Episode 29. Special Advice (3)
Before becoming the CEO of Amare, a rising powerhouse, Kang Dae-oh was also a coffee and cafe enthusiast.
Before founding Amare. No, to be precise, until Amare truly took off, he used to visit nice cafes with his wife.
However, now he’s busy with a lot of work.
Moreover, most cafe owners recognized Kang Dae-oh, making it awkward for him to easily show his face at other establishments.
This was because it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings, like ‘Is he here to spy on our store?’
Of course, not everyone thought that way.
Nevertheless, it was hard to say there were no people who eyed him with caution, so Kang Dae-oh usually refrained from overtly visiting other stores while revealing his identity.
However.
‘If I go under the pretext of filming with Yeyoung, that might be okay?’
This personal desire also played a part in his decision to cooperate with the filming.
Kang Dae-oh scanned the list of filming locations for Episode 1 that Kang Yeyoung had selected.
Meanwhile, Managing Director Yoo In-seok visited Kang Dae-oh’s office.
“CEO. What are you looking at so intently?”
“Oh, this?”
Kang Dae-oh revealed what the paper in his hand was.
Naturally, the conversation led to the topic of filming a cafe tour content with Kang Yeyoung.
After hearing the explanation, Managing Director Yoo In-seok chuckled and said:
“So you can legally scout rival businesses.”
“That’s not exactly my intention, though.”
Kang Dae-oh simply wanted to recall old memories, see what other cafes were like, and purely enjoy himself.
Managing Director Yoo In-seok also knew Kang Dae-oh’s tendencies well.
What he had just said was merely a joke.
“Managing Director, how about you appear with me?”
“I politely decline. For YouTube, I think it looks better for younger people like you, CEO, to appear rather than older people like me.”
It seemed he was fine with watching, but appearing himself seemed very difficult.
Kang Dae-oh thought Managing Director Yoo In-seok would do well.
But since he didn’t want to, there was no need to force him.
Besides, that wasn’t Kang Dae-oh’s style.
Managing Director Yoo In-seok quickly checked Kang Dae-oh’s schedule.
“Has the filming date been set? If it proceeds, please tell me how you’d like to adjust your schedule. I will re-arrange your schedule accordingly.”
“Thank you, Managing Director.”
He felt truly fortunate to have such a competent individual nearby.
Kang Yeyoung, who had first given her Dad the choice of the first filming location, soon delivered good news to him.
It was that the filming location designated by Kang Dae-oh had been secured.
A cafe Kang Dae-oh had always wanted to visit.
It was also a date spot he used to frequent with Min Seung-yeon in the past.
Seeing the cafe still standing in the same place, unchanged, despite it having been at least 7 years since he stopped visiting, Kang Dae-oh felt a fresh wave of emotions.
“This place is still the same.”
The camera director, rushing with filming preparations, asked Kang Dae-oh.
“Have you been here before?”
Before Kang Dae-oh could answer, Kang Yeyoung spoke first.
“My mom and Dad used to date here often, she said.”
“So it was a place of memories for you, CEO.”
That was also why he had intentionally chosen this place.
Before the main filming began, Kang Dae-oh was able to greet the owner of the cafe.
As they shook hands, the cafe owner couldn’t hide his excitement, as if it was an honor to meet Kang Dae-oh like this.
“I’ve heard so much about you! They say you started from a small neighborhood cafe and achieved tremendous success. Could you perhaps share some of your secrets with me later?”
“I just worked hard, and somehow I encountered good opportunities. That became my secret, or rather, not-so-secret.”
“Oh, come on. There’s no need to be modest. The rumor is all over the industry. Didn’t I hear that a certain cafe recently had a huge influx of customers from day one, thanks to the advice you gave them before their opening?”
Cafe owners have a lot in common with each other.
Stories about Kang Dae-oh’s achievements had already spread widely by word of mouth.
Kang Dae-oh chuckled softly and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll try the menus here for the first time in a while and see if there’s anything I can help with.”
“For the first time in a while…? Have you perhaps visited our store before?”
Kang Dae-oh replied yes, then told him something the owner hadn’t realized yet.
“This is the date spot I used to frequent with my wife.”
“R-really? Oh, I didn’t know!”
“It’s natural that you wouldn’t know. Back then, neither my wife nor I had accomplished anything.”
There was something Kang Dae-oh always wanted to eat when he came here.
When he discreetly asked the owner if they still had that drink, the owner nodded vigorously with a bright expression.
“We do! I’ll prepare it in advance so we can serve it as soon as filming begins.”
“Thank you, owner.”
Meanwhile, Kang Yeyoung, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, approached Kang Dae-oh and quietly asked.
“Dad. What did you order from the owner?”
“You’ll find out later.”
He decided to leave it as a surprise for later.
Finally, the main filming began.
Although it wasn’t a TV program shoot, it was a shoot for a major YouTuber with nearly a million subscribers, so not only the cafe owner and staff, but even the customers in the store,
Everyone couldn’t help but show interest in Kang Yeyoung’s new content filming.
Kang Yeyoung, dressed in cute casual clothes and looking determined, stood in front of the camera first.
“Hello, everyone! A new content series has started today. It’s called ‘How about here?’, or ‘Yoratttae’ for short.”
The title was chosen to evoke the sound of ‘latte,’ a type of drink sold in cafes.
Today was the long-awaited day for the first episode of Yoratttae.
Kang Yeyoung maintained her broadcast-like energy and raised her voice.
“Let’s welcome our regular guest who will be joining us for Yoratttae! Please come out!”
As Kang Dae-oh appeared on camera, the staff cheered loudly and applauded on behalf of the audience.
Feeling as if he had become a celebrity, Kang Dae-oh awkwardly walked over and took a seat at the table where Kang Yeyoung was sitting.
“Could you please introduce yourself?”
“Hello. I am Kang Dae-oh, the CEO of Amare and Yeyoung’s Dad. Nice to meet you.”
While not as much as his daughters, Kang Dae-oh had experienced many interviews, so standing in front of a camera wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to him.
Thanks to this, even without separate practice, his introduction flowed out smoothly.
“There have been so many comments requesting content videos featuring Dad on my channel as a series. How do you feel about it finally happening today?”
“I’m happy, but I’m also nervous. I’m worried I might make a slip of the tongue and cause trouble for Yeyoung.”
The staff behind the camera shook their heads, indicating that was not the case at all.
He spoke well. His eye contact was also good.
Who would dare to challenge his skilled appearance on broadcast?
The staff even considered it fortunate that Kang Yeyoung had cast her Dad.
Furthermore, Kang Dae-oh could be considered an expert in the cafe and dessert business.
His value as an appearance was incomparably high.
Plus, since he’s Kang Yeyoung’s Dad, he was easy to cast.
There’s no other guest like him in the world.
After finishing their opening talk, the two proceeded to order to explore the menus sold here.
At this moment.
Kang Dae-oh mentioned the special menu he had requested from the owner.
“When you come here, you absolutely must try this.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a red bean paste matcha au lait, a menu I personally recommend.”
As soon as Kang Dae-oh finished speaking, the matcha au lait appeared.
The unique black color of the red bean paste and the green of the matcha formed an exquisite color combination.
Kang Yeyoung’s pupils widened greatly after tasting the red bean paste on top of the soft cream first.
It wasn’t a reaction for broadcast, but a genuine response because it was truly delicious.
“The matcha is good, but the red bean paste tastes different, somehow?”
“As far as I remember, the red bean paste used in this cafe is whole domestic red bean paste. Compared to imported ones, it has a lower sweetness but a stronger aroma.”
“Ah, so… how should I put it? Would you say it has a rich flavor?”
“That’s a good expression, ‘rich flavor’.”
Kang Dae-oh smiled a Dad-like smile, watching Kang Yeyoung use such a mature expression.
After the short broadcast filming ended.
The cafe owner expressed his surprise to Kang Dae-oh, which he had felt throughout the filming.
“I was surprised how much you knew about the matcha au lait. I didn’t even explain anything separately.”
“That’s because I once studied matcha drinks while tasting the red bean paste matcha au lait sold at your shop, owner.”
Kang Dae-oh then subtly dropped a hint to the cafe owner.
“I think it would be good to hire many part-timers soon.”
“Huh? Why?”
“When what we filmed today goes up on Yeyoung’s channel, people will flock here to try the matcha au lait. I know this well from personal experience.”
“Is it that much?”
“Yes, that much… no, even more.”
Kang Yeyoung’s YouTube channel possessed that much influence.
Thanks to this, Kang Dae-oh had to ‘scream happily’ for a while.
While rising sales were good, he was reminded of the fatigue from physical hardship that didn’t easily disappear, a memory he hadn’t thought of in a long time.
After that, Kang Dae-oh gave additional advice to the cafe owner on what to do next.
He was able to return to Kang Yeyoung and the filming team, who had finished all their preparations to leave.
“Then, we’ll be heading out first, owner.”
“Yes, CEO! Please come again later. With your wife next time!”
“Yes. It would be nice to feel like I’m on a date again after a long time. I’ll definitely come.”
Kang Yeyoung gave a meaningful smile towards Kang Dae-oh, who had just exchanged a brief farewell with the shop owner.
“Dad, I think you could run your own YouTube channel and film separately later? You’ve become a complete broadcaster.”
In response, Kang Dae-oh lightly shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Compared to you guys, Dad still has a long way to go, you know.”
There’s no parent who can beat their children.
Kang Dae-oh was exactly in that position now.
