Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Halmae Tteok's Grand Opening
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Yoo Jin-seong stood at the counter.
The door opened. Two women in their early twenties walked in.
"Welcome."
Jin-seong flashed a kind smile. He greeted the customers in a bright tone.
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Did you just open today?"
"Can we get some tteokbokki?"
"Hello. Yes, we opened today. We're open for business. You can eat here."
The customers sat at a four-person table. They picked up the menus.
"What level spice you want?"
"Level 2. Regular spice."
"Won't it be too spicy?"
"Feels just right?"
"Yeah, let's go with level 2."
"Add cheese?"
"Obviously."
"Fried stuff too?"
"Yeah, good idea. Let's get kimchi rolls."
"Squid tempura too."
"Whoa, I love squid tempura."
They discussed for a good while.
Inner Thoughts: Wish they had a fried assortment platter. Selling them individually feels kinda pricey.
Inner Thoughts: No Coolpis? Every street food joint needs Coolpis. A tteokbokki spot without Coolpis is like steamed buns without red bean paste.
Inner Thoughts: So hungry. Hope it tastes good. Really hope it does. Also, the boss is seriously hot. Totally my type.
Inner Thoughts: No personal aprons...? Gotta ask the boss later. Hate getting sauce on my clothes.
Jin-seong jotted down "fried assortment" and "Coolpis" on a small notepad.
"Hyun-woo."
"Yes, boss."
"Sorry to ask, but could you grab some personal aprons?"
"Oh...! I totally forgot to buy them."
Lee Hyun-woo rushed out of the shop to buy aprons.
"Boss, we're ready to order."
"Sure thing. One sec."
Jin-seong approached the table.
"Tteokbokki level 2 with extra cheese, please. Kimchi rolls, squid tempura, hot pepper tempura, grandma's kimbap, and fish cake soup."
"Got it."
Inner Thoughts: Such a hassle. Better if there was a checkbox order sheet instead of ordering verbally.
"Do you have personal aprons by any chance?"
"Just sent someone to get them. They'll be back before the tteokbokki's ready. Haha, it's our first day open, so we're still ironing out the kinks."
Inner Thoughts: Boss's smile is so kind and handsome. He smells like nice cologne too.
He headed to the kitchen.
"Grandma, order up. Tteokbokki level 2 with extra cheese, kimchi rolls, squid tempura, hot pepper tempura, grandma's kimbap, fish cake soup."
"Yes. Got it, dearie."
He picked up the notepad. Jotted down "order checkbox sheets."
Inner Thoughts: Could use a bit less sugar... But boss insists on the recipe exactly... Gotta stick to the recipe...
Inner Thoughts: If orders pile up, might forget... Could use a notepad...
He also noted "notepads."
'But...'
He glanced at the customers.
They thought he was handsome. Said his smile was kind, that he smelled nice.
'Feels damn good.'
The corners of Jin-seong's mouth lifted.
The opposite sex showing interest in him?!
He truly felt the gap between past and present.
'However...'
These customers weren't his type at all. They registered as people, not as women.
That said, they weren't ugly. Pretty cute, actually. Probably popular.
But thanks to Ha-yeon, A-young, and Mi-yeon, Jin-seong's standards had skyrocketed. They just didn't register as romantic interests.
"Your aprons."
He handed aprons to the customers.
The food was ready.
With veggies, sauces, and fried items prepped ahead, it came together fast.
"Here's your order. Enjoy! Oh, and Fanta's on the house."
"No Coolpis?"
"Really sorry. We'll stock it soon."
"Thanks for the service. Cheers!"
He set the food on the table.
Steam rose gently.
The delicious aroma teased their noses.
"Whoa! Looks so good."
"Smells amazing."
"Thanks for the meal."
"Dig in!"
Inner Thoughts: Whoa, tteokbokki smells insane. Fried stuff too.
Inner Thoughts: Visuals are killer. Especially the fried stuff—nuts.
The customers' reactions were solid.
They snapped photos with their phones.
"Whoa! This tteokbokki is so good! Totally insane!"
"Holy crap. Try the squid tempura. So good."
"Dipping the kimbap in tteokbokki broth is next-level."
"Fish cake soup's good too. Really? Dipping kimbap in broth works?"
Inner Thoughts: Like the best of Yeol Tteok and Shin Tteok mixed... Tteokbokki's totally my style.
Inner Thoughts: The tempura... squid tempura is unreal. No fishy smell, super crispy yet chewy and tender.
Inner Thoughts: Real deal spot. Absolutely fire.
Inner Thoughts: So good. Love it.
He smiled warmly. Their reactions weren't just positive—they were explosive. His mood soared.
"Bill, please."
"Enjoyed it?"
"Yes. It was amazing. The best."
"Boss, you can't cook like this!"
"Tteokbokki was perfect for me. I'm a regular now. Be seeing you often."
"Coming back tomorrow."
Outstanding response.
"Thank you so much. Come again. Tons of service next time."
He rang up the first sale.
'Hmm, need frontline staff. Grandma can't cook and serve solo—that's too much.'
'Gotta stock Coolpis. Broth, pickled radish, kimchi, sesame seeds as self-serve.'
'No precutting fried items. Provide scissors and tongs for customers to cut themselves.'
Tons of improvements needed.
First time running a shop, so gaps were inevitable.
"Hyun-woo, can we make the kimchi rolls 1.5 times bigger?"
"Pardon? Oh, yes. Possible."
"Good. Let's upsize the fried items and switch to customers cutting their own."
"Why not add a 'King Size Kimchi Roll' menu? Regular for regular fans, king size for those who want big."
"Oh? Nice idea."
"And cut/no-cut options? We cut if they want, whole if not."
"Sounds good."
"Whole squid tempura menu too. Sell as cut or whole squid."
Ideas kept flowing.
"Minimum 2 staff, max 3 seems right."
2 if slow, 3 if busy.
"Boss, interested in delivery?"
"Delivery?"
Delivery tteokbokki?
'Not a bad idea.'
He'd look into delivery.
"Delivery app users are booming these days. Register?"
"Good call."
He messaged Hong Jae-gu for help with job ads. Time to hire for Halmae Tteok.
"Grandma, you holding up okay?"
"Yes, just fine, dearie. So happy."
"Not too tough?"
"Tough is fine. Happy. Gotta work hard, buy my granddaughter treats, send her to college."
Grandma smiled happily.
Too old for restaurant work, she'd scavenged trash. Now a proper job gave her hope.
"Thank you, dearie."
"No, thank you. Keep it up. Good days ahead."
"Yes. Will do. Good days already here, thanks to you, boss."
Opened at 10 AM, first sale by 10:20.
By 11 AM, customers trickled in—soon packed.
Opening buzz plus prime location.
A middle-aged man entered.
"Welcome!"
"Do you do takeout?"
"Yes, of course. Takeout available."
"What's good?"
"Tteokbokki with cheese is great, and squid tempura's killer."
"Spice levels—what's safe?"
"Level 1 for me, level 2 and up is spicy."
"Five level 1 tteokbokki with cheese, ten kimchi rolls, ten squid tempura. And..."
Whale customer.
Took the order, rang it up.
Glanced at the kitchen.
'Busy.'
Grandma and Hyun-woo in Halmae Tteok uniforms focused on cooking.
So hectic, sweat beaded on their foreheads.
Jin-seong was swamped too.
Taking orders, serving, wiping tables. Emptied trash, tidied up between rushes.
"Jin-seong."
"Myung-ho hyung?"
"Congrats on the opening."
"Thanks."
"Whoa, business is booming."
"Have a seat."
"Oops, came at a busy time without thinking."
"Nah, you're always welcome."
Lee Myung-ho dropped by to celebrate.
"Whoa! Not big on tteokbokki, but this hits different? Perfect for me."
"Thanks."
"Tteokbokki's great, but squid tempura and fish cake soup are insane. So good."
"Eat up."
Lee Myung-ho led the way: YSP Enter staff, old coworkers, Mi-yeon, Park Man-bok couple all visited.
All shocked at the booming business.
Blown away by the top-tier taste again.
"Boss, better than chain tteokbokki by a mile."
"This'll blow up. Seriously the best."
"Boss, takeout please. Ha-yeon'll love it."
Workout done.
[Virility Increase Pill x10]
Bought and popped the item.
Now +1.75 ejaculations per 24 hours.
'Hm?'
He checked his phone. Jin-seong couldn't hide his puzzlement.
[Missed Calls]
[Lee Hyun-woo x3]
[PD Bae Min-seong x3]
[Hong Jae-gu x2]
[Choi A-young x1]
Calls from staff.
"Yeah, Hyun-woo. What's up?"
- Boss, big trouble.
Trouble? What kind?
He tensed up instantly.
- Huge hit.
"...?"
Thankfully, good trouble.
- Check my YouTube.
- So sorry, but too busy with customers. Gotta go.
Checked YouTube right away.
[Views: 250,570]
"...?"
What kind of video was this?
ㅠㅠㅠ So touching watching this. Hope Grandma, Cook Hyun-woo, and boss all succeed.
Good people meeting good people doing good things. Heartwarming vid after so long.
Love tteokbokki—heading there soon.
Hey, my neighborhood. Gotta try it.
Cook Hyun-woo looks great and has a great heart. Subbed and liked. New fan.
He searched for Halmae Tteok.
"Gasp?!"
Jin-seong panicked.
Swarming.
A long line of customers snaked out.