Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Songdabang's Turnover Magic
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The part-timer at Songdabang, Park Jun-su, quickly downed a shot and kept his hands moving busily.
Ding!
"Two more iced Americanos!"
"Got it!"
At the order counter's chime, Park Jun-su swiftly dumped the coffee grounds and set up another one. Even as a seasoned cafe part-timer, he always broke a sweat down his back when working in a cafe this packed.
"Whew."
He stretched his back for a moment and looked around. Finally, the end of the endless line was in sight.
*'I applied on a whim because they said they'd hire a local cafe part-timer...'*
Who would've thought that cafe would be running a free Americano event for the first 100 customers to celebrate its opening.
No one could have predicted it.
Thanks to that, people had swarmed like bees before the doors even opened, lining up. It seemed the promotional effect was paying off big time.
"Wow, that's one serving, huh~?"
"So much."
As he filled a massive cup to the brim with Americano, he overheard customers peeking inside and whispering.
*'Yes, that's the standard portion.'*
He still remembered how shocked he'd been when he first learned the recipes and saw those insane amounts.
"And the prices are ridiculously cheap too?"
"Amazing!"
Those checking the menu board buzzed with excitement.
*'Yes, that's the regular price.'*
For some reason, Park Jun-su felt his shoulders puff up with pride. It wasn't his shop, but praise still felt good.
*'Totally different from my last place.'*
The hip, trendy independent cafe where he'd worked before charged 6,000 won just for an Americano, and the portions weren't anything special.
*'"Americano up~' and then facing those disappointed looks every time—man, that hurt!'*
Cafe policy meant he couldn't give extras. Complaints about skimpy portions had him sweating bullets sometimes.
*'Compared to that, this place... they must be making a profit somehow?'*
The low prices and generous portions were so impressive they naturally sparked that question.
"Gonna come here from now on. Cheap and huge portions."
"I've heard Song Woo-yeon's brand is all about value. The chicken feet place next door is insane too."
"Oh, chicken feet sound good. Right, this whole area's his, isn't it? The gukbap joint up front is the original, yeah?"
"Gukbap place? Oh... I went there once, and it was kinda..."
The customers' voices trailed off, and Park Jun-su glanced toward the back.
*'That's him. Chef Song Woo-yeon.'*
Park Jun-su had watched [Raid My Fridge] a few times himself. He liked how the chef had encyclopedic knowledge across cuisines and always came up with bouncy, creative ideas. He'd been a fan favorite viewer pick for 'favorite chef' for a while now.
The guy had said multiple times his real job was business more than cooking, but Park hadn't really felt it until now.
*'He's got real business savvy. One big event like this, and the promotion spreads naturally.'*
Not just the folks lining up for coffee—passersby gawking at the scene were getting curious too.
Word must be spreading like wildfire already.
Song Woo-yeon was greeting customers who recognized him, even posing for photos now and then.
*'Practically a celebrity.'*
And he still looked so young. Impressive when you thought about it.
*'I don't dream big—just opening my own cafe someday would be enough. Songdabang seems like a franchise too... maybe I could run a branch someday...?'*
Park Jun-su let his mind wander even as his hands flew. And the moment he pulled the final, 100th shot...
"Yes, you're the last customer!"
"Yay~! Thanks!"
"Official opening starts tomorrow, so we hope for your continued support~."
"Yes!"
Finally over!
Park Jun-su whooped inwardly. Whew. His aching body felt like it was screaming.
Song Woo-yeon saw off the last customer, then spun around to face the part-timers.
Clap!
He clapped to snap the exhausted crew to attention.
"Great work, everyone~."
His beaming smile looked as vibrant and youthful as any guy his age. Even more boyish than on TV. Park Jun-su swallowed the thought.
"Alright, that's a wrap for today. See you tomorrow!"
"Yes~!"
With a quick bow, Song Woo-yeon breezed past. The sharply dressed man with slicked-back hair—who'd been waiting right nearby—immediately fell in step behind him.
Park Jun-su was newly struck by just how high up Song Woo-yeon was, and he admired it inwardly.
"Okay, let's start with cleanup?"
Yoo Sol, the manager-type staffer, stepped up to direct the part-timers. As Park Jun-su wiped down surfaces with a rag, he sidled over to her slyly.
"Manager."
"Yeah? Something up?"
"Oh, nothing big. Just... you seemed close with Chef Song earlier."
He'd seen them chatting amiably, curiosity piqued. They were even bantering casually, using informal speech.
Of course, it wasn't pure curiosity.
*'Wonder if I can network with Chef Song Woo-yeon somehow?'*
A bit of shallow self-interest mixed in.
*'Even aside from that, I'm curious about Songdabang's profit model. Can they really make money selling coffee like this...?'*
As a future franchise hopeful, he had points he wanted to check. A mere part-timer like him wouldn't know as much as manager-level Yoo Sol.
"How do you two know each other?"
Small talk first.
As Park Jun-su's eyes sparkled with the question, Yoo Sol calmly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Then she looked at him and dropped it casually.
"Boss Song."
"Pardon?"
"Not Chef Song—better to call him Boss Song. He prefers that."
"Ah, got it."
Caught off-guard by the naming tip, Park Jun-su froze up.
"And as for how we got close... yeah, no idea. Makes me wanna ask him."
Yoo Sol murmured softly.
"I thought he was just another part-timer, but turns out he was the owner."
"Wait, what?"
Did that even make sense? He wasn't some chaebol heir in training.
"You think it's nuts, right?"
Yoo Sol chuckled lightly.
"But it's true. We worked the same shifts. If he'd slacked off or anything, I'd have suspected, but he was just a regular part-timer, working normally side by side."
"Wow..."
"Didn't find out he was the boss until way later."
"Wild."
What an interesting connection.
Just then, a familiar voice popped up right behind Park Jun-su.
"Thanks to that, I got to see our meticulous, detail-oriented Yoo Manager's true colors in action."
"!?"
Startled, he whipped around. The guy he'd only seen from afar was right in his face.
Song Woo-yeon!
Sweeping back his long black hair with a hand, his grinning face was striking. Park Jun-su went rigid, speechless.
"Uh, Boss Song."
"I told you to just call me Woo-yeon. Make it easy."
"Can't do that. Not in a work setting."
"If Yoo Manager says so."
Song Woo-yeon grinned and bantered warmly with Yoo Sol. Wow, the real Song Woo-yeon.
Turning to Park Jun-su, he asked,
"So, what had our Park Jun-su so curious that he went straight to Yoo Manager? She's not exactly the approachable type."
"Huh. Oh, no, just... wondered how you two got close..."
"Oh, that? Back when I only had the one gukbap place."
Song Woo-yeon laughed heartily, reminiscing.
Park Jun-su snapped out of his daze. This might be a rare chance. How often would he get face-to-face with Song Woo-yeon like this?
"Um, Boss Song."
Remembering Yoo Sol's advice, he used the right title.
"Mind if I ask a few questions? I'm curious about some stuff!"
"Sure, but just a sec. Team Leader Cho outside is blowing up my phone to hurry out."
Park glanced where Song pointed. The suited guy from earlier was on a call with someone. He'd slipped inside during the gap.
"Whoa. Okay, then my biggest question... How can Songdabang keep prices so low and portions so huge?!"
No way he'd miss the chance—he fired off his top question.
"It's not a big store, so with prices this cheap, do you even turn a profit?!"
"Yeah, fair to wonder. Lots of customers asked today. 'How do you make money this way?'"
Song Woo-yeon wasn't arrogant at all. If anything, he seemed like the type to listen patiently even to a nameless part-timer like Park.
"Secret's just one thing."
Song Woo-yeon scanned around, beckoned him closer, and leaned in.
Park instinctively leaned forward too. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Song whispered softly.
"Trade secret. They call it... 'the magic of turnover rate.'"
The magic of turnover rate?
Seeing Park's puzzled look, Song straightened up with a grin.
"Regular cafes don't have great turnover. In our country, cafes aren't really 'places to drink coffee'—more like 'places to chat.'"
"Yeah, true."
"Blame the ever-changing weather year-round—that's the big culprit. Days you can comfortably hang out outdoors? Few and far between. Maybe spring or fall. Corporate marketing played a role too. Anyway, not the point—let's skip it. The key is this."
Song Woo-yeon's eyes sparkled as he stared straight at Park.
Confidence and passion swirled together, making his dark eyes look like a starry night sky.
"The price of coffee includes the 'seat cost' based on that low turnover."