Chapter 27

[ E-PLUS Hapjeong ]

It was a location where famous franchise cafes and coffee products could attract a lot of demand.

"Hmm."

He opened the door to the cafe and went in.

"Hello!"

"Welcome. Please place your order here."

Inside the cafe, there was a young male part-timer and two customers waiting for their coffee.

"I'll have an iced Americano."

While waiting for the coffee, he scanned the interior.

'The management is clean.'

Since the condition included the transfer of all furnishings, he carefully inspected them.

The espresso machine, refrigerator, ice maker, hot water dispenser, kiosk, and HVAC system—all were not top-of-the-line, but they were in good condition.

Well, if the condition was bad, he could just use "Quality Conversion."

"Here's your iced Americano."

"Yes, thank you."

He took the coffee and sipped it.

'Hmm.'

It was a typical 1,500 won coffee.

The beans were purchased in bulk from a factory, with a slight addition of Arabica, but mostly made of Robusta, giving it a thick and earthy taste.

'Well, can't be helped.'

Indeed, considering the location and the surrounding competition, it seemed right to go with a low-margin, high-volume product.

'It's a good deal.'

It would be good to check the bathroom, electricity, water supply, monthly sales, and profit margin in detail, but...

'Really?'

Was it necessary to go through all that trouble?

It was a spot that mini cafe franchises had all marked.

'Let's trust the experts.'

Sometimes speed is more important than perfection.

He asked the part-timer,

"Can you give me the owner's phone number?"

"Ah, just a moment!"

The part-timer searched his phone.

*

He left the cafe.

'I should come back tomorrow.'

Since the owner lived in another area, they agreed to meet tomorrow and sign the formal contract.

He also arranged to meet the landlord right after.

For now, he only exchanged a 1 million won deposit and a brief contract text message.

"Phew."

It was a good decision to come and wrap things up quickly.

He felt relieved, having completed the task.

But there was a lingering sense of disappointment and frustration.

He knew the reason well.

'It's a bit different from what I imagined...'

He had hoped his cafe would be a bit more special, and that he would handle more refined coffee there.

[ A testing period is needed. To see if this business suits me, to understand its essence, the challenges, and the necessary skills. ]

Ah! I understand, teacher!

I'll be satisfied with this and focus on gaining experience!

He steadied his mind and got into his car.

Then, the phone rang.

The caller was the owner of SeoyeonPC.

'It's been a while.'

He had been taking a break from second-hand trading recently.

He answered the call.

"Mr. Seo, it's been a while!"

[ Yes, Mr. Shin. How have you been? ]

Just as he was thinking about the graphics card he had asked for but didn't pick up, the owner brought up an unexpected topic.

[ I'm closing the shop the day after tomorrow. I wanted to say goodbye before I go. ]

*

In front of the computer shop he had visited.

It felt like a long time since he had been there, even though it had only been a week or two.

[ SeoyeonPC ]

[ PC Assembly, Sales, Repair, Inspection, Upgrade ]

[ Data Recovery, Network Maintenance ]

[ On-site Service: 010.3273.02** ]

Looking at those words, he felt a mix of emotions.

'This is where it all started.'

He had come here to test "Quality Conversion."

Carrying nine boxes of graphics cards and his own PC, this was where it all began.

Just two months ago.

Now, he was handling much larger sums of money and driving a car that exceeded his means.

But now, the shop was closing.

'Is the business not doing well lately?'

He felt a bit strange.

But he greeted the owner energetically!

"Mr. Seo, are you there!"

He burst into the shop.

But.

'Huh?'

The owner's face looked unusually bright.

"Ah, come in. Have a seat."

His smile was wide, and his dark circles seemed much less prominent today.

'What's going on?'

As he drank the tea the owner offered and listened to his story, he was surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes, that's how it turned out. Hahaha."

The owner was going to reapply for a job in his field of expertise.

"Wow, how did you think of that?"

"Well, thanks to you, I made a bit more money than before, didn't I?"

Sure, a bit more.

"But after always being short on money and escaping reality through games, suddenly having a lot of money come in!"

The owner's eyes widened as if they would pop out.

"The world looked completely different."

"Oh, really?"

"I started thinking, why am I living like this? Running a computer shop is a declining industry, and the end is clear, isn't it?"

He couldn't argue with that, so he just nodded.

"I really felt I couldn't keep living like this. I'm not a frog in a pot. So I made up my mind and decided to give it a try! Haha."

It's not easy to throw away everything you have and start a new challenge, but the owner's decision was impressive.

"You're amazing. I'll continue to support you, Mr. Seo!"

"Haha, there are a lot of job opportunities in programming, so I'll work hard."

"So you're closing the shop the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, now I need to focus on wrapping things up here."

"I feel a bit sad."

He had grown quite attached to this place.

The interior was a mess, and it looked like mice could come out at any moment.

But sitting here, drinking the tea the owner offered, and looking outside, the street trees looked so beautiful.

'Huh?'

A sudden idea popped into his head, and he jumped up.

"Mr. Seo, just a moment!"

"Ah, yes."

He stepped out of the shop and looked around.

A narrow alley lined with apartment buildings.

A youth cultural center nearby.

It was quite a distance from the main road, and it didn't intersect with the route to the subway station or bus stop from the residential area.

It was a poor commercial location.

But.

'It's really beautiful...'

The small park right across from the computer shop was incredibly picturesque.

A colorful brick path and a single swing that evoked childhood nostalgia.

Beautiful flowers blooming around the surrounding street trees.

He had thought it was just a neighborhood park.

'But it looks different from here.'

The view from the computer shop window was like a picture book.

He went back into the shop and asked the owner,

"Mr. Seo, how many square meters is this place?"

"About 17 square meters."

"What about the deposit?"

"The deposit? Are you planning to mine coins here?"

"No, not mining coins."

"Then why...?"

Why limit the test to just one location?

The more tests, the better.

I want to double the tests.

I have plenty of funds, so let's go for two.

"I think I'll take this place."

Not a money cushion, but a money carpet.

He transferred a 1 million won deposit.

────────

Withdrawal

1,000,000 won

Kim Jong-soo

Balance: 18,624,810 won

────────

Then he asked the owner of SeoyeonPC,

"Can you check it out?"

The owner's eyes were already moist.

It seemed the disposal of the shop was a significant worry.

"I was worried about when I would have to leave this shop... You're really a blessing to me, thank you..."

He felt embarrassed and waved his hands.

"Mr. Seo! This isn't final yet, it's just a preliminary contract. It's not the time to cry!"

"Still, it's a good start for a new beginning... Sniff."

It really was.

The main road cafe was a guaranteed location, so he planned to sign the contract tomorrow, but this one was still on hold.

He intended to discuss his plan with Choi Jeong-hyun, the CEO of Ilpum Korea, and get it verified.

The preliminary deposit was a temporary rental fee to allow him to freely enter and use the place.

'This is perfect for experiments.'

There probably wouldn't be anyone else looking to rent this place right away.

The owner sighed and said,

"Still, it's a relief."

"Then I'm glad, hahaha."

After that, he looked around the shop a bit more.

The shop itself was cheap.

A 20 million won deposit, no key money, and a 450,000 won monthly rent.

But.

'It's going to cost a lot.'

The shop lacked all the necessary cafe facilities, so everything needed to be redone.

The floor, ceiling, and walls needed to be completely redone, along with electrical upgrades, plumbing, coffee machines, refrigerators, kitchen equipment, furniture, lighting, and signage... Ugh!

It was different from Seito Coffee, which could start operating immediately after acquisition.

Still.

'I like it!'

The charm of a blank canvas, a white sheet of paper, was irresistible.

Every time he looked around the shop, ideas for the space popped into his head.

How to structure the kitchen.

How to arrange the tables.

How to use devices to focus the view on the beautiful park while blocking out the surrounding buildings.

'I think I can do it.'

Without any constraints, without worrying about anyone's opinion