Chapter 123
"What notification is this? "
While chatting on KakaoTalk with a friend, Homma heard a cafe notification ringing and wondered what was going on.
After logging into the cafe, she let out a gasp of surprise as soon as she read the title of the notice displayed at the top.
"Debut commemorative event cafe? "
Until now, she had never seen any news like this other than the occasional photo of Seleste that was posted on the official account.
She thought that after the official fan club recruitment was over and the official members started joining the cafe, they would start posting general announcements.
She never imagined she would see an article about an event like this.
Clicking on the notice to see more details, one thought strongly lingered in Homma's mind.
Sigma Entertainment is also trying hard to resolve doubts about whether they can do the work assigned to them.
[Hello, this is Sigma Entertainment. We would like to inform you of the schedule for the Seleste's debut commemorative event cafe.
...
After filling out the attached form below, please upload it to the cafe category 'Debut Seleve Event Cafe Visit Request'. Please write down your Seleve 1st Generation Official Member Number and your phone number for verification along with the form.
Number of winners: 50
Date: May 28, 15:00
Location: Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
...
'Time to find out Seleste's tastes! '
Enjoy different cafe menus selected by the members!
1. Karis' Karisma Americano
2. Song Hyung-bin's sweet and warm yuzu tea
3. Chae Eun-gyu's refreshing and sweet strawberry smoothie
4. Ji Yoon-chul's Melting Tiramisu Cake
5. Kang Si-yoon's refreshing and lively iced tea
6. Heo Yu-bin's unexpected charm-filled mint chocolate frappe
7. Espresso as hot and fiery as Yoo Min-ha
... ]
The menu looks like each member has chosen their own favorite items.
When she looked at each name, it seemed like they were created with a lot of thought, making them even cuter.
'Who the hell said Karismatic Americano? '
It said that if you order one menu, you will be entered into a lucky draw to get a photo card of the members that was only available at the cafe for the debut event.
Additionally, there is an MD shop inside the cafe where you can purchase Seleste's goods that were released before their official debut.
It was written that if you spend over a certain amount at the MD shop, you will also receive another gift.
Homma read the notice a couple more times and laughed.
'Still, it seems like the kids are trying hard to push through.'
Who would have thought that they would open a commemorative event cafe even before their official debut?
She really wants to go, but she has to beat the odds and be one of the lucky 50 to be able to go.
'I really have to go. I never know when I'll be able to get the pre-debut goods again.'
Items that are available for a limited time, such as those scheduled to be sold at this event cafe, will increase in value over time.
Of course, even if Homma could go to the commemorative cafe, she had absolutely no intention of reselling the goods.
She just wants to show off her collection by having things that others don't have.
She's already dizzy thinking about how amazing Karis' photo card will be.
'I have to spend a certain amount? I save my money just for days like this.'
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go to the event cafe.
Homma filled out the form with great care.
She slowly filled in the essential items with the intention of breathing her soul into each and every letter.
She entered her Seleve 1st Generation membership number as the last one, then recited a fervent prayer and clicked the submit button.
'Please, please, please! '
She even got the final audience ticket.
Wherever Karis and Seleste are, I must always follow them.
Homma explored SNS with a pounding heart.
It caught her eye that people from the same Seleve 1st generation left similar messages as hers.
-But are the kids coming there themselves? Are we just going to look at the things the kids decorated, like Itzfan?
└ㅇㅇ I think so, but since it's the first event, the competition rate will probably be too much
└It's strange that they rented a regular cafe instead of going to a cafe run by Itzfan.... Was it already being used by another group at that time??
└It's better; Itzfan's seats are narrow, and the menu is really bad
└If I get this, I'll have to sell it as a transfer.... I don't want to go all the way to Seoul to get a photo card, even though the kids aren't around
―(Photo) Is the menu name real? ヲヲヲヲヲヲヲ
└No, others are normal, but the Karis menu is really suspicious
└Don't you know that Seobang? Well, there's no way you don't know
└I don't think the members decided on that name??
└ㅇㅇ Of course the agency people decided it lol It's still funny though
―The menu name sounds like some kind of collaboration cafe.... The nicknames in IPS is going all the way.
└But they haven't even debuted yet, so what kind of MD are they making?
└They're doing this to make profits and eat it right away, lol
└It's better to roll them than just to make profits and leave them alone.
└I want to go to a cafe ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ But how do I get through the lottery for 50 people? ㅠ
'I don't know about anything else, but I like doing things related to our kids.'
No matter how good a group is in its weight class, it is difficult to gain momentum without a proper push.
By holding events like this, there will be some bait until the official debut, so the excitement won't wane and the fans' loyalty will be further fueled.
In short, it is a good build-up.
It is true that the initial sales of a debut album depend on how good the songs and stage quality are.
However, external promotions can sufficiently fill in the gaps.
In that sense, Seleste's agency has been doing a pretty good job so far.
'I hope the first episode will be a huge hit.'
* * *
There is now one day left until the opening of the debut commemorative event cafe.
As a result of consistently making drinks over time, everyone has become much closer to grinders and blenders.
"Washing dishes has become so natural now."
"Me too. I've never washed dishes like this, even when I was at home."
"Isn't that too unfilial, Hyung? "
"I don't think Yubin would have done it either."
"Ah."
Not only Chae Eun-gyu and Heo Yu-bin, who have to clean the blender frequently, but I, who have to constantly wash the grinder's portafilter, have become very familiar with this process.
I wish I could just use magic to quickly finish off this annoying task, but unfortunately, mana does not exist in the real world.
'I would have no more wishes if they made it possible to use mana as a system achievement. If such an achievement existed, reality would turn into a game.'
No matter how carefully I looked through the achievements, there were no achievements related to mana, so I just gave up and focused on preparing for the opening.
Unlike the relatively relaxed coffee/beverage group, Ji Yoon-chul and the cafe owner group were extremely busy.
"No one knows how much it will sell for, so should we make it a little more generous? "
"... I think it's better to have a little more than not enough. I don't want the fans to go home empty-handed."
"Okay! Then let's try a little harder, shall we? "
"Yes."
Although it was work that required constant use of his arms, Ji Yoon-chul silently carried out his work without a single complaint.
We looked at the youngest, who was sweating profusely, with admiration.
"Yoon-chul seems to have such a strong determination, doesn't he? "
"It certainly seems that way."
I agreed with Chae Eun-gyu's words.
I felt this subconsciously since we were preparing for it.
He wants to achieve whatever he sets his mind to.
Because of that obsession, he broke everyone's expectations and personally stepped forward to help Heo Yu-bin and Kang Dong-hwi.
He performed on stage while appropriately adjusting his natural dancing skills so as not to stand out too much.
'He told me before. He doesn't want to disappoint his fans.'
This will and persistence seemed to continue to give new energy to Ji Yoon-chul.
Meanwhile, Kang Si-yoon, who was leisurely sipping iced tea, looked at something on his phone and smiled briefly.
"What is it, Siyoon? "
"Oh, I saw a bit of what the fans were saying. Someone asked if we decided on the menu name, so I was a little bit stabbed."
"Tell them tomorrow; you made the name of the menu yourself."
"That's right, Siyoon. Be sure to tell them that you invented 'Karis Karisma Americano'."
"This guy has a strong grudge."
Kang Si-yoon stuck out his lips at me and continued to look at his cell phone.
After looking over a few more of the writings, he suddenly raised one concern.
"Surely they didn't find out that we make our own menu, did they?"
"Did anyone expect us to be at a cafe?"
"No, that's not it. I'm just worried for no reason. This has to be a complete surprise. But if the people who are good at intuition already know and are waiting, won't they not be surprised?"
"Hey, no way! "
Yoo Minha laughed loudly, waving his hands.
But contrary to his optimistic attitude, Heo Yu-bin was taking Kang Si-yoon's words seriously.
"Wha, wha, what if I get caught?"
"No, Yubin. The probability of that happening is absolutely low."
"The surprise has to be a success! Otherwise, won't our reality content fail? Should I, should I, should I put on some makeup when I come? Can't I just show up wearing the mustache and glasses that Hyung-bin Hyung wore back then? "
"I don't think that's necessary, really."
Thanks to Song Hyung-bin and Chae Eun-gyu's efforts to calm him down, Heo Yu-bin was barely able to regain his composure.
When they said reality content, I became curious about something.
"PD-nim. When will we start serving in earnest? "
"I think it'll probably be about an hour after the fans arrive at the cafe."
"If a certain member has time to spare because the menu is empty, I think it would be a good idea to sneak out and mix in with the original serving staff. Is that okay? "
"Aha!"
There are seven menu items in total.
It would be unrealistic to assume that 50 Seleve would order the entire menu at the same time.
If your menu item isn't ordered, you're basically left with nothing to do.
"Isn't it okay for a member who is busy to sneak in and serve food every once in a while? "
"Me too. From the beginning, it's all over the moment we show up to be the first to serve, right? Then, I feel like it would be a bit disappointing to only be serving the drink I made myself once."
"I think it would be fun too!"
"If I wear a mask, won't it be too obvious? "
"The servers will all be wearing masks, so I think it'll be perfectly disguised. "
The members all said it would be fun, and the reality show filming PD also agreed that it was a good idea.
The final fix was for the members who weren't making the menu to do a surprise serving once in a while.
And then, Ji Yoon-chul, who was making the last tiramisu cake with the cafe owner, shouted in a loud voice.
"... I'm done! "
"Yoon-chul, you worked hard! "
"Min-ha said he'd massage your wrist today."
"Well, I never said that. Anyway, I'll do it, Yoon-chul!"
"Um, you don't have to do it...."
There is not much time left until the opening of the debut commemorative event cafe.
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