Episode 23. Second Branch (3)
Kang Dae-oh, who had first arrived at the cafe for work, immediately headed to Branch 2, which had recently opened.
It was a bit far to walk, but also an ambiguous distance to say that a car was absolutely necessary.
Although Kang Dae-oh usually went back and forth between Branch 1 and Branch 2 for exercise, today, since he had a busy schedule, he decided to drive to Branch 2.
Perhaps because it was Amare’s first branch, many people were still visiting the store even after several days had passed since its opening.
Among them, some customers recognized Kang Dae-oh’s face.
“Oh? Boss!”
“Hello! Are you just coming to work now?”
Towards the customers who greeted him warmly, Kang Dae-oh shook his head and replied.
“I already came to work at the main branch earlier. I came over to Branch 2 because I had some business. Oh, right.”
Kang Dae-oh raised his voice towards the customers in line, saying it was good timing.
“Later, our daughter is coming to Branch 2, so if anyone needs a signature, please stop by Branch 2 around… 11 o’clock! Yera will probably stay here for about 30 to 40 minutes? Around that time, she’ll make a short stay and then leave.”
“Oh, really?”
“Can we really see Yera?”
“Oh my, oh my, goodness gracious!”
At the news that Kang Yera was coming, people’s expressions quickly filled with excitement.
Kang Yera’s debut became a big topic for people, especially for customers who frequently visited Cafe Amare.
The daughter of the boss of the cafe they frequent debuted as a singer. Naturally, they couldn’t help but be interested.
Watching her debut broadcast was a given. Listening to Kang Yera’s songs continuously through streaming platforms was also fundamental for them.
People certifying that they had Kang Yera’s song, ‘Change’, in their playlists were also seen one after another.
Of course, it was good to see that customers liked and loved his eldest daughter.
Now, it was time to go into Branch 2 and prepare the event centered around Kang Yera.
As soon as he entered the store, Lee Seojun greeted Kang Dae-oh enthusiastically.
“Boss! I was just waiting for you to come!”
When he was at the main branch, Kang Dae-oh was there. From Lee Seojun’s perspective, there wasn’t much burden in working.
This was because no matter what problem arose, Kang Dae-oh would step forward and solve it smoothly.
However, as Lee Seojun began to take charge of Branch 2, he simultaneously lost someone to rely on.
Perhaps because of that, Lee Seojun was feeling the burden of having to lead Branch 2 with his whole body.
The expression on his face, as if shouting ‘I’m saved!’ as soon as he saw Kang Dae-oh, all came from these factors.
“Is business going well?”
“So far, yes. All the customers have been very cooperative, and thanks to that, there haven’t been any major problems so far.”
Even so, one should never let their guard down.
This is because making a living as a self-employed person in South Korea is a very difficult task.
Business might not go well.
There are also countless cases of stress caused by difficult customers.
In fact, when Lee Seojun worked at the main branch, he had seen several difficult customers who made absurd complaints and caused a disturbance.
There was no law saying such difficult customers wouldn’t appear at Branch 2.
In such a situation, whether Lee Seojun could cope well without Kang Dae-oh was his concern.
Kang Dae-oh knew well what Lee Seojun was worrying about.
“If it seems like talking won’t work, just call the police. That’s all you need to do.”
“What if strange rumors spread that our store calls the police on customers?”
“What’s important about rumors? The safety of my employees is important.”
A deep sense of emotion showed on Lee Seojun’s face.
In fact, Kang Dae-oh didn’t really care much about rumors.
This was because he believed that the truth would eventually come out.
Even if bad rumors spread, people would eventually realize that it wasn’t true.
Even if it took a long time.
If need be, he could even use his daughters’ chance.
Kang Dae-oh had prepared ways to immediately respond to any contingency like this.
Meanwhile. Thanks to Kang Dae-oh’s words, Lee Seojun’s loyalty towards him increased once again.
“I will work hard, Boss!”
“As I said last time, don’t overwork yourself. Your health is the top priority. You can work more vigorously and for a longer time when you’re healthy, right?”
“That’s right!”
This applied not only to Lee Seojun but also to all employees and part-timers working at Amare.
After reassuring the staff once again, Kang Dae-oh checked the time.
‘It’s about time she arrived.’
No sooner had he finished speaking.
A loud commotion began to be heard from the cafe entrance.
“Hello, hello!”
Kang Yera entered the cafe, waving both hands.
At her appearance, the atmosphere of Amare Branch 2 quickly heated up.
Until her debut, Kang Yera had quietly and casually shown her face at her dad’s cafe.
However, because she became famous in such a short period, it had now become difficult for her to come here.
Branch 2 was not as large as the main branch.
With many people in a small space, the biggest concern was safety.
Lee Seojun, along with the part-timers, began to control the crowd for the safety of the customers.
“These stairs are only for exiting the store!”
“The restroom is to your right as you exit! The door is open, so you don’t need to enter a password!”
“Customer! It’s dangerous to stand on the chairs! Yera will greet each one of you individually, so there’s no need to be too impatient!”
Lee Seojun waved his hand to calm the customers and began to persuade them patiently.
Meanwhile, Kang Yera kept checking the clock on her smartphone as if waiting for someone.
Kang Dae-oh asked Kang Yera in a low voice.
“Is someone else coming?”
Her manager was already here, so he asked if someone from Lee Rowool’s side was coming.
However, the answer he received was completely different from what Kang Dae-oh had expected.
“I’m waiting for Yeyoung.”
“Yeyoung?”
“Yes. She said she was coming with Mom… Oh, there they are.”
Once again, the cafe door opened, and Min Seung-yeon and Kang Yeyoung appeared.
A camera was in Min Seung-yeon’s hand.
It was the main camera Kang Yeyoung usually used when filming for her YouTube channel.
As soon as he saw this, Kang Dae-oh seemed to understand why Kang Yera had been waiting for her youngest sister.
“So, you’re going to film the fan signing event for Yeyoung’s YouTube channel and upload it?”
“Yes. Yeyoung said a good video source angle came out, and she couldn’t just let it pass, so she insisted on bringing Mom here somehow. That’s why I waited for a bit.”
Kang Yeyoung was still a kindergartener. Therefore, it was usually better for her to go with her mom wherever she went.
Even though Kang Yeyoung might be an adult on the inside, the world was a scarier place than that.
Min Seung-yeon decided to hold the camera instead of the short Kang Yeyoung.
Normally, Kang Dae-oh would carry it, but since there was still cafe work to do and Min Seung-yeon’s filming skills had recently proven to be not bad, she was now in charge of being the cameraman.
After installing one more fixed camera.
“From now on, Yera’s fan signing event will begin!”
The time had come to fully benefit from his eldest daughter.
The signing event itself proceeded smoothly.
Everyone seemed to be eager to see Kang Yera in person, revealing their fervent fan sentiments in front of her.
There were also fans who brought gifts.
“This is chocolate.”
“Wow! Thank you! But…”
Kang Yera discreetly glanced at her mom.
Min Seung-yeon spoke with a meaningful smile.
“You shouldn’t eat too much. You’ll get cavities.”
Chocolate was one of the foods she could only eat with her mom’s permission.
This was because she had been told since childhood not to eat too many sweets.
When it was the next person’s turn, Kang Yera and Kang Dae-oh’s eyes widened.
“Aren’t you the boss?”
The laundry shop owner, who had always volunteered to be Kang Dae-oh’s morning customer, showed a bright smile.
“I heard our Yera was coming to the cafe after a long time, so I rushed over. Could you please sign this so I can hang it in the laundry shop?”
Kang Yera nodded greatly and said.
“Yes, of course! I’ll take a photo with you too.”
“I’d be grateful if you would!”
Kang Yera had known from the beginning that the laundry shop owner was a benefactor who had given Kang Dae-oh a lot of help.
Her dad’s benefactor was soon Kang Yera’s… no, the benefactor of all his daughters.
Therefore, Kang Yera provided fan service to the laundry shop owner with the utmost sincerity.
With the laundry shop owner as the last, Kang Yera left the cafe with her manager.
Even though Kang Yera had left, Branch 2 was still filled with customers.
Everyone seemed busy sharing their experiences of meeting Kang Yera, getting her autograph, and talking with her.
With the addition of drinks and desserts sold at Amare, the store’s revenue for the day naturally increased.
The laundry shop owner approached Kang Dae-oh and said.
“Congratulations, Mr. Kang. Yera has become so famous, and she’s giving her dad a lot of support, so Branch 2 is quickly filling up with customers. She’s a truly filial daughter, a filial daughter.”
“Thank you. More importantly, Boss, if you needed Yera’s signature, you didn’t have to stand in line; you could have just told me separately… because I could have gotten it for you.”
“I told you last time. If I show people that I’m getting special treatment just because I’m an acquaintance, there will definitely be people who don’t like that.”
That’s why the laundry shop owner, even though it took some time and was a hassle, stood in line with other people to get Kang Yera’s signature.
“I’ll take this and hang it in a prominent place in the laundry shop. But Mr. Kang.”
“Yes.”
“Now that I think about it, I don’t see Yera’s signature here at Branch 2?”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Kang Dae-oh remember.
He hadn’t yet received a signature from his eldest daughter that he could hang in the store.
Since it was the early days of her debut, she was so busy. So, he had intended to casually ask her for it when Kang Yera came to the store today.
However, being so preoccupied, he had completely forgotten to ask for that favor.
At this moment.
Kang Yeyoung poked Kang Dae-oh.
“Dad. If it’s a signature, it’s here.”
“Huh?”
It was set up perfectly to be put in a frame and hung immediately.
“When did you… Yeyoung, did you ask your unnie for this?”
“No. As soon as unnie arrived, she said that Dad would definitely be busy with the store, so she prepared the signed paper in advance and asked me to give it to you when she left.”
The laundry shop owner laughed loudly after hearing Kang Yeyoung’s words.
“Yera is more of an adult than her dad, she really is! Haha!”
Kang Dae-oh also couldn’t help but agree with the laundry shop owner’s words at that moment.
