I Quit My Job and Open a Café

Last night, I got home and stayed up late doing various things.

But my body felt refreshed.

The reason was…

“As expected, the effect of the drink I had yesterday is still working.”

Of course, it was not permanent, only temporary.

There was a number next to the drink’s effect. When I first drank it, it was 24.

But now, exactly 12 hours later, it has changed to 12.

Since it was cut in half, it must mean time.

“When the customer drank two cups yesterday, it was 36, so the second cup’s effect is reduced by half.”

That meant it was temporary and wouldn’t keep adding up, no matter how much I drank.

“But that’s not the important part.”

Yes.

There were two things more important than that.

The first one was…

[Chun Yujin (??)]

*Status

─ Blessing of the Land (Active)

─ ??? (Active)

─ ‘Mint Chocolate Frappuccino’ Effect (12)

This.

A text window.

I could see it too.

It was even more shocking when it was my own.

Yesterday, I just ignored it in surprise, but once I realized it, I was completely shocked.

And the content was not ordinary.

The mint drink effect was fine.

But ‘Blessing of the Land’ and ‘???’.

These seemed related to all the mysterious things happening.

But I still didn’t know exactly.

Still, it might be a clue for the first and second tasks in my notes from yesterday.

And the other important thing…

Swish.

I arrived at an open space and looked up at the café’s roof.

This was the biggest reason I couldn’t sleep last night.

I even came to work this early just to check it.

“Creating a Land…”

Looking at the details of the ‘???’ effect in my status…

A mysterious power using the land’s energy, only available to ??

─ Eye Opening

─ Creation

─ Land Creation

─ Talent Absorption

Kim Hana’s Hand Skills

This was written there.

How could I sleep after seeing this?

At least it was straightforward enough to understand.

The first two, Eye Opening and Creation, I had already experienced.

“Eye Opening must be seeing the text window and the aura with my eyes.”

Creation was probably my drink-making skill.

It was strange to quickly learn recipes just by looking at them once.

So I quickly accepted those two.

The remaining two…

‘Talent Absorption.’

Below it, it said “Kim Hana’s Hand Skills.”

I guessed that was the first customer’s name.

So the hand skills must be from that customer.

“That’s why it’s confusing.”

To be honest, I was always good with my hands.

I inherited my grandfather’s skills, who was a great carpenter.

Drawing, handling tools, making drinks—these were all easy for me because of that.

So it was hard to tell the difference.

If you add 10 to 1, it becomes 11, an 11-times increase. But if you add 10 to 100, it’s just 110, only a 10% increase.

‘When I made a drink, my hands did feel a little lighter.’

But I didn’t notice a big difference.

Still, I wasn’t disappointed.

What mattered was that I could absorb talents.

This was an amazing skill.

I could take other people’s talents.

What if I stole the talent of an athlete? A national representative or a world-class player?

What if I took the talent of a genius?

What if I couldn’t swim but got a swimming talent?

‘And I don’t even know if there’s a limit.’

It was truly amazing.

If I had this ability while working at my old company, I would have gone crazy.

I would have obsessed over it and caused trouble.

Who knows what I would have done…

Probably something really big.

“Is this a good thing?”

At least I wasn’t crazy about it now.

I just found it interesting and was curious about other people’s talents.

Yeah, just that much.

For now, I didn’t think too much about it.

Just knowing that I could absorb talents was enough.

Instead, I focused on the other mystery.

“Now, let’s check it.”

But first…

I had to deal with the heavy load on my back.

I had carried a big bag from home and struggled up here with it.

Ding-ding!

I opened the door.

After letting fresh air in, I went straight to the backyard.

I looked at the overgrown garden with half-closed eyes, then climbed onto the roof with my bag.

“Ugh, this is hard. Phew—”

Plop!

The bag wasn’t heavy, but it was big, making it hard to carry.

Inside was a bean bag.

The reason I brought it was…

“The Land Creation condition says to make a comfortable resting space. This should be enough, right?”

I placed it on the flat part of the roof where I lay yesterday. Then, I set up a camping table.

Then…

Swoosh!

A green aura came from my body and spread into the roof. 

It was the opposite of when I absorbed the green aura yesterday.

“So this is how it works… No, wait, it actually works?”

Yesterday, I saw a text window on the roof by chance.

But it only showed the possibility of creation, not how to create it.

I tried many things but couldn’t figure it out and went home.

“But it was so simple.”

The method was written right in my text window.

It just said to create a comfortable resting space.

If I had checked my text window earlier, I could have done it sooner.

So, the condition for ‘Land Creation’ was to make a resting space.

Technically, just lying down here might have been enough.

But people naturally prefer soft places to hard ones.

That’s why I brought the bean bag and camping table from my grandfather’s house.

And the result was right in front of me.

Pop!

[Small Rooftop Resting Area] was created.

“Ohhh.”

It wasn’t a big deal, but seeing the new text window made it feel special.

“So that’s why it’s called a rest area.”

It made me rethink the meaning of the café’s name.

This café must have originally been a place where people could relax with food.

I sat on the bean bag and leaned back.

It was definitely better than just lying on the hard roof.

No more wooden planks digging into my back.

And most importantly…

“It feels nice in the morning too.”

The effects of this place were…

[Improves Sleep Disorders, Calms the Mind.]

Since I added a bean bag, fitting effects appeared.

But unfortunately, they didn’t apply to me.

I never had sleep problems. I actually slept really well last night.

And as for calming the mind…

‘Not really needed.’

I was surprised at first, but I calmed down quickly.

Even now, I was just enjoying the peaceful morning sounds of birds and insects.

But I knew this ability was real.

It would probably work.

Talent absorption, this, and the drinks too.

This place really was mysterious.

“Now… When should I clean that up?”

After finishing my checks, I finally noticed the overgrown backyard.

So much grass had grown again.

Why didn’t the calming effect help with this?

I ignored it earlier, but I couldn’t avoid it forever.

I had to do it.

Might as well do it now.

Just as I decided that…

“Huh?”

I saw someone hesitating at the entrance of the path.

A customer this early in the morning?

* * *

I climbed down from the roof.

Then, I watched the person still looking around in the empty lot.

Their movements seemed awkward.

It looked like they were searching for the right path.

It didn’t seem like they had been here before, so why did they come this early in the morning?

‘Did they just take the wrong path?’

That could be it.

They were wearing a deep-pulled cap, loose training clothes, and had a backpack on their back. Maybe they were heading to a nearby mountain.

There was a path behind the café that led to one.

Then—

Jump!

They must have just noticed the café because they suddenly stiffened.

Then, their eyes met mine, who was still on the roof—

“Ahh!?”

They screamed, falling backward in surprise.

Their cap fell off, revealing their face.

That expression—

It probably looked just like mine when I saw my first customer yesterday.

Like they had seen a ghost.

Their already big eyes got even bigger, like a surprised rabbit.

‘They kind of look like a rabbit already.’

Do I look that scary?

I’ve never been told I have a frightening face.

I was a bit shocked.

“Uh, um.”

Anyway, I decided to go down.

Maybe they were scared because of me.

And since they were a potential customer.

Ding-ding~

I opened the café door and purposely moved the sign so they could see it clearly.

Then, I greeted them.

“Hello?”

“A-Ah, h-hello… U-um, are you…?”

“Yes, I’m the owner here. I was just organizing something on the roof. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

I kept my distance and explained calmly so they wouldn’t get more surprised.

Luckily, they seemed to relax a little.

Looking around, the woman suddenly realized her cap had fallen off.

She quickly put it back on.

Just like that, her rabbit-like eyes disappeared.

“A-Ah, um. Is this… a café?”

“Yes, it is a café.”

“…Are you open right now?”

“I usually open later, but today, I’ll start early.”

Since I had scared them, I might as well.

I invited them inside.

The customer carefully looked around as they stepped in.

They seemed very cautious.

And the moment they entered—

Wobble~!

Just like before, I saw an aura surrounding the customer.

So, it really did appear the moment someone entered the café.

This time, the aura around them was a gloomy gray.

There were still so many things I didn’t understand.

‘So, the aura is different for each person.’

It wasn’t just the color.

The feeling, the atmosphere—it was completely different.

I could tell just by looking at it.

I needed to write this down in my notebook later.

“U-Um…”

A voice brought me back to reality.

‘Oops.’

The customer in front of me looked anxious, looking around nervously.

I should take their order first.

“I’m sorry. Would you like to order something?”

“U-Um…”

Even when asked to order, they couldn’t answer properly.

I tilted my head.

Were they still that scared?

But I soon found out the real reason.

[Go Na-eun]

Status

— Panic disorder due to burn out.

— Severe anxiety symptoms caused by panic disorder.

A text window appeared next to the gloomy aura.

Their condition wasn’t good.

No surprise they were so shocked earlier.

Or maybe they got surprised because of their condition.

Anyway,

Something else stood out.

The name ‘Go Na-eun.’

Yesterday, my first customer’s name appeared as ‘???’…

‘Why is this different?’

I thought about it while the customer hesitated over their order.

‘Ah! Maybe if I knew the person…?’

But that was strange too.

I didn’t recognize their faces.

They had rabbit-like eyes, pale skin, and a small face with sharp features. They were very pretty, almost like a celebrity.

If I had met someone this pretty before, I would have remembered immediately—

‘A celebrity?’

Wait, I’ve heard that name somewhere.

Go Na-eun…

Ah! Now I remember.

‘An idol?’

That was it!

She was a member of an idol girl group.

I couldn’t remember the group’s name exactly.

Something about a crow?

Something like that…

But more importantly—

“Ah! Ugh…”

She looked very different from the image I remembered.

‘Is it because of what was written in the status window?’

I couldn’t help but be concerned.