IFTD 6

Chapter 6
Even If It Looks Like Poisonous Spider Soup, I Want the Reward

Stay calm. It’s probably eighty percent because of the presentation. Even SoRi had to admit it looked bad.

She decided to try to explain herself about the “food” she had just made.

The man’s tears dampened his sleeves, sending a chill straight to her chest. John clicked his tongue disapprovingly, his gaze hitting the back of her head.

“Um…”

She had mustered the courage to ask if it didn’t suit his taste, but the system window interrupted her words.

Mood of A-Table customer changed to +20!

“…?”

Even though he had been crying, why did the score go up? SoRi blinked back her tears, but the number remained the same.

Could it be…?

SoRi guessed.

“Does that mean he’s crying because it’s delicious?”

A small, excited smile spread across her lips. Sure, the appearance was bad, but the seasoning wasn’t off. She tried to justify her stew, which looked like Poisonous Spider Soup.

Come to think of it, even when the previous owner ran the restaurant, customers would often marvel at the food and ask:

[Is there a potion in this?]

With a look of disbelief. The owner would humbly shake his head.

[No, sir. Thank you for saying that, but perhaps it’s because you’ve been in the dungeon for so long that your stomach is very hungry. It’s just normal cooking.]

The customers generally accepted that explanation.

SoRi once asked the owner why the prices were so high.

[Because I use a special secret sauce.]

The owner didn’t answer further, citing trade secrets. Looking back, it was probably more because he used monster meat than any special sauce.

Anyway, that was why hunters would happily pay for a 2-million-won steak without complaint. The reason they thought it was delicious enough to ask about potions was likely, as the owner said, hunger.

SoRi believed the same was true now. After all, the best seasoning is said to be hunger itself.

She had worried a lot before serving it, but after wandering in a dungeon for a week, anything would taste amazing.

She was sure this hunter felt the same, judging by his disheveled hair and tired eyes.

“Mm-hm.”

She straightened her hunched shoulders and took a steady breath. It was time to smile confidently and speak.

“Um, sir… the stew—”

But before she could finish, the man spoke.

“It’s really delicious! The Bird Stew at this restaurant is amazing!”

The lethargy he had shown earlier was gone. Perhaps he had visited before she started working there. SoRi glanced down at the stew again.

Still, it looked like it could contain spider legs…

But hunger really is a powerful seasoning.

“Even a monster bath like this tastes amazing when seasoned just right.”

Tears still glimmered in the corners of his eyes.

“Um, do you want a tissue?”

She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just moved. She walked over to a tissue on a nearby table and handed it to him.

“Thank you!”

He bowed politely as he took it.

“I really love Bird Stew. I don’t know if you know, but it’s been at least two weeks since I’ve had a proper meal… sob”

He shrugged his shoulders again.

“I’m sorry for acting like this in someone else’s restaurant. I’ll eat quickly and leave!”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. There aren’t any other customers anyway.”

SoRi waved her hands energetically.

“Anyway, being able to make such delicious food from that disgusting monster… isn’t it a blessing from God?”

Wasn’t that a trade secret? He knew it was monster meat. Judging from his claim that it had been two weeks since he had proper food, he must have been cooking monsters in the dungeon. That’s how he figured it out?

“My cooking… that good?”

A blessing from God? That seemed like exaggeration. She had followed a recipe, but the color was dark and strange. It smelled faintly of spider venom. Calling it a divine blessing felt like an insult to God.

“Th-thank you…?”

She managed to move her lips.

Suddenly, an unwelcome memory popped into her mind.

Three years ago, she had a boyfriend her own age. He was a combat-class hunter—A-rank, no less. This was shortly before they broke up, after he had suddenly awakened during their relationship.

When he first awakened, he would spend at most three days in a dungeon before returning. She hadn’t interviewed every hunter in the world, but he did.

Still, even three days were exhausting. He loved food, and whenever he entered a dungeon, his nerves were on edge. After finishing a raid, he was practically in a frenzy.

[I’m so hungry I feel like I’m going to die. How long do we have to keep doing this insane thing?]

SoRi often went to a restaurant with him when he was worn out. One day, she had wanted to cook for him despite being bad at it. She didn’t know why she had suddenly gotten so meddlesome, but at the time, she just wanted to give freely because she loved him.

So, she watched YouTube recipes and tried to make something resembling cooking for the first time.

That evening, he said this while eating her food:

[I killed a monster and tried it…]

She had been startled and looked up mid-bite. Cooking according to a recipe didn’t guarantee the taste would turn out.

[It looks gross, but it’s actually decent. I just cooked it over the fire.]

He might have just been speaking casually. She asked:

[Is it better than my bulgogi?]

Even though the result was clumsy, she secretly hoped he would say it was good.

But he teased her:

[Of course the monster tastes better!]

“What?”

He quickly clarified that he was joking, but SoRi couldn’t help but feel he was half serious.

Ah. Why did that useless memory pop up now?

She shook her head.

“Um… enjoy your meal.”

The man was now ready to eat in earnest. She couldn’t stay by his side forever, so she bowed slightly and walked back toward the kitchen.

“Why are you doing that?”

John, waiting nearby, asked.

“Does it not taste good? Don’t be too disappointed. You can’t be full from the first bite! If you keep at it—”

“He said it’s good. He said it’s delicious.”

John looked at her in surprise.

“Then why are you acting like that?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Being an awakened person is a lonely, difficult path. Remember that and practice not reacting to everything—”

“It’s not like that!”

Click!

SoRi slipped into the restroom.

“Why is she like that?”

John clicked his tongue and put his hands on his tiny hips.

After washing her face and taking several deep breaths, she finally came out of the restroom. The man had finished his stew.

Right! The quest!

She almost forgot the important task while recalling useless memories.

The man got ready to leave. SoRi approached quickly. What would his mood score be?

Mood of A-Table customer changed to +60!

The score appeared as she got close. 60 points! It had increased by 40 points while he was eating.

She could finally collect the 3 million won…!

Her lips stretched into a wide smile.

“Sir, did you enjoy your meal?”

Now that she could check his mood, she spoke confidently.

He smiled and replied:

“Thanks, it was delicious. Even in the dungeon, I kept thinking about this restaurant’s food. Today’s taste is just as good.”

The taste was still great. So at least the visual didn’t ruin it. Maybe she actually had hidden talent in cooking? Her heart thumped.

“By the way, the owner isn’t here today?”

“Oh… the owner…”

Should she tell him that the previous owner had left a single note and run off in the middle of the night?

“The owner quit.”

She kept it simple. The man looked slightly surprised.

“Is that so? Then has the ownership changed?”

“Yes. Now it’s me.”

As she spoke, she suddenly realized her lips had moved.

I’m really the owner of this restaurant now.

SoRi thought the word “owner” didn’t suit her, but she had already awakened as a restaurant owner. She had to make it work somehow.

“I run the Happy Restaurant.”

Saying it plainly meant she had finally accepted being a fully awakened restaurant owner. John, who had been clicking his tongue in disbelief, finally looked pleased.

Yes, I’m an awakened person now. I won’t run away like that former owner.

“Wow, you took over?”

The man asked with curiosity. SoRi hesitated to answer. She couldn’t tell him she had basically been handed the place.

“Haha, yes… somehow it just happened that way.”

“That’s amazing. Maybe I should quit being a hunter and run a restaurant too.”

“Oh, haha, yes. Sure, you could do that.”

SoRi laughed awkwardly. A restaurant? That’s not an easy life either.

Have you ever been struck by a hedgehog falling from the sky? Heard that you die if you don’t clean? Phew.

She swallowed the thought that “this is also awakening.”

“I’ll pay.”

The man dug in his pocket.

“Yes… 1,500,000 won.”