Episode 23. Second Branch (1)
It was not long after Kang Yera had confirmed her victory on On the Stage.
“I, my debut date has finally been set.”
Kang Yera made a surprise announcement while the family was having a meal at home.
At the word “debut,” Min Seung-yeon wore a bewildered expression.
“Really?”
“Yes. I think I’ll debut around the time I go into third grade.”
“Isn’t that too fast?”
The daily life of third-grade elementary school children, as Min Seung-yeon knew it, was a pure age where they went to school, played freely with their classmates on the playground, or sometimes got nagged about homework.
In fact, Min Seung-yeon herself had lived that way.
So, at this time, she was both surprised and worried about her eldest daughter, who was walking a completely different path from her peers.
She wondered if it was really okay like this.
It wasn’t that Kang Yera didn’t know her mom’s feelings.
“You know me, mom. That I’m not a child.”
“That’s true, but… I was thinking it might be better to rest for a while after the broadcast before starting activities.”
It wasn’t a machine’s job; it was a human’s job.
Rest was essential.
Of course, that was also true.
However, for Kang Yera, there was something more important than rest.
“Because I need to debut as quickly as possible while my recognition is high from winning On the Stage, so I can benefit from it even a little more.”
Kang Yebin, who usually opposed unnie’s words first, deeply sympathized with Kang Yera’s words this time.
“It is an important time. We don’t know when such a good debut timing will come again if not now.”
“I… see.”
Min Seung-yeon didn’t yet know much about the entertainment industry, so she had no choice but to trust her daughters’ words entirely.
Her daughters were pros.
And above all, Kang Yera herself was burning with enthusiasm for her debut, so it was awkward to tell her not to debut now.
Kang Dae-oh put his hand on Min Seung-yeon’s shoulder and spoke.
“It’s okay. This is the moment Yera has longed for. Isn’t it?”
Kang Dae-oh intended to fully accept and support Kang Yera’s decision.
It was a plan that his回归daughters had come up with after much deliberation and discussion.
When the children were young, he was constantly worried.
But now, the time had come to shake off worries and trust and support the path his children were taking forward.
Instead.
He was just a little sad that this moment had come so quickly.
Min Seung-yeon nodded, saying that she would support the path Kang Yera would walk, just like Kang Dae-oh.
Only after receiving her mom and dad’s permission could a smile return to Kang Yera’s face.
“Once the exact date, time, and place are set, I’ll tell mom and dad too.”
“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”
“Yes!”
Following the news related to the eldest daughter’s debut, a second piece of news unfolded.
This news came through Kang Yebin’s mouth.
“As I told you last time, I’m going to sign a contract with unnie’s company.”
As Kang Yera was going into third grade, Kang Yebin also enrolled in the same elementary school as her unnie.
Accordingly, Kang Yebin also decided to follow in her unnie’s footsteps and officially begin broadcast activities.
In fact, if you consider it, Kang Yebin had started her entertainment activities even before Kang Yera.
She had appeared in two works. Thanks to this, she had already widely made her name and face known to broadcasting officials as a talented child actress.
Perhaps stimulated by her unnie’s magnificent debut announcement through On the Stage.
One day, Kang Yebin had come to Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon and said this:
When she entered elementary school, she wanted to officially sign a contract with an agency and engage in child acting activities from then on.
That time had finally arrived.
Kang Dae-oh asked Kang Yebin for confirmation.
“You’re signing with Irowool Entertainment, right?”
“Yes. As I told you last time, if I let unnie go alone, I think I won’t be able to sleep because I’ll be anxious.”
Kang Yera glared at Kang Yebin.
“How dare a younger sibling meddle in unnie’s affairs at every turn?”
“Unnie just needs to act carefully so I don’t have to meddle.”
“How careful do you think I am?”
“Unnie’s smartphone, where is it now?”
“Well, it’s here… Huh?”
The small smartphone she thought she had put in her pocket was suddenly gone.
A flustered Kang Yera began to search her surroundings.
Kang Yebin sighed deeply and pointed to the USB charger under the TV, saying,
“Unnie, you plugged it in there earlier because the battery was low.”
“I just forgot for a moment! This is a mistake anyone can make!”
Kang Yera tried her best to defend herself, but it didn’t work on Kang Yebin at all.
Unfortunately for Kang Yera, both Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon were on Kang Yebin’s side.
“Do as Yebin says.”
“That’s right. It’s more reassuring for mom and dad if there are two of you together rather than just one.”
Moreover, Irowool Entertainment had been verified multiple times over the past few years as a company that would not backstab them.
It seemed better for Kang Yebin to join Irowool Entertainment.
Kang Yeyoung giggled.
“Unnie lost 3 to 1.”
“You. You’ll be on my side, right?”
“Me? What nonsense are you talking about? Of course, I’m on Yebin unnie’s side.”
“……”
4 to 1.
Before the overwhelming difference in votes, Kang Yera’s sigh grew deeper.
At that sight, Kang Dae-oh offered a faint smile.
It was because he was proud that his daughters had found the path they wanted to take so early.
‘I should work hard too.’
He didn’t want to be a dad who only received help from his daughters.
Kang Dae-oh also resolved to do his best in his own field.
Thanks to Kang Yera’s victory, the number of customers visiting Cafe Amare doubled.
Even on weekdays, the first and second floors were packed, and customers kept coming.
Thanks to this, Kang Dae-oh had to hire additional part-time staff.
It wasn’t just part-time staff.
“Sein. If you don’t mind, would you like to work as a full-time employee here at the cafe, like Seojun?”
“M-me?”
“Yes. I’ve been keeping an eye on your work, Sein. I’ll meet all your conditions, so if you’re interested, think it over carefully and then let me know.”
To grow the store in the future, he needed more employees who would work with him for a long time.
Kang Dae-oh had Choi Sein in mind after Lee Seojun.
She always greeted people with a positive, bright expression, no matter the task, and she was well-regarded not only by customers but also by her fellow part-time staff.
That’s why Kang Dae-oh had always thought it would be best if Choi Sein got a job here at Cafe Amare rather than somewhere else.
Kang Dae-oh had intended to give her plenty of time to think.
However, Choi Sein’s answer was surprisingly quick.
“Thank you, CEO! I’ll work hard!”
“You can decide right now?”
“Yes! I don’t have a particularly good academic background, so even if I send out applications everywhere, I don’t get many calls. I don’t have a job lined up anyway, so I was already thinking a lot about it. But then, the CEO made this offer. Of course, I’d love to!”
The timing was good.
Kang Dae-oh had secretly worried about Choi Sein rejecting his offer.
He felt relieved that she had accepted so readily.
“Let’s work well together from now on, Sein.”
“I’ll truly work hard and do my best!”
“You just need to keep doing as you are now.”
Having gained Choi Sein as a reliable ally, Kang Dae-oh decided to move on to his next plan.
“Seojun. Can you come here for a moment?”
“Yes, CEO! I’ll be right there!”
Lee Seojun, who was on the second-floor stairs, stopped what he was doing and quickly ran toward Kang Dae-oh and Choi Sein.
While he was away, Kang Dae-oh first informed Choi Sein that she would be working there as a full-time employee from now on.
Lee Seojun reacted as if he had expected it.
“No wonder. The CEO said he was keeping an eye on Sein. So there was a reason.”
“Because I can’t miss out on talent like Sein.”
Whether one works well or not is not determined by academic background.
Kang Dae-oh had seen Choi Sein’s true worth many times, so he had not the slightest hesitation in deciding to hire her as a full-time employee.
Although there were only two of them now, Kang Dae-oh intended to continue expanding Cafe Amare in the future.
For the first step of that plan.
Kang Dae-oh asked Lee Seojun a few questions.
“Seojun.”
“Yes.”
“How’s the store lately?”
“The store?”
“Yes. Like customers coming in. It’s been really busy lately, hasn’t it?”
“Whew. It’s chaotic. Since Yera won On the Stage, it feels like we’ve been busy almost non-stop.”
“Hmm, really?”
Even before Kang Yera’s victory, the cafe had many customers, so the current staff and part-timers couldn’t handle it.
Kang Dae-oh had been contemplating a solution for this for a long time.
The answer he came up with was this:
“I’m thinking of opening a second branch.”
One store alone could no longer handle it.
Kang Dae-oh instinctively knew it was time to open a second branch.
However, expanding a store inevitably requires caution.
This is because if a store is expanded without proper preparation, problems with quality and service degradation can arise.
Therefore, Kang Dae-oh intended to expand slowly, one store at a time, rather than increasing multiple branches.
This was because he also wanted to slowly build the capacity for himself and his employees to manage them directly.
Lee Seojun and Choi Sein both agreed to Kang Dae-oh’s plan.
“Where are you planning to open the second branch? And when?”
“I’m looking at sometime in January next year for the timing. For the location, I’m thinking of an area not too far from here. And I’m planning to entrust the store to you, Seojun.”
Lee Seojun was greatly surprised.
“M-me?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll be going back and forth between the main branch and the second branch to check on things.”
As it was the first branch, Kang Dae-oh wanted to pay as much attention as possible.
Choi Sein, who was listening to the explanation, seemed to have a question and raised her hand, tilting her head.
“Um, CEO. I have a question.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“Why did you set it for March next year of all times? If you’re thinking of a second branch, wouldn’t the end of this year be enough?”
She wondered if there was a need to drag it out until next year.
At first, Choi Sein had thought that Kang Dae-oh had intentionally set the timing for next year to allow ample preparation time.
However, Kang Dae-oh had another true intention.
“Because our eldest daughter is debuting in January next year.”
He intended to use the “cheat key” named ‘our eldest daughter’ together.
