Chapter 6 – [What Is Life, Just Live as You Live]
Finally, the chicken restaurant [Shall we fry chicken?] Opened with great enthusiasm. There was no opening event or anything like that. I plan to compete on taste rather than marketing.
If it was another menu, it would have been intended to attract customers, but the chicken menu is often eaten due to its nature, so I am confident that once I enter this restaurant, I will make it a regular.
“There are no guests. Hey, hyung. Do you have any plans to hold an opening event or something?”
“As time goes on, we’ll get together. Let’s take it easy.”
“Is your sister-in-law angry?”
“You know the term “Yuyusangjong,” Right?”
“I want to see my sister-in-law’s face sometime.”
Baekri chatted with me while looking around the empty store. He’s a pretty sociable guy. Thanks to that, I was able to spend time without being bored even when I was not working.
Still, there isn’t an event to commemorate the opening of the kidney, so let’s add a 1,000 won discount service for chicken.
It’s a weekday, but now it’s spring. Unlike the cold winter, the day is full, so it’s time for tourists to start flocking from the surroundings. I don’t know where it’s too far away, but mainly in places like Japan and China.
“I haven’t done anything, but it’s already 1:00. Would you like some fried chicken?”
“I’m a condiment.”
“Damn it, do you know something?”
I take out one chicken and quickly coat and fry it. As the chicken went into the hot oil, the sound of frying came up.
It starts to smell fragrant. Thanks to that, our store, which had not been of much interest until now, started to catch the eye of the people who came and went.
“Hey, do you want to eat our chicken?”
“It looks like it’s newly opened, so let’s try it”
Hmm, I should have looked at this earlier. Since I was not doing anything, it seems that there was no business atmosphere, so there were no customers. I am confident in the things I sell, but this happened because I have never done business.
I am not omnipotent either. It is neither omnipotent nor omnipotent. It’s a rat poison to make a business alone. If you ask me to do it, I can try to manage it somehow, but it’s impossible to do more than that.
“I’ll have lunch later. Let’s start by accepting customers first.”
“Yes, brother”
Baekri was more pleased with the fact that a guest had arrived than dissatisfied. A kid with a good heart Because I picked one part-time job well.
A group of three men entered and sat at a table inside the store. Baekri takes the order and informs me.
“One fried piece, one sauce, and three 500cc beers.”
“OK”
I dropped the chicken into the oil and immediately took out a glass and poured a beer. Teeth-chilling cold beer comes up with white foam.
As a simple snack, puffed rice is served on a plate and sent out. I’ll think about it some more later. I think French fries are better than fried dumplings.
Baekri serves beer. After a while, take out the fried chicken and shake off the oil. If too much oil is buried in the chicken, it is rather greasy. To be honest, oil itself is not good for the human body. It is best not to eat too much.
Eventually, one of the finished chickens was thrown into the wok on the gas stove. Then stir-fry quickly with seasoning and coat with sauce. Seasoned chicken is less crispy than fried because of its seasoning, but if you stir-fry it quickly, the crispy texture remains to some extent, while the taste of the seasoned chicken remains intact.
And complete. I put the fried and seasoned two chickens on each plate and send them out. He took the baekri as it was and brought it to the table.
“Yes, the chicken is here”
Since it’s your first guest, should I serve you a beer or two? The taste is confident, so the only thing left is the reaction. I have fed Baekri once, but there is a difference between what the part-timer ate and what the guest ate.
“Wasak,” They said, taking a bite of the chicken leg of the fried chicken, and they began to eat the chicken.
“Wow, is the chicken spicy?”
“Definitely better than our local chicken restaurant”
“Keuuu, the beer is over!”
There are three people, but two chickens, and each person can easily eat one, so they run out of chicken quickly. It is eaten cleanly without leaving any flesh.
“Here’s one more fried and one more seasoning! Two more beers!”
“Yes, the order has been received!”
Baekri smiled at the good response and took the order. I received the energy and took out more chicken and coated it in tempura. The response from the first customer is good, so I’m happy too.
As more and more chickens are fried, the smell seems to have spread quite far. Many people’s eyes and attention began to gather.
“Sumimasen, 席haarimasuka? (Excuse me, do you have a seat?)”
“Eh? Japanese?”
A Japanese man and woman who appeared to be a couple entered the store. Baekri didn’t know what to do with their words, probably because she didn’t know Japanese.
Myeong-dong is a place where many tourists go around. So, there are quite a few shops that can speak foreign languages such as Japanese or Chinese.
“Iratsuyaimase! 奥に席が아るkara入って来てくだsai. (Welcome! There is a seat inside, so please come in)”
It’s in the kitchen, but our shop is open and small, so it’s not that I can’t say it. I received a Japanese guest and let him inside.
“Eh? Hyung, did you know how to speak Japanese?”
“So so”
I have been reincarnated several times, but the only language I can speak is Korean. The only things that come to mind right now are Japanese, a little Chinese, a little Russian, and English and Italian. I know how to do something like this
Uh, I was quite a foreign language proficient. It wouldn’t have been bad if I changed the genre as a translator. Still, I don’t regret the chicken house.
The number of customers gradually increased, and some of them spoke Chinese, but I coped with it. Soon, the tables were full, and many people were waiting for take-out orders.
Is this the opening effect or something? Originally, when a new store opens, people who are curious or whatever tend to flock to it. If so, all you have to do is make it delicious so that you don’t miss this opportunity and make it a regular.
It is made with the intention of making all the guests who come here become regulars. I also like to cook, so I like this job.
Soon, time passed quickly and it was already time to close the shop. There were leftover chickens, but honestly, it was a time when I was struggling.
Just in case, let’s prepare more tomorrow.
After the shop work was over, Baekri and I were able to take a breath and rest. It was leisurely in the morning, but in the afternoon it was busy. Originally, I would eat a chicken and see it, but now I have to do it.
I fried a couple of leftover chickens to celebrate today’s success. The profit will decrease if you subtract this and that, but since there is no rent, the net profit will be large.
“Do you want to pack the leftovers? I’m just going to deal with the leftovers anyway. It’s maturing, so it’s okay to leave it for another day or two, but my motto is to use good ingredients.”
“Ah, it would be nice if you would. My younger brother will like it.”
“Your brother seems to like chicken”
“I can’t use four feet”
“Did you say you were in the third year of high school this year?
“Well, I want to send him to a good university…”
He seems like a well educated kid at home. Or maybe she grew up early, she cared more about her family than herself.
“Shall I tell you how to fry chicken? To be honest, preparation is important, so I eat half before going in, but if you fry well, you can do it without me.”
“No, it opened today? This shop?!”
“You never know what’s going to happen in the world. It’s the law that you can wake up in a dimension nearby and be a piece of shit.”
“Don’t say anything terrible. Ugh…”
“Do you have any bad memories?”
She looked a bit disliked, but Baekri started talking a little, probably getting a little drunk from the beer. His younger brother said he was a force user, but most force users need a trigger to awaken.
I received a mental shock, or an external stimulus was added. What Baek-ri is talking about is when her younger brother awakens.
“When I was 9 years old. My sister must have been 5 years old. While playing in the playground, a dimensional earthquake occurred…”
“Did your brother wake up then?”
“Yes, even though he’s young, he’s a strong kid. I’m older, but on the contrary…”
“No, 9 years old or 5 years old, both are young. It’s not the time to blame someone. Rather, it’s more important that they’re both alive and well.”
Who can deny surviving? Obsession with life is a natural instinct as a creature. If you want to die, you have a resolution that transcends your will.
“At that time, several children other than me and my younger brother died. Because we were the only ones living, the eyes of the neighbors around us were so… It only became quiet after we moved. That’s why I don’t like enemy species or dimensional camps.”
“You must have no good memories. I brought up the wrong story. I’m sorry.”
I turned the subject of the story to something else. When men get together, all they can do is talk about games, soccer, baseball, or dirty stuff.
“I mean, even if it looks like this, when I go home, I do it 15 times with my wife.”
“Hyung, just play Goo. How can a person do it 15 times? If you do it once or twice, it’s men’s wise time.”
“Bastard, it’s because you don’t know me. Ask my wife later. Isn’t it okay?”
“Are you really going to ask later?
After giggling for a while and drinking a few beers, it was late. I went home and took a few to give to my 3rd year high school brother studying and closed the store.
It was an uneventful day, but it was good. It’s not a job, it’s a hobby, running a chicken restaurant and living quietly. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about getting caught up in a commotion.
[Continued, we will deliver breaking news. A gas explosion occurred around 3:00 p.M. Near Boseong Apartment in Mapo-dong today. There were no deaths, but 12 people were lightly injured and several vehicles passing through a nearby road confused by heavy drinking caused a collision]
“The world is so hideous. A gas explosion. It’s like a typical cover-up excuse.”
“What do you think there will be, brother? A conspiracy theory?”
“There was a fire last time. Why the arson?”
“Isn’t this a gas explosion accident?”
“I mean”
I also wish my senses were off the hook. I can’t be bad because I want to be bad because it’s my feeling.
While munching on the chicken, I prayed that it would pass in moderation.
* * *
The chicken restaurant [Shall we feed the chicken?] Prospered over time. Now there are not only people who eat at the store, but also people who take out, or rather, the latter.
After a month, I checked the sales while organizing the books, and after subtracting everything, this month’s net profit was a little over 4 million won. Although there is a difference of almost twice as much as other fried chicken restaurants, it is natural that our store has no rent, so our net profit is high.
I have to pay back some of the capital I borrowed from Zion. I spend a little bit of my pocket money… What new light novel came out this month?
“You worked hard today too. Hyung”
“Yeah, you worked hard too. I’ll pay you right now.”
The world has changed a lot. In the past, you had to go to the bank to deposit money, but now you can do it with your cell phone. There was no fee either. Bank service is very good.
I can’t say it carelessly because I feel like I’ll hear an old man say this somewhere. I heard that there is a generation that does not know why old-fashioned old-fashioned telephones that can be dialed back these days.
“I worked hard without being cunning, so I added some more. Go in and buy some meat for your father.”
“Thank you!”
Baekri nodded her head at the payment message sent by text from the bank, as if the deposit had been properly deposited into her bank account. I like it, so I like it too.
“Do you want to go home early today? I’ll do it later in the morning.”
“May I?”
“It’s payday, but I have to do that”
Our store is closed on Saturdays. You should take at least one day off a week. Except on Sundays because there will be a lot of sales.
The moment I was about to finish it with a rough finish. Baek-ri got a call. Looking at the [Pro Chicken Butcher] Written on the screen, it seems like the youngest. Jjasik, I’m on good terms with my brother. Brother… Huh? Siblings? Come to think of it, I never asked if I was a younger brother or a younger sister.
Curious about that, I secretly listened to the voice on her cell phone. As if it were her younger sister, the voice of a girl with a still youthful feel came out.
[Brother, are you done?]
“Yeah, I’m on my way after it’s over, but why? Ask me to buy merona when I go?”
[There is that, but can you contact your dad now?]
“Dad? Why?”
[I was a little nervous, so I called. But didn’t get it go brother Isn’t it the same as the way you go home from your dad’s fire station anyway?]
“If you’re dispatched, you might not get it, right?”
[So yes. I’m a little nervous, but can you go?]
“……Okay. I’ll take a look at it as soon as I go.
Sneaking, at a time like this, I got the intuition that somehow told me to turn on the news, so I picked up the remote control and turned on the TV in the store.
On a 24-hour news program, there was a live broadcast showing a reporter on the scene, as if it was breaking news. The background was a place I knew from going to Times Square in Yeongdeungpo in the past.
[…….Yes, I’m in front of the Lotte Department Store located in Yeongdeungpo Station. Currently, this is the point at which fires and collapses are occurring due to an explosion of unknown cause. Fortunately, the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station is located nearby, so it was possible to respond quickly, but the flames and explosions still do not stop.]
White’s complexion turned pale.
Come to think of it, he said that his father works at the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station. And the location of the incident is, of course, a department store very close to it.
“Go ahead”
“…….Yes”
It is said that firefighters live through dangerous things every time, but it won’t be a big fire accident like this one often. Would be worried I quickly sent Baekri.
In case you don’t know, let’s follow a little bit.
Somehow, my intuition was telling me to follow. I have a lot of premonitions of trouble, but it’s better than having good part-timers disappear.
My annoyance 〈 A good part-timer (Baekri).
* * *
The man’s eyes were red like fire, but cloudy like dirt. He was chasing something like he was crazy.
“Seonghye…”
Staggering step. I got caught up in the crowd and was dragged here and there, but slowly, little by little, I was heading somewhere.
And there were personnel following and monitoring such a man.
“Targets are not going to uninhabited areas. Executing capture operations now may result in casualties”
[Catch it anyway! Damn… He’s the biggest trouble now! And the performance is the best! The ignition system becomes the explosive system in just one month, the mind is not intact, but the experiment is effective. I have to capture it somehow and bring it back.]
“Shall we lead them to a less crowded alley like last time?”
[If you can, try that. But keep in mind. You can’t miss it this time. There is a limit to ignoring the media]
The man beyond the communication left a warning and cut off contact. The man who was tailing followed the back of the red-eyed man.
Where should I go, I wander here and there. There is a place he wants to go, but unlike his reason, his instinct, which gradually becomes cloudy, leads him to another place. Not here to a more crowded place.
“Oh, no… Let’s go…”
With a little staggering stepheheaded to a place where he could feel the presence of more people.
Something caught his gaze. It wasn’t very unusual. A common elementary school girl you’ll see a few times while walking down the street.
“Sung, Hyeya……”
With a mixture of instinct and reason, the man followed the child. As if his mother and daughter had gone shopping togetherheheld the woman’s hand and headed to a nearby department store.
Seeing this, the man who was following him frowned.
“The target moves. Don’t provoke it carelessly. If a fatality occurs, it will be a headache.”
Only a few of the people who were following them kept their distance. If a lot of men aren’t shopping, and if they’re acting suspiciously, that alone draws attention.
But it was the same for men. When the man, whose purpose was not to shop, but only acted according to reason and instinct, wandered around the department store, the department store employee’s attention was focused on him.
“Guest? Do you have any inconveniences?”
“……?”
“Guest?”
The man couldn’t decide how to act when asked by the staff. He only took a few steps back.
Awkward gait. He doesn’t look like he’s been shopping, and his clothes are pretty tattered. It doesn’t look like there is a group, but alone.
“Guest? Excuse me, but could you please follow me for a moment?”
Suspicious wherever you look. The employee approached the man and put his hand on his shoulder, thinking of listening to the story or calling the police if he was in trouble.
“Oh, don’t come!!!”
The man reacted violently and shook his hand away. The loud voice draws attention from the surroundings and attracts other employees.
“What’s up?”
“No, I think this customer is a bit strange…”
Amid the blurred reason, the man recalled a piece of memory. Those who did not treat themselves as human beings. He barely gets them back, and on the way back those who try to recapture him.
He already had no reason to judge that department store employees were not the same person as them. It becomes his last thought, and his instincts rule him.
“Damn! No!!!”
“Don’t come here!!!!!”
An explosive sound resounded along with an intense light for a moment that seemed to be still.
Kwaaang!!!
A fire broke out fiercely and started to burn everywhere.
