<Episode 98>
In truth, this was something I had been worrying about ever since obtaining my SS-rank skill.
‘If I use my skill to cure Hunters’ side effects, what happens to my shop?’
Our shop, which had successfully expanded all the way to a third branch, had become a savior to Hunters who had lost their sense of taste.
Back in the early days, there had even been Hunters who ate my bungeoppang, realized they could taste again, and collapsed to the ground sobbing.
That alone said everything.
But once I established the Side Effect Treatment Center and started supplying Golden Bungeoppang nationwide, it wouldn’t be long before every Hunter regained their sense of taste and became just like ordinary people again.
Crossing my arms, I calmly examined reality.
‘The customers who came specifically to experience flavor will definitely decrease. They’ll be busy trying all the foods they couldn’t enjoy before.’
Even so, I wasn’t entirely pessimistic.
“Hmm… excluding those customers, things might actually be okay.”
That was especially true if I focused on item effects rather than taste.
There were almost no items on the market that offered effects comparable to my shop’s products.
And even when similar items existed, the price difference was enormous.
‘Any high-quality item on the market easily costs several million won or more.’
After thinking for a while, I nodded.
‘It’s time to release new products focused on special effects rather than flavor.’
Effects that couldn’t easily be found elsewhere, combined with relatively affordable prices.
If I could offer those two things together, Hunters would continue visiting my shop even after their side effects disappeared.
After that, I dragged Hyunwoo-ssi around various gates and worked hard gathering ingredients for new menu items.
I struggled quite a bit trying to prepare as many new products as possible before the center was completed.
Still, seeing all the new menu items that had been added to the shop filled me with satisfaction.
“…Why did the menu suddenly increase this much?”
Naturally, Ari looked bewildered.
I explained the future direction of the shop to her.
Thankfully, she seemed to understand and nodded.
“So we’re becoming an item shop rather than just a restaurant now!”
“That’s right. Since we’re increasing the number of products, we’ll be hiring more people too, so don’t worry too much.”
“Eh, I’m not worried about that! Besides, customers come by reservation anyway.”
After playfully ruffling Ari’s hair, we opened the shop.
Naturally, the customers who arrived early in the morning were most interested in my reawakening.
“Congratulations, Boss! I heard the news!”
“Wow, a reawakening… I’d only heard about it before. It’s really amazing.”
The customers gathered around me and stared as though they were looking at a legendary creature.
Then one customer tilted his head.
“Hmm… but even though you’re SS-rank, your mana doesn’t seem any different. Is it because you’re a production-type Hunter?”
“Maybe she’s wearing an item that conceals her mana?”
“Oh, correct.”
I smiled and nodded.
Using Underworld.com, I’d purchased an item similar to the one Hyunwoo-ssi owned that reduced the amount of mana others could sense.
I didn’t want customers visiting the shop to feel uncomfortable because of my mana.
“It’s really amazing, right? I was shocked at first too because I thought she wasn’t SS-rank!”
At that moment, a cheerful voice sounded beside me.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to my right.
But there was nobody there.
“…W-What? A ghost?”
“Come on! There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
Even as they said that, everyone shivered uneasily.
Chuckling softly, I pulled a skewer from the fish cake broth.
Instead of folded fish cake, the skewer was threaded with thick rice cakes.
“Would everyone please pay attention to this new menu item?”
“Uh… isn’t that mul-tteok?”
“You know it! That’s right. Soft rice cakes soaked full of fish cake broth are our newest menu item.”
The customers all looked confused.
It was understandable.
They had just heard a voice coming from empty air, and yet I was calmly introducing a new product.
But there was a reason I brought it up now.
Once again, a voice came from my apparently empty right side.
“The effect of this item is Presence Reduction. None of you noticed I was here, right? Haha!”
A moment later, Ari’s figure flickered into view while holding an empty skewer.
The item’s effect had ended at just the right moment.
The customers’ eyes sparkled.
“Wow, I had no idea! With this item, monsters wouldn’t even aggro onto you in a gate!”
“Seriously. But it’s only twenty-five thousand won each? That’s insane. Can we place bulk orders?”
Of course, because the effect was so powerful, it came with a ten-minute time limit.
But the Hunters seemed far more impressed by the effect than concerned about the restriction.
I continued the momentum and introduced other new products.
A refreshing orange slush that reduced fatigue.
Glutinous rice donuts that increased jumping ability by thirty percent.
And blood sausage with hemostatic properties.
“The new menu will officially go on sale starting tomorrow, so please spread the word!”
Watching the Hunters nod with expressions that practically screamed ‘I’m emptying my wallet tomorrow’, I smiled in satisfaction.
‘At this rate, customer numbers won’t decrease even after side effects disappear.’
My prediction proved completely correct.
The title of items created by an SS-rank Hunter, their special effects, and their absurd cost-performance ratio.
Our shop began breaking its own daily sales records over and over again, completely independent of side effect treatment.
And then, an unexpected piece of good news arrived.
Jiyul, the little customer who had played a crucial role in helping our second branch establish itself in Busan, came back to visit.
“Hello!”
Holding tightly onto her parents’ hands, Jiyul entered the shop.
The moment she saw me, she bowed deeply with her hands folded over her stomach.
She had grown noticeably taller since the last time I saw her.
“Thank you so much, Haneul Unni! Thanks to the bungeoppang, I don’t get sick anymore, and I can eat delicious food now too!”
She smiled brightly at her father as soon as she finished greeting me.
It was as though she were saying, ‘Didn’t I do well?’
Her father smiled proudly and gently rubbed her head.
“Thank you once again, Hunter Haneul. Thanks to the treatment item you created, our daughter has finally been freed from her side effects.”
The moment they saw the news about Golden Bungeoppang being sold through the Side Effect Treatment Center, Jiyul’s parents had immediately traveled to Seoul and stayed up all night to obtain a waiting ticket.
Fortunately, because Jiyul was a minor, the government covered more than ninety percent of the treatment cost, allowing them to obtain Golden Bungeoppang without issue.
“Not long ago, our whole family went out for pork cutlets together for the first time. It might seem like an ordinary meal to most people, but for us it felt like a dream come true.”
His nose sniffled as though the emotions from that day were rushing back.
Jiyul immediately grabbed his pant leg and looked up at him worriedly.
“Dad, why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying. I’m just happy. Very happy.”
Suppressing the emotion swelling in my chest, I crouched down to meet Jiyul’s eyes.
“I’m glad you don’t hurt anymore and can taste things properly now, right?”
“Yes! I sleep well now too! My head doesn’t hurt anymore!”
“Your mom and dad worked really hard to get that item for you, so you have to listen to them better from now on, okay?”
“Yeees! I understand!”
The customers around us laughed at her energetic response.
Just like before, some customers even offered to share their reserved food with the adorable little girl.
This time, however, Jiyul shook her head.
“Mom, not this. The thing we promised today… Huh?”
“Okay, okay. Dad already made a reservation. Let’s go eat right away.”
After calming her daughter with practiced ease, Jiyul’s mother met my eyes and shrugged awkwardly.
“She insists on eating some cake with a character on it. Mana-pang or something?”
“It’s Mini-ping!!!”
Jiyul’s urgent correction made her mother burst out laughing.
She looked tired somehow, yet incredibly happy at the same time.
It was a strange expression.
“I don’t understand why kids these days are so obsessed with characters. But what can I do? She wants it.”
After patting Jiyul’s head, she lowered her voice.
“But it’s such a relief. Instead of crying because she’s in pain, she’s throwing tantrums like a normal child her age now.”
“Mom… my legs hurt.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s go.”
She turned to me with a smile.
“We should be going now. Thank you so much for making the item.”
After saying their goodbyes, the family of three left hand in hand.
Watching their backs as they disappeared into the distance, I smiled warmly.
***
That night.
After all the reservations had been served and the closing cleanup was finished, I locked the doors of Branch 1 and stepped outside.
‘Hyunwoo-ssi said he’d come pick me up today.’
As I walked toward our meeting spot, I noticed a familiar silhouette near a bench in the distance.
“…Huh?”
It was Yoon Kanghyuk from the security team.
Happy to see a familiar face, I was about to raise my hand and greet him when I noticed the communication earpiece in his ear.
‘Looks like he stepped out for a bit of fresh air while on duty.’
I shrugged.
No reason to interrupt someone’s precious break.
But something about him felt strange.
After looking around, Kanghyuk loosened his tie roughly as though he were feeling suffocated.
Then he pulled something from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth.
‘…A pill?’
It looked like a capsule, similar to cold medicine sold at pharmacies.
‘Is he sick?’
Suddenly, I remembered something Shinhye had once told me.
That he had been so busy lately she could barely see him.
That even when they met, he couldn’t focus.
And that he seemed somehow different from before.
‘If he’s carrying medicine around, is he actually sick? Should I go ask if he’s okay…?’
Just as I hesitated and took a step forward…
Beep!
A light car horn cut through the night air.
Turning around, I saw the familiar black SUV parked along the roadside with its driver’s window lowered halfway.
Hyunwoo-ssi was looking at me warmly from behind the wheel.
“You worked hard today as well, Haneul-ssi. Shall we head home too?”
I hesitated at his call.
Atop my shoulder, Hanyang tapped my cheek with her tail.
“Let’s go already, nya! Tonight we’re eating premium salmon steak, nya!”
“Ah… yeah. Let’s go.”
I turned once more toward the alley where Kanghyuk had been standing.
He had already swallowed the pill and disappeared into the darkness.
For some reason, an unpleasant feeling lingered in my chest, but I forced myself to ignore it and walked toward Hyunwoo-ssi’s car.
‘…I’ll check on him next time.’
But the next time I hoped for never came.
Because a few days later, shocking news arrived.
<Hunter Yoon Kanghyuk had collapsed.>
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