The Former Chaebol Heir Excels as President

Chapter 18: Let’s Make Some Money (3)

9:30 PM.

I arrived at the restaurant that had taken its final order.

The owner greeted me with a big smile.

“You were right, student. Today the delivery sales beat the dine‑in.”

“You’ve been selling a lot of shad this autumn.”

“Sorry I didn’t believe you at first. If business were like this every day, I’d have no complaints.”

“It’s Sunday today. Don’t expect the same tomorrow.”

“If weekends consistently performed like this, I’d be perfectly satisfied.”

The owner looked pleased.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“You did well.”

I loaded the shad set onto my bicycle’s rear rack and headed to the final delivery at the professor’s apartment.

It was a jackpot.

Since this afternoon, orders had poured in so much that I, Yang Seok‑gu, and Ji Jeongseok were all assigned to deliveries.

Had I had a smartphone, I’d have been more agile, but now was not the time to miss tools.

Just like this, it was already a great success.

The delivery person with the highest earnings had done 45 deliveries, raking in ₩200,000 in sales.

That means they earned ₩20,000.

Considering a new hire at a big company started at around ₩300,000, that was big money.

Today, each delivery person made over ₩10,000 on average, so their expectations grew.

“It’s enough now!”

I knocked on the door of the final delivery.

A woman in pajamas came out, collected the food, and paid.

“Thank you. Have a pleasant evening.”

When I delivered the line with a bright face and energetic tone, she looked at me in a daze.

“Be happy!”

“Thanks to you, I feel good. I appreciate it.”

“Thank you.”

It was done in the spirit of service, but since it felt good, the energy felt even brighter.

After stopping by the restaurant to settle up, I went to the carpentry office, arriving a little after 10 PM.

The older sister in the neighborhood was completely drained, face‑down on the desk.

I approached and woke her.

“Nuna!”

“You’re back? I thought you might drop dead today. How did phones keep ringing without a break?”

She looked exhausted.

“Seok‑gu and Jeongseok haven’t come?”

“No. After you left, orders came in, so they went there.”

“You know what to do now, right?”

“I did mess up a few times, but from tomorrow on I’ll be perfect.”

“You’re smart, so you’ll do well.”

“You’re the smart one.”

KWAANG!

The door burst open as Yang Seok‑gu rushed in.

“What did I tell you? I said we’d succeed!”

He looked triumphant.

“Well done.”

“I made ten deliveries today too. Can I keep what I earned?”

“Of course.”

“I made ₩3,000. I’m so excited.”

Then Ji Jeongseok came in.

“I really don’t know how time flew today. Going to school tomorrow will be tough.”

“Well done.”

“It won’t be like this every day, right? Because today is Sunday.”

“If every day went this well, we’d be rich. Let’s go inside now. Nuna, please do the calculations tomorrow morning.”

“I got it—we’ll do it right.”

Nuna had graduated from commercial high school, worked at a trading company, then quit and entered college. Because she did accounting, I wasn’t worried.

“Great job, everyone. Let’s go home and get some good rest.”

“I feel like I’ll fall asleep the moment I close my eyes.”

“Ha ha. I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt this sense of achievement.”

Yang Seok‑gu was moved to tears.

I was tired.

Tomorrow I must deliver milk again, which felt daunting.

If things keep going this well, Seok‑gu and I probably won’t have to wake up before dawn.

My steps headed home were light.

I took the ₩4,000 I earned today and gave ₩2,000 each to Yeonhwa and Kang Daemyung.

“Oppa!”

Yeonhwa’s eyes sparkled brightly.

“Hyung-ah, can I keep this? It’s the money you earned.”

Though he frowned, Kang Daemyung smiled under his eyes.

“I’ll earn a lot more from now on, so keep it.”

Mom felt both relieved and worried.

“Don’t give up on your studies.”

“I’ll definitely keep my promise with you. By the way, did you hire a lawyer for big brother?”

“He said he’d try to get probation, but it’s not certain.”

Dissemination of seditious materials, aiding a criminal, violation of the Assembly Act, obstruction of official duties, etc.

Big brother had played a role in the guard unit protecting the president of Yeonje University’s student council.

When he was caught by the police, it was after he’d bought time for the student council president to escape, so a charge of defiance was likely added.

Could the lawyer really do anything? These were harsh times.

But I couldn’t shatter Mom’s hope.

“If he meets a good judge, he’ll be released on probation. And if the regime changes, he might be granted leniency.”

“Really? I hope so.”

“Mom, can’t I go see big brother too?”

“You’re too young to go.”

“Why? I just want to see his face. I miss big brother too.”

It was the first time I saw Yeonhwa whine like that. She must really miss Kang Taemyung.

Kang Daemyung also looked like he might cry as he begged.

“Mom, I want to see big hyung-ah too.”

I knew why Mom couldn’t take them.

A gaunt face, unkempt beard.

When I went with Mom last week, my brother looked like a broken man.

If they saw that, Yeonhwa and Kang Daemyung would be traumatized.

I stepped in.

“Big brother will be out soon, so hang in there.”

“It’s just been too long since we saw him.”

“I miss big hyung-ah too.”

Suddenly the mood sank. At this rate, we might drown in a sea of tears.

This atmosphere caught me off guard.

I blurted out something without even thinking.

“Big brother said he doesn’t want to see you two.”

That was a mistake.

Yeonhwa’s pupils trembled as if hit by a major earthquake, and Kang Daemyung twitched his lips and burst into tears.

“Big hyung-ah doesn’t want to see us? Really? Waaah.”

How was I supposed to fix this?

When even Yeonhwa started pouting, I fell into panic.

“That’s not what I meant…”

“If not, then what? Mom, did big brother really say that?”

“Cheonmyeong must’ve had a tough day today. Taemyung never said such a thing.”

“Oppa! What’s wrong with you? Why are you lying?”

“Hyung-ah, why did you do that?”

Suddenly, I’d become a con artist.

After that, I had to be interrogated for dozens of minutes in the room of truth.

Fortunately, Mom put an end to the debate about visiting big brother by speaking firmly.

“I said I can’t take you, so leave it at that!”

Yeonhwa and Kang Daemyung didn’t object anymore.

She should’ve just said that earlier.

I resented Mom for a moment.

Just as I remembered from my previous life, the ruling party’s candidate won the election with 36.6%.

Mom’s sighs deepened, and the neighborhood men split into factions and argued over the two opposition candidates.

Ironically, this election—between two figures who had fought for democratization—deepened regional tensions.

A very busy month passed.

The business settled successfully, and requests to include their own stores in the pamphlet flooded in.

We began collecting franchise fees, increased the number of delivery staff, and even produced a color pamphlet with food photos.

Since it was vacation, I stayed in the office all day.

I answered the phone when it got busy and helped with deliveries.

The rest of the time, I spent studying.

After lunchtime, during a lull, the older girl from the neighborhood came in.

“There’s a customer outside.”

“Who?”

“He said he has something to ask. He’s wearing a suit.”

“Tell him to come in.”

When the older girl swung the door wide open, a man who looked to be in his early forties stepped in.

“Hello?”

“Hello?”

With his hair slicked back, he was dressed in luxury suit and shoes.

It was the same brand I had worn in my past life, so it was easy to tell he was rich.

“This office is cozy.”

“Please have a seat here, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.”

“You’re Kang Cheonmyeong?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

He seemed to have done thorough background research.

I had tried to fix the creaky chair, but after continued use, it became unstable again.

Once he sat down, I asked,

“What brings you here?”

Of course, I already knew.

A wealthy man coming to see me meant he was interested in this business.

“Coming up with an item that grows alongside restaurants—no one could have imagined it. Hahaha.”

The man laughed heartily.

His sparkling eyes and sharply curved eyes above his smiling lips.

With my past life experience, it was easy to read his greed. He was clearly drawn by the scent of money.

He looked at the pamphlet next to the table and said,

“May I take a look at this?”

“Yes.”

A crisp title.

Appetizing food photos and standout shop images.

The man was impressed.

“Did you take all these photos yourself?”

“Yes.”

“You’re quite something.”

“I have friends who help me. I couldn’t do it all alone.”

The man nodded.

“I’ll be honest. A few days ago, I had dinner plans in this neighborhood and saw a pamphlet called ‘Delivery Emperor’ at a restaurant. The owner said it helped their sales a lot.”

When I responded indifferently, the man grew anxious.

He was the one in a hurry, not me.

“I live in Yongsan. To be specific, Hannam-dong. There are restaurant flyers in my neighborhood too. Sometimes, when I want to order food, I look through the business directory or flyers, but it’s really inconvenient. But looking at this pamphlet…”

He held up the pamphlet.

“It’s so pretty I wouldn’t want to throw it away. So whenever I order food, I’d definitely use Delivery Emperor. And there’s a wide variety of menus too.”

“Pizza Hot is in that neighborhood, right?”

“How did you know? Ha.”

The man was impressed.

His purpose in coming here became clear. He wanted to find out who I was and whether I was a trustworthy partner or investment.

“Before the Olympics, brands like Baekdonal will enter the market. We have to open up more now.”

“Huh.”

The man was so surprised he was momentarily speechless.

“How do you know such things?”

I still had vivid memories from my past life.

I remembered going to my aunt’s house in Hannam-dong and eating Baekdonal burgers. I still couldn’t forget that taste.

Now it was time to win him over. I needed more capital.

“I’m thorough. When I started the delivery proxy business, I did in-depth research.”

Of course, that was a lie.

It was all thanks to my past life.

“I see.”

“After the Olympics, more people will start ordering delivery food like Chinese, chicken, pizza, and burgers. Not only that, but the market will also expand to Korean, Western, and lunchboxes. Because delivery is convenient and saves time compared to waiting at a restaurant.”

“Huh.”

“Yongsan is a great market. High income levels, many households, good restaurants. Plus, the U.S. military base there is a big advantage.”

The man’s eyes sparkled as he focused entirely on what I was saying.

“The most important thing in the delivery proxy business is optimal personnel deployment. I’ve created a calculation method to determine this.”

“You even have something like that?”

“That’s fundamental. Multiply the order rate by the average ticket size, and you can easily estimate sales.”

Now, time to put the finishing touch.

“This won’t be the end. When customers reorder frequently, we’ll assign ratings based on star counts. That’ll make selection easier for customers.”

“Student! No—President Kang!”

The man jumped up and held out his hand to me.

“I want to invest in this business. My name is Seo Du-hyeop.”

At that moment, the expressway to success opened before me.