Chapter 79

Leaving the bustling streets of the city behind, I turned into an alleyway.

A red signboard, blending with the dazzling sunlight, caught my eye.

‘A shop that really stands out.’

Not that it was anything special.

It was just an ordinary Chinese restaurant signboard.

I pointed the camera at the Chinese restaurant and asked the viewers:

“Hey guys, should we go there?”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Not bad, a Chinese restaurant.

【Maehwa Tree】—Go for it.

【Yoho】—Haven’t seen this place before. Is it new?

【Min Ji】—I think it’s a newly opened restaurant.

【Handsome Licker】—Did the mods already lift the ban? 5 minutes is so short. *Lick*.

【Jujijoa】—Go if you want.

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow! The jajangmyeon must be delicious!

【Maid】—The jajangmyeon must be delicious!

There didn’t seem to be any objections.

Of course, whether there were objections or not, I was planning to ignore them and go into that restaurant anyway.

I was just asking out of formality.

“Since you guys want it, I’ll go to that restaurant.”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—I never said I wanted it.

【Handsome Licker】—Pretending to be nice… *Lick*.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Even if we objected, you’d still go there.

【Qkrnfl892】—Lol, you know him well.

I carefully pushed open the restaurant door.

Ding-dong, the bell rang.

A woman working in the open kitchen noticed me and greeted me with a lively voice.

“Irrashaimase!”

“Uh, yeah. Hello.”

For a brief moment, my mind went blank.

This was something I couldn’t help but be surprised by.

I never imagined a Chinese restaurant would greet customers in Japanese.

‘This restaurant has a unique concept.’

Looking at the chat, the viewers’ reactions weren’t much different from mine.

Everyone was pouring out question marks, seemingly baffled.

【Yoho】—?

【Min Ji】—What’s this?

【Handsome Licker】—What the hell?

【Qkrnfl892】—Why is a Chinese restaurant using Japanese? Lol.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Lol, “Irrashaimase!” What a joke.

【Maehwa Tree】—What kind of hybrid is this?

【Reverse Rape Mania】—What does “Irrashaimase” mean? Need a drifting AI to explain.

【Drifting AI】—I’ll explain. “Irrashaimase” means “Welcome.”

【Reverse Rape Mania】—Thanks. Hehe.

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow! The drifting AI’s search function is amazing!

【Maid】—The search function is amazing!

After looking away from the chat, I decided to get permission to film from the restaurant staff first.

“Uh… Is it okay to film while eating? I’ll film quietly so as not to disturb other customers.”

“Filming? Are you a YouTuber?”

“No, just a personal broadcast.”

“Ah, a personal broadcast! Sure! Feel free to film as much as you want!”

The woman with a paper hat on her head readily agreed to the filming.

She seemed to be the chef and owner.

“You can sit anywhere you like! Oh, and the menu is on the table!”

“Thank you.”

I chose a seat at the table connected to the open kitchen.

After pulling out a chair, I fixed the camera and spoke softly.

“It’s nice that there aren’t many people here.”

【Min Ji】—Yeah, business must not be good.

【Jujijoa】—The interior is ugly, that’s why.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Gyesekkihoon, why are you whispering when there’s hardly anyone here?

“If the owner hears what I just said, they might get hurt.”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Pretending to be nice. Nope.

【Yoho】—Pretending to be nice? The room master is naturally kind. -_-

“Yoho, I’m not kind, so don’t exaggerate. And Guburi, this isn’t about being kind or not, it’s basic manners as a person, right?”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Pretending to be polite. Nope.

【Handsome Licker】—Pretending to be moral. Nope.

“You guys are really something…”

I decided to ignore the chat for a while.

First, I needed to choose from the menu and place an order.

Just as I was looking at the menu…

Ding-dong!

The bell at the entrance rang.

People who seemed to be customers came in, chatting.

“Here it is.”

“Are you sure this is the place?”

“I definitely saw them come in here.”

“Irrashaimase!”

And starting with those two, other customers began to pour in one after another.

Ding-dong!

“Is this the place?”

“Yeah. I saw them come into this restaurant earlier.”

“Oh, really? They’re sitting over there.”

“See?”

“Irrashaimase!”

Ding-dong!

“Ah, I feel like having Chinese food today.”

“Stop lying. You just followed that handsome guy.”

“I-Irrashaimase!”

Ding-dong!

“They definitely came into this Chinese restaurant.”

“Hey, isn’t that them over there?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Irrashaima…”

In no time, the once quiet restaurant was packed, with no seats left.

‘What’s this? Is this place actually popular?’

Maybe it was just quiet because I came early.

With that thought, I looked at the owner.

The owner was staring at the customers with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Clearly, they were very flustered.

They weren’t even saying “Irrashaimase” anymore.

‘Judging by their reaction, this place is usually quiet.’

I didn’t know why so many people suddenly showed up, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“Owner, I’d like to order.”

I needed to hurry and place my order before I got pushed back in line.

“Yes, yes! I’ll take your order!”

“One jajang ramen, please.”

“Kashikomarimashita!”

The owner responded in Japanese.

I guess that meant they understood.

After successfully placing my order as the first customer, I checked the viewers’ reactions on my phone.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Why are so many people suddenly coming in? Lol.

【Yoho】—Maybe they came to see the room master?

【Handsome Licker】—Yoho, tone it down.

【Maehwa Tree】—Still spouting nonsense.

【Min Ji】—Exactly. Tsk tsk.

Only a few viewers were curious about why so many people were coming in.

Most viewers’ attention was focused elsewhere.

【Qkrnfl892】—By the way, why ramen? Isn’t this a Chinese restaurant?

【Reverse Rape Mania】—If it’s ramen, isn’t that Japanese?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Ramen is also Chinese cuisine. Specifically, Japanese-style Chinese cuisine.

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow! I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant selling ramen before!

【Maid】—First time seeing it!

【Jujijoa】—I’ve never heard of jajang ramen before. It’s not even jajangmyeon.

【Big Girl】—Must be fusion cuisine.

【Min Ji】—I should’ve realized when they greeted in Japanese.

Why was a Chinese restaurant selling ramen?

That was what most viewers were puzzled about.

‘Well, as long as it’s delicious, it doesn’t matter what they sell.’

Honestly, I felt it was a bit strange too.

It was my first time seeing a Chinese restaurant selling ramen.

But it wasn’t strange enough to question.

If the owner wants to sell it, they can sell it.

It’s not like Chinese restaurants are legally restricted in their menu.

【Qkrnfl892】—Is jajang ramen even good?

【Jujijoa】—Probably not.

【Min Ji】—It’s probably not bad, right? It’s the main menu item.

【Yoho】—Is jajang ramen the main dish? Min Ji, how do you know that?

【Min Ji】—All the other customers are ordering jajang ramen. Why are you cursing?

【Yoho】—It’s a typo.

As Min Ji said, the main menu here seemed to be jajang ramen.

Everyone was ordering jajang ramen.

“Seems like the jajang ramen here is good.”

“Really? Then let’s order that. Two jajang ramens, please!”

“Kashikomarimashita!”

“Hey, let’s order the same as that guy.”

“I was thinking the same. Two jajang ramens, please!”

“Kashikomarimashita!”

“Five jajang ramens, all with extra noodles!”

“K-Kashikomarimashita!”

Orders kept pouring in endlessly.

Judging by the flustered owner, this was probably the first time so many people had come in.

‘They’re struggling to handle it all alone without any staff.’

It must be tough.

But the owner didn’t show any signs of fatigue and was diligently cooking.

Their face was full of joy.

Well, that’s a normal reaction.

No restaurant owner would be unhappy about having a lot of customers.

Anyway.

Seeing the owner happy about the good business made me feel good too.

***

Jajang ramen.

It was a dish with miso ramen topped with a special jajang sauce.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Eat slowly, you bastard!

【Min Ji】—What… A one-minute cut…?

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Thought it was a vacuum cleaner.

And if I dare to rate the taste.

I’d give it a 9 out of 10, it perfectly suited my palate.

【Handsome Licker】—What’s Se-hoon doing with his eyes closed? *Lick*.

【Yoho】—Probably evaluating the taste.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Stop showing off.

In other words.

It was so delicious that it could be considered the work of a top-tier chef.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Open your eyes! Damn it.

【Big Girl】—Se-hoon seems to be in a strange state.

【Maehwa Tree】—Must be impressed by the taste.

It wasn’t just my subjective opinion.

Other customers were also.

After the first bite, their eyes rolled back, and they were inhaling the jajang ramen like crazy.

“What’s this? It’s so good!”

“Right. I honestly thought it would be bad…”

“It doesn’t look great, but it tastes amazing.”

“The jajang sauce is really good. Is it a homemade sauce?”

“The jajang is great, but the broth is also deep and rich. It’s no joke.”

“How does this combination work? It’s amazing.”

Without a single exception, everyone was praising the jajang ramen.

In other words, the conclusion was clear.

Jajang ramen was objectively delicious.

The reason the restaurant was quiet earlier was simply because it hadn’t gained popularity yet.

【Qkrnfl892】—So, is it good or bad?

【Min Ji】—Other customers seem to be saying it’s good.

【Jujijoa】—Yeah, they’re praising it.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Can you hear that?

【Yoho】—Your ears are sharp.

【Qkrnfl892】—I’m asking for Se-hoon’s opinion.

“If you’re curious, come and try it yourself.”

【Qkrnfl892】—? What kind of guy is this?

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Lol, the guy doing the mukbang isn’t even giving a taste review, just telling viewers to come try it themselves.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Typical Gyesekkihoon. Lol.

【Maehwa Tree】—At least last time he said it was good.

【Big Girl】—Maybe he’s not saying it’s good because it’s bad?

【Jujijoa】—Judging by his expression, it doesn’t seem bad.

Anyway, since the meal was over, I decided to pack up the camera and get up.

It would be rude to keep occupying the seat.

After moving to the checkout counter next to the open kitchen.

“Owner, the bill…”

I stopped as I was about to take out my card.

‘…They’re too busy cooking. It’s probably better not to call them.’

The owner was a great cook, but still inexperienced in running a business.

I put the card back and took out a 50,000 won bill, placing it on the counter.

I could afford to be considerate.

After all, I had just enjoyed a delicious meal that perfectly suited my taste.

“I’ll leave the cash here. Keep the change, and hire some staff starting tomorrow.”

“Huh? The bill? Oh? Customer! Wait a moment!”

Leaving the owner calling after me.

“What, they’re leaving already.”

“Should we just go too?”

“No… Judging by the reactions of the people eating, this place seems really good. Let’s at least try the food since we’re here.”

Leaving behind the customers who seemed oddly reluctant to see me go.

I left the restaurant without hesitation.

***

While wandering around the city to digest.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Gyesekkihoon, let’s do that. That thing!

【Handsome Licker】—What thing? *Lick*.

【Qkrnfl892】—Let’s do that. Grunt grunt.

【Maid】—Grunt grunt!

【Yoho】—?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Let’s try the punching machine over there. Let’s see Gyesekkihoon’s punching power.

Guburi suddenly suggested trying the punching machine.

“A punching machine? Why would we do that, we’re not kids.”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Lol, just for fun. Do it once.

【Min Ji】—No, don’t do it. Men can hurt their wrists.

【Jujijoa】—What nonsense. Why would Se-hoon hurt his wrist? The punching machine would break.

【Maehwa Tree】—Min Ji, did you already forget how Se-hoon fought earlier? Se-hoon is way stronger than the average guy.

【Drifting AI】—I’ll explain. Gye Se-hoon is stronger than most women.

【Handsome Licker】—Lol, let’s prove it now. *Lick*.

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow! Proof has already been done many times!

【Maid】—Wow! One punch to the statue!

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—So let’s see how strong he is with numbers. Damn it.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Gyesekkihoon, are you scared of getting a low score?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—If you’re scared, don’t do it. Lol.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—What, you’ll probably get around 300 points. It’s obvious, so just don’t do it. Lol.

Originally, I had no intention of doing it.

But Guburi’s comments pricked my pride, so I changed my mind.

“Guburi, do you want to die? 300 points? I’ll break the highest score.”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—The highest score is 950, how are you going to break that? Lol.

【Min Ji】—Se-hoon’s pride is kinda cute. Hehe.

【Yoho】—Min Ji, your tone is kinda gross.

【Min Ji】—?

【Handsome Licker】—Lol, Se-hoon, even you can’t break 950. Stop bluffing. *Lick*.

“You guys really don’t trust me.”

In the end, I decided to try the punching machine.

“Watch closely, I’ll show you.”

After setting up the camera in a suitable spot.

I lightly warmed up my wrists and arms and approached the punching machine.

Then I immediately inserted the money.

Zing-

The leather punching bag slowly descended.

I focused on the bag, took my stance, and punched it with all my might.

Bang-!

The punching bag burst like a balloon.

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