Deoksugung was baffled by the sudden explosion in popularity.
Since it was a store selling top-quality Hanwoo beef, the prices were steep. So, unless it was the weekend, not many people came on weekdays. And now, it wasn’t even the season for year-end company dinners or gatherings.
But the sales were skyrocketing as if it were the peak of the year-end party season. No, it was even better than that. It got so crazy that they had to request more cow slaughters from Mr. Choi’s farm.
Slaughtering two cows would yield about 1,600 servings of beef, and those sold out in less than a week. With each serving costing at least 50,000 won, this small store’s weekly sales hit 80 million won.
Two cows weren’t enough to last a week.
And there wasn’t a single empty table. As soon as one customer got up, the next waiting customer would sit down… And every customer who visited Deoksugung raved about it.
“This is insane. The price isn’t much different from other places, but the taste is worlds apart. It’s unbelievable that I can eat beef of this quality.”
“This is the best beef I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not even exaggerating.”
“With this level of taste, famous international food critics should be coming here themselves. If an ordinary person like me can taste this, it must be a blessing for those with super-sensitive palates.”
Kim Ho-cheol, the owner of Deoksugung, screamed in delight at the unexpected boom. Of course, it was a happy scream. While the part-timers and employees complained about the overwhelming number of customers, for him, more customers meant more happiness. So much so that he couldn’t stop smiling even while helping out.
Of course, he also gave bonuses to the part-timers recently because too many people were coming in. These days, it’s hard to find part-timers, so you have to take care of them.
It’s not common for a regular store, not a famous franchise, to experience such a boom. But Kim Ho-cheol was puzzled by the sudden surge in popularity.
What could be the reason for this sudden influx of customers?
The farm supplying the beef hadn’t changed since the store first opened. It had been three years since the store started, so it was unlikely that the taste had changed enough to attract this many customers. Did it suddenly blow up on social media without him knowing? Of course, it had been a while since he last tasted the beef they received—about two weeks?
He ate the beef once a month for quality checks, but after three years, he was kind of sick of it. Still, he kept tasting it to ensure the quality.
Or maybe there were some rave reviews on social media or YouTube?
But there was no way a famous social media star would promote this store for free. People of that caliber would charge for promotions.
As he pondered the reason for the sudden popularity while manning the counter, Kim Ho-cheol continued to serve customers diligently. Even though it was a Thursday, it felt like a weekend with the number of reservations pouring in. There were so many reservations that walk-in customers had to be turned away.
“Jin-soo! Do you have any idea why there are so many customers?”
Kim Ho-cheol called out to his longest-serving and closest employee to ask for his thoughts. But Kim Jin-soo just tilted his head, indicating he had no clue.
“I don’t know, boss. I thought it might be trending online, but I couldn’t find anything.”
As he said this, Kim Jin-soo stretched his wrists, which were sore from all the work.
“There are so many customers, I’m dying here, seriously.”
“Hey, this month’s bonus is gonna be fat.”
“That’d be great!”
With that, Kim Jin-soo went back to work, and Kim Ho-cheol continued serving customers. After a week of booming business, the world seemed beautiful. But then, a customer who had finished their meal came to the counter to pay.
“We enjoyed the meal, boss.”
“Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.”
After processing the card payment, Kim Ho-cheol noticed the customer standing there, looking dazed. Was something wrong? Did he make a mistake? Was the customer going to complain?
But after a moment, the customer spoke softly.
“Boss, where on earth do you get this beef from?”
“Huh?”
“I’m a beef enthusiast, and I’ve been to every beef restaurant around my neighborhood, but I’ve never had beef as delicious as yours!”
The customer continued.
“Actually, I’ve eaten here before, and back then, it was just average. Did you change the farm you source from? It’s really delicious! It’s been a while since my taste buds were this blown away.”
How could that be?
For three years, Kim Ho-cheol has been steadily receiving supplies, but this was the first time he received such rave reviews from customers. Most just say it’s delicious, but this was the first time a customer came to the counter, mentioned the farm, and showered him with praise.
Curious, Kim Ho-cheol decided to taste the beef he was currently selling. As a result, he finally understood why the beef had suddenly started selling so well.
——————————————
“Yaaawn!”
I woke up in bed. Today was an important day. I got down to the floor and headed to the bathroom to wash up. In the bathroom, I saw my sleepy face. To wake myself up, I splashed cold water on my face.
“Ahh!”
It was so cold I almost screamed. I quickly turned the faucet to the hot water side. Finally, lukewarm water came out, just the right temperature for me.
After washing my hair, I came out to find Maru in the room. Maru was diligently ironing my school uniform. I had told her she didn’t need to do it, but she insisted on getting the creases just right.
I watched her ironing. Maru is so diligent! I waited for her to finish, thinking I’d have breakfast with her since I was hungry.
Bored, I wagged my dinosaur tail left and right. The thick tail swayed as I imagined. I wish I could control it like a dog’s tail, but since I don’t have one, I couldn’t move it.
After holding Maru’s hand and having breakfast, I put on the neatly ironed uniform. I thought how great it would be if I could just wear my dinosaur pajamas to school! It would be like heaven, not having to change clothes.
With such absurd thoughts, I held Maru’s hand and got ready for school. Today was midterm exam day. Since the exams would last all day, I needed to pace myself. I tried to act as normal as possible to avoid messing up due to nerves.
“Hana, you have midterms today, right?”
“Yep!”
As I got in the car, I stared outside while talking. The scenery outside always felt fresh.
Then Maru said to me, “Didn’t they say they’d give you something if you do well on the midterms?”
“They said they’d buy me Lumi’s transformation outfit if I get first place!”
It was a limited edition that couldn’t be bought with money. Feeling motivated, I poured everything into studying. I even studied for three hours a day, which was a huge deal for someone who usually didn’t study even one hour a day.
Focusing solely on books without getting distracted was tough, but it was a challenge I had to face to get Lumi’s transformation outfit.
So, I was determined to get first place. Since it was just a regular elementary school and not some elite school, the outlook was bright. It was as easy as twisting a child’s wrist. There was no way an elementary student could beat a college student who studied hard.
If there was a third-grader who could beat me, they must be a reincarnated person or a time traveler. It was that much of a sure thing.
As soon as I arrived at school, I got out of the car. My body was so tense I needed to loosen up. I had never been this nervous before an exam. It was time to show off the results of my hard work to get Lumi’s transformation outfit.
“I’ll pick you up for lunch!”
“Okay!”
There was the perk of finishing early during exam week. With a determined expression, I entered the school to take my midterms.
“Hana!”
But my serious expression soon turned into a smile. I had run into Jiyu and Yumi. I waved and greeted my friends.
“Ugh…”
Jiyu, unlike usual, was in a gloomy mood. She hates exams, after all.
