Debut or Die - Chapter 196

First day of the hotteok business in San Diego.

 

Before the opening time, the PD smiled and gave a briefing.

 

“Everyone, don’t forget! You’re going to play right away tomorrow~”

 

The remaining debt was $1,000.

 

Last season, due to a miserable defeat from the chain of debt and sales to the last desperate drawing lot, we ended up in a debt-ridden state.

 

Therefore, if we didn’t earn about 1,500 dollars today, we would be in debt the moment we play tomorrow.

 

‘The picture will be more fun if we can pay it all off at this point.’

 

If the money kept piling up, it would become a problem because the tension dropped down, but being constantly in debt wasn’t good either. Wouldn’t it be better to have uphill and downhill?

 

But perhaps the PD was too immersed, he didn’t give us a chance.

 

“We should show our Korean conscience, right?” You can’t double the price just because you put a dalgona on it~”

 

“Sheesh.”

 

“Huh? Who said sheesh just now?”

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

What I could trust now was the ability to attract customers and…Cha Eugene’s existing connections.

 

Just in time, Cha Eugene raised both his arms and shouted.

 

[My high school friends are coming. Let’s make them order three dishes for each person!]

 

“No, it’s fine.”

 

If you went that far, you were basically robbing them. Rather than getting controversial articles, let’s just do our best to attract customers.

 

It was time to reorganize the job distribution and bring out new fun, but I postponed it at the end of the discussion because I needed skilled workmanship today.

 

So today’s lineup was similar to last time.

 

Cha Eugene and Seon Ahyeon, who were fluent in foreign languages, took the orders, while Ryu Chungwoo and Keun Sejin finished plating and serving.

 

However, only one person has a change of job.

 

“I’ll do my best.”

 

Bae Sejin was put into the cooking section.

 

With the addition of dalgona, the amount of labor increased… It was the excuse I gave, but in fact, there were other reasons.

 

Last season, Bae Sejin fell into a sense of shame after making one mistake, so we made him our backup under the pretext of it being a versatile position, and the response was very good.

 

‘They were saying it’s cute.’

 

The production team saved his hard-working character through editing, so it became ‘It’s not obvious, but, in fact, he only made 1.5 serving’.

 

And this time, based on that image, the position was assigned to give the taste of promotion.

 

‘It would be more fun if having a lot of contact with foreigners is added to the picture.’

 

Bae Sejin’s stomach would melt so I gave up the idea.

 

“I’ll do my best, too! Let’s cook and sell the perfect hotteok today!”

 

“…That’s great!”

 

“Yeah. Shall we say fighting before we go?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

It seemed that subtitles like ‘Up to this point, I was full of energy’ would be included in the next cut, so I did it once for the image.

 

Next… The toppings that needed to be prepared right before the opening.

 

“Moondae-ssi, what are you doing right now~?”

 

“Pre-production of dalgona.”

 

Keun Sejin started to point a handycam into the frying pan. It would probably be used as a separate recipe clip video.

 

Actually, it was embarrassing to call it a recipe.

 

“After melting enough sugar, I’m going to add baking soda and make a good layer of air.”

 

“Oh~ Then what would happen?”

 

“It softens the texture.”

 

I made a huge dalgona with three huge frying pans. And I handed it over one by one to Bae Sejin, who was waiting.

 

“Me! I want to eat it!”

 

“…Here.”

 

Bae Sejin, who was diligently breaking the dalgona, awkwardly held out a large piece to Cha Eugene.

 

It was like feeding a beast, but in the actual aired episode, it would be highlighted as a heartwarming moment.

 

And then, Kim Raebin, who was carefully dividing the broken pieces of dalgona, suddenly let out a sound.

 

“Ooh!”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“A-Are you hurt…?!”

 

Even Seon Ahyeon, who was cleaning the table outside, came running.

 

“No! I want you to pay attention to this!”

 

And Kim Raebin was so excited that he took the dalgona that he had divided… and began to weigh it on the scale.

 

30g.

 

It was the perfect exact amount.

 

Is this what you want to brag?

 

“Yeah, it fits well.”

 

“And this too!”

 

Kim Raebin quickly put another one on the scale.

 

It was 30g again.

 

“Oh.”

 

“This, too…!”

 

Kim Raebin kept putting another pack of dalgona on the scale.

 

30, 30, 30, 31, 30…

 

“…??”

 

“Heol.”

 

Even the production crew began to make a fuss.

 

The PD hurriedly asked.

 

“Raebin-ssi, did you just put all of this using your gut feeling without weighing it??”

 

Kim Raebin clasped his hands tightly.

 

“Yes!”

 

Oh my god.

 

“Wooow!”

 

“What’s up with Kim Raebin’s hand?!”

 

The members started making a fuss around Kim Raebin.

 

Apparently, Kim Raebin was a good slave even outside the art and physical field… No, he could have become a grad student.

 

“Amazing! Amazing!”

 

The staff joined in and it became a World Cup goal-scoring atmosphere.

 

[The broken hotteok machine]

 

[Suddenly started operating normally]

 

Hmm, maybe this kind of editing would enter right after this.

 

What came next would be either ‘Weirdly Lucky’ or ‘Dream Team’s dispatch’.

 

‘It will be decided by today’s sales performance.’

 

I changed my apron at the request of the art team.

 

It was about time to open the store.

 

* * *

 

Near La Jolla Beach on a sunny day.

 

A woman returning home from a nearby comic store smelled something good.

 

‘Cinnamon?’

 

When she turned her head to the savory and sweet scent, she saw a small store next to the corner.

 

‘I think it used to be a taco shop over there.’

 

She hadn’t been there so she wasn’t sure, but the good smell made her legs move.

 

Ring!

 

[Welcome~]

 

[Um, hello.]

 

Even at this ambiguous hour, there seemed to be a lot of customers inside the store.

 

The people who seemed to be the employees, serving and moving between the tables without hesitation, greeted her.

 

And one of them approached first.

 

[Would you like to try one?]

 

[Ah, um, I would love to.]

 

A tall man with a cheerful voice held out the plate filled with testers. His smile was nice to see.

 

She quickly took a piece off the plate.

 

[It’s a sweet snack with a bit of cinnamon in it. Its texture is great. Ice cream or…]

 

[Table 3, Dalgona 2!]

 

[Yeah, got it! Um, guest. Eat it and if it’s delicious, call me!]

 

The man smiled broadly and tried to say something more, but when he heard the call from the kitchen, he ran away with a laugh.

 

The person who called the man from the kitchen was also a man of his age with clean skin and a neat appearance.

 

‘They are all handsome…’

 

There was a vibe that could be felt beyond race. She stood dazedly near the entrance and chewed on the piece of hotteok.

 

Hot, sweet cinnamon syrup burst in crisps.

 

“…!”

 

‘It’s delicious!’

 

She was dragged by the smell, but her mind became firm.

 

‘I guess today’s snacks have been decided.’

 

She headed straight to the counter where the menu was hung.

 

The man leaning against the counter suddenly rose.

 

[Are you going to order?]

 

Huh?

 

She opened her mouth wide at the familiar figure beneath the unfamiliar hair color.

 

[Oh! You! Eugene!]

 

[Huh?]

 

The person opposite her looked puzzled. When she looked up, she could see more of his handsome features and fangs.

 

Her memory was correct. It was Eugene!

 

[Hmm… Have we met before? Middle school? Elementary school?]

 

Of course, she should have expected this reaction.

 

Since he was such a popular boy, the only point of contact between them was when she showed him her homework and got some snacks in return.

 

[Ah… It’s Hannah Hamilton. I was in the same class as you in middle school.]

 

[Ah~ Hannah! It’s good to see you. How are you?]

 

Wow, it was encouraging that he pretended to know her!

 

Hannah replied with a laugh.

 

[Couldn’t be better. What about you?]

 

[I am doing great. Ah, are you going to order?]

 

[Huh? Uh… Um.]

 

While she was hesitating, new people entered the store.

 

[You’ve come back to San Diego??]

 

[Oh~ Welcome!]

 

‘Ugh.’

 

They were faceless middle school classmates.

 

She backed away in discomfort.

 

Then she bumped into someone behind her.

 

[…! I am sorry!]

 

[It’s okay.]

 

It was another employee. He had a French accent.

 

And surprisingly, this one was also handsome.

 

‘…What’s this?’

 

What’s up with this little store?

 

Upon meeting her eyes, the elegant employee asked with a smile.

 

[…Would you like to order?]

 

[…Yes! Do you have a vegetarian menu?]

 

[Sure. Vegetarian… Here it is. Here, can you look at this?]

 

She was recommended a vegetarian-topped hotteok with cashew vanilla ice cream by the friendly, elegant staff.

 

And by the time her menu came out, Eugene came back.

 

[Hannah~ Huh? You already ordered!]

 

And they had a short conversation while she ate.

 

Some of the topics were surprising.

 

[Y-You’re a K-Pop singer?]

 

[Yes!]

 

It was an unexpected remark.

 

It was the truth, but it felt strange when a popular boy who used to play American football mentioned K-Pop!

 

It was true that some of the K-pop singers were famous, but overall it felt more like a subculture.

 

But Eugene was calm.

 

[Didn’t you know? We’re filming right now! These are all my team members.]

 

[…!!]

 

At those words, she looked around, and she could see camera lenses all over the place. And there were notices everywhere.

 

– Currently shooting a Korean broadcast. Thank you for your understanding.

 

She didn’t notice it because she was looking at the food and the employees.

 

‘I met my classmate who was a quarterback after a long time, and but he became a K-pop star and is selling snacks…’

 

In the unrealistic situation, she silently chewed on her food.

 

The hotteok she had ordered was very delicious.

 

‘It would be nice if they could just keep selling it here.’

 

In addition, she even received a drink at the end of the meal.

 

[Hmm, it’s a drink called ‘Dalgona Soymilk Latte’! According to that hyung, it is a bonus service for my friend.]

 

[Hyung?]

 

At Eugene’s gesture, I turned my head.

 

The man with an indifferent expression she had seen earlier in the kitchen nodded.

 

And smiled slightly.

 

‘…That’s cute!’

 

She almost smiled and nodded along, but she managed to switch routes halfway through.

 

[Really? Thank you. He’s kind.]

 

[That’s right, he’s a good hyung!]

 

Hannah inadvertently sipped the new drink while talking to Eugene.

 

“…!”

 

This was pretty good, too.

 

When she reflexively lifted her head and looked back at the kitchen, she saw that the man who had given her the free drink had full control of the kitchen.

 

‘You’re a singer, but you cook so professionally like this?’

 

She didn’t know whether he was the unimportant member of the bad or whether it was originally his main job…

 

‘…Should I ask for his number?’

 

No. It wasn’t possible.

 

She stopped thinking and picked up her smartphone instead.

 

Click.

 

She took a picture of the store’s menu and uploaded it to her comics mania SNS account.

 

[Found a store by chance. I heard that a K-pop boyband is running it, but it has a taste made by professionals (chin-rubbing emoticon)]

 

It didn’t mean much. It was just a record.

 

‘Still, it’s true that the food is delicious… The employees are cute too.’

 

In the end, she packed three sets of hotteok.

 

The man in the kitchen happily witnessed the series of events.

 

‘All right, the business is going well.’

 

At this rate, they were close to getting the highest amount of money, and Park Moondae in the kitchen was satisfied.

 

And that night, Hannah confirmed that the post she uploaded on SNS received a tremendous response.

 

Testar’s fans cried and asked for the location of the store.

 

– Please, please tell me. Where is it??

– Oh, my God, I was at La Jolla Beach yesterday ; (

– You’re so lucky (Cha Eugene looking at Park Moondae’s hotteok GIF)

 

‘Oh, my God.’

 

Eventually, through several Testar music videos and their appearance on an American talk show, she realized that her classmate was more successful than she had expected.

 

And after a few days of floundering on WeTube, she wanted to turn back time, saying, ‘I should have gotten an autograph’.

 

* * *

 

“Huft.”

 

I sat down on my assigned bed.

 

It was the night after the first day of business ended successfully.

 

– Today’s sales… $1,627!

 

– Uaaagh!!

 

Incentivizing the sales by offering low-cost drinks to customers who came through personal connections had worked better than expected.

 

Cha Eugene’s friends were very generous.

 

‘It’s sold out.’

 

And after a noisy dinner with Cha Eugene’s family, we finally received a break.

 

However, I shared a room with Cha Eugene again. Damn it.

 

‘Today as well, it isn’t going to be quiet.’

 

Even now, Cha Eugene was still talking.

 

“Hyung! I think of something cool for our unit stage!”

 

Still, this was the first time I heard him say this since the unit stage was decided to be an encore concert.

 

Well, it was about time to talk about it.

 

“What is it?”

 

Cha Eugene hit my bed.

 

[I’ve thought about it many times, but the circus is the best choice!]

 

Is that so?

 

I replied while looking at my smartphone.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Let’s do it, circus.”

 

“Wow!”

 

Cha Eugene raised his hands.

 

And after a while.

 

[As expected, diving would be more shocking, right?]

 

I knew this would happen.

 

‘I’ll have to get ready.’

 

Undoubtedly, the unit stage with Cha Eugene either would be a jackpot or a flop.