Our Restaurant is Operating Normally Even in the Apocalypse - Chapter 4

Episode 4. Chicken and Beer (2)

Jae-hyung asked the soldiers.

Why had they ordered this food, even though he could have made dishes that weren’t easily accessible even before the apocalypse?

To this, the soldiers replied.

“Private First Class Heo Woo-seok! I mentioned it because chicken was the menu for our last squad dinner before the world went to hell!”

“Corporal Kim Young-hoon. Whenever we went out on leave by squad, we always ate chicken and beer. It reminded me of those squad dinners, so I asked for chicken.”

“Corporal Ha Heon-seok. Every time my parents came to visit, they always bought a whole chicken. I can’t even check if they’re alive or dead right now, but I chose chicken hoping that everyone is safe.”

Similar answers returned.

Jae-hyung had no choice but to nod in agreement.

He, too, had always bought chicken to share whenever his department had a dinner party back when he served in the Navy.

Soldiers and chicken.

It might be an inseparable correlation.

Not just for the enlisted, but even for the officers.

“It was the same when I had dinners with my company members…. And it was the same when we had a light beer after work among the unit or the officers…. Perhaps I and the other soldiers are thinking the same thing. Maybe those days, which I wanted to run away from at the time, were actually the best days of our lives.”

Every guest who visited Jae-hyung’s restaurant said the same thing.

That the daily lives they felt were dull at the time were, in retrospect, precious days.

These men were no different.

Even military life, which could be the worst for some, looks different when looking back after time has passed.

Especially when a world like this, where humanity has perished and one must worry about immediate survival, has arrived.

“So, are you satisfied with the dinner party I’ve prepared?”

Watching Jae-hyung, who wore a smile filled with satisfaction, Su-seok hurriedly wiped his mouth and replied.

“Oh… I’m late in expressing my gratitude. Thank you for the favor you have shown us. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Jae-hyung waved his hand at Su-seok’s noisy greeting.

“No, what are you thanking me for…. We’re all just doing this to eat and live.”

Soon, the look in Jae-hyung’s eyes as he looked around at the soldiers was clearly filled with goodwill.

That was why Su-seok wanted to ask.

No, he had to ask.

Who this man was.

And what purpose he had.

“Who on earth are you, sir…?”

He couldn’t be explained simply as a small business owner running a restaurant.

How the middle of the city had turned into such a clean restaurant.

How he could obtain alcohol and meat in a ruined world.

And what the reason was for him to suddenly provide such precious resources to strangers like them.

“‘Mage’ is probably the term that fits best rather than any other explanation.”

At Jae-hyung’s calm tone, Su-seok asked cautiously.

“…You don’t mean that joke about keeping your virginity until you’re thirty, do you?”

Bullshit that you’d only find in movies, webtoons, or dramas.

But the zombies that had destroyed the world right now were also one of those absurd subjects.

Moreover, there was no other word that could explain the current situation other than magic.

Su-seok had no choice but to believe Jae-hyung’s words.

“Hahaha, you say things that could be considered rude quite casually, don’t you?”

“What is there to be afraid of in a world like this? If I were afraid, I would have taken off my uniform and run away long ago.”

An attitude that had become much softer than when they first met.

Indeed, people should have conversations when they are full and relaxed.

“Then, Mage-nim. May I ask the reason why you helped us?”

It is a barren world where you cannot even easily trust the colleagues you are surviving with.

In such a world, it makes no sense to show goodwill without anything in return.

Surely, this man called a Mage must be treating them like this because he wants something.

“As expected of a commander leading others, you are quick-witted. As you expected, the chicken and beer you ate are not free.”

“I assume what you desire is not resources or material things. Not when you are performing such miraculous magic.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. Then I will tell you. What I desire from you all.”

Jae-hyung asked about the information he wanted.

And Su-seok gave the answer he could provide.

He hadn’t hoped for luxurious food, the kind called some of the world’s greatest delicacies.

He just wanted the common, familiar food he had eaten before this world was destroyed by monsters called zombies.

But the reality before his eyes was too desperate.

The food rationed just enough so they wouldn’t die immediately was ridiculously insufficient to soothe their hunger.

And even that was food that soldiers, not himself, had risked their lives to obtain from the outside, so he couldn’t complain.

He knew it in his head.

How luxurious his current desires were compared to the survivors who might still be left outside.

But he couldn’t help it.

The harsher life becomes, the more one inevitably longs for the peaceful daily life they originally lived.

A world where just staying alive became a blessing.

In such a world, he had to be grateful that he could lead such a safe life.

However, why hadn’t he known?

That at the very bottom, there always exists a worst-case scenario that pierces through even that.

“Everyone, evacuate quickly!”

The urgent instructions of the soldiers evacuating the civilians.

Bang- bang!!

And the sound of gunfire ringing out.

The shelter that had protected them so they could at least stay alive was collapsing.

“Gueeehh….”

By the swarms of zombies that had gathered like clouds.

He didn’t know why the shelter, which had been safe until now, had caught their eyes only now.

He only desperately wished.

“Please, let the Company Commander and the others be safe….”

Those who had gone out on patrol to find food and daily necessities hadn’t returned yet.

Perhaps that was fortunate.

At least they wouldn’t be caught by these zombies rushing in like a tidal wave.

He could say they had held out for quite a long time.

An apocalypse that occurred simultaneously all over the world.

With the chaos, the government quickly lost its function, and the military, which at least possessed its own armed force, was able to continue surviving in its own way.

If only military personnel had continued to survive among themselves, they might not have faced such a miserable situation.

But they couldn’t ignore the friends, lovers, and families of those who were losing their lives to the zombies.

That was why the remaining military fought.

Even though it was an army they hadn’t wanted to be dragged into, they fought so they wouldn’t be ashamed before their families who were far away.

But their brilliant desperate struggle was now seeing its end.

“Damn it… it would be nice if a superhero appeared at a time like this.”

At someone’s sigh, the soldiers who heard it burst into a wry laugh.

“What is this, some apocalypse web novel? Does that even make sense?”

Jokes shared in the final moments of life.

But their joke-filled wish was approaching reality.

As a miracle by the name of magic.

“New recruit, report!”

A line you would only hear in the old military, which had now disappeared.

And the intense heat that followed.

The soldiers who had been firing guns to stop the zombies couldn’t hide their astonishment.

Because the zombies that had been approaching them were instantly engulfed in a giant pillar of fire.

“As expected, roasting them is the best way to suppress these guys, right?”

A stranger’s voice.

And.

“Is everyone safe!”

The Company Commander’s voice that followed.

Seeing the familiar face of their commander, the soldiers who had been holding back the zombies seemed to have their tension released and slumped to the ground.

“Wow… looking at the number of people to feed, I think I’ll have to set up an [Our Cafeteria] instead of [Woori Restaurant] this time?”

A stranger looking around with a relaxed voice.

Su-seok, noticing the soldiers’ gazes looking at Jae-hyung, said with a faint smile.

“He is the one who helped us during our external patrol. And he is the one who can help us now.”

Su-seok gathered the remaining soldiers and explained.

About the information Jae-hyung was looking for.

“Of course, I’m not asking for free.”

Clap, clap.

The scenery changing with two claps.

The soldiers, including Su-seok, had a calm expression as if they were used to it now.

But those who weren’t….

“C-Company Commander! Gyun-ho has fainted!”

They couldn’t help but be shocked to the point of literally losing their minds.

“What on earth is this….”

To someone’s exclamation, Su-seok answered with a grin.

“Didn’t I tell you. That person is a Mage….”

Jae-hyung, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, shouted with a grin.

“Alright, alright, soldiers and survivors! Hurry and take your seats! I’ll fry up some chicken that’s so good you won’t even know if someone dies while eating it!”

The soldiers who had been treated earlier nodded as if it were fine and seated the other colleagues and survivors.

And as if they were used to it, they carried alcohol and drinks to each table.

Just as Jae-hyung had instructed.

“If you’re short on water or drinks, take them from the refrigerator over there…. Captain Han, please pick a few soldiers and investigate if there are any people who need emergency treatment!”

At Jae-hyung’s request coming from the kitchen, Su-seok replied with a booming voice.

“Yes, Mage-nim! We will investigate immediately!”

Soon, the boisterous banquet began.

It was the simple happiness of daily life that the survivors and soldiers had missed so much.

“If you’re short on food, raise your hand and I’ll bring it to you, so chew slowly and eat!”

Laughter blooming everywhere.

Jae-hyung was feeling a sense of satisfaction at that sight.

‘I’m doing pretty well, aren’t I, Ahjussi?’

Jae-hyung hoped.

That Tae-soo, whom he was looking for, was also alive just like them.

“…Thank you once again, Mage-nim.”

At Su-seok’s voice coming from behind his back, Jae-hyung replied with a wry smile.

“I told you. Having many people I can treat to a meal means the probability of getting the information I want increases by that much. That information is the price of the food to me, so there’s no need to be thankful.”

At Jae-hyung’s words to not worry about it, Su-seok shook his head.

“You say that, but we all know. That magic is by no means easy.”

Every power comes with a price.

It made no sense that such magic, which could be called a miracle, would cost nothing.

That was why Su-seok believed.

That Jae-hyung was pushing himself hard for their sake.

“Actually, there is one thing I haven’t told you.”

That was why Su-seok decided.

“Before the government completely lost its function…. When our company was still in contact with the main unit, there was one order that came down. It’s just my speculation, but I think it would help with your journey if you knew, Mage-nim, so I’m telling you.”

To hand over the hint about the zombie virus he knew to Jae-hyung.

“Kyaa… this is why people should live kindly, right?”

Jae-hyung grinned and listened intently to the story Su-seok was telling.