God-Given Business Genius

From a young age, Ji Sang-woo had done it all. He prided himself on working hard without rest, taking on any job, no matter how difficult or unpleasant.

His diligence and uncomplaining work ethic caught the eye of several people who gave him good opportunities, allowing him to gradually move forward.

After bouncing from place to place, when he finally managed to save what could be called a “lump sum” of money,

He pondered what to do with it.

‘Stocks? But wouldn’t an uneducated person like me just end up losing money if I dabble in that?’

The voices of construction workers who talked about stocks every day echoed in his mind.

He used to inwardly scoff at their mood swings as they boasted about how much they made or lost in a day.

No. That didn’t seem like his path.

‘But just saving it in the bank, it’s just a drop in the bucket…’

The future looked uncertain. When would he be able to buy a house, a car, start a proper family, and have children?

‘I’m sick of working under someone anyway… Should I try starting a business?’

He had gathered enough money to start a small business. Ji Sang-woo recalled a rumor about one of his old classmates striking it rich with some business venture.

‘How about a mobile phone store? Everyone’s switching to smartphones these days.’

But there were already mobile phone stores on every corner. Was there some other business opportunity?

‘Something that people don’t know much about yet, hasn’t spread widely, but has potential and is somewhat stable…’

He was lost in such thoughts while walking one day.

‘Oh? A new shop opened here.’

A store suddenly caught his eye.

‘Shanghai Restaurant? A Chinese restaurant?’

It looked quite nice and clean. The prices seemed reasonable too.

‘Ah. Is this the one that chef made? Song Woo-yeon or something?’

He had seen her a few times while flipping through TV channels. He would often watch reruns of “Raid the Refrigerator” when there was nothing else to watch.

Of course, he hadn’t watched it regularly, and he wasn’t particularly interested in current affairs, so he didn’t know much. Still, it was somewhat exciting to encounter a familiar face.

‘She’s a businesswoman who runs various franchises, right?’

Maybe he should try it.

He had heard that things like Hapjae Soup and Snow Flower Bingsu were famous, but Ji Sang-woo had never tried them.

There was a large poster in the window promoting what seemed to be their signature dish, “Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon.”

Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon? He didn’t know what that was, but surely a Chinese restaurant would sell at least one plate of jajangmyeon.

Swish.

As he entered, the aroma of spicy stir-fried pork hit him.

‘Wow!’

Ji Sang-woo couldn’t help but exclaim. The stimulating scent made his mouth water.

As if entranced, Ji Sang-woo ordered, “One Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon, please.”

“Here’s your Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon~”

When the waiter brought the food,

Looking at the noodles glistening with chili oil, Ji Sang-woo inwardly shouted, ‘Eureka!’

‘This is it! The business opportunity I’ve been looking for!’

Slurp!

After finishing the entire bowl, Ji Sang-woo made up his mind once more. He immediately approached the manager standing at the counter.

“Oh, customer. Did you enjoy your meal? One Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon, right…?”

“Manager. How can I do this?”

“Pardon?”

Ji Sang-woo looked at the manager with burning eyes.

“How do I open a Shanghai Restaurant like this?”

That was Ji Sang-woo’s first step.

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‘Right. After that, thankfully, they kindly explained everything. They welcomed me, saying I’d be a fellow franchisee soon. They told me all about the preparation process, funding, and even the difficulties I’d face while running the business….’

Ji Sang-woo tried hard to avoid eye contact and pretended not to notice.

But no matter how much he tried not to pay attention, given who he was dealing with, he couldn’t help but fumble.

He felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck.

‘You didn’t tell me about this obstacle, Manager…!’

The greatest crisis in Ji Sang-woo’s life.

And that was…….

Song Woo-yeon standing right next to him, staring intently!

‘At first, I thought it was my imagination! There are so many prospective franchisees here. Why me out of all these people?’

Ji Sang-woo couldn’t understand at all. Was he particularly handsome or rich? There was nothing special about him, so why was she watching him learn the menu?

Unable to bear her blatant gaze any longer, Ji Sang-woo cautiously spoke up.

“Is there something on my face…?”

It was beyond comprehension otherwise.

“No, it’s not that.”

Song Woo-yeon smiled as if she had painted it on. Wow. It’s like watching TV. The thought flashed through Ji Sang-woo’s mind for a moment.

He never imagined there would come a day when he’d be face to face with someone he’d only seen through the TV screen.

“You’re very skilled. You have good dexterity.”

“……! Thank you!”

So that was it. Ji Sang-woo couldn’t control his rising smile and grinned broadly.

He could feel the curious gazes of other prospective franchisees around him.

They probably meant something like ‘How good is he to get that kind of praise?’ Some people started to increase their chopping speed as if to show off.

Whatever it was, as a future Shanghai Restaurant franchisee, it couldn’t hurt to make a good impression on Song Woo-yeon, the owner of the parent company.

“Um……. But there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes? Oh, yes!”

Ji Sang-woo straightened up, adopting a stance of utmost attention. It meant he was ready not to miss a single word from Song Woo-yeon.

But what followed was a rather unexpected question.

“Do you drink alcohol?”

“……? Oh, yes. I do.”

Was she inviting him out for a company dinner? Unable to understand her intention, Ji Sang-woo answered briefly.

“How much? A lot at once? You don’t drink often, do you?”

“Well, about once a week. About one bottle of soju……”

“Hmm.”

Song Woo-yeon’s expression was unreadable. She muttered softly, ‘That’s tricky……’ and then, without any explanation, continued:

“Don’t drink too much.”

“Pardon?”

“Alcohol is harmful in general, but it’s especially so for you, Ji Sang-woo-ssi.”

Ji Sang-woo was startled. He didn’t expect Song Woo-yeon to know his name.

“Your mother drinks a lot too, doesn’t she?”

“Huh!”

How did she know that?

The thought was clearly visible on Ji Sang-woo’s face. Song Woo-yeon smiled knowingly, as if she understood without him saying anything.

“Tell your mother not to drink either. And take her to the hospital, just in case. They say the liver is a silent organ, you know.”

Ji Sang-woo stammered, unable to continue.

What Song Woo-yeon was saying wasn’t much different from what a doctor might say during a health check-up, but there was an inexplicable certainty in her voice.

It made him feel as if he had met a mysterious fortune-teller or shaman.

He felt overwhelmed by those eyes that seemed to see right through him.

“I think I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’ll be going now, so don’t worry and just relax.”

Song Woo-yeon smiled gently and bowed slightly. Ji Sang-woo, feeling that he shouldn’t let her leave like this, raised his voice, risking rudeness.

“How, how did you know?”

“…….”

“Why suddenly talk about alcohol…. Do, do I look drunk right now?”

At Ji Sang-woo’s question, Song Woo-yeon’s face turned slightly bitter, but she soon replied as if it were no big deal.

“I can read faces a bit.”

“Pardon?”

It was such an absurd statement that Ji Sang-woo couldn’t help but ask again.

“It’s true. I’m exceptionally good at reading faces. And your face, Ji Sang-woo-ssi, shows that alcohol will twist your fate. I wanted to warn you in advance.”

Even though it was an outlandish story, coming from a businesswoman of this scale, it somehow sounded credible.

“Well, I’ll be going then.”

Song Woo-yeon left behind these unsettling words and vanished abruptly. Watching her retreating back, Ji Sang-woo couldn’t help but let out a bewildered laugh.

“Huh.”

Face reading? Who believes in such things?

How could a businesswoman believe in such superstitions? Ji Sang-woo thought, but then he unconsciously clicked his tongue.

‘Come to think of it, every business she touches seems to be incredibly successful. Does she have some sort of special power?’

He had thought there was something unusual about her eyes. As that thought occurred to him, one of the things Song Woo-yeon had said stuck in his mind.

‘…I should take mother to the hospital.’

With that resolution, Ji Sang-woo started to move his hands busily again.

Prospective franchisees had a lot to learn, and the training program was so busy that there was not a moment’s rest.

So much so that it was difficult for Ji Sang-woo to think deeply about Song Woo-yeon.

Every day, he would come out at dawn and stay until late at night, learning various menus, memorizing manuals, and studying how the direct stores operated.

Then, around the time the head office informed him that they had found a suitable location for him to open his store.

“……Liver cancer?”

Ji Sang-woo heard this thunderbolt of news at the hospital where he had taken his mother.

His hands were trembling, but the doctor continued in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Yes. We’ll have to wait for the biopsy results, but the shape doesn’t look good… You should prepare yourself mentally. But to give you some hope, you’ve discovered it relatively early, which is very fortunate. The size isn’t large, and it hasn’t spread to the surrounding areas yet……”

The doctor’s words gradually scattered and shattered.

After being dazed for a while, when he came to his senses, he found hope.

They said that since it was discovered early, with proper treatment, barring any major complications, the survival rate was quite high.

More than anything else, thoughts of Song Woo-yeon came to Ji Sang-woo’s mind first.

‘Thanks to her, my mother might be able to live.’

If it weren’t for her, it would have been discovered much later, and by then, it might have been too late to do anything.

Ji Sang-woo closed his eyes tightly and prayed, whether to Song Woo-yeon or to God.

‘Thank you. Thank you so much…!’

And he made a vow.

‘As you advised, I will never touch alcohol again!’

At this moment, Ji Sang-woo thought that not only his mother’s life but also his own had been saved.

‘I’ll consider this a God-given opportunity and live more diligently to help others from now on……!’