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[(Side Story) The Returner’s Ambitious Plan]
“ “Please sit comfortably anywhere.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Even though the store was empty, So Shin-han went to the corner and sat down.
‘You look very uncomfortable.’
Daein, who roughly understood the other person’s personality in that one scene, chuckled.
An office worker with a tired face, a limp on one leg, and a talented person with a [wolf-like] personality…
Among the people who come to Lim’s Restaurant, there are few who don’t, but this man also seemed to have quite an odd story.
“You said you didn’t eat dinner? Wait a minute. “I will make something simple.”
“it’s okay. The business is over, but it’s because of me…”
“It’ll be over soon, so just wait.”
When Daein went into the kitchen, Soshinhan was able to relax and look around the store slowly.
As seen from the outside, the inside of the restaurant was not very spacious.
There were four round tables and a bar-shaped table that could seat about five people side by side, connected to the kitchen.
‘It feels cozy like home.’
It seems as if a subtle amount of attention was paid to the interior, with colorful props placed one by one in the overall white interior.
‘The kids will like it too.’
While I was thinking that, a great man appeared holding a plate in each hand.
“Because it’s the menu I’m most confident in. “Try it.”
“Thank you… um?”
The moment Soshinhan saw the thick green soup and the ingredients floating on top of it that were clearly eyeballs of something, he unconsciously looked up at the restaurant owner and asked with his eyes:
‘Is this really okay to eat?’
“It looks a little strange, but it’s pretty delicious.”
Soshinhan belatedly realized that his gaze could be rude to the other person and lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. thank you for this food.”
He scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it in his mouth.
At that moment, all the standards of taste that I thought I knew changed.
“!!”
Grumble-Kwakwakwaang!!
A series of shocks as if heaven and earth were beginning to unfold in my mouth.
‘Is this… one of the new torture methods?’
“how is it?”
Tears almost came out.
Fortunately, Soshinhan was pretty good at eating just about anything – and he didn’t have the guts to honestly tell the super chef that it wasn’t tasty – so he was able to swallow the soup somehow.
gulp.
“It’s delicious. I would say it’s a taste with a very unique world view that I’ve never tasted anywhere else…”
At that moment, the corner of the restaurant owner’s mouth rose ominously.
“I’m glad you like it. “Sometimes there are picky customers who can’t even eat this much.”
‘This much? sometimes? ‘Are you picky?’
So Shin-han suppressed the questions that came to mind and desperately managed his facial expression.
“Then try this too. Normally, no one would give it to anyone.”
“It’s okay…!”
bang!
The sound of another plate being placed on the table sounded like a gunshot.
Soshinhan ended up naming the dish in front of him without even realizing it.
“Fried parasitic tentacles of the twisted nether…”
“What?”
“That looks really delicious.”
So Shin-han took a big bite of the charred fried food that was ‘clearly the leg of some kind of creature.’
And then I lost my memory for a moment.
“…ah!”
“Is it that delicious? “It’s refreshing because it’s my first time seeing a reaction like this.”
While continuing the difficult meal, Soshinhan carefully asked the young man sitting across from him.
“That’s because I still don’t know the name of Choin, the savior of my life…”
The business card handed to me in the morning only had the name and address of the restaurant written on it, but did not include the other person’s name.
“I told you this morning, but I’m not a superhuman. “It’s been a while since I retired.”
“Retirement… I see. “So, you are the owner of a restaurant now.”
“As the boss… I’ve been called many different titles. “This is my favorite of all the ones I’ve heard recently.”
The young man with a grin reached out his hand first. It was the couple’s first full statement.
“nice to meet you. “I am the landlord.”
“Oh, I am Sosinhan. “It’s an honor to meet you… this landlord?!”
So Shin-han, who widened his eyes in surprise for a moment, smiled innocently and said.
“The landlord… you have the same name as him! “The landlord is my idol!”
“Hmm. “It’s an idol.”
The landlord’s mouth slowly turns up without realizing it.
Soshinhan tilted his head and said.
“Now that I think about it, you seem to resemble him…”
“Well, I often hear that. “We come from the same family.”
“wow! The Lim family seems truly extraordinary. We produced two great superhumans…”
“Keuhumhum!”
The corners of the restaurant owner’s mouth kept rising as he heard stories praising Landlord, the great hero who saved the universe.
‘I guess he has a lot of pride because he comes from the same family.’
That was the limit of what Soshinhan could think of.
Can you dare to imagine?
A hero known to be dead would be running a restaurant in a place like this.
“You really speak in a pleasant way.”
Daein, who was in a good mood, smiled and took out some alcohol from the refrigerator.
“This too is fate. Would you like to have a drink?”
“Ah yes. “Then just a little…”
As the night got deeper and more drinks were exchanged, the atmosphere between the two became more and more comfortable.
*
*
*
…It seems like it has become too comfortable.
“Ssajang! Did I really think I was going to die? At that moment, the boss is perfect! “If you hadn’t shown up, I would have been left without a move!”
“Giggle. I used to be a bit. “The timing of his appearance has always been amazing.”
“nice! You are a born protagonist! Get another drink!”
“Giggle!”
Soshinhan, who was a bit drunk, repeatedly offered Daein a drink, which Daein happily accepted and drank.
Soshinhan is usually timid and introverted.
He was the type of person who talked a lot when he was drunk.
“Actually, me too… I once had a dream of becoming a superhuman. I wanted to become a great superman like my idol, Landlord. lol.”
The man smiled and said to the man who sheepishly scratched his head and confessed his old dream.
“The ability to transform is a pretty good trait. “Do you think it’s still okay to give it a try?”
At that moment, Soshinhan looked down at his left leg with a bitter expression.
“This thing is broken.”
A superman limping on one leg.
It is a fatal handicap for those skilled in close combat.
However, the great man tilted his head as if he was a little puzzled.
“These days, technology has improved so much that we can fix it if we want to, right?”
Even if the injury occurred before potion technology came to Earth, with the recent rapid development of medical technology, it could be completely cured by combining surgery and divine power potion treatment.
Of course, not everyone can receive such treatment.
“…They said it would cost about 300 million won to completely cure it. haha.”
Soshinhan, who laughed helplessly, lowered his head. The liquid in the glass in my hand was trembling.
“Anyway, what I’m doing now is perfect for a coward like me. Songworms have to eat pine needles to survive. This morning, I almost died because I was fussy without even knowing the topic, and I almost got fired from my job…”
Daein didn’t offer any obvious consolation. I just stared at him.
“…….”
Soshinhan trembled because those eyes seemed to pierce everything about him.
For a moment, I felt like I had completely sobered up.
“I’m sorry. “I brought up a dark story for no reason… I guess I was drunk.”
Daein, who soon returned to his usual expression, chuckled.
“You drink alcohol to get drunk.”
“It’s very late. Then, I slowly…”
It was when Soshinhan stumbled and tried to get up from his seat.
Grumble!
The door inside the kitchen opened, and a girl in yellow pajamas walked in with sleepy eyes and yawning.
“Aren’t you sleeping? I can’t solve this because it’s too difficult… Huh? “It’s the dog I saw earlier this morning!”
A girl holding a workbook in one hand and a pencil in the other found Soshinhan and rushed to the table where they were.
‘No matter how many times I see her, she is as cute as a doll.’
The girl who arrived in front of Sosinhan politely placed both hands in front of her stomach and bowed her head.
“hello. “I’m Lily.”
“hi. I am a believer. “Uncle… no, you can call me uncle.”
Lily asked with wide eyes.
“Then, Mr. Soa?”
“ha ha ha.”
Lily was so friendly that she sat down on an empty chair at the table and looked up at Sosinhan.
“Please show me again how you transform into a puppy!”
…I think the attachability is a bit too good.
“uh? “That’s a bit…”
Daein intervened and nagged.
“kid. Since the customer is uncomfortable, I go in and study more. “It’s not long until your entrance exam.”
Lily drew her eyebrows together and pouted her lips in dissatisfaction at the man’s nagging.
“Math is so difficult.”
Lily presented the elementary math workbook she had brought with her to Daein. In most of the problem books, hatches were pouring down like a shower.
“I don’t know this and this and this.”
The great man glanced at the problem Lily had pointed out… and shook his head resolutely. That voice was extremely serious.
“Listen, kid. “If you don’t figure this out and solve it on your own, it means nothing.”
‘I guess I just don’t know how to solve it…’
Soshinhan swallowed his reasonable doubts and sipped the remaining drink.
Then Lily asked Soshinhan this time, showing him the workbook.
“Mr. So, do you know how to solve this?”
In the end, am I confirmed as a child uncle?
“hmm? Ah, this is… easy if you solve it this way.”
When Soshinhan showed her how to solve math problems without difficulty, Lily said, “Wow!” They clapped and expressed their admiration.
The great man seemed displeased with that, clicking his tongue and muttering softly.
“Tsk. Don’t act proud just because you majored in science…”
Hey? Is this elementary math?
“Mr. So is very smart! “My uncle can’t solve any of these things.”
“what? Why can’t I solve it? “I didn’t tell you to do it yourself?”
Lily hummed and snorted.
“The man is always wrong in calculating the cost of food, so customers always end up paying more. “They said the store would fail if it continued like this.”
The man cleared his throat loudly and gave a lame excuse.
“That’s because I’m generous and provide a lot of services.”
Of course, the seeds didn’t work either. Lily stuck out her tongue and said,
“They say you’re a math idiot!”
…quick.
The great man reached out and twisted Lily’s hair.
“Do you question the intelligence of an adult because this is a child’s subject? “You’re not even a smart kid, are you?!”
“Ahh! “Let go of this!”
The man with the headlock firmly grasped the top of Lily’s head. Then, Lily didn’t give up and grabbed the man’s forearm with her teeth! he asked.
“What? Let go! “Aren’t you going to let go of this?”
“You let me go first! (You let me go first!)”
Soshinhan, who was blankly watching the two people fighting like Tom and Jerry, suddenly burst out laughing, holding his stomach.
“Puh… Puhahaha!”
As he laughed like a crazy person, Daein and Lily stopped bickering and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Puh-ha… Oh, I’m sorry. “They look so happy.”
Soshinhan laughed so much that tears were already forming in the corners of his eyes. He said, smiling softly.
“…I lost my entire family during the First Gate. “So it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this family-like atmosphere, so I stopped laughing because they looked so happy.”
The atmosphere of this space is as cozy as home.
Thanks to having a drink and talking here, Soshinhan felt like everything that was stuck in his heart was melting away a little.
“I really enjoyed today. “You share drinks with ordinary people like me and listen to boring stories.”
Soshinhan got up from his seat and bowed his head to Daein.
As the dwarf said, the taste wasn’t bad, but now I think I understand why people keep coming to this restaurant.
It’s a really bad restaurant, but I think I’ll be a regular in the future.
“I’ll come again next time.”
“Are you okay? “I think I’m very drunk.”
“haha. “This is enough… huh?”
Beetle.
Soshinhan stumbled, unable to control his body as it stumbled against his will.
As the tension melted away due to laughter, I got drunk and the world started spinning.
The great man laughed at that sight.
“I have a lot of room left, so I’ll sleep here today.”
“no. “I can’t cause any more inconvenience…”
Grumble.
Soshinhan, who was lying down on the table, started snoring.
“Cool….”
“Little one. “Go and spread out some blankets in the guest room.”
“huh!”
Lily ran to the guest room first and Daein helped Sosinhan up.
-Jeeeeee!
A gate opened in the middle of the restaurant, and a muscular young man with flowing red hair like a lion’s mane walked out from inside.
“Cluck. Disciple. “Master has come.”
One of the most frequent regulars at Lim’s Restaurant after its regular business hours are over.
The world feared him, calling him the Great Emperor of the Heavenly Demon.
“huh? What is that guy doing? Tsk tsk. “When the alcohol turns into rice cake…”
Cheon Mu-geuk frowned when he saw the Sosinhan that Daein was carrying around his shoulder.
The great man smiled and answered.
“This is a friend I met today. “The situation is a bit similar to mine in the past.”
A superhuman who lost his entire family to the First Gate and awakened afterward, but is unable to demonstrate his proper abilities due to chronic injuries.
‘I was like that too before regression.’
Nevertheless, it is a life that endures day by day.
If you look around, you will probably find one or two people like that, but wouldn’t meeting them like this be called a special relationship?
Cheon Mu-geuk, who heard the story from Dae-in, shook his head.
“So, are you planning on taking that guy as your disciple? The muscles don’t look that bad, but…”
“Ah. What kind of disciple are you? “You must be bothering me.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
Daein laid Sosinhan down in the guest room and examined her body.
Fixing an injured leg wasn’t a difficult task for a great person. It might be as simple as creating a bridge that doesn’t exist.
“Let’s fix the leg first…”
Rather, the problem was that the body was damaged by long overtime shifts, irregular meals, and insufficient sleep.
This is not a problem that can be solved overnight.
The great man spoke with a quite serious expression.
“I need to start by feeding him good food to build his body and get him some exercise.”
“Hoo. “And then?”
Cheon Mu-geuk seemed to be intrigued and urged the next words.
The great man said he had no intention of making him his disciple, but if you listen to the story, it turns out that he just wanted to make him his disciple!
But
“of course we have to make them work after that.”
“…Day?”
Words that Cheon Mu-geuk had never thought of came out of the great man’s mouth.
“Business has been going well these days, so I was thinking about hiring one more employee.”
“what…?”
Where on earth does that rotten bastard’s confidence come from?
“With the current momentum, I think we should slowly expand our business and think about adding chain stores to other parts of the world.”
“…disciple. Keep in mind that a moment of mistake can cause a war between dimensions…”
Cheonmugeuk gave sincere advice, but his disciple did not even listen.
“Afterwards, we will have over 100 chain stores in the universe!”
“…I’ll just leave now.”
“yes? Why are you leaving already? “I have a newly developed dish, so please try some of it… Master? Master!”
Cheon Mu-geuk opened the gate and disappeared without even looking back.
And a few days later, one new employee was added to Lim’s restaurant.
[(Side Story) Ambitious Plan of the Returner] End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
