Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Totem Effect
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There were three main reasons why Lee Chang-woo had come to the cafe where he would start working tomorrow.
First, to have dinner with Jung Hye-na after she finished work.
Second, to get a feel for the atmosphere before his first day.
And third, to beta-test his effectiveness as a sales totem.
Lee Chang-woo had a track record of causing sales to skyrocket at other cafes for two days in a row just by being a customer.
But the first day, he was too preoccupied with the power struggle between Choi Ji-soo and Jung Hye-na.
The next day, he was too focused on his laptop date with Jung Hye-na to pay attention to his surroundings.
And now, Lee Chang-woo was once again realizing the destructive power of the legacy his predecessor had left him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ My face is burning.
I feel like I’m about to break a sweat.
When did the cafe get so full?
It was more than two-thirds empty when I came in.
Every table is focused on me.
Since I’m sitting here with the mindset of testing my totem effect, I can feel every single gaze.
I’m almost afraid to even scratch my nose.
Some women are staring openly, while others sneak frequent glances.
There’s even a group of friends whispering and having a light argument.
From my experience, they’re debating whether or not to come talk to me.
I tried my best not to look away from my laptop screen.
I want to watch fancams of Jung Hye-na from her girl group days, but I feel like that would be a bad idea in this atmosphere.
So, I pulled up the English channel of the science YouTuber, Veritasium.
I set the volume just loud enough for someone passing by to hear, and I turned on the English subtitles.
This creates an intellectual image of someone watching a science channel in its native language.
For some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do.
The effect was excellent.
“Wow. So this is what gorgeous guys watch in their free time.”
“Ugly guys just watch female streamers or girl group fancams in public. They have no shame.”
“I walked past and heard it was in English. The subtitles are in English too, he must understand all of it.”
“It looks like really difficult content, with all those complex math formulas. He must be super smart.”
“It’s true what they say. The really handsome guys are also smart and study hard.”
“Totally, totally.”
Because I was concentrating, I could hear them so clearly that it was hard to keep a straight face.
They were praising me so enthusiastically that I let out a small laugh without realizing it.
I quickly rewound the video about ten seconds and replayed it.
I desperately tried to make it seem like I had laughed because that part was just so funny.
“Wow, even just looking at the subtitles on the screen, it seems like really difficult stuff, but that handsome guy finds it funny. Did you see him laugh just now?”
“Even his smile is so sexy. Ah, I’m going crazy.”
“Do you think he has a girlfriend? At least he’s not wearing a ring.”
“I doubt just any woman would catch his eye. He’s probably single.”
“Should I be happy or sad about that?”
“Be happy. It’s not like he’d date girls like us even if we were stranded on a deserted island together.”
“You’re right. At least we can look at him and fantasize.”
My face is tingling...
I want to leave the cafe right now and be free.
But seeing the owner, who looks happy despite bustling around, makes that thought disappear.
It’s not my work hours, and I have no obligation to stay any longer.
But since I decided to test my totem effect until Hye-na gets off work, I might as well just sit here.
It’ll be the same no matter which cafe I go to, so it’s better to boost the sales here.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The cafe’s part-timers let out cries of agony.
The owner, Gong Ji-cheol, let out a cry that was a mixture of agony and joy.
‘The sales! The sales!’
They were exploding.
Usually, a cafe is a place where people chat for a long time over one or two cups of coffee.
That’s why customer turnover is more important than keeping every table full.
How many customers come and go is more crucial than how long they stay.
Another factor is the order turnover rate.
The former part-timer, a model who now owned the rival cafe across the street, was a genius at this.
He would frequently walk around the floor, subtly encouraging customers to order at least one more piece of cake.
Without ever making it seem like he was pressuring them or giving them the side-eye.
The devastatingly handsome Lee Chang-woo, who made the former part-timer look like a squid, induced a sales increase in a different way.
By continuously drinking caramel macchiatos.
At least one every fifteen minutes.
He drank them for hours without a break.
You could tell he wasn't forcing himself; he genuinely loved coffee and always had a cup in hand.
The part-timers noticed it too.
“It’s about Chang-woo oppa.”
“Why is he your oppa? He’s only 22.”
“Ah, if a guy’s handsome, he’s an oppa. Anyway, doesn’t watching him feel like you’re watching a coffee commercial?”
“Because he keeps drinking coffee, the customers watch him and unconsciously keep sipping their own.”
“And that makes them order more coffee. It’s like he’s doing a coffee mukbang.”
“Watching Chang-woo oppa drink coffee makes me want some too.”
“I just want to be that coffee cup.”
Gong Ji-cheol’s eyes spun as he watched the sales numbers climb.
He had been confident after employing the model part-timer for over a year.
But the Lee Chang-woo effect effortlessly surpassed even that confidence, as if mocking it.
‘I think I might have made a mistake with the contract.’
He had told him to just sit in a visible spot like a totem, occasionally strolling around the floor to exude his presence.
Suddenly, he regretted that.
‘Should I ask him to just stay seated and drink coffee to his heart’s content, maybe change the contract terms to a coffee model deal right now?’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 5:30 PM.
I sent a text to Jung Hye-na.
[Me] About time to get off, right?
[Jung Hye-na] Oppaㅠ
[Jung Hye-na] I’m not done with work yet, so I think I’ll be a little late,,,,!
[Jung Hye-na] Did you part ways with that girl?
[Me] We went our separate ways before 2 PM.
[Me] I’m just killing time alone at the cafe where I start working tomorrow.
[Jung Hye-na] Ah I see,,,,!
[Jung Hye-na] I thought you were still with her.
[Me] She seemed to liven up when I told her I wouldn’t ignore her messages anymore.
[Me] I don’t think we have to worry about being cursed lol
[Jung Hye-na] lol sobㅠㅠㅠ
[Jung Hye-na] Should I head over there when I’m done,,,,?
[Me] I was hired as a totem to attract female customers. The owner would probably cry if you showed up.
[Jung Hye-na] Oh right right
[Jung Hye-na] I won’t go anywhere near there from now on.
[Jung Hye-na] It’s better for me not to go anyway.
[Me] I’ll come to you when you’re done.
[Me] What time do you think you’ll finish?
[Jung Hye-na] I’ll hurry as much as I can.
[Jung Hye-na] I’ll try to finish before 8ㅠㅠ
[Jung Hye-na] You must be hungry, right?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Oh noㅠㅠㅠ
[Me] I’m not really hungry for food.
[Me] But I am hungry for sex lol
[Jung Hye-na] !!!!!!!!!!!ㅠㅠㅠㅠ♡♡♡
[Jung Hye-na] <Photo> <Photo> <Photo>
[Jung Hye-na] I’m so embarrassed,,,,!!
Jung Hye-na sent three selfies that looked like they were taken today.
A pretty girl intentionally posing at the perfect angle—her visuals were insane.
After admiring the photos for a good while, I carefully saved them to the cloud.
Should I send one back?
I extended my phone and took a selfie.
I’m not used to taking them, so I don’t really know what to do with the angles and all that.
But even though I just snapped it carelessly, it came out looking like a photo from a professional shoot.
I guess what matters in a photo isn't the camera or the skill, but the subject.
When I sent the picture, Jung Hye-na exploded.
[Jung Hye-na] Wowowowowowowowow!!
[Jung Hye-na] Oppa you’re so handsomeㅠ
[Jung Hye-na] Your looks are seriously the best♡♡♡♡
Cute.
It was the kind of reaction that couldn’t help but bring a fatherly smile to my face.
[Me] Stop texting now and get back to work.
[Me] That way you can finish sooner and we can go eat.
[Jung Hye-na] Yes!! Okay!!!!!!
I stopped texting.
Pretending to look at my laptop, I opened the shop corner of my status window.
[Stiffness Supplement (1 hour): 1 Coin] [Girth Supplement (1 hour): 1 Coin] [Semen Recovery Potion: 10 Coins] [Desire Supplement: 100 Coins] [Pre-Contraception Potion: 1 Coin] These were the currently available unlocked items.
I wasn’t sure if these prices were expensive or not.
I was originally going to buy the Pre-Contraception Potion, but Jung Hye-na said she was on birth control.
So for now, I’ve kept all 55 of my coins without spending any.
“What do I have to do to unlock more?”
As I was meaninglessly scrolling past the nameless lock icons, a newly appeared tab at the top started blinking.
I clicked on it and found items from a different category for sale.
Most of them were also lock icons.
[This is the shop for female-only items.] [Can be used while in a state of genital union with a partner.] So, they can’t be used unless we’re having sex.
And it means they affect the woman, not me.
The moment I saw the few unlocked items, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.
[Auto-Diet (For Women): 7 Coins] [The diet effect will be applied for 7 days.] [Skin Correction (For Women): 7 Coins] [Skin will be maintained in optimal condition for 7 days.] It wasn’t the beauty-related consumables that caught my eye.
Jung Hye-na already didn’t need to diet and had great skin.
They were definitely good items, and using them on her would be even better, but that wasn’t what was important right now.
[Aging Suppression (For Women): 450 Coins] [Aging will be halted for 30 days.] Aging will be halted?
Holy shit, how can I resist this?
No, if something this good exists, I should have bought it...
Wait, 450 coins for 30 days?
To use it every month, does that mean I have to finish inside her about 20 times a day, excluding her period?
“I have 55 coins right now, so...”
I need to finish inside her 395 more times to be able to buy it.
Just then, the status window interrupted my thoughts with a real-time notification.
[Installment purchase is available.] Really?
[30-day interest-free purchase is available.] [Afterward, 1 coin of interest will be added per day.] I bought it immediately.
I have to use it on Hye-na tonight.
Twenty years old, an age of fresh and blossoming beauty.
I have to preserve Jung Hye-na in this golden age for as long as possible.
I’m so happy.
Hye-na, we can now have young sex together for a long, long time.
“450 coins for 30 days. It’s really expensive. No, considering the effect, is it actually cheap?”