Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 594

Leaving Yoo Seung-il’s bookstore, Hyun-sung headed to Lee Se-yi’s bakery.

Lee Se-yi had contacted him a day earlier, asking him to stop by and sample a new bread she had made during his early morning exercise.

“Welcome!”

As Hyun-sung opened the door and entered the shop, Lee Se-yi greeted him warmly, as if she had been waiting. Hyun-sung returned the greeting with a smile.

“Hello. The smell of bread is wonderful as always.”

“I make bread every day, but I never get tired of the smell. Maybe that’s why I can’t imagine not making bread.”

“That’s just your nature.”

“I think you’re right. I’m happiest when I’m making bread.”

Lee Se-yi’s expression clearly showed how much she loved her work. But even she had to give up her favorite job in her previous life because of large chain stores.

“By the way, how is Paris Baguette doing these days?”

“There hasn’t been much reaction yet. I’m a little worried something might happen, but thankfully, not yet…”

“Well, even though they’re a chain, there’s not much they can do about it in the long run. The choice is up to the consumers anyway.”

“But still, a chain is a chain.”

Lee Se-yi’s expression suddenly darkened, indicating that her business was already being affected in some way.

Hyun-sung immediately asked,

“Why? Is there any impact?”

“I guess it’s because of the brand recognition, but it seems like people are definitely going to Paris Baguette more.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Hyun-sung nodded slowly.

That was what he had been worried about from the beginning.

Brand recognition!

The power of the Paris Baguette brand. In the end, consumers are drawn to the brand first, even if the taste of the bread is also important.

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung asked,

“So, what are your daily sales these days?”

“About 800,000 won on average [approximately $600 USD].”

“That’s a lot less than before, isn’t it?”

“Yes, for the first few days, it was averaging 1.5 million won [approximately $1100 USD]. But after about a week, it dropped to about half.”

“That’s a bigger drop than I thought.”

“Tell me about it.”

He hadn’t expected it to drop this much.

This changes things.

Of course, the brand recognition of a chain is important, but ultimately, what keeps consumers coming back is the taste of the bread. No matter how big the chain is, if the bread doesn’t taste good, consumers won’t go there.

So, the answer seems clear. Lee Se-yi’s bread isn’t as appealing as Paris Baguette’s, at least to some customers.

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung spoke again.

“The answer is clear.”

“I’m lacking, aren’t I? In the end, my bread doesn’t taste as good as Paris Baguette’s, does it?”

“What do you think?”

“What do I think?”

“Yes, do you think your bread doesn’t taste as good as Paris Baguette’s?”

“Well…”

Lee Se-yi tilted her head, indicating that she didn’t necessarily agree.

Hyun-sung asked again,

“You’re not admitting it?”

“Honestly, I think the bread I make tastes better. Of course, this may just be my personal delusion.”

“Hmm…”

Hesitating for a moment, Hyun-sung spoke.

“We need to be a little more objective.”

“What do you mean?”

“In my opinion, the answer is already out there. You’re mistaken.”

Customers don’t lie. If customers are flocking to one place, it means that the bread tastes better, at least to them. If you don’t admit that, then that’s the problem.

Lee Se-yi immediately asked,

“So, you’re saying I’m the problem?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s what I think. But do you know what the biggest problem is?”

“Well, what is it?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“To be more precise, your thinking is off. Anyone can see the answer based on the sales figures, but if you don’t acknowledge it, then we can’t find a solution.”

That’s right.

No matter how much other people agree, if the person who makes the bread doesn’t acknowledge the difference in taste, then there’s no solution.

After all, to solve the problem, you have to start by admitting that you’re falling short.

“So, you’re saying my thinking is wrong right now?”

“Yes, it may sound harsh, but that’s what I think. The customers have already made their taste evaluation, but you’re not going to admit it…”

“Wait a minute!”

Lee Se-yi interrupted Hyun-sung. Then she immediately continued,

“You said the customers have already made their taste evaluation?”

“Yes, of course. Your sales are proof of that. The bread that was averaging 1.5 million won at first has dropped to half of that.”

“You’re saying sales are the proof?”

“Is there a more accurate taste evaluation than that?”

“Hmm…”

Lee Se-yi couldn’t speak right away and seemed to be thinking for a while.

After a while.

Lee Se-yi, who had been thinking, opened her mouth again as if she had organized her thoughts.

“Why have I been thinking so foolishly? I’ve been assuming that the customers would come back eventually.”

“Why would they?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Those people have already made their taste decision, like you said. Why was I being so foolish…”

Lee Se-yi shook her head wildly. Seeing her like that, Hyun-sung spoke again.

“Are you admitting your mistake now?”

“Yes, I think I was crazy. Now that I think about it, I was really being stupid. I think I was thinking that way because of my pride. I thought that if I admitted it, my pride would be hurt.”

“That’s not what real pride is. Real pride is admitting it and trying to win customers back to the store, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, that’s what real pride is.”

Lee Se-yi nodded as if she admitted it. Then Hyun-sung immediately continued,

“It’s not too late yet. Of course, it won’t be easy, but we’re starting over from now on.”

“Will the customers who left come back?”

“We have to make them come back. Even for Soo-jung’s sake.”

“That’s what I’m saying. We can’t give up if we want to get Soo-jung through college. So, what should we do?”

“We have to find the taste. We have to find out what the difference is between Paris Baguette’s bread and yours. That’s what you have to do starting today.”

That’s obvious. After all, what moves consumers is the taste of the bread.

Lee Se-yi immediately said as if she understood,

“I understand. I’ll compare the taste with Paris Baguette’s bread one by one from today. But I don’t know how many customers will come back.”

“Use free samples.”

“You mean a sample corner?”

“Yes, that’s right. But this time, the method is a little different. Until now, we’ve had a sample corner inside the store, but this time, we’re putting it outside the entrance.”

“What? Outside?”

Lee Se-yi stared at Hyun-sung in surprise. It seemed that she didn’t think it was normal to put a sample corner outside, unlike what she had done until now.

“Let’s be aggressive. I think there will definitely be a difference between having a sample corner inside and outside.”

“There’s such a method…”

“But there are also things you have to be prepared for.”

“Prepared for? What…?”

“If you put a sample corner outside, you’ll end up using a lot of bread for samples.”

That’s obvious. If the sample corner is inside, only people who come into the store will sample it, but if it’s outside, everyone who passes by can sample it.

In that case, the amount of bread used for samples will inevitably increase. Hyun-sung is pointing that out now.

Lee Se-yi also nodded as if she agreed and continued,

“Of course.”

“But the amount could be more than you think.”

“How much will it be?”

“I can’t say for sure right now. But one thing is for sure, the more sample bread you give out, the more your sales will increase. However, that’s on the premise that your bread tastes better than Paris Baguette’s.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Se-yi was silent again as if she was lost in thought.

It was a little later when she opened her mouth again.

“Maybe it’s a gamble?”

“It will be. If the bread doesn’t taste good, you’ll just be providing free bread to everyone in the neighborhood.”

That’s right. After all, if you put a sample corner outside, many people will sample it because it’s free. As long as it’s not too bad, anyone will just eat it.

“You can’t do it if you’re not confident in the taste of your bread?”

“That’s right. But if you’re confident in the taste of your bread, there’s no more effective marketing than this. Of course, the choice is up to you. What are you going to do?”

“Well, that’s…”

Lee Se-yi couldn’t answer easily.

That’s probably natural. It would be a lie if she said she wasn’t feeling the pressure.

Lee Se-yi, who couldn’t speak for a while, opened her mouth again as if she had made up her mind.

“I’ll try it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I know it’s a gamble, but if I don’t have this much confidence, there’s no future anyway. But I have a favor to ask.”

“Of me?”

Hyun-sung pointed to himself and asked. Then Lee Se-yi nodded and immediately continued,

“Yes, you have to help me.”

“What can I do to help you?”

“Sampling.”

“Sampling? You’re already doing that, aren’t you?”

“No, not that kind of sampling. I want you to make the decision. I want you to decide whether the bread I make is good enough to be offered as samples to the people in the neighborhood.”

Hyun-sung was taken aback.

Doesn’t this mean that he’s responsible for the success of the sample corner itself?

Hesitating for a moment, Hyun-sung asked Lee Se-yi,

“Is there a reason why I have to do that?”

“For our Soo-jung.”

“Soo-jung?”

“Yes, you have to help me for our Soo-jung. Do you remember what you said when you first helped me? You said you were helping me because you couldn’t bear to see Soo-jung leave this neighborhood crying…”

Of course, he remembers.

He said he had a dream then. He said he had a dream that Yoon Soo-jung was leaving the neighborhood crying. That’s why he was helping her.

That was actually what happened in his previous life, but he pretended it was a dream. Lee Se-yi is referring to that now.

“Yes, I remember. I definitely said that.”

“So, I’m asking you to help me again for Soo-jung’s sake. We have to survive no matter what if we want to send our Soo-jung to college in this neighborhood.”

“Hmm…”

A faint smile appeared on Hyun-sung’s lips as he thought for a moment. Then he opened his mouth again.

“Yes, all right. I have to take responsibility for what I said. In that case, what about the new bread that’s coming out today?”

“I’ve already prepared it. Just wait a moment.”

Lee Se-yi brought a tray of bread from inside the kitchen.

“This is the bread. Try it.”

“It’s shaped nicely.”

“Yes, I made it in the shape of a heart. It’s meant to be shared with loved ones.”

“What’s inside?”

“You told me to use cheese last time, so I made it with that.”

There weren’t many breads that used cheese at this time. So, he mentioned it in passing.

“Then shall we taste it?”

Hyun-sung took a piece of bread and brought it to his mouth.

Munch munch.

“Hmm…”

“How is it?”

“Wait a minute.”

Hyun-sung took another piece of bread and put it in his mouth. Then he closed his eyes tightly and began to savor the taste.

After a while.

Hyun-sung, who had eaten the last piece of bread, slowly opened his eyes and looked at Lee Se-yi. Then Lee Se-yi couldn’t help but ask,

“How’s the bread?”

“It’s good.”

“Really?”

“I think it really brings out the savory taste of the cheese. But…”

Hyun-sung stopped in the middle of his sentence. Then Lee Se-yi immediately asked,

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“It’s too sweet.”

“Too sweet?”

“Yes, because it’s too sweet, the savory taste of the cheese is a little diminished. If you reduce the sweetness a little bit here…”

At that moment, Lee Se-yi ran back into the kitchen.

After a while.

“Try this again.”

“What’s this?”

“I made two kinds from the beginning, just in case. This one has a little less sugar.”

“Then where…”

Hyun-sung took a piece of bread and brought it to his mouth again, just like before.

“Oh~~!”

Hyun-sung immediately exclaimed.

“Is it okay?”

“Yes, it’s good. I think it really brings out the savory taste of the cheese because the sweetness is a little less.”

“Then can we do a free sampling outside with this today?”

“Yes, I’m all for it. I think we can make a move today with this.”

Confidence was evident in Hyun-sung’s expression. Then a smile was already spreading across Lee Se-yi’s face as she saw that.

But there was something the two didn’t know. How overwhelming free sampling can be. Once people start flocking, there’s no end to it.