I Quit My Job and Open a Café

Vroooom!!

The village bus closed its doors and left, kicking up dust and smoke.

Such a hurry.

“Cough! Cough!”

I couldn’t avoid it and started coughing.

But that didn’t matter.

The real problem was…

“It took more than an hour just to go to town and come back.”

After Kim Dohyuk left, I stayed behind to finish reading and organizing some documents. It only took enough time to drink a cup of coffee.

Then I left immediately.

In other words, I spent almost an hour just traveling.

I should have brought my car.

But what’s the point of regretting it now? It’s already done.

I stopped staring at the back of the bus.

I could bring my car later after I finished sorting things out here.

For now, I had to use what I had.

That meant walking.

But instead of heading toward the village, I went in the opposite direction. Toward the bridge that crossed the river.

The reason was simple.

I had to find the gift my grandfather left behind.

The address led to a café.

“I can’t believe it’s there.”

When I first looked up the address on the map, I wasn’t sure.

But the moment I saw the background in the café’s photo, I knew.

It was a place I recognized.

A place filled with memories of my grandfather.

Of course, every corner of this village held childhood memories.

But that place was special for both of us.

And now, he had left a gift there.

“He really was a man of action.”

He bought land and built a café.

Thinking about how proud he must have felt made me sad.

Was that why he kept telling me to visit?

If I had come earlier, he would have excitedly told me everything.

“…I should hurry.”

I swallowed my feelings and moved.

I had already spent too much time in town. I needed to get going.

I crossed the river in front of the village and headed toward the low mountain on the other side.

There was a hidden entrance to a narrow dirt road, just wide enough for a single car.

Following that path would lead me to…

“Huff! Huff! Why am I still not there?”

I should have arrived by now, but the road kept going uphill.

Was I in the wrong place?

Maybe my memory was fading after all these years.

Or…

“Wait, I used to run up here when I was a kid, didn’t I?”

People say childhood paths feel shorter when you grow up. That’s a lie.

Even though my steps were longer now, I couldn’t match the energy of a child.

“How was I so full of energy back then?”

I felt even slower than my younger self.

Maybe sitting in an office for so many years had weakened me.

Either way, I couldn’t stop now.

I kept walking.

And walking.

Until finally…

“…I made it.”

I felt like I had taken twice as long as I should have.

The proof was the sweat pouring down my face.

My eyes stung.

Luckily, a cool breeze blew from the mountain.

I closed my eyes and let it wash over me.

Shaaah~

For a moment, I felt alive again.

After my sweat dried and my breathing slowed down, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

A small open space was in front of me.

A secret place.

A magical place.

Just my grandfather and me.

Surrounded by green forest, but this one spot had no big trees.

So when I looked up, I could see the bright, open sky.

Blue sky, wrapped in green trees.

White clouds floating slowly.

When the wind blew, the leaves danced like something out of a fairy tale.

It was too beautiful to think of anything negative.

Even as a child, I knew this place was special.

So whenever I felt sad or just wanted to rest…

My grandfather and I would lie in the grass and look at the sky.

Somehow, that always made my worries disappear.

But now, there was something new.

A wooden cabin stood in the clearing.

And in front of it, a sign read:

[Café – Tiger’s Rest]

The handwriting was familiar.

It matched the name in the documents. It had to be my grandfather’s.

So this was the café he ran.

But… Why “Tiger’s Rest”?

Thinking about how he almost named me Baekho (White Tiger), I shook my head at his naming sense.

Still…

“This is amazing.”

The log cabin café was perfect.

It fit the clearing like it was meant to be there.

The space, the design, the function, even the history we shared—everything was in harmony.

A perfect creation.

“…Oops.”

My work habits kicked in. I was analyzing the architecture like a nerd again.

If my grandfather were here, he’d scold me.

“If you like it, just say you like it! Why make it sound so boring? That’s not what matters right now.”

He was right.

“This is incredible, Grandfather. Really.”

His final gift was truly amazing.

I looked up at the open sky and said it out loud.

But…

“I never said I’d take over, Grandfather. So don’t get too excited.”

I stubbornly added that, just to keep my pride.

A café like this.

And 8.9 billion won.

If you had told me about this earlier, it would have been nice.

You knew your grandson was struggling so hard.

If I had known, I wouldn’t have cared about my beliefs or anything. I would have quit my job right away to help you.

I could have stayed by your side.

“…You know I don’t really mean it, right?”

I was just being a little moody.

Please understand.

I just feel too sorry.

Like you always said, I’m bad at showing my feelings.

* * *

Jingle~ Jingle~

After staring at the café and the sky for a long time, lost in thought, I finally stepped inside before it got too late.

The clear sound of a bell hanging on the door welcomed me first. Then, I saw the small and cozy interior.

But thanks to the large windows showing the open space outside,It didn’t feel too small.

The inside was just as carefully designed as the outside.

There was a lot of soft-colored wood, giving it a warm feeling.

I could even see the touch of my grandfather, who was once a carpenter, in different corners.

“Hmm.”

Looking around, I walked over to the counter—probably where he spent the most time.

So this is where Grandfather used to stand and watch.

Behind the counter was the kitchen, looking spotless, as if someone had cleaned it just this morning.

“The fridge is stocked too?”

The shelves holding dry ingredients were the same.

The machines for making drinks also seemed well-maintained.

After checking everything carefully, I realized the café was in perfect condition—clean enough to start business right away.

Thinking about it, Grandfather had been coming here until the day before he passed away, so it made sense.

Maybe this wouldn’t be too difficult.

I had worked on franchise consulting projects before, so running a café shouldn’t be a big challenge with a little practice.

The only issue might be the recipes, but these days, finding that kind of information isn’t hard.

As I was looking around—

“Huh?”

I felt something pull on my clothes, and then something fell on the floor.

I picked it up—it was a photo.

It showed Grandfather and many people, with this café in the background.

“Where did this fall from…? Oh?”

Looking up at the kitchen, I saw a notebook lying open.

I must have hit it when I turned around. 

A notebook?.

                                                                                                                                                   
Why would Grandfather leave that in the kitchen instead of at the counter?

I put the photo inside and flipped through the pages.

[Menu]
—Americano
—Café Latte
…

It was something unexpected.

Grandfather hadn’t just bought land and built a café—he had been serious about it.

It was a carefully handwritten recipe book.

It seemed like he had learned different things and written them down in his own style.

The notebook was thick—he must have studied a lot.

And among all these detailed recipes, some looked quite simple.

“This one looks easy. I could make it right away.”

[Mint Chocolate Frappuccino]
—Ingredients: Ice, milk, whipped cream, fresh mint, chocolate chips.
—How to make: Blend ice, milk, and fresh mint…

I remembered a teammate once going to buy coffee and coming back with a random mint drink.

That guy always did strange things… I almost scolded him for messing with drinks.

But when I actually tasted it, it was surprisingly good.

It was sweet, cold, and refreshing—perfect for an energy boost.

‘So this is how it’s made?’

I was thirsty after all that walking.

Something cold sounded nice… Should I try making one?

It didn’t look too hard, and the process naturally formed in my mind, like something familiar yet unfamiliar.

“I think… I can do this.”

After all, if Grandfather could do it, there was no reason I couldn’t.

Then a thought hit me, making me pause.

I had been feeling this strange sensation for a while now…

Wait, did Grandfather set this all up? Did he want me to continue the café?

‘No way.’

I shook my head.

That was just my imagination.

Just because I made one drink didn’t mean I was taking over the café.

I raised my shoulders.

I was just thirsty and wanted to make a drink, that’s all.

I searched through the kitchen for ingredients.

But something important was missing—fresh mint.

“Oh! There’s mint powder. That should work.”

I found a substitute and gathered all the ingredients.

For some reason, my hands moved with confidence.

Following the recipe, I started with ice and milk.

It was like my hands were a built-in scale—I poured the exact amounts needed.

Since mint powder is sweeter than fresh mint, I adjusted the amount.

Then I added chocolate chips, put everything in the blender, and turned it on.

Click! Swish!

Whirr!

While the blender was running, I quickly moved to the next step—whipping cream.

I added just the right amount of sugar and used a hand mixer while watching the blender.

And when the time felt right, I turned it off and poured the drink into a cup.

The colors were beautiful.

‘Huh? Why is this so easy?’

Everything was smooth.

Even though it was my first time, I wasn’t making any mistakes at all.

It felt like my hands knew what to do on their own.

The final touch—whipped cream on top—was perfect.

It looked just like something I’d buy at a café.

“…I wonder how it tastes?”

Curious, I took a sip.

Gulp. Gulp.

“…?!”

It was delicious.

Even better than the one I had before.

I made it myself, yet I was confused.

It was fresh, sweet, and cool.

“…How did I do that?”

Did I have a hidden talent for this?

Maybe.

I was always good with my hands.

But what felt strange was that everything had flowed so naturally.

Not once had I hesitated.

That was the biggest thing.

Even if a beginner followed a recipe and used the right ingredients, the process wouldn’t be this smooth.

That’s the difference between a beginner and an expert.

That gap can only be closed by time, effort, or talent.

Since I hadn’t put in time or effort, that left only talent…

“But it doesn’t quite feel like talent.”

It really felt like my hands were moving on their own.

It was a bit strange.

As I was lost in thought, suddenly—

Meooow~

“Huh?”

I was deep in serious thinking, but out of nowhere, I heard a baby-like sound.

Looking around, I found the source.

“A kitten?”

Meow?

A tiny kitten was rolling on the café floor, staring right at me.

It looked just as surprised as I was.

With its little white belly exposed, it turned over and faced me.

It had a yellowish coat with black stripes.

It looked like a “calico” cat, but the pattern reminded me of a tiger.

The fur was unusual.

No one lived nearby, so it was probably a wild mountain cat.

But…

“Where did you come from?”

Was there even a way for it to get in?

I spoke softly, and the little kitten slowly came closer to smell me.

A cat being this friendly? This one acts like a dog.

I reached out my finger, and a soft breath touched the tip.

It tickled a little.

‘It’s cute, but…’

Where did it come from?

I lifted my head and looked around to see where it might have entered…….

“!!”

I turned to the entrance and was shocked.

Through the clear glass door, a pair of eyes were looking at me.

They were black eyes, contrasting with the ghostly white skin…

“Are you the one who overcharged me?”

“Ah! Who are you, sir? This is for my grandfather.”

The person who was overcharged asked back from behind the door.

I wanted to ask the same thing.

Who are you?