Chapter 94

"Quest for raising investment funds..."

Thinking of it, I made a call.

It was Bae Sung-soo, the CEO of Sungsu Pictures.

"CEO Shin! How have you been?"

Yikes, I thought my ears would fall off.

I didn’t know he could greet so energetically.

I could feel that he had definitely become more cheerful compared to the first time we met.

"......Haha, how have you been?"

"I’ve been great! I’ve been contacting the cast and crew, and we’re finalizing them one by one. I’m also reviewing the script and pre-production materials with Yoo Yeol."

Bae Sung-soo was speaking with such passion that my ears were ringing.

"Mr. CEO, that’s great. But you don’t have to report to me every little thing. I’m just an investor. I’m leaving the production entirely to you."

"No, how can I not? Thanks to the 500 million you invested, everything has been so smooth and stress-free."

"That’s good to hear."

"By the way, do you have any idea who I’m meeting right now?"

"Who is it?"

"It’s Go Yutak, the director of 'The Square.' He just signed the contract. Hahaha!"

Ah...... It seems Go Yutak and I, along with Kim Deoksan, were the first to be contacted.

"What did I say? I told you I’d bring him on board. Hahaha!"

I didn’t want to dampen his spirits, so I didn’t say anything.

"......That’s great. You’ve really worked hard."

"No, now that the director is set, let’s have a kickoff meeting this week. With you, the investors, the production team, and the cast and crew."

"That sounds good."

"At that time, I’ll also talk about the lead casting for our film."

Ah, lead casting.

That’s important.

How did Im Hee-ju and Yoo Si-sung turn out? Are they really going to participate?

"CEO Go and I have some ideas, but we also value your opinion, Mr. Shin."

"Um, I understand. Let’s discuss it then."

"Okay! Come on in!"

"Sure, good luck!"

After hanging up, I realized that I hadn’t said what I wanted to say, and Bae Sung-soo had done all the talking.

Was he always this passionate and driven?

'Hehe, funny.'

I had wanted to talk about the investment contract.

But we can discuss that at the kickoff meeting and sign the contract then.

'I should ask Deoksan to come along too.'

While things were progressing smoothly.

The only worry was the 'cash flow.'

50 billion for the Saint Hangang Forest purchase and taxes.

30 billion for the film investment.

A total of 80 billion.

After all that, my balance would drop to under 10 billion.

10 billion is still a huge amount of money.

But even if a 1 million account drops to 900,000, it still feels unsettling.

'Somehow, it feels insecure when the balance drops.'

Then, Coco bit the bullet again.

'Good, perfect timing.'

If this auction goes as planned, my cash flow will be robust again.

And.

'Now might be the time to do it.'

There was something I really wanted to do.

Something I had to do.

This time, I called Han Gang-hee.

"Mr. CEO, how are you?"

"Oh, who’s this? Isn’t this the person looking for the best house in Seoul?"

It was always the bright voice of the CEO.

"Yes. I’m the owner of Saint Hangang Forest, hahaha."

"Hehe, congratulations again. So, what’s up?"

"We’re meeting at your office tomorrow with the previous owner and the lawyer."

"Right. We’re finalizing the payment."

"After that, do you have some time?"

"Oh, is it about finding an office?"

Yes, it’s about finding an office.

Now that I’ll have more cash, it seems like the scale will change a bit?

"Yes, I’m thinking of buying a whole building. In Sungsu, maybe a five-story one."

"Are you going to rent the whole building? Oh! Maybe?"

I smiled and replied.

"Yes, it’s a purchase. Not a lease, a purchase."

The main branch of Cafe Amuse.

The headquarters of the Cafe Amuse franchise.

Amuse Investment.

I was thinking of finding a main base to bring all these businesses together.

Why is this guy so successful?

The next day.

I woke up to a message from Im Su-jung early in the morning.

[Im Su-jung: I... I’m not feeling well today... Can I take the day off? I’m really sorry...]

I replied that it was okay and to rest well.

[Im Su-jung: Thank you, Mr. CEO ㅜㅜ I’ll get better soon. I’m really sorry.]

But I was still worried.

'What’s going on...?'

Im Su-jung was the vitamin and engine of our cafe.

Since we opened, she had never been late. Even as the number of customers increased, she always worked with a smile, never complaining.

'There’s no one like her.'

When I was in New York, she sent me pictures of the cafe every morning and evening without being asked.

'Hmm... What’s going on?'

Is she overworked because of too many tasks?

We hired enough staff.

Or maybe.

[Our Su-jung... She seems bright, but she’s had a tough time over the past few years. But since she started this job, she’s been so much happier...]

Is it something like what Im Hee-ju hinted at before?

I never asked about her background.

I thought it would be disrespectful and a burden to her if I treated her with pity unless she brought it up first.

'I’ll go to the cafe first.'

I washed up and left the house.

I couldn’t ask another employee to cover for her so early, so I planned to help out and check the cafe’s situation.

When I arrived at Amuse Shinchon.

As usual, Choi Pil-sung was diligently opening the cafe early in the morning.

"Bonjour!"

"Huh? Mr. CEO, you know French?"

Hehe.

"No, I saw it on YouTube."

"Your pronunciation is really good for someone who learned from YouTube. Why are you here so early?"

"Because Su-jung is really sick and can’t come in."

"Ah, I heard... I’m really worried."

Ah, right.

Choi Pil-sung would know better.

"Do you know what’s going on, Mr. Pil-sung?"

"Hmm......"

Choi Pil-sung was being cautious.

If that’s the case, I’ll respect it.

I quickly put on an apron and went into the kitchen.

"I’m here to cover for her. I’m not the CEO today. Don’t go easy on me, use me. I’ll try to do 80% of what Su-jung does."

"Hehe, 80%?"

"Oops, was I too ambitious? I’ll do 60%!"

"No, if you’re covering, you should do 100%. First, check the dough conditioner since you’re here."

"Ah, got it!"

"You’re moving too slowly. Su-jung is so quick, hehe."

......Choi Pil-sung’s kind smile was scary today.

"Got it, I’ll go 1.5 times faster!"

"Hehe, good."

I was confident.

I’ve always been good at coffee.

I’ve watched the process of preparing desserts many times since the opening, so I could mimic it to some extent.

But.

"......Do you usually prepare this much?"

The workload was on a different level from before.

I don’t even know how many batches of bagels I’ve baked.

"Customers have been increasing lately. We need to prepare this much."

"Right, right......"

"10 minutes until opening. Can you go 2x speed?"

"Excuse me?"

"Put these in the oven, pull a test shot, and quickly package and display the cookies."

"Got it, got it, got it, I’ll go 2x speed!"

"3x speed!"

Damn, how can I go any faster than this!

I quickly put the bagels in the oven, put the beans in the espresso machine for a test shot, and carefully put the cookies in plastic bags.

'Is the air conditioning on? Why am I sweating so much?'

Meanwhile, other employees started coming in one by one.

After finishing all the preparations, I thought I could catch my breath.

"Welcome!"

"Welcome to Cafe Amuse!"

Customers started pouring in right after opening.

The opening rush wasn’t just a market phenomenon.

Within an hour of opening, the store was packed.

Employees were so busy that I had to help at the counter from time to time...... It was hell.

"Ice Americano, regular size, to-go."

"Two s’mores cookies and one bagel. Cream cheese on the side. And a warm latte to drink here."

These orders were manageable.

"Do you not sell cold brew here anymore? I brought this from Market Kilimanjaro. Can you make a vanilla cream cold brew for me?"

"Two hot chocolates, one iced Americano, and a blueberry eclair. Can you cut the eclair into three pieces? And pack two vanilla eclairs separately."

The flood of complex orders was making my head spin.

'Sigh...... Everyone is really working hard.'

Still, I focused and took orders for a while.

"Mr. CEO, I’ll take over! Take a break!"

Around lunchtime, I finally had a moment to rest.

Looking around the store, it was still packed with