Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1323. On Standby (3)

Seong Ju-Chan could feel that the weather had gotten a little warmer.

How would he know, though? Once his cafe was full, white mist would form on the cafe’s windows. But the glasses remained pristine right now, giving him a clear view of the street outside.

Seong Ju-Chan dazedly stared at the street in silence.

His store was jam-packed with people, and the weather was getting nicer, too. Most people would call that a pretty good day, but not Seong Ju-Chan. His mood could not be described as joyful at all!

“Hey, man! I need my coffee refilled!”

Seong Ju-Chan dazedly turned toward the “customer” who yelled at him. “Oii, you... Isn’t that your fourth refill already?”

“What’s wrong? Isn’t it unlimited refills?”

“I thought I was the owner of this place? So who gave you the authority to decide on how I run my cafe?”

“And that’s why you’re not making any money, you fool. In this day and age, infinite refill is the standard practice!”

Seong Ju-Chan groaned. “Yeah, sure. The era has changed. To think I’d hear business advice from an unemployed bum like you.”

“What was that?!”

Seong Ju-Chan’s groaning worsened. He’d rather see all these idiots go jump in a nearby lake or something!

All the so-called customers filling his cafe were former Assembly members. After that meeting with Kang Jin-Ho, these bastards must’ve started viewing Seong Ju-Chan’s cafe as their town square or something. They would drop by unannounced and begin taking up space without a care in the world!

Wouldn’t having so many people be good for business?

No! They aren’t making me any money!

A cafe’s lifeblood was “rotation”; after drinking their coffee and eating their desserts, customers needed to vacate the premises promptly, so that the next batch of customers could take up the space. However, these bastards ordered only one cup of Americano per person, then stayed here for five hours straight while gorging themselves on refills! Obviously, no new customers could come inside like this.

Worse still, Seong Ju-Chan was stuck in this location. If the regulars couldn’t find space here and went to different cafes, his long-term revenue would also fall.

Seong Ju-Chan unhappily roared, “What the f*ck, you stinking bastards?! If you have nothing better to do, go home and play f*cking video games or something! Get out of here already!”

“What the f*ck are you even saying?! Watch your mouth, man!”

“It’s not like we’re sitting here for free, innit?! We paid for these drinks!”

“What kinda sh*tty-ass service is this?! Yo, you better watch out, man. Imma review-bomb your rating on portal sites, got that?!”

Seong Ju-Chan grimaced while urgently clutching the back of his neck.

Once upon a time, he used to think that the only people he could rely on in this world were these idiots. The bond he shared with them after surviving all the hellish training in the Martial Assembly was incomparable to the one soldiers shared. That was what he firmly believed.

However, at this very moment... That bond was shattering into a million pieces!

You... You bunch of trashy bastards!

No, to be more correct, the bond he shared with them was still there, but he became even more confident about these idiots being utter trash!

Seong Ju-Chan yelled again. “Why?! Why are you all camping in here?! Why!”

“Where should we go, then?!”

“We gotta study the market conditions and stuff, too! And learn from how you conduct your business!”

“Right, right! The Assembly Master said this once. If you only do what they order you to do, you can never escape that fate. Only those who think for themselves can one day climb to a position of ordering other people around!”

“Eh? I thought Chief Lee said that?”

“Who cares about who said what?”

Seong Ju-Chan double-facepalmed just then.

“Besides all that! Where’s my refill, man!”

Seong Ju-Chan angrily yelled at the man who casually said that. “There’s no refill for you! Never! You stinking bastard!”

“Fine, fine. Gimme a different drink, then. A cup of Macchiato, please.”

“Yes, dear customer. Should I add that to your loyalty points as well?”

“...”

Despite all the pointed gazes burrowing into his thick skin, Seong Ju-Chan didn’t grovel. “What? What! A businessman wants to conduct business, so what’s the problem!? Don’t give me that bullsh*t, okay! Besides, you bunch of trash! If you want to camp in here, at least buy something new, alright?! Or Imma sweep you all outside with the dirtiest broom I have!”

The people in the cafe grumbled unhappily, but still began ordering new drinks.

Seong Ju-Chan groaned loudly and began processing their orders.

These bastards... Will they really be alright?

No matter how he sliced it, Seong Ju-Chan just couldn’t imagine these idiots surviving the service industry. After all, wasn’t the basic tenet of the service industry “Customers Are Kings”?

But these people had never done anything like humoring a customer’s whims before. In that case, how would they survive in this industry?

Will they really be alright?

Seong Ju-Chan couldn’t help but think that they would need a miracle for this franchise to work.

Just as his thoughts reached that far, the cafe’s entrance opened, and a woman walked in.

She scanned the crowd before declaring, “Attention!”

“What was that?”

“Who dares... Hiiiiiieeek?!”

The cafe dwellers saw who had entered and urgently backed off in horror.

“C-Chief Lee Hyeon-Ju?!”

“Why is she here?”

Tension quickly hardened everyone’s faces in the cafe.

Lee Hyeon-Ju coolly ignored their reactions and got right down to business. “Every person in here. I’m going to assume you’re applying as a franchisee.”

Was she trying to be polite or curt? Of course, no one here dared to ask her for a clarification.

“I wanted to confirm a few things. Is everyone here, though?”

“N-no, ma’am! But most of us are here.”

What a bizarre spectacle this was. On average, everyone in this cafe was older than Lee Hyeon-Ju. On top of that, these people would become franchisees of the company she worked for.

In terms of societal hierarchy, she should be the one bowing her head and groveling before these people. They should be the ones with all the say in this relationship, yet no one dared to squeak out a word toward her.

Lee Hyeon-Ju smartly pushed her glasses up her nose.

“C-Chief Lee?”

“Yes?”

“Your glasses. They suit you.”

“Thanks. But don’t bring up unnecessary things and waste my time. It’s annoying, you see?”

“...Yes, ma’am. I’ll fix my stupid mouth from now on.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju looked disinterested while pulling out a tablet from her bag, then switched it on. “I want you to explain what you’ll hear now to those who aren’t here. Without getting their signed provisional contracts, it’s tricky to find their contact details.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll call them right away.”

“Okay. The Chairman told you to pay the franchise joining fee. However, some of you don’t have enough money. So, we’re supposed to loan you the amount. My job is to compile the list of people receiving the loan. Our lending rate will be lower than most major banks, so anyone needing a loan, just call MK. Our contact numbers are on the provisional contracts.”

“Wait, ma’am? Are you gonna charge us interest?”

“Isn’t that obvious? You thought we’re giving out freebies?” Lee Hyeon-Ju looked away from her tablet and glared at the crowd. “Of course, the Chairman... The Assembly Master told us to loan you the money without interest, but...!”

A strange smirk formed on her face.

“I cannot let that happen on my watch.”

“...”

Everyone here shared the exact same sentiment at that very moment.

This woman, she’s the female version of Lee Hyeon-Su!

Actually, no. She’s even worse! At least we can try to crack a joke with Chief Lee Hyeon-Su.

Holy sh*t! Why is she so merciless?

“Next. The application for the franchisees will open next week. This application period will last for around a week. Once that’s done, you’ll immediately enter the training program we’ve set up. Take note.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And this is a piece of advice coming from me...”

Lee Hyeon-Ju tossed the tablet on the table in front of her, then took her glasses off. Not stopping there, she even pulled her hair band off, letting her hair loose. That was when the air oozing off her transformed completely.

“I’m painfully aware of how dumb you all are. And as rude as humans can get. Which is understandable, since the Assembly prioritized your skills over etiquette, after all.”

“...”

“However, the person tasked with training you this time is the Assembly Master’s father. So I’m warning you ahead of time...!”

Lee Hyeon-Ju began gritting her teeth.

“I shall be participating in the training program, too. If any of you think you can slack off, or act rudely toward the Assembly Master’s father, or even try something unwise... I swear on my name. I will personally encase you in cement and dump you off the coast of Incheon!”

“...!”

She was not joking here. The killing intent gushing out from her figure forced everyone to lower their heads and stare at the floor.

“And my warning extends beyond the training program.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju tapped on a nearby table.

“I’m sure you’ll hear this plenty of times during training. But I will still warn you in advance since the Assembly Master’s father doesn’t know about your true natures. After franchise stores open, if I catch anyone treating their customers like crap, changing how the store is run, or simply being an as*hole, remember this. I won’t sue you. But I will personally deal with you.”

“...!”

“So, gentlemen. If you don’t want to die like a dog, do your job properly, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The crowd replied powerfully and loudly.

Lee Hyeon-Ju scanned them before groaning under her breath. “This cafe franchise is the first business venture MK is embarking on. And it’s only possible through the Assembly Master’s grace. I hope you’re not underestimating the scale of what you are all about to embark on. Our company is betting its future on the success of this venture.”

These words came from Lee Hyeon-Ju’s heart this time.

Kang Jin-Ho might have started this venture as a way to help these people out, but for Lee Hyeon-Ju tasked with managing MK? This franchise business would become the first real achievement in her resume.

Nominally speaking, the head of this business venture was Hwang Min-Su. But Lee Hyeon-Ju had zero desire to shirk off her responsibilities with such an excuse. The way she saw it, every business venture with MK’s name on it was her responsibility.

The only way to repay all the faith Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su had shown her was to make MK a certifiable success story.

“I will do everything in my power to support you. That’s why I ask of you to do your absolute best, too. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lee Hyeon-Ju smiled refreshingly, then began tying her hair.

Meanwhile, the former Assembly members whispered to each other.

Hey, man. Why does it feel like sharp blades came in flying at us just now?

You’re not wrong. I got stabbed already!

Seong Ju-Chan swallowed his saliva. Of course the Lee bloodline wouldn’t just vanish into thin air with Lee Jung-Geol’s passing!

That woman was the grandson of none other than Lee Jung-Geol, the legend of the Martial Assembly. And she used to be referred to as the heir to Lee Jung-Geol’s throne once upon a time before Kang Jin-Ho’s appearance.

Of course someone like that would be extraordinary.

“Ma’am? Once this business venture gets off the ground, are you still going to manage us?”

Lee Hyeon-Ju glanced at the man who asked her. “No. The person who’ll do that is President Hwang. He’s an outsider and has no relation with the Martial Assembly.”

“Oh...”

“However!” Lee Hyeon-Ju put her glasses back on, then coldly addressed the crowd. “The Assembly Master has handpicked him to lead this business venture. As such, I will not accept any rude behavior from you. I know you guys have this unconscious bias against ordinary people. I’m not going to fault you for that, but... Please, be more selective about who you do that to. The person our Assembly Master has hired is someone extraordinary.”

“Of course, ma’am!”

“We weren’t going to do that, ma’am!”

Lee Hyeon-Ju calmly nodded. “My role will be to manage the side the president doesn’t know about. For instance, you don’t have any manners, so I’ll do something about that. Or fix you right up if you misbehave.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju pushed the glasses up her nose.

“If I can help it, I’d like to fix things verbally as much as possible. The era has changed, after all. However, please never forget what the best medicine for those who are unwilling to listen is.”

Why did she even bother to say please? Especially when threatening people?

“You don’t have to worry about setting up your cafes,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju. “The company will do its best to assist you in various ways, after all. First of all, the company will handle the interior décor with the best furnishing available. And we’ll also develop the menu, so you don’t have to worry about that, either. As for the model who will act as the face of the franchise? It’ll be Director Choi. She’s planning to visit different franchises for a photo op and autograph the pictures as well.”

“Hang on... When you said Director Choi, do you mean Director Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Yes, her.”

“Wowsers...!”

“That’s incredible.”

When the hopeful energy quickly spread among the crowd, Lee Hyeon-Ju subtly nodded in satisfaction. “That’s the end of my report. Please inform the others who aren’t here. Those who are committed to joining us, elect a representative who will speak on your behalf and have him communicate with us. It’s difficult for me to come here and speak to you face to face every single time, after all.”

“Chief Lee, how about you speak to that dude?”

Everyone pointed their fingers at Seong Ju-Chan. Naturally, he freaked out.

“O-oii! Why me?!”

“Simple. You’re always here, aren’t you?”

“Others here gotta make time and whatever, but not you. You can just sit here and deliver the message. And you can always attend meetings that happen here, too. Isn’t that convenient?”

Seong Ju-Chan inwardly cried out, What the f*ck, you crazy bastards?! Why do you see my place as the meeting point for you idiots? Besides, my cafe isn’t a franchise yet, okay? It’s just my cafe!

Lee Hyeon-Ju glanced at Seong Ju-Chan. “Very well. Please be the representative, Mister Ju-Chan.”

“E-eh? Me?”

“Yes, you. Why? Is there a reason you can’t do it?”

“No... There’s no problem.”

“Good. Then I’ll contact you if we have something new to discuss.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju bowed briefly, then strode outside the cafe without skipping a beat.

“Wow... It’s like a storm has swept past this place.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean.”

Even though they had already left the Martial Assembly, for some reason... It felt like they were still its members.