Chapter 29
Sincerely to an Ex
As if keeping time with the “Song of Celebration,” the movements in the restaurant unfolded in perfect order.
Sori couldn’t close her mouth. No matter how many stats she had poured into the interior, she hadn’t imagined it would be on this scale.
“Are they trying to build a castle…?”
Before her slightly tense eyes, the restaurant confidently built new walls as if to show off.
…It meant it had gotten bigger.
Sori couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Beyond the vanished ceiling, the starry night sky gazed down at the restaurant, and the tables had all changed.
New, luxurious lamps of unique design adorned the walls. The walls were decorated entirely with marble, with small gold-leafed ribbons gracefully draped across them.
The doors had been replaced with grand arched entrances like a hotel, and even a small pond and waterwheel now stood before the carved reliefs.
Rooms that hadn’t existed beyond the expanded walls had appeared. VIP guests could be received, as each room now contained luxurious sofas and side tables.
“Wow! This is my restaurant!”
Sori jumped and ran around inside the restaurant, shouting.
‘So all of this… is mine!’
The sudden realization of her property!
Unable to contain her joy, she swayed and even danced. Soon, the ceiling lowered again, covering the restaurant.
“This is insane.”
The “Song of Celebration” ended. The restaurant’s transformation ended simultaneously.
Clack, clack.
Sori stepped forward, holding her wine glass. She could even hear her own footsteps. It felt like she had really entered a castle.
“Wow… unbelievable.”
It was both amazing and strange. Had the land always been this vast? From the outside, it didn’t seem like there was enough space for such expansion.
The kitchen came into view. Even at a glance, it looked different. The first noticeable change was the refrigerator.
“Huh… did it get bigger?”
It was far larger than the previous one, and seemed shinier too. As curious Sori reached toward it, the system popped up a message at the right moment.
The refrigerator has leveled up from C to B!
Oh. It leveled up? That explained the shine…! Sori was most curious about what exactly had changed.
“Explain!”
At Sori’s urgent demand, the system displayed another message.
You can now store partially cooked ingredients!
So this function had been added. Sori recalled her previous struggles—so now she wouldn’t need to buy bags for byproducts and throw them away later.
The next explanation followed.
The taste of your dishes has been upgraded! Even ordinary ingredients will now give your guests a taste experience that feels like a journey.
“The taste… gets better too?”
Could this mean her reputation might increase? Sori felt excited. She had been secretly worried that her reputation was still at zero.
“I’m excited. Anything else?”
Maybe ingredients would endlessly appear… She thought that would be nice. But the system spoke firmly.
End
“Pathetic.”
Even after unexpectedly leveling up her refrigerator, Sori was ultimately not satisfied.
Nothing else seemed to have changed.
It was time to check her own level.
“I’m excited. Stats window.”
Basic Info
Name: Kang Sori (26)
Class: Restaurant Owner (Expanded Edition) (Lv.6)
Strength: 12, Endurance: 8, Cooking: 11, Luck: 10
Remaining Stats: 4
Strength +1, Cooking +1, remaining stats 4.
“Hmm.”
Sori paused as she was about to add 4 points to Cooking.
“I think I need to go hunt monsters again.”
There was almost no monster meat left in the fridge.
“Then this time…”
She decided to give 4 points to Luck.
“Higher luck means a higher chance of survival, right?”
Sometimes strategy is more important than brute force.
It seemed like everything for today was finished. She stretched, turned off the lights, and was about to leave, satisfied with her now magnificent “Happiness Restaurant.”
Congratulations!
Achievement: ‘Serve 100 Guests’ completed…
“Not today!”
Sori quickly closed the message.
Morning
Looking at the now-glorious Happiness Restaurant, John was flipping and rolling around in excitement.
“Finally, a day like this comes to our restaurant, Awakener!”
John’s small eyes glistened. Wait… was it really that big of a deal? Sori looked at him, a little bewildered.
“Don’t overreact.”
She crossed her arms, pretending to be haughty. She seemed to have forgotten how she had swayed and danced yesterday.
“Overreacting, you say! Awakener, your emotions are dried up! Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
John blinked his sparkling eyes and petted a thorn.
“Now we can receive big-name guests! How magnificent!”
With hands clasped in prayer, John’s face shone with awe.
Sori clicked her tongue. Just because the interior got a little fancier, did that suddenly mean “big-name guests” would come? She thought.
Then an unexpected notification popped up, bothering her further.
“Ah, what now, first thing in the morning?”
Today’s newspaper has been delivered.
She had forgotten about the newspaper.
“Ah, John. The newspaper’s here again. What’s it going to say this time?”
Not a welcome visitor. Newspapers—always causing trouble.
Meanwhile, John was thrilled.
“Oh! The newspaper is here!”
He looked at her eagerly, waiting for her to read it. Sori rolled her eyes and opened it.
What news could it possibly have today? Excitement mixed with tension. And that tension proved justified.
The reputation of Happiness Restaurant has dropped.
“What?”
What nonsense was this! Sori, who had intended to casually read the newspaper, jumped up from her chair.
“I didn’t do anything—why is the reputation dropping? John! Does this make sense?”
Current Happiness Restaurant reputation: -5 points
The system window appeared in perfect timing. Sori didn’t understand. Last night it had been zero… What happened overnight?
The newspaper continued:
Not all guests at Happiness Restaurant are happy! Some guests seem more stressed the more they eat here. What is really happening at Happiness Restaurant?
“…….”
What does this even mean? Sori stared at the newspaper in confusion.
Guests getting stressed? That didn’t make sense. She pondered with a finger on her chin.
‘I’ve never seen a guest leave in a negative mood…’
If there had been such a guest, the system wouldn’t have ignored it. Who could it be referring to?
Her eyes caught the phrase “the more they eat”. Could it be…?
At the same time, John understood and shouted loudly.
“This is about that S-rank hunter!”
Sori sighed. Thinking back, among the multiple-time visitors, there was only one who could have gotten stressed.
But she couldn’t understand why they would voluntarily come and get stressed. Normally, their mood improved after eating… a bit of a rollercoaster, but still.
“Quiet. I know already…”
Sori’s voice trailed off. John, on the other hand, looked triumphant. A sly laugh was optional.
“I knew it! True love is boring if it happens immediately. It’s more fun teasing… ugh!”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Sori shut John’s muttering mouth. He struggled, looking indignant.
In truth, whether the hunter got stressed at Happiness Restaurant or not didn’t matter much to Sori. But the newspaper made it impossible to ignore.
“What does their stress have to do with my reputation?”
She couldn’t understand the reason. And she wondered: if this hunter keeps showing up, could her reputation drop further?
Sori placed John back on the table. He sighed in relief, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“John. What happens if reputation keeps dropping?”
Even now, she could only rely on her assistant John.
“Hmph. You told me to be quiet before, didn’t you?”
John turned, arms crossed, pouting.
There was no choice.
“Fine. Fine.”
Purchasing: Majestic Raspberry x1
Cost: 500 gold
John devoured half the Majestic Raspberry in an instant, leaving red traces around his mouth.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin in front of the mirror and spoke.
“Here’s the thing.”
Sori swallowed and waited silently. John continued gravely.
“Guests disappear!”
“……?”
Sori couldn’t believe it. She had spent 500 gold just to hear that!
“And then?”
Was there more? She asked carefully.
John shouted more dramatically.
“Of course! The restaurant fails!”
Ah, failure is not good. Sori shook her head.
“Failure is not allowed!”
“Not allowed?”
John picked up another raspberry with a sly smile.
“Then there is a good method.”
“What method?”
Sori leaned in. John whispered.
“You reduce their stress.”
“What? Seriously! Who doesn’t know that? Obvious! Hand over the raspberry.”
Sori took all the raspberries from John in disbelief.
“Where else would you get advice like this, Awakener!”
John’s eyes widened, stammering, jumping around.
‘Hmph. Not a chance. You think you can get 500 gold for free?’
She didn’t recall saying anything impossible. She had treated him as a normal customer.
How exactly could she reduce his stress? Anyone could tell him to calm down.
Then the system window popped up—at the worst possible time.
Ah… maybe he’s waiting for a warm word.
Remember! Sometimes, the warmest words to an ex are the greatest revenge!
Quest Name: Speak Sincerely to Your Ex (0/1)
Speak sincerely to your ex and say, “Have you been well?”
Time limit: 24 hours
Reward: Happiness Restaurant reputation +10 points
Failure: Restaurant reputation -20 points
“R-Really, system? Sincerely?”
This time, Sori panicked, jumping around.
What kind of horror story was this!?
