Chapter 53

I sent off the author and called the Duo Mustjeong.

Now there was a lot to do before leaving the country.

“Um, I’ll be away for about a week starting a few days from now. It might take longer. So we have a lot to do today.”

I originally thought I would observe the cafe more and take action.

However, since I would be away for a long time, it seemed better to make some adjustments in advance.

That way, I made small changes over a few days.

First, I tackled the SNS.

I created an account and uploaded the photos taken by the photographer along with the brand slogan.

I also contacted Min Chae-yeon.

[Shin Yu-won: Chae-yeon, remember the photos you left to post later? Now you can tag them with Amuse!]

[Min Chae-yeon: Oh, really?]

[Min Chae-yeon: I'll post them tomorrow afternoon.]

I sent a few enthusiastic messages and informed her of the schedule, so she wouldn't make a trip to the cafe in vain.

[Shin Yu-won: And I'm leaving for the U.S. in a few days! Do you need anything recently or something you want?]

[Min Chae-yeon: Huh? You're going to the U.S.? When?]

[Shin Yu-won: In four days.]

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, then replied.

[Min Chae-yeon: Oppa,]

[Min Chae-yeon: If you have such plans, let me know in advance.]

[Shin Yu-won: Sure.]

[Min Chae-yeon: Tsk.]

‘Teasing me... It’s fun!’

Then, at the cafe, I started with the menu.

After checking the sales by item, it was clear that more popular items were selling better.

So there was no need to compete with too many menu items.

“Would you like to take a look at this?”

I showed the streamlined menu to Mustjeong. They asked for the reason and nodded.

Mustjeong was also busy with various orders and preparations.

“Alright, I’ll streamline the menu like this. But I’ll keep your dreams and hopes in my heart. I’ll make sure you can do everything you want someday.”

At the same time, I made some minor tweaks.

I went to the bank and withdrew several million won in new bills, which I then placed in the POS machine.

“From now on, keep the old bills here. When customers pay in cash, give them only the new bills.”

This was a story I had heard many times from Mr. Kim Se-young at the barista class. Such small touches and stimuli can surprisingly have a big impact on taste and impression.

Plus, I bought a small board and made a Korean menu.

For a while, customers had been asking:

What’s an éclair? What’s a financier? What’s an espresso?

So I translated everything into Korean.

[Long chocolate cream puff]

[Gold ingot-shaped butter cake]

[Pure and rich coffee concentrate]

‘Haha, this is funny.’

At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but the more I looked at it, the more it seemed to fit the cafe’s concept.

In old amusement parks, everything was written in simple, easy-to-understand terms like 'caterpillar,' 'coffee,' and 'hot dog.'

The board was also cute and perfect as a prop.

And finally, I increased the workforce.

I hired two new assistant staff through “Eagle Eye” and introduced them to Mustjeong.

I also informed both sides that we could borrow staff from the Hongje Station branch on busy days like the first day.

‘With this, almost everything is done...’

Even if there were no immediate noticeable changes, I believed that these small things would gradually grow the cafe.

I wanted to start more important projects, but they would take a long time.

‘I’ll do that after coming back from the U.S.’

For now, I gave Mustjeong an important task.

“Please develop a signature menu for our cafe.”

Actually, all our cafe’s drinks and desserts were so excellent that none could be called a signature item.

You could tell just by tasting them.

But that was the problem.

People wouldn’t know until they tried.

Since cafes that succeeded in SNS marketing often targeted the visual appeal of their signature items, I decided to follow their example.

So I told Mustjeong the conditions I wanted.

“First, it should catch the eye visually. Second, the visual and taste should match our cafe’s concept.”

It would be great if it followed current trends.

“Third, it should be a healthy dish. Not really healthy, but made with ingredients that look healthy.”

Lim Su-jeong, who was taking notes diligently, asked:

“Can we each make one?”

“No, we’re not having a contest. You can work together or separately and complement each other’s efforts.”

Choi Pil-soo nodded.

That was the final instruction I gave.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you two. I’ll be back soon.”

I left Amuse, pondering what kind of gift would be good for them.

*

Departure day, Incheon International Airport.

As I got out of the taxi, an unfamiliar scene unfolded before me.

Planes taking off with a roar.

People bustling about.

Large pillars.

‘Phew, I’m nervous.’

Inside the airport terminal, my suitcase wheels made a pleasant sound on the polished marble floor.

Dok-dok-dok─

Dok-dok-dok-dok─

On the third floor, after taking the escalator.

Kim Gyu-tae was already waiting.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“Hello, Mr. Lawyer.”

“Let’s start with the check-in procedures.”

“Sure.”

After walking a bit and scanning my passport at the kiosk, my boarding pass popped out.

──────────

Boarding Pass

NAME: SHIN/YOUWON MR

FROM: SEOUL/INCHEON

TO: NEW YORK

──────────

The stiff, fluttering boarding pass.

Its texture was refreshingly crisp.

‘...Am I really going?’

My heart was pounding.

Now it was time to take off into the sky.

Noise is a good sign

After completing all the procedures and boarding the flight to New York.

“Hello, I’ll check your boarding pass.”

I booked a business class seat, so the check-in area and entrance were different from those of other passengers.

“Yes, the business class seats are at the front. Have a pleasant journey.”

Following the stewardess’s guidance, I found my seat, which was a large, private space.

The legroom was so spacious that I could stretch out my legs.

‘Definitely a comfortable trip.’

I remembered how a few of us used to squeeze together on a flight to Jeju.

Of course, I was curious about the exclusive space of first class, but the ticket cost over 10 million won.

Still out of my league.

‘...It took courage to book business class.’

I reassured myself that it was a good decision and sat by the window. Kim Gyu-tae asked:

“Is it okay to leave the case here? Be careful not to let it move.”

He looked worried.

It was understandable.

The valuable artwork in the hard case, worth several billion won, was being carried as hand luggage.

But what could I do? This was the best option.

If I sent it with Christie’s staff, I couldn’t meet the fast-track schedule, and checking it as luggage was even more risky.

“Mr. Lawyer, don’t worry. I’ll treat it more carefully than my own body.”

Of course, I wasn’t worried.

I had given it back to Coco in the restroom after completing the departure procedures!

──Kororororo!

...Maybe because I hadn’t seen her in a while, she was flying around the cabin like crazy.

Usually, she’s indifferent and aloof, but at times like this, she’s really like a little kid.

‘So cute.’

Well, I was happy too. It was the safest place for Coco to keep it.

‘Good for me, good for Coco, good for the porcelain.’

Actually, before leaving, I had promised Coco to return it and entrusted the porcelain to Kim Gyu-tae for a few days.

This was due to the formal and complicated procedures for exporting cultural heritage.

We had to get a pre-evaluation from the Cultural Heritage Administration and obtain a 'Non-Cultural Heritage Confirmation' to sell it overseas.

Kim Gyu-tae had been busy with this for a few days.

He also asked me a question.

[Do you feel a moral responsibility? If so, you can donate it to the state.]

He also firmly stated:

If it wasn’t found by chance on land or sea, it belongs to the finder, not the state.

However, even if you donate it to the state and receive a reward, it would only be a few million won. Legally, the maximum reward is 100 million won, but it’s more of a symbolic amount. Someone who found and donated a national treasure received only 14 million won.

Besides, it wasn’t even a Korean artifact.

But since it has no provenance, the German government can’t intervene.

[It’s as if a mysterious object buried in the history of art has returned.]

If the owner’s will is clear, he would mobilize all resources to resolve the procedures.

[What will you do?]

After hearing all this, I...

[Passengers, our plane is now ready for takeoff.]

Only gave the takeoff clearance.

Dok-dok-dok─

The plane raced down the runway roughly.

*

A 14-hour and 20-minute flight, even on a direct route.

‘If I hadn’t booked business class, I would have suffered a lot.’

I enjoyed the high-end in-flight meals, watched movies, and fell asleep several times, but the plane was still somewhere over the Pacific.

Looking out the window, all I saw was the dark night sky.

‘If we keep flying like this, we could easily circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, right?’

While having such whimsical thoughts, I remembered the conversation I had with my grandmother in my dream.

The one line that always stuck with me.

[When you return to your homeland, will you marry again?]

Sigh, thinking about it again, my grandfather was the last romanticist of the 20th century, a lover of the peninsula.

Thinking about my grandmother, who had to raise her children alone after losing him, made my heart heavy.

Once the floodgates opened, the subsequent conversations came flooding back.

[What’s your dream?]

[What’s a brilliant 30s?]

Economic freedom. Wealth.

The freedom to play and eat comfortably. Leisure.

To give to those around you. Relationships.

And the last one.

A word that floated in my mind like mist.

[Having a solid expertise, being a great person in your field? Feeling like a genius who goes to work as if it’s a picnic?]

...The final clear condition was expertise.

──Congratulations!

──The clear condition 《2. Expertise》 for 《Brilliant 30s: End of Tutorial》 has been unlocked.

‘Yes! This is it, expertise!’

But before the joy could settle in, worries flooded in.

‘...What is my expertise? I’m just an ordinary person.’

Feeling like a genius?

That was a description far from me.

Opening a cafe at the company? Managing franchises?

Shouldn’t that have been cleared when I opened Amuse? It didn’t seem to fit.

Barista?

Compared to real experts like Kim Se-young, my skills weren’t that great.

Investment?

I was a complete novice. I just followed the steps of investment experts.

Or maybe “Quality Conversion”?

After all, “Quality Conversion” was a professional skill I alone possessed.

But there were some nagging doubts.

I hadn’t stopped using “Quality Conversion” after clearing the 《Relationships》 condition.

Being a genius at “Quality Conversion” didn’t necessarily make you a “Brilliant 30s.”

“Hmm...”

What exactly is my expertise?

Or is the answer among these keywords, and I just haven’t fully utilized it yet?

‘Maybe.’

I closed my eyes again.

A night flight to New York.

One more thing to worry about.

*

New York, Rockefeller Plaza.

There, the New York branch of Christie’s, a world-renowned auction house with annual sales of over 8 trillion won from auction totals alone, was located.

On the third floor, in the appraisal committee room.

A single jar, shining brightly under the lights, was placed on a long table.

“Then, we will set the minimum guarantee for this piece at $32,000. Do you agree?”

The entire porcelain appraisal team nodded.

This meant it had passed the strict internal regulations, which required unanimous agreement to proceed with the sale.

“Good.”

The auction coordinator instructed the interns.

“Please bring the next piece.”

Two interns in white gloves carefully moved the jar.

The next item on the table was a set of white porcelain tea ware, consisting of a teacup, saucer, and teapot.

The blonde coordinator stared intently at the antiques.

‘As long as it’s not a forgery.’

This Chinese/Asian decorative arts auction had been lacking in inventory.

That was the challenge.

If you were lucky, everything would fall into place just by sitting there.

A porcelain umbrella stand brought in by a regular person once sold for $20 million, having been used in the Chinese imperial court.

On the other hand, if you were unlucky, even a piece confidently brought in by a renowned collector would turn out to be a forgery, leading to a wasted effort.

‘It’s a game of chance.’

And this collection was particularly unlucky.

The only hope was the white porcelain tea set.

The coordinator introduced the piece to the appraisers.

“This is the white porcelain tea set that was delivered to us this morning. It’s on a fast track and will be included in this auction depending on the appraisal results.”

The start was promising.

“Oh.”

“It feels good.”

“It’s a European piece made in the style of Joseon white porcelain or Japanese Arita ware.”

The top appraisers at Christie’s, fitting their status and reputation.

Their immediate positive reactions to the appearance of the piece were a very good sign.

The coordinator smiled faintly and distributed a bundle of papers. The consignor’s description of the piece and the initial appraisal based on photos.

The appraisal team read the documents and showed even more interest.

“Indeed.”

“Quite... surprising.”

“Which museum is this piece from now? Dresden, right?”

“Dresden, yes. Depending on the appraisal results, some people might be in trouble, hahaha.”

Working at Christie’s, you inevitably encounter antiques from various countries with all sorts of stories.

They kept all possibilities open.

“Let’s take a look.”

The visual appraisal began.

Some put on magnifying glasses, and others picked up the porcelain directly.

“Oh...”

“The preservation state isn’t too bad.”

“It’s definitely very similar to existing pieces. It’s close to the original white porcelain produced by the Saxon porcelain factory before the Meissen style became popular.”

“I agree. It can be seen as a piece made with Arita ware, using a silver teapot from that period.”

The appraisers cited various reasons and interpreted the piece.

The scientific appraisal followed.

X-ray non-destructive analysis and thermoluminescence analysis, which could easily determine if it was a forgery, were immediately performed.

The results of the clay and pigment analysis soon came in.

They spoke in unison.

“It’s authentic.”

“It’s correct.”

“I agree.”

There were no dissenting votes this time either.

“Good. Then, please give us a market appraisal.”

The coordinator moved to the next step.

A discussion on aesthetic completeness, preservation state, and historical value ensued.

Most appraisers highly valued the piece, but there were still points of contention.

“It can’t be called the first in Europe... There’s no basis for that. We haven’t done a detailed analysis. We can’t say which was made first, this piece or the one in Dresden.”

It was a principled objection.

However, some appraisers didn’t rule out the possibility that this piece could be the first in Europe.