<Episode 2>
Fortunately, I was told I could choose whatever food I wanted.
“Hm… what should I go with?”
Honestly, there weren’t many menu options I could manage in this old, cramped shop.
Since it was by the roadside, it had to be something people could easily eat on the go, and judging by the setup, anything with a complicated cooking process was out of the question.
Since it was winter, something perfect for the season would be…
“Bungeoppang, obviously?”
The moment I finished thinking, the system window flashed with flashy effects and displayed a new message.
—
Menu “Bungeoppang” selected!
You are given a “Beginner’s Bungeoppang Kit.”
⇒ Receive
—
Still a bit dazed, I clicked “Receive,” and a notification popped up saying that a “Worn Bungeoppang Mold,” “Bungeoppang Batter,” “Sweet Red Bean Paste,” and “Cooking Oil” had been added to my inventory.
“Did you get a gift, nya?”
“I got basic ingredients to make bungeoppang. Wait a second.”
I opened the inventory, checked how the item icons were displayed, and then clicked “Details” on the materials I had just received.
And then I realized something incredible.
The bungeoppang mold was just a worn two-slot mold, but the rest of the ingredients had a shocking description… they could automatically refill.
Auto-refill? Then the ingredient cost is… free?
“No way…!”
So this is why everyone kept going on about awakening!
Unable to contain my joy, I waved my hands excitedly in the air.
“Heh, is it really that great, nya?”
“Of course! Do you know how important cutting costs is in business?!”
Right. So what if the shop is a bit shabby? I just have to work hard and sell!
Excited about the free ingredients, I started running my brain in full positivity mode.
“Alright! What’s there to life? Let’s just do it!”
I burned with motivation. For some reason, I had a feeling things would go well.
And those kinds of feelings are always wrong.
***
“Isn’t this just too much!?”
I spent all night practicing making bungeoppang and opened the shop in the morning, but not a single passerby showed up. So much for things going well.
All I could see were a few fallen leaves rolling in the wind.
“Guess the location really is the problem.”
At my words, the cat yawned indifferently.
It had insisted on starting the business here, yet didn’t seem worried at all.
“With business this bad, are you sure you can grant my wish?”
“You really lack patience, nya.”
“It’s not that I lack patience–!”
I raised my voice in frustration, but the cat just stretched lazily, telling me to wait. Fine. As long as my wish gets granted, who cares if the business fails!
It was then.
“Hello, how much is the bungeoppang?”
“Oh! Hello. It’s 1,000 won each!”
“Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve had bungeoppang, right?”
“Yeah, seriously. We’ll take two!”
Two hours after opening. Thankfully, a passing couple approached with interest.
Finally, my first order! I placed the prettiest bungeoppang into a bag and handed it over, when the female customer tilted her head.
“But do you only have red bean bungeoppang?”
“For now, only red bean is available.”
“Ah… that’s a shame. Thank you. Hope you sell a lot!”
After my first customers left, I stared at the bungeoppang.
‘It is a bit disappointing to have only red bean.’
After all, the essence of bungeoppang is having both red bean and custard cream. But the system was stingy and only gave me red bean ingredients.
To make matters worse, unlocking the next menu required a condition: selling 500 units.
“Well, that means I’ve got 498 left… huh? Why didn’t the number go down?”
I definitely sold two, but the system still showed “0/500.”
Did I do something wrong? As I blinked at the incomprehensible system, the cat lying in the corner suddenly sprang up.
“Whoa! What’s wrong?”
“A customer has finally arrived, nya.”
A customer? Where?
Following its gaze, I saw someone approaching from afar.
“You must give food to that human, nya!”
“T-that person?”
At a glance, he looked intimidating.
A huge build, a thick beard, wearing a suit without a coat despite the cold, and even sunglasses… it made him look even more frightening.
I shook my head uneasily.
“He looks like an awakened person…”
“It has to be him, nya. Hurry!”
As I hesitated, the cat started pushing my legs insistently.
“Don’t hesitate like a slug, nya!”
“Ugh, if it weren’t for my wish…!”
Reluctantly, I packed freshly baked bungeoppang into a bag and ran toward him.
He walked so fast that he had already gotten quite far.
“Excuse me! Wait a moment!!!”
At my call, he stopped and slowly turned around. He was so big I had to crane my neck just to look up at him.
“What is it?”
“Ah, um… I opened my shop today!”
Hesitating, I held out the bag of bungeoppang.
He lifted his sunglasses slightly and looked at it.
“I wanted to give you one as an opening gift…”
“An opening gift?”
“Yes! Just to try the taste!”
At my words, he shook his head.
“I am a hunter. My sense of taste is duller than others, so I don’t think I’m suitable for tasting.”
With that, he gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
Panicking, I grabbed him.
“Just once! Could you please try it just once?”
I haven’t sold anything today… I worked so hard all day… It’s even my opening day…
As I muttered gloomily, he scratched his head awkwardly before finally accepting it.
“…I just need to try it, right?”
“Yes! Of course! Please don’t feel pressured!”
Letting out a small sigh, he took out the bungeoppang and carefully bit into it.
Crunch
The crispy shell broke as it disappeared into his mouth.
At the same time, he let out a low exclamation.
“…No way.”
What? Is something wrong?
Is the inside undercooked? Too crispy?
“This is insanely delicious!!!”
Huh? D-delicious?
Before I could process his reaction, he suddenly ran toward my stall.
I hurried after him and saw him grabbing bungeoppang from the tray and devouring them.
“Uoooo! So good!”
Making strange exclamations, he stuffed bungeoppang into his mouth with both hands.
The tray emptied rapidly.
“Um… should I make more for you?”
“Yes! Please!”
A passerby paused as if witnessing something unbelievable, then quickly turned away and left.
‘A bearded man stuffing his face with bungeoppang in both hands… yeah, that does look scary.’
I forced an awkward smile and poured batter into the mold.
After some time, having devoured all the bungeoppang, he smiled sheepishly.
“Ha ha, I got a bit carried away.”
“Not at all. It’s nice to see you enjoying it.”
“Since awakening, this is my first time tasting something like this… By the way, you must be a production-type hunter. I didn’t realize.”
Huh? Production-type?
It was my first time hearing that, but I couldn’t deny it, so I nodded along.
“I’m Yoon Kanghyuk, Head of Security. I work on the first floor of the Management Bureau, so you might see me around.”
“Ah, I’m Jung Haneul. Nice to meet you.”
No wonder his physique was incredible…
He was a security officer working at the Management Bureau. And a team leader, at that.
“Oh, it’s already this time. I should get going.”
After checking the time, he frowned and pulled out a thick wad of cash, handing it to me.
W-wait! That’s way too much!
“Th-that’s too much!”
“It’s a token of my appreciation. I really enjoyed it. Well then.”
After giving a light farewell, he left, and I was left standing there in a daze.
I slowly looked back and forth between the money in my hand and the now-empty tray, swallowing hard.
So what this means is…
“Hunters can actually taste it?”
The dulling of taste, an inevitable side effect of awakening, had never been solved by any item before.
But if my bungeoppang works on hunters…
“Isn’t this a total jackpot?”
Eureka. Unbelievable. This is insane.
A calculator started spinning rapidly in my head.
“Alright, I need to redesign my sales strategy!”
I quickly cleaned up the stall and shouted “Return,” heading back home.
First, I needed to change my target customers… from non-awakened passersby near the Bureau to “awakened ones,” hunters.
Then I raised the price from 1,000 won per piece to 10,000 won. This wasn’t just bungeoppang… it was an item.
“I’ll remake the price sign, label it for awakened users…”
Humming to myself as I reviewed the changes, a crucial thought suddenly struck me.
How do I advertise that my bungeoppang is an item to hunters?
“Grabbing random passersby like today is way too inefficient…”
No matter how good a product is, it’s useless if people don’t know about it.
Hmm. I flopped onto the bed and thought.
‘If they just try it once, they’ll realize its value.’
Wait. Just once?
A good idea suddenly came to mind.
A free tasting event at the Hunter Management Bureau.
Let’s do this.
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