Chapter 223
Chapter 223
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: Taiwanese Castella Frenzy
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Taiwanese Castella.
Just imagining it made my mouth water. Freshly baked, steam rising hot, with beautiful waves of golden color.
The savory yet sweet aroma of eggs and milk tickling my nose was utterly enchanting.
Just looking at it conveyed that moistness and softness.
A light tap, and it jiggled like pudding. At the same time, pressing a knife against it made it yield softly, crumbling as it sliced.
One bite filled my mouth with a texture that melted smoothly, sending waves of ecstasy surging through me.
That taste and texture remained vivid even now.
It had been so delicious. The thought naturally crossed my mind.
While I sat silently reminiscing about Taiwanese Castella, No Se-hee slowly continued.
"These days, the popularity of Taiwanese Castella is nothing short of explosive. As you can see, since late last year up to now, specialized shops have been popping up like mushrooms after the rain."
She handed out prepared materials. Checking the contents, I could see that dozens of Taiwanese Castella stores had opened in Seoul and the capital area in less than a year.
"The initial startup costs are low, and since it's mostly takeout, people flock to it because you can open on a small scale."
It was certainly appealing from a prospective entrepreneur's perspective.
"Plus, it's blowing up on SNS. The soft, fluffy texture and visuals make for great photos."
No Se-hee added that she'd been tracking and observing its popularity on social media for the past few months because it seemed unusually intense.
"It even climbed to the top of popular searches on portal sites like Nexver. This hype looks like it'll last a while."
The popular search term was still alive and kicking.
"I think it could become a steady item. This trend feels like it'll stick around for quite some time."
"......"
"Even existing franchise brands are adding Taiwanese Castella to their menus or launching related products. It doesn't seem like a mere fad—more like a viable business trend."
No Se-hee spoke with considerable conviction.
Yeah. I knew exactly what she was getting at.
At this point in time, Taiwanese Castella was undeniably an attractive item.
'It's still mostly overrun by small individual operators. If we craft a decent brand image and draw in prospective franchisees, we could score big.'
Some popular shops were even seeing opening-day lines, and various YouTubers were posting mukbangs and reviews.
It was a business opportunity too good to pass up.
At least, right now it was.
'The problem lies exactly here.'
There was a bomb primed to hit Taiwanese Castella straight on, and soon.
'When was it? That broadcast that blows it all up.'
It started with a segment on SBC's exposé program. They called out the hygiene issues at some Taiwanese Castella shops.
Footage of shops using eggs past their expiration date and preparing food in unsanitary ways aired, dousing the Castella craze in cold water.
'Thanks to that, Taiwanese Castella completely vanished from the scene.'
Much later, there was some backlash criticizing the coverage for sensationalizing a few bad actors and tarring all the conscientious owners with the same brush...
But that didn't change the fact that most who jumped on the Taiwanese Castella bandwagon went bust.
'No matter how well we manage our franchises, I can't control every individual operator out there, right?'
So, the broadcast would inevitably send Taiwanese Castella down the path to ruin.
All I could do was keep my distance from that trend.
"Combining our know-how from running multiple franchise brands with The Song's image, we could dominate this market in no time."
......The remaining issue was how to explain this to the staff in a way they'd accept.
Watching No Se-hee passionately rave about the profitability of Taiwanese Castella made my vision blur.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"Taiwanese Castella. It's a solid item, sure."
I played along first to calm her down. You have to hear Koreans out to the end—then I shifted gears.
"But there are plenty of concerns. For starters, like you said, shops are springing up everywhere. The market could saturate fast."
I had to block Taiwanese Castella calmly, sticking to common-sense arguments.
"Trends like this inevitably fade over time. Even if it becomes a steady seller like you say, it won't sell as well as it does now."
"That's true."
"And when the overall market shrinks, I doubt all those countless shops can survive."
"......"
"Above all, Castella relies heavily on eggs and milk—ingredients that demand strict hygiene management."
Did it land?
I glanced at No Se-hee's expression and continued.
"Veteran bakers might not worry, but as you pointed out, Taiwanese Castella's low barrier to entry is actually a risk. It's too easy for amateurs to jump in, leading to stock and quality control issues with eggs and milk."
"......I see. I hadn't considered that angle."
Fortunately, No Se-hee nodded without much pushback. It seemed like she'd put a lot of effort into this, so rejecting it outright made me feel a bit guilty.
If I didn't know the future, I might have even fleshed out plans to brand Taiwanese Castella myself.
That's when Park Sang-won shot his hand up.
"Go ahead, Deputy Manager Park."
"Yes, sir! Um... but couldn't we handle hygiene from headquarters? We're already pretty strict—franchisees complain about it all the time."
Park Sang-won said, glancing around cautiously.
'Deputy Manager Park and Deputy Manager Yang Ji-ah work under Team Leader No, so they're backing her up.'
They'd probably watched her prepare this pitch for the meeting.
It wasn't a bad move, but the timing sucked. Taiwanese Castella was a no-go.
"Plus, during the egg tart craze, big franchises like PaX Baguette and TouX Tours weren't the only ones—plenty of small and mid-sized tart specialty shops popped up too."
"That's right."
"When the hype died down, sure, many closed, but quite a few that kept quality up are still hanging on."
There were some Castella-specialty cafe franchises that had survived.
"I see Taiwanese Castella the same way. If we don't overexpand and maintain product quality while waiting out the bubble, The Song will come out on top in the end!"
An inspiring speech. If it hadn't been about Taiwanese Castella, it might've even moved me.
But knowing the future, it felt like Satan's temptation.
"......That's a fair point. But managing just our franchises won't cut it."
"Pardon?"
"Once it's all lumped under 'Taiwanese Castella,' it's over."
Few seemed to grasp what I meant. No Se-hee had gone quiet, but her face wasn't bright.
Deputy Manager Park and Deputy Manager Yang wore similar looks.
......Jo Yi-ruk somehow kept his usual unflappable expression. Well, he'd say "I see" even if I claimed to make bean paste from red beans, so whatever.
'To others, I probably look like someone scared of maggots and skipping the bean paste altogether.'
She'd poured effort into this project, only for the boss to shoot it down without solid reasons. No Se-hee had every right to feel slighted.
Going too hardline here could spark backlash. I pulled out a conciliatory compromise.
"We still have time before the market stabilizes. How about we hold off and monitor the trends a bit longer?"
Not a full rejection—just a deferral.
No Se-hee seemed willing to compromise that far and nodded.
"Yes. Understood."
"Let's wrap up today's meeting here."
Truth be told, I had an item in mind already. But pitching my idea now would make it look like I was burying hers to push my own.
Better to wait for another chance.
As my words ended, people began standing one by one with farewells.
"......You have something to say?"
The last one remaining was Jo Yi-ruk.
"Curious why I put Taiwanese Castella on hold?"
"No."
Jo Yi-ruk replied flatly.
"I don't doubt you. If you decided that, there must be a reason."
As he spoke, he knelt on one knee to pick up papers that had fallen near my feet. The timing was so perfect it almost looked like a knight pledging loyalty.
His unwavering trust pleased me, and I smiled faintly.
"You'll know soon enough, Team Leader Jo. Why I made this choice."
So I whispered him a little hint.
'If my memory's right, it'll happen soon enough anyway......'
Jo Yi-ruk picked up the papers and stood. Matching his now eye-level gaze, I continued.
"The public is weak to media spin, after all."
"......?"
"Alright, back to work. You too, Team Leader Jo."
I flashed a big smile and shooed him out. Jo Yi-ruk nodded, looking a bit dazed.
And that evening.
SBC's exposé program [Live Yesterday] put the spotlight on "Taiwanese Castella."
"The hygiene conditions are nothing short of shocking. Hygiene regulations are posted prominently, yet not a single one is being followed..."
This marked the beginning of the massive tsunami about to hit the industry.