‘Hmm. We have a guest. ‘I wonder if they would hate it if it smelled like other food.’
Even though it’s break time, customers can be seen through the window.
Jong-sik, holding bags full of toast in both hands, hesitated for a moment. Should he go straight home or stop by the restaurant for a moment?
The conclusion was the latter. And it was the right choice. The people in the restaurant were not customers.
“Ohh you’re here? Huh…. What’s this?”
“Hello, Mr. Big Boss!”
“It’s Sunbae!”
“Ahahaha. Jong-sik, it’s good to see you.”
Jong-pal, the kitchen staff, and Oh Jaewoo and Oh Moon-se were eating rice cakes and chatting politely.
They greeted Jong-sik and Yeona as they entered.
“Sunbae-nim! Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
Especially, Oh Jaewoo’s reaction running towards Yeona was not just warm, but passionate.
“Huh? Who’s this? Our junior!”
Yeona also responded warmly.
“Hehe. Sunbae-nim. Now we can see each other every day! Me And Dad Moved. Your house is very close to ours. Just a hundred steps away!”
“Oh my, is that so? Then are we neighbors now?”
“Yes!”
While Yeona and Jaewoo were chatting away,
Jongpal approached Jong-sik and poked his side, asking, “What’s that in your hands?”
“Oh, this?”
“Don’t tell me that’s all toast.”
“Bingo. My brother is sharp as always.”
“…Geez. Did a ghost who can’t eat toast haunt you? Why did you buy so many? How many are there in total? Are you planning to skip dinner?”
Anyone who sees me will think it’s my wife and not my younger brother.
“Why don’t you eat it? There is a separate stomach for snacks and a stomach for rice. And not long after. Maybe about a hundred.”
“A hundred isn’t much?”
“Hmm. Let’s see, there are a lot of people here. If everyone eats just five, that should be enough. The rest, me and Trigo will eat. But where’s Trigo?”
“Trigo finished eating and went straight up. He’s busy these days with the air defense works. And he also got a few requests from the Association.”
“I see. Trigo’s working hard. In times like this, it’s good that we only got toast for self-care. Here, take the rest. I’m going to see Trigo.”
Jong-sik handed some of the packaged toast to Jongpal. Despite initially complaining about buying too much, Jongpal was quick to accept and promised to eat them well.
“Take care then. Oh, Moon se-ssi. Let’s have a drink together next time.”
“Haha, sure. You seem busy, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll see each other often from now on, so what’s the rush?”
“Go have fun.”
And so Jong-sik left the restaurant.
Kkaang, kkaang-!
A hot heat surged suddenly.
Kkaaang, kkaang-!
At the center of the heat was Trigo. He was wearing Bluetooth earphones and striking melted minerals.
And then, it happened.
Trigo’s nostrils suddenly began to twitch. He grinned widely and pulled out the earphones from his ears. Then he turned his head in the direction where a savory scent was wafting from.
It was unmistakably the scent of toast.
“Brother, have you arrived?”
“How did you know I arrived? I came in stealthily without making a sound.”
“Haha, this savory scent can’t be hidden. So, Brother. Is what you’re holding in your hand right now toast?”
“Yeah, since I bought a lot, eat until you’re full.”
“Thank you. I had a bit of rice on purpose since you said you were going to buy snacks.”
With that, Trigo swiftly snatched the bag from Jong-sik’s hand. Then he hastily took a bite of the toast while Jong-sik inspected the work he had done.
“How’s the work going?”
“It’s going well, Brother. Since the situation seems urgent, I’ve increased the speed. Ahem! We’re almost done with the framework.”
“Why, is the situation urgent?”
“It’s the villains. You’ve been seeing it in the news, right? The incidents keep increasing. They’re causing terror almost every day. Isn’t the purpose of building the bunker to protect families from those people?”
Trigo knew exactly what was going on. So, except for sleeping and eating, he devoted himself solely to building the bunker.
He even put aside the orders from the Association.
‘He keeps working without me urging him….’
Upon hearing this, Jong-sik expressed his gratitude.
“Yeah. You’re right. Well, anyway, thanks for speeding it up, Trigo.”
“Oh, you don’t need to say that. You said it yourself, right? Your family is my family. I feel the same way. Your family is my family too.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“Haha, I knew you’d feel embarrassed. But Brother, is this really delicious?”
Jong-sik chuckled and changed the subject.
“It is, Eat as much as you want. If it’s not enough, I’ll buy more anytime. No, next time, I’ll buy something even tastier.”
“Haha, is this what work motivation feels like?”
Trigo diligently devoured the toast, and Jong-sik examined the metal framework he had made. Then, Jong-sik narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Um, but why didn’t you mix the mineral of light? Didn’t you buy the light mineral at that time?”
“I bought it for the purpose of remodeling the restaurant. Of course, there’s still some left, but…”
“If there’s some left, why didn’t you mix it for making the framework? Isn’t a mixed mineral the strongest? That’s what I know.”
Even a blind cat can catch a mouse after three years.
Jong-sik had a rough understanding of metallurgy thanks to his colleague Kutja from the Eldar continent.
“Oh, you knew about that too? You really are Kutja’s colleague.”
“My point is right, isn’t it? But why didn’t you mix it? I know about it too.”
“That’s because this framework was made with the breath of fire. The mineral of light doesn’t mix with the breath of fire as they are opposites.”
“No, Kutja used to mix them well.”
“…Is that so? Really?!”
“Yeah, that’s right. He even built kingdoms like that.”
Trigo was so shocked by this statement that he even abandoned the toast he was eating. After a moment, Trigo looked at Jong-sik with incongruous rabbit eyes.
“U-uh, Brother Jong-sik. Did Kutja ever show you the process of making mixed minerals?”
“Yeah.”
“Th-then, could you explain it to me too?”
“Of course. It’s not that difficult. First, let’s get some mineral of light.”
“Yes, yes! That’s it. I’ll get it right away.”
Trigo rushed to the warehouse in a hurry.
“Kutja finally did it! He broke through the shortage barrier! And I dare to witness it…”
It felt like his heart was about to burst.
A moment later, Trigo poured the light mineral he brought onto the floor.
“Uh, uh. Here it is.”
“Yeah. So, I just have to explain what I saw?”
“Yes. That’s enough. The rest is up to me.”
“Alright. Oh, and I’m not sure if this will help, but every time Kutja mixed minerals, he made this sound. When mixing the breath of fire and the light mineral, the most important thing is…”
As Jong-sik continued speaking, Trigo’s expression changed drastically. Joy, excitement, realization, sadness, and more.
Time kept passing.
Trigo started working based on Jong-sik’s instructions.
But failures continued.
Still, it was okay.
Because there was enlightenment in the process.
“I didn’t expect to get it right away.”
And that night.
The furnace didn’t cool down, and Trigo’s metallurgy skills could advance further. All thanks to Jong-sik.
The next day.
Someone visited Yeona’s regular toast shop.
It was the chief reporter of Seoul Daily.
He was in the midst of covering the villains who were causing a stir.
“Sir. Hello.”
“Welcome, Customer.”
And today.
The purpose of the visit was also for coverage.
A street vendor not far from the scene of the incident.
The chief reporter hoped the owner might have seen or heard something. That was his expectation.
“I’m just going to have one toast before I go.”
“What kind of toast would you like? Ham toast, or ham and cheese?”
It didn’t matter. It wasn’t because he wanted to eat.
“Anything, no. Give me a ham toast.”
“Haha. Please wait a moment. I’ll make it delicious.”
As the old man made the toast.
The chief reporter revealed his purpose.
“Sir. Do you know about the accident that happened around here a few days ago?”
“Oh, dear. Of course, I do. The police came, and there was chaos for a while. Because of that, they told our regulars not to come here for a while.”
“Oh, but the villains have all been dealt with. Why go to such lengths?”
“Old age brings many worries, you know. And most of the customers who come here for this are students. But now that I think about it, you don’t seem to be from around here….”
“Haha. You have a good eye. Sir, do you know about Seoul Daily? I’m a journalist there. Actually, I’m here to ask about the incident related to the villains.”
“I thought you looked familiar. Are you here to ask about the incident a few days ago?”
“Haha. Yes. So, sir, did you happen to do business on the day of the incident? If you did, you must have heard or seen something….”
The owner interrupted the chief reporter, shaking his head.
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry about this. Unfortunately, that day, my wife wasn’t feeling well, so we took a break. So, I didn’t see or hear anything. I only saw a few police officers cleaning up the next day.”
“Oh…”
In the end, the chief reporter couldn’t get anything. Even after asking a few more questions, the owner just shook his head.
“I’ve come this far, but I don’t have anything else to say.”
“Ahaha.”
“Still, I baked the toast deliciously. Here you go.”
In the end, the chief reporter ended up empty-handed. He received the toast with a disappointed expression.
‘What a waste of time. Tsk, I came all this way, but since I bought it, I should eat it, right? Let’s just take one bite and leave. If I eat it all for no reason, it’ll just ruin my appetite.’
With such thoughts, he took a bite of the toast. But he didn’t expect this kind of taste.
“Wow…”
The chief reporter couldn’t hide his admiration for the delightful taste. He stared at the paper bag in his hand.
It was a toast made from ordinary ingredients. Bread, ketchup, egg, cabbage… But how could it taste like this?
“How does it taste so good?”
“…It’s really delicious, isn’t it? Is this really just a ham toast? Ahaha. This tastes surprisingly good.”
“Well, that’s fortunate. I thought it would only suit the old man’s taste. Haha.”
The owner chuckled to himself. He was glad he listened to Yeona’s student’s big brother’s words the day before.
“I made it as a practice for the next time you come, but I didn’t expect it to be this delicious.”
Impressed by the taste, the owner immediately started making toast in various ways and eventually created a new menu with ground lotus root mixed in.
“At first, slicing it thinly like cabbage didn’t give a good texture. Mixing it with egg batter like pancake was the right answer!”
And so, the customers praised the taste.
With a pleased expression, the grandfather looked at the chief reporter eating the toast eagerly.
“Ah, it’s so hot, but I can’t stop eating it. Sir, I’ll have one more ham and cheese toast, please. And please pack them when I leave. Make five of each, please.”
“Oh my, thank you. Today’s first sale is going well. I’ll make them deliciously again this time.”
With that said, the grandfather started making toast again.
It was the first step towards success in the street food industry. Little did he know that today would mark the beginning of his success story, a dream come true.
