God-Given Business Genius

“Wow~!”

Park Sang-won’s mouth fell open.

“It’s so flashy and grand!”

“It’s like three times? Four times? At least that much bigger than our previous office!”

Yang Ji-a added excitedly.

Everyone seems to like the new office. I also smiled contentedly as I scanned the office.

It was clean, close to our direct stores, and now looked like a proper company.

“This is where we’ll be working from now on. You might have been surprised by the sudden office relocation, but as you know, our workload keeps increasing while we’re short on staff. We had to move offices quickly.”

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone chimed in.

“I approve. Approve!”

“That’s right. We were in the middle of interviewing new hires too.”

“Haha. If we hadn’t moved quickly, the new hires would’ve had to work without desks.”

We can’t have that happen.

Fortunately, we were able to relocate the office at just the right time.

“From now on, our staff will increase significantly. Team Leader Jo and Team Leader Roh will consistently take care of this. Especially you, Team Leader Jo, you’ve been working almost alone until now.”

He was a team leader in name only, without any team members. Of course, as a small company without much division of labor, everyone helped each other.

“This time, let’s properly build your team.”

“Yes, understood.”

That should lighten Jo I-ruk’s load a bit. It’ll also make managing the increasing number of franchises easier.

“Well then, everyone start unpacking your things.”

“Yes~!”

I had come early last night and already organized my desk, so I didn’t have anything to unpack.

I was thinking I should review the reports that had come in when…

Murmur, murmur.

“Hmm?”

Somehow, there was a commotion near the entrance of the building where our office was. What’s going on?

Looking out the window towards the entrance, I could see someone arguing with the building manager.

“Oh?”

But the face looked quite familiar. Who could it be…

“It’s Ji Sang-woo-ssi.”

“!”

Startled by the voice next to me, I turned to the side. Jo I-ruk had somehow approached and was looking out the window with me.

“Team Leader Jo. Don’t you need to unpack?”

“I don’t have much to unpack. More importantly, I wonder what brings Ji Sang-woo-ssi all the way here?”

That’s exactly what I wanted to ask.

I was trying hard to forget about him. Why does he appear again to disturb my peace of mind?

‘I had just managed to calm myself down, telling myself not to get scared about things that haven’t even happened yet.’

It was quite a big decision for me. Partly because Ji Sang-woo didn’t seem addicted to alcohol yet. Moreover…

‘I thought that just as Kim Jong-chun-ahjussi changed, this person might change too.’

Isn’t everything two sides of the same coin? Just as Kim Jong-chun felt bored and changed because I was so far ahead of the past, maybe Ji Sang-woo could also move in a different direction from before the regression. There was that faint hope.

‘And so far, there’s no reason to disqualify him, and it would be unfair to suddenly drop him based on my own assumptions.’

It was a decision made considering various complex reasons. So why does he suddenly come here and cause a commotion? Making me want to reverse the conclusion I had already reached.

“…How did you know it was Ji Sang-woo-ssi? We have quite a few new franchisees.”

“Managing franchisees is fundamentally my job. I look into them carefully. Especially after the incident with Owner Park Seung-jae.”

Ah, that sundaegukbap restaurant owner.

That incident must have been quite shocking. Just as Kim Jong-chun was to me, Park Seung-jae must have felt like a betrayal by a trusted franchisee to Jo I-ruk.

“Besides, you were concerned about him, weren’t you, CEO?”

“Pardon?”

“During the last training program. Not only did you suddenly decide to attend, but you also paid particularly close attention to Ji Sang-woo-ssi.”

When did he notice that? I felt a pang of guilt, as if my innermost thoughts had been exposed without my knowledge.

“So I’ve been keeping a close eye on him. …It seems he has some business here, should I invite him up?”

“Hmm……. Everyone’s busy moving things in right now, so I’ll go down and see him myself.”

I’m not sure what he wants to say, but if he’s looking for me so desperately, I should meet him.

“But how did Ji Sang-woo-ssi know this office address? We just moved in today.”

“Ah, the office relocation was already confirmed during the training program. We instructed them to come here if they needed to visit in person.”

“I see.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“You too, Team Leader Jo?”

I tilted my head. I thought I could go alone.

“We need to be prepared for any unexpected incidents. If you suddenly collapse, it would be a big problem for as well.”

“Haha. You worry too much.”

Ji Sang-woo isn’t that kind of person right now.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Everyone’s busy moving things anyway, so it’s not really a working atmosphere. Jo I-ruk would just be killing time if he stayed here alone.

I nodded willingly and headed to the first floor with Jo I-ruk.

“Come on now. CEO! You can’t do this!”

“Just once! Can’t you at least pass on my message? I’m desperate!”

“Look, I’ve told you I don’t have the authority to make that decision.”

“Then can you at least mention my name once…!”

Thud, thud.

Sensing our approaching footsteps, Ji Sang-woo slowly turned his head towards me. Upon seeing me, his eyes widened, and I gave him a friendly smile.

“It’s been a while, Owner Ji. What brings you all the way here?”

“Gasp! C-CEO Song!”

“Ah, he’s our guest, please let him in.”

At my words, the manager quickly opened the door, as if he had been wanting to do so all along.

“CEO Song!”

Before I could say anything, Ji Sang-woo fell to his knees in front of me.

Huh?

Bewildered, I also bent my knees to meet his gaze. Ji Sang-woo, with tears welling up in his eyes, then prostrated himself completely.

“Thank you!!”

“Uh, yes?”

What’s going on here?

While I was too confused to respond properly, Ji Sang-woo, almost grabbing my trouser leg, started shouting loudly.

“Thanks to you, my mother can live!”

“Ah.”

“As you said, I took her to the hospital, and, well, my mother, she has l-liver cancer…! Heuheup!”

He breaks into what’s almost a wail mid-sentence. I now began to understand what this was about.

‘It’s about what I said about going to the hospital.’

It was just a passing comment, but it seems he took it to heart and actually took her to the hospital. Thanks to that, they were able to discover the liver cancer much earlier than before.

‘That’s a huge relief.’

It’s good news not only for his mother but also for me, having Ji Sang-woo as a franchisee.

Should I consider this as removing one of the causes that led Ji Sang-woo astray?

No matter how diligently one lives, illness can strike without warning. Ji Sang-woo must have been greatly frustrated, thinking, ‘Why my mother of all people?’

By removing that reason early on, the possibility of Ji Sang-woo growing into a diligent franchisee has increased significantly.

“I, I will never forget this kindness!”

Ji Sang-woo looked up at me with a face of firm resolve. This is a bit awkward.

“I will do whatever it takes to make Shanghai Restaurant the best Chinese restaurant franchise in Korea! Absolutely! I will repay you with sales, CEO!”

“Well. I appreciate your words.”

“I will definitely show you!”

As Ji Sang-woo was about to bang his head on the floor once more, I hurriedly stopped him.

“Yes, yes. That’s enough gratitude. If you want to repay me with sales as you said, shouldn’t you hurry back and practice the menu? Right?”

Please stop doing this here.

Several companies share office space in this building, so we weren’t alone in the lobby.

I could feel curious glances from here and there. Not only was it embarrassing and uncomfortable, but I was also worried that this might create an image of the head office bullying its franchisees.

“Heup! Yes, you’re right!”

Ji Sang-woo quickly stood up at my words. He wiped away the tears that had welled up with his sleeve, and then shouted so loudly that the veins in his neck stood out.

“I! Will! Definitely! Do it!”

Watching him turn around and dash off… I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Heh heh.”

“Hmm. This is interesting.”

Oops. Jo I-ruk was still beside me.

“Since when did you start practicing medicine on the side?”

“What do you mean, practicing medicine?”

“No, I’ve never even seen Ji Sang-woo-ssi’s mother. You diagnosed her without even seeing her, so it might be more accurate to say you’ve received divine revelation.”

Each word seems rather sharp. I could feel Jo I-ruk looking at me with narrowed eyes.

“CEO, perhaps….”

Perhaps?

“……Did you really receive some sort of divine revelation?”

As if.

‘Well, it would be stranger if someone asked if I came from the future here.’

That would require a sanity check. In this absurd situation, thinking like Jo I-ruk might actually be more rational.

“Well…. Let’s just say it’s something similar.”

It’s not divine revelation. I just took a peek at the future.

I added in a deliberately playful tone.

“So, Team Leader Jo, be careful too. Don’t try to hide anything from me, okay?”

Jo I-ruk also chuckled at my joke and replied.

“I guess I’d better not.”

Phew. That went over well, right?

If I’m not careful, I might end up being rumored as a shaman. I should watch what I say from now on.

‘…Well, thanks to that, I managed to save Ji Sang-woo-ssi’s mother. That’s enough.’

I secretly grinned to myself.

“Let’s go back in.”

“Ah, I’ll have a cigarette and then come up.”

“I thought you quit smoking?”

“Haha.”

Jo I-ruk laughed awkwardly.

He seems to have been smoking for a while now.

It’s not good for someone who frequently visits restaurants to smell of cigarettes.

But I can’t force him not to smoke, so I just shrugged and went up to the office.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Jo I-ruk quietly watched the area around the stairs where Song Woo-yeon’s figure had disappeared, then opened the door and headed outside the building.

He settled in a corner, put an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and took out his phone.

Click.

He touched someone in the recent call list, and for a moment, the dial tone was heard.

Click.

-Hello?

“Yes, this is Jo I-ruk.”

Jo I-ruk continued in a low, whispering tone.

“Is this Director Seo Si-hwan… of Hyeonmu?”