Episode 38. A Reason to Be Respected (2)
Kang Dae-oh, who had finished looking around all the way to the first floor, which was the last stop, nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Executive Director Yu In-seok knew what he was about to say.
“You seem satisfied, CEO.”
“Yes. Thanks to our Store Manager Yoon’s excellent management, I can’t find any flaws. And looking at the customers’ expressions earlier, everyone seemed happy. I don’t think there will be many complaints here, will there?”
As soon as Kang Dae-oh finished speaking, Executive Director Yu In-seok took out his tablet PC and checked something.
“Yes. It’s exactly as you said, CEO. There hasn’t been a single official complaint filed this month.”
Zero.
From the perspective of a self-employed business owner, this is an astonishing figure.
Yoon Ha-seung seemed to have immense pride in this statistic, as he puffed out his chest and said, “Even if they’re just passing customers, I try my best to serve them with dedication. If we plant a good image once, they’ll come back later.”
“That’s a good mindset.”
Kang Dae-oh thought the same.
The store’s management status was excellent.
The store manager’s mindset was excellent.
Kang Dae-oh repeatedly confirmed that the Hongdae Branch 2 was being operated very well.
“Then shall we move on to another store?”
“Yes, CEO.”
“It was good seeing you today, Store Manager. Please continue to do a good job.”
Yoon Ha-seung shook hands with Kang Dae-oh and powerfully replied, “Understood,” with an expression of honor.
Before parting, Yoon Ha-seung hesitated, as if he had something more to say.
Quick-witted Kang Dae-oh couldn’t possibly fail to notice this.
“Do you still have something you want to say to me?”
“That…”
As he hesitated, Kang Dae-oh gave a faint smile, as if to ease his burden.
“It’s alright. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me. You’ve managed the Hongdae Branch 2 well. I should at least repay you a little.”
Kang Dae-oh roughly thought of candidates for what Yoon Ha-seung might want.
Most often, it was financial support.
However.
Yoon Ha-seung was definitely different from other branch managers.
“Can I take a picture with the CEO? And a signature too, if possible!”
“…”
Kang Dae-oh realized once again that his earlier remark about being Kang Dae-oh’s fan was not empty flattery but genuine.
As Kang Dae-oh and Executive Director Yu In-seok were about to leave the store, Yoon Ha-seung rushed out to see them off, bowing at a 90-degree angle.
“Thank you, CEO! Please be careful on your way back!”
In his hand was his smartphone, holding a picture taken with Kang Dae-oh.
Kang Dae-oh gave an awkward smile and gestured for him to quickly go back inside.
“I’ll visit again later. As a customer, not a company official.”
“Yes! Please stop by anytime! I’ll be waiting!”
Watching the energetic Yoon Ha-seung, Kang Dae-oh also felt energized.
Executive Director Yu In-seok also smiled at Yoon Ha-seung’s energy.
“He’s a very passionate person. Especially concerning you, CEO.”
“Indeed. He also has a knack for managing the store. If an opportunity arises later, I think we could entrust him with a larger store when we open one.”
“Yes. I was thinking the same thing. The Hongdae area is also a region we’re focusing on. Considering that more stores will continue to open in the future, Store Manager Yoon Ha-seung’s help will be greatly needed.”
Having such a passionate and capable person in a key region was reassuring for the company.
Perhaps it was because of the good harvest from the very beginning.
Kang Dae-oh’s expression brightened compared to earlier.
“Let’s move on to the second location right away.”
“Yes, CEO.”
Just as they were about to move.
Suddenly, a sound like something spilling, “Wooreureu!”, was heard.
Kang Dae-oh and Executive Director Yu In-seok’s gazes simultaneously turned towards the source of the sound.
There, the elderly man who collected waste paper, whom they had met earlier behind Hongdae Branch 2, stood with a troubled expression.
The cardboard boxes stacked on the cart he was pulling had spilled onto the ground.
‘Was the rope not properly secured?’
No, it wasn’t a problem with securing it.
It looked like the rope was so old that signs of it being broken were visible even from a distance.
Meanwhile. As soon as the restaurant owner, who was right in front of the spilled boxes, saw the scene, he came out with an annoyed expression and raised his voice.
“Hey! What are you doing in front of my restaurant entrance, huh?!”
“I-I’m sorry. I tied it as usual, but I didn’t know the rope would suddenly break…”
“It’s prime time for customers to flock in. Why aren’t you cleaning it up quickly?!”
“I’ll clean it up right away. I’m sorry… Cough!“
The elderly man kept bowing and coughing.
His health didn’t seem to be very good either.
The elderly man began to busily clean up the boxes by himself.
However, not a single person helped him.
The elderly man, who didn’t fit the title of “Street of Youth,” silently began to clean up the mess he had caused, enduring the uncomfortable stares of the young people passing by.
Kang Dae-oh, who had been quietly watching the scene, took steps, thump, thump.
Executive Director Yu In-seok followed Kang Dae-oh and moved towards the elderly man.
“Sir.”
At Kang Dae-oh’s words, the elderly man turned his head.
Despite having just met, the elderly man reacted as if he didn’t remember Kang Dae-oh’s face.
Regardless, Kang Dae-oh smiled faintly and said to the elderly man, “I’ll help you. I’ll clean up the boxes here, so you just need to pick up the boxes over there. And…”
Looking at the remaining boxes scattered on the right side, Executive Director Yu In-seok rolled up his sleeves as if he had been waiting.
“I’ll clean those up.”
“I’ll leave it to you, Executive Director.”
“Yes. I can finish this quickly.”
With Kang Dae-oh and Executive Director Yu In-seok stepping in, the cleanup was quickly completed.
The elderly man, who had been flustered, finally expressed his gratitude to Kang Dae-oh and Executive Director Yu In-seok.
“Thank you very much. I should at least offer you something…”
“No, it’s alright. We didn’t help you expecting anything in return. You don’t need to worry about it. More importantly.”
Slightly.
Kang Dae-oh turned his head towards the inside of the store where the owner, who had just spoken harshly to the elderly man, was.
Just then, the store owner, whose gaze met theirs, came out of the restaurant again.
“Ugh, the smell! It’s not over just because you picked up all the boxes. What are you going to do about the smell?! Today’s business is ruined!”
The restaurant owner seemed intent on extracting something more by using the elderly man’s mistake as an excuse.
A look of bewilderment spread across the elderly man’s face.
Their daily life consists of barely earning 5,000 or 6,000 won even if they spend all day collecting waste paper.
In this situation, the restaurant owner’s demand that the elderly man take responsibility for today’s lunch business would naturally feel like a huge burden.
The restaurant owner’s logic was unreasonable. It was an arbitrary claim.
He knew it, but from the moment he provided the excuse, the elderly man was not in a position to protest the restaurant owner’s claim.
His position now was simply.
A powerless old man.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Kang Dae-oh swallowed a small sigh.
Having been self-employed for a long time, Kang Dae-oh had learned that there were all sorts of people in the world.
He had seen many strange customers.
But it wasn’t always just the customers who visited the store who were strange.
There were also many strange owners who ran their own stores, just like now.
“Sir. The smell isn’t so bad that it would drive all your customers away. Isn’t it a bit unreasonable to blame the lack of customers solely on the elderly man?”
The store owner flared up.
“What? Have you ever run a restaurant? What do you know, someone who hasn’t even tried!”
There was a reason why the store owner could shout so confidently at Kang Dae-oh.
It was because Kang Dae-oh was covering his face with a mask.
Towards the store owner, who was talking about what he knew about the food service industry, Kang Dae-oh slowly took off his mask.
“While I haven’t run a restaurant myself, I do consider myself quite knowledgeable in the food service industry.”
“…!”
The store owner, who belatedly recognized Kang Dae-oh’s face, began to panic greatly.
“C-CEO Kang Dae-oh…?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kang Dae-oh proudly revealed his identity and continued to speak.
“As I said earlier, just because the elderly man spilled a few boxes in front of your store, it won’t completely ruin your lunch business. If you truly believe that, I will prepare to defend the elderly man in my own way.”
It was a resolute statement implying he would not shy away from a legal dispute.
The store owner, however, did not seem to be completely clueless, as he immediately understood what Kang Dae-oh wanted to say.
“I… I’m sorry. Business hasn’t been good lately. So I guess I was a bit sensitive.”
“That’s perfectly understandable. I get it. As you know well, I also started Amare from a small neighborhood cafe before it grew to this size. But you shouldn’t keep looking for the cause of failure externally. You know that well, don’t you, sir?”
“…”
“So, don’t get too stressed, and first, calm your mind a bit. Then, the day when you see the solution will surely come.”
Perhaps it was because these were words from Kang Dae-oh, who started from the bottom and led a success story that others envied.
It felt even more convincing.
The store owner, forgetting how he had been speaking to the elderly man, now showed signs of tearing up, moved by Kang Dae-oh’s advice.
“Yes! I will try my best to become like CEO Kang!”
“Cheer up. I’ll be rooting for you.”
Kang Dae-oh patted him on the back as much as possible to leave no lingering bad feelings and sent him back inside.
Executive Director Yu In-seok nodded briefly at Kang Dae-oh and said, “Well done, CEO.”
It was good that he had appeased the store owner, but in the process of doing so, he had revealed his identity, which at some point began to draw the attention of those around him.
“Look at that. Isn’t that CEO Kang Dae-oh?”
“Is he here for filming? Maybe he’s here for a pre-inspection of the store…?”
“Is the new season of Yorae about restaurants instead of cafes?”
Before the unnecessary speculations grew further.
“Shall we move?”
“Yes. That would be best, CEO.”
However, Kang Dae-oh kept noticing the elderly man.
Kang Dae-oh suddenly put his hand on the back of the cart the elderly man was pulling.
“Sir. Where is the junk shop you deal with?”
“Huh? Surely…”
Kang Dae-oh smiled brightly and said to the elderly man, “I’ve been sitting in the office so much that my body feels stiff. Give me a chance to exert myself after a long time.”
Thanks to this, Executive Director Yu In-seok had to roll up his sleeves again, which he had momentarily lowered.
