The World's Best Cake?
Han Gaeul pointed at the chat window and asked Park Nayoung, “People in the chat are saying the owner is pretty and wondering if she has a boyfriend. Do you have a boyfriend?” She showed the chat as if the viewers were the ones curious, not her. Since she couldn’t directly ask on stream whether Kim Hyunjin was her boyfriend, she’d phrased it indirectly.
Park Nayoung hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “No. I’ve never had a boyfriend.”
“Never? Not even once?”
“Yeah.”
So she’s not his girlfriend? Han Gaeul let out a quiet sigh of relief that only she could hear. That was the answer she’d wanted. Thinking it over, she realized that unless someone had a special situation like hers, there was no way such a beautiful girl would date an ordinary-looking guy like Kim Hyunjin.
Childhood friends, yet she doesn’t know how cool he is. She felt a little sorry for her. The fact that she alone knew how amazing he was made her feel oddly smug.
Han Gaeul steadied her nerves and focused on the broadcast with a lighter heart. “Alright, since we’re at the café, we should try the coffee and desserts, right? I’ll take the most delicious ones, please!”
“Ah, yes. Just a moment, please.”
Park Nayoung looked quite tense, clearly unused to being on camera. She approached the coffee machine with stiff, rigid movements. Han Gaeul worried she might make a mistake from the nerves. But the moment she started making coffee, the tension seemed to melt away. She moved naturally, pulling espresso and pouring it into a cup with milk.
Wearing the café apron while making coffee, her figure on camera looked incredibly charming even without revealing clothes. The sight of her carefully crafting each cup from behind was strangely attractive.
Park Nayoung brought the café latte and strawberry cake to the table. “Wow, the coffee smells amazing. Did you make the strawberry cake yourself?”
“Yes, I bake it fresh every day. The coffee’s good too, but I’m confident this strawberry cake is better than any other cake in the world.”
She spoke with genuine pride. However, the chat didn’t react well to the “best in the world” claim.
Even Han Gaeul felt awkward. How am I supposed to respond to that? She’d only planned to give a normal compliment, but the bar had been raised to impossible heights. Any ordinary praise would sound hollow now. If she messed up even slightly, the café’s reputation could take a hit. Nervous, she picked up her fork, hoping the cake at least cleared a basic standard, and cut off a corner.
“Mmm… mmph!”
Since this was an ad stream, she was supposed to give live reactions with every bite. But when Han Gaeul stayed silent after tasting it, the viewers sensed something was off.
The opposite was true. It tasted so good she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t believe a cake this delicious existed. Like someone possessed, she devoured the entire slice in seconds, completely forgetting she was on stream. Only after finishing did she finally open her mouth.
“Can I have another one?”
It wasn’t a review of whether it was good or bad—just a completely different request. Yet no words could have expressed her feelings better. One slice clearly wasn’t enough; her stomach was already protesting.
“Of course. Eat as much as you want.” Park Nayoung smiled brightly. She was genuinely happy someone finally appreciated her cake.
The moment she got permission, Han Gaeul went after the next slice. Her fork moved nonstop as the cake disappeared rapidly. She took a sip of the coffee beside it. The bittersweet flavor lingered on her tongue, making the already delicious cake taste even better. Like a vacuum, she polished off four slices in no time. Only then did she wear a satisfied expression—before realizing she was still on stream and panicking.
“How is it?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s so good I can’t even put it into words. When I first heard you say it was better than any cake in the world, I thought you were exaggerating way too much. But after tasting it, I understand why you said that.”
It was perfect praise. Han Gaeul could confidently say this was the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten in her life. Anyone who tried even one bite would agree. But the viewers watching through the screen couldn’t understand.
The chat atmosphere gradually soured. Viewers split into those defending her and those criticizing her, and soon posts started appearing on community boards.
- What kind of neighborhood café cake is “the best in the world”? I could’ve let it slide if she just said it was pretty good, but the blatant overstatement is making people push back.
└ I looked up the café. It’s a cheap place where americanos are only 2,000 won. How good could it possibly be?
└ It’s weekend afternoon and there are zero customers. Isn’t this already over?
└ If it were really that good, there’d be a line out the door.
- People who work out usually don’t eat sweets, so even a little sweetness makes them freak out.
└ ㄹㅇ Even if you just gave them sugar water they’d say it’s good.
└ I thought this was a defense post but it’s actually roasting her.
└ Han Gaeul has no taste.
└ Just do a stripping stream instead of an eating stream.
The negative mood reached Han Gaeul in real time through the chat. She’d only said something tasted good because it did, so the backlash felt deeply unfair.
“I’m really not exaggerating at all. I genuinely think it’s the best. If you try it even once, your opinion will change.”
Han Gaeul tried her best to convince them, but the mood refused to shift. Because her channel had grown so quickly, she didn’t have many long-time core fans. On top of that, people who came specifically to stir trouble kept the fire alive. At this rate, she’d only cause trouble for the café instead of helping it. In the end, she played her trump card.
“For the next hour, I’ll buy coffee and cake for anyone who comes here. If you want to criticize, come try it yourself first!”
The chat exploded at her “come and see for yourself” declaration. It was a chance to meet the girl they could only see on screen and get free coffee and cake—an impromptu fan meeting of sorts.
Of course, the chat was the only thing stirring. Very few people actually showed up. The troublemakers only acted tough because it was online. Most of them would never open their mouths if they actually met her in person. Plus, since this wasn’t a planned event, only about one in ten viewers could physically reach the café within an hour anyway.
The effect was tremendous. Whenever someone criticized Han Gaeul, other viewers would pile on and label them a shut-in warrior who wouldn’t actually go. Watching the flames slowly die in the chat, Han Gaeul smiled in satisfaction.
Just then, the first viewer actually arrived—a male computer science student from Gukhan University. He lived in a nearby one-room apartment and had come right over after seeing the location was so close. Park Nayoung brought him coffee and cake. Once he started eating, Han Gaeul asked, “How is it?”
“Whoa, it’s actually really good?”
“Right?”
“I honestly didn’t believe it while watching the stream, but now that I’ve tried it, I get it. I’d bet everything on this—this is the best cake I’ve ever had.”
“Right? Right?” Han Gaeul said excitedly. Park Nayoung beside her beamed at the praise as well. The troublemakers waiting to stir things up looked disappointed at the flood of compliments and started grasping at straws.
It was the troublemakers’ last desperate attempt. Over 90% of the stream’s viewers were male, so they assumed no women would show up anyway.