Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1288. Organizing (3)

“Don’t you know what the situation with cafes is like? Look around, sir! You can find cafes everywhere these days! In fact, you can find one every three steps!” Gu Jeong-Beom passionately shouted.

Hwang Min-Su nodded contemplatively. “Yes, I know.”

“Other franchises have already taken over all the prime spots near subway stations and downtown areas, sir. Go a little deeper in, and independent cafes dominate those areas! Nowadays we have more cafes than diners in this country, yet why do you want to start a cafe franchise, of all things?!”

“Yes, I also know that.”

Hwang Min-Su remained unfazed even as Gu Jeong-Beom’s passionate yell dug into his hearing.

“But, why...!”

“Come on, now.” Hwang Min-Su cut Gu Jeong-Beom off. “It’s the first assignment I’ve taken on, okay? I know it’s tough, but I can’t exactly tell the boss that it’s impossible, now can I?”

“Urgh...!”

Gu Jeong-Beom let out a pained grunt while thinking, You always act this way, sir!

The trio of Gu Jeong-Beom, Choi Byeong-Chan, and Noh Tae-Gwang knew Hwang Min-Su’s real thoughts didn’t match what he said. A sad circumstance hid within this story, however.

Hwang Min-Su genuinely detested Hwang Jeong-Hu’s style of raising kids. Unfortunately for him, though, Hwang Jeong-Hu’s teachings had been deeply ingrained into Hwang Min-Su’s soul by now.

That was why he didn’t know how to give up easily even when faced with unwinnable business situations. He grew into a businessman who charged into something first to see if it was a jackpot or bust before reluctantly backing out. The role of the trio was to prevent Hwang Min-Su from going overboard, but this time...!

This time, Hwang Min-Su looked far too determined and eager to be stopped!

Once his switch had been flipped like this, no one could stop Hwang Min-Su.

Hwang Jeong-Hu was often referred to as a bulldozer in the business world. As for Hwang Min-Su, he might not be on the level of a bulldozer like his father, but at least something like an excavator!

“Well, at least the coffee doesn’t taste bad,” Choi Byeong-Chan noted after taking a quick sip of the coffee. He nodded, then glanced at Gu Jeong-Beom. “Director Gu?”

“Yes?”

“Can you get us four cups of coffee? This time something warmer?”

“...Of course.” Gu Jeong-Beom got up without complaining and headed to the counter to order another round of coffee.

Seong Ju-Chan behind the counter put on a business smile and said, “I’ll bring the coffee to your table, sir.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Gu Jeong-Beom returned to his seat, then frowned deeply while addressing his companions.

“Even if the coffee tastes good, a cafe can’t just survive on the coffee it sells, no? I mean, Director Noh here? He goes to a cafe every two days but still can’t even differentiate between instant and drip coffee!”

Noh Tae-Gwang flinched when he got singled out by Gu Jeong-Beom. “W-what? What did you say I can’t differentiate?”

“Don’t act as if you know what I’m talking about!”

“...”

Noh Tae-Gwang looked away while whistling.

The truth was that, yes, he couldn’t tell different coffee types apart. To him, coffee was some nice-smelling hot beverage that he enjoyed dumping into his stomach once in a while.

Gu Jeong-Beom continued with his fact assault. “Besides, as far as I know, a cafe’s revenue doesn’t come from coffee. No, it comes from other drink types and desserts like cakes. And drinks like Americano are too cheap to make money off of them, too.”

Noh Tae-Gwang chuckled helplessly. “Look at you, man. Your old habit’s rearing its head again.”

“What was that?”

“Listen, man. If a cafe is doing so well, it can open a franchise on its own without us, right? Our job isn’t to find a place that’s already doing good for itself and turn it into a franchise. What, you don’t think so? In that case, why are you even doing here? Hoping to get paid for your expertise? When even a middle schooler passing by can do a decent job with a cafe like that?!”

“...”

“We can always improve where things need improving.”

Choi Byeong-Chan contemplatively nodded after listening to Noh Tae-Gwang’s lecture. “I agree. Director Noh is right on this one.”

Gu Jeong-Beom groaned and backed off when Choi Byeong-Chan sided with Noh Tae-Gwang.

“However, Director Gu isn’t wrong either, sir,” said Choi Byeong-Chan, his somber eyes locked on Hwang Min-Su. “I admit that the coffee here tastes pretty good, but a cafe isn’t a place that only sells beverages. No, it must also sell atmosphere and even culture. In that sense, this particular cafe doesn’t seem to have any ‘it’ factor to draw in a large customer base.”

Hwang Min-Su groaned. “Mm...!”

“Sir, is there a reason why this cafe was chosen as the potential franchise?”

“Well... The chairman told me to.”

“When you say the chairman...?”

“MK’s chairman, of course.”

“Mm, I see. So, he wants us to take this place and...”

The four men scanned the cafe’s interior.

“Don’t you think the interior design is too... old-fashioned?”

“Rather than old-fashioned, isn’t it more like too cheap and tacky? With cheap materials like that, you can decorate the place as much as you want and the result will still not look all that great.”

“I can spot so many places that need fixing up, sir. We’re no experts at this sort of thing, yet we can still spot them, so it’s safe to say this place is beyond help.”

Seong Ju-Chan squeezed his eyes shut while listening to the four men’s conversation from his spot behind the counter.

Urgh...!

Of course, those men weren’t some mannerless jerks who talked loudly. They were whispering as quietly as possible so that Seong Ju-Chan couldn’t hear them.

Unfortunately, his sharp sense of hearing, polished through years of martial art training, didn’t permit him to ignore those hushed whispers. Even if he wanted to pretend he couldn’t hear a thing and remain composed, their words still painfully stabbed into his hearing.

“As it stands, this place doesn’t stand a chance,” said Choi Byeong-Chan.

“Mm, yes. No matter what, I can’t see a way,” said Noh Tae-Gwang.

“We gotta start from scratch if we want to make this work,” said Gu Jeong-Beom next.

Hwang Min-Su chuckled wryly at the three men’s response. “Weren’t you all unconvinced by the prospect of this business venture a minute ago?”

“Well, since we’re doing this, we might as well do a thorough job, sir.”

“Yes, sir. He’s right. This story is the same regardless of the company. The higher-ups’ evaluation of us will change greatly depending on how well we do on the first assignment. No matter how unreasonable it is, we gotta go all in and pull off a huge win here.”

Noh Tae-Gwang and Gu Jeong-Beom’s burning gazes locked squarely on Hwang Min-Su, prompting him to chuckle reflexively.

This conversation reminded him of the old days. Back then, these two would always bicker and oppose each other’s views, but once the assignment began, they would speak in one voice.

For some reason, this warm emotion began welling up from deep inside Hwang Min-Su’s chest.

“Ah, ah! Hold on, sir! Let’s not get too emotional here, shall we!”

“Yes, sir! Let’s be professional about this, President Hwang!”

“Who’s getting emotional here?!” Hwang Min-Su hurriedly yelled at the duo in embarrassment before awkwardly getting up. “I’m going outside for a quick smoke break.”

“Hold on, sir.” Choi Byeong-Chan suddenly raised his hand and stopped Hwang Min-Su. “Actually, let’s do this. Why don’t we go elsewhere? I have a cafe I’d like to recommend to you all.”

“Oh?”

Hwang Min-Su’s eyes opened wider as he stared at Choi Byeong-Chan.

That man never recommended anything unless he was 100% certain about it. In other words, whatever he said always carried substance that one shouldn’t ignore.

Hwang Min-Su asked curiously. “Is it far from here?”

“No, sir. With a car, it won’t take long.”

“Got it. Then, let’s go.” Hwang Min-Su picked up his briefcase as if there was no need to debate anything. Gu Jeong-Beom and the rest also got ready to leave.

Hwang Min-Su glanced at them. “Let’s have a quick smoke before we go.”

“But sir, I told you I quit smoking,” said Gu Jeong-Beom.

“Ah, that’s right. Then, can you go and get the car for us? In the meantime, I’ll have that quick smoke.”

“Uh-whew...”

The four men bantered and bickered while leaving the cafe. Seong Ju-Chan watched them exit through the doorway before letting out a loud groan.

“I wonder what the Assembly Master is up to this time...”

Right now, what Seong Ju-Chan felt was not anticipation or hope, but concern!

***

Hwang Min-Su asked, “Is this the place?”

“Yes, sir,” said Choi Byeong-Chan.

“It’s... somewhat vintage?”

Hwang Min-Su furrowed his brow a little. The vibe he got from this place differed a bit from what he wanted or expected to see. Rather than a potential franchise, this cafe was more like...

Is this what the kids call the atelier or minimalist cafe these days?

Since the interior décor felt a little sparse and minimalistic, it seemed more or less in tune with what was considered trendy these days, but...

“Please have a seat first,” said Choi Byeong-Chan.

“Mm...”

Hwang Min-Su nodded, then sat down on an empty chair. That was when a server quickly came up to his group to get their orders.

“Good evening to you, gentlemen. Would you like to place your order?”

Hwang Min-Su frowned slightly, thinking that even the style of the service was old-fashioned.

To think he’d enter a cafe that employed a server in this day and age! Wasn’t this a bit too anachronistic? It felt like he had traveled at least two decades back in time.

Choi Byeong-Chan glanced at the server. “Four Americano. Warm, please.”

“Four Americano, warm. Coming right away.”

The server seemed well trained, but that was about it.

What shouldn’t be there was just that, something that shouldn’t be there. No matter how something was dolled up to look presentable, it would still be useless unless it was backed up by some type of utility.

Choi Byeong-Chan noticed the unimpressed expression on Hwang Min-Su’s face and smirked softly. “Shall we discuss our thoughts after getting our coffee first?”

Hwang Min-Su frowned again. “Mm, well. Drinking coffee and all is nice, but...”

“No need to fret, sir. Can’t you see?”

Hwang Min-Su scanned the interior. The cafe was bustling with customers. Considering the time was fast approaching nine in the evening... Rather than good, “booming” seemed far more appropriate to describe the business.

When he thought about it, this seemed so odd to him. Did his business sense get dull or something?

Hwang Min-Su was confident of smelling money-making opportunities even in completely unfamiliar industries. So, for him to not understand why so many people were here? It could only mean this cafe had something he hadn’t figured out yet.

Choi Byeong-Chan smirked again. “You’ll understand when you drink the coffee, sir.”

“Mm.”

Choi Byeong-Chan sounded certain, but even Gu Jeong-Beom and Noh Tae-Gwang looked anxious.

Thankfully, though, the coffee arrived quicker than they expected, saving them from this awkward atmosphere.

Hwang Min-Su’s expression grew weird as he stared at the plain white cup. To be honest, he actually preferred this. Judging from the state with the décor, the owner of the place picking up what they thought were pretty cups would’ve led to a catastrophe, that much was for sure!

He didn’t think too much about what he was doing while bringing the cup up to his lips. But then, his eyes shot open wide as he subtly pushed the cup away.

What was this? What was up with this delectable aroma nearly overwhelming his senses? This aroma was a world apart from all the other coffee he had drunk in his life.

“What the... Holy sh*t?” Noh Tae-Gwang stared in disbelief at Hwang Min-Su after sniffing the coffee’s aroma a little.

Without a doubt, even Noh Tae-Gwang had realized the difference. This coffee had to be something extraordinary since he possessed the dullest palate of them all!

No, wait. This isn’t it. Hwang Min-Su covered his face. Yeah, looks like my instinct has gotten duller.

One of the things an entrepreneur must watch out for was getting too excited about something.

A person who got too obsessed with an item would lose their mind at the sight of a slightly newer, better item. Even something that looked ordinary and not all that special under a critical gaze would look like a solid gold ingot to an overexcited person.

Since his head was filled with determination to succeed in this cafe franchise business, his body simply had reacted to something that smelled a little encouraging. That had to be it.

Hwang Min-Su steeled his heart, then picked up the coffee cup again.

“Still, this aroma is really something else...”

Despite taking in the aroma with a much calmer mind, it still imparted a strongly favorable impression.

Gu Jeong-Beom and Noh Tae-Gwang also couldn’t help but express their admiration.

“This aroma truly is intoxicating, sir.”

“So, uh... This is what real coffee is like, huh.”

Their responses were largely the same as Hwang Min-Su’s.

While sensing his anticipation rise, Hwang Min-Su carefully took a small sip of the coffee. And...

It tasted like coffee. Just coffee.

It wasn’t as if flavors were exploding inside his mouth. Nor did it have this extraordinary something that made him shoot up to his feet in shock. Even so, there was something inexplicable about...

“So, uh... This is what well-made coffee is like, huh,” Noh Tae-Gwang muttered dazedly.

“Not well-made, it’s well-brewed, you dumbass,” said Gu Jeong-Beom.

“Same difference, okay?”

It seemed Noh Tae-Gwang’s thoughts largely matched Hwang Min-Su’s. Neither of them could quite understand what the difference was, but they could still feel that something was different about this coffee. Something extraordinary that even complete novices in coffee drinking like them could instinctively feel!

Choi Byeong-Chan nodded. “Since that place and this one were similar, I thought I’d bring you here as a reference. Similar in that the coffee is nice, but the interior décor is a bit...”

“Sure, you’re right.”

If they wanted to get technical about it, this place was the real deal, while the other cafe was a pale imitation. At least, that was what it felt like to Hwang Min-Su.

“Yes, this helps a lot as a reference.”

Choi Byeong-Chan smiled when Hwang Min-Su muttered that.

“Sir, we can do something about the interior décor. But the drinks themselves are much trickier. We can pour a massive amount of money on R&D and still not get the results we want.”

“Indeed, that’s a strong possibility.”

“Then... I feel that this cafe’s owner cooperating with us will go a long way in resolving our issues.”

Hwang Min-Su animatedly nodded. Replicating this taste would be unrealistic, but getting close enough should give their franchise an edge over their competition.

Winning the war with the coffee’s taste alone was obviously not going to happen, but at least having tasty coffee should resolve one of their problems.

Hwang Min-Su got up, his expression determined to succeed. He approached the server who had brought them the coffee and carefully asked, “Excuse me...?”

“Yes, customer?”

“Is the owner here?”

“Sorry? Was there a problem with your order, sir?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that. I’d like to speak to him about a business-related matter, actually.”

“Oh, I see. He’s over there, sir.”

In the direction pointed out by the server, Hwang Min-Su spotted a middle-aged man with a face full of focus brewing coffee.

Hwang Min-Su’s head reflexively tilted when he saw that man. Why did it feel like he had seen that person before?

That face seemed so... vaguely familiar, for some strange reason.