Chapter 321
Chapter 321
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 321
Chapter Title: Gehenna's Host Bar (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These days, Kybele Periwinkle had stepped back from management and spent her time leisurely wandering about, but she had once run the hotel herself.
Even she, however, knew next to nothing about host bars, so Takasho began by explaining the basic revenue structure of a host bar.
The first thing was the entry fee, charged the moment you walked in.
This covered simple snacks like cheese and ham, based around wine with a bottle of champagne included.
"It's like reserving a table at a club."
"Yes, exactly. We've also tiered the entry fees into three levels, with different champagnes provided accordingly."
"The cheapest is Dom Pérignon Blanc, then Rosé 2000, and then the 1995 vintage?"
"That's right."
"Hmm... Good, go on."
Next, the witch nominates a host and has him sit with her.
No nomination fee is charged, and the host entertains the witch with various amusements—drinking together, chatting, and so on.
"In other words, hitting on her?"
"It's not just hitting on her. We prioritize the witches' enjoyment above all, making them feel thrilling emotions they don't get in everyday life."
If a witch doesn't nominate anyone specific or is a first-time customer, the hosts rotate for about fifteen minutes.
"Like sampling perfumes at a store, they show their faces so you can see which host catches your fancy."
"And then?"
"Once the witch is sufficiently enjoying herself, she buys premium liquor for the host sitting with her."
Whenever a witch orders premium liquor from the establishment, additional revenue is generated.
"Receiving drinks from the witches like this is the ideal source of income."
"About what I expected. And?"
"If she really likes him, she'll book an after or head to a second round. In that case, a dispatch fee goes to the house, and for tips or other gifts, the house takes 30% while the host gets the remaining 70%."
In short, the host bar's revenue came from entry fees + liquor separately ordered by witches + dispatch fees + 30% of tips.
Kybele Periwinkle crossed her arms after hearing Takasho's explanation.
Siu had heard these stories from Takasho so many times his ears had calluses, so it was no surprise to him, but she seemed to need time to organize her thoughts.
"Seeing is believing, right? Shall we test it out first?"
Classic Kybele Periwinkle.
Takasho bowed politely without a hint of fluster at her bold declaration to jump right in.
"Then, allow me to serve you with the utmost hospitality."
"No, do it like you normally would. Normally. I need to get a real feel for it."
"Understood..."
Snap!
As Takasho snapped his fingers, five gorgeous hunks strode in.
About an hour later.
As the first customer, Kybele Periwinkle had a fairly enjoyable time chatting with the hosts and sharing drinks.
Siu watched her and the hosts like a sack of barley propped in the corner.
Honestly, he was a bit impressed.
For one, they were all handsome.
The men wore their suits impeccably, and their polished, restrained movements in serving customers showed traces of rigorous training.
They were fully aware their clientele were witches—not ordinary women—and conducted themselves with dignified restraint, without frivolity.
It created an atmosphere like being hunted in a salon.
Of course, one or two were nervous enough to make minor slip-ups, but Kybele Periwinkle laughed them off gaily once she was in a good mood.
"Alright, that's enough."
"It was a delightful time, milady. Please seek out Paul again next time."
With Paul kneeling on one knee like a man proposing, kissing the back of her hand before exiting, Kybele Periwinkle's host bar tasting session came to a beaming end.
The moment Paul left, she glanced at Siu with a sly smile.
"So, how was it? Seeing me chat amiably with other men?"
Now he knew why she'd been extra sweet.
Was she trying to stir up some jealousy?
Siu shot back coolly.
"I'm so jealous my heart's sizzling."
"That's~ a lie~"
Unlike Kybele Periwinkle, who was playfully bantering away, Takasho's face was taut with tension.
Like a chef whose painstakingly prepared dish was under evaluation, he dabbed sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
Takasho asked cautiously.
"Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Yeah, but I don't think I'd come back."
Kybele Periwinkle stroked her chin and lobbed a straight fastball that startled even Siu.
Even the ever-composed Takasho faltered in maintaining his expression for a moment.
"W-Well then... O-Oh, good instincts."
"You're too kind."
As Kybele Periwinkle put a cigarette in her mouth, Takasho swiftly approached and lit it for her with care.
Even while pale as a ghost, he pulled that off.
Takasho really was a pro.
Siu was quietly impressed.
"Let's go over it point by point. First off, I get the intent behind this host bar. Something you can't get at the Hydrangea Garden or a brothel... What's the word? That in-between vibe?"
"Spot on."
She received lavish treatment, yet the conversation flowed on somewhat equal footing.
"The selling point itself is solid. They're well-trained cuties, and there are surely witches who crave that kind of drinking party, so demand won't be zero. It's fresh, too, and this level of lightness and refreshment would pique the curiosity of witches who normally ignore men.
I've noticed the interior's quite stylish, too.
Antique in a Gehenna style, blended seamlessly with modern sophistication—no jarring notes, just calm and composed. If we're judging purely on atmosphere, it wouldn't lose to any nearby bars."
"Thank you!"
Kybele Periwinkle flipped through the ledgers scattered on the table as she continued.
With the positive feedback, a bit of color returned to Takasho's face.
"Now, shall we look at this first?"
She deftly pulled the needed document from the thick stack of papers and held up the customer ledger.
"You had some traffic in the early soft opening?"
"Yes, we invited witches we had connections with... and some stopped by out of curiosity about the new place."
Fifty witches came and went in the first week of the temporary opening.
Not a huge number for the venue's size, but not insignificant either.
"So how many came back?"
"...Three."
"Let me guess? The three witches you personally invited because of your ties to them?"
"Yes."
Siu could see it too.
Out of all those customers, the only ones who returned were Trinity Academy professors.
In other words, they'd come out of personal favor, not because the place itself had strong appeal.
"Doesn't that strike you as a problem? What do you think is causing it?"
"......"
Takasho was at a loss for words for the first time.
Siu, listening quietly from the side, had no clue either.
He'd said there should be plenty of demand.
He'd said the service was decent.
Yet no repeat customers?
There had to be some fundamental issue.
"Please! Teach this unworthy one!"
Takasho executed a dogeza with perfect form, showcasing that flawless angle Siu had admired before.
"Come sit comfortably. I'm going easy on you because you're Siu's friend?"
"I'll remember that!"
Takasho approached with eyes blazing with fervent zeal and sat before Kybele Periwinkle.
"The biggest problem—one."
She raised a slender finger and began dissecting the issues point by point.
"It's structured to subtly grate on a witch's inherent arrogance. And not in a good way—like picking at a scab."
"What do you mean...?"
"You're positioning this as a high-end entertainment venue, right? That's why it's in Malkuth Gallery, not Tarot Town."
"Yes."
Kybele Periwinkle took a stylish drag from her cigarette and placed the remaining half in Siu's mouth.
She leaned forward to elaborate in detail.
"Alright, I'm Witch A, coming to a host bar for the first time. My body's stiff, magic research is boring, I'm twisting in my seat, and I hear about this unique bar. But get this—it's a premium spot where you can drink while being waited on hand and foot by handsome studs."
Takasho took out a notepad and pen, jotting notes as he listened intently.
"But lo and behold? The moment I step in, twelve guys noisily welcome me? Right then, I'm thinking, 'This is a high-end bar...?'
So I'm feeling iffy as they seat me, and boom—entry fee explanation. Why tell me upfront instead of billing later?
And there are three tiers of entry fees. I came here to be treated like royalty, but from the jump, the place is trying to rank me? How dare it? Me, who's graciously descended during my precious free time?"
"Ah..."
"Okay, fine, let's look at the prices. 3 pounds, 5 pounds, 8 pounds...
That irritation from earlier flares up again?
For a measly sum like that, they drone on about entry fee structures, how the drinks change accordingly, and then 'Please order what suits your station~'?"
Takasho's mouth gradually fell open wider at Kybele Periwinkle's words.
Of course, there had been no such intent with the three-tiered fees.
It was to segment base costs and attract as many customers as possible.
For that, the cheapest 3-pound entry (about 2.52 million won) barely broke even.
Honestly, even Siu hadn't anticipated a witch thinking like that.
"Plus, the drinks being served aren't even true high-end—they're entry-level ambiguities. One question: Why on earth champagne, and Dom Pérignon at that? There are far better options."
Takasho, sweating bullets at the sharp criticism hitting an unexpected weak spot, replied.
"W-Well, it's become a symbol of host bars now... Anything pricier gets too expensive, so we save the ultra-premium for gifts and events..."
"That's the second mistake."
Kybele Periwinkle raised a second finger.
"This place doesn't understand the rich at all. Why open in Malkuth Gallery if you're aiming for mid-tier witches?"
"Mid-tier witches? I never thought..."
"Attracting as many customers as possible? Great idea. Perfect if your venue were a huge hotel with varying quality per floor and ample capacity. But it's not, is it?"
Kybele Periwinkle's breathless takedown dealt damage even to Siu watching from the side.
"Given the size, the customers you need aren't the ones who just occupy seats and nickel-and-dime the entry fee. You need whales—true VVIPs. Better one solid big spender than ten randos."
"Is that how it is?"
"The rich don't want rational spending. They want to splash cash lavishly and confirm they're more special than anyone. How about it? Want more help?"
Kybele Periwinkle shot Siu a look that said, Am I cool or what? while he inwardly marveled.
Even Siu, who had invited her, hadn't expected her to pinpoint the issues so quickly.
"Please, I beg you!"
"Then~ how about we start over a nice glass of champagne?"
"Right away!"
Kybele Periwinkle's back-alley host bar consulting had only just begun.