Chapter 154

As Kang Jin pondered how to manage his work, Lee Sangsub spoke up.

“Don’t you need some employees? You can’t handle cooking, serving, and cleaning all by yourself.”

Kang Jin nodded at Lee Sangsub’s words.

“You’re right.”

“You have to invest money to make money.”

Lee Sangsub’s advice was sound. However…

I’m not sure if I’ll find someone who won’t mind seeing ghosts.

This was the main issue. Working at the Underworld Restaurant accumulates ghost matter, eventually allowing one to see ghosts. Consequently, Kang Jin couldn’t even consider hiring part-time help.

“Let me try managing on my own first. If it becomes too difficult, I’ll think about hiring later. Besides, it seems premature to hire staff before officially opening for business.”

Lee Sangsub nodded at Kang Jin’s words.

“You’re right. It might be premature to hire staff when we don’t know how many customers will visit.”

Then Lee Sangsub poured more soju for Kang Jin. Kang Jin raised his glass, drank it, and popped a chocolate into his mouth.

Watching this, Lee Sangsub suddenly suggested, “Or maybe we should standardize the lunch menu?”

“Lunch menu?”

“Like a set meal common in traditional Korean restaurants.”

“So you mean having just one dish ready to serve immediately upon customer arrival?”

This was similar to Kang Jin’s initial approach. Initially, he had offered only marinated pork slices as a single-item menu.

“Yes, exactly. While it would be great if I could order whatever I want…it’s challenging to prepare multiple dishes simultaneously.”

“I understand.”

“I think it would be better to have set menus for each day like a cafeteria. For example, Mondays could be marinated pork slices, Tuesdays kimchi stew, Wednesdays something else, and so on.” Lee Sangsub’s suggestion made sense to Kang Jin after some thought.

“But serving set meals wouldn’t differentiate us from other cafeterias.”

“You’re worried about attracting female customers?” Kang Jin chuckled softly and nodded as Lee Sangsub seemed to read his mind accurately.

“Set meals aren’t particularly popular among women.”

“That might hold true for casual outings with friends or regular folks, but people engaged in fierce battles at their workplace don’t usually dwell on such details. And single women, if they find it tasty, will enjoy cafeteria-style meals regardless of what they are.” Lee Sangsub paused briefly before continuing.

“Wherever we go for lunch, there’s always plenty of working women around.”

“You’re right about that.”

“Or how about narrowing down your menu to three items? That could work too.”

Kang Jin smiled at Lee Sangsub’s suggestion.

“Are you worried my restaurant will fail if I cook according to my style?”

“It’s good to cater to what customers request. It can be a unique selling point for your establishment. However, from a business perspective, it’s not ideal. It takes more time, and it’s hard to predict ingredient usage.”

Lee Sangsub’s advice resonated with Kang Jin, who nodded in agreement. In fact, many patrons with some business acumen had expressed concerns about his approach.

In the restaurant business, managing ingredients was crucial because they deteriorated over time and affected the quality of dishes served. At One Meal Restaurant, since Kang Jin prepared whatever dish customers requested, it was impossible to predict how much of each ingredient would be used daily, inevitably leading to waste.

Of course…since Shin Soo-yong restocked the supplies every day, Kang Jin didn’t have to worry about inventory management too much.

Nevertheless, Kang Jin took Lee Sangsub’s advice to heart.

Let’s serve set meals with kimchi stew and marinated pork slices, plus one more item that working women might enjoy for lunch.

This approach would significantly reduce cooking times. With this plan forming in his mind, Kang Jin stood up.

“I’ll just be a minute; I need to use the restroom.”

“It’s over there.” When Lee Sangsub pointed out the direction of the restroom, Kang Jin turned and headed that way. After taking care of business, he spotted something at one table as soon as he exited.

Hwang Minsung?

The seat had been empty earlier, but now four men occupied it, including Hwang Minsung. Preoccupied with some documents, Minsung didn’t notice Kang Jin, who walked past without acknowledging him.

As Kang Jin made his way back to his own table, though, he noticed something strange—everyone in the restaurant was sneaking glances at Hwang Minsung, including Lee Sangsub and Lim Hojin.

“What’s going on?”

“You see that guy over there?” Lee Sangsub subtly gestured toward Hwang Minsung with his chin.

Lee Sangsub subtly pointed his chin towards Hwang Minsung.

“Yes.”

“That’s Hwang Minsung, known as the Warren Buffett of Gangnam.”

“The Warren Buffett?”

“You know, like Warren Buffett from the US.”

“Oh! The one who makes tons of money?”

“Exactly.”

Lee Sangsub continued, “They say every business he touches turns successful. People call him the Warren Buffett of Gangnam due to his ability to generate wealth.”

Kang Jin nodded at Lee Sangsub’s explanation.

“He certainly looks wealthy.”

“Hmm? You knew that?”

“He occasionally visits our restaurant.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Lee Sangsub regarded Kang Jin with admiration.

“Wow… Having Hwang Minsung as your customer is quite impressive.”

“It’s not a big deal; he just comes by for meals sometimes.”

Lee Sangsub nodded at Kang Jin’s response. “Well, he’s just one of your many customers, isn’t he?”

Kang Jin was startled as Lee Sangsub suddenly tore up the document Hwang Minsung had been reviewing.

Rrrrip! Shhhriiiip!

“What—?!” The man sitting across from them exclaimed with shock.

Hwang Minsung stood abruptly. “I don’t think this is right for me.”

“You could’ve simply said no instead of tearing up my investment proposal!”

The other man yelled furiously. Seeing his reaction, Hwang Minsung rose to leave without any further explanation or apology. His companion hastily followed him out.

“Hey! Hwang Minsung!” The man left behind yelled angrily at his departing companion.

Ignoring the raised voice, Hwang Minsung turned to the bartender and said, “I’ll settle the bill now.”

The bartender stepped out from behind the bar counter and approached them. “Should I keep your drinks for later?”

It was clear they wouldn’t finish their orders given the situation.

As Hwang Minsung shook his head, he made eye contact with Kang Jin. For a moment, looking flustered, Hwang Minsung bowed slightly to him. Kang Jin returned the gesture, and Hwang Minsung handed his card to the bartender. After exchanging some quiet words, Hwang Minsung walked away from the bar.

Seeing him leave, the two men who had been with him started cursing irritably.

“You son of a bitch!”

“That little bastard thinks he can do whatever just because he has money… What a piece of trash!”

The bartender approached the two agitated men cursing loudly.

“Honored guests.” The pair turned to look at him.

“Would you please leave?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but I must ask you to leave.”

“You bastard! Did you just say what I think you said?! Huh?” One of them shoved the bartender hard on his shoulder while hurling more insults. However, it didn’t budge the bartender’s stance one bit. Rather, feeling the solid muscles under his hand, the man looked flustered as he stared back at the bartender.

Unfazed, the bartender repeated himself. “I apologize, but I must insist that you leave.”

“Do you know who I am, you—?!” Mid-sentence, the man froze. The bartender subtly took a step closer and whispered something directly into his ear.

The bartender muttered something quietly under his breath. It was too soft to hear what he said, but whatever it was, the man’s face turned ashen. He quickly gestured at his colleague, and they both hurried out of the bar.

With their departure, the bartender bowed apologetically toward the other patrons before returning to his station behind the bar. There, he began taking multiple shot glasses from a shelf. As everyone watched curiously, he scanned the customers, selected various bottles of liquor, and poured one shot for each patron. The other bartenders joined him, picked up the small glasses with trays, and delivered them to the guests.

“My apologies for the disturbance. Please enjoy this complimentary drink on us.”

The patrons nodded appreciatively while accepting the shots offered alongside the apology.

The sudden commotion was uncharacteristic of this quiet establishment, but the swift response from the bartenders seemed to satisfy everyone present.

A bartender approached Kang Jin’s group and handed them each a glass. Lim Ho-jin smiled as he looked at his straight shot.

“It’s tequila, isn’t it?”

“I prepared it for you since I noticed you enjoy tequila quite a bit.”

Then the bartender offered wineglasses to Kang Jin and Donghae Choi.

“I’ve poured Villa Russi red wine for you two, as it appeared neither of you prefers strong liquor. With its low alcohol content and sweet taste, even those who aren’t fond of drinking can still enjoy it comfortably.”

“Thank you.”

Lastly, the bartender turned to Lee Sangsub.

“For you, sir, I chose Bacardi 151, assuming you prefer stronger spirits.”

“Oh boy…won’t that make me feel like my stomach is on fire?”

“It’s the strongest liquor imported to our country.”

Kang Jin looked at the bartender after hearing his comment.

“You seem to know your customers’ preferences well.”

“Our job is to make sure our guests feel comfortable,” replied the bartender with a smile. “Also, Mr. Hwang Minsung paid for everything before leaving.”

Upon this revelation, Kang Jin glanced toward where Hwang Minsung had exited and asked curiously:

“But why charge us for the reserved drink?”

He wondered why they were being billed when it was merely leftover alcohol from someone else’s previous session.

The bartender chuckled. “While the reserved drink itself is free…we do charge a small service fee and for appetizers.”

“Oh!” Kang Jin nodded, understanding now. As per the bartender’s explanation, although the reserved drink was complimentary, patrons still needed to cover the cost of table service and snacks.

As Kang Jin nodded his understanding, Lee Sangsub spoke up again.

“So Hwang Minsung actually ripped up the investment proposal?” Lim Ho-jin affirmed with a nod.

“I’ve only heard rumors about it before now. This is my first time witnessing it firsthand.”

“But seriously, Hwang Minsung is such a… Hmm!” Lee Sangsub paused and glanced at Kang Jin. “How rude! If he wasn’t going to invest, why rip it up right in front of someone? What nerve!”

Both Choi Donghae and Lim Ho-jin gave small nods in agreement.

An investment proposal was similar to a business plan. Creating one isn’t easy; it requires extensive research and calculations for potential profits. However, including too many numbers or details could also be detrimental. The key was to keep it concise yet engaging, focusing on essential points.

The challenge was to avoid making it too simplistic or too detailed, as that could result in either insufficient information or a full-blown thesis. Striking the right balance between providing necessary data and keeping the reader engaged without boredom was incredibly difficult. It required countless late nights at work…yet someone had just shredded their hard labor in front of them.

As someone who understood firsthand how arduous this task was, Lee Sangsub couldn’t help but empathize with the team.

Lim Ho-jin chimed in, “I heard rumors can serve as a sort of warning.”

“A warning?” Lee Sangsub looked puzzled.

Lim Ho-jin explained further.

“Hwang Minsung has such good investment skills that many people pay attention to his moves.”

“That’s true.”

“So when he invests somewhere, others tend to follow suit.”

“You’re right; it makes sense.”

Due to Hwang Minsung’s excellent track record, others often invested alongside him.

“That’s why there’s so much interest whenever Hwang Minsung receives an investment proposal.”

“I see. If Hwang Minsung put money into something, I’d definitely consider investing as well.”

“Exactly. And Hwang Minsung is aware of this too. He knows people move their money based on his actions.” Lim Ho-jin paused briefly and glanced at Hwang Minsung’s empty seat.

“I heard he sometimes tears up investment proposals on the spot if they don’t meet his standards.”

“Oh… Does that mean no one will invest after seeing him do that?”

Lim Ho-jin nodded at Lee Sangsub’s question. “Who would invest in something Hwang Minsung ripped up?”

“Well, for those seeking investments, it’s like getting struck by lightning.”

“And tomorrow, any funding already received will likely disappear as fast as the ebb tide.”

Lee Sangsub pursed his lips at Lim Ho-jin’s words. “Feeling sorry for them now.”

“There’s no room for sympathy in business.”

“That may be true, but—”

“I’m curious about this, though. What kind of proposal made Hwang Minsung tear it up?”