<Episode 79>
I stared blankly at the system window floating before my eyes. A third branch store, the moment I reopened the shop? Of course, I wanted to expand the business too, but….
It was then, while I was staring into space with a complicated expression…
Ding.
With the cheerful sound of the bell, the shop door opened.
“…You’re open for business today, right?”
The young man who stepped inside had a youthful face. He looked familiar somehow, so I took a closer look and realized it was Seo Hangyeol, the hunter from the Gangwon branch whom I had met recently at the Arachne gate. Back then, he had been covered in dirt, but today he looked impeccably neat.
“Hangyeol! Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes! Thanks to you, I’ve completely recovered. I got discharged and received some vacation time, so I came up to thank you in person.”
After looking around at the atmosphere inside the shop, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and smiled.
“But… I guess you’re not open yet today…? I heard you were coming back, so I came all the way here, but maybe I picked the wrong day.”
Just as Hangyeol was about to turn around and leave, the regular customers who had already taken seats grabbed his arm.
“Oh no, not at all! We’re just having a small celebration before opening the store.”
“You’re Hunter Seo Hangyeol, right? I saw the news, you really went through a lot. Here, take a seat!”
Before he knew it, he ended up seated in the seat of honor. Hangyeol still radiated the air of someone new to society, so everyone seemed to find him adorable.
I placed a slice of leftover cake onto a plate and handed it to him.
“Eat some cake first. I’ll make some bungeoppang soon. Everyone’s having some too, right?”
“Ah, of course!”
“Wow! It’s been forever since I had bungeoppang.”
Watching the hunters eagerly eating ordinary cake, I quickly started baking bungeoppang. Before I knew it, Ari had come over and started making fish cake soup.
“Bungeoppang tastes best when you eat it with fish cake broth!”
The finished bungeoppang and fish cake broth were passed around to the customers nearby first. Hangyeol accepted his portion politely with both hands instead of refusing.
“Thank you! I’ll enjoy it.”
The moment he took a huge bite, the crispy shell cracked with a pleasant crunch. His expression instantly melted into bliss.
“Wow… this is way better than I imagined. I’m serious. I’m going to brag to all my coworkers the second I get back!”
At his honest reaction, the surrounding hunters burst into laughter.
“Ah, that was exactly me the first time I ate it.”
“I swear I sat down crying right in front of the shop.”
“Same here. My friend teased me for crying over food, then ended up sniffling after taking one bite too. It was hilarious.”
Everyone started chatting noisily while reminiscing. In the middle of it all, Hangyeol, who had been listening with sparkling eyes, suddenly looked bitter.
“What’s wrong? Something bothering you?”
At my question, Hangyeol’s shoulders drooped.
“It’s just… I’m jealous of everyone. Once I go back down to the Gangwon branch, who knows when I’ll get to eat your bungeoppang again, noona.”
He brushed the crumbs off his hands regretfully, then looked up at me with earnest eyes.
“Noona Haneul, couldn’t you open a branch in Gangwon too? I’m seriously amazing at advertising. Please?”
“Hmm… Gangwon, huh? Isn’t that kind of far?”
As I awkwardly laughed and pretended to think about it, another regular customer drinking fish cake broth beside us suddenly shouted urgently.
“What are you talking about?! The order’s wrong! Incheon should come first, boss!”
“Huh? But Incheon already has Chinatown. Gangwon only has potatoes!”
“That’s exactly why it needs to open in Incheon first! Do you know how much foot traffic there is there?!”
‘Hmm….’
Watching the two bicker, I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought. If I had my way, I’d open branches all across the country, but for now, only one-third of a branch was possible.
‘It’d be nice if there was a store everyone could use.’
Then suddenly, I remembered handing out food to exhausted hunters back at the Arachne gate. And even the anonymous thank-you post saying their mother regained her strength thanks to the fish cake broth I gave her. Without thinking, I muttered,
“…I guess delivering inside gates would be impossible, right?”
It would be nice if we could directly deliver our shop’s food to hunters exhausted from difficult battles.
When our eyes met, Hanyang curled up the corners of his mouth in a knowing grin, as though he understood exactly what I was thinking.
“There is nothing impossible for us, nya!”
***
Late that evening, after the party ended, I was riding home in Hunter Lee Hyunwoo’s car to our house (well, technically his house). Sitting in the passenger seat while watching the scenery fly by outside the window, I cautiously started speaking.
“Hunter, I’ve made plans for the third branch.”
“Already? Your drive is impressive. Which region this time?”
“No. It’s not tied to a specific region this time.”
I dramatically raised my index finger.
“I’m planning to make the third branch a delivery-style store. Instead of customers coming to us, we’ll go to them!”
Hunter Lee Hyunwoo nodded with interest.
“That’s a good idea. Since the store itself can move, it would be efficient.”
“Right? But… there’s one problem.”
I carefully gauged his reaction.
“I’m planning to open it in the form of a truck, but… I don’t really have a place to park it. Could I maybe use your garage?”
At my cautious request, he let out a small laugh. As he turned the wheel and drove into the garage, he answered in a gentle voice.
“You ask the obvious. Rather than my garage, you may think of it as Hunter Haneul’s garage.”
“Oh, no, not to that extent.”
“No. Every part of this house is practically yours, Hunter Haneul. Use it comfortably whenever you like.”
My face heated instantly at how casually he said something so dangerous. Practically mine? Wasn’t it unfair for him to say things like that with such a face?
‘What if I really close my eyes and settle here forever?!’
Pretending not to notice my pounding heart, I coughed awkwardly.
Anyway, after receiving his permission, I opened the system window. Just like Hanyang explained, when I entered the option tab for the third branch opening ticket, I saw stores in forms other than the familiar building style.
‘Interesting. There’s even a hut-shaped store? Oh, this one has a terrace.’
Naturally, the flashier the exterior or the more functions it had, the more additional points were required. As I scrolled down, I found the exact kind of store I had been looking for.
[Small Food Truck (Lv.1)]
‘It’s only Level 1 for now, but it’ll probably be upgradeable as sales increase, right?’
The moment I completed the selection, the window flickered and changed to “Out for Delivery.” Smiling in satisfaction, I stretched deeply. Hunter Lee Hyun-woo opened the car door for me so I could get out comfortably and asked,
“Then have you found employees to work in the truck?”
“I need to start looking now. Someone who can drive, has good stamina, and can travel all over the country. It won’t be easy, though.”
Honestly, finding the right people was the biggest problem. I still had to run the main store too, so I’d need to hire everyone from employees to a manager all over again.
It was then, while I was crossing the garden with a serious expression…
Rumble rumble.
“Delivery.”
A grim reaper dressed in black robes and wearing a gat appeared from the back, casually pushing a massive truck with one hand.
“What the….”
“Haha, apparently this is how deliveries are done these days.”
Hunter Lee Hyunwoo, who had instantly gone on alert, looked dumbfounded as he watched the grim reaper set down the truck and dust off his hands.
“Is that person even alive? Their life reaction is extremely faint.”
“Haha, well… even I’m not quite sure.”
I stared at the Grim Reaper. So he handled orders from Underworld.Com, and now system orders too. Maybe grim reapers these days were working two jobs… no, three jobs. His stamina was incredible.
‘…Wait. Great stamina? Isn’t that exactly the kind of talent I’m looking for?’
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind, and I hurriedly shouted,
“Staaahp!”
The grim reaper, who had been about to vanish as usual, froze at my yell. The pale face visible beneath his gat slowly tilted sideways.
“Is there a problem?”
“Would you maybe like to do delivery work for our shop? You’re passionate, strong, and perfect for the job.”
The Grim Reaper silently stared at me before rummaging around inside his robes and handing me something.
‘…A business card?’
Golden letters were engraved onto the black card.
—
Swift! Accurate! We deliver anything.
Trust Kim Chasa.
445155-54445214
—
This man… or rather, Mr. Grim Reaper, was more professional than I expected. Carefully accepting the card, I tucked it away.
“If we hire you, how exactly would we pay you…?”
It would be a problem if he wanted human souls or something. He opened his mouth expressionlessly.
“Points.”
Ah, so he accepted points as payment. What a relief. After patting my chest in relief, I politely told him I would contact him again later. With his expressionless face, he faded away like smoke. Things seemed to be going surprisingly smoothly.
“Perfect! Now I just need to figure out how to keep earning points consistently.”
Smiling brightly, I turned around.
And immediately met eyes with Hunter Lee Hyunwoo, who was staring at me with a puzzled expression.
“…I’ve been curious for a while now. What exactly are these ‘points’?”
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