Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Franchise Dreams
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Jin-seong was on his way home after company dinner—first round at Myeongnyunjinsa Galbi, second at a beer hall—having stopped by a bookstore to pick up some books.
He ran into Mi-yeon.
[Mental Recovery Potion 100/100]
Mi-yeon's mind had fully recovered. In fact, her mental fortitude now surpassed that of even the strongest-willed people.
She had changed. Her eyes sparkled with vitality, her face radiated ease, and a gentle warmth emanated from her presence.
"Where are you headed?"
"Just heading home after Pilates."
Mi-yeon enjoyed Pilates after work these days. She was also taking yoga classes every weekend morning.
Her body was improving by the day, gradually reclaiming the figure from her prime.
"And you, Bobmat-ssi?"
"Same here—buying books on my way home."
"Did you drink?"
"Yeah, a little. We had a company dinner to celebrate Halmae Tteok closing early."
"Closing early? Business must be booming!"
"You have no idea. It's doing so well it's almost scary. Like, can it really be this good?"
"Congrats! I'm so glad and relieved it's succeeding."
"Thanks."
They held hands as they walked.
"Eaten dinner?"
"No, not yet. I skipped it hoping to eat with you."
"You must be starving."
"Famished. Feels like my stomach's stuck to my back."
"Come on, let's eat. Dinner's on me."
"But didn't you already have dinner?"
"It's fine."
They found a street food stall.
Mi-yeon wanted booze and snacks at a pojangmacha. They ordered pojang u-dong, chicken feet, and rice balls.
Mi-yeon downed her soju.
"Honestly, lately... I feel like I'm the only one falling behind."
"Why?"
"The women you hang out with... Lilith-ssi, Yeon-i-ssi... They're all killing it these days, right?"
Lilith was averaging over 3,000 viewers, Lilith World had hit 250,000 subscribers, and Yeon-i Tube had reached 350,000.
"They're all so charismatic, showered with love and affection from tons of people, raking in the cash..."
In Mi-yeon's eyes, Choi A-young and Park Ha-yeon—charging toward success—looked incredibly cool and enviable.
On the flip side, she pitied herself. It felt like she was the only one not taking risks, the only one getting left behind.
"I... I want to muster the courage to try again. Like them, like you—I want to challenge myself and succeed."
Mi-yeon dreamed of becoming a great actress. She yearned for massive success, to live a dazzling life. She wanted to summon her courage once more and go for it.
"I'll help you."
"Thank you."
"I'm setting up a dedicated acting department soon. We're a new company with zero experience, so it'll be rough around the edges, but I'll support you as much as I can."
Mi-yeon was his woman. If his woman wanted to chase her dreams, he'd back her up in every way possible.
"You'll definitely make it."
"You really think I can succeed?"
"Yes. You'll make it."
Jin-seong was certain. He believed in her without a doubt. With Mi-yeon's talent plus his own abilities, success was inevitable.
"...Thank you."
Mi-yeon's eyes grew misty.
She was overwhelmed with gratitude toward Jin-seong—for believing in her talent, for wanting to help her.
"I'll work so hard. Really hard."
"Yeah. Give it everything. You can do it."
"Yes. I know I can."
"You got this. It's possible."
"Thank you for believing in me."
They filled their bellies.
"Um, I want to sleep together tonight."
"Sure. Let's."
"I'll grab my pillow."
He showered.
He lathered up generously with the blueberry-scented body wash she loved.
He stepped out of the bathroom.
Mi-yeon lay in bed, the blanket pulled up to her neck.
He lifted the blanket.
"Whoa?!"
Jin-seong couldn't help letting out an exclamation.
Mi-yeon was wearing a black bra and black T-panties.
"Th-this..."
Mi-yeon handed him something.
Her voice was soft with embarrassment, her gaze averted.
"Punish me♡"
What she handed him was an adult toy.
A spanking stick.
"...You want me to spank you?"
"Gently. Please."
"On your stomach."
Mi-yeon got on her knees. She raised her hips high.
Her eyes gleamed with strange anticipation, her face flushed with arousal.
He pulled down her panties.
"Turned on?"
"Hah... I don't know..."
"You're in heat."
Her panties were soaked. Her pussy and thighs were drenched. Her excited anus twitched greedily.
He swung the stick.
Slap-!
With the sharp crack, Mi-yeon shuddered violently. Waves of pain made her eyes roll back.
"Ah... it hurts..."
Drip. Drip. Drip.
She said it hurt, but her pussy juices were gushing out.
He checked his stock account.
He'd planned to reinvest 10 billion won and keep 2 billion for business funds, but he changed his mind and invested 12 billion.
He truly felt how capital begets more capital. Just a 160% rise had netted him nearly 7.3 billion won.
'20 billion won...'
His total assets had surpassed 20 billion.
Stock account: 19.2 billion won + regular account: 1.3 billion won = over 20.5 billion in cash.
Jin-seong-ssi, I'm off work. Where are you?
At home lol ^^
I'll drive over to your place.
Sure, waiting ^^
Anything you wanna eat?
How about baeksuk?
Ooh!! Sounds perfect!! Baeksuk it is!
He craved some nourishing food.
Lately, he'd been having so much sex that his body was wrecked. His energy, stamina, even his balls were utterly drained.
He was set to meet Yi Myeong-ho.
Yi Myeong-ho had something important to discuss, so they'd made plans. Jin-seong had plenty of his own concerns, so he'd agreed readily.
'The Seoul expansion... employee welfare... Mi-yeon... Halmae Tteok...'
He had so much to discuss.
He met Yi Myeong-ho. They found a spot serving nurungji baeksuk and ordered nurungji baeksuk with Fanta.
"YSP is entertainment, Halmae Tteok is food service—totally different industries, right? Once you've set a goal, shouldn't you focus solely on achieving it? Isn't spreading yourself too thin a problem? What do you think?"
"Hmm... In my view, when you lack capacity, you must focus on one thing. You get over 120% efficiency that way. But when you have capacity to spare, it's fine to diversify accordingly."
"......"
"For example, I've made a ton from stocks, so YSP has no funding pressure. And I'm good at reading people. If I delegate properly to capable staff, it works out."
"......"
"YSP runs smoothly without me. Same for Halmae Tteok. I've already built a system where I can hand off what needs handing off and focus on what I want."
The nurungji baeksuk arrived.
They talked over the meal.
"If I join your company, what role would I take? What would you have me do?"
Tasks for Yi Myeong-ho?
He hadn't thought about it yet.
"What do you want to do?"
"I'd love to turn Halmae Tteok into a nationwide franchise. Or sales—I'm confident there too."
"A Halmae Tteok franchise?"
He couldn't hide his surprise.
He'd started Halmae Tteok just to help out a simple grandma. Franchising had never crossed his mind.
"Halmae Tteok franchise..."
He trailed off, lost in thought. After mulling it over, he asked,
"Myeong-ho hyung. Do you think Halmae Tteok could go national as a franchise?"
"Absolutely. It has the taste, recognition, and edge over competitors. It's a bet worth making."
Jin-seong sank back into thought.
He questioned himself.
'Is Halmae Tteok delicious?'
YES.
'Does it have recognition?'
YES.
'Does it have competitive power?'
YES.
'Do I have the funds to franchise?'
YES.
And above all.
'Myeong-ho hyung is a cool-headed analyst. If he says it's viable, it is.'
'Myeong-ho hyung is a great guy. Competent enough to entrust with real work.'
He organized his thoughts. Reached a conclusion.
"Looking forward to working with you."
Jin-seong flashed a bright smile.
Yi Myeong-ho was on board. He'd gained a reliable elite.
[Favorability: 90]
[Inner Thoughts: Halmae Tteok is a snack bar born from good intentions. I want to make it the coolest franchise ever.]
[Inner Thoughts: I've made enough money. Now I want to do what I really love and live coolly.]
First round: nurungji baeksuk.
Second round: Tudari.
"Renting an office in Seoul is fine, but why not buy a building and use it as HQ?"
"Not a bad idea."
It was the era of ultra-low interest rates. Taking cheap loans to buy property wasn't half bad.
Run Halmae Tteok on the first floor, YSP Entertainment offices on the second, and turn the rest into YouTuber studios.
'For employee perks, add a gym, a swanky cafeteria, practice rooms for trainees...'
He'd head to Seoul soon.
His parents and Yu-seol came to visit.