Spinach, radish, onions, spring onions, garlic, bell peppers — I indifferently looked at the ingredients I put in the shopping cart before putting the bell peppers back on the shelf. It cost around a thousand won around a week ago, but it had nearly doubled in a week. I had heard that vegetables were the price of gold every single year, but it had gotten worse this year.

“Ma’am, this is a brand new coffee product. Please have a taste before you go.”

A young woman offered her a small cup of coffee with a smile. She looked like a college student doing a part-time job. I quickly received it and drank it in one go. It was slightly sour and just to my taste.

“It’s good, isn’t it? They used cherry-picked coffee beans and a special type of brewing method, so it has a clean taste.”

“It does have a clean taste.”

“It’s on sale right now, so you can buy a pack for cheap. How about it?”

It was good, so  I looked at the price tag as I threw the empty paper cup in the trash. Under the words ‘special discount’ was the red price tag of 40,000 won.

“It’s 40 thousand won?”

“It’s 70,000 won normally, but it’s on sale for 40,000. It’s definitely different from your usual coffee, so you won’t regret this investment. Also, it usually costs about 4,000 to 5,000 won to buy coffee in a café. If you think about that,...