<Episode 117>
The next day, I carefully called Manager Han Jukyung aside.
If I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding between the two of them, it was important to first understand exactly what the manager was thinking.
“Manager… how are things going with the staff?”
At my indirect question, Manager Jukyung adjusted her glasses and answered calmly.
After briefly talking about the other employees, she finally brought up Ari.
“Among them, the most outstanding employee is definitely Shin Ari.”
“…Ari?”
“Yes. Her attitude toward customers is excellent, and she genuinely cares about the store. I think she’s an indispensable core member of our shop.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, I blinked in surprise.
After pondering for a moment, Manager Jukyung carefully added,
“However, as the store grows, clear standards become necessary. Ari’s flexibility is admirable, but if that turns into an unspoken rule for everyone, then from a manager’s perspective, it becomes impossible to maintain control.”
Her words made perfect sense.
‘So in the end, this happened because they both care too much about the shop.’
After finishing the meeting, I came out and scratched my head.
Ari was right.
The manager was right too.
Neither side had any ill intentions.
Then how exactly was I supposed to intervene and melt away this awkward tension?
‘Should I organize a company dinner? A workshop? Maybe hand out bonuses and tell them to get along?’
I was groaning over all sorts of ideas when…
“Huh? Boss Haneul!”
Looking up at the familiar energetic voice, I saw Ria Hunter approaching with a cup of coffee in hand, her hair tied high into a ponytail.
“Ah, Hunter Ria! Perfect timing. Could you listen to one of my concerns?”
“Huh? A concern?”
I sat her down on a nearby bench and pretended it was a story about someone I knew.
“So… there’s someone who values principles and another person who values flexibility, and they’re clashing. But they’re both really good people, and I want them to become friends.”
Ria succinctly summarized my problem, and I nodded vigorously.
After thinking for a moment, she took a sip of coffee through her straw and answered clearly.
“Just leave them alone.”
“…Huh? Leave them alone?”
“Yep. If their personalities don’t naturally match, forcing them together isn’t going to change that overnight. It’ll only make things more uncomfortable.”
“But…”
Shrugging, Ria continued,
“You can’t solve everything as the owner. You know that, right?”
‘I can’t solve everything…’
Suddenly, I remembered saying something similar before.
“Even if you’re an S-rank Hunter, you can’t save everyone. You’re not a god, Hunter.”
It was advice I’d given Hyunwoo when he had been drowning in guilt over those he couldn’t save.
Remembering that made the tension leave my shoulders.
‘Right. Just because I intervene doesn’t mean they’ll suddenly become best friends.’
Ria was right.
Both Manager Jukyung and Ari were good people.
Rather than meddling clumsily, trusting them to work things out themselves was probably the right answer.
Feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from my chest, I nodded.
“You’re right. Everything you said is right, Hunter Ria. I was being too greedy.”
“So it really wasn’t about a friend. It was your problem after all?”
“…Oops.”
I burst out laughing alongside Ria’s hearty laughter.
And inwardly, I told myself not to rush and to trust the two of them a little longer.
***
Preparations for reopening my parents’ restaurant, Jeongdameun Restaurant, progressed steadily and smoothly.
We installed a new sign.
Repaired the worn-out interior.
After hiring a new manager and staff to reliably run the restaurant, the storm-like schedule finally gave way to some sweet breathing room.
“There’s still about a week left before opening… maybe I should visit Branch No.1 for the first time in a while.”
With that thought, I headed there in high spirits.
Planning to surprise everyone, I slipped in through the back door.
Then I heard a loud voice from the dining area.
“What do you mean it’s still not ready?! People who reserved after me already got theirs! Is this some kind of joke?”
“Then why even take reservations? Seriously, I’m already busy enough!”
I blinked in surprise.
Taehun, who was skewering sausages in the kitchen, noticed me and half rose from his seat.
“Huh? Boss–”
“Shh, Taehun. Just tell me what’s going on.”
It didn’t take long to understand.
‘Of all times, the Sotteokpresso broke during peak hours. This is bad.’
The Sotteokpresso was an item from Underworld.com that automatically skewered sausages and rice cakes.
Thanks to it, preparation time had been reduced by two-thirds.
Without it, everything had to be done manually.
Taehun had been desperately skewering by hand, but apparently couldn’t keep up with the flood of orders.
“I don’t care about refunds! I lined up since dawn just to eat this! How are you going to compensate me?”
The customers’ voices were getting louder.
I was about to step in myself when Ria’s advice flashed through my mind.
“You can’t solve everything as the owner. You know that, right?”
Right.
Let’s trust Manager Jukyung first.
Taking a deep breath, I sat beside Taehun instead of going into the hall.
“…I’ll help too. It’ll be much faster with two people.”
As I skewered sausages, I heard Manager Jukyung giving instructions.
“Dasom, please handle the fish-shaped buns. Ari, please take care of the slushies. I’ll take care of the hall, so don’t worry.”
Then she stayed behind alone and started apologizing to the angry customers.
‘She really is responsible. Sending everyone inside while dealing with the complaints alone…’
But her apologies weren’t enough to calm them.
As one or two customers raised their voices, the others around them started frowning too.
The store quickly descended into chaos.
‘This doesn’t look easy to solve…’
Just as I stood up…
Ari, who had been filling slushies near the counter, tightened her apron with a determined expression.
“Manager, leave it to me!”
“A-Ari?”
Ari filled several paper cups with steaming fish cake broth and placed them on a tray.
Then, without a shred of fear, she approached the furious customers.
“I’m really sorry. You made reservations and came all this way… and you’ve had to wait so long, haven’t you?”
Looking genuinely apologetic, she handed each customer a cup.
“The machine suddenly broke, so we’re skewering everything by hand right now. Just a little longer and we’ll get your food ready. In the meantime, please have some hot broth while you wait. We’re really sorry.”
“Well, even if the machine broke…”
Though still grumbling, their hands naturally reached for the broth.
Not missing the chance, Ari quickly added,
“If anyone wants to change their order, just tell me. I’ll secretly give you a complimentary slushie without the manager knowing!”
Her cheerful attitude melted the hostility of customers who had looked ready to flip the store upside down.
“Ahem… then maybe change my order. The slushie comes immediately, right?”
“Sigh… if it’s a machine problem, I’ll just wait. Give me more broth.”
“Yes! Right away! Just a moment~”
Thanks to Ari’s quick thinking, half the angry customers changed their orders, while the other half agreed to wait while sipping fish cake broth.
The hall, which had been on the verge of exploding, quickly regained its peace.
“Please tell us your menu changes over here!”
Thanks to Ari’s flexible handling of the crisis, Manager Jukyung was able to quickly process menu changes, payments, and refunds.
“Huh? Boss! When did you get here?”
“I came earlier, but it didn’t seem like a good time to say hello. First, let’s serve the sotteoks we’ve finished. Dasom.”
“Ah… okay!”
***
After the storm-like lunch rush ended and break time finally arrived…
“Ari, could you come here for a moment?”
Manager Jukyung quietly called her.
Ari’s shoulders trembled.
I could practically read her thoughts.
‘Is she going to scold me for giving away free slushies?’
Ari nervously approached.
I too quietly watched from behind the kitchen curtain.
But then…
A gentle smile spread across Manager Jukyung’s face.
“Thank you for earlier. Thanks to your quick thinking, we got through it safely.”
“Manager…”
Ari’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
At the manager’s sincere praise, a bright smile bloomed on Ari’s face.
“But you dealt with all those customers by yourself after sending us inside! You were really cool earlier!”
“That was simply what I should do as the manager…”
“Come on, Manager! Seriously?”
At Ari’s playful complaint, Manager Jukyung finally bent over laughing.
Unable to hold back any longer, I threw aside the curtain and rushed over to hug them both.
“Manager Jukyung, thank you for your hard work! And you too, Ari!”
“B-Boss?”
“What?! Unni, when did you get here?”
Seeing the two staring in shock, I burst out laughing.
Watching them shyly smile at each other, I felt the worries that had weighed down my heart melt away like snow.
‘I can leave Branch No.1 in these two’s hands now.’
Thanks to my dependable pair, I finally felt the burden in my heart lighten, allowing me to focus solely on preparing Jeongdameun Restaurant.
And after racing nonstop…
At long last, the long-awaited opening day was finally approaching.
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