God-Given Business Genius

“Oh my! This is so delicious~”

Seeing the guest look at me with wide eyes, I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

“Haha. Thank you.”

“What’s the recipe? I didn’t expect much since it was prepared suddenly… but it’s much tastier than I thought.”

It’s not like I knew this would happen when I came here. Of course, I only started thinking about what to make after I entered the kitchen.

But I’ve experienced situations like this countless times on Cold Cooking. And improvisation is my specialty.

‘I had memorized all the ingredients from tasting the course dishes. Thinking about that, coming up with something to make was quick.’

The pumpkin used as a garnish for the main dish, and the appetizer that was simmered with cinnamon powder to a sweet taste.

Considering that many places serve ice cream for dessert, there couldn’t be a better choice than pumpkin compote ice cream.

“Ah~ This is a trade secret. I’m only telling you this here.”

Since the serving was almost done and I was in the middle of going around greeting customers, I had enough time to explain the recipe.

As I spoke with a slightly cheeky tone, I could sense the other customers around pricking up their ears.

“Peel and finely chop the pumpkin, then add plenty of sugar and honey. Simmer it with ginger, and when it’s almost done, mix in some cinnamon powder.”

“Oh~”

“Then place ice cream next to the pumpkin compote, add some elegant decorations, and you’re done. How about that? Easy, right?”

“You’re right. It seems simple enough to try making at home?”

“It’s really delicious when made at home too~ You should definitely try making it.”

As I responded with a bright smile, the customer’s eyes began to sparkle, seemingly pleased with my friendly demeanor.

“My goodness. You seem even more capable than I saw on TV. So, do you have a boyfriend? If not, I’d like to introduce you to my son~”

“Ahaha…. You probably shouldn’t.”

“Why not? You’d be perfect as our daughter-in-law.”

Only an amateur would be flustered or surprised by such comments from a customer. I responded without letting my expression falter.

“What if I get along better with you than your son~? Won’t he be jealous?”

“Oh? Hahaha! You’re right~ That wouldn’t do, ahahaha.”

The customer laughed brightly and exchanged glances with her companions. Phew. Got past another one today.

“Well then, enjoy your meal~”

After bowing politely, I had finished greeting most of the tables.

Except for one.

The solo table where the troublesome customer from earlier was quietly picking at his plate.

I approached him without hesitation.

I could sense him flinching slightly as he noticed my presence. All his earlier bravado had vanished, and he seemed to be only thinking about when to get up and leave.

“How is it? Does the dessert suit your taste?”

“……”

I approached with a smile, but there was no response. Well, that was expected.

But as they say, give your enemy rice cake. This small act of kindness could potentially transform this person into another regular customer.

Of course, if he’s the type who deliberately causes trouble at restaurants, this level of effort probably won’t reform him.

Most complaining customers often calm down and let things slide if you just bow your head and provide good service. It’s a habit ingrained from that, I suppose.

As I watched the customer silently shoving the dessert into his mouth, I didn’t forget to offer one last kind word.

“Enjoy your meal, and have a good day. Happy New Year.”

I bowed and turned away.

Then I returned to the kitchen, plated the remaining pumpkin compote, and beautifully decorated it with ice cream.

“Here you go.”

As I handed it to the waiter in front of me, he asked with a puzzled expression.

“But all the serving is already done?”

“Exactly.”

I continued speaking while looking at his shirt, which still had clear wine stains.

“I meant for you to have this while taking a short break.”

“……!”

His eyes widened, as if this was something he hadn’t expected at all.

But I had this in mind from the moment I started making the dessert.

Managing employees’ mental health is just as important as managing difficult customers.

“Chef Bong. Is this alright?”

“Yeah. I told you to go home early today.”

As Bong Kang-min approached, the waiter waved his hands.

“Ah, no. It’s not like I’m injured or anything. I can’t serve because of my clothes, but I can still help with cleaning up in the back.”

He probably couldn’t leave easily, knowing that if he left, others would have to take on his share of the work.

Even so, taking a short break to eat something sweet and lift his mood could somewhat lessen the reality check that would hit after work.

“Eat up. The ice cream will melt if you wait longer~”

“That’s right. Chef Song put in the effort to make this for you. Go eat it slowly and take a good rest in the back!”

Urged by both Bong Kang-min and me, the waiter hesitated for a moment before accepting the plate with thanks.

His eyes were slightly red, as if he might be on the verge of tears. Right. How often does one get wine spilled on them in life?

It left a bitter taste in my mouth, thinking what a terrible thing to do to someone else’s precious child.

After the employee walked away, Bong Kang-min spoke to me.

“Wow. Woo-yeon-ah, your dessert was delicious?”

“When did you taste it? I don’t remember preparing a portion for you, Chef Bong.”

“How could I not eat something in my own kitchen? You too, man. Couldn’t you have set aside a plate for me before I went to get some myself?”

“Ah, I was planning to give you some after taking care of this person. Just wait a bit.”

It’s true.

Some might think I should have prioritized Bong Kang-min, the restaurant owner, but for me, this was the priority.

Bong Kang-min didn’t seem to be reproaching me for it either. Rather, he casually replied, “Oh, is that so? I should have waited then.”

“Taking care of my employee too, I’m even more grateful. I thought you were more of a cold businessperson type. Now I see you have a warm side too?”

“Haha. It’s not because I’m kind.”

From experience, there’s no benefit in pushing and abusing employees.

You might feel good saving on labor costs and welfare expenses for a moment. But when employees get exhausted, it eventually leads to a drop in service quality, and things start to go wrong in small ways.

It means losing something bigger while being stingy with this small amount of money.

“This is actually the cheapest way. Rather.”

I wonder if this sounds too cold-hearted. But this is the right direction both as human to human and as a businessperson.

Sometimes people mistakenly think that welfare and profit are in opposite directions. But in the long run, that’s just cutting into your own flesh.

Overworking employees causes problems with the company’s reputation, negatively affecting talent acquisition, and as you lose good talent, the company gradually declines.

“Hooh. Is that so? Now that I hear it, it does sound right.”

Bong Kang-min nodded, then apologized to me with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“By the way, I’m sorry, Woo-yeon-ah. You took time out of your busy schedule to come here on a good day, and you got caught up in this. I even made you work in the kitchen. I really have no excuse, even with ten mouths.”

“Ah~ It’s nothing. It was so much fun cooking directly in a restaurant after so long. If anything, I feel sorry for causing a commotion because of a misunderstanding.”

“What! Don’t worry about that at all. Your skill in handling customers was excellent. Do you get a lot of people like that at your place?”

“Quite a few.”

I answered with a slight smile.

“Blogs are popular these days, right? People claiming to be power bloggers asking for free food is just the basics… There are so many people trying to charge money for each post.”

“Yeah~! That’s right. I hear that Naver blog thing is quite lucrative these days?”

“Don’t even mention it. There are even people who just show up unannounced, insisting they’ll advertise on their blog.”

“Geez. There really are all sorts of strange people in the world.”

Bong Kang-min clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Anyway, please comfort your employee well, and I’ll take my leave now. If I stay any longer, I feel like I might have to hold a fan signing event here.”

“Yeah, alright. You must be tired, leave the cleanup to me.”

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you then.”

I was about to leave through the back door with a smile and a greeting when I heard Bong Kang-min calling from behind.

“Woo-yeon-ah!”

“Yes?”

As I turned around, I saw Bong Kang-min, who seemed to have run over, catching his breath. In his hand was… a wine bottle?

“Here, take this.”

“This is……”

“It’s an expensive one. We ended up spending the day busily, but today’s the last day of the year, isn’t it? We should commemorate it somehow.”

Bong Kang-min insisted as he placed the wine in my hand despite my attempts to refuse.

“Make sure to drink it while watching the clock turn to January 1st! Got it?! Don’t let it go to waste by bringing it to our gathering later!”

Understanding the warm feelings behind his words, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I will. Thank you.”

“Alright. Take care!”

Bong Kang-min hurriedly said goodbye and turned around at the sound of someone calling him from inside.

Thud.

As the door closed, I slowly turned around. The bottle of wine Bong Kang-min had given me weighed down one hand.

“It’s strange……”

Before my regression, how did I spend this time of year? I probably worked or caught up on sleep alone.

‘It was rare for me to even acknowledge the end of the year. I was so obsessed with business that I was busy regardless of weekdays, weekends, night, or day.’

Thinking about it that way, I was glad for the changes from the past.

I walked with a lighter heart. Even though the night air was cold against my cheeks, I didn’t feel cold at all.

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“Ah, everyone’s working hard from the new year~”

“Not at all!”

“Hello!”

“Yes, yes. Nice to meet you.”

I tapped the microphone for a sound check and adjusted it.

“Well… First, my name is Song Woo-yeon. I’d like to welcome all of you who are participating in the new franchisee training program conducted by our .”

As I bowed, applause erupted from here and there. This is quite embarrassing.

“It’s been a while since I’ve personally visited a training facility like this. Why? Because when I come, everyone seems to feel a bit burdened.”

“Ahahahaha.”

Everyone laughed off my joke. Sounds like a joke? It’s true.

“So I’ve been trying to refrain from attending as much as possible. But you happened to hit that rare probability, so you’re quite unlucky. You can think of it as warding off bad luck before opening your business.”

As I spoke, I quickly scanned the franchisees.

‘Ah. Found him.’

A familiar face appeared among the franchisees. I simply can’t forget that person.

‘We meet again.’

I greeted him silently in my heart.

The reason I made a rare personal appearance here was right here.

Ji Sang-woo.

To meet that man.

‘I was shocked when I saw the name on the franchisee list.’

Because…… before my regression, Ji Sang-woo left an unforgettable, very strong impression on me.