Chapter 548. Peaceful (3)

Chapter 548. Peaceful (3)

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted loudly. “You think I'm running this place for you two to come and get free pizza?”

Munch, munch...

“We need tables for customers, so you freeloaders taking up space like this is stressing me out, you know that? Why can't you...”

Munch, munch, gulp, munch...

“...What the hell! Hey, pay attention when someone's talking to you!” Ju Yeong-Gi yelled loudly. However, that triggered the adverse reaction of everyone in the pizzeria switching their attention to him. Ju Yeong-Gi's face quickly reddened from embarrassment.

“Sorry about that. My bad.” Ju Yeong-Gi hurriedly bowed deeply toward other patrons, then called out to one of the waiters. “Hui-Chaaan! One free salad per table!”

The customers erupted in much fanfare.

“Whoa!”

“Thank you so much, Manager!”

Ju Yeong-Gi ably sorted out the poor customer service crisis in the blink of an eye, then coldly glared at Kang Jin-Ho and Park Yu-Min. “And you two!”

“Ow, come on!” Park Yu-Min raised his head in irritation. “You're not supposed to disturb people having meals!”

“You were eating like a pack of starving dogs, though!”

“Really? Should I bite you, then?! Like a real dog?”

Ju Yeong-Gi was taken aback just then.

'What the hell is wrong with this kid?'

Even Buddha would have offered a round of applause to Park Yu-Min when it came to matters of kindness. In fact, Park Yu-Min's kindness was so bottomless that Ju Yeong-Gi often wondered if his friend had the 'Loose Screws in the Brain' disease! Being too kind couldn't be a normal behavior, after all!

But now, that kind and meek Park Yu-Min was... shooting a fiery glare in Ju Yeong-Gi's direction.

“You two... Were you stuck in hell until now or something?”RêAd lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

“...Being in Hell would've been preferable, actually,” said Park Yu-Min. He one-shotted the remaining cola, then grunted loudly in satisfaction. “Finally, some decent food. I feel alive again.”

Ju Yeong-Gi looked weirdly at Park Yu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho. “Didn't you say you were going to a PC Room yesterday?”

“Yeah, we did.”

“So... What are you two doing here at this time of the day? When did you leave the PC Room?”

“Not too long ago,” said Park Yu-Min while patting his bulging tummy.

“Huh? When?”

“Not too long ago.”

Ju Yeong-Gi turned his head to look outside the window.

'Right, the sun's already set, so...'

It was now after sunset, but these two left the PC Room not too long ago? Which could mean...

“...What the hell? You were playing computer games for twenty-four hours straight?!”

“It's a pretty common thing, though?”

“...Listen, Yu-Min. Your concept of what's common and what's not has been corrupted! You gotta wake up, dude! You gaming junkie!”

Park Yu-Min smirked. “I'm a pro gamer. Remember?”

“Dang it. I was praising you, huh? I wanted to insult you, though!” Ju Yeong-Gi helplessly shook his head. “Okay, so... You two have been playing computer games until now and didn't even get a decent meal between your sessions. Am I right so far?”

“Yup.”

“And now that the marathon gaming session is over, you feel sleepy and tired, but your hunger has overridden your priorities for now.”

“Yup. On the money again.”

“Since your friend runs a pizzeria nearby, you figured you'd drop by to say hello and get free food on the side, too. Is that how it is?”

“You should be a psychic, Yeong-Gi.”

“I see. I get it now. I understand what the problem is. So, the root cause of my issues has always been my friendship with you two! Fine! We're cutting our ties, right now! You bastards!”

Park Yu-Min smirked again. “Why do you want to cut ties over something so minor, dude? Isn't it okay to feed a couple of your starving friends every once in a while?”

“You think money grows on trees?! Can't you see how full we are! Because of you two occupying this table, we're not making any money off it right now! It's not only about the free pizzas you are hoovering up, you dummies! You just killed our opportunities to make a profit on side orders!”

Park Yu-Min cocked an eyebrow while scanning the pizzeria's interior. “Huh? Looks like you don't have a problem with revenue, what with how full this shop is?”

“You think the profit earned is mine? That dang Mister Investor takes a huge chunk of it away every month, you know? That leaves me with some pocket change. Sometimes, my pay is even less than what the staff members get!”

“Really?” Park Yu-Min looked puzzled while alternating his gaze between Ju Yeong-Gi and Kang Jin-Ho. “Then... Why are you still running this store?”

“Running one store is like that, but wait until we get more stores under my belt. Pocket changes coming from various places will snowball into a big chunk of cash in the end. That's what running a business is like, Yu-Min.”

“Okay. Then, do it. What's keeping you?”

“You tryin' to make fun of me or something?” Ju Yeong-Gi scowled in anger. “You can't just change the contract because you feel like it, you dumbass. Besides, I signed the contract because I thought it was reasonable for both sides, you know? So, stop trying to play the bigger man here, okay? Fine! I got it, you dummy. I'll swallow the loss this time. However, you better believe me when I say Imma open hundreds of stores one day and make more money than you.”

Park Yu-Min tilted his head. “Huh? Doesn't that mean Jin-Ho will also make a ton of money?”

“...!” Ju Yeong-Gi held his head in despair. “F***ck... And I wanted to laugh at Jin-Ho's face at least once, too...! If I do great, this punk will also do great, but that doesn't mean I should back out now, so what the hell...?”

Ju Yeong-Gi looked genuinely tormented by this new dilemma, but Kang Jin-Ho couldn't hold his laughter from this sight.

'I haven't felt this in a long time...'

And that feeling was being at peace. And a sense of joy, too, that he and Park Yu-Min alone couldn't really create.

Ju Yeong-Gi possessed this inexplicable power to put people at ease. His words might come across as curt and disorderly, but anyone with ears could tell he didn't mean anything bad by what he said. Instead, they would start to think that Ju Yeong-Gi felt comfortable enough around them to speak so informally toward them.

Ju Yeong-Gi groaned before glancing at Kang Jin-Ho. “Fine, fine. Change the cheese. Got it. What else?”

“I'm sure you already have ideas about the rest, so I'll leave it to you.”

“I see, I see. Dear Mister Investor, I shall work to my bones to fill your coffers like a loyal dog.”

“Thanks. It'll surely come in handy one day.”

“Rotten bastard...” Ju Yeong-Gi chuckled helplessly

Even though he was hurling insults around, Ju Yeong-Gi had never forgotten that Kang Jin-Ho's assistance was the reason for his current fulfilling life. To Ju Yeong-Gi, being given the opportunity to shine in a workplace meant a lot more than receiving financial assistance.

“By the way, man... I hear you've been trying to do something weird lately. Is it true?” Ju Yeong-Gi glanced at Kang Jin-Ho again.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Something weird? What do you mean?”

“Something-something about setting up a foundation?”

“Oh, that. Mm. I'm in the early stages of setting one up.”

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted loudly. “I knew it. Idiots who can't even wipe themselves properly always try to meddle in other people's affairs. Listen here, you dumbass. You should put your life back on line first before starting anything else, got that?”

“...What's wrong with my life?”

“Why don't you graduate first? Huh? You unemployed freeloader.”

“...!” Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut.

One of the things Kang Jin-Ho feared the most was the unemployed bum jokes... at his expense! He might be fully occupied with various urgent matters, but the cruel truth was... Kang Jin-Ho was still unemployed, wasn't he!

“Just because you came into some money, you dare underestimate the harshness of this world? When you're a bum with no job? If you're doing it, you better think long and hard about it, then do a proper job, okay?”

“Mm... Thank you for the advice. I mean it,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

“I'm not joking, okay?” Ju Yeong-Gi tutted.

“I know.”

Although Ju Yeong-Gi didn't sound all too serious just now, the intent behind his words definitely was. Kang Jin-Ho took his friend's advice to heart. “I'll be more careful.”

“Good. You better.”

“In that sense...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly rubbed his chin. “Mm, right. Why don't I start with something I can actually do right now? Can you get me takeaway pizzas for the kids back at the orphanage?”

“Sure. As long as you're willing to pay.”

“That's not an issue.”

“Okay. You want them ready now?”

“Yeah.”

Ju Yeong-Gi smiled contentedly at his friend's straightforward reply. “I've got no reason to refuse when you wish to improve our revenue. So, dear customer~, which pizza would you like, and how many of them?”

“Mm, well... All the pizzas on your menu.”

“Okay, got it. And?”

“Ten of each, too.”

“...?!” Ju Yeong-Gi's cheeks twitched dangerously just then. “Ten... of each?”

“Mhm,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded.

“Wait, wait. We have ten pizzas on our menu, and you want ten of each?”

“Yes.”

“...You bastard, is this your way of getting back at me? Just because I nagged a little, you wanna punk me like this?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged his shoulders. “I'm just ordering takeaways as a customer. Let me help you improve the store's revenue, as you've said.”

“You! Come outside with me for a sec! You've been getting on my nerves since boot camp, you know that! We're gonna finish it once and for all today!”

“I'm not gonna say no!” Kang Jin-Ho snorted arrogantly.

Ju Yeong-Gi rolled his sleeves up. “Say your prayers!”

And so... As the price for Ju Yeong-Gi causing a ruckus again, another round of free food had to be offered to the other patrons.