situation where customers started emptying their cups and plates as quickly as possible.
I went around again to clear the empty glasses and plates, and in turn, the order turnover rate sped up...
Because I would come to their table, make small talk, and clear their empty cups.
It created a cycle where the female customers would drink even faster.
I only realized they were doing it to make me come to their table more often after the owner pointed it out.
We worked in a frantic haze.
To be honest, it wasn't that hard for me since I just took orders and walked around the floor collecting empty dishes.
It was the owner and the part-timers who were worked to the bone.
Eventually, around 1 PM, the owner sent out an SOS, and reinforcements arrived.
The owner’s girlfriend and younger sister came to the cafe to lend a hand.
I still can't forget the expressions on their faces when they first saw me.
“Oh my god. He's so handsome... I can see why my boyfriend was grinning from ear to ear after hiring him.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
The first was the owner’s girlfriend, the second his younger sister.
“Chang-woo, you're going to keep working here, right?”
“It’s in the contract. The basic contract is for one year, renewed annually. If I quit unilaterally within the first year, I have to return half of my most recent month’s incentive.”
If this were a standard employment contract, I wouldn't have to return it.
However, these terms are closer to an executive contract than a labor one, making it easy to be excluded from the protection of labor laws.
The owner explained that point, and I understood. Besides, why would I quit such a cushy job?
“Alright then, I’ll trust that you’ll be working here for at least a year and hire more staff.”
“Yes, please do. It looked incredibly busy today.”
I was supposed to finish work at 6 PM.
But since Jung Hye-na said she would be getting off late, I decided to work a bit longer.
The cafe was packed, and it didn't feel right to leave the customers who had come to see me.
“Oppa, if you’re hiring, just hire me. 4 million a month is fine.”
“With that money, I could hire two more weekend part-timers.”
“Fine, then 3 million.”
“Shut it.”
The owner’s younger sister, was her name Gong Ji-hyun?
In the end, Gong Ji-hyun agreed to work under the same conditions as the other part-timers.
“Don't you dare hit on Chang-woo. If you make him uncomfortable and he quits, I'll disown you.”
“I won’t, I won’t. I know my place.”
We even had delivery sushi for dinner, just to get by.
That's how insanely busy it was.
Although the part-timers were thrilled, wondering why we were having a sushi party.
Finally, at 11 PM.
It was time to close.
“Wow, boss. Seriously, do you work like this every day?”
“Of course.”
“The part-timers work separate opening and closing shifts, but how can a person work 14 hours a day?”
“This is what running a business is like. I have to do this just to cover the rent.”
The owner smiled brightly and patted my shoulder.
“Before you came, I couldn't even make rent properly and was losing money. That traitor took all my regulars with him. Now I can finally breathe a little.”
The owner suggested we have a company dinner.
Before answering, I checked with Jung Hye-na one more time.
[Me] When do you finish?
[Jung Hye-na] T_T I think I'm pulling an all-nighter...!! T_T
[Me] Oh man, hang in there.
[Jung Hye-na] What about you, oppa?
[Me] I was waiting for you, so I just finished up with closing. The owner wants to go for a company dinner.
[Jung Hye-na] You should go! We had lunch, dinner, and a late-night snack all delivered here. T_T
[Me] Let me know when you're done, I'll come pick you up.
[Jung Hye-na] No, it's okay! You should go home and rest.
[Jung Hye-na] I don't think I'll be able to go home until tomorrow afternoon. T_T
The absence of one employee makes such a big difference.
They need to find a replacement quickly over there.
“Are you coming? You're coming, right? Everyone's looking forward to having dinner with you. Even the opening shift staff are on their way now.”
“Ah... should I go then?”
“I’m treating everyone to Jeju Korean beef tonight.”
The closing shift part-timers jumped for joy.
“Awesome. Boss, why beef all of a sudden? You always just buy us spicy stir-fried chicken or pork belly.”
“We made a huge profit today thanks to our Chang-woo, so I’m opening my wallet wide. Everyone get ready to eat until you burst. Got it?”
“Yes! Thank you for the meal!”
I said I had something to buy and told them to go on ahead, then slipped away.
I had already decided what to get Hye-na.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A restaurant specializing in Jeju Korean beef.
Gong Ji-cheol, his girlfriend Song Yeon-ju, and his younger sister Gong Ji-hyun.
Including the eight part-timers, eleven people were seated in the dining hall.
As if by silent agreement, they all left the central seat empty.
It was the seat for their hero and shining star, Lee Chang-woo.
Naturally, Gong Ji-cheol sat across from the empty seat, and Gong Ji-hyun claimed the spot to its left.
Being the owner’s sister was a great source of power at times like this.
The part-timers had to wage a fierce battle for the remaining empty seat.
Eventually, Gong Ji-cheol, unable to watch any longer, told them to settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors.
“Chang-woo oppa is so handsome. How can a person look like that?”
“I’m more surprised that someone that handsome isn't a celebrity. Are all the scouts blind, or are they just salary thieves?”
“I bet today’s sales were insane. Boss, how much did we make today?”
Gong Ji-cheol just smiled warmly.
His girlfriend, Song Yeon-ju, who was eleven years younger, prodded him from the side.
“Come on, oppa. How much was it? Huh?”
“It’s a secret. All I can tell you is that it was a super jackpot.”
“You’re so mean. Did anyone see the sales total on the register?”
“Chang-woo oppa was managing the counter, so we wouldn't know.”
“But why do you call him Chang-woo oppa? You’re older than him, aren’t you?”
“If he's handsome, he's an oppa. What else is there to it?”
Just then, the door to the private room opened, and the man of the hour, Lee Chang-woo, walked in.
He had simply entered the room.
But it left a thrilling impact, like the entrance of a movie protagonist.
“Oh, Chang-woo. Come sit here.”
“Okay.”
“Did you buy what you needed to?”
“Yes, it was just a piggy bank.”
“We were waiting for you to arrive before ordering anything. Order whatever you want.”
“Uh, in that case...”
Lee Chang-woo looked around before pointing at Jo Seo-young, the youngest at 20 years old.
“Seo-young, what do you want to eat the most?”
“Booo! Booooo!”
“Don’t just favor the youngest! Boooo!”
“Ah, ah, at company dinners like this, you’re supposed to order what the youngest wants most.”
“As expected of Chang-woo oppa. So considerate.”
“He's not just handsome on the outside, but on the inside too. I'm so jealous of whoever he ends up with.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not you.”
“Wanna die?”
As if they had never been booing, everyone praised Lee Chang-woo’s consideration and urged the youngest, Jo Seo-young, to choose whatever she wanted.
“Um, then I want to have the special tenderloin, special top blade, and special sirloin here.”
“Then, since there are twelve of us, should we order six servings of each for a total of eighteen?”
“It’s nice having Chang-woo oppa sort things out. We’d be too busy reading the boss’s expression if we tried to order.”
“Seriously, why is he ‘oppa’ to you? You’re his noona.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Does no one have to work tomorrow?
The mid and closing shift staff come in in the afternoon, so I get that, but shouldn't the opening shift be getting up soon?
The drinking party, once started, showed no signs of ending.
“Should we order five more bottles of soju? I’m ordering them? Are you sure?”
“Order them, order them! It’s all on me tonight!”
“Boss, you’re the best!”
I’m fine since I can fully recover with just two hours of sleep, but is everyone else going to be okay...?
“Yes! Chang-woo’s turn!”
“It’s Chang-woo oppa’s turn to answer!”
It was a penalty game, but it felt like I was the only one getting picked.
Gong Ji-hyun, with whom I had naturally started speaking informally during the party, asked with drunken eyes.
“Lee Chang-woo! Tell us the truth! Do you have a girlfriend, or not?”