Chapter 103
Chapter 103
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Dog, Cat, and the Language of a 5-Year-Old (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The number of female customers had noticeably increased.
It wasn't just a feeling— the actual numbers were visible.
It seemed Baek Su-in had helped by posting a promotional update on the SNS account she managed for fan art.
They hadn't surged dramatically.
Even so, it was enough to stand out.
There was one particularly easy way to spot them.
- Ooh... so that's her. Yeah, I get the vibe. She seems super sweet only to her own daughter, but cool and aloof to everyone else?
- Then that kid must be the model for Liscia. The hairstyle's similar, and she's adorable? They nailed the expression.
You could faintly overhear them whispering to each other like that. Conversations along those lines meant they'd seen the SNS post and stopped by.
Even if it was the restaurant that inspired a hit novel, I didn't expect crowds of people to flock here.
Readers were interested in the author's writing, not the author herself, after all.
But die-hard fans of the novel would drop by at least once.
With a collaboration with a major company and a webtoon adaptation in the works, it clearly had a solid fanbase.
[The restaurant in this photo—with its clean, cozy interior—is where I drew a lot of inspiration for my novel. The food's delicious, and the boss looks just like the Archduke, so it'd be fun to check it out!]
Something like that, with a spoonful of casual fangirling, plus the Onui Restaurant address.
But the comments had pulled aggro in an unexpected direction.
[The author saying it's delicious makes it sound like a place you go to often?]
A comment that hit out of left field.
It was a reasonable guess.
The author herself had explained that she'd drawn inspiration for her novel characters from Onui Restaurant.
That implied at least one visit.
Some of the promo-post visitors probably thought the same.
Maybe they'd spot the author of I Became the Daughter of the Demon Archduke at Onui Restaurant.
Of course, even if they saw her in person, no one would peg her as Baek Su-in.
- Boss! Can we get one of today's snacks each?
"Sure, two snacks."
- Yoon-seul, you said these snacks are super tasty too, right? We'll trust you sisters and give it a try.
"Um! Just trust Yunseul-i. There's no yucky stuff among what our Oppa makes."
Our restaurant's top sales agent, the 5-year-old, was hard at work. If Yoon-seul recommended trying it, most customers went ahead and ordered the snack.
My little sister, generating revenue without even using her abilities.
I praised her plenty.
Today's snack, adopted for the time being, was dal-guma.
No choice.
We needed to use up the sweet potatoes quickly.
Fortunately, the response was good.
- Good call listening to Yoon-seul and ordering it. It's pretty nice.
- Yeah. Feels different from what you'd get at a dessert shop. More homemade.
- That's what makes it unique.
At tables where Yoon-seul's direct sales pitch succeeded in selling dal-guma, the praise kept coming.
Having the batter prepped made it easy to cook on the fly, no big issue alongside main dishes.
Plus, desserts surprisingly left a good margin even at just 1,500 won.
It trickled in like side income, a real boost to profits.
[Dal-nim: Smart strategy. Did you add snacks to the menu expecting more female customers soon? You're getting the hang of the business!]
[Me: Long time no see. Well, not just women—plenty of people love sweets regardless. Lots hit cafes for a palate cleanser these days. Just targeting them with a test run.]
Being the boss let me experiment like this, which was nice.
September already, but still hot out—maybe try bingsu next.
Around 2 p.m., some welcome faces walked in.
- Yoon-seul! Missed your Unniee?
- Boss~ We're here.
Su-young-i and Jia.
They said high school had started already, leaving little time to visit our restaurant.
Guess they'd be attending properly now.
Maybe Teacher Mi-jeong, their homeroom teacher, had finally given them an earful.
"You're here. But you're in casual clothes. What? Ditching school again?"
- What are you talking about, Joo-hyun Oppa? It's Sunday.
"Oh... right."
RUnnieng the place, I sometimes lost track of the days.
- So we brought Rui out for a walk!
"Rui! Long time no see!"
Woof-!
Rui bounded forward, slathering Yoon-seul's face with licks.
Rui was a big dog, so his tongue was huge, and with her small face, each lick swept from chin to forehead.
"Su-an-ssi didn't come along?"
- Nah, Oppa said he'd rest at home today? He's been weird lately. Keeps holing up in his room doing something strange alone. No idea what.
- Isn't it better not to pry? Su-an Oppa has his private life.
- True, but it's suspicious. He's never done this before.
I knew what Su-an-ssi was working on alone.
Last time, I'd asked him to draw an illustration for promo use—it popped up when searching our restaurant.
Probably in the middle of that.
But since he hadn't told the family, he was struggling to hide it.
Tough luck.
"Rui... long time. You okay? No owies?"
Woof-
"Good boy. No hurts. Lucky. But listen. Our Oppa had a cold last time. So Yunseul-i gave him hand magic. All better now. Amazing, right?"
Woof-
"Of course! 'Cause Yunseul-i's the boss. Knows that stuff."
Woof, woof.
"Hee-heeng! Thank you."
For some reason, Yoon-seul could communicate with Rui. Maybe from wearing the shark outfit and going full feral last time?
Or awakening at the zoo without me knowing.
- But boss, did you see this?
Jia lit up her smartphone screen and showed me.
It was the promo post Baek Su-in had written for our shop.
"Yeah, saw it."
- So boss, do you know the author? Does she come here a lot?
"...She drops by sometimes."
- I'm a huge fan of the novel. Freaked out when I saw you and Yoon-seul were the models for the characters.
"Bet you did."
I was shocked too.
- Can't you secretly tell me who it is?
"I'll ask her. You must really like that author."
Mid-conversation, Su-young-i chimed in.
- 'Cause Jia wants to write novels someday too!
"Novels?"
Song Jia poked Kwon Su-young hard in the side.
Pretty deep.
- Ugh!
- Hey, why say that.
- What's the big deal? It's Joo-hyun Oppa. And saying it like this makes it more convincing.
- Still!
She seemed embarrassed.
High schoolers had rich emotions at that age.
"Anyway, we've chatted with the author a few times. I'll mention it. But don't get your hopes up."
- Yes! Thanks, boss.
Jia clenched her fist in joy, pumping it in the air a few times. Rui startled and spun in circles on the spot.
Yoon-seul, who had Rui's nape in her mouth, tumbled back in surprise too.
"Huh? What? Yoon-seul, why'd you suddenly bite Rui's nape?"
"Huh? Means 'no hurt.' Learned it last time. So Yunseul-i telling Rui that."
"Oh... got it."
Was that their communication method?
Rui's nape was soaked.
Even as the spinning Rui stopped, watching his expression closely...
It didn't look pleased.
He seemed down.
Rui was a dog, I was human, but it felt like he'd just had an unpleasant nape-biting experience.
Communicating with dogs is tricky.
"You kids haven't had lunch?"
- Nope. Came to eat.
"Eat up, then take Yoon-seul and Rui for a walk around here?"
"Ooh! Walk with Rui. But what about Oppa?"
"Oppa's gotta prep for dinner service. Yoon-seul, spend time with Rui—you haven't seen him in ages."
"Hing... Okay..."
She seemed bummed about not going together, glancing between Rui and me.
But since it had been ages with Rui, she picked that.
I made them each a plate of spicy pork stir-fry and fried eggplant.
They'd requested original menu items since it had been a while.
After a satisfying meal, I threw in a dal-guma each on the house.
- Ooh! After we mentioned it last time, Joo-hyun Oppa's selling desserts now?
"Yeah. Customers liked 'em more than expected."
- The mango bingsu last time was amazing too. This is unique and tasty. One more reason to come to Onui Restaurant.
Su-young-i and Jia gave rave reviews too.
But both had already hit 100% satisfaction, so no extra boost.
Oh well.
This much service for regulars was fine.
**
For the first time in a while, I had some alone time without Yoon-seul.
The break time felt empty without her.
"The place got suddenly super quiet."
Air conditioner hum.
The sound of my knife chopping ingredients.
Distant exhaust from cars passing on the road.
That was all.
Still, the leisure wasn't bad.
Nice to enjoy the breather sometimes.
Prep was done, so maybe sit and nap...
Clunk—
The kid who'd gone walking was back.
But.
"Oppa! Big trouble. Huge."
"What big trouble?"
"This kitty keeps following Yunseul-i!!"
"What?"
Something extra had joined.
Leaving the shop: three people.
And one animal.
Now entering: three people.
And two animals?
Woof...
Rui sat with worried eyes, staring at Yoon-seul.
Next to the 105cm kid.
Nyaang-
A cat, just as Yoon-seul said.
- Joo-hyun Oppa, what do we do? Yoon-seul got chosen while walking.
"Chosen?"
Su-young-i used a fancy word.
Chosen—like from historical dramas, not everyday talk. But I got the gist.
"You mean that cat picked Yoon-seul as its owner?"
"Um?! That what it means?"
The 5-year-old hadn't known either.