Life’s Second Round in Epic Mode - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 A Delectable Business Idea (Part 1)

“Ah, nothing beats the vibe of this Grandeur. Let’s head to the fortune house nearby first.”

“Understood. We’re on our way.”

Mr. Han smoothly drove the car to the fortune house like a personal chauffeur.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Yi Geon felt the ’90s vibe as he touched the 1993’s highest-quality fabric seat.

‘Wow, look how smooth and soft this feels. It’s way better than the stiff Bentley calf leather seat, like an old sofa when you lean back. Look at the fabric seat, now that’s stylish.’

Displaying an inexplicable love for classic cars, Yi Geon was quite satisfied with the Grandeur’s interior. Even the rustic wood grain didn’t seem too bad to him. Of course, it would need some work later.

He was the type to refuse a 1.2 billion won fully-optioned Rolls-Royce and drive a Daewoo Arcadia, showing his passion for classics.

Upon arrival at the fortune house, Yi Geon immediately began negotiating with a middle-aged couple.

“So, you’re going to take over the failed 3-story all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant without paying any rights fee?”

“Hahaha, why would I pay a rights fee when I’m not going to run the business here? Besides, the commercial area is completely ruined. Who would run a food business there?”

“But still, not paying any rights fee at all…”

The couple was flustered, feeling hit where it hurts.

“Come on, who would visit a 3-story barbecue restaurant in a secluded area not even by the roadside? Instead of a rights fee, I’ll take over the equipment for a little more than the scrap price. Once it goes to auction, it’ll be sold by the kilo. It’s just scrap metal.”

Yi Geon’s uncompromising attitude left the failed restaurant owners at a loss.

“Young people these days are too ruthless. We should still get some rights fee, though.”

“If you keep waiting like this, you’ll spend months paying rent and wasting time. Instead of the rights fee, I’ll take over the cooking equipment at half the market price. Sending the used equipment to a scrap dealer wouldn’t even get you slapped.”

“Well, that’s true. Alright, young man, we’ll agree to those terms.”

Yi Geon’s languid expression took away the couple’s courage to haggle further.

“Then the building owner agrees to these terms as well?”

“Let’s do it that way. As long as the young man pays the rent diligently.”

Yi Geon quickly completed the lease agreement after finishing negotiations with the landlord and building owner.

“Geon, are we opening a restaurant? This isn’t a business?”

Geon’s friends, including Sang-il, felt uneasy.

“Hehe, do you think I’d make all this fuss just to open a single restaurant? Trust me, I have a plan.”

Afterwards, Yi Geon continued to travel around Seoul with Mr. Han and his friends, from Chungmuro to Guro Industrial Complex.

Mr. Han couldn’t hide his disappointment while accompanying Yi Geon. From what he heard from Master Ja-hoon, it seemed Yi Geon was planning some extraordinary business. However, all he had done was take over a failed 3-story all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant and purchase three special rear cars for food stalls.

“Mr. Yi, what you’re doing is quite different from what I had expected,” said Mr. Han.

“Ha ha ha, you can never understand the big picture I’m drawing by just looking at a single aspect of it. Just watch and you’ll come to know the ocean-like scale of my plans,” Yi Geon replied.

‘What is he trying to do? From what I can see now, it seems like a hopeless situation. Is this just a high school student’s wild idea?’ Mr. Han thought as he made a call on his Motorola cell phone.

“Yes, it’s Mr. Han. It’s about Yi Geon’s business.”

The conversation went on for quite a while.

——

Four days later, in front of Chunggong High School, there stood a food truck-like structure. It seemed to be selling something edible, but the passing students hardly paid any attention to the food. However, some of them showed interest due to the tantalizing aroma that wafted around.

The food truck looked different from ordinary ones, with a fresh and sophisticated design. Moreover, it was operated by students from the same school.

“What are you selling here?” a student asked.

“Hello, we’re selling a dish called tacos, which are filled with lots of meat,” a student vendor replied.

“Is it takeout?”

“Yes, we have free samples of tacos for you to try today.”

“Should I?”

A second-year student scanned the two available menu items and picked up a spicy meat taco. After tasting a sample piece, the student’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow, what is this? It’s so delicious!”

“Yes, one taco is 600 won, and you can get two for 1,000 won. We also provide dipping sauce when you buy a set of two.”

“Really? That’s quite cheap for this amount. There’s a lot of meat, tomatoes, and vegetables. It’s quite filling.”

Always feeling hungry around third period and late afternoon, the senior had been feeling unsatisfied with just a lunch box. However, these tacos were not only incredibly cheap but also tasted great. Moreover, two rolls for 1,000 won seemed perfect for satisfying hunger at any time.

“Alright, then give me two… no, six spicy tacos.”

“Thank you, senior.”

As the second-year student left with their wrapped tacos, a friend of theirs elbowed them and asked, “Hey, is it good? It smells amazing.”

“Yeah, it’s super delicious. You should get some too.”

“Alright, then give me three tacos, junior.”

“Thank you, senior.”

One by one, more customers arrived. Though not many, there were enough students going to school for the tacos to sell steadily.

“Wow! I thought they wouldn’t sell, but we already sold all 250!”

“250? How much is that? Wow, that’s amazing.”

Sang-du and Dong-pal looked at each other with excited expressions, reveling in their success.

Meanwhile, at the girls’ high school across the neighborhood, Sang-il was also surprised by the rapidly increasing sales.

“We’re sold out, sorry!”

“Ah, that’s a shame. Please bring more next time.”

“Thank you.”

Surrounded by the high school girls, Sang-il couldn’t help but blush. Watching the scene from the Grandeur, Mr. Han couldn’t believe the success.

“What is it that’s selling so well?”

Of course, it wasn’t unusual for a food truck to do good business.

At the entrance of Seolleung Station on Line 2, there was an old lady selling toasts with a queue stretching 20 meters long. Office workers were lining up to grab a quick bite before work. The old lady’s toast business, though thriving, seemed like child’s play compared to the sales of these peculiar tacos. Manager Han couldn’t comprehend why the tacos were selling so well, even if they were delicious. He couldn’t grasp how Yi Geon had captivated the consumers using the latest marketing strategies of 2030. The limitations of a 1993 office worker were apparent even in the highly capable Manager Han.

“Is this a joke? Who exactly is this kid Yi Geon?” he mumbled to himself as he picked up his Motorola cellphone. “Hello, Chairman. It’s about the business that student is doing…”

——

“How much did we make?” Sang-du’s eyes widened as he counted the heavy coins and bills.

Yi Geon had assured him that the business would do well, but he didn’t expect it to be this successful. In just 50 minutes, they sold a total of 253 tacos, both spicy and original. The last three tacos were initially set aside for Yi Geon and Sang-du to eat themselves. The total sales amounted to a staggering 125,000 won!

Combining the sales from the other two locations, they had made over 300,000 won in a single day.

“Wow, 300,000 won a day? That’s 9 million won a month. That’s like 30 pairs of Mariette Observer jeans!” Yi Geon sighed as Sang-du began to get carried away again.

“Ugh, why are you hitting me?”

“Because we’re not working on weekends.”

Even in 1993, Yi Geon insisted on a five-day workweek, so they didn’t do business on Saturdays.

“Oh, right. So, how much do we make in a month then?”

Yi Geon pitied Sang-du, who had stopped calculating altogether. “If we estimate 20 days, how much is that?”

“That’s 6 million won! We’ll be rich soon.”

As first-year high school students, they slowly started to feel the pressure. “What can we do with 30,000 won daily revenue when operating three carts and one store? It’s barely enough to survive.”

“So how much do we need to sell to make a profit?”

“For the first few days, we’ll sell around 1,000 tacos. Once our employees get used to it, we’ll sell at least 4,000 to 6,000 tacos a day.”

“Is that combined?”

“No, just at our school alone. 4,000 tacos a day.”

“4,000?!”

Both Sang-du and Min-seok’s mouths dropped open at the unexpected number.

“Right, 4,000 tacos. Ultimately, the goal is to sell at least 300,000 tacos a day within this year. Next year, at least double, maybe even quadruple.”

“!!!!”

300,000 tacos a day! That’s insane! That would mean a daily revenue of 150 million won, amounting to several billion won annually. Only then did Sang-du understand why Yi Geon had acquired a large restaurant located in a doomed spot. He didn’t need the restaurant; he just needed a production facility that could supply a massive number of tacos for sale.

“Wow, this is insane. We’ll become chaebols.”

“Wow, this is insane. We’re going to become tycoons.”

Thump~

“Stop daydreaming and count the money properly. I’m sure there’s some leakage here and there. Once you’re done, let Min-seok know the amount.”

“Ah, I’ll endure it since we’re making good money. Damn it!”

Although they were making a lot of money, Sang-du was annoyed by Yi Geon’s constant scolding.

‘Fresh meat tastes so good anytime! Finally escaping the pasture, why would anyone be a vegan?’

After two weeks into his second life, Yi Geon finally got to enjoy meat to his heart’s content. He buried his face in the desk with a satisfied smile.

——

About two weeks later, as Yi Geon had promised, the taco sales skyrocketed. At Hanseoul High School alone, they sold well over 4,000 tacos a day, reaching up to 6,500 tacos. Based on a week’s revenue, they recorded an astounding 15 million won. Even by 2030 standards, a weekly revenue of 15 million won was impressive, let alone in 1993.

‘Why is this selling so well?’

Ja-hoon stared at the taco in front of him with a serious expression. It was undoubtedly delicious, but no matter how good something tasted, people were bound to get tired of eating the same food. Yet, taco sales showed no signs of slowing down; they were breaking records daily.

Looking at the students in Class 3-1, there were many who were enjoying tacos.