The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 27

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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 27. A Small Guest (1)
The child who had come by when I first opened the Ramen Case.
‘For some reason, I’ve grown fond of this child.’
That child, who used to hesitate from a distance and then disappear, was now crouching right there.
At my call, she turned her head and looked at me with uncertainty.
“Are you really leaving?”
“Huh?”
Leaving? What was she talking about?
Ah. I understood now.
“Yeah. We’re moving. We decided to relocate upstairs.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’ll be bigger than before, so I’ll be able to serve more customers. My small guest is always welcome too. Come by anytime.”
“Um….”
I thought she’d say yes and smile brightly.
But her expression had turned stiff for some reason.
“By the way, why haven’t you come to eat lately?”
“….”
Actually, I knew well enough.
The child’s financial situation was obvious, wasn’t it?
I later heard that even Jin-woo had hesitated over the five thousand won—a considerable sum.
“You can come quietly. You don’t need to pay anything. Just come eat and go.”
“Why?”
“It’s a service for my small guest.”
“…Is it not because I’m poor?”
…Right. That was the real issue.
I never expected to hear such words from a child’s lips.
It was bitter, but I forced myself to smile.
“Not at all. It’s because I’m grateful you came from the very beginning. You know Jin-woo, the one working as a staff member?”
“Yes. I’ve seen him.”
“That kid eats for free all the time, doesn’t he? He even asks for free coffee every time.”
Well, technically it’s free since he works here.
If Jin-woo understood the situation, wouldn’t he forgive me for saying this?
If I were Jin-woo, I would have said the same thing.
“Um… My aunt said I shouldn’t cause trouble like that.”
It was unusual to hear her mention an aunt. Why was that?
“It’s not trouble. I’m being honest.”
“Um… Thank you anyway.”
“But I haven’t given you anything yet.”
“Just… because.”
There was no way to learn more about her circumstances.
The child bowed their head and turned to leave.
The way they scampered off was unmistakably childlike.
A sudden thought struck me—the night streets could be dangerous for someone so young.
‘There was that incident with the ruffians before.’
I quietly followed behind the child.
‘Good. They made it inside safely.’
After watching them enter a small shabby apartment, I withdrew discreetly.
One day passed, then another.
I found myself waiting for that small, adorable child to return.
“Hmm… why haven’t they come back?”
But they never did.
* * *
Then came that particular evening.
Late in the night, the child appeared cautiously.
They stood there hesitantly, head bowed.
“Why are you standing like that in the rain?”
“Just… because.”
Late in the evening.
The weather was already dreary.
How much deliberation must it have taken to come here?
I beckoned the damp child inside, their clothes soaked from the rain.
“Come under the parasol here. I have a towel set aside—use it to dry off. Otherwise you’ll catch a cold, you know?”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
“Wait a moment.”
I’d already closed up for the night.
But today, I could make an exception and reopen.
I unlocked the store and prepared a special ramen for the child.
‘This is why ramen is so wonderful.’
The cooking didn’t take long.
What mattered was tailoring it to the child’s taste.
‘Skip the garlic and green onions. Should I add sausage? Oh, there’s fish cake too!’
Sausage and fish cake!
I made ramen with both of these.
Right, they came in the rain and might catch a cold, so I should add stamina enhancement too.
[Critical Success!]
[Dish 【Special Ramen for the Child】 Complete!]
[You have selected immune enhancement through the dish’s healing properties.]
[Upon consumption, stamina will increase for 1 hour.]
[Upon consumption, natural healing ability will be enhanced.]
A critical success, no less.
Even I was amazed by the dish I had created.
“Wow…!”
Just from the aroma alone, a delicious fragrance wafted through the air.
The child let out a cheer of delight.
Now I could see the child’s innocent, radiant expression.
“Go ahead, try it.”
“Yes!”
Slurp—
The way she stuffed her cheeks so full of noodles and chewed contentedly was absolutely adorable!
‘Ah, so this is why people become such fools over their daughters?’
Adorable. With this cuteness alone, the ramen was worth every penny!
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes! It’s so delicious!”
How wonderful.
All the fatigue from the day seemed to wash away.
“If you want to eat again, you can come tomorrow too. Just line up quietly and I’ll give it to you.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I’m the owner, so who would say anything?”
“Hehe. But I can’t do that. It would be a burden. My aunt always says I shouldn’t cause any trouble. I brought money today anyway?”
“I’ll take half then. But where did you learn about not causing trouble?”
“That’s my favorite aunt who….”
That was when it happened.
“Yeon-hee! I told you not to do this!”
“Aunt!”
* * *
‘Oh no…!’
Of all the times and places.
Just as I learned the child’s name, I came face to face with her aunt.
From where I sat, I could see that the aunt had been rushing around on this rainy day searching for Yeon-hee—she was still drenched despite holding an umbrella.
Sweat beaded on her flushed face as she looked in my direction….
‘Huh…?’
The moment I laid eyes on her, I couldn’t help but freeze.
A question arose in my mind.
Why did this aunt look like someone I knew?
“Let’s go.”
“Aunt, about this today….”
“Let’s go.”
“Um….”
“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”
Without waiting for a response, the aunt took Yeon-hee and left abruptly.
I could only stare at her in a daze.
* * *
I watched the two of them disappear into the distance, my mind blank.
My scattered thoughts didn’t return even by the next day.
‘What on earth is this?’
That Aunt. I was seeing her for the first time, yet she wasn’t a stranger to me.
I know it sounds contradictory.
-You studied abroad in Hong Kong and crossed all of China?
-No. This isn’t how you do it!
-Tch… Even a swordmaster doesn’t know this taste.
-Be quiet. Live, don’t die.
-I… Ah, I want to eat something delicious. I want to live. Live and eat lots of delicious things… Please tell me I was happy. Promise me. Ah, you have to promise! Yes. I promise… you. Promise me.
That person from back then.
The Hong Kong food I planned to give to Jang Owner as a gift at tomorrow’s celebration party at the new hideout.
The one who taught me about that food.
The one who stood by my side in my past life.
The one who worried about me until the very end.
Why was she here? Why did she look like this?
‘So that’s why I didn’t feel unfamiliar when I saw Yeon-hee….’
I had wondered why my gaze kept drifting toward Yeon-hee.
Now I understood the reason.
She resembled that person. The one who sacrificed everything for me until the day I died.
What should I do?
I still didn’t know.
‘Is it coincidence? Or have I lost my mind?’
Either way didn’t matter to me.
Regardless, my heart pulled me in one direction.
I had to go.
“Can you close up the store today?”
“Huh? I can, but… Is something wrong?”
“Yeah. Something urgent came up. Sorry.”
My patience had long since evaporated during today’s work.
“If you say so, hyung… Go ahead! Don’t worry about the store!”
“Thanks.”
I left the store entirely in Jin-woo’s hands.
I tossed my apron into the truck and moved without hesitation.
My destination was the apartment building where Yeon-hee lived.
I never imagined that a simple check-in would lead to this.
I felt like I was running without even catching my breath.
I paid no attention to the stares of passersby as I accelerated, arriving at my destination in no time.
‘Found them!’
There they were. The two of them just stepping into the apartment building.
My long-time colleague, arms full of groceries from shopping, holding Yeon-hee’s hand with his other hand.
‘What should I do?’
I had come here on impulse alone.
I had no idea what to say once I found them.
Even if I said this moment was the most confusing situation since awakening my memories, it wouldn’t be a lie.
“Oh!? Mister!”
Yeon-hee, spotting me, came running over with quick steps.
Then she noticed her aunt behind me and made an awkward expression.
That look of ‘oh no, what do I do.’
As I watched Yeon-hee, who resembled her aunt so much.
He approached me as well.
“Hello.”
“Yes. Hello.”
I reflexively returned the greeting, then thought desperately.
What story should I tell? What was I supposed to do?
Then I suddenly saw Yeon-hee looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
‘Ah…’
To Yeon-hee, I must be Superman.
One of the few adults who treated her warmly. Perhaps that’s why.
I closed my eyes briefly and spoke.
“I told the child. It was me.”
“Pardon?”
“I told her to come. I said I’d provide everything, so come and eat whatever you want. I said it many times. Even when she said she didn’t want to be a burden, I insisted she come.”
The words burst out like machine-gun fire.
I was discovering for the first time that I could speak this well.
What came back was resistance.
“Why! We wouldn’t—”
“That’s not what I mean at all. I’m grateful.”
“What?”
“For enjoying what I made for the first time. I’m grateful for that.”
“But I saw the other customers enjoying it too?”
“I know. But Yeon-hee spent her entire savings, gave it her all, and enjoyed it with her whole heart.”
This is complete nonsense. I know it. Utter nonsense.
But here’s the thing.
“Having someone genuinely enjoy the food I made. That was truly moving for me. That’s why.”
“!!!!”
“Isn’t being happy through food the greatest happiness?”
“Ah…!”
What I was saying now was no bullshit.
This person—Yeon-hee’s Aunt had been hammering this into my ears with such insistence that I could see the shock written all over her face right now.
Perhaps that had been her values all along.
Whether it remained true in this world, I couldn’t say.
But one thing was certain.
‘That’s right. In this world too, you love cooking.’
In eyes widened with astonishment, the hostility from before had noticeably softened.
She stared at me blankly.
Or perhaps she was no longer just “she” anymore.
Even if our faces were the same, we had lived different lives in different circumstances, and in this life where she had a niece she never had before, she might be entirely different.
Perhaps this meeting was something I was forcing together on my own.
But I spoke my final words.
“And people who know that cooking makes them happy become even happier when they cook. Isn’t that right?”
“!!!!”
I could see her hands trembling as she clutched her belongings tightly.

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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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