Chapter 2 

Coffee Master Is Way Too Strong

This Café Is Suspicious

A little while later, inside a car speeding down the road.

Song Ra-yoon had a serious expression on her face as she gripped the steering wheel.

I never expected him to propose a deal to me first.

The coffee from Café Essence.

At first, she’d thought it was just the placebo effect.

But after drinking it for the second time, she became certain.

There was something inside that coffee—something she didn’t know about.

A café located in a suspiciously remote area.

An owner with an atmosphere that didn’t seem appropriate for an ordinary café owner.

And coffee that was strangely fragrant.

When all those conditions were put together, there could only be one answer.

There is definitely something going on.

That man was doing something illegal that violated the Hunter Act.

First, I need to keep him tied down somehow. Then I’ll investigate him slowly.

And, as a bonus, she could drink plenty of his coffee while she was at it.

---

A little while later, inside the living quarters on the second floor of the café.

As soon as I returned, I threw myself onto the bed and checked my phone again.

On the smartphone screen was a long row of zeros following the number two.

Exactly 200 million won.

“Holy crap, it’s real.”

I rolled around on the bed.

Of course, the money was a huge reason to be happy, but that wasn’t everything.

I’d spent more than ten years roasting beans in a place where even my personal tastes weren’t respected.

This money proved that all those years hadn’t been meaningless.

My coffee had value.

And it had been recognized by none other than one of the most famous S-rank Hunters in South Korea.

I really have lived long enough to see everything.

After rolling around and celebrating for a while, I started to get hungry.

I opened the black plastic bag the old lady had left earlier that afternoon.

It was packed with fresh seafood.

“All right. Tonight calls for a celebration.”

I went to the kitchen, cleaned the scallops, and generously spread a piece of butter over a heated pan.

Sizzle.

The savory aroma immediately filled the house.

Once the scallop meat had turned golden brown, I finished it off by sprinkling some parsley over the top.

I also took out a can of beer I’d been keeping at the back of the refrigerator.

With the gentle sound of waves outside the window as my background music, I prepared a little feast for myself.

As I took a refreshing sip of beer, the cool carbonation sliding down my throat melted away the tension throughout my body.

The freshly grilled scallops were sweet and savory, practically melting in my mouth.

Maybe happiness really wasn’t anything complicated.

“I guess all that hard work in life was worth it.”

There had been times when I’d genuinely wanted to die several times a day.

Now, it felt almost unbelievable that I’d ever thought that way.

But I couldn’t fully enjoy this happiness by myself.

I knew that there was someone else who needed this money urgently.

“Let’s see.”

I opened my banking app and entered my younger sister Seung-hee’s account information.

She had never been able to experience a normal college life because she’d spent her time caring for our mother, who had an incurable illness.

Without hesitation, I transferred five million won.

Along with a short memo:

Pay off all your student loans.

The moment I pressed the transfer confirmation button, my phone vibrated.

“Hey, Seung-hee.”

《Oppa! What is this money? Why did you suddenly send me five million won? Oppa, you didn’t take out some kind of loan, did you? You’re not trying to kill yourself, are you?》

Her voice over the phone was filled with confusion and worry.

“What loan? Do I look like someone who’d take out one of those?”

《Then where did this money come from?! You said the café doesn’t have any customers these days. I can pay off my student loans myself, so why do you keep doing this?》

My sister’s nagging continued for quite some time.

She’d always been more worried about other people than herself.

Even though she’d never been able to enjoy her youth properly and had spent so much of it caring for Mom, consideration for others had become second nature to her.

“Don’t worry. Your brother just had something good happen.”

And it was something very good.

---

Inside the kitchen of Café Essence.

I hummed to myself as I washed the dishes, my body moving almost on its own.

Outside the window, all I could see were stray cats, the sea, and a clear blue sky.

There wasn’t a customer in sight, but today, I didn’t care.

“Haha!”

Every time I remembered the absurd number—200 million won—sitting in my bank account, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I felt lighter than ever.

Of course, it wasn’t simply because of the money.

I’ve finally met someone who understands the value of my coffee.

My dedication to specialty coffee was something I’d devoted my entire life to studying.

I’d finally met someone who genuinely loved what others had dismissed as tasting like vinegar.

And she wasn’t an ordinary person.

Song Ra-yoon, the “Empress of Lightning,” ranked ninth in South Korea and within the top 300 in the world.

I’d never even known the first thing about Hunters, but after yesterday, I’d searched her up on Namuwiki and practically memorized everything about her overnight.

Her annual salary alone was fifty billion won.

Thanks not only to her abilities but also to her striking beauty, she’d already appeared in more than twenty major advertisements.

Her lightning ability gave her tremendous speed and destructive power, but apparently the side effect was frequent mana disturbances, making it difficult for her to maintain her condition.

Well, none of that was really my business.

What mattered was that she liked my coffee.

Enough to pay 200 million won for it.

In a capitalist society, giving someone that much money meant she liked it that much, right?

I’d never had even one gram of interest in the Hunter industry before, but I already felt like I was becoming a fan of Song Ra-yoon.

“I should do some research. I need to make coffee that Hunter Song Ra-yoon can enjoy even more. And make sure she can experience the best healing possible at this café.”

Lost in pleasant fantasies, I brewed and tasted the beans I’d roasted that morning one by one.

The aroma of citrus, a very faint hint of caramel, and finally the flavor of stone fruit lingering before fading away—the characteristics of Yirgacheffe.

It was exactly my taste.

When I finished the sampler and looked up, I saw the sun rising beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the sea golden.

A few seagulls were lazily flying through the sky.

How can the world be this beautiful?

The corners of my mouth naturally lifted.

“What’re you up to?”

At that moment, a face suddenly appeared outside the window, nearly making my heart jump out of my chest.

It was the vice-head old lady.

“Ah! You startled me! Good morning, ma’am!”

“Why do you look so happy? Your smile is practically reaching your ears. Don’t smile like that, young man. You look scary when you smile.”

“Ah, well…”

I scratched my head.

“I had a pretty good day at the café yesterday and made a lot of money. Haha!”

“Oh, what a ridiculous joke. Looks like you haven’t fully woken up yet.”

She clearly didn’t believe me.

Well, who could possibly imagine that a shop where flies were practically the only customers had handled hundreds of millions of won?

“Give me an instant coffee today, too. I need to warm my stomach before I go diving.”

She opened the door, walked inside, and plopped herself down in a chair.

As I prepared her instant coffee, I kept glancing in her direction.

Unlike usual, she kept sighing heavily and had deep wrinkles between her brows.

Anyone could tell that something was wrong.

I handed her the freshly prepared instant coffee and asked,

“Ma’am, is something bothering you these days?”

“It’s nothing much. My children are giving me trouble, and there’s all sorts of chaos in the fishing cooperative. It’s just… making my head spin. But you don’t need to know the details, young man.”

Her sigh-filled answer made me feel a little uneasy.

As I watched the vice-head old lady quietly sip her coffee while staring endlessly out at the sea, someone suddenly came to mind.

And that strange feeling made my body do something I normally wouldn’t have done.

Should I give it a try?

I took some chilled custard cream from the refrigerator, sprinkled sugar over it, and torched the top.

A perfectly crisp, caramelized crème brûlée.

I also brewed one of the beans I had on hand—one with relatively low acidity and a well-balanced flavor—and prepared it as an iced coffee.

I served the dessert first.

“Ma’am, try this today, too.”

“What is this? Why are you giving me something this expensive? Business must be going badly. Are you trying to force me to buy something?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s a new menu item, so I just wanted you to try it. I feel bad getting seafood from you for free all the time, so there’s no charge.”

“Hmmm… Instant coffee is plenty for me.”

The old lady cautiously scooped up some crème brûlée with her fork.

The moment she tasted it, I saw her eyes sparkle and widen.

“Oh, this is actually pretty good. But having this with the coffee makes it a little too sweet, doesn’t it?”

That was the reaction I’d been waiting for.

I immediately handed her the coffee I’d prepared.

“Then instead of the milk coffee… try it with this.”

“I told you, I don’t like vinegar!”

“Just try it once. It tastes completely different when you eat it with something sweet.”

Grumbling, the old lady picked up the cup and took a sip of coffee before putting another bite of crème brûlée into her mouth.

This time, she tilted her head in confusion.

The speed at which she scooped up the dessert increased, and instead of reaching for the milk coffee, she kept reaching for the drip coffee.

Before long, both the plate and the cup were completely empty.

“Ahem! It’s not bad today.”

“What do you think? The coffee I make isn’t bad either, right?”

“I still prefer instant coffee. I can’t afford something this expensive.”

“I’ll give it to you as a complimentary drink from time to time. Especially for you.”

“Good grief. A young man shouldn’t be so soft-hearted.”

I scratched my cheek awkwardly while the old lady smacked her lips and slowly stood up.

“Goodness… I ought to get going and do some work.”

Without saying anything else, she placed the money for the coffee on the table.

As usual, there was a black plastic bag filled with seafood.

Beside it was a crumpled 10,000-won bill.

The moment I noticed it while clearing the table, I immediately ran outside.

“Ma’am, take your money back! I told you this is on the house!”

“Forget it! You’re poor yourself. Who’s worrying about whom? I’m leaving.”

I couldn’t help smiling as I watched her walk away without even looking back.

Who could possibly stop that stubborn old woman?

Looking at the crumpled 10,000-won bill in my hand, the corners of my mouth naturally lifted.

“Honestly, I told her it was fine.”

A strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.

---

That evening, around the time the sun was setting and darkness was beginning to settle over the land—

Rattle.

As if we’d made an appointment, Song Ra-yoon came to the café.

She was dressed casually in a light hoodie.

For some reason, there seemed to be a shadow over her face today.

“Hello.”

“Yes, Song Ra… I mean, welcome. I’ll prepare your coffee right away. Um… I have some beans I blended myself today. Would you like me to brew those for you?”

“Sure. Whatever’s convenient.”

She had almost exactly the same expression the vice-head old lady had worn that morning.

That only made me more eager.

Song Ra-yoon was practically a benefactor to me, so I wanted the things I’d prepared with such care to reach her properly.

Let’s see.

Seventy percent Yirgacheffe, thirty percent Panama.

I used the beans I’d prepared in advance and brewed the coffee hot.

A sweet floral aroma filled the café, and I prepared a crème brûlée to go with it.

Then I served them together.

“Crème brûlée and today’s specialty coffee. This one is decaf, too, so you don’t have to worry.”

“…Crème brûlée?”

“Yes. Since you’re a regular customer now. Try it. It’ll put you in a better mood.”

I placed both items on a pretty tray.

Song Ra-yoon cautiously took a bite of the crème brûlée with her fork.

The moment she tasted it, her eyes widened, and the tension in her face melted away.

Then she took a sip of the coffee.

“It’s delicious. Really.”

“Huh?”

“Both the crème brûlée and the coffee are delicious. I don’t know if I should call it the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, but… this is the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

Song Ra-yoon answered with a bright smile.

The cold expression of the Empress of Lightning that I’d seen during her television interviews—or when she’d first entered the café—was nowhere to be found.

It was almost like the smile of a ten-year-old child.

An honest expression that appeared when someone was eating something delicious.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Yes.”

Song Ra-yoon quickly ate the coffee and crème brûlée.

I wanted to ask her about her coffee preferences and all sorts of other things, but she was a celebrity, so I decided not to pry.

Even without me, she probably had to deal with people constantly bothering her.

At least while she was here, I wanted her to feel comfortable, both physically and mentally.

While I was thinking that, I noticed Song Ra-yoon repeatedly glancing in my direction.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, it’s not that. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you open a café here? I don’t mean to be rude, but this doesn’t seem like a place people would visit. There aren’t any tourist attractions nearby, and it’s on the outskirts of the village.”

“Oh, that… I just liked the atmosphere around here.”

A slightly bitter expression appeared on my face before I added,

“And… I don’t really like being around too many people.”

“You don’t like crowds, even though you run a business?”

“No. Things were pretty hectic at my previous job. I suppose this was partly an escape… or maybe I was just looking for somewhere that felt right. That’s how I ended up here. Of course, now all I do is watch flies fly around every day.”

I laughed self-deprecatingly.

Song Ra-yoon became serious and stroked her chin thoughtfully for quite a while.

Why is she asking me all this?

Does she like my coffee that much?

My lips twitched upward again with unwarranted anticipation.

“How long have you been running this café?”

“About five months. Before that, I was the chairman’s personal barista at a company called Pyeongsan Group.”

“Personal barista?”

“Yes. Half the time I was practically a general servant, but the pay was good. Back then, being a barista wasn’t exactly a lucrative career.”

“I see…”

After that, Song Ra-yoon continued asking me questions about myself.

They seemed a little excessive for questions you’d normally ask a café owner.

Well, she must like our café that much.

My principle as a café owner was simple during this conversation:

If Song Ra-yoon didn’t bring something up herself, I wouldn’t ask about it.

I wanted this place to be the most comfortable place in the world for my customers.

I suppose that was my own little philosophy of running a business.

“Would you like some more coffee or dessert?”

“Oh, is that really okay?”

“Of course.”

While we continued talking, I refilled her crème brûlée and decaf coffee once more.

Song Ra-yoon finished everything and then spent a long time staring blankly out at the night sea through the window.

When the clock approached ten, she slowly stood up.

“I’ll come again next time, boss. Thank you for today.”

“No, I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

I walked her out.

Song Ra-yoon got into her car and disappeared into the darkness.

“Today was a good day.”

It felt as though my body were floating.

The crème brûlée and coffee combination I’d carefully prepared had been a hit with Hunter Song Ra-yoon.

And thanks to it, even the vice-head old lady had started appreciating drip coffee.

Other people might not think that was anything special, but considering that I’d made absolutely no progress for nearly five months, this was a huge step forward.

I should prepare a wider variety of desserts for future pairings. The problem will be keeping everything fresh, though…

I went back into the café and was about to clean up when—

FLASH!

A transparent system window suddenly appeared before my eyes.

───────

【Tutorial Cleared!】

• Condition: Make two or more customers “Extremely Satisfied.”

【Additional functions of Coffee Master have been unlocked!】

【“Purchase Very Special Dessert Ingredients” has been added!】

───────

“Uh…?”

What…? What does this suddenly mean?