Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 167

Kim Il-soo waved the flyer. “Do you know when this flyer was distributed?”

“Well, we’ve been busy, so we don’t know exactly.”

“It was right after school ended today. Deliberately placed right in front of the school gate. Doesn’t that seem a little strange to you?”

Shin Myung-soon looked at Kim Il-soo, feigning ignorance. “I don’t know what you mean…”

“Most students probably received this flyer. That means almost all the students knew that Sangmi Restaurant lowered their ramen price.”

“I suppose so.”

Shin Myung-soon nodded.

Kim Il-soo continued, “It was very busy here during lunchtime today, right?”

“Yes, we didn’t even have time for a bathroom break.”

“That’s what’s strange. Students clearly received the flyer before coming here. Yet, they still chose to eat ramen here.”

Understanding dawned on Shin Myung-soon’s face. “So, you’re saying that even though the students knew Sangmi Restaurant lowered their prices, they didn’t go there and came here instead?”

“Yes, that’s right. Logically, if they were just comparing prices, they should have flocked there. But they didn’t.”

“That is strange, when you think about it. What could be the reason?”

“I don’t know the reason either.”

Kim Il-soo paused, then looked at Hyun-sung.

Hyun-sung slowly began, “I don’t understand it either. I’ve been thinking about it, and the reason is…”

Hyun-sung trailed off. Shin Myung-soon, who was listening intently, immediately asked, “What do you think the reason is?”

“Well… I think it might be because of the spiciness.”

“Spiciness?”

“Yes, I can’t think of any other reason.”

He had been pondering it all day.

As Kim Il-soo pointed out, the students came to eat ramen despite knowing about the price difference. That meant another factor outweighed the price.

Shin Myung-soon tilted her head. “Do you really think so?”

“Mother, you must have noticed it while cooking ramen today. The number of students asking for spicy ramen has almost doubled in just one day.”

“That’s true.”

Shin Myung-soon nodded. She had found it odd while cooking ramen that day, even doubting if such a change was possible in just one day.

Hyun-sung continued, “It will only get worse from now on.”

“Is this the spicy flavor craze that the boss [Hyun-sung] was talking about?”

Hyun-sung nodded.

Shin Myung-soon asked, “If this happens, will Sangmi Restaurant just sit still? They’ll try to make spicy ramen no matter what.”

“Of course, they will. But it won’t be easy to replicate the spicy flavor for a while. It will take some time for habanero peppers to become common in Korea.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief then…”

“And even if they get the habanero pepper powder, it won’t be easy to make the sauce. Our sauce may look simple, but it’s not easy to get right.”

Shin Myung-soon showed great interest. “Oh, now that you mention it, is the boss the only one who knows how to make that sauce?”

“Yes, I told you from the beginning that it’s a trade secret that I can’t tell anyone.”

“That’s what’s amazing. How did you figure that out…?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything more about that. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Mother, but please understand that it’s my principle.”

Hyun-sung had learned the secret of the sauce by chance from watching a cooking show in his past life. He was always interested in cooking, so he watched almost every show that Baek Jong-woon appeared on. One day, Baek Jong-woon explained the recipe in detail, and he remembered it perfectly.

Shin Myung-soon relented. “It’s okay. I was just curious about how you made the sauce; I didn’t have any other intentions. As long as the business is doing well.”

Kim Ji-sook nodded in agreement. This issue had been clearly discussed from the beginning, so there seemed to be no disagreement.

Kim Ji-sook looked at Hyun-sung. “So, we don’t have to respond to this price cut?”

“No, they’re probably embarrassed right now. And the important thing is that they’ve learned that price isn’t the only thing that matters this time.”

“It’s not always good to be cheap, right?”

“I think so. Of course, it’s good to be cheap, but I think customers want a fair price rather than just the lowest price.”

People usually get annoyed when the quality of the food is significantly lower than the price.

On the other hand, even if the food is a bit expensive, if they are satisfied with the quality for the price, no one will complain.

That’s something he had experienced countless times in his past life.

In the end, the most important thing in food is a fair price that matches the quality, not just a cheap price.

Kim Ji-sook asked, “A fair price?”

“Yes, for Samyang Ramen or Ansung Tangmyun [two popular, inexpensive ramen brands], you can charge 200 won instead of 250 won. But for Shin Ramen [a more premium ramen brand], the cost is higher, so even regular customers will know that you can’t charge that price. That’s why something like today happened.”

“So, the customers recognized the appropriate price on their own?”

“That’s right. Even though they’re young students, they don’t just blindly go for the cheapest option. The students proved that today.”

Kim Ji-sook nodded. Shin Myung-soon, who was next to her, smiled. “So, those bastards just made a fool of themselves?”

“They’re probably regretting it right now. But they can’t raise the lowered price right away, so they’re stuck.”

“Hehe… Oh! How satisfying!”

Shin Myung-soon was openly happy.

Kim Ji-sook looked at Shin Myung-soon. “Sister, are you that happy?”

“Of course, I am. When I think about what those people did to me, I want to chew them up and spit them out.”

Rough words poured out of Shin Myung-soon’s mouth.

Why wouldn’t she be angry? She was kicked out of the place where she had worked hard for 10 years without receiving a single penny of key money [a large, often non-refundable deposit paid to a landlord]…

Hyun-sung nodded at Shin Myung-soon, understanding her feelings.

After a moment, Hyun-sung continued, “I’m thinking of serving rice in the morning starting Monday. What do you think?”

“Rice?”

Shin Myung-soon looked at Hyun-sung, surprised. “Yes, it seems like there are more students than I thought who don’t eat rice in the morning.”

“I saw that this morning too.”

“So, I was thinking that ramen alone might not be enough for breakfast. I was wondering if we should just give them rice.”

“Well, ramen alone wouldn’t be enough for that age group. If we give them rice, the students will like it, but I think we’ll sell less ramen?”

“Of course. I know that too.”

“You mean…”

Shin Myung-soon tilted her head. According to Hyun-sung, he’s going to give rice even though he knows he’ll sell less ramen. She wondered if it was necessary to take a loss when they should be selling more.

Hyun-sung said, “I want them to have a proper breakfast, at least.”

“Huh? A proper breakfast?”

“Yes, it’s the start of the day. I want them to have a hearty breakfast.”

Shin Myung-soon looked at Hyun-sung. What Hyun-sung was saying sounded like a parent’s concern. Even she, who was raising children, hadn’t thought of that.

She was just focused on selling more.

“So, you’re saying you want to give the students a hearty breakfast?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“No, how did you think of that? Even I, as a mother, didn’t think of that…”

“Actually, I felt sorry for many students who were eating ramen this morning. The first bus in the morning is too early, so they can’t even eat breakfast properly…”

Hyun-sung’s explanation continued.

The words were long, but the main point was simple: to give warm rice to students who can’t eat breakfast.

As Hyun-sung’s explanation ended, Shin Myung-soon nodded. “In the end, what you’re saying is that you have the heart of a parent who thinks of them as your own sons and daughters?”

“I don’t know about that, but I think I’ll feel better if I do that.”

“I understand what you mean. By the way, how much do you plan to charge for the rice?”

“There’s no charge. If I was going to sell it for money, I wouldn’t have even brought it up in the first place.”

“What?”

Shin Myung-soon’s voice suddenly grew louder.

Hyun-sung was saying that he would give rice away for free. Did that make sense?

Shin Myung-soon immediately asked, “Does that make sense?”

“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t. I’ve calculated it, and it’s not a losing business. And since we’re only giving rice in the morning, it’s manageable.”

“Still…”

Shin Myung-soon couldn’t understand it no matter how she thought about it.

Even if they only gave a bowl of rice in the morning, it would be at least 50 or 60 bowls. Or maybe even more as time goes by.

The rumor would spread quickly, and it could even increase to 100 bowls. In terms of money, even if you charge 100 won per bowl, it could be at least 5,000 won to a maximum of 10,000 won.

That’s possible even if the table turnover rate is only twice.

Hyun-sung is giving up that amount of money.

Shin Myung-soon looked at Hyun-sung. “The amount is too big to give up, boss.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s at least 5,000 won to a maximum of 10,000 won. Are you just going to give that up?”

“You’re probably calculating it wrong. Mother, you’re calculating 100 won per bowl, right?”

Shin Myung-soon nodded.

Hyun-sung said, “You have to calculate it at cost, not the selling price. If you do that, the amount will decrease a lot. It’ll probably be around 30 or 40 won per bowl.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course, even if you calculate it that way, it’s not a small amount, but we can afford that much. Instead, I’m sure the number of students will increase.”

“Oh, yes, I guess…”

Shin Myung-soon nodded without realizing it.

She had thought a little while ago that the number of students would increase.

If they give rice with ramen, it will be a complete meal. Moreover, at a price of 300 won, it will be the best value for money.

Kim Ji-sook, who had been listening quietly, smiled. “So, the situation has been reversed, right?”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“That’s right. If you eat rice with ramen at Sangmi Restaurant, it’ll be 350 won because a bowl of rice is 100 won. But at our restaurant, it’s only 300 won, so as a result, we’re 50 won cheaper.”

“So, that’s how it turns out. I didn’t even think about that. It’s interesting. Haha…”

Hyun-sung laughed.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Oh Sang-cheol would react.

By Hyun-sung giving rice for free, Oh Sang-cheol’s ramen price became relatively more expensive. To match Hyun-sung’s price, Oh Sang-cheol would have to lower the price of a bowl of rice by 50 won. But the problem is that Oh Sang-cheol can’t do that.

Because it’s not a problem that can be solved by simply lowering the price by 50 won.