Irim, Yoo Mirae, and Kim Soonyoung headed to a nearby pizza place.
After ordering pepperoni pizza, shrimp pizza, and bottled beer, the three of them chatted pleasantly.
“Waa. So that’s what happened. Where exactly is this Jeongmyeong Restaurant?”
It was Kim Soonyoung’s question.
“It’s in Yulmun-ri, Sinbuk-eup. Right next to the Police Museum.”
“That area is pretty quiet. There aren’t many people around, so will it be okay?”
At Kim Soonyoung’s worried words, Yoo Mirae wagged her index finger left and right.
“If the food is delicious, people will come looking for it no matter what, unnie.”
“That’s true.”
Just then, the two pizzas they ordered arrived.
The eyes of the two women sparkled brightly at the sight.
“Waa~ It looks delicious.”
“I can’t even remember the last time I had pizza. For some reason my kids hate pizza, so I never get the chance. Well then, itadakimasu.”
Yoo Mirae picked up a slice of shrimp pizza, and Kim Soonyoung took a slice of pepperoni.
Irim’s hand also reached for the shrimp pizza.
He lifted a slice with the pizza server.
The cheese that had been covering the pizza in a thick white layer stretched out stickily like gum.
Just that visual alone was already game over.
Irim brought the shrimp pizza right up to his nose.
The scent of shrimp and the rich, nutty aroma of mozzarella cheese hit his nose first.
Then came the full fragrance of well-baked bread from the wood-fired oven dough.
Of course, Irim still couldn’t smell it abundantly, but he could faintly detect it.
Irim took a big bite of the shrimp pizza.
The bread cut easily, yet the cheese stretched long following his mouth.
He bit it off with his teeth.
Then he began to chew.
The first thing he tasted was the bouncy cocktail shrimp.
The more he chewed, the stronger the shrimp flavor became in his mouth.
Next, the crisp paprika and soft broccoli textures delighted him.
The well-cooked onions and the olives with their unique flavor also had wonderful textures.
The mozzarella cheese and creamy garlic sauce embraced all these diverse ingredients, harmonizing them perfectly.
Irim quietly closed his eyes and savored the sensation.
‘This is really good.’
Thanks to the faint scents that occasionally brushed his nasal passages, the textures of the pizza ingredients and cheese felt even more vividly real, making the meal more enjoyable than before.
Suddenly, Yoo Mirae and Kim Soonyoung, who had been eating their pizza, looked at Irim.
He was moving his mouth as though experiencing the pizza with his entire body.
Irim took another bite.
From the moment the pizza entered his mouth until it was chewed and gulped down his throat.
Throughout it all, Irim’s face looked like someone walking on clouds in heaven.
Moreover, he ate so deliciously that it made the onlookers’ mouths water.
Unaware that the others were watching him, Irim took yet another bite.
And he recalled the rich yet greasy taste of the pizza cheese.
‘Right when it starts feeling this heavy, this is it.’
Irim picked up the bottled beer beside him and chugged it down refreshingly.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
The sharp beer cleanly washed away the greasiness in his mouth and the pleasure as it slid down his esophagus!
That was the unique charm of pizza and beer.
Yoo Mirae and Kim Soonyoung, who had been watching Irim’s mukbang, exchanged glances.
Then they immediately lifted their beer bottles and chugged.
Gulp!
“Khaaa!”
“Huuu. So good.”
It was the same beer as always, yet today it somehow tasted even cooler.
Because Irim drank it so deliciously, it was as if they had been hypnotized.
After that, the three of them happily enjoyed pizza and beer while having many conversations.
Inevitably, heavier topics came up, and while having deep talks, Kim Soonyoung asked Irim a question.
“But seriously, Irim, your cooking skills are insane. Why did you come to Narae Snacks as a mere kitchen assistant? You could totally chew up and spit out Kim Daewon.”
“Exactly.”
Yoo Mirae had been curious about that too.
Irim gave a slightly bitter smile and answered.
“Actually, about a year ago, I was planning to open my own restaurant. But I got into an accident and lost my sense of taste and smell.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned ice-cold.
Because of this completely unexpected and shocking story, Yoo Mirae and Kim Soonyoung couldn’t find any words.
Irim noticed their reaction and continued the rest of the story in a slightly lighter tone.
After hearing everything, Kim Soonyoung deliberately made a fuss.
“Oh my goodness, how awful. It must have been so hard, Irim.”
“But you know what. A few days ago, something good happened.”
“Something good?”
“Yes, it’s extremely faint… but I could smell food a little. I have to concentrate all my nerves to feel even an ant’s toenail worth, though.”
“Oh my, that’s really wonderful, Irim~! That’s definitely a very good sign. I’m sure your taste and smell will fully come back.”
“You’re right, oppa!”
Irim smiled at the two women’s comfort.
“Thank you.”
And they no longer talked about depressing things.
The three of them laughed excitedly and enjoyed the remaining time.
***
By the time they left, it was already past 7 o’clock.
Kim Soonyoung and Yoo Mirae were going the same way, so they took one taxi, while Irim took a different one.
The two women sat side by side in the back seat of the taxi.
While both seemed lost in thought and only looking out the window, Kim Soonyoung spoke first.
“I had no idea Irim had such a story.”
“Me neither.”
“But isn’t he amazing? How can he cook that well after completely losing taste and smell?”
“Right, right? I was totally shocked.”
Yoo Mirae responded passionately.
Kim Soonyoung narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Isn’t Irim secretly really cool?”
“Yes.”
“He seems quiet and calm, but when he focuses on cooking and gets that intense look, he feels really manly.”
“Hehe, I thought so too.”
“Of course~ of course. Real men need to have that heavy flavor. By the way, do you have feelings for Irim?”
At the sudden straight ball question, Yoo Mirae became speechless.
Seeing Yoo Mirae only blinking blankly, Kim Soonyoung’s smile grew deeper.
“I knew it, I knew it. Irim is turning twenty-eight this year, right? Four years apart from you, perfect.”
If it were a shy woman, she would usually panic or hide her feelings in this atmosphere.
But Yoo Mirae was a little different.
“Unnie, do you think we’d look good together if we dated?”
“Oh my? Look at this quiet cat? Already climbing onto the hearth?”
“Hehe.”
“Are you seriously interested in Irim?”
“Well, it’s not that big yet, but I do have a good impression.”
Kim Soonyoung nodded.
“Yeah. Irim has a decent face, he’s tall. Quiet and kind. And he’s the type that grows on you the more you look. It’d be weirder if a young single woman in her prime didn’t notice him.”
“Exactly.”
“And the really important thing. Doesn’t he have really thick hair? He definitely won’t go bald even when he gets older.”
At that moment, the taxi suddenly braked hard with a SCREECH!
“Kyaaak!”
“Mommy!”
The two women looked at the driver in surprise.
Kim Soonyoung was about to say something sharp.
But she couldn’t say anything.
The driver, who had hit the brake without realizing it, turned around, bowed his head, and apologized politely.
“I’m very sorry, customers. I will drive safely.”
The driver’s bowed head gleamed smoothly.
“Hueeeek! Sniff! Uuu… Aaaang.”
‘Again.’
On the way home after getting out of the taxi.
While passing through an alley filled with old houses and fields, he heard a child crying again.
The crying was coming from that same house as before.
This was already the third time.
At this point, even Irim was starting to get concerned.
‘What could it be? Child abuse?’
It really might be.
But he never heard sounds of hitting or scolding the child.
He desperately wanted to peek inside the house, but the world was harsh, and he might get misunderstood for no reason.
‘It’s probably nothing.’
Irim forced himself to think that way and quickened his steps.
After he passed the house, the crying gradually stopped.
Then the old gate opened with a creeaaak.
Someone came out of the gate and silently stared at Irim’s retreating back.
***
Irim returned home and lay down on his blanket.
Only then did he check his smartphone and saw one missed call.
The caller was none other than Oh Chunsik.
‘Why did he call?’
He was curious but didn’t particularly want to find out.
At that moment, a message arrived.
The sender was Yoo Mirae.
– Home safe~ Did oppa arrive okay?
Irim slowly typed a reply.
– Yeah. Just got home. Today was fun. Come visit the restaurant whenever you have time.
– I will. I really really had fun today too! Is it okay if I contact you sometimes?
– Of course^^
– Hehet. Good night oppa~^^
After sending the message, Irim unknowingly smiled.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he exchanged messages like this with someone of the opposite sex.
Irim reread the simple messages several times before putting down his smartphone.
His gaze turned to the Connector and Connection Water placed beside the blanket.
He wanted to log into the game right now, but if there was alcohol in his body when he drank Connection Water, all the nanoparticles would be expelled through the skin.
‘Guess I’ll sleep a bit.’
Irim closed his eyes.
Having been tense all day from cooking for four hours and then drinking a little, he quickly fell into the arms of sleep.
Jung Seokhyun, the CEO of Illusion, the company that developed Real, had recently been unable to take his eyes off one player’s actions.
The player he was watching was “Rice.”
Until yesterday, he didn’t even know who that player was and had no interest.
But yesterday, that player not only cleared Marina’s Hideout quest — the first in the world — but also solved the hidden quest there, drawing Jung Seokhyun’s attention.
If someone simply cleared Marina’s Hideout quest and left, her still-lingering soul would heal her wounded body, hide it in the stone wall, and the quest would regenerate.
In other words, other users would still be able to receive the quest.
However, if the hidden quest was discovered and cleared, Marina’s soul would ascend, and the quest itself would permanently disappear.
Jung Seokhyun never imagined someone would make Marina’s quest disappear so soon.
Upon receiving the news, he fast-forwarded and watched the character Rice’s entire play from beginning to end.
After confirming his playstyle, surprise appeared on Jung Seokhyun’s face.
“This guy is a complete mutant.”
Looking at him, inside the game he seemed interested in nothing except eating and cooking.
Yet interestingly, that very tendency was making him advance faster than anyone else.
“I wonder when he’ll log in today.”
CEO Jung Seokhyun guessed that Rice might soon receive a revelation from the god of cooking in the game, “Michelang.”
***
After a short nap, Irim logged into Real.
Messages lined up in front of him.
[While Rice was absent, Mio brought back 3 items.]
[Rice 200g] [Frying powder 200g] [Margarine 200g]
[The news that Rice has subjugated the witch Marina has reached the ears of Countess Beatrice, who issued the subjugation order.]
[Countess Beatrice’s favorability increases.]
[You have obtained ‘10’ Fame.]
[Due to the increase in Fame, your name has been spread to some people in the territory of Countess Beatrice.]
It seemed that Luke, Karen, and Xyle had arrived in Rubatn, met Countess Beatrice, and reported what happened.
Regardless of his own will, Irim was steadily becoming famous.