SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

Translated by cabinfourtranslations.

Here’s what she told us.

“When I told him that I recently opened a business, Seokmin said he would promote it on YouTube and told me to just trust him. When I asked if that would cost a lot of money, he said, ‘What advertising fees? There’s no such thing between us’. He confidently assured me he’d make my store popular and told me to wait, so I believed him completely!”

But when the day came, he didn’t show up and sent his son instead.

‘Uncle, you made an outrageous empty promise……’

“So … Father said that…..”

“If you’re Seokmin’s son, you’re Jiwoon, right? You’ve grown a lot! Ah, so if he sent you in his place, does that mean you’re Seokmin’s marketing manager?”

“Ah, I’m currently succeeding my father as the guild leader of White Silver Guild.”

“I see…..”

Lee Soojin was deeply discouraged, and Kwon Jiwoon didn’t know what to do. It had been a long time since I’d seen Kwon Jiwoon look that flustered.

She’s a longtime acquaintance of my uncle and a retired first-generation Hunter. She was already a formidable figure, she needed to be treated with respect, but there was nothing Kwon Jiwoon could do about this situation.

Of course, there’s no strict hierarchy among Hunters based on generations. However, there was a general sense of respect for Hunters who had risked their lives to seal rifts during the more difficult times when the infrastructure was lacking.

In the end, Kwon Jiwoon silently put down the gift set he was holding on the table.

“This is a modest gift from my father. Then, we’ll take our leave…..”

However, Lee Soojin grabbed Kwon Jiwoon’s arm.

“Wait, wait a moment. I’m out of my mind. I didn’t offer anything to my guests. It’s nothing special, but please have a cup of tea before you go.”

“No, it’s alright. You seem busy, so we’ll be on our way.”

“Ah, you’re Seokmin’s son, so I can’t just let you leave. I’ve got plenty of time, so sit down. I’ll get you something cool to drink in a minute.”

The atmosphere was one that was hard to refuse. In the end, Kwon Jiwoon was led by Lee Soojin’s hand and sat down on the chair in front of him. His movements were awkward, as if the chair had thorns.

It was right at that moment when Choi Yichan and I was about to follow Kwon Jiwoon and sit next to him.

“Ack!”

A loud crashing sound came from inside. When I turned my head, he saw Lee Soojin, who had been preparing a cup of coffee mix, knocking over the tray. She hurriedly placed the dirty tray and cups into the washing bin and took out a new cup. Then, she knocked it over again.

“Ack!”

I quickly jumped to my feet and approached her.

“I’ll take it.”

“Huh? No, no. Stay seated. You’re a guest in my house.”

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However, the cup on the tray rattled uneasily again. I snatched the third tray from her hand and said, “I’ll take it. I’m good at this kind of thing, hahaha.”

Ten minutes later, we sat down, each with a cup of coffee mix in front of us.

“Wait, miss, you’re Seokmin’s niece, right? Your face looks familiar.”

“Yes, that’s right. My name is Kwon Rieul.”

“You’ve grown up exactly the same as when you were a kid. You’ve grown up beautifully. So, is Rieul the marketing manager?”

“No, I’m, um … running a cafe.”

“I see … ah, what about this young man here? A marketing expert brought in from outside?!”

“Ah, hello, I’m Choi Yichan, a hunter currently affiliated with White Silver Guild.”

“I see…..”

“…….”

“…….”

‘Save me……’

It’s awkward! It’s so awkward, it’s driving me crazy.

Just how big of an empty promise my uncle had made? Lee Soojin looked really disappointed. Kwon Jiwoon even tried to call him in a hurry, but it didn’t get through.

In the end, the conversation, which had been intermittently flowing, stopped, and only the sound of ice clinking in the glass could be heard. I glanced to the side. Even Choi Yichan, who was the most easygoing here, couldn’t bear the atmosphere and was just rolling his eyes.

Ah, I should have just made a little more of the coffee mix.

I filled it with plenty of ice to make it extra cold, but now the amount was more than I expected. The atmosphere felt like we couldn’t get up from our seats until we finished it.

“…….”

“…….”

This won’t do. I feel like I’m going to suffocate and die from this tense atmosphere before I even finish my coffee. I need to say something, anything.

“Um, is this store out of business?”

Lee Soojin’s eyes widened as if she was surprised by my out-of-the blue question, “Huh? No, it’s open. Didn’t you see the sign in front that says it’s open?”

“Ah, is that so…..?”

It was obscured by the people lined up in front of the souvenir shop, and the signboard was small with dust piled up, so I thought it had been left unattended. It seemed others thought the same, as some people even placed their bags in front of the store door or sat down to rest.

The interior of the store also didn’t look like it was open for business. The place was clean, but there were many miscellaneous items, making it look cluttered. At first glance, it was hard to tell what kind of store it was. The long menu board, filled with a variety of items, lacked any central theme.

This shouldn’t be a topic of conversation. Let’s change the subject.

“I heard you were a Hunter, so how did you end up opening a bingsu store?”

“…..I got scammed.”

“Huh?!”

Lee Soojin continued speaking, swirling the ice in her cup with a straw.

She decided to retire from being a Hunter at a relatively young age. She was one of the fastest to retire among the first-generation Hunters.

“I used to work really hard back in the day, so I had quite a bit of money. That’s why I tried to start a business back in my hometown with that money. It sounds nice, you know? To hear people call you ‘Boss‘.”

She paused for a moment. then she took out her phone to show a few pictures. They were photos of a beachside restaurant, and both the outdoor scenery and the interior design were quite impressive. At first glance, it seemed like it would attract quite a number of customers.

“How does this place look? Is it pretty?”

“Yes, it’s really beautiful. I think the business must have gone well in that place.”

Lee Soojin’s eyes became teary upon hearing my words.

“However, my business partner told me this, don’t worry about complicated things like management, just leave it all to me and take the profits. A boss doesn’t have to worry about such trivial matters, right?”

I had an ominous feeling.

“But one day, when I went to the restaurant, I found that my business partner had run off with the money? Without me even knowing, the restaurant building was also sold, so I lost everything.”

My hunch was correct.

“That’s unbelievable…..”

It didn’t end there. Somehow, she managed to save up the remaining money and set up another business, this time a small one.

“I realized that if you leave everything to a business partner, you end up in a terrible situation, so this time I decided to manage everything myself. But … who was it? A real estate agent who was a friend of my middle school classmate’s cousin contacted me saying that there was a good property. It was a bit more expensive than my budget, but since I knew them, I went ahead and signed the contract.”

But this time, it was a scam again. The store that was supposed to be in a prime location by the beach vanished like a mirage, and all that was left for her was this bingsu shop, located in a spot that no one even noticed in the market. After purchasing the shaved ice machine and other equipment, she said she was left completely penniless.

“Wait, how much was that shaved ice machine?”

“Huh? That? I bought it from here.”

Lee Soojin opened a website on her phone and showed it to me. A colorful banner advertisement appeared. It used fancy terms like “supporting small business” and “special discount on equipment“, but in reality, it was a suspicious site that extorted money under various pretexts.

When I clicked on the shaved ice machine on the site, a ridiculous amount of money was displayed after adding various fees. No matter how expensive commercial shaved ice machines were, there was no way the price should be this high.

“……But no customers came, ha ha ha!”

Lee Soojin laughed heartily, but I felt my chest tighten.

She was generous, but she was too trusting and unaware of how things worked. A Hunter with a large sum of money, yet clueless about the ways of the world, she was the perfect prey for scammers.

At this rate, no matter where she went or what she did, scammers would flock to her like moths to a fluorescent light on a summer night. Starting a business was too risky of a choice for her.

Looking to the side, it seemed like Kwon Jiwoon and Choi Yichan had come to a similar conclusion. Kwon Jiwoon cautiously opened his mouth.

“How about returning as a Hunter? With your experience, I’m sure there are many guilds that would want to sign a contract with you.”

Unlike my uncle, she still possessed her abilities as an Awakened. Since hers wasn’t a class affected by physical age, she could return anytime if she wanted.

“Hmm…..”

However, she gave a lukewarm reaction. Kwon Jiwoon added one more remark.

“If it’s not convenient for you, the White Silver Guild is also willing to offer the contract.”

“That’s not possible. I appreciate the offer, but I have no intention of going back to something I’ve already quit once.”

“If you’re concerned about the terms, I’ll do my best to adjust them…….”

“I’m not interested in negotiating terms with Seokmin’s son. I appreciate your kind offer.”

He tried to persuade her a couple more times, but she was adamant. She didn’t look the least bit willing to go back to being a Hunter.

Silence once again filled the empty store. Lee Soojin seemed to try to ease the awkward atmosphere by changing the topic.

“That’s right. Rieul, you said earlier that you’re running a cafe, right? Seokmin bragged about how well your business is doing.”

“Ahaha … thank you. My cafe is in front of the place where the Great Dungeon was.”

“Ah, in that place where there was nothing? That’s impressive. Seokmin must be really supportive.”

She laughed happily and continued to compliment me. Then, out of the blue, she made a suggestion.

“That’s right, Rieul, you should take a look at this place. This store.”

“Yes?”

“It’s a bit tucked away, but I just don’t understand why not a single customer is coming. Well, I’m not asking you for help with promotion or anything, but you’re definitely much better at business than I am.”

Only then did I remember the quest I had received earlier. I had completely forgotten about it while listening to the tragic story of the business scam.

I opened the quest window and read the description again. The phrase “You must demonstrate your true Cafe Owner’s skills to get through this gate” must be referring to this task. I still wondered why they didn’t just state the quest requirements plainly and honestly.

Having received Lee Soojin’s request, I revisited the conditions of this store.

The exterior wasn’t particularly eye-catching to attract customers, but it’s clean, and the equipment was in good condition. It’s located in an inconspicuous location within the market, but there were plenty of people passing by. Especially the people lined up at the next store, they must be tired and thirsty.

It’s the end of summer, but the hot weather was still here, so it was definitely the peak season for bingsu.

And finally, here’s something I’ve learned this summer.

People love bingsu. Like, really, really, insanely love it.

So, I would argue that the chances of success were fairly good.

After I finished looking around the store, I solemnly declared.

“It just needs a few improvements. This store has a great potential to succeed.”

If you enjoy this translation, you can buy me cup of coffee through Buy Me a Coffee!

Translator’s Corner:

Tbh, if you’re easy to get scammed, I really don’t think running a business is good for you …. T_T maybe just being an employee and get monthly wage is okay….. (it’s my dream, please send your prayer so I’ll get a decent job soon)

ALSO RIEUL WAS RUNNING AWAY TO THIS PLACE BECAUSE SHE GOT SICK OF BINGSU BUT THE BINGSU FOUND HER AGAIN DJKDKJDKJ and I heard most four-seasons place already have their first snow recently o.o the weather of the chapter really didn’t match ….

anyway I think I can afford to stay in my current place for one more month … the thought of spending new year alone in new place scared me so I hope I can stay here until new year at least (well, I also spend new year alone here but at least it’s a familiar place). All my friends already left and returned to their hometown, but since I don’t have a place like that, I am distracting my mind by doing tls since I haven’t made up my mind where I should go after this sjfdhdjkfshjdfhj

This series will end soon, so I picked up a new healing theme series for my main project (I already said this in previous chapter, but well). There are already some chapters, so if you guys interested in idol-story-no-romance-but-found-family-themed, please try to read /2024/11/16/while-im-taking-revenge-ill-conquer-the-top-idol-chapter-1/. I’m highkey so happy translating that …. I love the MC as much as I love Rieul…….