Suk-Ho's friend was an extremely obese person with a beard and all tangled hair—he looked more like an artist than a businessman running a bar .
"This is my friend from college . "
Gun-Ho stood up to meet Suk-Ho's friend/business partner .
"Hi, I'm Gun-Ho Goo . "
"Hello, I am Han-Young Bang . "
He had a high-pitched voice like a woman, which contrasted with his large body . Gun-Ho and Han-Young greeted each other with a handshake . Han-Young's hand felt very soft . Gun-Ho became self-conscious and felt embarrassed about his rough hand due to his prolonged manual work in a factory .
Once Han-Young went to the kitchen, Gun-Ho resumed talks about his business ideas with Suk-Ho .
"If I open a restaurant, which area do you recommend?"
"You should do a lot of legwork before you could find the right location . Even though we have too many restaurants in this country, there are certainly popular restaurants which are crowded with people all the time . There is a Thai restaurant downstairs in this building . They are doing very well . "
"A Thai restaurant? The owner should know how to cook the food he is selling, right?"
"Recipes are simple . The food should be delicious, of course, but the location is crucial . Where do you live now?"
"I am in Noryangjin . "
"Noryangjin? Noryangjin is good to have a restaurant . That area is filled with people who are preparing for whatever exams, and they all could be potential customers . I've seen a Vietnamese restaurant on TV, selling pho in Noryangjin . That restaurant made a huge success there . The owner is a Vietnamese woman married to a Korean man . The restaurant is smaller than my bar and they said they were making 90 million won per month . "
"90 million won per month? Wow!"
"Not every restaurant in Noryangjin made such success . There are restaurants in the same area sold to another person because the previous owner went bust . Well, you should have a lot to think about . You want to take your time and research enough before you actually open your own business . "
"Thank you for your time and advice today, Suk-Ho . "
"I enjoyed talking with you, Gun-Ho . If you start your business and making money more than 15 million won per month, you can survive . "
"15 million won per month, then I should make 500,000 won per day…"
"It is not easy to make 500,000 won daily . If the area is not established for business, many businesses in that area barely make 200,000 won per day . You could easily see the change of ownership of a business overnight . "
"Hmm…"
When Gun-Ho was continuously talking with Suk-Ho, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet entered the bar while carrying a big box .
"Delivery for fresh produce, sir . "
"You can place it on the table over there . "
When Suk-Ho stood up, Gun-Ho stood up along with him .
"You seem to get busy now . I'd better go . Thank you again for today . "
"You are leaving? Come visit me often . Here is my business card . "
Gun-Ho took Suk-Ho's green-colored business card and walked out of the bar .
Gun-Ho decided to explore the areas in Seoul, where businesses are already established with high traffic of young people .
"Let's try the area around Hongik University . "
Gun-Ho took the subway and got off at the Hapjeong Station on line 2 . He walked toward the Hongik University after making a right turn at Bobo Hotel . While walking down the street, Gun-Ho saw a lot of stores with beautiful interiors, as well as many students passing by .
"This is indeed a nice place . The female students are all pretty . "
Gun-Ho stopped by a café to drink some coffee . He used to hesitate to enter a store like a café, but he now lost his inhibition probably because he had 500 million won in hand .
"The store names are so distracting . They are stranger than the ones in Gyeongridan Street . ThanksBooks, Dorothy, St . Coqs… If I open a restaurant, what should I name it?"
Gun-Ho kept walking down the street while thinking of various things .
"Right . Let's opt-out the studying option for the level-9 government job exam . With the starting salary of less than two million won, it will take forever to succeed in that career . In this capitalist society, money is ruling . "
Gun-Ho arrived at the three-way junction on the Hongik Club Street .
"I see some of the small bars here . Solo, Gwangdong… Maybe I can start with a small bar . What is that? Lotpongi? Well, a small bar doesn't require a large space . Let's ask a realtor about it . "
When Gun-Ho saw a realtor's office with its door open, he entered there . It was his first time being in a realtor's office .
"Hello, welcome . What can I do for you?"
A man in his 50s was reading a newspaper in his chair . He stood up when he saw Gun-Ho entering the office . There was a lady in her 40s working at her desk .
"I am interested in a small bar . I'd like to know how much it cost to open one . "
"Well, it depends on the bar you are interested in . Why don't you have a seat here?"
Gun-Ho hesitated a bit before he sat on a sofa .
"We actually have one that just came on the market . How much should I match?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I need to know how much you want to spend in order for me to find one that is matched to it . "
The realtor scanned Gun-Ho from head to toe while responding .
Gun-Ho had 500 million won in hand but he didn't want to invest it all now, in case the business wouldn't go well . In addition, he was concerned that if he spent a large amount of money, people might be wondering about the source of money . Gun-Ho thought 100 million won would be adequate . "
"How much is the one that just came on the market?"
"That one is located on the street across the LohasTower office-tel and its location is really good . That street has heavy traffic of students and residents of the office-tel . Would you like to take a look?"
"What about the price…"
"It is 18 pyung . The price is 150 million won including the premium . If you are interested in it, I can negotiate the price for you . "
Gun-Ho hesitated .
"Let's go take a look first . "
The realtor didn't wait for Gun-Ho's response and prepared to visit the property by wearing his jacket . He talked to the lady at her desk before he headed out of the office .
"I will be right back after showing the property to this customer . You should stay here until I come back . The person who wanted to see the room might call soon . "
Gun-Ho and the realtor headed to the bar that recently came to the market . The realtor said while walking,
"It is impressive to see a young man who could invest 150 million won in a business . "
Gun-Ho blushed and didn't respond to the realtor .
They entered the street across the office-tel after passing the Far East Broadcasting Company . It was a small bar in an isolated area . It seemed to be the least decorated store among others in the same area . Gun-Ho walked in the bar . The owner and a kitchen worker woman were trimming leeks .
"Hello . I brought someone who wanted to take a look at your store . "
The owner seemed shy . While the owner was just standing there without saying anything, the realtor started a sales pitch passionately as if he owned the store .
"Look at this . It is 18 pyung large, but it looks bigger than its actual size . The owner will leave all kitchen appliances . The building owner is very nice too . He is an elder of a church . You will get warm water constantly, and it comes with a private bathroom . You can't easily find a property like this one . "
Gun-Ho was baffled . He couldn't believe that this tiny and shabby bar cost 150 million won . Gun-Ho asked the owner, "Are you moving your business to somewhere?"
Instead of the owner, the realtor answered Gun-Ho's question .
"The owner here used to run a BBQ restaurant . She is moving to Sinchon Town opening a larger restaurant . This bar is doing well too . We don't see many people on the street right now but you have to wait and see at night . This area will be filled with people at night . This is part of the famous Hongik University Street after all . "
Gun-Ho pretended to look around the store .
"Thank you for showing . I appreciate it . "
Gun-Ho walked out of the store . The realtor followed Gun-Ho and poked Gun-Ho in the waist . He then whispered into Gun-Ho's ear in a low voice .
"I will try to make it down to 140 million won for you . I can talk to the owner . If that works, just add small money to the commission for a drink, okay?"
"Huh? Oh, okay, okay . "
Gun-Ho just said it without thinking . The realtor continued talking skillfully .
Chapter end
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