Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 197

197

A cafe next to the Nongshim headquarters in Shindaebang-dong.

PD [Production Director] Jo Min-shik looked at Team Leader Lee Il-woo and asked,

“Hyung [an honorific term for older brother or male friend], you mentioned something about an item last time. What was that about?”

“I think it’s perfect for PD Jo’s show.”

“Do they happen to sell food?”

“Ramen.”

“Ramen?”

Jo Min-shik was dumbfounded at the word ‘ramen.’

This was because the program he was in charge of introduced famous restaurants all over the country.

Of course, it’s not a professional cooking program. But still, it needs to be somewhat related to cooking to be able to film.

But ramen…….

This is not it.

Jo Min-shik asked again.

“Hyung, did you just say ramen?”

“Why? What’s wrong with ramen?”

“Even if my program isn’t a professional cooking show, ramen is a bit much, don’t you think?”

Jo Min-shik shook his head slightly.

Then Lee Il-woo tapped his head with his finger and continued.

“PD Jo, aren’t you misunderstanding something right now?”

“Misunderstanding?”

Jo Min-shik’s voice rose.

Then Lee Il-woo immediately asked.

“What’s the title of the program you’re in charge of right now?”

“‘National Gourmet Tour’.”

“You’re sure it’s a gourmet tour, right?”

“Hyung, why are you being like this today? You’re not calling a ramen place a gourmet restaurant, are you?”

Jo Min-shik said with a slight smile.

Then Lee Il-woo took a sip of the coffee in front of him and asked again.

“What’s the standard for a gourmet restaurant?”

“Well, wouldn’t you usually call a place that many people visit a gourmet restaurant?”

“And?”

“Huh? And what?”

Jo Min-shik looked at Lee Il-woo as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.

Then Lee Il-woo continued.

“You said a place that many people visit is a gourmet restaurant, right? So you’re talking about a place that does good business, right?”

“Well, that’s right.”

“Then why can’t a ramen shop be a gourmet restaurant?”

“No, that’s…….”

Jo Min-shik couldn’t finish his sentence.

Then Lee Il-woo immediately said.

“See, PD Jo has nothing to say, right? Ramen is food too. It’s no different from other restaurants. It’s just that the menu is ramen.”

“Still, that’s a bit…….”

“Of course, the decision is up to PD Jo. I’m just giving you information for PD Jo’s sake.”

“Yes, I understand. But how many years has it been in business?”

“It’s been a little over 20 days now.”

“20 days?”

Jo Min-shik was dumbfounded.

Of course, even if the standard for a gourmet restaurant is a place that many people visit, does it make sense to select a place that has only been open for 20 days as a gourmet restaurant?

Jo Min-shik said disappointedly.

“Hyung, even so, 20 days is too much.”

“Why, are you concerned about the number of days now?”

“Of course, the number of days is not an absolute standard, but wouldn’t it be somewhat important? It’s not like we’re doing an opening advertisement.”

“As I said a little while ago, the decision is up to PD Jo. I know what PD Jo is saying, but I’m not just talking lightly. I’ve done my research and thought that it’s qualified enough as a gourmet restaurant, so I’m recommending it.”

Jo Min-shik tilted his head.

He was questioning Lee Il-woo’s behavior, who was showing such persistence. Usually, if he had said this much, he would have stepped back, saying he understood.

But today, Lee Il-woo’s appearance, not giving up his will until the end, felt unfamiliar.

Jo Min-shik asked.

“Hyung, do you happen to know the owner well?”

“What? Are you saying that I’m doing this out of personal interest?”

“Of course, I believe that’s not the case, but it’s so different from usual.”

“Why do you only know one thing and not two? If I’m different from usual, as you said, haven’t you ever thought that there might be a reason for that?”

It was Lee Il-woo who felt frustrated.

He was so surprised to receive a call from Director Yoo Seong-il a few days ago. He thought it was impossible.

So he had no choice but to have someone investigate the situation in detail.

As a result, he confirmed some surprising facts.

First of all, it was the sales.

It was easily exceeding an average of 320 bowls a day.

And what was unusual was that there were many customers in the morning.

That’s because of the students.

Students going to school early in the morning were solving their breakfast at the ramen shop.

But it turned out there was a good reason for that.

That was because they were providing free rice.

Of course, that idea was the work of the owner, Kim Hyun-sung.

And the second was the development of new menus.

They had released a new menu in just fifteen days.

And the new menu was getting a good response.

The initial purpose of the new menu was to increase the adult population.

Of course, that goal was fully achieved.

But what was unusual was that the new menu, hangover ramen, was popular among female students.

The reason was that bean sprouts in hangover ramen were rumored to be good for women’s diet and skin care, and it became a trend.

And finally, the third is the seasoning that makes it spicy.

They were making and using a separate seasoning in addition to the ramen soup.

And the students were enthusiastic about the taste.

Of course, the main character who made the seasoning was also young Kim Hyun-sung.

Jo Min-shik said.

“Are you saying that you investigated it yourself, Hyung?”

“That’s right. Otherwise, why would I have sent our employee directly to that rural village in Gangwon-do?”

“Rural?”

“Yes, it’s a county seat. Imagine selling almost 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD] a day in such a place. Isn’t that unusual?”

“100,000 won?”

“That’s right. And that’s just selling ramen. Isn’t it amazing?”

Jo Min-shik nodded.

It would be one thing in the city, but even in the city, it’s an amount that most stores can’t sell. But the fact that they sold that amount in the countryside means it’s not ordinary.

Jo Min-shik asked.

“To make that much sales, there must be something unique about them, right?”

“Of course.”

“What is it?”

“Hey, how can you ask me that? You have to find out. Are you going to broadcast without filming?”

“Ah, is that how it works? Anyway, after hearing what you said, I’m curious. By the way, what kind of person is the owner?”

“Haha, hahahaha…….”

Lee Il-woo suddenly started laughing.

Then Jo Min-shik looked at Lee Il-woo as if he was dumbfounded.

“What is it? What’s with the sudden laughter?”

“If you film it later, you’ll know why I’m laughing now.”

“No, what kind of person is the owner that you’re saying that? Is he grumpy or weird?”

“I’ll keep that a secret. I want PD Jo to experience that fun himself. That’s all I have to say.”

Lee Il-woo didn’t say anything more.

It was Jo Min-shik who was dumbfounded, but he knew that there was no use in asking any more questions, so he drank the remaining coffee and had no choice but to part with Lee Il-woo.

Jo Min-shik returned to the broadcasting station.

As soon as Jo Min-shik arrived at the office, assistant director Yoon Se-young and writer Kim Si-hyun approached him.

Assistant director Yoon Se-young asked first.

“Director, how did it go? Is it a good item?”

“Well, I don’t know yet. But…….”

“Why, is there a problem?”

“That’s…….”

Jo Min-shik couldn’t easily bring it up.

Then writer Kim Si-hyun, who was next to him, looked at Jo Min-shik and immediately asked.

“Director, what’s wrong? Is it a favor?”

When you work in broadcasting, there are cases where acquaintances open a restaurant and ask you to film it for advertising purposes. Kim Si-hyun is asking about that case now.

Then Jo Min-shik said.

“It’s not that.”

“If it’s not that, then what is it?”

“That’s… it’s ramen…….”

“Ramen? What’s wrong with ramen? We’re not a program that deals with professional cooking anyway, and isn’t it enough if it tastes good?”

Kim Si-hyun said as if it was nothing.

Then Jo Min-shik nodded and said.

“It’ll be okay, right?”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. We’re a gourmet tour, aren’t we? Of course, it’s a place that does good business, so a lot of people will come.”

Then Yoon Se-young, who was next to him, said.

“Director, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it either. But where is it?”

“It’s Seomyeong-myeon, a rural village in Gangwon-do.”

“Seomyeong-myeon?”

Yoon Se-young’s voice grew louder.

Then Jo Min-shik immediately asked.

“Why, do you know it?”

“Isn’t that the place where you have to wait in line for more than an hour to eat ramen?”

“Since it’s said to be doing well, it could be. But how does the assistant director know about it?”

“Isn’t that where my maternal family is? I was talking to my nephew yesterday, and he said that a ramen shop opened in his neighborhood a while ago, and you have to wait in line for more than an hour to eat ramen.”

Jo Min-shik handed the memo to Yoon Se-young. It was the memo he had received from Team Leader Lee Il-woo a little while ago. Of course, the address of the store was written on the memo.

“Is this the place?”

“I don’t know the address exactly, but I know it when I see the store name here. The store name was unique. It’s ‘Manly Crying Ssin Ramen’ [a play on words, ‘Ssin’ can mean ‘spicy’ or ‘god’]. I was going to tell the director about it after hearing that, but it’s connected like this.”

Jo Min-shik and Yoon Se-young looked at each other and smiled as if they were amazed.

Then Kim Si-hyun looked at Yoon Se-young and said.

“It must be a really popular place?”

“I don’t know the details, but do you know what’s ridiculous?”

“Ridiculous?”

“Yes, I heard the owner is a high school student.”

“Huh? A high school student?”

It wasn’t just Kim Si-hyun who was surprised.

Jo Min-shik, who was listening next to him, asked in a loud voice.

“What?”

“I was dumbfounded at first, but I heard the owner is a sophomore in high school.”

“A sophomore? No, what is a student doing…….”

Only then did Jo Min-shik understand Team Leader Lee Il-woo’s behavior a little while ago. When he asked what kind of person the owner was, he just laughed and told him to find out later.

‘A sophomore in high school is the owner…….’

Jo Min-shik was subtly interested.

“Hey, assistant director.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Go there on a day when there’s no filming schedule. Go and eat ramen, check if it’s really a popular place, and finally ask if it’s possible to scout them.”

“Yes, I understand. I can’t go this week because of filming, but I’ll go next week.”

A faint smile spread across Jo Min-shik’s face as if he was intrigued.

At first, he was honestly hesitant because it was a ramen shop. Even though it’s not a cooking show, he felt uneasy about broadcasting a ramen shop as a gourmet restaurant.

Moreover, he couldn’t help but hesitate even more because he heard that it hadn’t been open for long.

But when he heard that the owner was a high school student, that feeling disappeared. He thought that maybe the name of a high school student could blow away all the worries he had.

There was something Jo Min-shik didn’t know. Hyun-sung also has good looks.

***

Hyun-sung finished his business.

He clenched both fists. He finally exceeded the target of 100,000 won today.

With the release of the new menu, he basically exceeded 320 bowls. Then yesterday, he sold 330 bowls. Calculated as an amount, it is 99,000 won.

It was 100,000 won short of 1,000 won. If he had sold just four more bowls, he could have exceeded 100,000 won. The feeling of regret was indescribable.

But finally today, he hit 350 bowls. The amount is 105,000 won.

“Aja!” [Fighting!/Let’s go!]

He put strength into it without realizing it.

Then Shin Myung-soon, who was cleaning, looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

“Boss, did you finally exceed it?”

“Yes, I exceeded it.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s 350 bowls. It’s 105,000 won. It’s been making people anxious for days, but I finally exceeded it today!”

Hyun-sung’s voice was filled with strength without him realizing it.

Then Shin Myung-soon smiled and continued.

“Congratulations, Boss.”

“Mother, you’ve worked the hardest.”

“No. Everyone worked hard. Anyway, the boss worked the hardest.”

Then Kim Ji-sook and Kim Il-soo approached.

They had already heard the conversation between Shin Myung-soon and Hyun-sung, so they knew the situation well enough without having to say anything.

Looking at the three, Hyun-sung said.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes? Where to?”

“Where else? We’re going to eat meat. If we don’t have a company dinner on a day like today, when will we have it?”

“You gave us a bonus a few days ago, aren’t you overdoing it?”

Kim Ji-sook said.

Then Hyun-sung said again.

“Money is earned to be spent. Spending money is also a skill. If you don’t use it at times like this, you don’t deserve to earn money. Let’s go eat meat.”

It was something he had never been able to say in his previous life.

Because it was always lacking.

Was that why?

Hyun-sung’s voice was full of strength.