Chapter 02
“What on earth is this…?”
I stared blankly at the status window.
I needed a little time to understand this sudden situation.
But—
“Oh my goodness! Look at the time already!”
It seemed this crazy game had no intention of giving me that time. Grandma Basha jumped in shock as if something terrible had happened, hurriedly straightened her clothes, and then gestured toward the ruined building.
“The train leaves soon, so listen to the rest from Hugh. Hugh is inside the shop.”
“…Where are you going?”
“Oh right! Don’t forget to choose a new name for the café! Well then, Leila, I’m off! Run your own café well!”
With that, Grandma Basha said everything she wanted to say and left.
I was left alone in an instant.
“Hah…”
It felt like a storm had passed.
I let out a hollow laugh because I still couldn’t believe what had just happened.
So I possessed a game I had just downloaded, and now I suddenly had to run a café?
“…And that café building is completely destroyed…”
Is this for real?
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a long breath. Once wasn’t enough, so I did it a few more times. Only then did my thoughts start to settle.
That was when I began to notice my changed appearance.
Instead of my original black hair, soft light-pink hair swayed around my waist.
I also saw my hands. Smooth, delicate hands that looked like they had never worked a day in their life. Completely different from my real hands, which were red and rough from housework eczema and calluses.
‘My appearance must have changed a lot too.’
I had briefly seen my reflection in Grandma Basha’s eyes earlier. I think I looked gentle, like a puppy.
People used to tell me I looked scary unless I was smiling, but everything was different now.
“Ah…”
My family, which had held me back, and the massive debt were gone here.
A sense of reality I had never felt before crashed over me like a wave.
“So this place… is my reality now.”
I can live my own life here.
Right?
An emotion I couldn’t quite name brushed past my heart. I clenched my fist, then relaxed it.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again.
‘The quest.’
Now that I understood my situation, the next step was to quickly figure things out.
I reread the system window in front of me.
Turn the building in front of you into the best café in the Kingdom of Jenon within one year.
“The building in front of me…”
I looked at it again.
“Yeah. No matter how many times I look, it’s still a disaster.”
It looked like crushed tofu…
I sighed again, but I didn’t have any other choice.
“So I really have to run a café here?”
At least there was one bit of good news. Out of all the jobs I had done, café part-time work was the one I had the most experience with. It even suited me pretty well.
And since I already had a building, I wouldn’t have to worry about rent. Not a bad start.
“Oh, right. Grandma Basha said something about choosing a café name before she left, didn’t she?”
Everything had happened so fast that my memory was already fuzzy.
The moment I slightly frowned—
Ding!
Tutorial!
The first step to becoming a café owner!
- Choose a café name (-)
- Please decide on a name for the café.
Reward: Basha’s Inheritance
- Restore the café building (-)
- Decorate the café interior (-)
As if it had been waiting, the system window appeared.
Next to it, a new window popped up where I could enter the café’s name.
“Oh, so this is how it works?”
If this was the tutorial, then opening the café would be the real start of the game?
If it tells me what to do step by step, then—
“This is easy.”
I grinned and typed a name into the input box. A famous name that immediately comes to mind when you think of cafés!
“I can’t miss the chance to become the owner of StarX!”
Just hearing it made it sound like customers would flood in from opening to closing time. I smiled proudly and waited for the name to be accepted.
But—
This name already exists.
Please choose a different name.
“Ugh!”
It’s so picky, even about the name.
I frowned slightly and stared at the screen. Then I tried entering a few more names.
PaekXbang, IXXya, 1000kmb Coffee, Compass, and more. I even tried simple words like “rose” or “chocolate.”
Same result every time.
All duplicates.
“…Then what am I supposed to do?”
Obvious, cool, normal, or pretty names were all taken. That meant I needed something unusual, something no one else would use.
“Hmm…”
After a moment of thought, I typed one word into the box.
“Surely this won’t work…”
Yonggari
Completed.
The reward will be given shortly.
“…I’m doomed. Why did this work?”
I covered my mouth and let out a dry laugh. If I’d known it would work so easily, I would’ve chosen more carefully.
“More importantly, when are they giving me the reward?”
I pouted slightly and closed the completion window.
Just then, I heard voices coming from inside the café.
“Oh! There you are! Hugh has been waiting forever!”
A creature about the size of an adult man’s hand came charging toward me from the entrance.
And it was aiming straight for my shin!
I desperately dodged. I lost my balance and fell, but I was relieved that I had saved my leg.
“Hoo…”
I let out a low breath and glanced at the creature.
“…Huh?”
Did I see that wrong?
I glanced again.
Still unbelievable, I stared openly this time.
Golden, shiny fur. Small, cute ears. Chubby cheeks and round eyes. Tiny hands held neatly together.
A flustered, slightly wronged-looking expression…
It was big, very big, but still—
“…A hamster?”
That animal was clearly a hamster.
A hamster far bigger than any normal one.
Too shocked, I leaned in and stared at it. The hamster widened its eyes and spoke.
“Hey! If you stare that hard, Hugh gets embarrassed!”
“…Hugh?”
“Yes! I’m Hugh! Hugh has been waiting so long for you, Master!”
I really, really wanted to meet you!
The hamster, Hugh, stood on two legs and smiled brightly like a human. Anyone else would probably scream about how cute it was.
But I stared at Hugh for a very different reason.
‘…Wait.’
The hamster on Grandma Basha’s shoulder in the loading screen…
And there’s no way the reward is a hamster, right?
I stared at Hugh, unable to hide my confusion.
Hugh blinked, then stepped back slightly.
“Oh right! I was supposed to give you this first!”
Hugh opened his mouth wide and casually shoved his hand inside.
At first, I just watched.
Hamsters usually store snacks in their cheek pouches.
But something felt wrong.
I expected something sunflower-seed-sized…
What came out of Hugh’s mouth was something I never could have imagined.
Hugh squeezed his eyes shut and struggled as he pulled it out.
When it finally came fully into view, all I could say was—
“…Wow.”
A hammer.
A hammer came out of that mouth.
And not just any hammer.
It was bigger than Hugh himself.
The head was ridiculously large, big enough to hammer in five nails at once.
The fact that this thing had been stored inside his mouth was shocking.
Thud.
Hugh carefully set the hammer on the ground.
“This is something Lady Basha left for you, Master!”
Hugh had been taking good care of it.
He looked at me proudly, clearly waiting for praise. I lightly patted his head.
“Good job, Hugh.”
“Hehe. Hurry and check it, Master.”
Hugh kindly took my hand and placed it on the hammer.
The moment I touched it—
Ding!
A system window appeared.
Master Craftsman’s All-Purpose Hammer
- A truly all-purpose hammer that can fix anything!
- Created by a skilled master craftsman.
- Performance varies depending on the user.
How to use: Lightly tap the desired spot.
Duration: 48 hours from first use.
Another window appeared right after.
Tutorial!
The first step to becoming a café owner!
- Choose a café name (O)
- Restore the café building (-)
- Use the Master Craftsman’s All-Purpose Hammer to repair the building.
Reward: 10 Diamonds
- Decorate the café interior (-)
‘…Yeah. This feels just like my life.’
