TSBSFVW 03

CHAPTER 03……

One Loaf of Bread. I Opened a Bakery. Let’s Become Baek Jong-won (2)

The bakery set up shop in a small corner of an alley.

It was located deep in the market; the alley was narrow, but there was no shortage of passersby.

The best part was that it was far away from the main boulevard where nobles usually came and went.

“My shop! My dream shop!”

The past no longer mattered.

Whether it was having to beg distant maternal relatives for help in order to use her late mother’s inheritance as collateral for a loan…
or the fact that those relatives didn’t trust Ellie and instead introduced her to a greedy merchant…
or that she had to borrow from that merchant at a high interest rate…

Damn it…

A mixture of grief and pride brought tears to her eyes again.

“Hey, you there, suspicious person.”

“I’m not suspicious! My identity is perfectly clear!”

Ellie instinctively raised both hands in surrender and spun around nervously.
Standing there was a familiar face.

Ellie scowled as soon as she saw him.

“You startled me.”

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, nothing to be startled about.”

He clearly believed there was no one under the sun more aboveboard than himself.

Was his every annoying remark because of her prejudice? Ellie muttered under her breath.

The man had neatly combed black hair and gentle-looking light brown eyes. He was two heads taller than Ellie.

His well-proportioned, handsome face wore a relaxed smile, and the mature, easygoing air about him was undeniably attractive.

At first, I thought he was just a handsome, kind man. I’m not falling for it anymore.

Ellie’s voice turned cold.

“What do you want? The repayment date is still a long way off.”

Because this man was a ruthless loan shark.

“This is the first day of business for the shop you opened with my money. Of course I had to come.”

“What are you talking about? Since when do moneylenders check up on their borrowers’ affairs like this…”

“The way you say that makes me sound like some evil loan shark.”

Ellie just stared at him as if to say, Aren’t you?

His name was Morris Herzog.

He was the owner of a famous merchant company whose name was known even beyond the kingdom’s borders.

Though he had helped Ellie open her shop anonymously, she held no fond feelings toward him.

After all, this smiling man had charged a minor nearly forty percent interest.

That he knew her situation made it all the more despicable.

Still, she had received much help from him and would probably need his help again, so she never let it show.

“I can see you cursing me with your eyes.”

“At least I’m not saying it out loud.”

“Why not try saying it?”

“…”

The pitiful debtor said nothing.

“Alright, open the door.”

“Anyone would think this was your shop.”

“Isn’t eighty percent of it mine?”

“…”

“I said stop cursing me with your eyes.”

Ellie simply shut her mouth.

Though she felt wronged by the tyranny of the loan shark, she decided to act mature. After all, a few months later, when her birthday passed, she could pay it all back at once—she just had to endure until then.

If she hadn’t had a way to pay it back in one go, she would never have borrowed money at such an outrageous rate in the first place.

Since the relationship would end in a few months, she could endure it.

Emotions pass, only results remain.

That was Ellie’s motto.

Having reached her conclusion, Ellie stuck the key into the shop’s door.

“A bakery should open at dawn, shouldn’t it?”

“My, you sure are nosy.”

“It’s called showing interest.”

“Ah, right…”

It sounded almost like flirting, but Ellie didn’t waver.

There were many kinds of “interest,” and besides, Morris seemed to have a habit of making remarks that could be mistaken for flirting.

With a clunk, the latch came undone.

“What, nothing here?”

“What, did you expect the place to be packed with bread on the first day?”

“…”

Apparently, he had.

“I’m starting official sales tomorrow, so today is just prep. Bread doesn’t magically appear out of nowhere, you know.”

Ignoring Morris, Ellie stepped inside and looked around.

The shop was about 10 pyeong (around 330 square feet).

That was just the display and counter area—behind it, the working space was much larger.

It had the most important thing: an oven, plus a kneading worktable and a fermentation room. Upstairs was Ellie’s living quarters.

Getting all these facilities together had taken Ellie’s blood, sweat, and tears.

“Ugh…”

“Cry later. I’m hungry.”

“And you’re telling me this because…?”

“I’ll knock ten percent off this month’s interest.”

“There’s not much here right now, but sit over there.”

In her head, Ellie quickly compared the cost of a meal to ten percent interest and immediately changed her tune. Morris chuckled at her reaction.

He was probably amused at the sight of a noble lady becoming humble over pocket change.

But Ellie didn’t care. Those who scoff at ten won will cry over ten won someday.

Since she had poured all her money into opening the shop, she couldn’t spare a single coin. Starting a business cost money for everything—even a single cup or bowl.

Beside the display stood a small two-person table. It was in a sunny spot and meant for Ellie to enjoy meals or tea time.

Morris was already seated there comfortably as if it were his by right, without being invited.

It annoyed her that the first person to sit there was a loan shark, but if he was paying well, so be it.

Ellie stepped into the kitchen area, humming unconsciously—just thinking about bread put her in a good mood.

Thanks to earlier prep work, there were several batches of dough in the fermentation room, though they still needed more time.

What she took out instead was scones—made yesterday.

They had been meant for her own breakfast, but for a ten percent discount? Worth it.

Made by mixing diced butter with flour and sugar, then quickly binding it with milk and eggs before baking. She had gone through countless trials to find the right ratio, temperature, and baking time for this world’s ingredients.

The crust was crisp like a cookie, the inside slightly crumbly but still moist. It had taken many discarded batches to perfect that balance.

Of course, Ellie had eaten every failed attempt herself—half of them weren’t even “scones” so much as “scone-like things,” but she didn’t discriminate.

She plated the scones with fruit jam and poured milk, even adding a tiny mint leaf on top for presentation.

When she brought the tray out, Morris said in surprise:

“I thought you said bread didn’t just appear out of nowhere?”

“I made these yesterday. They were my breakfast…”

“So you were hiding something.”

“I said they were mine.”

The greedy loan shark looked at her with shining eyes, ignoring her protests.

“What’s this? Haven’t seen it before.”

“That’s because you haven’t eaten everything I’ve made.”

Ellie smirked.

“The one you had before was… that soft white bread.”

“Right, the loaf bread.”

“This is called a scone.”

“Next time, make me the bread from before. The loaf bread.”

I knew it… He was here for the bread. So much for “interest.”

Ellie set the tray on the table.

The sides had risen in layers, the top glazed with egg wash and baked to a lovely golden color. It looked perfect—because she had made it.

And it didn’t just look good. One bite and it was savory and mild with a hint of sweetness at the end. The slight crumble in the texture was part of its charm.

Add sweet jam and it became a different treat altogether. Pair it with fragrant tea, and happiness was guaranteed.

“Do I spread the jam on it?”

“That’s right. It’s good with milk, but it pairs well with tea, too.”

She wasn’t going to bother brewing tea right now.

Morris barely listened, popping an entire scone into his mouth.

“Mm—!”

“Wha—what’s wrong?!”

He suddenly clamped his mouth shut and widened his eyes.

Sure, I wanted to poison him, but I didn’t actually put anything in there—yet!

Ellie’s heart dropped. Had something gotten into it?

“What’s wrong? If it’s bad, spit it out! Here, quick!”

She held out her palm near his mouth, but Morris just raised his head.

Ellie searched his face in worry. As annoying as he was, he was the only one who had helped her—and she still needed him in the future.

Plus, he was technically her first customer. It would be terrible luck if he dropped dead here. There were limits to ruining someone’s business.

A contamination issue before the bakery even opened? Impossible.

“Say something! Should I call a doctor? Spit it out already!”

“…”

Morris just stared at her as she fussed. When she finally stood up to pry his mouth open herself, he spoke in a small voice:

“…More.”

“…What?”

His brown eyes were moist.

Gone was the usual annoying expression—replaced by shock, awe, and a shiver of delight.

This was the same mouth that, after tasting her loaf bread, had only said, “Yeah, it could sell.”

Ah. Ellie recognized this look.

It was the expression of someone tasting heaven in their mouth. She’d seen it on her own face many times on bakery pilgrimages in her past life.

Those glistening eyes were filled with madness.

Grabbing her hands tightly in both of his, Morris said:

“I’ll pay you whatever it takes—just let me eat this every day.”

She had just found herself a goldmine.