Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Copycat Appears
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“Looks like… a copycat of .”
The first thought that crossed my mind was this.
‘It’s finally here.’
Yeah. It’s the fate of anything popular—copycats inevitably pop up.
‘I registered the Bingwa trademark, but that alone isn’t enough to fend them off.’
Even before my regression, once the snowflake bingsu craze kicked off, café franchises raced to launch their own knockoffs. The snowflake bingsu shape is distinctive, sure, but not patentable.
Things were better domestically, at least. Thinking back to the headaches from trademark issues when expanding overseas later gives me chills.
This time, I filed trademarks early in multiple countries, so I’m somewhat relieved.
“Ca-copycat?!”
Park Sangwon’s face drained of color, like he might faint any second. Jo Yi-ruk nodded gravely.
“That’s our assessment. The interior is strikingly similar, and they named the shop .”
“It’s only one character off from our !”
Park Sangwon shot up from his seat, shouting. Jo Yi-ruk nodded in agreement.
“It could cause major confusion among customers. If is packed, people might spill over to <bingsang>. It’s not hitting sales hard yet, but down the line…”
Jo Yi-ruk pushed up his glasses, trailing off.
“We’ve already cornered the snowflake bingsu image, so the public probably won’t mix them up much.”
Impressions like that stick around longer than you’d think. Even if copycats sprout up like weeds, the original usually holds strong.
“Other franchises are starting to roll out their own snowflake bingsu too, so that’s not the issue. The problem is them setting up right across from our .”
I curled my lips into a smirk.
“That’s war.”
A blatant provocation.
“The real estate folks were pretty troubled about it too. They mentioned that with business ethics and all, they wouldn’t have approved it if they’d known it was a bingsu shop.”
“Really?”
“They thought it was just a café at first and let them in. Then they found out it was a bingsu place and reached out to us.”
At least they had some conscience—rare these days.
“Send the real estate agent a thank-you note with a nice gift set. Let them know we appreciate it and hope for continued cooperation.”
“Got it.”
“And when’s this copycat opening?”
“Next Monday.”
“Let’s go check it out.”
There were a few things I needed to confirm.
“We’ll know once we see it for ourselves. Whether they’re a real threat or just a half-baked imitation.”
Maybe it was the thrill of a head-on challenge after so long. I could feel my eyes gleaming, even without checking the mirror.
This could be fun.
Let’s see what you’ve got.
Clean white-based interior with stylish touches to hook the young crowd, indirect lighting for a warm glow.
Identical.
The overall vibe too.
Anyone else would mistake it for ’s second branch.
“Th-this… what the hell?!”
Park Sangwon finally jumped up late.
“It’s exactly the same! They’re ripping us off in broad daylight!”
“Yeah. Way worse than I expected…”
“And it’s packed inside.”
Park Sangwon, Jo Yi-ruk, and No Se-hee spoke up one by one. I just stared silently at the sign.
That’s when some passersby stopped in front of .
“Huh? Another snowflake bingsu place?”
“Yeah. The one I saw online was , though…”
They glanced toward . Now with branches open, no more insane lines, but it was still bustling inside.
“Too crowded.”
“No seats?”
“Looks like it.”
“Don’t wanna wait. It’s hot out.”
It was July now. No one’s enduring that blazing sun for long. Their eyes drifted across to .
“Let’s just go here?”
“Yeah. We came all this way. Gotta try the snowflake bingsu.”
As they spoke, brushing past us, I watched them enter ’s door—not <bingwa>’s.
Park Sangwon glared at their backs, face flushing red then pale.
“They’re going too far! Anyone can see it’s a copycat, and they just…!”
“Harsh reality, but most consumers don’t care about this stuff.”
As I laid out the cold facts, Park Sangwon huffed.
“Shouldn’t we go public with this?! Like that other café that stirred up drama against you before.”
Oh, right. That happened.
“Even when it wasn’t a copycat, it blew up big time. This time, the whole country might side with us, right?”
“Hmm.”
I responded with another cynical shrug.
“Only the brand image would circulate, and we’d just rack up fatigue. Plus, we’ve got plenty of branches now—no more playing the ‘young entrepreneur’ sympathy card.”
Pulling heartstrings works once, max.
“Chin up, everyone. A copycat means we’ve grown enough to envy.”
I flashed a bright smile, and they all made these awkward, half-smile faces.
“Boss… you’re really okay with this?”
At Jo Yi-ruk’s question, I let out a long hum.
“Can’t say it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m human too. But it’s too early to get mad.”
I pointed toward ’s entrance.
“Let’s head in. We’re here for bingsu—loosen up those faces. Who eats shaved ice looking that fierce?”
I elbowed Park Sangwon’s shoulder with a chuckle, and he awkwardly curled his lips in response.
I took the lead, opening ’s door for the hesitant bunch.
Ding-a-ling-.
“Welcome to ~. Party of how many?”
“Four.”
“Right this way.”
We followed the server to a corner table. Even the tables match ours.
‘Feels like they studied us for a while.’
Might not be an easy opponent, I thought.
“Here’s your menu.”
“Thanks.”
I took the menu, flipped it open wide, and set it on the table. Everyone scanned it top to bottom like hawks.
As expected.
“It’s identical.”
No Se-hee blurted it out. Nods all around.
“Start to finish. Everything.”
“This okay?”
“Sigh. Yeah, this blatant…”
This was more serious than I thought. Face hardening, I stared at the menu, then shot my hand up.
“Yes, ready to order?”
“What’s the bestseller here?”
“Oh~. Injeolmi’s the most popular.”
“Then one injeolmi and one blueberry, please.”
“Got it! One injeolmi, one blueberry!”
As the server walked off, heavy silence settled over the table. Everyone looked lost in ‘what now?’ thoughts.
“That guy over there must be the owner.”
Park Sangwon whispered. Where? I turned and spotted a middle-aged man amid the young staff.
Him?
He wore an apron with the logo, but that was it. No mask, bushy beard, uncomfortable dress shoes.
‘Doesn’t look like he steps foot in the kitchen.’
Makes sense. Bingsu’s easy to make—train the part-timers well, and you’re good.
‘That’s probably why a copycat hit here before the gukbap or snack spots.’
Gukbap’s tough to copy, in my opinion. Who else but Lee In-cheol is blending that broth?
Branches stay consistent because we supply ingredients and keep watch.
Otherwise, head chefs would’ve switched to easier systems ages ago.
‘And the snack bar? Practically a tourist spot now.’
After famous YouTubers did spicy chicken feet challenges, it became a landmark. Can’t copy that with menus alone.
The ‘Happiness Snacks Nuclear Chicken Feet’ name value draws crowds.
In that sense, this owner picked a prime target to copy. Gotta give props for the savvy.
As I glanced his way, the server popped up.
“Your injeolmi bingsu and blueberry bingsu~.”
Thud.
She set them down with the tray.
The injeolmi piled modestly familiar. Blueberries heaped mountain-high, hiding the ice.
Seemed like more than ours at a glance.
‘Coming for the kill.’
This bingsu told the tale. They weren’t just poaching spillover from .
They aimed to crush the original. Ambition clear as day.
“And here.”
“...?”
Huh.
The server placed something besides bingsu on the table.
“This is our complimentary service.”
She bowed and scurried off. Left us all staring at the ‘service’ item.
“…Tteokbokki?”
“Weird. Free tteokbokki as a service.”
Park Sangwon and Jo Yi-ruk tilted their heads.
“Young female customers are their core demo. Smart move.”
No Se-hee’s point made the guys go ‘aha,’ then Park Sangwon freaked.
“This is bad! They give bingsu *and* tteokbokki! Even I’d pick the tteokbokki spot!”
“Yeah. Prices a bit higher than ours, but free tteokbokki gives solid edge…”
“No.”
I cut them off sharp.
“No need to worry.”
“Huh?”
I grinned, and their faces twisted. *Smiling now?*
But how could I not?
“They dug their own grave. Why should we lift a finger?”
We’d win without even trying.