Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: How to Make a Regular Customer (3)
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Once we get home, it's always the same routine.
Wash up and get ready for bed.
If there's leftover dishes from breakfast I didn't get to or too much dust in the room, I let Yoon-seul wash up on her own.
And in the meantime, I do the dishes or run the vacuum.
The house was in pretty decent shape today, at least.
"It's been a while since I washed my hair with Oppa."
"Feels refreshing after washing up, right?"
"Yep!"
Yoon-seul shakes out her straight hair that falls to her shoulders. Droplets fly right toward me.
It's like getting spritzed by a mister set to a heavy mist.
"Oh? Jang Yoon-seul. You attacking your Oppa?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Hmm? Nuh-uh?"
"Oppa gotta dry it for me."
"You want me to dry it with the hairdryer?"
"Yep!"
She could've asked a little more nicely.
Still, the way she shakes it out is cute.
Lately, Yoon-seul's been asking me for things more and more often than when she first started living with me.
Back in March when I first saw her, the way she kept declining everything felt so unlike a kid.
Is she just mature for her age?
That's what I thought, but that was just my lazy assumption.
She just wasn't used to living with me yet and needed more time to figure out who this Song Joo-hyun guy was.
A little over a month has passed, and now that we're together every day, living in this house feels comfortable to her.
And I've become familiar, so she's showing more of her true self.
"That's why I'm even more grateful."
"Huh? Did Oppa just say something?"
Whirrrrrr!
She sends her thanks muffled under the hum of the hairdryer.
"I didn't say anything!"
"Water in your ears!"
"I'll dry 'em out for you!"
"Yay!"
We could've just turned off the dryer to talk, but no, these siblings shout over it.
Once her hair's all fluffy and dry by the bedside, Yoon-seul flops straight back onto the bed. She wriggles under the covers like a little worm.
"Uuu... Oppa, bedtime now."
"Turn off the light?"
"Yoon-seul sleepy."
"Got it."
Sleepy = turn off the light.
That's how it registers.
I switch off the light and lie down in bed. Yoon-seul squirms a bit, then grabs onto my arm.
I glance over, and her cheek muscles slacken as her face goes all limp.
Snore...
"Man, she falls asleep fast."
Probably 'cause she's been burning so much energy lately. I look at my sister's sleeping face and start closing my eyes.
Bzzz—
My smartphone vibrates.
I don't even need to check who it is. I decide to reply diligently anyway.
[Onui Tycoon!]
[Sun-nim: Joo-hyun ora-beo-ni, good work today too.]
[Me: Yeah, thanks. But 'Joo-hyun ora-beo-ni' feels kinda cringy.]
[Sun-nim: Can't help it. Habits like that don't change overnight, you know?]
[Me: Fair enough. So you didn't message just to say good work, right?]
Moon-nim doesn't talk like that, but Sun-nim uses these weird words.
Ora-beo-ni.
Like some old-fashioned character, but then she throws in modern slang just fine.
Guess she's just committed to the concept.
[Sun-nim: That was part of it. Exchanging pleasantries is just polite, isn't it?]
[Me: Fine. So what's the rest? Yoon-seul's asleep next to me, so I don't wanna keep the screen on too long. Let's wrap this up quick.]
[Sun-nim: True enough. First off, congrats on your first Excellent Customer.]
[Me: Thanks. Honestly, I still don't really feel how much the restaurant satisfaction boosts our profits.]
This app Sun-nim and Moon-nim gave me, Onui Tycoon.
It lets me check customer satisfaction levels numerically for our Onui Restaurant.
Like Moon-nim explained last time.
[Moon-nim: The higher the satisfaction, the more likely they are to think of Onui Restaurant when they're hungry!]
But that's not something I can sense directly, so it felt kinda abstract.
[Sun-nim: Don't worry about that. That grandpa from this morning was pretty satisfied, so he'll be stopping by often from now on.]
[Me: If you say so, I believe you. But the bar for regulars is kinda high. Took a whole week for one Excellent Customer.]
[Sun-nim: That's why rUnnieng a business is tough. And it's only been a week since you opened—too early to be bummed about not having regulars yet, right?]
[Me: Yeah, you're right.]
If anything, it's amazing we're pulling in steady income after just a week.
Thanks to that, I'm even planning a day trip with Yoon-seul on our day off. If I didn't have some breathing room, I wouldn't dare.
[Sun-nim: Anyway, separately from that, something unexpected.]
[Me: What?]
[Sun-nim: Feels like you're not using the talent we gave Yoon-seul much.]
[Me: That 'Food Deity' one? The ability that brings in more customers when she eats?]
[Sun-nim: Yeah. If you kept feeding her restaurant food, you could draw even more customers.]
[Me: That's what was bugging you?]
[Sun-nim: Not bugging me, exactly, but.]
[Me: Really? You guys want customers coming fast and plenty, don't you?]
[Sun-nim: Well, sure.]
[Me: Sorry, but I have no plans to only feed her our menu. Stuffing my little sister with the same restaurant food every day just to lure customers? No thanks. She's my sister.]
I get where Sun-nim's coming from.
Keep feeding Yoon-seul stuff from the menu, and sales would definitely go up.
But aside from day one, I haven't.
I deliberately buy other ingredients from the mart and cook different things.
Every time, customers come in and say,
- Is that what she's eating on the menu? Looks delicious.
But no, I tell them.
She's my little sister, so I'm making family meals instead of restaurant food.
Reactions split two ways.
- Oh, boss must be a great cook? Guess I'll sit and check the menu.
- Ah... got it. See you next time.
Something like that.
So the 'Food Deity' effect doesn't vanish completely when Yoon-seul eats family food.
It's more like halved?
If I served her pork stir-fry or eggplant fritters like Sun-nim wants, she'd probably eat it without complaint.
But not every day. I don't want to draw customers that way.
Feeding my sister only restaurant food to rake in profits feels like treating her like a money-making machine.
Yoon-seul's family, not a tool to gather cash quick.
[Me: She's only five, you know? I want my sister to enjoy a variety of dishes. And it's not like family meals have zero effect. Just having her around is plenty.]
[Sun-nim: I see... If Joo-hyun ora-beo-ni says so, I have no objections. Can't force it anyway.]
More than anything, I can't stand the idea of using Yoon-seul.
I've been used by family before.
As a stress reliever, by my birth mom.
Of course, that's totally different. Hers was way worse. But the unease creeps in anyway, making one corner of my heart itch.
I'll cherish my family with everything I've got.
[Me: And you saw it too, right Sun-nim? Customer satisfaction's going up thanks to Yoon-seul.]
[Sun-nim: True. The app logs show it plenty.]
Just Yoon-seul's presence boosts satisfaction.
She can be shy, but if customers approach first or are friendly, she responds with shy chit-chat.
And that cuteness bumps up satisfaction often.
Today was a prime example.
What raised the grandpa's favor the most wasn't my food or the kindness of letting him in before opening.
It was Yoon-seul's final goodbye, inviting him back.
That pushed his satisfaction over 60, making him an Excellent Customer.
[Me: She's already contributing plenty to the restaurant. I'm grateful for it.]
[Sun-nim: Got it. I wasn't complaining or anything!]
[Me: In return, I'll think of better ways to use her talent.]
[Sun-nim: Looking forward to it.]
Alright, that seems settled for now.
Since Sun-nim messaged first, might as well ask about that thing.
[Me: So, can I ask something now? Been wondering for a while.]
[Sun-nim: What? About the app?]
[Me: Nah, about Yoon-seul.]
[Sun-nim: Huh? Yoon-seul? We don't know much we can tell you. You're with her every day, Joo-hyun ora-beo-ni. You know way more.]
[Me: Not that. Yoon-seul named our restaurant, right?]
[Sun-nim: Ah... yeah.]
Sudden typo?
[Me: Thinking back, the day we hung the sign, she saw your message and looked kinda upset.]
[Sun-nim: Oh dear, was there something like that?!!]
Reaction's getting intense. Suspicious.
[Me: So I wondered if you contacted her behind my back. Maybe manipulated her into naming it 'Onui Restaurant'? Seemed possible.]
[Sun-nim: No way... When would we even meet Yoon-seul? She's stuck to you every day, Joo-hyun ora-beo-ni.]
[Me: Like in her dreams? You guys could probably pull that off. She seems to have pretty wild dreams, so maybe.]
[Sun-nim: No way]
[Me: No way?]
[Sun-nim: Could be! I should check since ora-beo-ni called. Talk later.]
Click.
App crashed out.
"Denying it that hard is one thing, but reacting so obviously just screams guilty."
So nice or just naive?
It's ridiculous—I let out a hollow chuckle.
Wasn't planning to blame her.
Just curious, so I asked. Guess it hit a nerve.
"Uuuung..."
Yoon-seul, asleep beside me, lets out a little groan and shifts.
Was I too loud?
"Mmm, with Oppa... cherry blossoms."
"You only dream about me even in your sleep?"
Cherry blossoms.
We gotta go see them.
My sister's looking forward to it.
Gotta take a ton of pictures together.
With that thought, I drifted off.
But get this?
Our outing gave me ideas for new restaurant menu items too.