TSJMC 01

Chapter 1 

After Retirement, I Opened a Café

Coffee Master Is Way Too Strong

Kang Seung-gyun, currently in his mid-thirties.

About ten years ago, I was completely obsessed with coffee.

Being a Q-Grader and an R&D Master was practically the bare minimum.

I was once considered a rising star in the industry, having even won the trophy at the World Barista Championship (WBC).

And the job I chose after leaving that glamorous career behind?

I became the exclusive personal barista of the chairman of Pyeongsan Group, a company notorious for being a “black company.”

Why did I join?

Because my family was poor, but the salary was ridiculously high.

My mother had an incurable illness, and my younger sibling was smart but couldn’t continue studying because we couldn’t afford the tuition.

If I wanted to help those two even a little, this was the only option I had.

But I regretted it the moment I joined.

The person I was supposed to serve had… certain peculiarities.

Whenever I prepared coffee using premium Geisha beans, bringing out their floral aroma and fruity flavors, the chairman would always throw his ashtray and shout,

“Not this! I told you to make that nutty stuff that tastes like barley tea!”

“Pardon? But this is good coffee too, Chairman. If you would just try it once…”

“Shut up and make it if I tell you to! Do you think I hired you to give me your opinion? How the hell did a bastard like you become a champion or whatever?”

The philosophy of specialty coffee crumbled in the face of the chairman’s uncompromising tastes and flying ashtrays.

What the chairman needed wasn’t delicious coffee suited to his preferences.

All he wanted was the prestige of being able to say that he had a WBC champion working for him.

A sort of accessory for the chaebol elite.

Well, that was what it was.

Despite earning hundreds of millions of won a year, only about ten percent of my work involved roughly serving beans roasted almost to the point of burning.

The other ninety percent was nothing but miscellaneous chores.

I tried to quit countless times, but every time, I couldn’t because I needed the money.

…More than anything, I was afraid that the chairman, who had one foot in the underworld, might retaliate against me.

Then one day, the chairman died.

Naturally, I went through the retirement process.

He had been a terrible human being, but he was generous with his financial compensation on his way out.

To be precise, his children, who were eager to divide up his fortune as quickly as possible, were the generous ones.

Still, a benefit was a benefit.

With the generous severance payment and my retirement allowance added together, I had enough money to finally fulfill my lifelong dream of opening my own café.

Should I give it a try? A café.

With high hopes, I traveled to a quiet seaside village on Jeju Island.

I’d been worked to the bone at my company, so I figured I deserved a little healing.

On the quiet western side of Jeju, where there were hardly any people, I was looking around a café site at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea when—

“Huh?”

───────

【Awakening Complete: Coffee Master】

• Your desire for beverages has awakened you.

You can provide people with high-quality, exceptionally fresh beverages anytime and anywhere.

Though, you’ll still need money.

───────

I suddenly awakened.

It was a talent completely different from what ordinary Hunters obtained.

As required by law, I went to the Association to have my abilities measured, and because I had absolutely no combat ability, I was classified as an F-rank.

But I was overjoyed.

It might have been a useless little trick to everyone else, but I could get freshly roasted beans anytime I wanted, as long as I paid for them?

For a barista, that was practically a divine power.

---

“Young man! Give me a cup of instant coffee. I feel completely drained after working.”

At the westernmost end of Jeju Island, in Simgok Village, where the sound of waves rolled over the village walls, the first customer at my carefully prepared café, Essence, was an elderly female haenyeo.

She was even the vice-head of the local fishing cooperative, making her something of a powerful figure in the village.

Putting on my customer-service smile, I spoke politely.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we don’t serve instant coffee. Instead, I’ll give you a really delicious single-origin drip coffee. You might change your mind after trying it.”

“Oh, enough with that. Just give me instant coffee. You gave me some last time.”

“I’ll give it to you for free, so please try a different coffee this time.”

I took out the special Panama Geisha beans I’d purchased through my skill.

But instead of admiration, she waved her hands in disgust.

“Forget it. I tried the one you gave me last time, and it was so sour it tasted like vinegar water. Coffee is supposed to be sweet and nutty. And it’s way too expensive.”

Hmm.

The customer’s opinion was completely reasonable from beginning to end.

Ten thousand won for one cup.

That was considered expensive even in Gangnam, but considering the auction price of the beans I’d used, I was practically running a charity.

But in Simgok Village, where the only coffee people knew was instant coffee, such value meant nothing.

“All right. I’ll prepare some nuttier beans next time. There are plenty of good ones in that style, too.”

“Now you’re finally talking sense. Here, take this. And make sure you eat properly.”

She casually tossed a black plastic bag onto the counter before leaving.

Inside were several fresh-looking sea cucumbers and a huge octopus, all still wriggling.

This is probably worth much more than the coffee.

Paying in goods, huh? She’s quite something.

Maybe that’s what came with being the vice-head of the fishing cooperative.

Thanks to her, I had one less day’s worth of food expenses.

I was grateful, but thinking back on her assessment of my coffee made me feel a little bitter.

A high-end espresso machine, marble tables imported directly from Italy, designer lighting…

Maybe I went a little overboard.

When I started the business, I’d practically lost my mind.

I suppose it was a revenge business born from all the stress I’d endured at my previous job.

With a heavy sigh, I activated my unique skill, 《Coffee Master》.

A transparent purchasing window appeared before my eyes.

“This is what I need when I’m feeling gloomy.”

I selected the highest-grade green beans from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia—beans so rare that they were difficult to find on the market.

With a single click, money disappeared from my bank account, and a bag of finely processed coffee beans dropped from thin air.

Let’s do this.

I roasted them on the spot and carefully brewed a drip coffee.

The bright aroma of jasmine and the sweetness of peach rose from the cup.

The electrifying acidity brushing across my tongue made me feel as though every cell in my body had awakened.

It reminded me why I’d become a barista in the first place.

“Damn… This is insane. This is the taste.”

I started brewing another cup, but the bitterness in the back of my mind didn’t disappear.

I loved coffee, which was why I was doing this, but at this rate, I’d end up spending all my savings.

I’d already tried everything I could.

I even marketed it on social media with the slogan, “Specialty coffee made with beans summoned through supernatural powers!”

I personally went around the village promoting the café and even handed out flyers.

But the most fundamental problem remained unsolved.

Koreans—especially people living in rural villages like this—simply weren’t willing to spend nearly ten thousand won on a single cup of coffee.

Even if my café was targeting a niche audience, this was too much.

I’d won the WBC, but apparently, I just didn’t have any talent for running a business.

Why the hell did I do this?

Past me, what were you thinking?

I pushed the negative thoughts aside and focused on the coffee again.

The business might be failing, but I loved these moments.

The gentle sound of water trickling from the dripper.

The sweet aroma that bloomed when water touched the beans.

The refreshing view of the Jeju Sea stretching out beyond the window.

This was the life I’d dreamed of after spending every moment since I was twenty running like a madman without ever getting a chance to rest.

“Yeah. This is what real healing feels like.”

If only I could make some decent money, too.

Just then, transparent tears began to well up in the corners of my eyes.

A news broadcast came through the radio I’d left playing as background music.

《Breaking news. An A-rank Gate has appeared in the sea ten kilometers off the northwestern coast of Jeju Island after a sharp increase in mana concentration! Nearby residents are advised to refrain from going outside, and a departure ban has been…》

“A-rank? Something pretty big happened. And it’s close, too.”

I didn’t know much about Hunters, but I’d heard that A-rank Gates required extremely powerful Hunters to be deployed.

I hope they handle it safely.

The northwestern coast wasn’t all that far from here, either.

Hoping the aftermath wouldn’t reach the café, I returned to studying coffee.

Buying, brewing, and drinking different kinds of beans.

The act itself was the ultimate form of pleasure and healing for me.

“It’s already nighttime?”

When I came to my senses and looked up…

It was already pitch-black outside.

There were no lights nearby, making the scene look truly dark as night.

I should probably close up and head home.

I was wondering whether I should make some ramen with the octopus I’d received earlier when—

Ding!

The door opened with the sound of a bell.

“Hello, welcome to Café Essence!”

I was about to greet the customer with a bright smile when I saw a woman covered in dust, her face pale as she staggered inside.

“Um… Would it be okay if I rested here for a moment?”

“Uh, sure. But are you feeling all right?”

“Yes. I’m just a little tired, so don’t worry about me.”

Her face looked familiar.

I wondered if she was a celebrity, but I couldn’t quite remember.

No way. I must be mistaken.

---

As it turned out, I wasn’t mistaken.

The woman sitting in my café was none other than Song Ra-yoon, an S-rank Hunter who was one of the top ten strongest people in South Korea and earned tens of billions of won a year.

Doesn’t she recognize me?

There was a simple reason Song Ra-yoon had stopped here to rest.

Team 7 of the guild Cheongra, to which she belonged, had been assigned to a permanent two-year posting on Jeju Island.

And today, they’d been dispatched to deal with the A-rank Gate that had appeared off the coast.

The monster they faced was a Kraken—a ridiculously powerful one—and Ra-yoon had pushed herself hard to make sure none of her teammates were injured.

During the battle, she’d expended an excessive amount of mana in a short period of time, which caused a problem.

She was experiencing what was known as mana burnout.

Wouldn’t it be better to return to the guild and receive treatment?

If she did that, she’d have to endure several hours of excruciating pain while receiving a mana neutralizer.

Afterward, she might be sent straight back into another mission.

The Jeju branch of the Cheongra Guild was understaffed 365 days a year.

I want to quit.

While trying to escape reality, she’d somehow ended up at this café that was still open in the middle of the night.

Come to think of it, the owner looks a little scary.

He was handsome.

But the scars scattered across his face gave him a sharp appearance.

“Here you are. A decaf coffee.”

“…Thank you.”

The owner brought her a warm decaffeinated coffee.

She’d told him to give her anything, so perhaps he’d chosen decaf because it was late at night.

She wrapped both hands around the cup and looked around.

For a place this remote, he’s put a lot of effort into the interior.

Maybe he used to work in the underworld and retired to open this place?

While wondering what she should do about her future, she calmly swallowed the coffee.

One sip.

As the coffee slid down her throat, Song Ra-yoon’s eyes widened.

It’s good.

A subtle floral aroma tickled her nose as the coffee went down smoothly.

It felt as though the cup of coffee was embracing her entire body.

As she drank the coffee almost desperately, the headache caused by mana burnout disappeared, and the trembling in her body subsided.

What? Why is the pain going away…?

The placebo effect?

Caffeine?

Maybe it was something like that.

She tilted her head in confusion, but eventually returned to reality.

“Thank you for the coffee.”

A little while later, she stood up with a much more relaxed expression and placed a 50,000-won bill on the table.

“Ah, yes. Thank you. Have a safe trip!”

It was the biggest sale Kang Seung-gyun had made since opening Café Essence.

……

……

Several hours later, S-rank Hunter Song Ra-yoon returned to the Cheongra Guild’s Jeju headquarters.

The support staff checking her condition couldn’t hide their astonishment.

“Is this really possible? Your mana burnout level is zero. No, actually, your mana fluctuations are much more stable than they were before deployment.”

“Excuse me?”

“What high-level Healer treated you?”

“Really? You’re not joking?”

“No. In this condition, there’s no need to administer the neutralizer.”

“……”

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to experience that hellish pain again, Song Ra-yoon nevertheless tilted her head in confusion.

My mana burnout was definitely severe… So why did it suddenly stabilize?

Not only had it stabilized, but the flow of her mana seemed to have improved, and she even felt as though its quantity had increased slightly.

It was almost as if she’d overdosed on some kind of elixir or drug.

As she stroked her chin, one thought suddenly occurred to Ra-yoon.

The fresh floral fragrance still lingering on her tongue, and the warmth that remained in her body.

Could it have been that place?

She thought of Café Essence.

There was nowhere else she could think of.

Ra-yoon decided to visit the place again.

---

Today, too, Café Essence was completely empty.

Aside from the vice-head’s morning visit, when she threw some seafood at me along with her usual nagging about “nutty coffee,” I’d made absolutely no sales.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Hmm. Is this about self-satisfaction and healing, or should I compromise with reality?”

I’d opened this café in a place like this because I’d grown tired of the world, but perhaps it was time to change the way I operated it.

It wasn’t enough for me to simply take care of myself.

There was still one person I was responsible for.

I was washing dishes when—

《Yesterday, an A-rank Gate appeared off the coast of Jeju Island.》

《Fortunately, it was successfully conquered by the Cheongra Guild. Today, we’re going to interview Hunter Song Ra-yoon, who played a leading role in yesterday’s Gate raid.》

On the news playing in the corner, I saw a woman sitting and talking with an anchor.

I glanced over—and my eyes immediately widened.

Because…

“Huh? That’s her.”

The woman who had visited my café yesterday was on the screen.

I was stunned.

No wonder her face had seemed familiar.

She was an S-rank Hunter?

I really met someone incredible.

If I’d known, I should’ve gotten her autograph or at least taken a picture.

It might not have been great for the aesthetics, but just like restaurants display celebrity autographs, it might have helped the café attract customers.

I was clicking my tongue at the missed opportunity when—

Ding!

Someone wearing a hood pulled deeply over their head entered the café.

I quickly stepped behind the counter and put on my customer-service smile.

“Welcome, sir—er, ma’am. This is Café Essence. Would you like to place an order?”

“Give me what I had yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

At my question, the woman lifted her head and removed her hood.

Pale skin.

Striking features.

It was Song Ra-yoon.

“You remember me, right?”

“Oh, yes. You’re the customer who came yesterday.”

She came back?

I already knew from the news that she was an S-rank Hunter, but I maintained a deliberately indifferent expression, worried that a celebrity might dislike being recognized.

But my heart was pounding.

The fact that she’d come back meant she liked the coffee.

If someone as famous as Song Ra-yoon kept visiting the café and word spread about it…

Maybe this could be the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.

I have to satisfy this customer somehow. I need to turn her into a regular.

“I’ll prepare your coffee.”

I finely adjusted the grind size of the beans and brewed the coffee by hand, searching for the optimal timing.

I wanted to give her the highest-quality cup I could possibly make right now.

When I handed her the cup, Song Ra-yoon slowly savored the aroma before taking a sip.

Despite the coffee’s relatively strong acidity, her expression looked much more relaxed than it had yesterday.

She even seemed to genuinely enjoy coffee, moving it around in her mouth as she savored the flavor.

“What exactly is this coffee made from?”

“Oh, the beans? I used the highest-grade Yirgacheffe beans from Ethiopia.”

“Is that all? There’s something… different about this coffee.”

“Ah, well…”

Did she really love coffee that much?

She seemed to have seen right through it.

I carefully opened my mouth.

“This might sound embarrassing, but I have a kind of supernatural ability…”

“Supernatural ability?”

“I’m able to receive an exclusive supply of beans with the highest possible freshness. So, yes, please visit our café from time to time. Whenever you come, I’ll ‘serve’ you the best coffee available.”

I rambled on, trying my best to promote the café.

Then a look of shock appeared on Song Ra-yoon’s face, as if she’d just seen a ghost.

She cautiously opened her mouth.

“Are you perhaps proposing a deal with me?”

“A deal?”

What was she talking about?

Still, I didn’t overreact.

She was a famous person, after all, and a precious customer who had actually bought my coffee for the first time in ages.

“Well, yes. I suppose you could say I’m proposing a kind of deal?”

Song Ra-yoon crossed her arms and hummed thoughtfully for quite a while.

Then, with an expression as if she’d made up her mind, she said,

“Could you give me your bank account number? I’d like to transfer the money for the coffee.”

“Yes!”

I cautiously watched her expression as I gave her my account number.

My phone vibrated briefly.

The moment I checked my online banking screen, I nearly stopped breathing.

The amount deposited was…

───────

【Depositor: Song Ra-yoon】

200,000,000 won

───────

A staggering 200 million won.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Did you send the correct amount? The price was 9,000 won, not 200 million.”

“I sent the correct amount.”

“What? But why…?”

“You said it yourself. You wanted to make a deal with me.”

She spoke with slight caution.

Anyone could see that this amount was excessive.

“But this is coffee. Our beans are expensive, but they’re not worth 200 million won.”

“I know enough to understand the value of this coffee. And don’t think of this as payment for today’s cup… Think of it as paying in advance for all the coffee I’ll drink from you in the future.”

Song Ra-yoon spoke with a serious expression.

I cautiously asked,

“…Does that mean you like my coffee?”

“Yes. Very much.”

I’d heard it before.

Hunters were constantly exhausted and lived on caffeinated drinks, so apparently there were quite a few coffee lovers among them.

It seemed Hunter Song Ra-yoon was one of them.

Which meant…

I’d just caught a goose that laid golden eggs.

“Yes! Then I’ll make sure to serve you the best coffee from now on!”

Kang Seung-gyun answered energetically with a smile.