<Episode 113>
“Gah! Director, I really can’t breathe!”
Only after my playful declaration of surrender did the salon owner finally loosen her grip.
“Oh dear, sorry. I was just so happy to see our Haneul that I got carried away.”
By now, the corners of the salon owner’s eyes had become moist.
The expressions of the others were much the same.
Their gazes toward me were filled with warmth, pride, and joy.
The day I had been coldly forced out by the landlady.
The people who had rolled up their sleeves and stepped forward to help me when I had nowhere to go were these very people.
The real estate owner had refused to take any commission and searched everywhere for a suitable storefront for me.
The salon owner had even closed her shop to help me pack and move.
The others had done the same.
Then I met Hanyang, and circumstances forced me to leave the neighborhood.
‘They’re all still the same…’
While running their restaurant in Incheon, my parents had become as close as family with the surrounding shop owners.
As a result, I had been showered with affection as well.
Of course, the landlady who moved in later had remained distant with everyone until the very end.
‘I heard she looked down on the neighborhood from the moment she arrived, calling it some backwater town, so nobody liked her.’
As I was recalling vague things my parents had once told me, the sign shop owner removed his work gloves and tucked them into his waistband before joking:
“I couldn’t stand seeing customers flock to that awful-tasting gukbap place. Looks like that’ll stop now!”
“Seriously! Every time I walked past that place, my blood pressure went up!”
The real estate owner pounded her chest dramatically in agreement.
“I kept telling people the owner had changed~ changed~ but nobody paid attention. But now that Haneul’s spoken up herself, the truth will spread everywhere.”
Laughing with satisfaction, the real estate owner’s gaze suddenly shifted behind me.
Then her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.
“Oh my goodness! Is that young man with you, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo? He’s much more handsome than he looks on TV!”
At her exclamation, all the neighborhood residents turned their attention toward Hyunwoo.
I stepped aside and introduced him.
“Oh, I should’ve introduced him earlier. This is Hunter Lee Hyunwoo. He came with me today to help.”
Then I turned toward Hyunwoo and smiled.
“And Hyunwoo, these people… are neighbors I’ve trusted and relied on like parents ever since I was little. They’re practically the pillars of this neighborhood.”
Hyunwoo’s shoulders jerked.
Then, wearing an extremely tense expression, he bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lee Hyunwoo!”
For some reason, the sight of him standing so rigidly at attention made me burst out laughing.
“Oh my~ Such good manners. Please continue taking good care of our Haneul!”
The neighborhood men and women looked at Hyunwoo fondly and offered their blessings.
Just then…
“Grandma~ Is it over?”
A familiar voice rang out from the entrance of the alley.
It was Ari, the part-time employee from my shop.
She was accompanied by the owner of the local café.
“Huh? Ari! What are you doing here?”
As it turned out, after finishing our phone call, Ari had sensed that something serious was happening and immediately ran to her grandmother for help.
Grandma Moonrye had rushed over at once.
Worried that her young granddaughter might get caught up in an argument among adults, she had left Ari with the owner of a nearby café.
Ari hurried over to my side and pouted.
“Hmph, I wanted to watch too! But Grandma kept telling me to stay at the café and drink iced tea.”
The adorable complaint made all the neighborhood men and women burst into laughter.
“Oh my, Grandma Moonrye. Is this beautiful little girl your granddaughter?”
“So that’s why you always disappeared whenever we invited you out! You kept saying you had to look after your granddaughter. What a bright young girl she is!”
A lively round of chatting followed as I caught up with my old neighbors.
Everyone patted my shoulders, delighted by my success as though it were their own.
Eventually, the conversation naturally returned to my family’s restaurant.
“Haneul, don’t worry too much. Judging by the way she ran off, that gukbap restaurant won’t last much longer.”
At Grandma Moonrye’s words of comfort, the real estate owner thumped her chest confidently.
“As soon as that property goes up for sale, I’ll call you first! So be ready, okay?”
I smiled brightly and nodded at that reassuring promise.
“Yes! I’ll be waiting, Director. You have to call me!”
And the real estate owner’s promise became reality much sooner than I expected.
***
“Unni, what are you looking at so intently?”
“People’s reactions. The comments are pretty brutal.”
About a month had passed since it became publicly known that the landlady was not my aunt and that she had forced me out before copying my family’s restaurant.
When I searched online again after a long time, the reviews that had once been full of praise were now overflowing with criticism.
People were furious that they had been deceived and began leaving merciless reviews.
➝ Absolutely do not go here. Trash place run by the landlord who kicked out the original restaurant lol.
➝ I ate here thinking it was the original. Turns out I got fooled. No wonder it tasted awful. Ugh.
➝ Doesn’t have any flavor at all lol. Hope it just goes under.
She had recklessly opened a restaurant relying solely on the shop’s reputation.
There was no way the food quality could remain the same.
Shrugging, I turned off my phone screen.
Watching someone else’s failing business was entertaining enough for one day.
“The glutinous rice donuts are getting great reactions. I guess everyone likes the increased jumping ability effect?”
I muttered while casually reviewing the reservation list.
“I asked some customers, and apparently word has spread among sword users. They say that with our glutinous rice donuts, they can jump twice as high as usual!”
Ari whispered proudly before chopping fish cakes into the tteokbokki.
As she worked, she hummed happily to herself.
“It’s definitely a good thing that hunters’ side effects are disappearing, but honestly… I was worried nobody would come to our shop anymore. Turns out there was nothing to worry about!”
Anyone listening would think Ari was the owner rather than me.
The impressive thing was that every word she said was completely sincere.
‘An A+ talent really is different.’
Smiling quietly to myself, I decided I should give Ari a generous bonus.
Bzzz.
Just then, the phone in my apron pocket began vibrating loudly.
‘Huh? It’s the real estate owner. Why is she calling?’
Setting down the tongs, I tilted my head and answered.
“Hello? Director?”
“Haneul! It finally happened! It finally happened!”
The real estate owner’s excited voice exploded through the receiver.
It finally happened?
Wait…
Could it be?
My heart began pounding wildly.
“…Don’t tell me my parents’ restaurant has been put up for sale?”
“That’s right! That woman finally couldn’t hold out any longer and put the entire building up for urgent sale. I’ll secure first priority for you, so grab your seal and get over here immediately!”
After ending the call, I stared blankly at Ari.
Having overheard the conversation, she smiled and pushed me gently on the back.
“It was the real estate lady, right? We’re almost done closing anyway, so I’ll handle the rest by myself. Unni, hurry and go!”
“Uh, but… still…”
“Oh, come on! Hurry! Isn’t it your parents’ restaurant?”
In the end, after thanking Ari, I threw off my apron and dashed out of the shop.
***
I quickly hailed a taxi and headed toward Incheon.
As I stared absentmindedly at the scenery passing outside the window, my floating sense of reality slowly began returning.
‘I never expected the entire building to be put up for sale.’
Less than a week after her lies were exposed to the public, the landlady had posted a sign declaring the restaurant temporarily closed.
She desperately tried everything she could to restore her image, massive discount events, viral marketing campaigns, and more… but apparently every attempt had failed.
‘There was also that time she called me from an unknown number in the middle of the night.’
When I answered, it had been the landlady.
Sniffling pitifully, she had begged me.
“I’ll apologize. Please, can’t you just make a post online saying it was all a misunderstanding? Please? At this rate, my restaurant is going to go under.”
Naturally, I told her to deal with it herself and immediately hung up.
The fact that she expected me to help save the business that was collapsing because of her own lies was unbelievably shameless.
Lost in such thoughts, I eventually arrived at the familiar real estate office.
As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, the landlady, who looked as though she had aged ten years in the span of a single month, shot to her feet.
“Y-You…!”
Pointing at me with a trembling finger, she suddenly shrieked:
“What are ‘you’ doing here?! Of all people!”
‘Me?’
‘I’m here to buy the building you’re selling.’
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