Convenience Store 24: The Tower of the End 1st - Chapter 64



Only Krnovel

Episode 64 Gourmet Guide (1)

“ah…….”

“Umm… … .”

I haven’t even tasted it yet.

I held out a cup of coffee to them, who had already closed their eyes and were savoring the scent.

“What does it smell like? Does it sound good to you?”

“This is so amazing… … How can coffee have such a wonderful floral scent?”

“I can also smell the sweet scent of fruit.”

I nodded and smiled at their answers.

“yes?”

“Boss, does coffee normally smell like this?”

“Not all coffees are like that, but good beans that are roasted well become like that.”

It’s not a lie.

In fact, if you apply the right heat to premium coffee beans.

Because you can get such an amazing aroma that it’s hard to believe it’s coming from coffee.

‘It’s just that the roasting technique is incredibly difficult.’

Even if the time or method of applying heat to the coffee beans is slightly different.

The taste and aroma of coffee changes completely.

That is why the simple act of ‘roasting coffee’ requires a lot of effort and hard work.

‘Of course I didn’t roast it.’

“Boss, can I drink it?”

“Okay! Drink it quickly and give me your opinion.”

Women slowly bringing their glasses to their lips.

“……uh?”

“and…….”

Their expressions change from moment to moment.

From surprise to emotion. And the weight of emotion makes my drooping eyelids tremble gently.

* * *

3 days later.

“… … .”

A woman walks stealthily through a dark living room.

At that time.

Flash-

Suddenly the chandelier in the living room turns on.

“Hey, Grandma… …? You were awake?”

“If you’re here, you should say you’re here. If someone sees you, they’ll think a mouse has broken into the house.”

Lee Ok-ja looked at Kim Do-hee with cold eyes and said.

“Ahahaha… … I did that because I was afraid I might wake up my grandmother who was sleeping!”

“Really? Today is the first time I realized you are such a thoughtful child. Anyway, sit down.”

Kim Do-hee sat on the opposite sofa with a deathly look on her face.

“What were the sales today?”

“… … 850,000 won.”

“… … .”

Lee Ok-ja was speechless.

To foster my granddaughter’s self-reliance and independence.

He even rented the first and second floors of a building near Jongro and opened a cafe.

‘850,000 won a day, roughly 14 million won a month… ‘

The area around Jongno has a lot of floating population, so rent is ridiculously expensive.

Almost 4000 won is spent on rent every month, and since we are using the 1st and 2nd floors, almost 100 million won is spent on rent every month.

‘But your daily sales are only 850,000 won?’

How on earth do they do business so they can make money so easily?

This Okja was truly a shocking sight.

“Still, it’s increased since last time.”

“Oh, right? The event definitely had an effect?! If you look at the number of people gradually increasing… … .”

“It’s noisy!”

Taak-

Lee Ok-ja’s cane strikes her calf mercilessly.

“Ahh!”

Watching my granddaughter clutch her calf and roll around on the floor.

Lee Ok-ja let out a deep sigh.

“If throwing money on the floor is a talent, then it is a talent.”

“I told you that it takes time to grow?! Just wait a little bit! Once you settle in, then… … .”

Once again, Eokja Lee’s staff soars toward the ceiling.

Kim Do-hee kept her mouth tightly shut.

“Huh, I guess it would be helpful for you to know that too.”

“What, what?”

“I will sell Hansung Building soon.”

“what?!”

When the granddaughter was terrified.

Lee Ok-ja asked as if it was no big deal.

“I guess that’s not such a surprise.”

“Ha, but that’s where the Inseong Cafe is!”

“What does that have to do with you?”

The granddaughter kept her mouth shut.

Lee Ok-ja sighed and continued speaking.

“Our already insufficient funds have become even more insufficient because of your reckless behavior.”

“Why is it my fault… … .”

Now, looking at my granddaughter, who reflexively crosses her arms.

Lee Ok-ja sighed again.

“It was an item that should have been disposed of at some point anyway.”

It is clear that the yolk land in Gangnam will rise even more than it is now.

That is why Lee Ok-ja was planning to sequentially sell the buildings in the Gangbuk area and gradually purchase buildings near Gangnam.

“But it’s mine… … .”

“It could all belong to someone else.”

“… … .”

Lee Ok-ja suddenly says something unexpected to her granddaughter, who is just pouting.

“I’ve asked a favor of someone I know, so someone will visit your store soon. Treat him well.”

“… … Person? Who? Grandma’s friend?”

“I don’t know exactly what kind of person he is.”

A question mark hangs over Kim Do-hee’s face.

“What are you talking about? How can I treat someone I don’t even know who my grandmother is?”

“That person is an evaluator for the gourmet guide.”

“ah…….”

* * *

“Huh… … Is this it?”

A middle-aged man with a bald forehead looks up at the cafe sign.

[Two-Tier Cafe]

Today he visited here to evaluate the place as an evaluator for the Gourmet Guide.

‘The exterior and interior are clean.’

The signboard and interior are quite clean and seem well maintained.

‘Hmm, but it seems a bit cleaner than necessary… … .’

The man continued his thoughts, glancing around the store with bleary eyes.

‘Did the information leak out?’

It doesn’t really matter.

After all, the most important thing was food.

‘Ugh, if only it hadn’t been a request in the first place… … .’

If it weren’t for the desperate request from an acquaintance.

As an evaluator, there would be no reason for him to visit a franchise cafe like this.

‘Anyway, cafe food is all the same. Let’s just give a rough evaluation and leave.’

To begin with, a café is a place that lacks ‘professionalism’ and can be opened by anyone.

Of course, there are some skilled baristas and pastry chefs.

I have already visited the place run by those people.

‘If you just order the basic set, you’ll get a good deal.’

He ordered an Americano and a club sandwich.

The food we ordered will soon arrive.

He took a bite of his sandwich without a care.

‘Well, it’s just a regular chain sandwich. Nothing special about it.’

The quality of the ingredients is average, and there is no individuality or creativity in the dish.

So is coffee any different?

Jjuwaaap-

‘ha…….’

I didn’t even expect it, so I wasn’t disappointed.

How is it that not a single bit of prediction is off?

“I ate well.”

“Thank you, come again!”

A man leaves a cafe after handing his empty tray to a waiter.

He glanced at the sign, then shook his head.

‘If you’re going to ask for a favor, you don’t have to be willing to give someone a star, but you have to be willing to give them a gourmet meal, right?’

As expected, I don’t accept requests from acquaintances.

‘I just wasted my time.’

I really wanted to just leave work like this.

Today there was one more cafe I had to visit.

‘Let’s go somewhere… … Inseong Cafe… … It’s a bit far.’

This cafe is located in a place that can be reached in about 30 minutes by bus from Jongro.

To be honest, I don’t feel like going.

But… … on the other hand, I was curious.

‘Come to think of it, the team members who visited Insung Cafe praised it a lot.’

[Team Leader, have you ever been to a place called Insung Cafe? To be honest, it looks like an ordinary cafe, but it’s completely different from the cafe you think of!]

[The quality of the food and drinks sold is also incredibly high, and in particular, there is something called diffuser time where you can enjoy the scent inside the cafe, which is also incredibly unique!]

However, he did not blindly believe what his teammates said.

‘Why do they brag so much about how great a cafe in the outskirts is? … .’

I don’t doubt my teammates’ skills.

It’s just that his standards were a bit more demanding than his teammates.

[Everything was great, but the coffee was a bit disappointing.]

[It’s not that great, but it feels bland compared to the others?]

[But isn’t it okay since there are overwhelming advantages that offset all of those disadvantages?]

[I think so too. To be honest, I didn’t even think about coffee.]

In addition, the evaluation that the team members had made about the personality cafe in advance.

He also played a part in creating a negative view of the Inseong Cafe.

‘No matter how great the food or dessert is, a cafe is still a cafe.’

Just like how even if the cold noodles at a tonkatsu restaurant are delicious, in the end the tonkatsu has to be delicious.

If it’s a cafe, shouldn’t it make good coffee?

‘The basic thing about a cafe is coffee. If the coffee isn’t that great and everything else is good, what’s the point?’

Basically, a cafe is a place that sells coffee.

No matter how good you are at other things.

What good is a coffee shop if it doesn’t taste good?

‘If you’re good at making side dishes, you might as well put up a sign that says ‘dessert shop.’

You can’t even do the basics, but you’re good at other menus?

This is truly ridiculous.

‘Besides, just being delicious isn’t enough. There are many restaurants in the world that sell delicious food.’

It’s not enough to just have something that tastes good.

It has to be tasty, but it also has to have originality and creativity that can be seen in the food.

‘There has to be consistency in taste. Anyway, let’s get moving for now.’

The evaluator arrived at his destination by subway.

He frowned, looking down at his phone.

‘Hmm, it definitely says it’s around here on the map… … .’

At that time.

A sight caught his eye.

‘Is it over there?’

When I saw a cafe with an overwhelmingly large number of people waiting in line compared to other stores,

The evaluator muttered quietly when he saw the name of the cafe.

“Inseong Cafe, this is it… … .”

This is the very place that his teammates who had already visited had praised so highly.

Some team members were even screaming that they should be given stars immediately.

Now, the Inseong Cafe was right in front of him.

‘I’m a little curious.’

There must be a reason why people flock there like that.

‘But whether or not you get a star is a separate matter.’

A star in a gourmet guide is not just an honor or a badge.

It is a proof that the gourmet guide guarantees the taste and quality of the restaurant.

The highest honor a restaurant can receive is a ‘Gourmet Guide Star’.

‘If anyone gets a star, it’s not a star.’

That is why the judging process is also very strict.

The evaluators evaluate the store at least 8 times.

Based on those evaluations, the whereabouts of the stars in the gourmet guide are also determined.

And if you visit unexpectedly and the food tastes bad, there are many cases where the stars are confiscated.

‘Anyway, I wonder what this place is like. I wonder if it will satisfy me.’

The evaluator slowly scanned the exterior of the personality cafe.

The size of the cafe, which takes up most of the first floor, is insignificant.

The faded sign is a bit of an eyesore.

‘It would be good to change the signboard to something neater. Is it the pride of the cafe? Let’s see what the inside is like.’

The evaluator glanced at the interior of the cafe through the window.

‘… … Full?’

It wasn’t unusual for the cafe to be crowded with customers.

For some reason, everyone sitting in each chair has a happy smile on their face.

‘The interior is nothing special, but the drinks are pretty good.’

If locals come here to visit and enjoy it, it’s probably worth the wait.

‘Then I guess I’ll stand in line too.’

But there was one thing he overlooked.

‘What the hell, don’t you think the line will get shorter?’

That’s why the waiting line at the cafe that has become a local specialty was longer than he imagined.

‘I’m worried that the products will all sell out at this rate.’

His concerns were correct.

“Sorry, all the shaved ice cups are sold out.”

“The Demon King’s fish-shaped bread and waffles are all sold out!”

Employees announcing sellouts one after another.

It was a death sentence for the evaluators who had been waiting for nearly two hours.

‘this…….’

To prepare for situations like this, when looking for famous restaurants, I usually make a reservation in advance or go at their opening time.

And that’s what he’s been doing all along.

‘If only I hadn’t stopped by that worthless cafe. Tsk… . . ‘

The evaluator sighed softly and thought.

‘Now that it’s come to this, I guess I should at least eat what’s left.’

Even though I felt resentful for having waited so long, I couldn’t just turn back like this.

After a while.

“I’ll take your order!”

Now it was his turn, which he had been waiting for so long.

The evaluator asked the employee.

“Are there any of the cafe’s main menu items left?”

“The scent of the sea still lingers, sir. Would you like that?”

“Food is… … .”

“Sorry, I ran out.”

The sun is still high in the sky.

The materials are already sold out!

“Then let’s wait a bit. It will be restocked after the break time, right?”

“Huh? No. Once the ingredients are used up, that’s the end. Sorry.”

“aha…….”

I already knew from prior research that there would be no break time.

I guess I asked for nothing.

‘Usually, it’s standard to prepare ingredients according to the number of guests that will visit that day, but this restaurant doesn’t do that. Do they not even intend to improve?’

It’s over once the number of guests is reached and the prepared ingredients are used up!

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an unfriendly store.

But the evaluators didn’t seem to care much.

‘After all, what’s important is taste, consistency, and creativity.’

In the first place, ‘service’ was a list that had nothing to do with evaluation.

The evaluator said, trying to fake a smile.

“Then, please give me the scent of the sea. Oh, and a cup of coffee, too?”

The employee smiles faintly at the evaluator’s order.

“You are lucky, sir.”

“yes?”

“The special coffee beans were just restocked.”

‘… … Special coffee beans?’

Special coffee beans?

What is that?

“This time, a new menu item has been released: Insung Coffee. This is the name of the coffee beans used in it!”

“Aha… … But is there a difference from other coffees?”

“The aroma is stronger and the deep, heavy taste is impressive! I recommend you try it!”

Looking at the staff confidently recommending new menu items.

The evaluator nodded.

‘If you recommend it like that, you must be confident in its taste?’

“Then please give me one of those humanities coffees too.”

“Okay, I’ll help you with the math first!”

The evaluator holding a takeout cup in both hands.

He went to a nearby park and sat down on an empty chair.

First, he gazed at the scent of the sea with bleary eyes.

‘It looks ordinary. Did they mix in some pigment? The scent is… … Hmm? It’s not too bad.’

It feels like I can smell a hint of the salty scent of the sea.

The subtle and soft scent blends gently.

‘It’s amazing. I can definitely feel the nuance of the sea, but it’s not fishy. I’ve never had tea with this kind of flavor in any other restaurant. I guess it’s a special recipe.’

This creativity and originality are worthy of extra points.

‘The taste will probably be ordinary.’

In the first place, tea’s main focus was its aroma, not its taste.

The evaluator put the car to his lips without much expectation.