Chapter 3: My Ability Is Still Alive

30 minutes later.

“……Let’s practice with this for now.”

My father brought something from the corner. White chunks.

“What are these?”

“Fat trimmings. Parts we can’t sell to customers. Practice your knife work on these before we throw them away.”

‘Ugh… Fat trimmings on my first day?’

Damn it, my pride took a hit, being demoted from the very first day.

“Try cutting it like this. Control your strength.”

Shak- sak-

Why are these trimmings trying to run away?

Every time the knife touched, they slipped away.

‘Is this for real? I’m Kim Junho, Kim Junho.’

Three-time consecutive winner of the 2157 Meat Design Grand Prix.

I used to adjust things down to 0.01㎜ with a hologram…

Now I can’t even cut a piece of fat trimmings.

‘Isn’t this a total reality nerf?’

It was like a max-level character being forcibly sent to a level 1 newbie village in a game.

“Try cutting it like this. Control your strength.”

Shak- shak-

It was still difficult.

‘This can’t be right…’

It was like a person from 2025 going to the Joseon Dynasty and not being able to do much.

Even if I went to the Joseon era right now, there’s no way I’d be as good as Master Jang Yeong-sil or Master Jeong Yak-yong.

“Father, um… about judging meat quality…”

I staked my last bit of pride on something I was good at.

“Quality? Ah, you mean the grade?”

“Yes!”

“Here, look. This is 1++ grade. See the marbling? Nice and dense, right?”

My father lifted the meat to show me.

I focused intently.

‘Marbling distribution is mediocre, estimated fat melting point 38.7 degrees, excessive muscle fiber density…’

“What do you think? Good meat, right?”

“Ah… yes…”

What was I supposed to say?

‘This would be C-grade by 2157 standards’?

‘The fat molecular structure isn’t great’?

There’s no equipment to measure that, and even if I explained, they wouldn’t get it.

But that’s not the point.

The meat knowledge from the future that I have doesn’t seem that useful here.

“Junho, what’s wrong? You look strange.”

“It’s nothing… The trimmings are just so slippery…”

“It’s like that for everyone at first. No need to rush.”

Father encouraged me, but I was drowning in frustration.

Ding dong!

Like the sound of salvation, the door opened.

“Oh, Mr. Jeong!”

“Welcome!”

Father dashed over in a flash.

The professional shopkeeper’s smile lit up his face.

“Two geun of pork belly and one geun of neck, please.”

“Yes! I’ll prepare it right away.”

‘Geun? What the heck is a geun?’

I found out later, one geun is 600g.

Why not just use kilograms, why make it so complicated…

Sshk sshk sshk—

Father’s knife moved dazzlingly.

It was like a scene from a classic action movie.

Analog, yet perfect.

“Here you go! I put in a little extra as a service.”

“Thanks, boss!”

After the customer left, Father turned to me.

“Saw that?”

“Yeah…”

I definitely saw it. The gap between us.

“It’s nothing fancy. Just choose good meat, and cut it the way the customer wants.”

It was like hearing ‘Drawing is easy! Just do it like this.’

“Alright, now you try slicing again.”

“Okay…”

I picked up the knife again.

Let’s start with what I can do.

Whether it’s 132 years ago or in the future, learning is always the same.

Sshk sshk sshk—

I clumsily cut the fat trimmings.

I started tearing up.

I didn’t even know why.

I picked up the knife again.

This time, really slowly.

Shak—

“Oh? You cut it!”

It was crooked and messy, but for the first time, I cut it properly.

“Oh, you did it!”

Father gave me a thumbs-up.

*****

“Jeong Junho! Two geun of pork belly here!”

“Oh! Yes!”

Two days.

It’s only been two days, but now I react to Father’s voice like Pavlov’s dog.

‘Two geun of pork belly, understood!’

I took a hunk of pork belly from the fridge and placed it on the cutting board.

‘Alright, stay calm…’

Sshk- sshk-

‘Huh?’

The moment the knife passed through, I could see the structure of the meat.

No, I could feel it.

Which parts were tough, which were tender.

What angle to insert the knife to get a clean cut.

Wait, what is this?

Did I develop some kind of telepathy with meat?

‘Ah, the fiber direction here…’

Sshk—

Whoa! The knife went in like butter!

Father sidled up to me.

“Oh? You changed the angle?”

“Yes, this part seemed a bit tough…”

“You can already feel that? Genius!”

My shoulders puffed up at Father’s praise.

But inside, I was confused.

Meeting real, irregular meat somehow awakened my hidden abilities?

“The thickness is even, too… How did you get this good in a few days?”

“I went to YouTube University.”

It was true.

I binge-watched channels like ‘God of Butchery’ and ‘Knife Skills Master’ all night.

My eyes hurt from 480p videos, but I endured it.

“Alright, now try handling the payment too.”

“Huh? Already?”

My heart pounded.

The customer was Mrs. Kim, one of our regulars.

“Oh my, Junho is doing the payment now?”

“Yes… That’s 33,000 won for two geun.”

“You take cards, right?”

Card.

My mind went blank for a second.

‘Card? Oh, that plastic thing!’

I stared blankly at the terminal.

How does this primitive machine work…?

“Just insert it here.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

Beep beep beep—

“Huh? Why is it angry?”

The machine beeped loudly.

“The IC chip is the other way!”

Father rushed over.

“This side is the front. See the arrow?”

“Aha…”

What? Even cards have a front and back.

Primitive authentication.

Finally, payment successful!

“Thank you!”

As Mrs. Kim left, Father chuckled.

“What kind of butcher’s son can’t handle a card payment?”

“These days, everyone uses their phone…”

“Use their phone for what?”

“Ah… never mind.”

‘If I mention facial pay, they’ll think I’m nuts.’

*****

In the afternoon, the war began.

“One geun of pork neck here!”

“500g of sirloin!”

“Do you have pork jowl?”

‘Aagh! Please don’t all come at once!’

I ran around frantically.

Take out meat, slice it, weigh it, pack it…

But the final boss was elsewhere.

“Father! SOS! How do I use this machine?”

“What? Ah, the POS? Enter the amount and select payment method!”

“What about cancel?”

“Cancel button!”

‘There are too many buttons!’

“Uh… 32,000 won… where’s the thousand button…”

I stared blankly at the number pad.

“Hey! Just press 3, 2, 0, 0, 0!”

“Ah! Right!”

Ding!

“Success! But the receipt…”

“It comes out automatically!”

Zzzzt—

‘Oh, that’s cool!’

Watching the paper come out by itself was fascinating.

“Ma’am, here’s your receipt!”

“It’s fine.”

“Huh? You don’t want it?”

Should I throw it away? This precious paper?

“Just toss it!”

Father shouted.

‘Paper must be common here.’

All day, it was like this.

Cutting meat – success!

Weighing – success!

Packing – success!

Payment – mental breakdown!

“Junho, you put the card’s IC chip in backwards again!”

“Agh! Right.”

Why do cards have two different sides?

Who invented such an inconvenient thing!

Only by evening did I finally get the hang of it.

IC chip side up!

Check the arrow!

Receipt goes straight to the trash!

‘Phew… Now I’m getting the hang of it.’

Then Father patted my shoulder.

“Good work. Not bad for your first day.”

“Really?”

“Except for payment.”

“…….”

Of course, praise always has a catch.

Still, I felt proud.

A butcher shop part-timer 132 years ago.

Surprisingly fun.

*****

Toward evening, the last customers arrived.

“Excuse me… do you have Hanwoo beef?”

A young couple.

The man looked nervous, the woman’s eyes sparkled.

‘Oh, smells like a special day.’

“We have 1++ grade top sirloin.”

I answered first.

By now, I could identify the cuts with my eyes closed.

“How much is it?”

“13,000 won per 100g.”

“Whoa! That’s expensive…”

The man’s face turned pale in real time.

Maybe he’s on a budget?

“Is it a special day?”

“Ah… yes, it’s our 100th day…”

I knew it!

100 days.

By 2157, the average lifespan was over 150 years, so people didn’t really celebrate these little anniversaries.

But aren’t things like this actually more romantic?

“Would you like a recommendation for a different cut? How about brisket flap?”

“Brisket flap? We don’t really know much about beef…”

The customer tilted his head.

“Ah, brisket flap is a part above the front leg of the cow. It’s called that because it’s shaped like a fan.”

I led them to the display as I explained.

“Look here. It has less marbling than sirloin, but lots of juice. It’s got a nice chew, too.”

“Oh… but isn’t this expensive too?”

I lowered my voice.

“This is first-grade brisket flap, and I specially cut it this morning. It’s 6,500 won per 100g—half the price of the 1++ sirloin! A real deal.”

“First grade? Is there a big difference in taste?”

“There’s a grade difference, but brisket flap is a juicy cut, so when grilled, it’s savory. For special occasions like your 100th day, it’s perfect to grill at home with your girlfriend!”

The man’s eyes lit up.

“That’s really half price?”

“Yes! Instead of 1++ sirloin, 1st-grade brisket flap. Special cut, friendly price—what do you think?”

Honestly, by 2157 standards, brisket flap is actually the superior cut.

It has evenly distributed intramuscular fat.

But right now it’s 2025.

1++ Hanwoo sirloin would be a burden for a young couple on a budget.

“Then, we’ll take that…”

“Good choice. If you’re having other dishes too, 500g will be plenty. You can’t eat much sirloin because it’s fatty, but brisket flap is chewy so you can enjoy more.”

Father, watching from the side, quietly chimed in.

“If you cook it too long, it gets tough. It’s best when there’s a little pink inside!”

“Yes! Thank you!”

The couple left happily, and Father grinned.

“Wow, you’re a real salesman now!”

“Hehe, really?”

“Noticed they were on a budget, suggested an alternative. You’ve got a knack for this!”

Father tapped my shoulder.

“That’s what a real butcher does. Sell what’s right for the customer, not just the expensive stuff.”

*****

It was closing time.

As I cleaned, I thought over the day.

I was still a newbie at the butcher shop.

The POS was gibberish, and I kept putting cards in backwards.

But…

‘This is actually kinda fun?’

Chatting with customers, recommending cuts, hearing thank yous.

Compared to the fancy hologram shows of 2157, this analog vibe had its own charm.

“Junho!”

“Yes!”

“I’ll teach you how to handle Hanwoo beef from tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’ve gotten better.”

Oh yes!

A level-up moment.

Even if the techniques are 132 years old.

No, maybe that’s why I wanted to learn more.

*****

Time to close up.

Moving the leftover meats from the display to the fridge.

“Junho, let’s finish cleaning up and go home.”

“Okay!”

The store was quiet after the last customer left.

Under the lights, the meats glistened crimson.

I picked up a slab of Hanwoo sirloin from the display.

Suddenly, a familiar sensation returned.

“Huh?”

The moment my fingers touched the beef, information flooded my mind.

The same sense I’d always had in 2157.

[Basic Information]

Cut: Hanwoo sirloin

Quality grade: 1++

Yield grade: A

Slaughter date: 96 hours ago (±3 hours)

‘Whoa… My ability’s still alive? But what’s this yield grade?’

Even info unfamiliar to me began to appear.

Surprised, I let go, then touched it again.

Once more, information flowed in.

[Tissue Composition]

Muscle : Fat ratio = 68:32

Muscle fiber density: 124/㎟

Collagen content: 1.8%

Moisture content: 71.2%

“Junho, what are you doing?”

“Ah… nothing! But Dad, what’s the yield grade? Isn’t 1++ the best?”

Father looked up at me.

“Ah, yield grade? You should know that too, if you’re going to buy meat.”

He closed the fridge and started explaining.

“‘1++’, ‘1+’, that’s the quality grade. How good the marbling is, color, that kind of stuff.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“Yield grade is A, B, or C. It tells you how much meat you get from a cow.”

Father gestured, drawing the shape of a cow in the air.

“A is from cows that yield a lot of meat, C is less. Usually, A is bigger and meatier.”

“Oh… so A grade is more expensive?”

“Not always. Quality is more important. Even C grade is expensive if it’s 1++, and A grade is cheap if it’s 3rd grade.”

Father added with a laugh.

“But a 1++A cut is really good stuff. Lots of meat, and the best quality. That sirloin we showed the customer earlier was just that.”

“Ah…”

‘So that’s why I saw the yield grade.’

I nodded to myself as I thought.

“But how do you know about yield grades? Did they teach you that in school?”

“Ah… I just read about it online.”

Father gave me a weird look.

I quickly bagged up the meat.

‘Damn, I thought my powers disappeared after becoming Kim Junho… Calm down.’

I quietly touched another piece of meat.

This time, pork belly.

[Freshness Indicator]

Current freshness: 73/100

Expected spoilage time: 36 hours

Best consumed within: 24 hours

Rancidity: 1.2% (caution needed)

‘Ooh… I should sell this at a morning special tomorrow.’