Ever since Cha Seojun started working at the convenience store inside the dungeon, the place became an even hotter topic on the community boards.
People loved gossip, and the reappearance of Cha Seojun—the man who had once been the center of a massive witch-hunt and then vanished—was juicy material.
The fact that he was now working at a convenience store? Unbelievable.
Some were genuinely happy they could taste his cooking again, but most reactions were negative.
There were plenty who mocked him: “He fell so far he ended up at a convenience store?”
This is really bothering me.
No matter how hard Hyejin tried to ignore it, the comments and whispers found her anyway.
Her biggest worry these days was how to shield Seojun from all those malicious eyes.
“Um… Seojun-ssi.”
“Yes, Manager-nim.”
“You can speak casually, you know. You’re older than me.”
“Even so, you’re the manager. I can’t drop honorifics.”
Asha, who had been lying sprawled across the counter with her neck stretched out, muttered to herself as if surprised that Hyejin—who still spoke stiffly to Suho—was so relaxed with Seojun.
“She acts all shy around one guy, but with Cha Seojun she’s totally fine.”
At Asha’s remark, Hyejin hurriedly defended herself.
“That’s because Seojun-ssi is super famous and someone I’ve always wanted to meet!”
“If you like him that much, why not ask for an autograph?”
“You wanna keep teasing me?”
Hyejin gave an embarrassed smile toward Asha, then cautiously spoke to Seojun again.
“Ah, I hope you don’t misunderstand. Actually… my dad was a huge fan of yours. I even promised him I’d take him to SATURN Hotel one day and buy him your steak.”
“I see.”
“Yes. I can’t ask you for steak right now, but I believe someday you’ll be back in an even bigger place!”
Feeling guilty, Hyejin tried to cheer him up. Seojun waved his hands with a laugh.
“It’s all in the past. I just have to start over. I’m already satisfied that I can cook and sell food inside a dungeon. It would be nice if one day I could treat your father to that steak.”
His earnest, sincere answer made Hyejin nod awkwardly.
When she thought about it, it really was strange—two SS-rank hunters who could shake the world, yet their dreams were so small and modest.
Saving people and feeding them might not actually be small at all, but it was completely different from the grand, world-changing dreams the public usually talked about.
“Since we’re on the topic, shall we seriously think about what food to sell? Cooking and selling inside a convenience store won’t be too hard—we have a kitchen and tools now. My only worry is preparing the exact amount of ingredients each day so nothing goes to waste.”
“True. Estimating daily sales volume is something only seasoned restaurants can do.”
Seojun fell into thought at Hyejin’s words.
The most important thing was avoiding food waste.
They couldn’t afford to buy huge amounts and throw half away.
So they needed something with minimal waste, simple to eat (perfect for a convenience store), and quick to make.
“We’ll also have to consider the customers’ needs.”
From his experience, just selling the food he wanted to cook didn’t guarantee success.
He had to think about where this store was, who the customers were, what times of day certain dishes would sell best—every possibility.
“Customers’ needs… yeah, that’s important too.”
This was inside a dungeon.
The people coming in and out weren’t ordinary citizens—they were hunters who risked their lives against monsters.
Food they could eat before or after a fight: cheap, portable, quick to prepare, and—considering Korean tastes—filling.
After thinking for a while, Seojun spoke.
“I think simple but slightly
troublesome-to-make-at-home dishes would work—like the omelette I made for you, or corn soup. For those who prefer Korean flavors, we could do doenjang soup with tofu.”
“Sandwiches with lots of different fillings would be great too. Everything on the market right now is processed or frozen and marketed as ‘convenient,” but that’s exactly why freshly made versions would stand out and feel special.”
Hyejin’s eyes sparkled.
Every word he said sounded perfect.
Corn soup and sandwiches were exactly what she had been imagining.
Sure, the powdered corn soup and factory-made sandwiches sold at convenience stores were tasty, but they carried that “processed” image—so going the opposite direction felt brilliant.
“I was literally thinking the same thing! Fresh corn soup and sandwiches would be amazing! And we have cup rice, so adding soup would make a proper full meal.”
As she answered, Hyejin suddenly remembered an item she’d seen in the Manager-Exclusive Shop.
“Oh, right! There was a really nice pot in the Manager-Exclusive Shop. That would be perfect for you, Seojun-ssi. Right, Asha?”
“Your memory’s sharp. Yep, that pot is even better than the kitchenware made by SS-rank crafters. It’s Cooking-Master-exclusive—cuts cooking time and makes a huge difference in flavor. And the only place you can buy it is the Manager-Exclusive Shop.”
The problem was… Hyejin had zero gold left.
“I spent everything I had… I can’t buy the pot right now.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just save up.”
When Hyejin’s face fell, Asha strolled over on all fours and answered leisurely.
“For now, we’ll start with omelettes. I’ll generously cover the ingredient costs. But since I’m not the manager, you’ll have to earn the gold yourself and buy that pot, Hyejin. Got it? Seojun-ssi, come in early every morning and prep.”
“Understood. Though getting orders from a cat doesn’t feel particularly pleasant.”
Seojun said it as a joke, and Asha’s face scrunched slightly.
“Even if I look like this right now, I’m older than both you and Hyejin—age-wise, I’m a spirit. If you want honorifics from me, get reborn five more times first.”
“Hard to believe, but dungeons appeared in the middle of 21st-century Seoul, so an ancient spirit isn’t that far-fetched. Feel free to speak casually. You already have since the moment we met.”
“Yep.”
Hyejin, who had been giggling behind Seojun, suddenly caught Asha’s eye.
“You should learn to respect your elders too, Hyejin.”
“You lose all credibility when you say that in that body.”
Hyejin pouted, reached out to pet Asha, but Asha nimbly leapt away and landed on the far counter, looking down at them.
“Trying to touch a spirit’s sacred body so casually. Anyway, when do we start selling omelettes? Tomorrow?”
Hyejin and Seojun’s eyes met. Hyejin opened her mouth to answer, but Seojun was faster.
“The kitchen is ready, and omelettes don’t take long. If you can prepare the ingredients, we can start selling tomorrow. Omelettes for busy modern hunters—I think they’ll sell like crazy.”
“Then we should start promoting right away. Should we make posters?”
“That sounds good.”
Hyejin definitely looked more relaxed with Seojun than with Suho.
Asha blinked slowly, clearly not loving how well the two were getting along.
“You two are getting along scarily well. Anyone watching would think you’re siblings.”
“Hahaha, having a cute little sister like Manager-nim wouldn’t be bad at all. I’m an only child, so when I was young, the only people who ate my cooking were my parents. People who love cooking usually feel happier feeding others than eating themselves, don’t they?”
“Seems so. I had a friend in college who loved eating, so I used to invite her to my tiny studio and make tonkatsu, tteokbokki, jjimdak all the time. Just watching her enjoy it made me happy.”
Hyejin’s mood brightened as old college memories surfaced.
Asha, chin resting on her front paws, reverted to her usual sarcastic tone.
“I thought you only ever worked part-time, but you actually made friends too, huh?”
“Wow, that one was harsh. Of course I had friends.”
“Hmph, I assumed you were too busy working to have time for friends.”
“Well… that part’s not exactly wrong.”
Thinking back to college days wasn’t something Hyejin did often.
They had been fun times filled with laughter and friends, but also insanely busy.
She had struggled with part-time jobs and living expenses.
Maybe the only reason she survived those years was because of the friends who stuck by her.
Come to think of it, life really was unpredictable.
She had endured four years of university believing that once she graduated and got a job, money troubles would disappear—only for dungeons to appear, her job hunt to fail, and now here she was: manager of a convenience store inside a dungeon.
Of course, she was still an F-rank hunter nobody would take even if they paid her.
“Anyway, omelettes start tomorrow. Asha, please handle the ingredients.”
“Got it. But I have one condition.”
“Condition? What?”
Hyejin tilted her head.
“The store must never operate at a loss. That’s my condition.”
“Loss?”
“Loss. This convenience store exists for hunters, but it’s not a charity. We have to make enough sales to pay the part-timers’ salaries—and yours too, Hyejin. If we run in the red, we might have to shut down immediately. Remember that.”
Hyejin sighed at Asha’s chilling warning.
By now she was pretty used to these sudden bombs.
“Asha, could you please tell me these things earlier?”
“I didn’t want you to get too obsessed with sales, so I waited for the right moment. Anyway, take it as is. I’m heading out for a bit—watch the store.”
As if she knew she’d just dropped a massive bomb, Asha stretched cutely, then walked gracefully across the store and vanished in the blink of an eye.
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