The Sticker That Conquered the World
The first signs appeared from an unexpected place.
“This one’s mine!”
“No, it’s mine!!”
“Kids… kids, we’re on air right now. Mommy will give you more later, so for now let’s just—”
“Aaaagh—!!”
“Kieeek—!!”
The parenting channel Nana Momma, which showed the chaotic growth of twin siblings and their mother without any filter, was currently experiencing its biggest crisis since the channel began.
Her angelic daughter. Her dutiful son.
They had stopped listening. She was losing her mind.
“Let go!!”
“Idiot, you let go.”
“Na-na-jeong, Na-jun, haa… haa… why are you two acting like this?”
Hee-ae felt like crying.
‘It’s all because of that thing.’
The culprit was the character sticker clutched in the hands of the two growling children.
Because that character was the protagonist monster from Monster Guild, their absolute favorite.
The reason the two tiny heads were practically steaming while fighting over a single sticker was also because it featured their most beloved main character monster.
The advertising proposal that had arrived two days earlier was simple.
Give a brief introduction to the animated series Monster Guild, show the main monster character stickers that appear in it, name the special peel-and-stick version “Ttibuttibuseal,” and finally, promote live on air that they could be obtained by drinking beverages at the cafe Lair.
One broadcast within a week, no time limit. Fifteen to thirty minutes at most.
The rate was so good that Hee-ae, who had taken on quite a few advertisements before, actually asked, “Didn’t they make a mistake with the numbers?”
Of course she had to do it. She accepted immediately without hesitation.
Never imagining it would turn out like this.
“I’m not giving up Vex!!”
“I’m not giving up either!!”
“Haa… haa…”
To be honest, she had felt a little uneasy from the start.
When the products for the advertisement arrived, the moment she saw the adorable, lively monster stickers neatly collected inside a luxurious leather file like a collector’s set.
A sound of pure admiration had escaped her lips.
They were cute and charming. The concept of Ttibuttibuseal was also revolutionary. Collecting them in a booklet like this made them feel incredibly premium.
To someone whose hobby since childhood had been collecting stamps, these stickers had clear collectible value regardless of whether one liked the cartoon or not—simply because they were that cute.
And there were 99 different kinds? It might be an obvious marketing tactic, but her hidden collector’s instinct still pounded in her chest.
That was why she had felt a chill.
If even a thirty-six-year-old adult woman who didn’t particularly like the show was this tempted, how bad would it be for children?
Following the sacred law of fair toddler combat, the two children grabbed each other by the hair.
Now whoever cried or got a nosebleed first would lose.
“This one’s mine!! Let go!!”
“Then this one’s mine too!! You let go first!”
“Don’t take both!”
“Mullang can’t be taken awaaay!”
The moment her formerly angelic children turned into warriors, their mother’s brain short-circuited. Error. System failure.
‘Right… the kids aren’t at fault. Who made something this good?’
My sweet children would never act like this. ▶ Yes, it’s all the stickers’ fault. ▶ They made it too desirable. ▶ Therefore, the one who created it is the devil.
It was logic more petty than a medieval witch hunt, but the protective instinct of a mother facing her children’s battle drive for the first time in her life made her believe it.
“Na-jeong! Na-juuuun—!!”
“Mom!! This poop-for-brains is—!!”
“Mom!! This idiot is—!!”
The children had done nothing wrong. That Ttibuttibuseal thing was a devil’s item, and the person who made it was a money-crazed demon bastard.
At that point, the tears that had been welling up in Hee-ae’s eyes finally spilled over.
But did she know? She wasn’t the only one suffering.
Every child watching the broadcast had turned into a Spartan warrior, shouting “Sticker! Absolutely sticker!!” while striking their mothers.
That thing really was a devil’s item. Otherwise their children would never act this way.
The signs were clear.
The signs of a massive hit.
And in the midst of all that, the opening day of the Yeongdo flagship store finally arrived.
They had said it would fail.
Business management professors, economic experts—everyone had unanimously declared it would crash and burn.
Just two days ago, one economic panelist had foamed at the mouth while fiercely criticizing, “For the sake of Korea’s young people’s proper economic awareness, this ridiculous business with no preparation and no foundation must not be allowed to succeed!”
So this couple hadn’t even bothered worrying about an opening rush and had come at a leisurely pace.
“Uh… the line… the line is…”
“It… doesn’t end?”
A crowd completely filling the abandoned port.
Far in the distance, a banner with “Lair” written on it could be seen, which meant that was the cafe. Yet the line stretched all the way from there to under this overpass.
The notable point was that most of the customers were families with children in tow.
Another notable point was the irritation clearly etched on his girlfriend’s face.
“Oppa… what is this? You said we could come after eating lunch.”
“Y-yeah.”
“You said you saw it on TV and the reaction was bad.”
“R-right…”
The man’s face turned beet red.
He had just finished confidently reciting the “Eleven Reasons Why Lee Shin Is Doomed to Fail” that he had watched on YouTube, acting like he knew everything.
Hahaha… looks like the one who failed is me. I’ll be going first.
And it wasn’t just the man who had been proven wrong.
Perhaps because the media and YouTubers had carpet-bombed it with criticism?
Most people who had assumed the reaction would be bad and visited with light hearts ended up equally devastated.
“Ttibuttibuseal! Vex Ttibuttiliii!! Daaaaddy!”
“Haha… I told you it would fail. I told you it would be hard.”
“What was the name of that professor who bet his whole life on this? Let’s take him down first.”
“Kek, they just took the article down?”
A child who believed everything would be solved if he just lay down on the ground.
A father making an enlightened face while staring at the vast sea.
Yongbung 1 and Yongbung 2 who were genuinely curious where the experts lived.
Pandemonium.
Infinite hell.
If hell existed, this was surely it.
Yet while the outside had turned into hell due to the endless waiting, the interior atmosphere of the cafe Lair was pure heaven.
“Whoa… this is insane!”
“It’s huge! The ceiling is so high!!”
“Photos, let’s take photos!”
These Yong-soon-i who had lined up since yesterday’s lunch using their many years of experience waiting in line for limited goods had their fatigue completely washed away by the incredibly high ceiling, exposed pipelines, and perfectly matched lighting.
“This is it, this is god-tier. I believed in you, Lee God-nim.”
“You crazy bastard… stop rolling your eyes back, you’re scaring me.”
Park, a man wearing a Mir Guild varsity jacket (former gallery lurker, 32 years old), who had come all the way down for the event and had been camping in a tent doing night fishing since last evening, nearly lost his hometown friend when his eyes rolled back in ecstasy.
Of course, the fathers who had been forced to stay up all night to get Ttibuttibuseal due to their monster-obsessed children’s relentless demands were closer to dying of exhaustion than dying of happiness.
“Did you order five cups too?”
“Yes, they said they only sell five cups per person.”
“I guess that Vex guy has to come out here.”
“Our daughter wants ‘Mullang Rose.’ I’d rather they just sold them for money.”
“Still, the decorations are pretty nice…”
The real highlight was the entire wall by the entrance being made of floor-to-ceiling glass. The refreshing sea and horizon visible beyond the glass, along with the warm natural lighting that healed the soul.
Just taking one photo from this spot was enough to make this cafe a must-visit landmark.
“How is it? Did it come out well? Huh? Tilt it this way? Wow! It really came out great!”
“Hey, check your account. ‘So cool,’ ‘Where is this place,’ your SNS is blowing up. Hehe.”
“Too bad. There’s a second floor too. If we had come a bit earlier we could’ve gone up there.”
“Kids, look over there. The seat right in front of the full glass wall. That seems to be the hottest spot. When those people leave, let’s move immediately, okay?”
Of course, the coffee and desserts that formed the foundation of any cafe were also excellent.
“Hmm? Honey, honey. Try this. It’s sooo good!”
“I don’t usually have a refined palate, but this latte is genuinely great.”
“This place is fun.”
The high ceiling and spacious interior of the remodeled abandoned warehouse.
The emotional interior design and props that fully utilized current trends.
Coffee ground from quality beans and luxurious desserts.
It was no exaggeration to say that Lair Cafe possessed every possible joy a cafe could offer. It was magnificent and astonishing.
Even so.
It wasn’t over yet.
The protagonist always appears at the end.
I shall personally guide you all to heaven.
A single figure descending the central staircase on the second floor.
According to plastic surgery clinics, the most perfect face in first place. A man who could turn even an S-class actor into an octopus.
Lee Shin was elegantly descending the stairs like an angel descending from heaven.
“Hello. I’m Lee Shin, representative of Mir Guild. Are you all enjoying yourselves?”
Waaaaah—!!
Everyone screamed loud enough to shake the cafe at the completely unexpected appearance of Lee Shin.
“Hahaha. I’m glad you seem to be enjoying it. I didn’t come for anything else—I just have something brief to say. Don’t worry. I won’t take up too much of your precious time.”
When Lee Shin winked, a female student in front shouted that he could take as much time as he wanted, and the atmosphere heated up with laughter.
Lee Shin gave a smile so beautiful it could stop hearts and lifted the microphone again.
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
“Thank you to everyone who came. I’d like to share some rather boring announcements and a very fun event. How about that? Fair, right?”
Yes!!
At the enthusiastic responses bursting out from all over, Lee Shin smiled brightly and began to speak.
The announcements were a repeat of the “value of mutual growth” he had mentioned at the business briefing. It was a time to promote things like hiring local residents and donations for vulnerable groups—essentially saying, “We’re doing all these good things, so please look favorably on us.”
Some might think it was too boastful, but Lee Shin thought this:
What’s wrong with a little boasting?
Korea values humility and modesty so much that there’s even a saying about not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing.
But what era is this? It’s the age of personal PR.
Revealing yourself is both courage and talent. Especially when it’s good deeds. Why not boast about it? You should be shouting “Didn’t I do well?” from every corner of the country.
“So please enjoy yourselves without any burden. Every cup of coffee you’re drinking right now will come back to this city of Busan.”
“That concludes the announcements!”
Next came the event.
“As a commemorative event for the opening of the Yeongdo flagship store, we will be giving small gifts to those who post on SNS with proof of visit.”
Clap, clap.
When Lee Shin clapped, Chae Dong-ha, who had been standing in the back, unfolded an outer garment and draped it over Lee Shin’s shoulders.
“Ooooh!!”
It was a limited-edition jacket that could only be obtained at the Yeongdo flagship store—blue representing Busan, white resembling sea foam, with Mir’s symbol, the dragon, embroidered on it.
“First, 1,000 custom limited-edition guild jackets! Exactly 1,000 will be given out. And there’s one more thing.”
This alone would have been a pretty enjoyable event.
But if it ended there, the name Lee Shin would feel disappointed.
“Among those who collect all 99 types of Ttibuseal that come with the coffee, the first ten people will receive this gift.”
A car key emerged from the pocket of the jacket he was wearing.
“A new SUV from Ido Motors. Ten units of the Parameter will be given away.”
What are they giving??
……?
……??
……???
“We look forward to many applications.”
Lee Shin turned around without a shred of hesitation.
Immediately after, a roar erupted from the cafe as if the building would collapse, coming from behind Lee Shin.
Everyone present instinctively realized it.
Experts or not, the cafe Lair was going to succeed. It was going to succeed tremendously.
Mir Guild. Everyone was staring at Lee Shin with nervous eyes.
“Yes, of course. Please don’t worry.”
Lee Shin, holding the phone receiver.
His face, usually plastered with a wide grin, was now extremely serious as he continued the call.
And then.
“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”
The moment he put down the receiver.
Everyone in the guild held their breath.
They stared at Lee Shin as if trying to bore holes through him. Hurry up and tell us the answer!
Lee Shin glanced over the staff once, then suddenly changed his expression and shouted.
“Approved—!!”
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!
[League Bureau Mir Guild promotion to League 3 completed]
The hectic off-season that had left no time to even blink finally came to an end.
Along with the opening ceremony, Mir Guild’s new season had begun.
Novelty always excites people.
A new starting line, a new stage, new faces. A pleasant tension filled the training ground where the raid party had gathered.
At least until one person opened the door and appeared.
“Wh… who?”
“…Is that Su-bin?”
“Is that really Su-bin? No way…”
There stood Park Su-bin, who had shot up a full 20 centimeters in height.