I Quit My Job and Run a Café - Chapter 7
Only Krnovel
Episode 7
* * *
Kim Ha-na has been extremely stressed out lately due to things she doesn’t want to do.
It’s already been two years since I started working at a clothing company as a designer.
But from the day I joined the company until now, I have been working day and night on things unrelated to my job.
From photo editing, blog management, to shopping mall customer center support.
It seemed like they did everything except design.
Besides, I couldn’t even count how many times I had been on business trips to the provinces.
It even made me think that maybe the company was deliberately trying to get me out of the company.
I was becoming less and less motivated to work and became depressed when it was time to go to work.
The more I did something, the more I felt like it wasn’t my job, and naturally, my condition worsened.
When will I be able to do the design I want?
At first, I occasionally drank with my school seniors who had joined the same industry and shared my worries, but… … .
Coming back is just a reminder to hold on a little longer.
Note, note again.
‘So… … How long… … Do I have to endure this… … Please tell me that.’
Waiting without any promise.
Because of this, his anxiety about his own abilities grew.
I didn’t even expect recognition or praise.
No, what should I do in the first place? What can I do and what can I expect when I’m not even asked to do it?
This isn’t what I drew when I was a student…
I have already become a tired office worker who only dreams of quitting my job.
But what’s even darker is this.
The fact was that unless I quit my job right away, there was nothing I could do about it.
‘Oh… it’s been a while since I’ve had a vacation, so let’s go for a drive… Okay. But… where are you going?’
I decided to cool my head and take up a hobby.
She had originally enjoyed traveling since her college days.
Getting out of the city and seeing nature.
A place where you can enjoy a moderate amount of convenience,
‘……cafe.’
In the past, when I was very stressed, I would go to a cafe in the suburbs or a nearby region rather than the city.
Then, my stuffy mind will be relieved a little.
But the problem was that I had already been to most places.
I searched here and there on my phone but couldn’t find a suitable place.
‘I’ve been here… … before, but the food… … wasn’t that great, and there were too many long bugs… … .’
The photos looked good, but when you actually go there, there was nothing to see, so I filtered out places and there really weren’t any places worth going to.
At that time, I was just wandering around aimlessly and was thinking that I should just waste my vacation days!
“Uh… … Huh? Where… … is it?”
It didn’t come up in Starstargram or Naver searches.
But when I looked at the map, I noticed a place I hadn’t been to.
Even when I tried to look at the detailed information, there was only the location and name, so there wasn’t any other information.
‘Mo… … or do… … Ji.’
If it’s not that good, just assume you drove.
Anyway, right now I just need a place I can get away to.
I just drove there and arrived.
The destination was marked as inside a narrow road that was a bit difficult to drive on, so I just parked nearby.
And as I walked up… … .
‘oh my god.’
There is a clearing surrounded by forest on all sides, with an open sky above and a picturesque wooden cabin below.
Even the wooden sign standing in front was perfect.
I opened the door without looking and went inside.
Ding, ding, ding
The clear sound of the bell greets you first… … .
“Welcome. Cafe Tiger… … Rest… …!?”
The manager, who seemed to have come running out of nowhere, greeted me breathlessly.
But why do you look so surprised?
He looks so blunt that he doesn’t seem like he would make that kind of expression…
* * *
Come to think of it, there was one thing I was missing.
I saw in the recipe book that it said to use fresh mint.
I thought it was because of the taste, but I wonder where my grandfather got it from.
This is a place where delivery isn’t very good.
There’s no way I’d buy fresh mint every time.
There wasn’t anything in the refrigerator either.
The answer was simple.
Local procurement.
A window floating above the guests’ heads and a window floating above the mint.
It would be even stranger if the two had no connection.
so.
‘You can check this too.’
You’ll find out once you try making the drink.
I glanced behind me before opening the back door.
A guest was still seen wearing something black.
‘Fatigue… … ‘
There was an old advertisement that depicted fatigue as something hanging from a person’s back.
If you look at it that way, that black energy feels quite direct.
Because when you look at it, it feels like a sticky lump of tar.
It looks like it won’t come off easily even if you try to take it off.
‘And this mint.’
A small garden is visible when you open the back door and come out.
I saw Rangi still rolling around in the same place, and that thing next to him.
I approached it carefully and picked it up.
right.
The text window was still visible in the handful of mints I had clenched.
“Hoooo─.”
good.
Now all that’s left to do is to get it made. I went straight inside and washed and trimmed the mint.
After that, it was a breeze.
Wheeing!!
The process of making it was no different from when using powder.
It was the same as the original recipe, only the main ingredients were different.
Add ice and milk and finely chopped fresh mint.
The rest is the same process.
Will this really work out the way I think it will?
This is my first time using mint. Will there be any problems?
Many thoughts were racing through my head, but I moved my hands freely regardless.
Pour the well-mixed mixture into a clear cup and top with whipped cream.
Finally, finish decorating by lightly placing a healthy leaf on top.
Okay then.
[Mint Chocolate Frappuccino]
─Effect: Relieves fatigue, relieves stress
A text window is also attached here.
It was as expected.
A new window has opened up for the drink, unlike when it was simply made into powder.
He nodded slightly and moved his body.
“The drink you ordered is here.”
I took the tray to the counter.
The customer sitting by the window slowly got up and…
He went back with his drink without saying anything.
And then I looked out the window leisurely and put my lips to it.
What will it be like?
Was my prediction correct?
I watch the scene with a pounding heart.
I took a sip.
‘huh?’
No, two sips? Three sips?
Gulp! Gulp!
I thought he’d drink just a little, but he drank it all in one go.
and…….
“Wow─! Awesome!”
The customer who put down his empty cup shouted as if he had forgotten I was there.
Are you satisfied?
What other changes are there…?
Saaaaa~
At that moment, the wind blew.
How come I didn’t leave the door open?
Such doubts soon disappeared.
No, there was no time to wonder.
The source of the wind was none other than the customer who had just been drinking a beverage.
The wind blowing from the guest was coming straight here, carrying with it the dark clouds that had clung to it.
I realized it too late and tried to avoid it, but it was too late. It was too fast.
The moment I thought it was coming, it was already right before my eyes.
and.
Saa!
“… … ?!”
The wind that I couldn’t avoid was absorbed into my body.
* * *
The feeling of it flowing through my body like blood passing through a blood vessel is so vivid.
Starting from the chest, moving up the arms, legs, and head.
The wind that was absorbed swirled around my whole body.
But every time I passed by, I felt strangely cool.
It was similar to how you feel when you drink something cold as the temperature passes down your esophagus and into your stomach.
Instead, I felt it all over my body.
‘What is this?’
Is what I’m experiencing right now real?
At that moment, as the wind swept through my head, I came to my senses with a refreshing feeling, as if I had chewed a handful of mint.
Now was not the time to be doing this.
That’s not all that’s strange.
“Boss? Boss!”
“……yes?”
“I called you earlier.”
“ah.”
“Hmm? Can I order one more of what I drank earlier?”
A normal person tilts his head in front of me and speaks.
What this means is this.
The dark mass of light that had been covering the guests until just a moment ago had disappeared.
Instead, she became a normal female guest.
The dark circles under the eyes of tired office workers have somewhat improved, and the dull atmosphere has become brighter.
Just like someone around that age.
Even if a person were to change it, I would believe it.
Unless my eyes are faulty, it definitely was.
“president?”
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t you say you wanted to order one more?”
“Yes, um… … Ah, I don’t usually do that. This is because I was thirsty from coming here, and it was so delicious.”
A guest who talks strangely nonsense.
He was making excuses as if he didn’t know why he was doing this.
As expected, my thoughts were not wrong.
Bright.
This must have been his original personality.
“Anyway, it feels like I’ve finally come to my senses. It’s like squeezing a whole tube of toothpaste out of my mouth. Oh, I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”
Something seems a bit too cheesy?
Anyway, what was important was the result.
Because it wasn’t just her appearance and her vibe that had changed.
She didn’t know it herself, but it looked so good to me.
Literally speaking.
‘The text window on the mint is still visible, and… … that too.’
[Kim Hana]
─’Mint Chocolate Frappuccino’ in use (36)
─Application effect: Fatigue recovery, stress relief
The content of the text window attached to the guest had changed.
It’s definitely different than before.
My head became cold.
Let’s check the difference and understand the situation.
First, I quickly gave the guests another drink and sent them back to their seats.
And this time, I took a good look at the customers who were leisurely enjoying their drinks while looking out the window.
Gulp! Gulp!
“Mmm~! It’s really delicious… … .”
The customer who opened his mouth so slowly did not feel the black wind blowing like before.
Instead, something green bloomed around the body and the admiration.
At that sight, I quietly took out my phone.
A habit that became ingrained in me made me turn on my notepad naturally.
Looking at the dense notebooks I used to write at work, I feel like I need to organize them too.
First, what’s in front of you.
Now that I had the answer, I had to quickly write it down before I forgot what I was thinking.
‘Assuming that this is reality… … .’
─The customer is an ordinary person (seems not to see what I see).
─The text window you see in Mint is real.
─The green mass of light that appears next to the customer, like a haze or an aura (let’s just define it as an aura), is the effect of the drink.
─The black mass (different aura) that was attached to the customer I saw for the first time disappeared due to the effect of the drink, or was absorbed into me along with the wind.
─And all these things happened because I saw things that I had never seen before.
I underlined the last sentence.
okay.
It all started here.
And this beginning was the problem.
What happened next was clearly causal. It was so magical that it was hard to believe.
anyway.
The reason why this suddenly happened to me is… … .
‘……dream?’
The hand that was writing notes stopped here.
You may wonder what kind of dream story this is all of a sudden… … .
This place, Tiger Shelter Cafe, is located in a mysterious place.
I raised my head and looked out the window.
I saw empty lots and forests that still retained their mystery.
At that moment, one image overlapped.
It was a scene from the first dream I had when I came here, one that I still remember vividly.
The god and the various animals that were around him.
That’s when I realized what I had missed.
It was the scenery right around me.
‘Yeah. It was exactly like that.’
Since it is a place filled with childhood memories, it could have appeared as a dream background.
But I was saying that it wasn’t rational.
Suddenly, I remembered how, when I lay there blankly, all the worries of the world would disappear and my body would feel light.
I wonder if it was just my imagination.
There’s one more thing.
‘Grandpa had a dream too. A dream about a tiger, just like mine.’
I thought it was just a simple dream.
I started to think that maybe that wasn’t the case.
That’s why the name of this place is Tiger Shelter.
This land, and the cafe built on it.
There was definitely something special here.
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