<Episode 119>
Jeongdameun Restaurant continued to grow steadily, fueled by people’s curiosity about the SS-rank Hunter who had opened it and by the rave reviews from those who visited.
“It tastes way better than I expected, right?”
“Yeah. Want to come again next week? I’ll make a reservation in advance.”
“Mm! Sounds good. Let’s get the boiled pork with it next time.”
The satisfied conversation of a couple leaving the restaurant brought a smile to my face. Looking around, I saw customers nodding in approval as they eagerly drank the soup.
“Ahhh! The broth is so refreshing!”
“One more bottle of soju, please!”
‘All those times I kept revisiting my memories and adjusting the recipe before opening really paid off.’
After taking a chilled bottle of soju from the refrigerator and handing it over, I checked today’s sales.
We had already comfortably passed ten million won.
“Everyone’s reactions are amazing, aren’t they?”
During a lull when the crowd had thinned out, Choi Siwoo, one of the servers at the restaurant, approached with an easygoing smile. With his softly curled brown hair and sports headband, he looked less like a restaurant employee and more like the vocalist of an indie band from Hongdae.
“Ah, Siwoo. I heard you explained how to eat the gukbap to those foreign customers who came last time?”
“Ah… yes, that’s right. Was there a problem?”
“No, not at all. Before they paid and left, they asked if we had any plans to expand into America and even gave us their business cards! They must’ve really liked our gukbap.”
Apparently, they’d come here only because they failed to reserve a spot at Haneul’s Shop. But when I glanced into the dining hall, there they were, sweating profusely and gulping down gukbap like crazy.
When they paid, they told me the brown-haired male employee had kindly explained how to eat it. Thanks to that, even though it was unfamiliar food, they were able to enjoy it. They praised the experience endlessly and even made a business proposal, saying they wanted to open restaurants in America and asked us to contact them.
“America all of a sudden? Is our gukbap restaurant going global now?”
At my words, Siwoo widened his eyes in shock.
“Global? Already?”
I shrugged.
“This restaurant only just opened. Global expansion is out of the question right now. Maybe someday, but definitely not now.”
“Aww, that’s too bad. We need to spread the gospel of gukbap to the world.”
“I just wanted to thank you. We got that offer because you took such good care of them.”
“Really? Hehe, I didn’t do anything special. But thank you!”
Embarrassed by my praise, Siwoo scratched the back of his head and twisted his body awkwardly.
“Alright then. Let’s work hard until closing.”
“Yes, ma’am! I’ll do my best!”
I thought our conversation had ended there, but Siwoo lingered around me instead of leaving.
When I looked at him curiously, he cleared his throat and cautiously spoke.
“Um… Boss, actually, I’m a huge fan.”
“A fan of who?”
“Obviously you.”
He suddenly produced a pen and a small notebook from his apron pocket.
“Could I… maybe get your autograph?”
The unexpected request caught me off guard.
Of course, some people occasionally asked for autographs or photos because they found an SS-rank Hunter fascinating.
‘But I didn’t expect one of my employees to do it.’
He hadn’t shown any signs of it during the interview, so I had no idea.
Well, it wasn’t exactly difficult.
Smiling warmly, I carefully signed his notebook.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he no longer seemed interested in hiding it and stuck close to me, rattling on excitedly.
“I’ve been your fan since before you awakened as an SS-rank! Ahhh, it was such a huge sensation! Making items that actually had flavor… and while you were still F-rank!”
“Haha… sounds like you’ve read a lot of articles.”
“And on top of that, you’ve got that super cute talking cat, you’re close with Hunter Lee Hyunwoo, and then you even awakened as an SS-rank! You’re practically a broken character!”
B-broken character…
His extraordinary choice of words made me laugh awkwardly.
His booming voice made nearby customers glance over, but he paid no attention to their gazes and continued firing compliments at me like a machine gun.
“I heard you even gained a skill that can completely eliminate side effects? Thanks to that, Hunters–”
“Here, your notebook. By the way, Siwoo, you seem to know a lot about the Hunter world?”
I hurriedly returned the notebook and changed the topic.
As though he’d been waiting for the opportunity, he nodded enthusiastically and proudly showed me the list of accounts he followed on social media.
“See? I follow every famous Hunter!”
He even followed the Hunter Association.
‘What is this guy… a Hunter fanatic?’
Noticing my expression, he laughed and tilted his head back.
“Haha! Actually, ever since I was little, my dream has been to awaken. Going into Gates is just so cool! It feels like becoming part of some chosen new humanity.”
Apparently, he had originally wanted to apply to Haneul’s Shop, but since the minimum requirement was being at least an F-rank Awakener, he had given up. Thankfully, this restaurant didn’t care whether employees were Awakeners or not, so he was happy he could apply.
“I held myself back during the interview because I thought you wouldn’t hire me if I showed I was a fan. Anyway, it’s truly an honor! an honor! to work with an SS-rank Hunter!”
He snapped to attention and gave me a military salute.
“Geez, Siwoo! Please stop doing that here and go wipe down the empty tables!”
As nearby customers burst into laughter, I turned bright red and hurriedly pushed him away.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Swinging his arms and legs exaggeratedly like a robot, he marched off.
‘I’d better avoid talking to him whenever possible…’
I shook my head as I watched him happily admiring the notebook in his arms.
About an hour later, it was time to close.
As I cleaned up the mostly empty dining area, the door opened, and a familiar face walked in.
“Oh? Hyunwoo!”
“Closing time is soon, right? I thought it’d be nice if we got off work together.”
Apparently, he’d just cleared a B-rank Gate that had appeared nearby, and since it coincided with my closing time, he’d stopped by.
“Huh? There wasn’t any Gate around here…”
Hunter expert Siwoo tilted his head in confusion, but Hyunwoo ignored him completely and smiled at me.
“I have to head back to the Management Bureau dormitory anyway. Let’s go together.”
“Sure. Just wait a little longer, okay? I still have some cleaning left.”
Actually, coming from the Bureau to Jeongdameun Restaurant was one thing, but getting home after work wasn’t difficult. I could simply use the system’s “Go Directly to My Store” function and teleport to the front of Branch 1.
Still, I didn’t want to point that out and embarrass him, so I simply cleaned tables faster instead.
“B-Boss? I can’t even see your hands!”
Yoonseul from the kitchen stared in horror, but I didn’t answer.
Wiping one more table was more important.
“…Boss, just go home already. We’ll handle the rest.”
“Really? Then I’ll close by myself tomorrow!”
The moment Yoonseul finished speaking, I immediately tossed off my apron and grabbed my bag.
Standing by the entrance, Hyunwoo covered his mouth with the back of his hand and silently laughed.
“You don’t have to hurry that much.”
“…I just didn’t want you getting bored.”
Together, we left the restaurant and walked toward the parking lot.
The sun had set, and a pleasantly cool breeze blew.
“Was there really a Gate nearby? You didn’t come here on purpose, did you?”
“Was it that obvious? I thought I’d sounded natural.”
“…Well, maybe a little? Not too much.”
We laughed over the silly exchange.
I’d worried things would become awkward after his confession, but thankfully that fear had been unfounded.
We chatted leisurely about everything that had happened recently… the restaurant being more crowded than expected, receiving the proposal to expand to America, and all the things we’d been too busy to talk about.
Then…
‘Swoosh.‘
From the dark alley in the distance, I suddenly sensed a strange, murky fluctuation of mana.
“Haneul, please stay behind me.”
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Hyunwoo’s expression hardened instantly as he stepped in front of me.
Our conversation ceased, and silence settled over the air around us.
In a low voice, Hyunwoo addressed the darkness.
“Who’s there? Stop hiding and come out.”
“……”
Under the flickering streetlight, a man staggered out from the shadows.
The moment he slowly raised his head, I instinctively covered my mouth.
‘…Park Jaemin?’
A man who no longer deserved to be called a Hunter.
The man who had brutally murdered my parents.
Staring blankly into space, he muttered like someone who had lost his mind.
“Why are you the son Father chose? Why do I become nothing no matter how hard I try…? Why…?”
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