Chapter 50

Min Chae-yeon leaned forward and looked at my eyebrows.

"Hmm, should I tidy them up a bit? Or go for a charismatic look?"

"Neatly."

"Okay. I'll apply some cream first to avoid irritating your skin. Just a moment."

Min Chae-yeon squeezed some cream onto her ring finger and began to apply it carefully around my eyebrows.

"......"

......But she was too close.

Her dangling earrings, her pale nape, and even her entire face were too close.

"Would it be better if you close your eyes?"

"Oh, right. You should close your eyes. If you suddenly open them or move, it could be dangerous!"

I closed my eyes quietly.

Something cool and smooth touched around my eyebrows.

"......I'm starting now. Don't be startled."

Soon, the blade touched my eyebrows.

Snick—

It was a bit scary.

There are movies like that, where the barber accidentally cuts the throat while applying shaving cream.

Snick—

But surprisingly, it didn't hurt, and it didn't feel like it would cut.

A soft, gentle brushing sensation.

Snick—

Snick-snick—

Swish, swish—

The sensation was surprisingly pleasant, and the sounds were really nice.

It felt like when you touch the back of your head after a haircut.

Snick—

Swish, swish—

I quickly got used to the sensation.

Then, I started to feel other things.

Her soft breaths.

Her hair gently brushing against me.

The warmth that came and went.

A fresh and sweet scent somewhere.

......And a slight fluttering in my heart.

"Bro, are you okay?"

"......Yeah, it feels good."

And just as I was getting used to those sensations, another unfamiliar one appeared.

Snick—

Swish—

The feeling of someone handling me very carefully and gently.

Snick—

Of course, I don't remember.

But when my mom bathed me as a baby, she must have been this gentle and careful.

Snick—

Swish—

It was a warmth that was hard to describe.

Snick—

Snick, snick—

This is why people get nail care.

This is why people listen to ASMR.

It was a sensation I had never felt before in my life, and it was a new pleasure.

It was comfortable.

A light sleep began to overtake me.

And after some time.

──Congratulations!

My eyes snapped open.

──You have fulfilled the condition 《3. Play》 of 《Brilliant 30s: End of Tutorial》!

......A condition that I couldn't fulfill no matter how hard I tried.

The clear message for 《Play》.

And behind that text.

"Please don't open your eyes yet......"

Her long, trembling eyelashes.

Her quietly shining eyes.

Her slightly pink lips.

I saw Min Chae-yeon.

"Ah, bro!"

Then, something warm trickled down from around my eyebrows.

"Blood! It's bleeding!"

......It felt good.

I will give you a reward selection option!

"Yeah, there's some first aid in there. No, next to it."

"Ah, here? I'm really sorry!"

"No, take your time. It's nothing much."

Slightly warm eyebrows.

But it still felt good.

There were many reasons.

The pleasant sensation I had never felt before.

The warm excitement that had been a long time coming.

The clear message for 《Play》 that I couldn't break all day, was all good.

But most of all, these adorable messages made me smile.

──Great job!

──You have cleared half of the four conditions of 《End of Tutorial》, reaching 50% progress!

──Too fast! Exceeding the expected progress!

──As a preview of 《Brilliant 30s》, I will give you a reward selection option!

Hehe, how could I not like this?

I was disappointed that there was no reward for clearing 《Relationship》 and 《Play》, but this is great.

──Please select your reward!

──A. One-time use 《Lucky Strike》 coupon, 1 sheet

──B. One-time use 《Combination》 coupon, 1 sheet

──C. One-time use random coupon, 1 sheet

The reward was secondary; I was really happy that I had a choice.

If the tutorial ends and I enter the 《Brilliant 30s》 system, I can choose rewards like this?

'Sweet!'

The random coupon was tempting, but.

The options 《Macro》 and 《Legal Replication》 didn't have much immediate use.

I already had one 《Lucky Strike》 coupon.

What I needed right now was 《Combination》.

'I have a use for it right away.'

──《Combination》 coupon awarded!

──Please continue to strive towards the end of 《End of Tutorial》.

I will! I'll fly towards it!

Hooray for a brilliant 30s!

I raised my hands high, and Min Chae-yeon approached with the first aid.

"Oh... what?"

"Yeah, you looked tense. I'll disinfect it?"

"Yes, and I'll apply some medicine."

Then, her meticulous touch followed.

Min Chae-yeon gently wiped the area with saline and gauze and applied ointment.

But she looked so worried, so I casually spoke up.

"It's not even a big cut. Can't we just leave it? It'll heal by morning."

"No! Even so, it's better to do this. I'm sorry......"

And in such situations, it's best to laugh it off.

"I thought you were really good at trimming eyebrows. You're a beginner?"

"No! I've done it for many friends......"

"But why did you cut me?"

"Too......"

"Too what?"

"......My hands were shaking."

"Why were your hands shaking? Do you drink a lot?"

"No! What are you talking about!"

Min Chae-yeon added softly.

"And you suddenly leaned in......"

Yeah, I was a bit startled by that message.

"Just kidding, it felt good. Trimming eyebrows is interesting, right?"

"......I'm glad to hear that. Oh, I need to check the aftercare!"

"Ah."

I checked my face on my phone.

My eyes and eyebrows definitely looked cleaner and more defined.

"Looks good? Can you do it again next time?"

"Ah...... Yes."

"Then I'll return the favor! Want a coffee or tea?"

I wanted to keep her a bit longer.

"Ah...... Chamomile, please."

That way, I asked Min Chae-yeon more about SNS.

"So, this person wants you to tag the cafe account?"

"Yes. If there was an Amuse account, just tagging the photo would connect it."

"I see. Then it would be good to quickly set a schedule with the photographer you mentioned earlier?"

"Ah, should I contact them now?"

"That would be great. You can come anytime from tomorrow."

"Just a moment!"

While Min Chae-yeon was on the phone, I briefly organized what I needed to do.

First, the cafe was open.

From the reactions I saw yesterday and today, the quality of our coffee and desserts was definitely good. Anyone could tell from the exclamations alone.

So, the retention strategy to encourage repeat visits was sufficient for now.

Not sparing good ingredients.

Consistently providing delicious food.

Offering a pleasant experience to customers.

'The Duo is doing a great job with this.'

My first role was to create an environment where they could continue to use their skills.

'I should hire a couple more staff.'

And there were two more roles I needed to focus on.

Promotion. Attracting more customers.

Planning. Creating new ideas and strategies to make the revenue curve steeper.

The Hongje Station branch was almost running on autopilot, so it was a lower priority.

'First, let's focus on promoting the Sinchon branch.'

On the way home.

While waiting for the traffic light, I reflected on today's events.

'What was the clear condition for 《Play》......'

There are two reasons that immediately come to mind.

One is spending the whole day playing alone and then enjoying time with someone else.

'After all, I was always alone after quitting my job.'

The opportunities to meet people had drastically decreased, so I was always alone, playing alone, and eating alone.

But the more important reason was probably the novelty.

A form of enjoyment I had never experienced before.

Konobang, betting practice, Netflix. These were hobbies I had always done. They were perfect for a quick break after work.

But having someone else trim my eyebrows was a first, and it was very unfamiliar and new.

'......It was really a strange feeling.'

Things I had never done before.

Things I could only imagine but couldn't realistically do.

I wanted to try them.

There must be so many interesting things in the world that I don't know about.

'Now I can do them if I want to.'

Moreover, I had some financial leeway.

Once the initial rush of opening the cafes was over, I would have more free time.

'Brilliant 30s, this thing! It's also letting me enjoy life properly?'

......No matter how I thought about it, it was sweet.

I wanted to clear the tutorial as soon as possible.

The next target was 《Wealth》.

As soon as I got home, I turned on my computer.

'Probably telling me to save money. But how much?'

The clear condition for 《Relationship》 was overcoming the broken engagement I had hoped for. So, 《Wealth》 would probably be the amount I had always envied.

The symbolic amount I first thought of was 100 million.

I had already surpassed that.

The next was 1 billion.

I remembered hesitating whether to reach 1 billion when I had earned 990 million through an exit, but I ended up spending it.

So, let's check the balance.

[Balance: 804,084,215 KRW]

Just barely over 800 million.

This was the amount left after paying the deposits, rights fees, and initial costs for the two cafes, and sending relay gifts to my parents and flexing a bit.

Reflecting on it, I had quite a lot of money.

'I have 800 million. Crazy.'

Rich people might laugh at it, but it was an amount I could never have dreamed of in the past.

But 《Wealth》 didn't seem to be based on assets.

Stocks, 4,000.

<Wonder Vision> stocks, 300.

With the deposits and car, my assets easily exceeded 1 billion.

So, it was probably based on cash.

How could I earn 200 million quickly?

First, should I sell my car?

No, that's not right.

I was saving money to achieve my dreams, not to sell my dream car. It would be a foolish act.

Moreover, my Panamera was a figure.

'Hehehe.'

I would feel guilty if I handed it over and something strange happened or it got into an accident.

Or could I borrow 200 million and pay it back immediately?

But 200 million is no small amount. Would I even get a 200 million loan?

'I should visit a bank soon.'

So, let's start with what I can do.

My last stronghold, Coco!

Let's go!

──Koro-koro-koro-koro......

Coco approached with a shimmering blue-white light.

Her movements seemed reluctant.

"Coco, you haven't eaten that yet, right?"

Coco looked away and pretended not to hear.

I hadn't assigned her to eat it, so she probably hadn't, but I wanted to check.

"Show me. Then I'll give you more."

Coco's light slowly turned.