Chapter  5

Coffee Master Is Way Too Strong

 You’re the Legendary Hunter, Aren’t You, Senior? (Nope)

In the courtyard outside Café Essence.

Seung-hee gently scratched the belly of a neighborhood cat and smiled faintly.

“Ahaha, that’s a good kitty. Such a good kitty.”

“Myaaaooo!”

The cat happily lapped up a tube of cat treat while rubbing its head against her hand.

Seeing her like this, it was hard to believe she’d been sobbing her eyes out just a little while ago. She looked lively again.

Watching her from behind, Seung-gyun let out a small sigh of relief.

That scared me.

His sister had suddenly burst into tears after he’d given her some cookies.

When he’d asked what was wrong, she’d said she’d been working hard but couldn’t find a job.

It was the first time he’d ever seen her like that, so he had been a little flustered himself.

Then Seung-hee slowly turned her head and said,

“Oppa, I’m sorry. I barged in without warning and just cried like that. I’m being shameless, aren’t I?”

“What are you talking about? You’re my only family. If something like this happens to you, who else are you supposed to tell? I’m glad you came.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Oppa.”

Ever since Seung-hee had started preparing for employment, seeing her face had become as difficult as seeing the stars in broad daylight.

He’d trusted that she was doing fine because he occasionally heard her cheerful voice over the phone.

But thinking about it now, she was still only a young woman in her twenties.

When I was that age…

—“I said make it rich! Richer! Do something about the coffee!”

—“P-President, please calm down!”

Back then, ashtrays had flown through the air at Pyeongsan Group, and I’d spent night after night sighing and crying in frustration, convinced that my dreams had been crushed.

Maybe things would’ve been different if the chairman’s taste in coffee had been different.

But anyway.

Seung-hee was probably experiencing something similar to what I’d felt back then.

She must feel like she’s floating. Like her feet can’t touch the ground, leaving her endlessly anxious.

Our mother had died after suffering from an incurable illness.

And Seung-hee had been the one who stayed by her side alone, absorbing all of that despair firsthand.

Thinking about how that young girl must have carried those emotions all by herself made the tip of my nose sting with sympathy.

Pat.

I patted Seung-hee on the head as she played with the cat.

“I cried a lot too when I was your age. So stop apologizing.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. Things got so hard that I couldn’t breathe and my stomach would clench up. But looking back, none of it was really that big a deal. It was just part of the process. Just a stage of life. You’ll get through it soon enough, too.”

Seung-hee sniffled and smiled.

Maybe because she’d finally let everything out, she seemed to feel a little lighter than before.

“Stay here for as many months as you want. Take your time and rest. Once you feel better, you can start again. It’s not too late.”

“No. I’ll only stay for a few days.”

Seung-hee brushed herself off and stood up.

“Oh, but Oppa. That coffee and cookie I had earlier were seriously insane. Did you make all of that yourself?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Wow. I thought you’d bought them from some famous café. I knew you were good at coffee, but when did you get this good at desserts, too?”

“Well… let’s just say it’s the result of training.”

Trying to explain everything that had happened with Coffee Master and my sudden Hunter awakening would have made things complicated.

If I suddenly started talking about how I’d awakened as a Hunter and all that, the conversation would obviously become a lot longer.

So I vaguely brushed it aside and changed the subject.

“Anyway, I’ve got the abalone and octopus Vice-head Grandma gave me. I’ll make you a proper nourishing dinner tonight. Or is there anything else you want? I’ll make you whatever you like.”

“No, no. I’ll be happy with anything you make.”

Seung-hee smiled brightly, then suddenly looked around the café before asking in a lowered voice,

“By the way, Oppa… is the café doing okay?”

“What?”

“There don’t seem to be many customers here. And you keep giving me spending money. Can you really afford the maintenance on this pretty building, the coffee beans, and everything else?”

She’d hit the nail right on the head.

It had already been more than three hours since Seung-hee arrived, and during that entire time, there hadn’t been so much as a glimpse of another customer.

“Ah, well… I have a few big-spending customers.”

“Big-spending customers?”

“Specialty coffee is pretty expensive, you know. I also supply roasted beans to other places, and the margins are pretty good. I’m doing fine, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

Seung-hee tilted her head doubtfully.

But what could I do?

Even if I wanted to explain, protecting the privacy of my VIP customers was one of Café Essence’s strictest rules.

Whatever. No harm, no foul.

That was when—

“Hello, Boss.”

“Oh, welcome.”

A woman appeared wearing black sunglasses, a baseball cap, and light athletic clothes.

It was Hunter Song Ra-yoon.

“Um… who’s that?”

“Oh, she’s my younger sister. Come on, say hello, Seung-hee. She’s a regular customer here.”

The moment Seung-hee turned to greet her, her entire body froze like a stone.

Her mouth slowly fell open, and then a cry of astonishment burst out.

“S-Song Ra-yoon?! Hunter Song Ra-yoon?!”

An awkward expression immediately appeared on both my face and Song Ra-yoon’s.

She was even wearing sunglasses. How did Seung-hee recognize her instantly?

Oh no… my VIP customer.

I quickly bowed my head.

“Ah, Seung-hee! I’m sorry, ma’am. She’s just… really interested in the Hunter industry. I guess she recognized you and got a little carried away.”

“I-I… I’m sorry!”

Seung-hee was already completely out of her mind.

She’d never dreamed that the “big-spending regular” her brother had mentioned was none other than the S-rank Hunter, the Empress of Lightning.

While Seung-hee’s eyes darted around helplessly, Song Ra-yoon gave a small laugh.

“It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with recognizing me. I was just a little surprised.”

Whew… thank goodness.

For someone with a nickname like the Empress of Lightning, she was surprisingly merciful.

Just as I was secretly breathing a sigh of relief, Seung-hee hesitantly spoke up.

“Um, excuse me! If it’s not too much trouble, could I take just one picture with you?”

“Seung-hee.”

“I’ve watched all your videos since your debut, and I’ve bought so much of your merchandise! I completely fell in love with you when I saw you descend in that lightning strike during the Busan Gate incident last year! You’re actually the reason I became interested in the Hunter industry…”

Seung-hee rambled on, practically out of her mind with excitement.

Song Ra-yoon chuckled.

“Sure. But please keep it for your personal collection and don’t upload it anywhere.”

“Of course! Absolutely! I’ll treasure it as a family heirloom!”

After taking the picture, Seung-hee looked as though she’d gained the whole world.

I’m glad things worked out.

Song Ra-yoon didn’t seem particularly uncomfortable, and my sister looked like she’d finally climbed out of the emotional abyss she’d fallen into earlier.

Today, I’d prepared a special tea set for her.

“Thank you for indulging my sister, Hunter.”

“Not at all.”

“Today… please try this. I prepared it especially for you.”

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Kochere Natural beans, paired with a lemon curd pistachio tart.

This was another new dessert pairing I’d recently developed.

I’d created it specifically for my VIP customer, Song Ra-yoon.

The moment I handed it to her, anticipation filled her face.

Then her eyes widened.

Delicious.

First came the bright jasmine aroma characteristic of Yirgacheffe, along with a peach-like acidity that awakened her palate.

Then the tart lemon curd carried that rhythm forward, while the rich nuttiness of the pistachios filling the tart gently embraced what could otherwise have been a sharp acidity, leaving behind a deep, satisfying finish.

It was like taking a walk through a forest.

Even though she was eating two completely different things—a tart and coffee—they came together as one complete flavor.

And the pairing’s effects didn’t end there.

It’s true. The muscles throughout my body are relaxing, and my mana is circulating faster, too.

She’d felt something similar the last time she’d eaten the dark chocolate cookie.

Even drinking the coffee by itself had improved her mana burnout, but consuming it as part of a pairing produced a much stronger effect.

Her body felt lighter as though she’d been given a performance-enhancing drug, and she could actually feel her mana flowing smoothly through her body in real time.

Song Ra-yoon thought,

As I suspected… is this man really “No-Name”?

At first, she’d thought Kang Seung-gyun might be some kind of broker who had approached her to secretly sell illegal drugs.

But as time passed, she’d gradually come to realize something.

If he had approached her with some illegal or malicious purpose, he wouldn’t have been so painstakingly attentive to her tastes.

Nor would he have done absolutely nothing besides run a café.

The more information she gathered, the more her suspicions turned into certainty.

The legendary Hunter Supporter known as No-Name, who had swept across South Korea before disappearing overnight.

He must have hidden his identity for some reason and chosen to live here while running a café.

And the fact that he was giving her buffs in the form of coffee was probably…

His way of quietly looking after a junior who’s been working so hard.

A man who was both grateful and endlessly curious.

But she didn’t want to openly acknowledge that she knew his secret or place any burden on him.

Just as he treated her with such warm consideration, she wanted to repay that kindness as much as she could.

Song Ra-yoon slowly lowered her coffee cup.

“This is truly delicious. I liked the Mandheling coffee last time, but… this is an entirely different world of flavor.”

“Right? Not bad, huh?”

“Haha!”

The face she’d initially found somewhat intimidating no longer seemed scary at all.

Later, while she was enthusiastically eating the coffee and tart, she felt Kang Seung-hee staring at her with sparkling eyes.

“By the way, does your sister… come to your café often?”

“No. Actually, this is her first time. She’s been busy preparing for employment. She came here this time because she failed another interview and practically ran away from home.”

Seung-hee smiled awkwardly.

Song Ra-yoon set down her teacup and asked,

“What kind of job were you preparing for?”

“Um… a Hunter manager. I’ve admired Hunters since I was young. I can’t fight on the front lines myself, but I wanted to help them perform at their best from as close to the action as possible.”

“A manager? Do you already have the basic licenses?”

“Oh, yes. I have a Level 1 Hunter Supporter license, a Mana Measurement and Management license, a Tactical Assistance license, and even a psychological counseling certification… I think I have about twelve in total?”

“Twelve? Wow. That’s a lot.”

Ra-yoon’s eyes widened.

Most Hunter-related licenses were known to be quite difficult to obtain, with the average qualification period for each one reportedly taking more than two years.

For someone still only in her late twenties to possess twelve of them meant she was far from ordinary.

“I just… wanted to fill in as many of my weaknesses as possible. But maybe because I don’t have any practical experience, I haven’t been doing well in interviews. I guess I’m still lacking in a lot of areas.”

Seung-hee scratched her cheek awkwardly.

But Ra-yoon thought she could roughly guess why she’d been rejected.

She’s not lacking anything. She’s ridiculously overqualified.

A graduate of a prestigious university.

Top-tier academic achievements.

And an absurd number of certifications for someone her age.

The Hunter industry was fundamentally built around a 365-day, real-world operational system.

Because of that, there was a tendency to feel intimidated by someone with qualifications that extensive.

Especially at a small guild.

At that moment, Kang Seung-gyun sighed.

“Lacking? It’s just bad luck. That’s all. How can someone work that hard and still not get hired?”

Ra-yoon’s eyes narrowed.

Could he be giving me an instruction?

Something like… Take care of my sister’s problem.

A legendary Hunter secretly supporting junior Hunters while living in seclusion at a café.

There was no way his words could be meaningless.

And Ra-yoon also felt that she should do at least as much for him as he had done for her.

“Excuse me for a moment. I’ll go make a phone call outside.”

“Ah, sure.”

Song Ra-yoon immediately went into action.

Watching her leave, Kang Seung-gyun thought—

She must really like the coffee.

Nice coffee.

Meanwhile, he was feeling an entirely different kind of tremendous satisfaction.