Chapter 350
The first day of Seleste Restaurant officially began.
Song Hyung-bin, who came in after turning the business sign himself, fiddled with both hands and spoke in a slightly excited voice.
"What's this shaking so much?"
"Hyung, did you turn the sign properly?"
"If you turn it one more time because you're so nervous and turn it back to closed, you'll be in big trouble."
"Hey, how could I make such a mistake? That's really not true."
Song Hyung-bin waved his hand at Yoo Min-ha's half-joking, half-serious words.
However, contrary to his words, his two eyes turned slightly toward the door as if he was anxious.
Ji Yoon-chul, who caught that subtle movement, quietly left the kitchen and walked toward the entrance.
"...Fortunately, it's hanging well."
"Oh, really! I told you not to check."
"Even if you say that, hyung was anxious."
".........You don't have to confirm it, that kind of thing."
After a short conversation like that, we were all enveloped in silence.
It was a truly precious sight.
When the seven members were gathered in the same place, it was natural for the audio to not be empty.
Today, everyone was just staring blankly at the restaurant door with their mouths slightly open, wondering what was going on.
Heo Yu-bin looked around and asked, perhaps feeling that this quiet situation was strange.
"Then what should we do before our guests arrive? I don't think we should stay still like this."
"Ah. That's right."
Kang Si-yoon, who came to his senses, walked out of the kitchen and looked at us standing in front of him.
"We really stood there like a meerkat family. Even our expressions were the same."
"So, hyung, what should we really be doing?"
"I've never run a restaurant before, so I don't really know what to do."
Still, Kang Si-yoon, who had been thinking about something, went back into the kitchen.
"First, just in case, I should boil some water. Eun-gyu hyung and Min-ha, please check again to see if the food is cooked well."
The other members whose names weren't called also returned to where they were standing earlier and diligently looked for something to do.
However, since we had already arrived at the restaurant a few hours ago and finished all the basic tasks, there was really nothing to do.
"Si-yoon hyung, can't we just make the food first?"
"Hey, that's absolutely not possible. We can't serve cold food."
"That's true.........."
Yoo Min-ha even asked if it was okay to make the food in advance.
There was nothing to do right now, and it was probably because there were a lot of customers coming in at once, but as Kang Si-yoon said, the food would get cold, so it couldn't be good.
I left the kitchen and headed to my original position, the hall.
I checked the clock on the wall, and it had already been about 15 minutes since we opened.
I opened the door and poked my head out to see if anyone was looking at the menu outside, but all I could see on the streets of the old town were people going about their business in a hurry.
'.... It must be time for everyone to go out.'
Should we have opened a little earlier in the morning?
No. Lunchtime will be here soon, and there are many people in Estonia who eat lunch quickly, so now is the best time.
I shouldn't be so impatient.
While I was looking outside and thinking about this and that in my head, I made eye contact with a few people passing by.
The citizens of Estonia looked at the young man with his head peeking out of the crack of the restaurant door, wondering what he was doing.
I instinctively smiled faintly and waved my hand to say hello.
A habit of an idol who came out in a situation that could easily be embarrassing.
Then, surprisingly enough, the people who saw my face smiled back and even said hello.
'Even off stage, influence is activated.'
The 'Worship, and Revere' skill that instantly draws people's attention.
Even if you raise the skill level just a little, the effect is strong and really good, but after experiencing it myself, I felt that if the level goes up too drastically, there are some inconveniences, so I stopped raising it from B- for now.
I can't imagine what would happen if it goes up to A or S.
Even with the current level, it can attract people's attention even off stage.
"Karis, what are you doing with the door open?"
"I was watching to see if there were any customers coming toward the store."
"You look really skinny from behind."
I heard Kang Si-yoon's voice from behind me, so I closed the door and went back to the counter.
"There are a lot of people walking around on the street, so I think the first customer will come soon."
"I hope so. If we keep going like this, we'll end up just being flies."
"You just have to have hope, Si-yoon."
"Yeah, that's right. But you didn't respond to my last words?"
"You'd better organize your change in advance."
"....really not responding at all."
Just as I was picking out the change.
The door opened with the sound of a wind chime, and two young women came into the restaurant.
11:21 AM. It was the first customer of Seleste Restaurant in record time.
I immediately put on a bright smile and greeted them in Estonian.
"Hello."
"Hello, good morning."
"I'll show you to your seats."
As I led the guests to their seats, I could hear a very confused sound from the kitchen.
"A guest has arrived! A guest has arrived!"
"Now, wait a minute. What should we do? First, rice? Should I roll up the seaweed?"
"They haven't ordered anything yet. Just get ready, just get ready."
"Wow, what should I do? Why am I shaking so much?"
"Shh, talk quietly! They can hear everything!"
"Water! Hyungbin hyung, we need to get some water, what are you doing?"
I put the menu down on the table and tried my best to control my expression.
We can already hear it clearly.
Song Hyungbin followed me and came back with a glass of water.
It was a perfect opportunity to practice the Estonian greetings he had practiced yesterday, but he must have been nervous because he just lowered his head and quickly walked back to the kitchen.
It seems like I should be completely responsible for serving the first customer.
The customers who were looking at the menu carefully ordered two kimbap and one bibimbap after much thought.
While I was going to say thank you and go to the kitchen to take the order, I realized that those customers were some of the people whose eyes I had briefly met on the street earlier.
'I didn't mean to solicit customers, but it turned out that way unintentionally.'
Kang Si-yoon teased me for looking petty, but in the end, it was very rewarding.
"Two kimbap and bibimbap."
"Min-ha! Eun-gyu hyung! Time to work!"
"Why, why is the first order my responsibility?"
Chae Eun-gyu, who was even wearing a sanitary mask, blinked repeatedly at the sudden and important task.
Then Yoo Min-ha hit the eldest brother on the back and cheered him up.
"Hyung, don't be discouraged! Straighten your shoulders!"
"Ugh, ugh."
It was definitely a good choice to have Yoo Min-ha next to Chae Eun-gyu, who was not confident in cooking.
He pushed away all useless thoughts with passion alone.
However, Yoo Min-ha himself was nervous about making the first kimbap.
"The shape.......... Cut it evenly...!"
"The size is changing more and more?"
"No! Look carefully! Didn't I cut it well?"
"The one you have now is completely different from the one you had before."
Heo Yu-bin, who was watching from the side, coldly evaluated the size of the kimbap that Yoo Min-ha had cut.
I went and took a closer look, and I could see that some were a little thick and some were too thin.
"But how can the sides not burst?"
"Right! As long as the sides don't burst and the taste is good, that's fine!"
"And if the ones that are bigger are placed next to each other and plated, it won't be awkward."
"Why is hyung talking so normally?"
Yoo Min-ha looked at Kang Si-yoon, who was quickly coming up with solutions, with a suspicious look.
Kang Si-yoon, who proudly showed off his chef's armband, straightened his shoulders.
"I told you, I'm going to be really serious this time."
"It's really awkward because it's not like you. I think it's better to just do as you usually do."
"No. No. Go back."
"That's not the Kang Si-yoon I knew.........."
A few minutes later, the kimbap and bibimbap were both ready.
Kang Si-yoon rang the bell briskly to let us know that the food had arrived, and Song Hyung-bin and I, who were waiting in the hall, immediately grabbed our trays and headed to the table.
"Hyung-nim. It's time to say the line you practiced."
"...Really? I'll do it? You won't do it?"
"We talked a lot when I first brought them in. So now it's your turn."
Song Hyung-bin swallowed hard.
After mumbling the words I taught him last night, he put down his food and said with a bright smile.
"Here's the kimbap and bibimbap you ordered. Enjoy them....."
How could it be the same as when we practiced?
Song Hyung-bin, who always got stuck on the last word, stuttered this time as well, unable to say 'please eat'.
I thought I should step forward and help him, but the customer smiled first and finished 'please eat' in Estonian.
"Ah! Thank you!"
"No, you seem Korean, but I was surprised to see you speak Estonian. You're good at it?"
"Uh, uh.......... So. Excuse me. What did you say?"
As words that were not pre-learned poured out, Song Hyung-bin called out to me like a broken robot, tapping away.
I explained that I had taught him a little Estonian in order to run the restaurant, while skillfully translating between the two languages.
"Enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please call me anytime."
"Yes, thank you."
The first menu delivery at the tense Seleste Restaurant was over.
Only after returning to the kitchen did Song Hyung-bin let out the breath he had been holding back as if his tension had eased.
"Whoa.......... Ah, I really studied everything, but why am I forgetting so easily?"
"For something that you learned by accident, it's pretty good for someone like you."
"But since I practiced, I wanted to do it perfectly."
Meanwhile, the members staying in the kitchen stood in a row in front of the serving tray where the finished food was served, holding their breath and looking at the two hands.
"Please, it has to be delicious.........."
"What is this that makes me so nervous?"
"The tension is no joke, really. It feels a bit like the IPS level test."
It's almost like the first stage evaluation of the survival show.
Yoo Min-ha stared intently at the customers who were carefully eating the kimbap he made.
Please, it's delicious. He seemed to be desperately praying that they would say it's okay.
I was standing in the middle of the hall looking at the customers and finally heard their first words.
"It's okay."
"Is it delicious? This is okay too. I thought it would be spicy because it's Korean food, but it's not that spicy."
"The vegetables are fresh and delicious."
Since it was in Estonian, the other members couldn't understand it except for me.
So everyone's eyes were naturally fixed on me.
When I turned around and gave a thumbs up, Yoo Min-ha and Chae Eun-gyu smiled broadly and gave each other a high five.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"That's really fortunate! Wow, that's really fortunate."
"See, hyung, we're good at making it?"
As the guests were happily enjoying their meals, Song Hyung-bin lightly tapped my shoulder and whispered.
"But they don't seem to know that we're idols?"
"I think it's better for them not to know us since they're a local."
"I thought they'd recognize us right away."
I nodded to Song Hyung-bin.
I'm not being conceited, but.... I thought that many people would recognize my face since my face was already somewhat well-known in Estonia.
The first guests came in from the street and made eye contact, so I had a feeling that it might be the case. It seems I guessed wrong.
But just as words become seeds, soon the Seleste restaurant was bustling with numerous customers.
Including those who recognized us.
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