HLCWB C2

Chapter 2

Fortunately, I was told I could choose whatever food I wanted to sell.

“Hm… what should I go with?”

In truth, there weren’t many options I could manage in this old, cramped shop. Since it sat right by the roadside, it had to be something people could grab and eat quickly as they passed by. And judging by the layout, anything with a complicated cooking process was out of the question.

Since it was winter…

“Bungeoppang, obviously.”

The moment I finished thinking it, a flashy burst of sparks appeared, and a system window popped up with a new message.

Menu ‘Bungeoppang’ selected!
You have received a ‘Beginner’s Bungeoppang Kit.’
⇒ Claim

Still a bit dazed, I clicked Claim, and a notification appeared saying that an “Old Bungeoppang Mold,” “Bungeoppang Batter,” “Sweet Red Bean Paste,” and “Cooking Oil” had been added to my inventory.

“A gift, meow?”

“I just got the basic ingredients to make bungeoppang—hold on.”

I opened my inventory and checked how the item icons were displayed, then tapped Details on the ingredients I had just received.

And that was when I realized something incredible.

The mold was just a shabby two-slot iron, but the rest of the ingredients—astonishingly—were marked as having automatic refill.

Automatic refill? So the ingredient cost is… free?

“No way…!”

So this is why everyone keeps going on about Awakening!

Unable to contain my excitement, I flailed my arms in the air.

“Seriously, is it that great, meow?”

“Of course it is! Do you know how important cost reduction is in business?”

Right. Who cares if the shop is a little run-down? I just need to make and sell well!

Fueled by the joy of free ingredients, my optimism went into overdrive.

“Alright! You only live once—might as well go for it!”

I burned with determination. For some reason, I had a strong feeling this would work out.

And, as always, those kinds of feelings were dead wrong.

“Isn’t this a bit much!?”

I had practiced making bungeoppang all night and opened the shop early in the morning, but not a single customer had passed by. So much for things going well.

The only things in front of me were a few dry leaves rolling in the wind.

“…I guess the location is the problem.”

At my comment, the cat simply yawned lazily.

It was the one who insisted I start the business here, yet it didn’t seem worried at all.

“With business this bad, are you sure you can grant my wish?”

“You really are impatient, meow.”

“It’s not that I’m impatient—!”

I raised my voice in frustration, but the cat merely stretched and told me to wait. Fine. As long as my wish comes true, who cares if the business fails?

That was when it happened.

“Hello, how much are the bungeoppang?”

“Oh! Hello! They’re 1,000 won each!”

“Wow, it’s been forever since I had these, right?”

“Yeah, seriously. We’ll take two, please!”

Two hours after opening, a passing couple finally approached with interest.

My first customers! I carefully packed the best-looking bungeoppang into a bag and handed it over, but the woman tilted her head.

“Do you only have red bean filling?”

“For now, yes.”

“Ah… that’s a shame. Thank you. Hope you sell a lot!”

After they left, I stared down at the remaining bungeoppang.

‘Just red bean might be a bit limiting…’

Bungeoppang was supposed to come in both red bean and custard flavors—that was practically the law. But the system had stingily provided only red bean ingredients.

Worse, unlocking the next menu required a condition: 500 sales.

“Well, that means I have 498 left—huh? Why didn’t the number go down?”

I had definitely sold two, yet the system still showed 0/500.

Did I do something wrong?

As I blinked in confusion at the incomprehensible system, the cat—who had been lying in the corner—suddenly sprang to its feet.

“Whoa! What is it?”

“A customer is finally here, meow.”

A customer? Where?

Following its gaze, I spotted someone approaching from afar.

“You must give that human food, meow!”

“Th-that person?”

At a glance, he looked intimidating.

He had a massive build, a thick beard, and despite the cold, he wore a suit without an overcoat. On top of that, he had sunglasses on, making him look even more menacing.

I hesitated, shaking my head.

“He looks like an Awakened…”

“It has to be him, meow! Go now!”

When I hesitated, the cat began pushing against my leg insistently.

“Stop dawdling like a grub and go, meow!”

“Ugh… if it weren’t for my wish…!”

Reluctantly, I packed a freshly baked, golden bungeoppang into a bag and ran after him.

He walked so fast that he had already gotten quite far in that short time.

“Excuse me! Please wait!!!”

At my call, he paused and slowly turned around. He was so large I had to tilt my head way back just to meet his gaze.

“What is it?”

“Ah, um… I just opened my shop today!”

After hesitating, I held out the bag of bungeoppang.

He pushed up his sunglasses and looked at it.

“I’d like to offer this as a small opening gift…”

“An opening gift?”

“Yes! Just to try the taste.”

He shook his head.

“I’m a Hunter. My sense of taste is dull compared to ordinary people, so I’m not the best person for sampling food.”

With a slight bow, he turned to leave.

Panicking, I grabbed him.

“Just once! Could you please try it just once?”

I hadn’t sold anything today… I’d worked so hard since morning… and it was my first day opening.

As I muttered gloomily, he scratched his head awkwardly before finally accepting the bag.

“…So I just need to taste it, right?”

“Yes! Of course! No pressure at all!”

With a small sigh, he took out a bungeoppang and carefully bit into it.

Crunch—

The crispy shell broke apart as it disappeared into his mouth.

At the same time, he let out a low exclamation.

“…This can’t be.”

What? Is there a problem?

Is it undercooked? Too crispy?

“This is insanely good!!!”

Excuse me? It’s… good?

Before I could process his reaction, he suddenly sprinted toward my shop.

Startled, I chased after him, only to see him grabbing the bungeoppang off the display and devouring them.

“Whoa! So good!”

Letting out strange exclamations, he stuffed his face, holding one in each hand.

The bungeoppang on the tray vanished in no time.

“Um… would you like me to make more?”

“Yes! Please!”

A passerby, seemingly startled by the sight, paused briefly before quickly turning away and disappearing.

‘A bearded man stuffing his face with bungeoppang in both hands… yeah, that does look a bit scary.’

I smiled awkwardly and poured batter into the mold.

After some time, having devoured all the bungeoppang, he gave an embarrassed smile.

“Haha, I got a bit carried away.”

“Not at all. It’s nice to see someone enjoy them so much.”

“Since Awakening, I’ve never tasted anything like this… By the way, you must be a Production-type Hunter. I didn’t realize.”

Production-type?

I had never heard of it before, but I nodded along anyway.

“I’m Yoon Kang-hyuk, Head of the Security Management Team. I work on the first floor of the Management Bureau, so you might see me around.”

“Ah, I’m Jung Haneul. Nice to meet you.”

No wonder he was so well-built…

He was a security officer at the Management Bureau—and a team leader, at that.

“Ah, it’s already this late. I should get going.”

After checking the time, he frowned slightly, then pulled out a thick wad of cash and handed it to me.

W-wait! That’s way too much!

“Th-that’s too much!”

“It’s a token of my appreciation. I really enjoyed it. I’ll be on my way.”

After giving a light nod, he left. I stood there in a daze.

I slowly alternated my gaze between the bills in my hand and the empty tray before swallowing hard.

So what this means is…

“Hunters can actually taste it?”

The dulling of taste that came as a side effect of Awakening had never been solved by any item before.

But if my bungeoppang worked on Hunters…

“Isn’t this a total jackpot?”

Eureka. Unbelievable. Absolutely insane.

A calculator started spinning rapidly in my head.

“Alright, time to revise my sales strategy!”

I quickly cleaned up the shop and shouted “Return!” before heading back home.

First, I needed to change my target customers—not ordinary people passing by the Management Bureau, but Awakened individuals—Hunters.

And the price? From 1,000 won per piece, I raised it straight to 10,000 won. This wasn’t just bungeoppang anymore—it was practically an item.

“I’ll redo the price sign and label it for Awakened users…”

As I hummed to myself and reviewed the changes, a crucial thought suddenly struck me.

How am I going to promote that my bungeoppang is an item to Hunters?

“Stopping random people like today is way too inefficient…”

No matter how good a product was, it meant nothing if people didn’t know about it.

Hmm.

I flopped onto my bed, thinking.

‘If they just try it once, they’ll all recognize its value…’

Wait. Just once?

A brilliant idea struck me.

A free tasting event at the Hunter Management Bureau.

Yeah. Let’s do it.