I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 61

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 61. Unwanted Yet Desperate (5)
Prophecy.
Since ancient times, humanity has trembled before the unknowable future.
To ease the anxiety of the unknown, people have attempted countless methods to glimpse what lies ahead.
This is why oracles and divine revelations emerged, and why divination techniques like tarot and astrology flourished.
“But you’re saying I should give prophecies?”
“A witch should handle prophecies with ease. In other words, you’ve been far too weak until now.”
“You never mentioned this before.”
“That’s your fault for not asking.”
Noir spoke without a shred of hesitation.
I shot her a glare before sighing. “So you’re saying I should turn one of the empty rooms into a prophecy room?”
“Precisely. Do I need to explain how to make one as well?”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
Whenever the house upgraded, I could feel relevant knowledge flowing into my mind.
“So I just need to visualize it clearly…”
Visualizing was simple enough.
My mental images of prophecy consisted of crystal balls, tarot cards, and constellations.
Combined with the interior of a mystical-looking room…
Ding!
[Consume 20,000BP to create the ‘Prophecy Room’?]
“That’s quite expensive…”
“Prophecy is not a simple matter, Owner.”
“Understood. I accept.”
The moment I accepted, hammering sounds echoed from the room nearest the stairs.
Construction seemed to progress vigorously beyond the door, and soon the transformation completed as elegant lettering appeared on the sign hanging from the frame.
[‘Prophecy Room’ has been constructed.]
“Shall we take a look inside?”
“Meooow.”
“Chirp chirp!”
Since everyone was curious, I decided to venture inside for a moment.
As I carefully opened the door, a dimly lit space bathed in soft purple light came into view.
In the back stood a statue with its eyes closed.
On a table that appeared to be crafted from fine wood-like crackers sat various objects.
“That’s a tarot deck… and that’s a crystal ball… What’s that supposed to be?”
“Isn’t that rice?”
“Why would that be here…?”
“There’s also a turtle shell and bone fragments over there, Owner.”
It seemed they’d gotten mixed in when I was visualizing the image.
What’s already been made can’t be helped.
There’s nothing we can do about what’s already been made.
As I stepped inside with that thought in mind.
[Two listenable prophecies exist.]
[Fated Counterpart: 1,000 BP]
[???: 100,000,000 BP]
A status window materialized before me.
The prophecy about who would receive the bread was likely what I’d been curious about.
But then, what was this prophecy hidden behind question marks?
What could possibly demand such an astronomical sum of BP—one hundred million?
“It’s mountains upon mountains. I thought I was accumulating quite a lot of BP.”
“There’s still a long way to go. Owner. Just accomplish what you can, one step at a time.”
“Understood. Then…”
[Consuming 1,000 BP to listen to the prophecy of the ‘Fated Counterpart’.]
Cards scattered and swirled through the air.
Grains of rice and bone fragments began dancing wildly with the vibration.
Then appeared a single, massive image.
It was the form of someone with an enormous stake driven through their chest.
Simultaneously, the statue opened its closed eyes and parted its lips.
– The sins committed cannot be absolved by death, nor can complete mercy for a continued life be sought.
– Thus, for someone it shall bring happiness, yet for him it must bring such unbearable suffering.
– The sinner shall reunite when the moon passes, in the worst possible way.
[The quest updates from listening to the prophecy.]
[For the Wounded Soul]
▷ Bread is a necessity for all, from the lowly to the exalted. And now, a wounded soul sinking endlessly awaits your touch desperately. Though they themselves would not know it.
▷ Deliver ‘Silver Thorn Mugwort Castella’ to ‘Heo Tae-woong’ 0/1
▷ Reward: 1,000 BP
“Heo Tae-woong?”
“The son of that old woman. I heard him muttering to himself, Owner.”
“Kyuu! Kyuu kyuu!”
“The intention is quite clear.”
The bread’s effect was to achieve genuine emotional empathy with a single person.
And the one receiving it was that reckless son who betrayed his own mother—Heo Tae-woong.
“The wounded soul must refer to the grandmother, right?”
“Then surely not that son?”
“He’s just a bad person.”
As the statue’s eyes closed after finishing the prophecy, the cards, grains of rice, and bone fragments that had appeared returned to their original places.
It said we would meet when the moon passed.
If that’s the case, it must mean we’d meet tomorrow…
“What does ‘the worst possible way to reunite’ mean?”
“Once we meet, won’t we understand?”
There was a time when I thought so simply.
The next day arrived, and it was shortly after I opened the bakery door.
“This is my building!”
That is, until a man spouting absolute nonsense appeared.
* * *
Name: Heo Tae-woong.
Age: 51.
Occupation: Future Value Asset Optimization Consultant (self-proclaimed).
If that doesn’t appeal to you, he also goes by Global Governance Strategy Director (self-proclaimed).
Of course, the former just means staring at stock charts, and the latter means leaving comments on internet forums.
Yet he remained unashamed.
‘How can anyone live doing work they hate?’
Well past middle age, I had never done a single thing I didn’t want to do.
This was a firm conviction.
Life is so terribly short.
Yet to spend that brief existence doing work you despise?
Only a madman would do such a thing.
‘If you don’t do work you hate, how do you earn money?’
Whenever I received such questions, I would simply answer like this.
‘My mother has plenty of money, so why should I work?’
Isn’t that reasonable?
Those with money should support those without.
That abundance didn’t come from her own efforts anyway.
And that old woman in name only as my mother was precisely the sort who should do this.
‘Besides, that money she earned from the building wasn’t even her own sweat, was it?’
Honestly, it was a fair point.
What did I know about the effort it took to buy that building?
The important thing was that money flowed out like clockwork from just owning one building, yet she wouldn’t even support her own son.
‘She can live off the government pension. It’s far more beneficial for me to have it than for that old woman to keep it.’
This situation was no different.
It felt like a good gambling opportunity.
If I’d just bet more, or if there had been more capital, I could have multiplied it several times over.
Isn’t it a parent’s role to ensure their children don’t face such life problems?
Therefore, what I’m doing is something anyone would naturally understand.
‘That building is mine.’
For some reason, something sticky seemed to flow through my entire body, but it didn’t matter.
The mere thought that the building would soon become my money filled me with joy.
“Huh. This place? I’ve seen it on community forums before?”
The bakery located on the first floor of the old woman’s building.
The rumor that it was popular among these foolishly clever young people these days didn’t seem to be mere gossip—the place was bustling with customers.
Surely she must be collecting quite a bit in rent then.
Yet for me, her only child, she pinches every penny like that.
She’s definitely a hopeless old woman.
This is unfair.
Thinking this way, I confidently opened the bakery door and stepped inside.
My first words would be this.
“Welcome….”
“So this is my building!”
The people inside choosing bread turned to look at me.
What are you staring at? Just eat your bread.
That female part-timer at the counter is cute and pretty though. I like her looks.
Anyway, that old woman’s building is mine, isn’t it?
Then I deserve this level of treatment.
“How’s business going?”
“Who are you….”
“Haeryang, just a moment. I’ll take care of this.”
“Ah. Yes… understood, Owner.”
So owners really are different.
Unlike that pretty but dim-witted part-timer who gives me a sideways glance, this young owner actually knows how to treat people—someone with some life experience.
“You’re the owner?”
“Yes. I’m Han Seung-hyun, running a bakery called Trèfle de bonheur.”
“I’m Heo Tae-woong, the owner of this building.”
“Haha. I’ve heard a lot about you from the Elder. Please, have a seat over here.”
Following the guidance, I sat in a chair off to the side.
On the table were bread and coffee.
“So the young owner has good manners?”
“I’d like to treat you even better if I could, but since we’re a bakery, this is what we have. Still, this is a new product that hasn’t even been released yet?”
“Well… since it’s a local bakery, I understand. Ahem ahem.”
Any respectable adult should show this kind of generosity.
Besides, he thoughtfully presented a special new product that hasn’t been released yet, so I had the magnanimity to let it slide.
“Khem khem. Actually, I didn’t come here for this sort of thing.”
I casually pushed the plate to the side.
Maybe it’s because those damned debt collectors are chasing me around.
I’ve lost my appetite.
But it’s fine.
This bakery is practically mine, and the profits from it will be mine too.
“Is business going well?”
“Of course. It was tough before, but these days it feels good to be alive. Haha.”
“It’s all thanks to the building’s location, right?”
“Huh? Ah… yes, that’s right. Haha.”
“Then you should show more appreciation. Hmm? You’re saying everything’s going well because this building’s location is so good?”
So I should naturally raise the rent.
Of course, separate from that, I should also show some sincerity.
With customers like this, wouldn’t a bakery be able to extract at least thousands in rent?
Well, I’ve never run a business before, but I’m thinking of asking for that much.
“Haha. That’s right. There have been many things while running this place. I’ve received a lot of help.”
“Exactly! Exactly! Hahaha!”
“Let’s talk while you eat first.”
Only after getting the answer I wanted did I pull the plate I’d been pushing away closer to me.
The bread on top could be described simply as beautiful.
A castella with a subtle greenish hue, and just by looking at it, you could sense its soft and moist texture.
“So what is this?”
“It’s a castella made with mugwort. I used a lot of good ingredients. I’m sure you’ll find it delicious.”
‘The young owner knows proper etiquette. Young people should be respectful like this. Tsk tsk!’
Thinking so, I put the castella in my mouth without hesitation, and….
“Hueok!”
I felt it.
A fantasy dancing in my mouth.
Lights came on in the darkened ballroom.
In the space illuminated by clicking sounds, there stood a woman dressed in a gown decorated with brilliant white and yellow.
At first, it was a dance of butter and eggs.
Just as I was immersed in the rich and crumbly sensation spreading throughout my mouth, the melody changed.
‘Mugwort tastes like this?’
The ballroom doors opened wide.
And with the sound of clicking heels, there appeared a gentleman in a green tailcoat—mugwort.
Harmonizing with the ingredients already in place, every time they danced a three-beat waltz, the flavors exploded throughout my mouth.
Sweetness along with a nutty richness.
And within it, a bursting bitterness.
Before the bitterness became too strong, a moistness covered it over.
‘Really… this is amazing…. Should I take payment in bread instead of money? Wait! What am I even thinking!’
Bread instead of money. What kind of….
‘In my fifty years of life, I’ve never eaten bread like this. No, that’s it. If I make this shop mine, I can eat bread like this for the rest of my life!’
It was right then that Tae-woong, thinking it was a perfect plan, was about to draw in this foolish owner.
“Aigo! You little brat! What brings you here!”
“Uh… Mom?”
“Who’s your mom! You rotten bastard!”
An elderly woman entered through the door.
She’d come down in such a hurry that one side of her permed hair was flattened.
“What on earth are you trying to do coming here again!”
“How did you even know I was here!”
“That’s what I should be asking! You punk!”
What on earth? Why is this old woman suddenly here?
I’d timed everything assuming she wouldn’t be here at this hour.
When I turned my head, trying to conceal my bewilderment, I could see it.
The gleam in the bakery Owner’s eyes as he stood before me wearing that foolish grin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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