~Chapter 15~
Waiting Line?
When he came out of the Field, Mokyu automatically went into the inventory. As Lee Seo-jin opened the inventory to take out ingredients to cook, he wondered.
“What if I can take this guy out too?”
Items stored in the inventory could be brought out into reality. Could pets be brought out too?
Lee Seo-jin tried it, and:
“Mokyu?”
“Wait…?”
Mokyu really appeared in reality.
According to Lee Seo-jin’s knowledge, monsters can only come out if a Field Break occurs. He quickly pulled out his phone and searched online for information about tamers and monsters. Meanwhile, Mokyu was busy sniffing every corner of Lee Seo-jin’s house.
“Hmm… Monsters bound to a tamer are kept in a space called an ‘Abyss’ rather than an inventory.”
He kept reading.
If the tamer returns to reality, their tamed monsters go into the Abyss. Since the tamer can’t use their skills in reality, the monsters can’t be summoned.
Although tamers call their monsters ‘pets’, the Field has never clearly defined the concept of ‘pet.’
After finishing his online reading, Lee Seo-jin glanced at Mokyu, who was sniffing the living room and rubbing itself against the sofa and furniture, claiming it as its territory.
He watched Mokyu affectionately for a moment and checked if he had received any messages. Lee Seo-jin had very few connections, so unless it was urgent, no one contacted him. But today, he had one missed call and one text message.
Both were from Seo Ri-na.
“My call didn’t go through? An urgent matter came up, so I can’t make it tonight. Will contact you tomorrow.”
Apparently, she hadn’t shown up because something came up. Lee Seo-jin put down the phone and looked at Mokyu.
“Mokyu~”
“Kyuut?”
“Come here.”
“Kyuwoo!”
At the sound of its owner’s voice, Mokyu hopped into Lee Seo-jin’s arms. Lee Seo-jin stroked its head, and Mokyu responded by folding its long pink ears back, closing its eyes in delight.
“This one is definitely a pet.”
Lee Seo-jin recalled the message that appeared when he tamed Mokyu:
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[You satisfied the mutated flame rabbit’s hunger.]
[The mutated flame rabbit is pleased.]
[Reward: The mutated flame rabbit becomes your ‘pet’.]
Although the Field had yet to define ‘pet’, Lee Seo-jin guessed he wasn’t the only one with this status. Perhaps others kept it a secret too. After all, pets were monsters, and if a monster was spotted in reality, the authorities would surely try to capture it.
Better to be safe.
“I’ll have to keep Mokyu in the inventory when I go out.”
Lee Seo-jin put Mokyu down and went to take a shower. The moment he closed the bathroom door, he heard a thumping sound.
“Kong! Kong!”
“Mokyu?! Kyuut! Kyuwoo!”
Mokyu was headbutting the bathroom door. Lee Seo-jin sighed, opened the door, and the little guy jumped inside.
“You want to shower too?”
“Kyuut!”
With Mokyu’s enthusiastic reply, Lee Seo-jin showered with it.
* * *
Rabbits were said to hate water, but Mokyu didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Maybe because it’s a flame rabbit? Or maybe because it’s mutated?”
After a thorough shower, Lee Seo-jin dried himself and then used a hairdryer on Mokyu, making its fur soft and snowy-white. Its nose and eyes became even more adorable.
“No wonder the other monsters were jealous of you.”
Lee Seo-jin picked up Mokyu and laid down in bed.
Late at night, under the warm covers, the two fell asleep together.
For Lee Seo-jin, who had lived alone ever since leaving the orphanage, this was the first night that felt truly warm.
* * *
“Huh?!”
Lee Seo-jin woke up and checked the time.
“8:40 AM?!”
He had to be at work by 9 AM. He was going to be late.
“Mokyu?”
Mokyu rubbed its eyes with its ears.
Lee Seo-jin quickly put Mokyu into the inventory, brushed his teeth, changed, and bolted out the door.
Although the restaurant wasn’t too far, it was still a 20-minute walk for Lee Seo-jin due to his limp. At 10 minutes to nine, he knew he’d be late. Should he call a taxi? But it was too short a distance to justify it, and calling one might waste more time.
Then he noticed:
“Huh?”
His right leg felt smoother, freer. Normally, trying to walk quickly was painful, and the leg wouldn’t respond well, but now it felt much better.
Then he remembered:
“Physical Synchronization!”
The reward for defeating the hidden boss, the Boar-Nosed Lizard Queen. Thanks to this, the improvements he gained in the Field now applied to reality as well. His agility, strength, and the slight recovery from the Boar-Nosed Lizard Queen’s essence worked in reality too.
Lee Seo-jin smiled, brighter than he had in a long time, as he felt himself striding forward more easily despite the slight limp.
He felt tears well up and drip down as he watched his leg move more smoothly.
* * *
9:02 AM.
Even trying his best, Lee Seo-jin was still late.
He had never been late for work before. He always arrived early, working diligently, grateful that someone had hired him despite his disability.
But this time, he was late.
The boss, Jo Sang-man, was meticulous when it came to money and work discipline. Surely, Lee Seo-jin was about to be scolded.
“I’m sorry for being la–”
“Yes, yes! That’s right. We open at 11 AM.”
Jo Sang-man was on the phone. Upon seeing Lee Seo-jin, he smiled and waved.
“Yes, one order of egg rice? Sure! Absolutely. See you then!”
He hung up and suddenly gripped Lee Seo-jin’s hands, beaming.
“My boy! You came!”
“I’m… a bit late.”
“Late? What late? A little tardiness can be overlooked! Do I seem like a stingy man to you?”
Lee Seo-jin was taken aback. Suddenly, the boss was acting like a completely different person.
Then Jo Sang-man explained:
“This morning, I received four calls already.”
“Four calls?”
“Yes! All of them about your egg rice! Someone posted online saying it was delicious, and it went viral. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing!”
Lee Seo-jin put down his phone and smiled faintly.
Apparently, that post from yesterday had caused a stir online, making the egg rice a trending menu item.
Jo Sang-man glanced at Lee Seo-jin’s right hand and asked:
“Will you be alright? Seems like we’ll be making a lot of egg rice today.”
Yesterday, Lee Seo-jin would’ve worried, but today felt different.
“Yes. I can do it.”
Jo Sang-man beamed.
* * *
Meanwhile, Lee Ra-el, still half-asleep, checked her phone and was shocked. The post she uploaded about the egg rice had gone viral overnight — tens of thousands of shares and hundreds of comments.
Her post featured a short video and a few photos with a caption:
“Best egg rice of my life. To think I only tried this after 25 years. What a loss!”
Lee Ra-el had a knack for making food look delicious in photos. Even if she didn’t run a professional review page, her personal posts had a significant following. This one exploded.
A flood of replies came in:
“Where can I try this egg rice?”
“It’s at Onjeong Korean Cuisine in Chuncheon!”
People were calling the restaurant nonstop. Lee Ra-el felt dazed as she thought:
“What have I done? Will this cause a waiting line?”
She had wanted to revisit the restaurant, but if a queue formed, it might be hard to get in.
It was already 11:30 AM. The restaurant was open.
Lee Ra-el jumped in the shower, rushing to get ready.
* * *
“Three egg rice, please!”
“Two spicy pork and one soft tofu stew. Oh, and one egg rice too!”
“Can one person finish an egg rice? Maybe we’ll order one egg rice and some kimchi fried rice too?”
The servers were bustling as egg rice orders poured in. Even customers who didn’t initially intend to order egg rice ended up doing so when they noticed other tables enjoying it.
“What in the world?” thought Jang Young-sim, the head server.
She had no idea this was thanks to her daughter, Lee Ra-el. Meanwhile, boss Jo Sang-man grinned from ear to ear. The egg rice had high margins, and the turnover rate was quick. What could be better?
“Seo-jin is a lucky charm. Just like the magpie that brought a gourd full of gold!”
Although he had never saved Seo-jin like in that old folktale.
“Sizzle!”
In the kitchen, Lee Seo-jin worked relentlessly to fry the eggs. Yoo Tae-an, although in charge of other dishes, was having an easy day thanks to Lee Seo-jin doing all the egg rice himself.
Yoo Tae-an offered to help:
“Seo-jin, I can do some of the egg frying–”
“Thank you, but I’ll handle this part myself.”
Lee Seo-jin refused firmly. The quality of the egg rice came down to how the egg was cooked. Even a slight error could ruin the flavor, and after beating Yoo Tae-an in an egg rice match the day prior, Lee Seo-jin didn’t want any compromises.
Yoo Tae-an clenched his fists, seething, but said nothing.
Then:
“Hey, Seo-jin–”
Before Yoo Tae-an could finish, boss Jo Sang-man burst into the kitchen, embraced Lee Seo-jin, and yelled:
“Seo-jin! We’ve got a waiting line! The first ever in our restaurant! Hahahaha!”
