Finding Kevin wasn't hard. I knew exactly where he'd be—holed up in his dingy little apartment, probably glued to his monitor, watching anime or coding some random project. The guy was a programming genius, but his life outside the screen? Let's just say it left a lot to be desired.
I stood outside his apartment door, knocking a couple of times. No answer. I knocked again, harder this time, and waited. Still nothing.Figures. Kevin wasn't exactly known for being quick to respond. With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and texted him.Me: Yo, Kevin. Can you help me build a website?About a minute passed before my phone buzzed with his reply.Kevin: Busy.I rolled my eyes. Typical. But I had an ace up my sleeve.Me: I've got 100K in my budget for this project.Thirty seconds later, the door swung open. There he was—Kevin, in all his awkward glory. The guy was wearing an anime waifu T-shirt, some buxom cartoon chick plastered across his chest, along with a pair of sweatpants that had definitely seen better days. His black hair was greasy and stuck to his forehead, and his glasses were smudged."Tristan, my man!" he exclaimed, his tone suddenly chipper. "Why didn't you say you had a fking budget like that? Come on in, come on in!"I chuckled to myself and stepped inside. The place smelled like a mix of old takeout and energy drinks. His living room was cluttered with anime figurines, posters of half-naked cartoon girls, and multiple monitors displaying lines of code, anime episodes, and a couple of games running simultaneously."You've really made this place... your own, huh?" I said, trying to find a spot to sit that wasn't covered in trash or collectibles.Kevin shrugged, clearly unbothered by the mess. "It's cozy. Plus, it's all about priorities, man. Who has time for cleaning when there's so much fucking work to do?"I shook my head, amused. "Fair enough. Listen, Kev, I need your help with this website. I'm opening a restaurant, and I want the site to be killer. It's gotta look professional but also approachable, you know?"Kevin perked up at the mention of the website, immediately in work mode. "Alright, hit me with the details. What are you thinking?"I leaned forward, laying it all out. "So, the restaurant's going to be a fusion of street food from all over the world—tacos, ramen, dumplings, kebabs, you name it. I want the website to reflect that vibe. It needs to be vibrant, fun, but not too flashy. People should get hungry just looking at it."Kevin scratched his chin, his eyes narrowing as he processed the idea. "Got it. A global street food fusion vibe. So, lots of high-quality food porn, right? I can definitely do that. What kind of features are you thinking? Online ordering? A blog? Social media integration?"I nodded. "Yeah, all of that. We need online reservations, a simple ordering system, and maybe a blog where we can post recipes and behind-the-scenes stuff. Oh, and a section for reviews—gotta show off how much people love the food. The website's gotta be mobile-friendly too. Most people are gonna be browsing on their phones."Kevin's fingers twitched like he was itching to get to his keyboard. "Mobile optimization? No problem. I'll make sure the site's responsive as fk. The design—I'm thinking minimalistic, with bold images, and an intuitive layout. People are lazy—they don't want to click more than twice to get what they need."I laughed. "Exactly. Keep it simple but mouthwatering."Kevin nodded, clearly already visualizing the site in his head. "I can use high-res images of the food, and maybe some short video clips. Like, a five-second loop of a taco being assembled or noodles being pulled, that kind of thing. Visual engagement, you know? Keeps people drooling.""That's perfect," I said, already feeling excited. "I want people to see the site and immediately feel like they have to come eat there."Kevin leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face. "You're talking to the right guy. I've built e-commerce sites that have increased sales by 200%. This? A restaurant? I'll make sure it's so good, people will be ordering food from you before they even know they're hungry."I gave him a playful punch on the arm. "That's what I'm talking about, Kevin."He chuckled and swiveled in his chair to face one of his many monitors. "Alright, let me sketch out some rough ideas for the layout. I'm thinking homepage with a bold hero image, maybe a carousel of dishes, and then scrolling down into sections—menu, reviews, blog, and contact info. For the color palette... what are you thinking?"I thought for a second. "I'm thinking vibrant, but not too in-your-face. Maybe some earthy tones mixed with pops of bright colors—like reds and yellows—to give it that street food feel.""Earthy tones with bright accents... I dig it. I'll mock up a few different versions and send them to you for feedback."I leaned back in my seat, feeling a sense of relief. Kevin was a weird guy, but when it came to coding and design, there was no one better. Plus, with that $100K carrot dangling in front of him, I knew he'd pour everything into this."So, what's the timeline?" Kevin asked, his fingers already flying across his keyboard, typing up some initial notes.I shrugged. "A couple of months, ideally. We're still in the early stages, but I want the website live before we open."Kevin gave me a nod, his eyes glued to the screen. "Two months? I can make that happen. I'll prioritize this over everything else."I raised an eyebrow. "Even over your anime marathons?"He snorted, not even looking up. "I'll make sacrifices for 100K, my dude."I couldn't help but laugh. "Fair enough. Just make sure it's fking awesome."Kevin glanced at me with a smirk. "Have I ever let you down, Tristan?"I thought back to the time he'd tried to hack into the university's system to "improve" our grades and ended up crashing the entire server for a week. "You've come close a few times."Kevin shrugged, unfazed. "Genius comes with risks, man."I chuckled and stood up, clapping him on the back. "I trust you. Just don't fk it up."He waved me off. "Relax. Your website's in good hands. Now go get me some inspiration—take some photos of the food you're planning, the vibe of the place. I work best when I've got something to drool over.""I'll get you what you need," I said as I headed for the door. "Thanks, Kev. I owe you one."He waved dismissively, already lost in his work. "Just bring me some food when you open. And maybe a waifu figure. That's all the payment I need."I rolled my eyes, laughing. "You're such a fking weeb.""Guilty as charged."As I left his apartment, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. Kevin was on board, Vanessa was securing the location, and Sasha was as excited as I was. Everything was falling into place. Now all I had to do was keep my shit together and make sure it didn't fall apart.Q: Do you consider yourself a weeb/otaku?Chapter 16 - [16] Old friends, new deals
Latest chapters
- Chapter 17: [17] Extra help
- Chapter 18: [18] Speeding up
- Chapter 19: [19] Social media blitz
- Chapter 20: [20] Opening day chaos
- Chapter 21: [21] The scandal
- Chapter 22: [22] Desperation mode
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