Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1278

Reorganizing (3)

“Do you know what the cafe scene is like these days? You can’t turn your head without seeing a cafe. There’s one every three steps.”

“That’s right.”

“The areas around stations and downtown are dominated by franchises, and a little further out, it’s all individual cafes. There are more cafes than restaurants now, so what’s with this cafe franchise!”

“That’s true too.”

Gu Jeong-beom was ranting like a fire, but Hwang Min-soo remained calm.

“Well…”

“Hey, you.”

Hwang Min-soo cut off Gu Jeong-beom’s words.

“This is the first task we’ve been given. I know it’s difficult, but are you going to say you can’t do it right away?”

“Ugh…”

Gu Jeong-beom groaned.

‘He always talks like that!’

All three of them knew that Hwang Min-soo’s true feelings were completely different.

There was a sad story hidden here.

Hwang Min-soo deeply hated Hwang Jung-hoo’s parenting style. But unfortunately, that hateful Hwang Jung-hoo’s teachings were deeply ingrained in Hwang Min-soo’s bones.

Thanks to that, even in situations where there was no solution, Hwang Min-soo never gave up easily. He was the type to try it out first, and only back off after experiencing it, whether he got broken or shattered.

It was the role of the three people here to stop that, but…

‘His eyes are too full of motivation.’

Once Hwang Min-soo’s switch was flipped like that, no one could stop him. Just as Hwang Jung-hoo was called a bulldozer, Hwang Min-soo, while not a bulldozer, was at least a backhoe [a type of construction equipment].

“Well, the coffee taste isn’t bad.”

Choi Byung-chan lightly sipped his coffee and nodded.

“Director Gu.”

“Yes?”

“Go get four more warm ones.”

“…Yes.”

Gu Jeong-beom got up from his seat. Then, without a word, he went to the counter and ordered four coffees.

“I’ll bring them to your table.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Gu Jeong-beom, who had returned to his seat, frowned slightly and continued.

“The coffee taste is okay, but cafes aren’t really about the coffee taste, are they? That guy can’t even tell the difference between instant and drip coffee, but he goes to a cafe every other day.”

Noh Tae-gwang flinched at Gu Jeong-beom’s remark.

“What do you mean, can’t tell the difference?”

“Isn’t that true?”

Noh Tae-gwang looked away.

In fact, he couldn’t really distinguish the taste of coffee. It was more about smelling the aroma and putting something warm in his stomach.

“And cafes don’t make money from coffee. They make it from other drinks or cakes. After all, things like Americanos are cheap, so they don’t make much profit.”

Noh Tae-gwang snorted.

“There he goes again, showing his true colors.”

“What?”

“Hey, if a place is already doing so well, it would become a franchise on its own. Is it a business to bite into a place that’s already doing well? Huh? Then why are you getting paid? You’re doing something that even a middle schooler could do!”

“If there’s something lacking, we just need to fill it.”

Choi Byung-chan nodded quietly at Noh Tae-gwang’s words.

“Director Noh is right about that.”

When even Choi Byung-chan sided with Noh Tae-gwang, Gu Jeong-beom sighed and backed down slightly.

“But Director Gu isn’t wrong either.”

Choi Byung-chan looked at Hwang Min-soo with serious eyes.

“It’s true that the coffee tastes good, but a cafe isn’t just a place that sells drinks. It’s a place that sells space and culture. In that sense, this place doesn’t seem to have any special elements that would attract people.”

“Hmm.”

“But is there a reason why we have to franchise this place?”

“…The chairman told me to check it out.”

“The chairman, you mean?”

“I’m talking about the MK chairman.”

“Hmm, I see. This place…”

The four of them looked around again.

“Isn’t the interior too old-fashioned?”

“Rather than old-fashioned, it feels cheap? No matter how well you decorate with those materials, it’s bound to be ambiguous.”

“It seems like there are more than a few things that need to be fixed. If it looks like this to our non-expert eyes, then we should consider it hopeless.”

Sung Joo-chan, who was listening to the four people’s conversation at the counter, squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Ugh.’

Of course, those people weren’t being rude, and they were speaking quietly so that Sung Joo-chan couldn’t hear them.

But his sharp senses, honed as a martial artist, wouldn’t allow him to ignore the small talk. No matter how much he tried to pretend not to hear and remain calm, all the conversations were sucked into his ears.

“This place is impossible.”

“Hmm, no matter how I think about it, it won’t work.”

“We need to start from scratch.”

Hwang Min-soo smiled bitterly at the three people’s reactions.

“You were just feeling uneasy a moment ago.”

“If we’re going to do it, we have to do it properly, right?”

“It’s the same with any company. Your evaluation depends on how you handle the first task you’re given. No matter how unreasonable or difficult the task is, if we’re going to do it, we have to make it a success.”

Noh Tae-gwang and Gu Jeong-beom glared at Hwang Min-soo with burning eyes.

Hwang Min-soo unknowingly smiled slightly.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

It was like this in the past too. Before starting, they would bicker and disagree on everything, but once they started working, they would come up with one opinion, just like now.

It was strangely emotional.

“Ah, don’t get emotional!”

“Let’s keep it simple, boss.”

“Who’s getting emotional!”

Hwang Min-soo, who shook his head hastily, got up from his seat with an awkward expression.

“I’m going out for a smoke.”

“Wait a minute.”

Choi Byung-chan stopped Hwang Min-soo.

“Instead of that, let’s move to another place. There’s a cafe I’d like to recommend.”

“Oh?”

Hwang Min-soo’s eyes widened as he looked at Choi Byung-chan.

Choi Byung-chan was a person who was careful with his words unless he was completely sure. In other words, when Choi Byung-chan spoke, it meant there was definitely something there.

“Is it far?”

“It’s a quick drive.”

“Let’s go.”

Hwang Min-soo picked up his bag as if there was nothing else to consider. Gu Jeong-beom got up and tidied up the area.

“Let’s smoke quickly and leave.”

“We said we don’t smoke.”

“Ah, that’s right. Then bring the car. I’ll have one first.”

“Sigh.”

The four of them bickered as they went outside. Sung Joo-chan, who was watching them, let out a big sigh.

‘What is the chairman trying to do again?’ Sung Joo-chan was more worried than expectant.

“Is this it?”

“Yes!”

“…It’s vintage.”

Hwang Min-soo frowned slightly.

Somehow, the feeling was a little different from what he had wanted. This place was more like… a workshop rather than a franchise.

‘A workshop, or something?’

The interior, which felt a bit desolate, and the minimalism matched the recent trends, but…

“Please, have a seat first.”

Hwang Min-soo nodded and sat down.

“Would you like to order?”

As soon as they sat down, a server came to take their order.

‘It’s old-fashioned.’

Hwang Min-soo frowned.

A server taking orders in this day and age. There’s a limit to how anachronistic you can be.

It felt like he had warped back 20 years.

“Four warm Americanos.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

They seemed well-trained, but that was all.

What shouldn’t be there shouldn’t be there. No matter how beautifully you decorate, it’s meaningless if the functionality doesn’t support it.

Choi Byung-chan, noticing Hwang Min-soo’s expression, opened his mouth slightly.

“Let’s have a cup of coffee first and then talk.”

“Hmm, the coffee is good, but…”

“Don’t worry. Can’t you see?”

Hwang Min-soo turned his head slightly.

The cafe was full of people. Considering that it was approaching nine in the evening, the business was booming.

‘Come to think of it…’

It was strange.

‘Have I lost my touch?’

Even though it was an unfamiliar field, Hwang Min-soo was confident that he had a great nose for money. But he hadn’t properly checked a place where so many people were gathering?

It meant that there was something that Hwang Min-soo didn’t know.

“You’ll know once you try it.”

Choi Byung-chan was confident, but Gu Jeong-beom and Noh Tae-gwang also looked uneasy.

Fortunately, the coffee came out quickly, and the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long.

Hwang Min-soo had a subtle expression when he saw the coffee in a plain white mug.

‘This is better.’

Judging by their interior sense, if they had tried to choose a pretty cup, it would have been a disaster.

Hwang Min-soo, who was about to bring the coffee to his lips without much thought, widened his eyes and pushed the cup away slightly.

‘What is this?’

The aroma that rushed into his nose was completely different from the coffee he had been drinking so far.

“Wow… this?”

Noh Tae-gwang looked at Hwang Min-soo with surprised eyes.

It seemed like Noh Tae-gwang had felt it too.

If Noh Tae-gwang, who had the least sensitive palate among them, could feel it, it was no ordinary matter.

‘No, no.’

Hwang Min-soo’s face hardened.

‘I really have lost my touch.’

What a businessman should always be wary of is excitement.

Those who are obsessed with an item tend to get excited at the sight of a new item. An item that would be nothing special if viewed with a calm eye can look like gold to an excited person.

Because he was so focused on making the cafe franchise a success, his body was reacting first to anything that looked even slightly good.

Hwang Min-soo calmed himself and picked up the coffee again.

“No, but the aroma is really…” Even after smelling the aroma with a calm mind, it was clearly different this time as well.

“The aroma is really good.”

“…So this is what a well-made coffee is like.”

The others’ reactions were similar.

Hwang Min-soo took a sip of the coffee with anticipation.

‘It’s coffee.’

It was just coffee.

It didn’t have a great taste, nor did it have anything special that would make him jump up from his seat.

But somehow…

“So this is what a well-made coffee is.”

“You should say ‘well-extracted,’ you idiot.”

“It’s the same thing.”

Hwang Min-soo’s thoughts were similar to Noh Tae-gwang’s. He didn’t know exactly what was different, but he could feel something in the taste that lingered in his mouth. Something so clear that even those who didn’t know much about coffee could feel it.

“I brought you here because it’s similar. The coffee is good, but the interior and the vibe are a bit ambiguous…”

“It definitely is.”

To be precise, this place felt like the real deal, and the other place felt like a minor copy.

“It’s definitely a good reference.”

Choi Byung-chan smiled at Hwang Min-soo’s words.

“We can do something about the interior. But the drinks, it’s not like you can get results just by throwing money into research.”

“That’s right. Yes, that’s right.”

“If we can get their cooperation, it will definitely be helpful.”

Hwang Min-soo nodded his head greatly at Choi Byung-chan’s words.

‘It’s impossible to reach this level of taste, but if we can at least imitate it, we can definitely differentiate ourselves.’

No cafe can compete on taste alone, but if we secure the taste first, isn’t that one thing solved?

Hwang Min-soo got up from his seat with a determined look.

Then, he approached the server who had brought them the drinks and asked casually.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes?”

“Is the owner here?”

“Yes? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not like that. I’d like to see the owner for a business matter.”

“Ah, then over there…”

The server pointed to a man who was carefully making coffee with a serious expression.

Hwang Min-soo tilted his head as he looked at the man.

‘I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere?’

Subtly…

Very subtly…

It was the same face.

It was a familiar face.