Seo-jun fell silent for a moment, thinking about whether this place was really worth the price. Seeing how anxious the man looked about being rejected, Seo-jun used that hopeful gaze as leverage to lower the price—or walk away entirely.
"How about fifty million won? Considering how much renovation this place needs, it feels a bit excessive to price it any higher than that. You get what I mean, right?"
Seo-jun said casually.
"But... my siblings won't be happy with that price,"
the man replied with a gloomy look.
"If that's the case, that's too bad. I guess I'll just look for another place. It was nice talking to you, see you around,"
Seo-jun replied flatly.
After only a few steps, Seo-jun's name was called again by the man.
"Young Master! Alright, I'll accept fifty million won."
Hearing those words clearly, Seo-jun broke into a wide smile and shook hands to finalize the deal. All the shop's paperwork had already been prepared by the man, so Seo-jun only needed to pay one more million won to receive the complete documents.
From that day on, Seo-jun's schedule became extremely packed. Between handling his university assignments, running his businesses, attending important meetings with his father, and finally overseeing the café renovation, his days were fully booked.
It took four full months for the café renovation to be completed perfectly; after that, he became busy purchasing equipment and preparing ingredients. Before the café's grand opening, Seo-jun first took barista classes to learn more about coffee and various other drinks over several months.
Not only that, he also took bakery classes to add cakes and various pastries as complementary menu items. And now, he was ready for the café's opening; friends who heard about it flocked in to try Seo-jun's drinks and desserts.
The business ran smoothly under a deliberately hidden owner's name, and before he knew it, three years had passed. Seo-jun had officially graduated and was soon entrusted with managing one of his father's branch companies.
The company he was given was a branch that was already on the verge of bankruptcy. Because the person his father had trusted turned out to have betrayed him by embezzling company funds for personal pleasure, his father entrusted the company to his son to stabilize it once again.
With his sharp negotiation skills, Seo-jun easily secured partners and clients, and in just two years, the company—once operating at a loss and even delaying employee salaries—grew rapidly. In fact, employee salaries rose above the minimum wage, making the company one of the most sought-after workplaces in the city in terms of pay and benefits.
After finishing his lunch in his office, Seo-jun headed up to the rooftop to enjoy the view for a moment while loosening his stiff back after sitting for too long.
At the same time, the other employees were busy talking about a novel recently released by a rising author. Many of them said the latest work was so much of a masterpiece that it was likely to be adapted into a movie.
While Seo-jun was casually listening in, Park Min-jae suddenly tapped him on the shoulder. The sudden gesture startled him, almost causing him to punch the face of his notoriously mischievous coworker.
"Easy, bro, I was just messing around. You're always spacing out—life's supposed to be relaxed. Chill, boy—oh yeah, you've heard about that novel that's been booming lately, right?"
his coworker asked, eyebrows bouncing up and down.
Seo-jun immediately shook his head.
"No. I'm not interested in reading that romance novel."
"Tsk… what a waste. You're missing out—it's actually really good, bro. You should at least skim it, you know. The important client you're meeting tomorrow is a hardcore fan of those cliché stories. You need something to talk about so the conversation goes smoothly."
Because of that advice, Seo-jun had no choice but to head to the bookstore Min-jae recommended after work. The youth-oriented bookstore felt incredibly cozy; not only did it provide seating, but it also offered both heavy meals and light snacks for readers. That was a nice touch—at least Seo-jun wouldn't need to go elsewhere for dinner.
He hadn't even finished half of the book when Seo-jun already felt secondhand embarrassment from the absurd fantasy romance harem storyline. Every plot twist was painfully predictable, and in the end, he closed the book, finished his meal, and prepared to leave as quickly as possible.
As usual, after work Seo-jun stopped by his café to supervise and help his employees with closing so they could go home earlier. After saying goodbye to the staff, he suddenly remembered the books he had stored in the attic.
Those were books he had secured during the café's renovation—various kinds ranging from textbooks to novels, all still in good condition despite their slightly yellowed pages.
While rummaging through them, Seo-jun's attention was caught by a history book about the downfall of a merchant family during the era of the British Kingdom, caused by the absence of any heir willing to take over the highly sought-after diamond mining business.
"Crazy. Even after their father died, not a single child wanted to run such a profitable business—this makes no sense."
So absorbed in reading, Seo-jun failed to notice that it was already two in the morning, even though he had an important meeting the next day. Since the café and the branch company he managed were nearby, he decided to sleep there for the night.
The next morning, after getting ready, Seo-jun enjoyed his breakfast while continuing to read the history book, until one of his employees asked what he was reading—apparently because Seo-jun looked unusually tense.
"It's a history book about a merchant family,"
Seo-jun replied flatly.
The employee nodded.
"Oh, I see. I thought you were reading that novel that's been trending lately."
Seo-jun immediately showed a look of disgust.
"No. That book is revolting—far too clingy to be read by an old man like me."
The employee burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright. I hope you meet the love of your life soon. When that happens, you'll understand why those books feel so comforting to read,"
he said teasingly.
"That will never happen!"
Seo-jun snapped loudly.
Seeing that it was almost eight o'clock, Seo-jun hurried off. While waiting at a red light, curiosity about the continuation of the story got the better of him, and he opened the book again. So focused was he while crossing the street that he failed to pay proper attention to the road—unaware of a cargo truck speeding toward him after its brakes failed.
Suddenly, screams rang in Seo-jun's ears. He managed to glance up briefly before the front of the truck slammed into his body, sending him flying several meters away. As he was thrown aside, his body was run over by several other vehicles that had slammed on their brakes.
The history book was still tightly clutched in his hand, and with the last of his strength, Seo-jun cursed at the truck not far from him.
"Damn it, Truck-kun… bastard."
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