NOVEL NEXT 105
Bong Kang-min was slightly surprised to see a familiar face at the end of his gaze following the pointing finger. Why are you there?
‘I thought I couldn’t show you a good sight after inviting you…’
He hadn’t expected Song Woo-yeon to be involved in this commotion. Although he wasn’t sure, it seemed this troublesome customer had found some fault with her.
People’s attention turned to Song Woo-yeon. Perhaps because she had started to become well-known, murmurs could be heard with everyone adding their own comments.
“Oh? Isn’t that person…? From Cold Cooking…”
“I think so. There was a big fuss recently. On Master Chef Showdown 2.”
“With Oh Ga-eul?”
The murmuring spread by word of mouth and grew louder. Even those who initially didn’t know who Song Woo-yeon was began to show interest, saying things like “Oh, really? Is she famous?”
And then another public opinion joined in.
“What’s this? Special treatment because they’re friends?”
“Unbelievable.”
Such dissatisfied comments began to pop up here and there.
‘Oh no.’
Bong Kang-min didn’t want to push an additional burden onto his junior chef, who had already suffered for a while from being involved in several controversies.
The media bombardment towards Song Woo-yeon when she got entangled with Oh Ga-eul had been so severe. They even went to the school Song Woo-yeon had attended, demanding to see her school records.
They even sought out someone claiming to be her homeroom teacher to ask what impression they had of her, and published huge interviews with neighborhood residents just because they lived in the same apartment complex.
Interviews with neighborhood residents who said things like, ‘She always looked tired. She was so skinny, it was pitiful. How should I put it? An expression unlike a child? That’s why she caught my eye a bit…’
He still couldn’t forget the comments under those articles.
She must have grown up fast because she didn’t receive parental love from a young age, she must have become obsessed with money because she lived in poverty…
Without even knowing the real Song Woo-yeon.
Like blind men feeling an elephant and each loudly proclaiming what kind of animal it is. They were arbitrarily judging who the real Song Woo-yeon was based on fragmented pieces of her.
No, they probably weren’t even curious about the real Song Woo-yeon. They just needed a punching bag.
‘Public opinion did completely flip when the revelations about Oh Ga-eul came out.’
Bong Kang-min couldn’t even begin to fathom how much Song Woo-yeon must have suffered emotionally until then.
He too had heard many harsh words when he first entered the broadcasting world.
Comments like he was obsessed with being on TV instead of cooking like a chef should, that he was too loud and annoying. He had even heard to his face that people change the channel as soon as he appears.
Bong Kang-min hoped that if possible, Song Woo-yeon wouldn’t receive the same wounds he had.
For that to happen, this incident needed to be handled as well as possible.
Bong Kang-min inwardly resolved to somehow block the attention going to Song Woo-yeon, or at least prevent her from getting involved in this petty argument.
Just as he was about to step between Song Woo-yeon and the customer and open his mouth.
“Sir, if there’s anything unsatisfactory, please tell me, the owner…”
“Oh, is that so?”
Whether she knew of Bong Kang-min’s efforts or not, Song Woo-yeon cut in with a gentle smile.
‘Woo-yeon-ah! What are you doing cutting in here?!’
Bong Kang-min widened his eyes, trying to convey a message through his gaze. Even in ordinary restaurants, it’s difficult to deal with troublemakers who come with clear intentions.
Let alone in a restaurant like this?
Without considerable guts, one wouldn’t even think of causing a disturbance in such an expensive and elegant restaurant. In other words, this person was likely someone who came with a firm resolve.
Even Bong Kang-min, with his extensive experience, would break out in a cold sweat after dealing with someone who smelled so strongly of being a professional troublemaker.
‘This isn’t someone you should be dealing with.’
Although she was rumored to have impressive business acumen and owned several franchises.
Researching food and maximizing profits through number games… isn’t that the complete opposite of customer service?
Without a clear establishment of one’s own, such skills are bound to be somewhat lacking.
But despite surely noticing Bong Kang-min’s warning, Song Woo-yeon paid no heed. Instead, she grinned at him and gave a meaningful look.
“It seems there’s been some misunderstanding…”
“What misunderstanding!”
“I think you might be mistaken about the order of arrival.”
Song Woo-yeon wore a picture-perfect smile. Her voice was so clear that despite not seeming to speak very loudly, it was distinctly audible.
“W-what?!”
“Well, you seemed displeased throughout the meal that my course dishes were coming out first. But although I stepped away for a moment in between, I actually arrived before you did.”
At this clear and concise answer, the customer seemed at a loss for words and clamped his mouth shut for a moment.
“I’m not exactly a celebrity, but in any case, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t think I was receiving special treatment.”
“……”
The customer glared silently.
Then, as if changing tactics, he began grumbling in a different way.
“Well, how was I supposed to know? You came in after I did, so I thought you arrived later! Would it have killed you to say something? Geez, no sense at all.”
“You’re right. I really wanted to tell you, since you kept complaining loudly enough for everyone to hear.”
Song Woo-yeon retorted without backing down.
“You kept muttering to yourself without formally complaining to me or the staff. I had a hard time holding back from saying something too. Haha.”
Her tone was as if she were chatting with a close friend. The kind of tone that makes only the angry person look foolish.
It felt like about three spoonfuls of non-verbal expression saying, “Why are you getting so worked up over such a trivial matter?” had been added.
“You came here to enjoy a nice meal, it would be a shame to ruin it like this. I’ll apologize on their behalf, so please let it go. Okay?”
At her slightly playful tone, the people around let out small laughs.
What smooth talking. Bong Kang-min was dumbfounded.
Wait, hadn’t the situation been almost completely resolved without him even stepping in? The other customers who had been disturbed during their meals were now watching with sparkling eyes as if they had found an interesting spectacle.
With just a few words from Song Woo-yeon, everyone had realized that this customer was being unreasonable.
‘The skill of clearly explaining the complaint while soothing and placating without hurting feelings. How does this young one know this?’
It was truly a mystery. Even grown adults often fail to respond calmly in their efforts to protect their pride.
Not to mention young people still in their prime. Yet at that age, to be capable of such a skillful response?
Bong Kang-min felt almost bewitched.
As the atmosphere around them softened, even the customer who had been showing sharp and aggressive reactions as if about to explode at any moment deflated somewhat.
After carefully gauging the reactions around him, a look of dismay crossed his face as if he sensed his plan had gone quite awry.
“Come now, please sit down. They said they’d bring new wine and food, right? Chef?”
As she said this, Song Woo-yeon gave a subtle glance to Bong Kang-min. A quick-witted waiter immediately headed to the kitchen to fetch new dishes.
“Huh?”
Before the customer could offer any more rebuttals, Song Woo-yeon clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to herself.
“To all the guests who have come to
As she bowed deeply, people applauded somewhat reflexively. Song Woo-yeon naturally responded with a “Yes, thank you.”
“Some of you may know me, and some may not. To introduce myself, I’m a chef… well, that might be presumptuous. I’d say I’m a researcher who studies various cuisines.”
Her bright smile completely captured everyone’s attention.
Now the customer who had been causing a disturbance was completely sidelined.
“Once again, I’d like to thank Chef Bong Kang-min for inviting me here.”
“Ah, y-yes.”
“We had a bit of a commotion just now. Unfortunately, it was because I had stepped out to the restroom.”
As she gave a humorous smile, several people let out small laughs.
“I’d like to apologize for any misunderstanding that arose because of this.”
She bowed deeply, offering a sincere apology.
“Would it be right for me to just cause a disturbance and leave empty-handed?”
The customers’ eyes sparkled as they caught the nuance in her words.
“If Chef Bong allows, I’d like to specially prepare a light after-meal refreshment for all~ the guests here! After you’ve finished your dessert!”
“Wooow!”
“For free?”
“Wooooow!”
As the cheers grew louder, Song Woo-yeon nodded with satisfaction.
“Is that alright, Chef Bong?”
At her winking gesture, Bong Kang-min couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
‘Not only did she instantly revive the chilled atmosphere, but she’s even passing the credit to me, the owner?’
By deliberately asking for “permission” from Bong Kang-min, the owner, in front of everyone, Song Woo-yeon had shifted the provider of this service from herself to Bong Kang-min.
If she had unilaterally declared she would provide the service and taken all the spotlight, it might have been unpleasant for Bong Kang-min as the owner.
But with this clever device, Bong Kang-min could save face and even show off a bit.
‘Is this even possible?’
He had been certain that her customer service skills would be lacking, but now it seemed this too was completely professional level.
Of course, this was possible because Song Woo-yeon was visibly young and a somewhat well-known broadcast personality.
If she had been a ‘chef’ with real experience, Bong Kang-min might have felt a bit uncomfortable. But hadn’t Song Woo-yeon always insisted that she wasn’t a ‘chef’?
Thanks to that exquisite positioning, Bong Kang-min could nod with pleasure.
“Okay~!”
“Thank you, Chef Bong!”
Song Woo-yeon bowed to Bong Kang-min one last time, then headed towards the kitchen saying she’d be back later to explain the menu.
Watching her retreating figure, Bong Kang-min felt a small shiver.
‘Professional-level customer service, ability to develop unique and delicious new menus, skilled business acumen… quick-witted and sensible too. And good-looking.’
No matter how he thought about it, this was a businessperson who couldn’t fail. He had truly never seen anyone like her in his life.
As his thoughts reached this point, a word naturally came to Bong Kang-min’s mind.
‘A genius.’
Yes, in Bong Kang-min’s eyes, Song Woo-yeon was,
‘A business genius.’
She was truly a one-of-a-kind business genius.