In Seoul, Idaya Coffee strategically positioned itself in high-traffic areas to offer Starlight Coffee Beans. The store manager had doubts about the company’s switch in coffee beans.
“How good can these beans be to replace the ones we’ve been using?”
Idaya Coffee was known among franchises for investing heavily in quality coffee beans, using beans 20-30% more expensive than competitors. Despite being a mid-to-low-priced brand, it often ranked high in blind taste tests, a testament to its founder’s commitment to quality.
“Could it be…?”
In an era of skyrocketing prices, was the company cutting corners by using lower-quality beans? With minimum wages and living costs rising across South Korea, it seemed nothing was immune to inflation.
However, upon opening the new beans, the manager was struck by an intense, aromatic fragrance unlike anything they’d experienced in years at the franchise. The scent was sharp yet subtly deep, captivating even distant employees.
“Sis! What’s that? The coffee bean aroma is reaching all the way here!”
The staff, enchanted by the scent, gathered around, drawn like the Pied Piper’s followers.
“Uh… these are the new beans from headquarters. They seem really good, don’t they?”
“Right? Just the smell is incredible. Imagine how good the coffee will taste!”
The beans’ color and shape were impeccable, suggesting the company had sourced them from an exceptional farm. If the taste matched, they’d be perfect.
“Today, we’ll use these beans. We have enough, so let’s not use the old ones. Follow the company’s guidelines and monitor customer feedback.”
After thorough preparations, the store opened, and soon, it was bustling with customers. The manager’s decision to keep the door wide open allowed the enticing aroma to lure passersby, drawing them in as if by magic.
“One Americano, please!”
Some ordered without even looking at the menu…
“I was going to have a chocolate shake, but that smell is irresistible. I’ll have an Americano instead.”
“Same here. Three Americanos, please.”
Even groups of friends switched their orders from shakes to Americanos, captivated by the coffee’s aroma.
The cafe quickly ran out of seating, a first in its history. The manager had to announce:
“Folks, we’re only doing takeout for now! Really sorry!”
Yet, customers were content with takeout, and Americanos dominated the day’s sales, with nine out of ten customers ordering them.
“Sis! Help here!”
“Order 31, Americano is ready!”
The kitchen was overwhelmed, staff running around until their feet sweated. Fortunately, being a large outlet, they had enough hands. A smaller store would have struggled with the rush.
Meanwhile, the store owner couldn’t stop smiling, reaping the benefits of the hardworking staff’s efforts.
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“Starting today, it’s school vacation. I hope you spend this time meaningfully, not just playing around!”
The teacher spoke from the lectern, but the atmosphere was already too heated. The children’s bottoms had long left their seats, eager for the break.
She was hoping it would end. Yumi was looking around with a bit of that expression.
Isn’t it too childish? Not being able to wait even 10 seconds and running around like that. But soon, Yumi turned her gaze to Hana and had no choice but to give up. Because Hana was sitting in mid-air. Not only had she lifted her butt off the chair, but she was already wearing her bag. It was a much more childish act than the other kids.
Judging by the fact that she’s the top student in the school, she seems to have a good head for studying, but her actions still show a lot of childishness. I tried to imagine Hana going through puberty, but it was hard to picture in my head. It didn’t seem like the smiling Hana would ever go through puberty with a sharp expression. Hana seemed like a girl who would never hit puberty.
“Then, have a great summer vacation!”
“Wow!”
As the teacher announced the vacation, the children cheered and began to rush out of the classroom. Hana tried to join the crowd, but Yumi stopped her.
“Hana! We said we’d go hang out!”
Hearing Yumi’s words, Hana gasped as if she remembered. Then she stood in front of Yumi without leaving the classroom. Yumi checked that the other kids had left and took out her bag, placing it on the desk. Jiyu also casually slung her bag over her shoulder and came over to Yumi.
“Let’s eat pizza today!”
Jiyu really loved delicious food. So much so that it seemed like she’d be okay with any kind of food. However, if Hawaiian pizza came out, Jiyu’s expression would turn demonic. It was something we found out last time when pizza was served at school. She said mint chocolate and Hawaiian pizza were the devil’s food.
“Yeah! There’s a delicious pizza place up ahead!”
Three people sharing one pizza was just the right amount. And it wasn’t a brand-name pizza, but one that cost about 15,000 won per pie. If the three of us pooled our money, we could each eat pizza for just 5,000 won. Hana nodded and said,
“Then let’s go right away!”
The trio slung their bags over their shoulders and headed out into the hallway. The hallway already had an eerie atmosphere, as if the kids had zoomed out at the speed of light. No, how fast did they have to be? In less than five minutes, there wasn’t a single kid left in the hallway. The combination of vacation and young children was unstoppable. No one could stop them. Even if their parents showed up, they wouldn’t be able to stop them. Elementary school students on vacation had the combat power of a tank.
“Hello, Teacher!”
As they walked down the hallway, the group met their homeroom teacher and politely greeted her. The teacher also waved back. The teachers seemed to be in a good mood, different from usual, probably because summer vacation had arrived. Well, teachers are human too, so they must enjoy their break. Of course, it’s not like they’re completely off during vacation, but handling paperwork is much easier than teaching young children.
“Have a great summer, kids.”
“Yes!”
As they stepped outside the school, the outside was a sight to behold. Since the elementary and middle schools were in the same area, there were a lot of middle schoolers too. Maybe because they were all on vacation at the same time, all the students had come out at once. That’s probably why the large playground looked like a chicken coop.
“Look at how cute that is!”
“We were in elementary school once too.”
“Those were the good days…”
A group of middle school girls passed by, talking as if they’d lived a whole life. Since they were in third grade, they were still at an age where baby fat hadn’t completely disappeared. But Hana didn’t seem to like being treated like a little kid.
“I can’t believe middle schoolers are calling me cute and small!”
But Yumi, who was standing next to Hana, had a question. It might be cute, but wasn’t she actually small? To look at the middle schoolers, she had to tilt her head up. The height difference was that extreme. Hana seemed to be annoyed by that.
“Pizza pizza!”
Of course, Jiyu seemed to have no thoughts at all. And so, Hana and the group arrived at the pizza place in front of the school.
