Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Recipe Refinements and Gym Partnership
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Lee Hyun-woo was intensely focused on the improvement work.
He made the snacks, evaluated the flavors, and noted down the pros and cons.
'He looks so cool.'
Watching Lee Hyun-woo so immersed in the task made him seem incredibly impressive.
His selfless dedication, rolling up his sleeves to help as if it were his own project, was dazzlingly cool and deeply appreciated.
'I'm truly grateful.'
A soft smile formed on Jin-seong's lips.
"Hyun-woo."
Lee Hyun-woo looked up from pulling kimchi rolls out with tongs.
A smile spread across his previously expressionless face, and kindness lit up his eyes.
"President. Good morning."
"Yes, good morning. You're incredibly passionate right from the morning?"
"When it's something good, of course I have to put in the effort. I have to be passionate and do my absolute best within my abilities."
"Ugh—!! Good, good!! You're the best!! Truly amazing!! It must be tough with your side job, but thank you so much for jumping in to help."
"Haha, no need. I'm the one who's grateful. Thank you for giving me the chance to be part of something good."
Jin-seong was covering all the costs for the space and research out of his own pocket. He'd asked for the optimal recipe, no matter how much it cost.
Lee Hyun-woo accepted the request without a moment's hesitation. He'd come to the studio at dawn and devoted the entire morning to the improvements.
'For a restaurant, taste is everything.'
The reason for these improvements was to achieve the absolute best flavor.
Honestly, even if Lee Hyun-woo made tteokbokki carelessly, it'd still taste great, and selling it with a rough recipe would get rave reviews. But no one could match tteokbokki optimized through refinements.
'If we're doing business, we might as well do it right.'
The reasons for helping his grandmother didn't matter.
The reasons for starting the business didn't matter.
Still, it was better if it succeeded big.
And to succeed, it had to be done properly.
"Want to taste it?"
"Sure."
The bright red tteokbokki bubbled vigorously.
The spicy aroma assaulted his nose, making his mouth water instinctively. He smacked his lips and picked up his chopsticks.
He shoveled it in.
"Whoa? It's too spicy!"
The heat was intense enough to bead sweat on his forehead.
It seemed spicier than the Yeop Tteok that A-young loved.
"Hoo, but it's deliciously spicy."
"Addictive, right?"
"Yeah, I can't stop eating it. It's got that addictive flavor."
"Koreans love spicy food so much, right? I thought it'd be good to have a spicy tteokbokki option too."
Next, he tried the fried items.
The handmade fritters were...
Crispy. Crunchy.
The crispiness was off the charts.
'Insane. Absolutely insane.'
The tteokbokki was delicious, but the fritters were twice as good.
The flavor was so excellent it brought a smile to his face involuntarily.
Finally, he tasted the fish cake soup.
"Ugh—!! This is really delicious."
The broth was mind-blowingly perfect.
Thumbs up.
He raised his thumb high.
"Any points for improvement?"
"Hmm— Uhmm— The tteokbokki... could be a bit more stimulating... The fritters... could feel a tad lighter... The fish cake soup is flawless."
"Got it?"
Lee Hyun-woo jotted down Jin-seong's feedback in his notebook.
"And we need our own competitive edge? Something unique? A concept? A signature feature?"
"Yes...?"
"Like, for example, our shop's strength could be great value. Or freshness. Or spiciness."
"Ah...?"
"If we establish our unique feature and tailor the improvements to it, wouldn't that create a huge competitive advantage?"
"Oh...? What competitive edge would you like to emphasize, President?"
"Value for money. Great taste, generous portions, reasonable prices."
"I'd like to go with delicious spiciness as our strength."
They talked for about an hour.
Starting with the snack bar, moving on to the Cook Hyun-woo channel.
Cook Hyun-woo channel.
Currently, Cook Hyun-woo had only 2,200 subscribers.
Growth was slower compared to Release World on YouTube.
But Jin-seong wasn't discouraged or negative.
'Though the growth is slow, Hyun-woo is bound to succeed. There are just too many positive factors.'
Lee Hyun-woo was a genius with both character and talent. He was incredibly diligent and steady.
Jin-seong had no doubt he'd achieve massive success eventually.
Favorability: 85
Inner Thoughts: Our president seems deeper and kinder than me, a truly good person.
Inner Thoughts: Exercise...? Once I have some leisure in life, I should hit the gym too. I want a great body.
He left the studio.
'Now to the gym for a workout.'
And have lunch with Ha-yeon in the gym office.
He arrived at the gym.
"Welcome. It's been a while."
It was unexpected. He'd thought Ha-yeon would greet him, but it was Park Man-bok.
"Hello? Long time no see. Where's Ha-yeon?"
"She stepped out for some work. She'll be back soon."
"Ah?"
Jin-seong observed Park Man-bok's complexion.
It was dark. His eyes were filled with worry and concern, and under them, exhaustion and stress.
He peeked into his inner thoughts.
Favorability: 99
Inner Thoughts: Sigh... Sleeping during the day and working at night is killing me... Haah... Customers keep dropping because of Kyungjin Gym...
Inner Thoughts: Because of me, Ha-yeon's suffering, even dropping out of school... I want to at least give her a salary, but I can't afford it...
Inner Thoughts: Should I close the gym...? But if I do, what will I live on...? No one's hiring an old guy like me...
Park Man-bok desperately craved the cigarettes he'd quit when Ha-yeon was born.
His mind was fatigued, stress overwhelming. His chest felt unbearably stuffy.
Jin-seong made a careful suggestion.
"President, have you ever thought about working with me?"
"...Work?"
"Yes. I'm planning to open a gym. Something big. Want to join me?"
Park Man-bok's stress stemmed from low income.
Solving the income issue would restore his peace of mind.
He planned to resolve it by partnering on the gym business.
"......"
Park Man-bok was flustered.
The unexpected offer caught him off guard, and hearing an ordinary office worker like Jin-seong talk about opening a large gym flustered him even more.
"I'm back... Dad? Piggy?"
They moved to the gym office. Sat on the sofa, sipped coffee, and talked.
"I'm thinking of opening in a prime location. Budget-wise, minimum 500 million won, up to a billion."
"Huh? Over 500 million?"
"I invested in stocks and got lucky with a huge win. Now I want to roll that into a gym."
"Impressive."
"Nah, pure luck. Anyway, I want to open a gym, and I have the funds secured, but there's one problem."
He tilted his head.
Problem?
"I don't have the time. I have the intent and the money, but no capacity to operate and manage it."
Jin-seong was busy. And he'd only get busier. No room for gym management.
"I'd love for you to handle operations, President. Of course, the pay will be generous. Base salary of 3 million won, plus incentives."
"Incentives...?"
"Yes. Thinking about 20% of net profits as incentives."
The 2013 minimum hourly wage was 4,860 won.
3 million won base was no small sum.
Plus 20% of net profits as incentives.
"No worries about it failing, at least. I'll run it as an employee welfare perk too."
YSP Entertainment would grow even larger. The gym would serve as staff welfare.
At Jin-seong's proposal,
"......"
Park Man-bok fell deep into thought.
"Piggy, you gonna hire me too?"
Park Ha-yeon glanced around cautiously before asking.
"If you want a job."
"How much pay?"
"How much do you want?"
"Around 2 million won?"
Park Ha-yeon figured she'd work for free if needed. She could earn via YouTube anyway.
And Park Man-bok thought:
Inner Thoughts: Base 3 million plus 20% incentives—honestly, base alone surpasses the gym's profits.
Inner Thoughts: Better than stressing over operations and wrecking my body with night shifts.
Inner Thoughts: Felt guilty for not paying Ha-yeon properly...
Park Man-bok snapped out of his reverie. He grabbed Jin-seong's hand.
"Thank you for the great offer. Looking forward to working with you."
"Great decision. I'm the one asking you."
"I'll work hard."
Park Man-bok felt his shoulders lighten, like dropping a 40kg sack of rice.
Favorability: max
Trust: 1
'Problem solved.'
The future father-in-law issue was settled.
He smiled contentedly.
Choi A-young woke up at 9 a.m.
She checked KakaoTalk first thing.
[Me: Oppa >_< Good morning!]
She checked Jin-seong's chat first and sent her morning greeting.
Click—!
Click—!
She lifted her pajama top to snap her chest. Pulled down her panties to snap her privates.
[Me: Enjoy A-young's body~]
[Me: Photo]
[Me: Photo]
[Me: Photo]
She hoped oppa would get excited seeing her body pics.
She wanted him wildly aroused, losing control, and jerking off.
'Time for workout.'
She took the heavily advertised comprehensive vitamins and omega-3s.
Found a nearby gym. Lately, Choi A-young had started working out for health and stamina building.
She worked out intensely, showered refreshingly, and had a simple breakfast of salad and tomatoes.
While eating, she checked KakaoTalk.
[Oppa♡: Fucking hot.]
[Oppa♡: Making me horny first thing in the morning.]
She smiled contentedly. Oppa’s reaction was immensely satisfying.
'Now... Practice LoL until right before stream... Stream in the evening... Meet oppa at dawn.'
Choi A-young's goal was rank 1.
As she sat in her chair to put on her headset,
Ding-dong—!
The doorbell rang.
'Who is it?'
She opened the door.
Doppelganger.
A woman stood there who reminded her of twin sisters.
Her breasts and hips were impressively larger than Choi A-young's.
"Baby!"
"Mom?!"
The woman's identity was her mother. They embraced joyfully.