<Episode 72>
“Thank you! Please get home safely!”
Peaceful days continued for a while. The newly launched sotteok-sotteok had perfectly settled in as an official menu item, and sales were steadily increasing. Even the second branch had apparently increased its daily reservation count thanks to the Skewer Presso item I had sent over.
‘Opening a second branch really does make a difference in revenue.’
At this rate, it felt like we could keep expanding with third and fourth branches. At this point, we might end up opening franchises all across the country. Smiling to myself as I imagined that happy future, I happily poured 붕어빵 batter.
Ding.
“Welco–”
I looked up at the sound of the door opening, only to see three men in black jumpers standing in a line. A strange chill suddenly ran down my spine.
“Are you Jung Haneul?”
Instinctively fiddling with my apron, I nodded. One of the men unfolded a document and showed it to me. The words “Search Warrant” were clearly printed on it.
“Under the Hunter Management Bureau’s special food hazard investigation order, we will now conduct a search and seizure of your establishment.”
“W-wait a minute! A hazard investigation? Why all of a sud–”
The man looked down at me coldly as he spoke.
“Nine hunters reported severe abdominal pain after consuming the food from this establishment. Of those, two hunters died early this morning.”
***
When I came back to my senses, I was sitting in a bleak corner of an interrogation room at the Hunter Management Bureau. I could barely even remember how I’d been dragged here. The words that someone had died after eating food from our shop had left my mind completely numb.
Until the epidemiological investigation was complete, all item sales were suspended indefinitely. Along with that announcement, the customers in the shop had been forced out as if chased away. Ari’s teary face as she looked at me lingered in my vision like an afterimage.
‘Did I even properly comfort Ari?’
Weakly, I shook my head. Sitting beneath the harsh white fluorescent lights, none of this felt real. Just then, as I stared blankly at the floor, a man claiming to be an investigator dragged a chair over and sat in front of me.
“You’re Jung Haneul, correct?”
“…Yes.”
He was a fierce-looking man, with deep wrinkles etched into his forehead. After briefly confirming my personal information, he placed several photographs on the table, saying they were photos of the deceased hunters.
“…That’s impossible.”
The moment I saw the photos, something like a scream escaped my lips. My hand clamped over my mouth trembled violently. The hunters who had died were regular customers who visited our shop frequently.
“They complained of severe stomach pain starting about a week before their deaths, and around 1 a.m. yesterday, they began suffering from high fevers. They were rushed to the Bureau infirmary, but by then it was already too late.”
The cause of death for the hunter in the other photos was the same.
“So far, there have been nine victims showing similar symptoms. Do you know the only thing they all had in common? They had all recently consumed items from your shop.”
The timing of their visits was also similar. About ten days ago. Around the time our shop first launched the new sotteok-sotteok menu.
“Hunters from different teams and different ranks all reported the same symptoms as if by prior arrangement. Two of them even lost their lives. Do you have anything to say about that?”
“T-there’s no way it was because of our food! It’s just food made with ordinary ingredients!”
At my protest, the man clicked his tongue lightly. He picked up a black plastic bag sitting on the floor and dropped it onto the table with a thud. The opening spread apart, spilling our shop’s food items out messily.
“Do you know what this is?”
“…They’re menu items sold at our shop.”
“You said the food you sell is all ordinary food, correct? But is that really true?”
Scrolling through a tablet screen, the man began speaking in an exaggerated, mocking tone.
“I heard these foods can even be tasted by awakened individuals. Wow, how incredible! Just what kind of principle makes that possible?”
“That’s because of my ability–”
“Hold on a second. Jung Haneul, you’re an F-rank awakened, correct? An F-rank ability… honestly, isn’t that too pathetic to even be called an ‘awakened’ ability?”
The investigator narrowed his eyes. Under his blatant stare that seemed to pierce through me, my head lowered on its own.
His intent was obvious. He was mocking me with the implication: “How could someone who’s only F-rank possibly possess such an ability?”
“Why do you think no hunter with such an ability has ever appeared before? And why, of all people, would such a miraculous power appear in someone who’s merely F-rank?”
Biting my lip, I shook my head. I couldn’t talk about Hanyang here. If I started mentioning blessings or anything like that, it was obvious Hanyang would end up dragged onto this horrifying interrogation table too.
The man flipped the tablet face down and leaned his upper body closer to me, whispering secretly.
“What if this thought is correct? What if the items you’re selling aren’t actually created through an awakened ability? What if the same effects were produced through some other substance rather than food?”
Another substance? I abruptly lifted my head.
“There’s no way! I would never do something strange like that to food!”
Despite my fierce reaction, he only nodded absentmindedly. There wasn’t even the slightest sign that he believed me.
“We’ve already begun a component analysis on the items being sold. The truth will come out soon enough. Whether suspicious substances were added… or not.”
Scrape. Pushing back his chair, the man stood and gathered up the tablet and documents. Looking down at me, he jerked his chin.
“There’s a risk you may attempt to flee, so remain here until the results are ready.”
“…What about my phone?”
“You could contact the outside, so it’ll be returned once the investigation is finished.”
Bang. Once the iron door shut behind him, a horrifying silence settled over the room. As though even the air in the narrow interrogation room had turned cold, I wrapped my arms around myself.
‘…There really wasn’t anything wrong with our food, right?’
No matter how many times I repeated that to myself, anxiety continued to bloom in one corner of my heart. My thoughts spiraled endlessly one after another. It felt like the tightly sealed walls surrounding me were squeezing the air from my throat.
How long would I have to stay here? If there really was something wrong with the food, then what about all those countless customers who smiled after eating my cooking?
My breathing became ragged. It seemed I had been unconsciously holding my breath. Staggering, I lay down on the small mattress in the back. There was no way I could sleep even with my eyes closed.
Creak.
At that moment, the tightly shut interrogation room door opened very carefully. The person peeking through the crack was none other than Ari, our shop employee. And through the tiny gap, a familiar furry lump squeezed itself inside with grunting noises.
“…Phew. I figured you’d be here, nya.”
“Hanyang!”
At the sound of the voice I’d missed so much, I jumped up. Ari hurriedly pressed a finger to her lips.
“Shhh! We snuck in.”
“No, how did you even get here…? More importantly, what about the shop? No, wait. Are you both okay?”
“I’m okay. The shop too… well, it’s still okay for now. Hanyang followed your scent and brought me here.”
Hanyang did? When I stared in surprise, Hanyang puffed out his chest proudly.
‘…Following my scent. He’s not a cat, he’s more like a dog.’
The tension melted away, and a small laugh escaped me. When I scratched under his chin, Hanyang let out a soft purring song and rubbed his cheek against my arm.
“But seriously, what is all this, unnie? People died after eating food from our shop? That has to be a lie, right?”
“…Yeah. I’m so out of it right now too. I have no idea what’s happening.”
Hanyang also lashed his tail against the floor, insisting there was no way the sacred food blessed by him could cause such a horrible result.
“I heard the Team 1 hunters entered a gate today, of all days. Even the Director isn’t at headquarters.”
Ari clenched her fist tightly, saying the timing was way too perfect. Biting her lip, she added in a trembling voice:
“They definitely targeted this timing on purpose. I should’ve at least been able to help you somehow, unnie. But I panicked like an idiot and couldn’t do anything… hic.”
In the end, tears spilled from Ari’s eyes. The helplessness of watching me get dragged away right in front of her without being able to do anything had clearly crushed her.
Quietly, I pulled the sniffling Ari into my arms and patted her gently. Feeling this warmth from someone crying for my sake calmed the anxiety raging inside my chest.
“Just coming to see me like this is more than enough. You already gave me strength.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been really scared here alone. And… Ari, if it’s okay with you, could you take care of Hanyang until I get out?”
With tears still gathered in her eyes, Ari nodded vigorously. Before the investigator returned, I hurriedly sent the two of them away. Even right before leaving through the door, Ari kept glancing back at me with worried eyes.
“…You’re really okay, right?”
“Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll be out soon.”
After Ari and Hanyang left, I leaned back against the hard mattress again. Maybe it was thanks to that brief meeting and the warmth it brought me. The cold interrogation room no longer felt frightening.
“Yeah. Everything will be okay. The truth will come out.”
Muttering words meant for no one in particular, I closed my eyes. Perhaps because the tension had finally loosened, I must have drifted off for a moment. Then…
Bang!
At the sound of the door bursting open, I startled awake.
“Hunter Haneul! Are you alright?”
“…Director?”
I saw the Director standing there in a brown suit. Squinting against the bright hallway light flooding into the interrogation room, I urgently asked:
“Is the epidemiological investigation over? What were the results?”
“…Hunter Haneul, about that…”
At my question, the Director hesitated, lips trembling as if unable to continue. Fear gripped me instantly. Could there really have been some suspicious substance found in our shop’s food?
Firmly supporting my staggering body, the Director spoke heavily.
“The Bureau never issued a search warrant for your shop. I personally confirmed it before coming here.”
What?
“T-that can’t be! The investigators definitely came with a warrant. I saw it with my own eyes!”
The Director shook her head firmly. Grasping my trembling hand tightly, she spoke in a clear voice.
“It’s true that hunters died. But the cause was confirmed to be toxic substances consumed inside the gate. Not the items you made.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead in disbelief. Only then did the sense of unease I’d felt throughout the interrogation finally click into place like puzzle pieces. The questioning that felt more like venting anger than an investigation. The confiscation of my phone to cut off outside contact. And even the security was far too sloppy for the Bureau.
“…At least it wasn’t our shop’s items.”
Relief that the worst-case scenario had been avoided finally allowed my heartbeat to return to normal. But the questions remained.
‘Why would someone do something like this?’
And I found the answer the moment I turned on my phone, which had been tossed into a trash can.
<At Last, Hunters Dead… Tragedy Caused by Unverified Items>
<“Haneul’s” Items Said to Restore Taste Sensation… Were They Actually ‘Poison’?>
Sensational articles claiming hunters had died after eating items from our shop had already spread across every major portal site. Alongside them were uncensored photos of my face and the name of our shop exposed for all to see.
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