- 11 minutes ago
Burger Gate - FULL EP
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Short filmTranscript
00:00There was a little burger joint right by the office. I'd been eating there
00:04religiously for three years. That afternoon, I ordered my usual, a double
00:09cheeseburger. I took one bite and immediately noticed the lettuce was
00:12pathetically scarce. I said politely, think I could get a little extra lettuce,
00:17please? She looked up at me, eyes sharp as daggers. Extra lettuce? You think lettuce
00:22grows on trees? If you don't like it, the doors wide open. The whole place went dead
00:26quiet. Everyone staring right at me. I didn't say a word. I finished my burger,
00:30paid, and walked out. The next day, I dropped a message in the company group
00:34chat. Lunch is on me, everyone. We're hitting that new burger spot across the
00:38street. 300 co-workers followed me like a herd. The owner stood in her doorway, pale
00:43as a ghost, watching her diner empty out for good. I'd been stopping by Wendy's
00:48diner for lunch ever since my first day on the job. I'd always thought of it as the
00:52office cafeteria. Convenient, nothing fancy, but too easy to stick with. Wendy had
00:59always been snappy, loud, and short-fused. My co-workers grumbled every now and then.
01:05Over time, we just got used to her proprietor vibe. Until that day, Wendy,
01:10usual please, I called. She just grunted behind the register without even glancing
01:15up. Ten minutes later, my burger arrived. Something felt off right away. I took a bite
01:20and tasted it. Lettuce. Or rather, the total lack of it. I carried my tray up to
01:24the counter. Wendy, I said, keeping my tone as calm as I could. She was counting
01:30receipts, scowling hard. The burger's a little light on lettuce today. She froze
01:35for a split second. You think lettuce is free? If you don't like it, don't eat it.
01:40She jabbed a finger at the door, practically yelling. My face burned, not from
01:44embarrassment, but from pure fury. I just stood there holding that burger, feeling
01:49like I was getting publicly roasted in front of everyone.
01:54The elevator reached the 18th floor. Administration. I went back to my desk and
01:58booted up my computer, trying to convince myself that the whole scene at lunch had
02:02been some kind of hallucination. I went back to my seat, thinking that was it. But
02:07then she came right over and lit into me. I called building management and asked for
02:11Leo's Burgers contact info. Less than 30 seconds after hanging up, Leo's number came
02:16through. This wasn't about revenge. It was a surgical strike. I needed Wendy to
02:21understand that she hadn't just lost a regular customer. She'd lost the business
02:25of an entire office building. I made myself a cup of coffee to clear my head.
02:30Hit send. The war had begun. Grabbed my phone and stepped out of the office. As the
02:35elevator doors slid shut, I caught my reflection in the polished metal. No
02:39expression, but my eyes were sharp. I didn't go straight to Leo's across the
02:43street. I stopped outside Wendy's diner first. Wendy was leaning against the
02:48counter, picking her teeth with one hand, scrolling her phone with the other. A
02:52faint smirk on her lips, like nothing happened this afternoon, like that worm
02:57never existed. Maybe in her eyes, it really was nothing. Now it's my turn.
03:04I let out a cold laugh. Turn. Leo's Burgers wasn't big. A young guy, maybe 27, 28, wearing a
03:11clean white chef's coat, then jumped down. So fast, he nearly missed a step. He
03:15hurried over, nervously rubbing his hands together. I gave a small nod, scanning the
03:20place. New tables, new chairs. Bright, clean, a world away from Wendy's across the
03:25street. How many burgers? Four. Classic beef, cheeseburger, bacon burger, and a vegan
03:30falafel option. Sauce is my own recipe. I grind the beef, fresh every... I cut him off.
03:35Pricing. His words slowed. He seemed hesitant. I just looked at him. He shifted under my gaze,
03:41I shook my head. Give him time to process. Set out my phone. Turned the screen toward him.
03:45His eyes locked onto it, pupils widening. He knew exactly what that number meant. Skipping
03:50the hardest part of building a business. Landing a stable, steady stream of customers from day
03:54one. Before this, most of them went to Wendy's. He looked up at me, and I saw something in his
04:00eyes I knew well. It was the look of a hungry man seeing food for the first time. Now I'm
04:05giving you a shot to make all 300 of them yours. The air went still. His breathing quickened.
04:10Red crept up from his neck, flooding all the way to his ears. It took him a few seconds
04:14to find his voice again. Why, me? I looked at him and didn't answer right away. I was
04:21trying to figure out how to say it. In the end, I chose the simplest way. I told him what
04:26happened at lunch today, and how I got accused of planting it myself. Leo stood there in front
04:31of me. His chair scraped against the floor with a sharp squeal. And then he bowed. Deep,
04:37almost a right angle. He held it for three seconds. When he straightened up, there was
04:41something in his eyes I hadn't seen before. Not gratitude. Not eagerness. It was ambition.
04:47I'm in. And the corner of my mouth lifted. Approval. I stood up, phone in hand, and let
04:52my gaze drift past the window across the street to the Wendy's diner sign. It creeped in the
04:57wind, swaying slightly. Wendy's good days were over. The next day, I put on my sharpest
05:03outfit. Today, the plan went live. I sent the first unofficial message in the group. At
05:08everyone, lunch is on me today. I looked at the screen, the corner of my mouth turning
05:12up. I tallied the list. 316 people. Basically, the whole office. I sent the spreadsheet to Leo.
05:20Wendy was prepping for the lunch rush like any other day. Noon. Still no one. Wendy finally
05:26felt something was off. She walked to the door and looked across the street. At the entrance
05:31to Leo's burgers, Leo was holding a megaphone. Face glowing. Waving people in. Inside, others
05:38queued out front. The scene was huge but organized. You'd have thought it was a movie premiere.
05:45Wendy stood in front of her empty diner, staring at the chaos across the street.
05:50Her mind went blank. She didn't understand. The same people who'd eaten at her place yesterday
05:56were all across the street today. I was just standing at the curb, arms crossed, watching.
06:03She watched her regulars, the faces she knew, laughing, eating burgers across the street.
06:10Her temper hit its peak. She grabbed a patty and slammed it onto the floor, but she wasn't done.
06:17Oh no! Wadey's in trouble!
06:20Leo's burgers, day one, was a smash hit. He stared at the register, at the numbers flashing
06:25on the screen, his hands shaking. The first thing he did was send me some money through
06:29Venmo. I didn't take it. Told him to use it to buy himself something decent. Tomorrow's
06:34when the real fight starts. Everyone was talking about the burgers.
06:37Leo's burgers are amazing. The patties are so juicy. And the owner and staff are so nice.
06:44Jasmine is the best.
06:46I listened, but I didn't say much. Novelty doesn't last. I knew that. I was standing in
06:51the hallway. The next day, I stood in the hallway at work, giving me strange looks. Then my phone
06:57started blowing up. My hand trembled as I opened the photo. A grainy shot of my face, taken without
07:03me knowing. It brought me back to something I hadn't thought about in years. Fresh out
07:09of college, the first time I walked into Wendy's diner. There was this shy kid who kept stealing
07:15glances at me. Then one day he worked up the nerve to actually talk to me. We were almost
07:2110 years apart, but the conversation just flowed. Until the day he was leaving for college.
07:26He showed up with a bouquet and asked if I'd be his girlfriend. I said no. It was quiet for
07:32a
07:32moment. Then asked, can he give me a hug? I nodded. He held me, gently. I scrolled through
07:40my contacts and sent the post to him, the one I hadn't talked to in ages. He replied almost
07:46immediately. Meanwhile, inside Wendy's diner, things were a mess. The 100 plus patties she prepped for
07:52lunch sat untouched. A quiet middle-aged guy who didn't say much was crouched on the floor,
07:58cleaning up inside. She put up a tough front, but with the diner emptier by the day, she was panicking
08:08inside. Her solution? Drop prices. Two bucks less per burger than the place across the street. With
08:14free fries and free soda thrown in, she thought that'd be enough to win everyone back. The next
08:19morning, a big discount sign went up outside Wendy's diner. At those prices, she was basically
08:24selling at cost. A few random customers trickled in. But across the street at Leo's? Same pack scene.
08:32Blue Wave employees poured in like a tide. Not a single one of them switched sides over $2. She
08:38didn't get it. Who turns down a deal? What she didn't know was that this morning, I'd added a
08:43little note to my lunch sign-up post. Quick heads up, Leo's Kitchen now has live cameras. Show your work
08:48badge and you're welcome to walk in and seek yourself. For people who sit in an office all day, what
08:54matters
08:54most? Price? Taste? No. It's peace of mind. I never played Wendy's price game. I played a different game
09:00entirely. While she was obsessing over discounts, I'd already taken my colleagues to a whole different
09:07level. At noon, I took a few department heads to Leo's. Jasmine, that was a hell of a move. We
09:13grabbed
09:14a table by the window. Perfect view of Wendy's confused, sour face across the street. One of the
09:20directors smiled and said, I'll take another two orders of fries. You want two orders of fries for $6.99?
09:28In your dreams. They left shaking their heads. Wendy's smear campaign fell apart. I stood a
09:34little ways from the entrance, watching Wendy fuming and cussing someone out. I knew I was almost there.
09:43The price cut strategy flopped. Not only did Wendy's business not pick up, but her attitude drove away
09:50even more customers. Her place was a ghost town again. Over a hundred burger patties sat unsold,
09:56so she came up with a new dirty move. If she couldn't win head-on, she'd switch tactics.
10:02She was gonna trash Leo's reputation. Rip out everything I'd built by the roots.
10:07That weekend, Leo's place was slammed. Right in the middle of the rush, two guys in uniforms walked
10:13in, stone-faced. Health department, surprise inspection. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Welcome,
10:19Leo said, polite but steady. We're a new spot, so I'm sure there's room for improvement.
10:24Feel free to point out anything. He kept his cool. But I knew, this fight was just getting
10:30started. The kitchen was spotless, floors dry, ingredients neatly organized, delivery dates
10:36clearly labeled, every single metric checked out. Honestly, it was cleaner than some places.
10:42She'd played every card she had, and ended up being their biggest hype woman. Instead of trashing
10:48Leo's reputation, she'd handed them the ultimate officially certified stamp. Leo won, and he won
10:55big. I stood across the street, watching from the crowd as he got swallowed by applause and cheers.
11:01Right then, I knew, Wendy was done. Finished. The inspection turned out to be the last straw that
11:08finally broke Wendy. After that, she was like a different person. Gone was the short-tempered owner.
11:14She turned into a rabid dog, snapping at anyone who came near. She stopped caring about her business
11:20altogether. Her daily highlight was standing at her door, hurling the foulest curses she could
11:25muster toward Leo's side of the street. Her voice, hoarse and shrill like a crow's caw, echoed down the
11:32block. Even her husband Jack couldn't take her like that. They had a massive blowout, and he packed up and
11:38went back home. Wendy's diner became just her, and a whole building's worth of bitterness. The Blue Wave
11:45employees became her favorite target. Every afternoon when we walked over to Leo's for lunch,
11:50we had to endure her non-stop filth. But nobody paid her any mind.
11:58What's the point of engaging with a lunatic? I had Leo crank up the music in his place, loud,
12:04drowning out her desperate screams with upbeat pop tracks. We kept eating our burgers, kept chatting,
12:10like she was nothing but background noise. And that indifference, that hurt her more than any
12:15comeback ever could. Her ranting lasted a week. After a week she realized it wasn't getting her
12:21anywhere, it was just making her the joke of the block. So she changed tactics. She started coming
12:27after me. The day they hauled her away, a bunch of people went out to watch. I didn't. I just
12:32had a
12:33co-worker take a photo for me. In it the roll-down door at Wendy's diner was shut tight, with
12:38a
12:38police department seal plastered across it. One morning, I went down to the underground garage to
12:44get my car. On my white sedan, someone had spray-painted two giant red letters. All four
12:50tires were slashed. I looked at the scene in front of me, not angry, just a cold laugh. I called
12:56the
12:57cops and notified building management, pulled the security footage, and there was Wendy's face,
13:02twisted with rage, clear as day on the monitor. The cops found her in no time.
13:07Face to face with the evidence, she didn't even try to deny it. I did it.
13:14Wendy was taken into custody, and Wendy's diner shut down for good. The burger war that had lasted
13:20nearly a month came to an end with my decisive victory. In the end, Wendy was charged with
13:25criminal mischief. 15 days in jail, and she had to pay for all the repairs. Total came to $3,200.
13:31At the office, I became something of a celebrity. A lot of people would see me and half-jokingly
13:37call out, Jasmine the Great. New interns were all given the same piece of advice by the veterans.
13:42You can afford to piss off the boss, but whatever you do, don't cross Jasmine. That earned me the
13:47nickname Thanos of Blue Wave. Leo's place expanded. He took over the little convenience store next door
13:53that was up for sale and knocked down the wall. The space doubled in size, and there were a lot
13:57more
13:57seats. He hired four more staff members. And even so, the place was packed every single day at lunch.
14:03A month later, the buyout I'd promised came to an end. I settled the entire bill with Leo in one
14:09go,
14:09over $20,000. It was money he'd earned, fair and square, through his skill, his honesty,
14:15his service. I thought that would be the end of it.
14:20Until one day, I ran into someone in the company parking garage. Jack, Wendy's husband. He looked
14:26like he'd aged 10 years in the past month. She wanted me to tell you. She's sorry, Jack said,
14:31his eyes reddening. A man in his 50s, standing in front of me, his enemy. 20 years younger,
14:37on the verge of tears. I didn't feel a thing, not even a flicker of satisfaction. Jack,
14:42go back and tell her this. I accept her apology, but I will never forgive her, because back then,
14:48she never once thought about letting me off the hook either. So we're even, we're even. I said
14:53it casually, but only I knew how much resentment and bitterness was behind those words. If, that
14:58afternoon, after Wendy had finished laying into me, she'd shown even the slightest hint of remorse,
15:03I wouldn't have taken things as far as I did, but there were no what-ifs. I set that photo
15:08as my
15:08lock screen. Every day, I remind myself, never mess with someone who looks like they have a lot of
15:14patience, because you never know, when they decide to stop arguing and start playing by the real rules,
15:20just how badly you might lose. A week later, someone I never expected showed up. Wendy's son,
15:29Lucas. He looked polished now. A crisp suit, a world away from his mother. His tone was sincere.
15:35He said everything that happened was his mother's own doing, and his family accepted that. I picked
15:40up my coffee and didn't say anything, waiting for what came next, because I knew he didn't come all
15:45this way just to say that. Lucas's eyes turned red. After she got out of lockup, she wasn't the same,
15:51doesn't eat, doesn't drink, doesn't talk, just locks herself in a dark room all day.
15:55The day before yesterday, she got hold of a knife when my dad wasn't looking, slid her wrists,
16:00my hand tightened around the coffee cup. He stood up, and for a second, I thought he was about to
16:05get on his knees. My head started spinning. I hated Wendy. I hated her cruelty, her unreasonableness,
16:11her viciousness. I wanted her to pay. I wanted her to answer for what she did, but not like this.
16:17I wanted her to hurt. I didn't want her dead. Take the money back. I said, let me think.
16:22I walked out of the cafe. The sun hit my eyes hard. I walked out of the cafe. The sun
16:30hit my
16:30eyes hard, and they stung. Did I really win this war? I'd torn apart a family, and put a weight
16:35on
16:36my own conscience I wasn't sure I could carry. In the end, I went to the hospital. Not because of
16:41the $5,000 Lucas tried to give me. Not because I suddenly turned into some soft-hearted saint who
16:46felt sorry for her. I went because I needed to close this war, the one I started, with. My own
16:51hands. I owed myself that much. The hospital room reeked of antiseptic. Wendy lay in the bed. Her
16:57face the color of parchment. Her body wasted away. In just a month, she looked like she'd aged 20 years.
17:03Her wrist was wrapped in thick white gauze. When she saw me come in, something flickered in her dull eyes,
17:08and then went dark again. Neither of us said a word. The silence was suffocating. The only sound was
17:14the clock on the wall, ticking away like it was counting down the final seconds of this whole
17:18absurd mess. Neither of us said a word. The silence was suffocating. The only sound was the clock on the
17:24wall, ticking away like it was counting down the final seconds of this whole absurd mess. After a
17:29long while, I spoke. She laughed then, a laugh uglier than crying. That was the second time Wendy said
17:35sorry. The first time came through Jack. This time, she said it herself. I looked at her face, gaunt.
17:41Drained of all color, and just like that, the hatred I'd been holding on to vanished. I stood up,
17:46when I reached the door. I turned back. Wendy, when you get better, if you ever want to open a
17:51place
17:51again, I'll introduce you to someone who can teach you how to make a real burger. A good one. No
17:56charge.
17:57Then I opened the door and walked out. She'll be okay, I said. And I think, I'll be okay too.
18:05Wendy never ended up reopening her burger place. After she got out of the hospital,
18:09she and Jack sold their place in the city and moved back to their hometown.
18:13Word was they'd bought some land in the countryside and started an orchard. All things considered,
18:18it was probably the best possible ending. Jack would occasionally send a box of apples,
18:22big, sweet ones, into the city with a relative who came in to sell produce. Every time,
18:28I'd Venmo him the market price. When he refused to take it, I'd just add the money to his phone
18:32bill
18:33instead. Somehow, we fell into this strange, unspoken understanding. Leo's Burgers.
18:38On the other hand, absolutely blew up. Leo turned out to have a real head for business.
18:43He trademarked the brand. Opened several locations. Even landed some venture capital.
18:48He wasn't the kid who needed my help anymore. People started calling him the Burger King.
18:52I stayed on as office manager at Blue Wave. Same routine, work, home, handling the daily grind
18:58of the department. But the way people looked at me had changed. There was a real respect there now.
19:02Something earned. A year later, thanks to my organizational skills and the kind of reputation
19:10you can't fake, I got promoted to director of administration. First thing I did was push
19:15through a formal employee feedback and support system, anonymous channels, direct access to me,
19:20no filters. I wanted everyone at Blue Wave to feel good about where they worked, to feel like they
19:25mattered. So no one ever had to go through what I did, feeling humiliated over something.
19:29In my own way, I was changing the little world I was part of. Another lunch hour,
19:34I sat by the spotless window at Leo's Burgers. Sunlight warm on my face. On the plate sat a
19:39classic beef burger, extra lettuce, extra special sauce. The patty was juicy and tender. The lettuce
19:45crisp and fresh. I ate slowly, across the street. The space that used to be Wendy's Diner now had a
19:50new sign. A 24-hour convenience store. Bright lights. People coming and going. Like the greasy,
19:56screaming burger joint had never existed at all. My phone buzzed. A message from Lucas. A photo.
20:02Lush green orchard. Rows of fruit trees. Wendy and Jack stood side by side beneath the branches.
20:08Their skin was tan dark from the sun. But their smiles, I'd never seen them like that. Radiant.
20:16Content. Content. Below the photo. A line. Director Jasmine. My parents said when the fruit ripens in the
20:22fall. They'd love to have you visit. I looked at the photo and smiled. Typed back. Sounds good. I
20:27looked up. Leo was walking out of his office. Now the director's office. He wore a crisp suit. Beaming
20:33with energy. Talking to a group that looked like investors. Walking them through the vision of his
20:38burger empire. He caught my eye and gave a small nod. Smiling. I nodded back. I looked down at the
20:44last bite of my burger. I put it in my mouth and chewed slowly. In this burger war. Was there
20:48really a
20:49winner and a loser? Maybe not. Wendy lost her restaurant. But found a kind of peace she'd never
20:54had. Leo built his business. But gained a weight of responsibility he'd have to carry. And me. What
20:59did I come away with? It wasn't a title. It wasn't the respect of my co-workers. It was something
21:04simpler. The understanding that you can. And you should. Go after the life you want. But the catch is.
21:10You have to deserve to be treated gently by this world. And that gentleness comes from just one
21:14thing. Respect. Respect for others. And respect for yourself. Autumn arrived. I drove out to Wendy
21:23and Jack's orchard. I'd never taken this road before. But the GPS said I was half an hour out.
21:28Before I'd even parked. I saw Jack waiting for me at the entrance. Wendy stood beside him. Holding an
21:34apple in her hand. When she spotted me. Her expression flickered with nervousness. But then she
21:39smiled. Wendy walked me through the orchard. She didn't say much. Just occasionally pointed to a tree.
21:44These are fugus. Or those are galas. She picked one and handed it to me. I took a bite. Sweet.
21:50She stopped under an apple tree. Suddenly quiet. Her hands fidgeted in front of her. Then she looked
21:55up at me. Her eyes read. Jasmine. Thank you. This time. She smiled. Like a little kid. Jack came over
22:01with a tray of burgers. Grinning. Jack came over with a tray of burgers. Grinning. We used the recipe
22:09you gave us. Wendy's been practicing for weeks. Give it a try. I took a bite. The beef was juicy
22:15and tender. The lettuce crisp. The sauce hit just right. I looked up. Wendy was watching me. Nervous.
22:21It's good. I said. She froze for a second. Then the tears came. But she was laughing. Crying and laughing
22:27at the same time. Jack stood beside her. Chuckling. His eyes read too. I took another bite. Yeah. It was
22:33really good. That afternoon. We sat in the orchard for a long time. Ate burgers. Picked apples. Talked about
22:39nothing important. No one mentioned the past. No one talked about the war. But I could feel
22:44something had shifted. Life's funny that way. You never know which comes first. The last straw
22:49that breaks you. Or the first stone that builds something new. But here's the thing. Sometimes
22:54they're the exact same thing.
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