It started modestly, but ended magnificently. The SNS post Yeona sent out spread like wildfire, reproduced by the online Vigilante, causing a chain reaction.
As a result, the owner of “Enjoying Food Before Paradise,” Hong Taek-gi, was in deep trouble. Why wouldn’t he be?
From early morning, employees from headquarters swarmed his restaurant!
Among them were some familiar faces. There was Director Gong, and despite attempts to deter them, a dozen or so people besides Director Gong stormed into the kitchen.
“Director Gong, where do you get off barging in like this without a word? Huh? Instead of this, how about giving me just two days, no, even just one day, to clean up?”
There were only Hong Taek-gi and Director Gong in the hall. Hong Taek-gi took advantage of the moment to slip a thick envelope into Director Gong’s pocket unnoticed. It was a calculated move to start with the superiors.
“No, but aren’t we all still in the morning? There’s a 24-hour rice soup place right there. Let’s go out and have a meal and talk. Come on, let’s go. Let’s start with paying for the meal. Tell the juniors to come out. Huh?”
For a greedy person, perhaps it might work. But there was no chance.
Director Gong forcefully tossed the envelope aside. As a result, a purple bill peeked out of the torn envelope and fluttered into the air.
The ripple effect of the video posted the day before was tremendous. Director Gong, who was already demoted just for being in charge of that location, was sure of his fate.
If any of the employees who witnessed this scene joined them? Just the thought made one dizzy.
“This guy, seriously. What is he trying to accomplish in life!”
Director Gong shouted, and Hong Taek-gi persisted stubbornly. It seemed like they were in a league of their own.
“Director Gong! Are you really doing this because of that video? That’s all a setup. A setup. That bastard borrowed money from me and now he’s trying to cheat his way out of paying it back?”
“Whether it’s a setup or not, we’ll find out when we see.”
“Ah, come on. Why are we being so petty between us? Huh? Director Gong, back off a bit. Help me out. If you let this slide, I’ll properly repay you.”
“What kind of relationship do we have! We just had a few meals together, what kind of relationship-!”
But the response that came back was icy. Director Gong brushed his hand and snapped sharply.
“Hah. It seems like you’re not getting the current mood. Mr. Hong, this is already out of my hands. It’s all over the ears of the CEO! Damn it, do you think I don’t want to cover this up? I want to cover it up the most. Damn! It was supposed to be a promotion for me this year, but because of you… sigh. Forget it. I should stop talking.”
Hong Taek-gi’s complexion turned as pale as a sheet at those words.
“This is not just a suspension of business. Surely…”
He finally had a strong feeling that things had gone completely awry.
At that moment, a dispatched headquarters employee approached Director Gong. He had been in the kitchen just a moment ago.
“Director Gong. I’ve confirmed it.”
“Hmm, hmm. Report here. The parties involved should hear this directly.”
“The kitchen hygiene, storage of ingredients, and the condition of ingredients are all in disarray. And we found ingredients from other suppliers as well.”
“Was there any glued meat?”
“We’ve collected it. Also, we’ve taken statements from kitchen staff.”
Hong Taek-gi’s face turned red and blue in an instant.
‘He had to somehow deny it!’
“Hong Cheol, you idiot!”
Even in this situation, blaming others. Director Gong looked at Hong Taek-gi with pitiful eyes.
“Mr. Hong, did you hear that? We are informing you of the termination of the contract with ‘Enjoying Food Before Paradise’.”
“…Contract termination? What the hell! I paid the franchise fee and royalties, and now you’re just notifying me of contract termination like this? I can’t, I won’t accept it!”
“It’s not over yet. In addition, due to damage to the brand image, the legal team will contact you separately soon. But we’re letting you know in advance because of our past relationship. So, instead of thinking about preparing such money, prepare the penalty firmly.”
“What’s this all about…”
“Do you know what people are calling our brand now? Bore-eaters and down-and-out. Did you really think that’s how you’re going to end up branding yourself, and then get terminated?”
“No, no way.”
In the end, Hong Taek-gi collapsed into his seat and tightly shut his eyes.
“Then we’ve got the evidence. Let’s all leave.”
Gradually, the dispatched headquarters employees began to leave the restaurant in a rush.
“No, this can’t be happening. Somehow…”
Although the damage had already been done, he had to salvage whatever he could. Hong Taek-gi chased after them frantically.
A moment later.
The restaurant door opened, and Hong Taek-gi grabbed Director Gong’s arm. And then.
“Director Gong. Where are you going? Let’s talk for a moment.”
“Oh, why are you doing this, Mr. Hong? Let go.”
Through the crack in the open door came the sound of a “click.” It was an unexpected flash.
Online community “Pearl Dream.”
There, a post titled “Misdeeds of Hong Taek-gi, the owner of ‘Boar and Paradise'” was published. The post topped the popularity charts, and members provided real-time updates.
[The Truth Behind ‘Hong Cheol’s Slang’ and ‘Boar and Descent Seoul Academy Branch’]
└ These guys are total scumbags. Gotcha. Bastards.
└ Is there no correspondent for the Seoul Academy branch? Share the current situation here.
└ Lol, a correspondent appeared… confirmed. Currently, it seems someone presumed to be a headquarters employee is holding onto someone’s arm.
└ Wow, the egg attack is here. (Roughly translated: Insert picture of Hong Taek-gi getting hit by eggs.jpg)
└ Wow, they’re straight-up pelting him with eggs. Classy.
└ Yeah, some lady is shouting up a storm. Apparently, her daughter got food poisoning here last year. They even treated the lady like a black consumer while offering excuses.
└ It’s a spectacle. Oh, I want to spectate too!! I want to fry some popcorn.
└ Looking for party members to go together in the evening. Let’s have dinner at Dok’s Restaurant and then go for a walk around the Boer Meokna (Boar and down-and-out) sightseeing course.
└ Hold on. Are they taking down the signboard right now? It’s making a loud clanging noise.
└ Where! This is a victims’ gathering chat room. Owners who have suffered, please join. (Link)
└ What about ‘Hong Cheol’s slang’?
└ They’re blocking comments over there. They keep reporting, so it seems like their YouTube channel will explode soon. Let’s all stay strong. Ppui ppui ppui ppui~~!!!
That’s how people riled each other up.
They created a victims’ gathering to prepare for legal action and spread Hong Taek-gi and Hong Soo-cheol’s personal information far and wide. It was to ensure they could never set foot in the food industry or on YouTube again.
Of course, judging by the speed at which it was spreading, it seemed they wouldn’t even be able to participate in society.
Anyway, ultimately, Hong Taek-gi and Hong Soo-cheol found themselves in a self-inflicted downfall.
What was supposed to be the establishment of Dok’s Restaurant ended up becoming shackles that tied them down.
While ‘Boar and Paradise’ was being pelted with eggs, ‘Dok’s Restaurant’ was suffering from a barrage of flower wreaths.
“Flower delivery!”
More than a dozen flower wreaths were lined up on either side of the store entrance. They were from people who had no personal connection with the situation.
[Hang in there, Boss! – From Gyeonggi Province Foodies]
[Wishing for Harmony – Yutak, Representative of Boar and Paradise]
“Prepare yourself for the worst. – From Pearl Dream”]
[This is a personally bought flower wreath. Boss, we’re enjoying your food so much. – From Seoul Foodstagram]
Among them were also ones sent by the representative of ‘Boar and Paradise.’ And it didn’t stop there.
Unexpected deposits appeared in the account they had posted on social media. The so-called money-relay had begun.
Boss, Samchun*. My mom’s store went through the same thingㅠ. Hang in there!
Even Jammin joined in on the money-relay, sending money with traces of nose-picking. Thanks to this, Dok’s Restaurant was in the midst of a severe scolding.
The number of people visiting the store was overwhelming. There was usually a waiting list, but it wasn’t as bad as it was now. It seemed like they might need to extend to the sidewalk.
“Mr. Kim, there’s a table available now.”
Jong-sik made phone calls while looking at the waiting list, and occasionally cleaned up the flower wreaths that had been delivered.
Meanwhile, Yeona was in charge of the hall. She served food that came out of the kitchen and handled payments as well.
“I’ll help you with the payment. It’s 100,000 won for two people at table 3.”
Yeona said with a bright smile. Then, a middle-aged woman with a gentle demeanor suddenly grabbed Yeona’s hand.
“It was really delicious. Those bastards! What were they trying to do at a place like this? Really.”
Yeona felt her heart warm at the customer’s words, who was angrily speaking as if it were her own business. At the same time, she couldn’t help but think of other businesses that had suffered.
“That’s right. We were lucky to uncover it, but many others weren’t so fortunate. Sigh.”
Still, at least we caught those bad guys now. Ah, goodness. Let’s do the calculations first. Excuse me.”
“Oh? Ma’am. You gave me an extra hundred thousand won….”
“No, please take the twenty thousand won as it is. Our daughter also runs a restaurant, and, oh, it feels like my own daughter. The extra ten thousand won is a tip for the young lady. We enjoyed the meal very much. It’s not a waste to spend it like this.”
“Well, um….”
“Then, enjoy your meal!”
Today alone, Yeona received tips several times. There were guests who even left double the amount of the bill and some who didn’t even ask for change.
At first, she was flustered, but now Yeona, who had become accustomed to receiving tips, recorded the tips she received in a notebook under the cash register. When she added up the money in her account and the tips, the actual revenue far exceeded the sales figures.
Anyway, Dok’s Restaurant continued to operate busily.
A few hours later,
“Yeona! We’ve run out of the prepared ingredients. Post a notice and tell Uncle that we can’t accept any more customers.”
“Okay, got it!”
In the end, Dok’s Restaurant had to close early due to a shortage of ingredients.
“Wow. How many zeros are there exactly?”
Yeona’s eyes widened as she tapped on the calculator. Why wouldn’t they? Today’s sales exceeded ten million won! The net sales alone amounted to twelve million won.
When she added up Yeona’s tips and the money in her account, the total amount earned approached two billion and five hundred million won. It was a considerable amount compared to the limited floor space and the early closure.
“Don’t keep it to yourself, tell us too.”
“Yeah, how much is it?”
Jong-pal and Jong-sik were also curious and urged Yeona. However, it wasn’t easy for secretive Yeona to speak up.
“Hehe, is everyone curious? Shout if you’re curious~~”
It was enough to make Yeona burst into a delighted laughter.
“Wow hahaha!”
“Woohoo!”
Jong-sik and Jong-pal burst into laughter and joined in the rhythm. Taking a cue from them, Yeona also tapped her spoon.
“Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo!”
The family’s response was quite satisfactory, prompting Yeona to respond.
“Tuk-tuk-tuk. Today’s total sales amount to 25,780,000 won! Isn’t it amazing?”
“…We sold that much?”
Jong-pal asked with a bewildered expression. It was far more than he had anticipated.
“Yeah. Actually, the actual sales were 12 million, and when you add the donations and tips we received today, it comes to around 25,000.”
“Ah, everyone’s so generous.”
“Hehe. Right? We should mark it on the calendar. It’s a day of achieving a new record!”
Yeona said confidently. Jong-pal was also pleased. However, he couldn’t be entirely happy. And Dok Jong-sik, who was well aware of his niece’s feelings, couldn’t ignore this.
“But if we continue like this, what are we going to do? Isn’t it about time we started hiring some staff?”
Jong-sik suggested, and Jong-pal nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about hiring someone anyway, but now it’s really time to do so. Especially since Yeona will have to go to school next week.”
Running a restaurant wasn’t an ordinary job. While he could handle it as an awakened person, Yeona was just an ordinary person and a minor. It was obvious that she would be exhausted without even saying it.
“And let’s take a break until we find staff. It’s true that it’s right to open the doors as long as we think about money, but… mistakes keep happening because people keep coming in.”
“Yeah. That’s a good idea. Let’s take a few days off to rest, prepare the ingredients again, and Trigo said he’d repair the store. We can redecorate it to match the season.”
“Hehe. Then it’s comfortable and nice for me.”
Trigo, who was beside them, responded as he took a sip of water.
At that moment, Jong-pal spoke again.
“Well, then, that’s what we should do. Oh, and brother, I have something to discuss….”
“Oh. What is it?”
“The money that came into the account.”
A moment of silence followed Jong-pal’s words.
