Chapter 12: The Necessary Network (5)

Franchise God Chapter 12: Part 3 - Is Networking Necessary? (V)

As soon as Kim Hyosan secured the supply of songi mushrooms, he immediately texted President Makemira.

-Since we have obtained Songyi ingredients, please feel free to visit at your convenience… However, it’s best enjoyed when fresh…

The message was courteous and detailed, essentially requesting a visit now that the desired ingredient was ready.

Shortly after sending the text, Makemira responded:

[Please reserve for tonight at 7 PM. I’ll be dining alone.]

[Understood, sir.]

Indeed, President Makemira couldn’t resist the allure of songi mushrooms. With excitement, Kim Hyosan began brainstorming various songi dishes to serve him.

At the appointed time, Makemira arrived and was escorted to the VIP room.

Kim Hyosan entered the room to greet Makemira but flinched at his grim expression.

“Sir, you don’t look well…”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious.” With a somber wave of his hand, Makemira dismissed any further discussion on the matter. It seemed he didn’t want to talk about it.

However, Kim Hyosan knew what was coming.

He’ll probably drink quite heavily today.

Once enough alcohol flowed through him, Makemira would open up without being prompted. The reason behind his gloomy mood would soon be revealed, even if no one asked.

“I’d like some drinks, please. My usual.”

“Yes, sir.”

Why did President Makemira arrive so early today?

Kim Hyosan had a bad feeling about this. Ordering drinks before appetizers were served was highly unusual for Makemira. On the rare occasions when he started drinking this early, it invariably meant late nights for the restaurant staff, as they couldn’t close until he decided to leave.

They couldn’t close the restaurant until President Makemira decided to leave.

Kim Hyosan hastily contacted the hotel manager.

“Sir, I don’t think we’ll be able to shut down on time today.”

“What? Did President Makemira start drinking as soon as he sat down?”

“Yes, sir. He looks quite troubled.”

“Do you think he might drink till morning?”

“I believe so, sir.”

“Darn it. Do we have any hangover remedies available?”

“Yes, we always keep some stocked. We recently brought in a box of the latest product.”

“Offer him that first thing. Once I wrap up my work here, I’ll join you at the restaurant.”

“Understood, sir.”

After reporting this to the hotel manager, Kim Hyosan informed his staff. Upon hearing the news, the kitchen crew cheered with fists raised high and heads held aloft.

“Yes, sir!”

“Hooray!”

“We’re off at dawn today!”

“Long live President Makemira!”

“Hey, hold on! He opened up the bar because he’s upset, not happy. Don’t cheer like that; it’s disrespectful.”

Kim Hyosan gently reprimanded them, and their cheers subsided.

Jung Seokwoo, who had recently joined the West Sea Hotel, couldn’t understand the mood of his colleagues.

Wait, we’re staying late until dawn just for one guest, yet everyone seems thrilled? Even if he’s a VIP, this isn’t right.

As others busily attended to tasks with enthusiasm, Jung Seokwoo found an opportunity to discreetly ask Kim Hyosan why they were so excited.

Kim Hyosan responded cheerfully, “What’s wrong with working till dawn once in a while? Besides, we’ll get generous tips.”

“Tips?”

“When we extend the restaurant’s hours, each staff member usually receives around two million won as tips.”

“With only President Makemira remaining after closing time, wouldn’t you rather earn two million won by waiting on him for just a few hours?”

“I…I guess so,” Jung Seokwoo agreed, recalling what Kim Hyosan had mentioned earlier about Makemira being wealthier than even the owner of this hotel.

“Now, let’s make sure everything is prepared without any mistakes.”

The restaurant officially closed at 10 p.m., but President Makemira disregarded the time and continued drinking. Despite not having a high tolerance for alcohol, he sipped leisurely from two small bottles of wine for quite some time.

“Hmm, already this late?” Drunk, Makemira checked his watch and staggered to his feet unsteadily. Kim Hyosan, who was serving as his personal bartender, quickly rushed over to support him.

At that moment, Jung Seokwoo noticed two men in suits entering the hall.

Despite the fact that it was already past closing time, none of the employees stopped these two men from entering.

The man with the blue tie placed his briefcase on the desk and spoke up.

“How many staff members?”

“Twenty-four.”

“I have forty-eight here.”

Jung Seokwoo internally gasped at the sight of several dozen one-million-won checks being taken out by the man.

“Thank you very much.”

“You can thank our president later. I’m just doing as instructed.”

Seokwoo had heard about this practice beforehand, but seeing it unfold before him rendered him speechless. The company was generously tipping tens of millions of won to their employees for one night’s work.

Wow, they must be swimming in money…

Makemira left the hotel supported by two staffers, while Kim Hyosan saw them off to their car. Upon returning, he clapped her hands to lighten the mood.

“All right, everyone did a great job tonight. Please take two checks each as a token of appreciation from President Makemira, then let’s call it a day.”

Jung Seokwoo felt a strange sensation as he accepted two checks worth one million won each. Despite working only a few extra hours of overtime, the tips amounted to more than half his monthly salary.

If this keeps up, I wish we could work overtime every day.

“By the way, senior, why was President Makemira so upset earlier?”

“I heard his chronic illness flared up again.”

”…Oh.”

“He seemed devastated since it suddenly worsened after feeling fine for several days. He mentioned experiencing unbearable pain this morning.”

“That sounds truly awful.”

“Told you.” Kim Hyosan shook his head sympathetically. “He’s such a polite, calm, and wonderful person; it breaks my heart to see him suffer due to this chronic illness. It’s frustrating that even hospitals can’t determine its cause properly. Tsk tsk…”

Makemira slowly opened his eyes. He checked the clock and saw it was nine o’clock. For a moment, he thought it might be 9 PM, but upon seeing the bright window, he realized it was morning instead.

“Did I sleep for two whole days?”

Considering they had been drinking at West Sea Hotel until 1 AM, waking up at 9 AM the next day seemed unlikely. Typically, after consuming that much alcohol, one would feel dead to the world for about two days.

However, when Makemira looked at the date on his smartphone, he was utterly perplexed. It hadn’t been two days; he had left West Sea Hotel not yesterday morning but this morning—just eight hours ago.

“I only slept for eight hours? But considering how much I drank…?” Bewildered, Makemira sat up. Strangely, his body felt refreshed as if he hadn’t consumed any alcohol at all.

“What’s going on?”

It felt like someone had swapped his liver with another person’s overnight. As he stood there bewildered, Makemira suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate.

“Damn.”

He grimaced as he entered the bathroom and braced himself for the inevitable pain while relieving himself. However…

“It doesn’t hurt at all!”

Despite the forceful stream of urine, he experienced no discomfort whatsoever. Makemira was utterly dumbfounded, wondering if he might be dreaming.

What was happening? How could this be?

After taking advantage of the moment to shower, Makemira emerged from the bathroom into the living room, startling his wife, who was tending to his potted plants.

“Oh, you’re already up? Are you feeling okay after drinking so much last night?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Not feeling it at all.”

“Wow, what a miracle! You used to be out of commission for two days after drinking like that…”

“I took some hangover cure Chef Kim recommended, so maybe that’s why?”

“We should stock up on whatever it is. I’ll call him later and ask about it.”

Makemira was bewildered.

Why aren’t I hung over again, suddenly?

He desperately tried to think back. The time his chronic ailment had been cured overnight; when it flared up once more; and now, today, when he seemed healed again.

What were the common threads among these three instances? And how did they differ?

A mild excitement surged through his mind.

“Could it be songi mushrooms…? Nah, couldn’t be.”