Chapter 47

Similarly, the spirited Park So-jung chimed in.

"Ah, I should have seen that too! Why do only the brides wait inside?"

Then, the other members raised question marks above their heads and looked at me.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"What's that about?"

I quietly placed my index finger on my lips.

"Shh."

"Huh?"

"It's none of the kids' business. There are things that adults have to deal with."

"Like what? Now I'm even more curious!"

From the side, Min Chae-yeon's giggling voice could be heard, and Choi Jung-hyun cleared his throat and said,

"Well, Mr. Yoo-won, when you come back from your honeymoon, let's meet again. We should talk about the gifts."

I noticed.

Kang Tae-joon's eyes twitched exactly twice.

Once at "let's meet again," and once at "gifts."

'I'm the one who's jealous of Park So-jung.'

I hid my expression and calmly replied,

"Yes, have a good trip."

"But looking at how you're stalling, it seems you're hoping for something big?"

Choi Jung-hyun laughed softly and made a joke, and I told the truth.

"No, it's really small."

But it needs to be grown big.

"Haha, I understand. By the way... I'm really disappointed I couldn't go to the opening. I was so curious."

"Right? I was curious about Yoo-won's café too."

Choi Jung-hyun and Park So-jung looked at each other with regret, and Min Chae-yeon immediately picked up the conversation.

"We'll take pictures and send them to you."

Then the other members perked up.

"Ugh, I want to go in so badly!"

"Should we leave after the two of you?"

"Will it take more than an hour from here?"

After that, we finished our goodbyes and left the venue.

We received thank-you gifts on the way out.

We also split the transportation.

"Who's coming with me?"

"I want to ride in the Porsche! First!"

"I'm second!"

The remaining seat.

I glanced at Min Chae-yeon, and she said,

"I have to take care of something, can you drop me off halfway?"

"Of course, if it's on the way."

"Then I'll be third!"

"Okay, let's go."

During this time, I could feel someone glaring at me from somewhere.

Snap—

I ignored it and got into the car.

*

I felt the same when we were on the way.

Taking the Northern Expressway, it was surprisingly quick from Namyangju to Sinchon.

Around 2 PM.

We arrived at Amuse Sinchon branch.

The members' eyes widened.

"Wow! It's so cool?"

"Is this really Yoo-won's café? Amazing."

"Right! Amuse, wow..."

But I was a bit anxious.

"Wait a moment. Take a look around and come in whenever you're ready."

I rushed into the café as soon as I got out.

It was because there were few customers even from the outside.

I had called the staff on the way.

The Hongje Station branch was busy with many customers.

'That place has always been popular.'

But the Sinchon branch had almost all the tables empty. Only a couple sitting at one table.

"Welcome... Oh, Mr. Owner!"

"Hehe, did you have a good trip?"

"Yes, I did. You two must have worked hard to open in the morning."

The Pil-soo and Su-jung duo didn't have much to do and were resting appropriately.

But what worried me was their expressions.

They seemed a bit dejected.

Actually, the location of the Sinchon branch is good, and it's just a soft opening, not a grand opening. How many cafés do well on their first day?

'...They must have had high expectations.'

Disappointment was inevitable.

But I couldn't let myself be down too.

It was something I had somewhat expected, and my expression could affect them negatively.

"Pil-soo, Su-jung! You did a great job with the preparations. The desserts are all ready, and the kitchen is spotless. Was there any problem this morning?"

"No, there wasn't!"

"Of course!"

Im Su-jung's eyes started to regain their sparkle.

"Trusting Pil-soo and Su-jung! Everything is going well so far. Neither of you have ever opened a store before, right?"

They looked at each other and nodded.

"I've opened many cafés before. Some are a hit right from the start, but most don't do well on opening day. It's a new café in a place where there wasn't one before."

I spoke to them with confidence.

"So don't worry. This is just the beginning. We can gradually build up our momentum. When it gets busy, you'll miss days like today, right?"

The Pil-soo and Su-jung duo burst into laughter.

"My acquaintances are coming soon, so get ready."

"Yes!"

"Got it!"

Phew, at least it's okay.

I turned my gaze to the window.

Behind the members I had brought, the members who came with Kang Tae-joon's car were walking in.

'Good timing.'

I quickly went out to the front door.

And I deliberately spoke louder for Pil-soo and Su-jung to hear.

"It's hot, everyone come in quickly!"

"Hey, Yoo-won. This café is so artistic?"

"Your flattery is more artistic. Come in quickly."

I patted Kim Jae-ho's cheek and gestured to the others.

"It's cool inside. Come in quickly!"

As the members entered one by one, Im Su-jung greeted them with a bright voice.

"Welcome to Café Amuse."

Finally, the café felt a bit more lively.

'Phew.'

The members looked around the café before even placing their orders.

"Oh, the music is great."

"It's really clean."

"The interior is cute and cozy. I like it."

Indeed.

Indeed, this is the Yoo-won concept.

"The desserts are so pretty... Are they all homemade?"

"Let's order quickly. I'm hungry."

"I'm curious about Yoo-won's coffee too."

"Isn't it a rule to order everything on the menu when you come to an opening?"

"Right, we should boost the sales a bit!"

Indeed, indeed.

This is how our group should be.

I smiled brightly at the members and said,

"Go ahead and order. We'll make them specially for our members first."

"Hey, you. There's no one else ordering, so what do you mean by 'first'?"

"Still, I'll make them first, hehe."

A little later.

I served the coffee and desserts as a special service for my acquaintances.

"The coffee, cake, and so on you ordered are ready."

"Yay!"

Everyone seemed quite hot and immediately went for the iced Americanos.

"Ah! So refreshing!"

"Wow... What's this acidity? What's this body? It will sell well in summer, won't it?"

"It's really good. Yoo-won is definitely different, right?"

The members were impressed by the coffee.

"Mmm! Mmm!"

"Cheesecake is so delicious!"

"Macarons are amazing... Everyone try them. It feels like a macaron specialty shop. No, it's better than most specialty shops?"

They were impressed by the desserts.

'Right, you'll know once you taste them! Hehehe.'

Of course, the desserts were Pil-soo and Su-jung's work.

"Delicious, right?"

"Wow, really amazing?"

"Our managers are truly talented. I filled my stomach with desserts when I came to test them, hehe."

I praised the staff like a master and looked at Pil-soo and Su-jung, giving them a thumbs up.

Click!

Finally, their faces lit up with smiles.

'Right, this is enough.'

How can you be full from the first spoonful?

This is the moment you wanted to feel.

Making it with good people and serving delicious coffee and cake to the people I love.

'That's enough.'

Indeed, when people set their minds straight, even the heavens help.

At that moment, the café door slowly opened.

'It's a customer!'

I greeted them with a good mood and a relaxed attitude.

"Hello, welcome to Café Amuse."

But the female customer who entered through the door was a bit strange.

'Did I see wrong?'

She was someone I had seen many times before.

Instinctively, I scanned her face again.

'...Oh?'

I recognized the customer.

The dream of 30+ female viewers.

If you age gracefully like that, you have no regrets. The person used as a guide image in all kinds of plastic surgery and dermatology clinics.

Recently, she played the role of Lee Seong-gye's wife in the historical drama "Return to Weihwado."

The nationally recognized actress, Im Hee-ju.

The moment I recognized her, my frontal lobe temporarily stopped working.

'...That person? In my café?'

In the meantime, Im Hee-ju ran to Im Su-jung and hugged her tightly.

"Mom, are you late? Was it hard?"

"You came? Hard? What hard?"

Mom?

Then Im Su-jung is her daughter?

'...This is crazy.'

I snapped back to my senses, and Im Su-jung introduced me to Im Hee-ju.

"Mom, this is our owner."

The great actress, whom I had only seen on screens, monitors, and TV, extended her hand to me.

"The owner is so young? Nice to meet you, I'm Im Hee-ju."

"Nice to meet you, it's my first time seeing you!"

I shook Im Hee-ju's hand and inwardly exclaimed.

'Queen of Amuse has arrived!'

But it didn't end there.

The people who followed Im Hee-ju were all familiar faces.

Lee Seong-gye, Lee Ji-ran, Jeong Do-jeon, King U, Choe Yeong, and even Kilbangwon.

'Wow...'

I've opened many cafés, but this was my first time experiencing such an opening.

I felt a bit dizzy.

You have to push hard to get the best results, right?

"The atmosphere is nice."

This person is the king.

"Indeed. It's a bit like a theme park."

This person has played Han Myeong-hoe, Ryu Seong-ryong, and An Chang-ho, and now Jeong Do-jeon.

"...The atmosphere is really good..."

"...There are still few customers..."

Just hearing the keywords, the evaluation seemed mixed.

More negative comments than positive ones.

But after they tasted the coffee and desserts, the evaluation turned around!

"Oh?"

"This place is really good. It will become a hit, won't it?"

"My daughter! It's so delicious."

All positive reviews.

The exclamations of amazement were etched in my ears.

Then I heard Im Su-jung talking to the actors about Yoon Doo-re.

"Yoon Doo-re? Really?"

"You worked there? Wow."

"What's Yoon Doo-re, sisters?"

The echoes of "Yoon Doo-re" could be heard.

I glanced at Choi Pil-soo's expression, and he was also smiling contentedly.

'Yoon Doo-re works on actors too. I should use this for future promotions, note it down.'

Our café had many things to boast about.

*

However, it was the first day of the soft opening.

Even with the actors' presence, things didn't change much.

They sat in the inner seats, not visible from outside.

Initially, there were few people coming in.

Of course, some people who came to order were surprised to see the actors and left without ordering.

"Oh my, what is it!"

Those who saw the actors and left were 1+1 or 2+1.

They made a fuss outside the café, called their friends, and re-entered.

"Hello, I'm a huge fan of 'Return to Weihwado.' I really enjoy the drama."

"Hehe, thank you."

"Can I take a picture with you?"

"Of course! Is there anyone else who wants to take a picture? With Kilbangwon or King U?"