Our Restaurant is Operating Normally Even in the Apocalypse - Chapter 6

Episode 6. Shrimp Tempura Udon (2)

“…Can you really order any kind of food?”

Gil-ho asked cautiously, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Jae-hyung replied with a smirk, as if he were used to this.

“Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Western. Spicy, non-spicy. Everything is possible. Ah, dishes that require live ingredients like sashimi are a bit difficult, though.”

Jae-hyung’s voice was full of triumph.

Even so, Gil-ho couldn’t easily bring himself to order.

For quite a long time.

“By any chance, is udon… is it possible to order shrimp tempura udon, with fried shrimp on top?”

Finally, Gil-ho opened his mouth cautiously.

Anyone could see that he looked like he was tangled up in a complicated story.

However, Jae-hyung didn’t show any particular reaction and asked as if it were nothing.

“I can properly make the side of shrimp tempura and other toppings, from the batter to the frying… but I only have instant udon noodles prepared. Is that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of noodles they are. As long as it’s udon with shrimp tempura on top…”

Gil-ho’s expression darkened again as he continued speaking.

Jae-hyung turned his head without a word and walked toward the kitchen.

Flicking his fingers, blue mana rippled over his body.

Soon, the cooking utensils neatly placed in one corner of the kitchen began to float up.

A kitchen knife began to move on its own, trimming the ingredients.

Ingredients for the broth were moved by invisible hands.

And Jae-hyung adjusting the consistency of the tempura batter.

Even though it was a marvelous scene that could be described as one man doing the work of a hundred.

Gil-ho’s eyes were reflecting a completely different scene.

“Damn it… Why the hell are you doing this to me…”

A deep sigh filled with complex emotions.

Gil-ho squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head.

Guilt.

The emotion making his head throb right now was guilt.

-Ahjussi, you are the hero who saved my life…

A certain voice kept echoing in his ears.

The savory smell of frying tempura and the jigeul-jigeul sound from the kitchen didn’t reach Gil-ho at all.

No, to be precise, he didn’t even have the leisure to feel those sensations.

Because Gil-ho’s five senses were already becoming drenched in the madness brought on by past memories.

“I’m sorry… for being the only one to survive…”

Muttering to himself like a seizure, and shedding tears.

It was, at a glance, far from normal…

It was a sight that could literally be described as a madman himself.

“…Well, how could anyone keep their sanity in a shitty world like this.”

The helplessness of failing to protect someone precious.

Jae-hyung could understand the weight of the tears Gil-ho was shedding.

Because he, too, had the experience of collapsing under such emotions.

Breathing a short sigh, Jae-hyung reached out toward Gil-ho.

He didn’t intend to pat his shoulder and comfort him.

Well, he wasn’t the kind of kind-hearted person who could do that anyway.

But he didn’t intend to just stand there blankly either.

“Was it done like this?”

Pure white light beginning to flow from the tips of his outstretched fingers.

It wasn’t the kind of healing magic one would usually think of.

A flash of light accompanied by a chijijik sound.

“Kueok…!”

A rough voice followed immediately.

Gil-ho let out a single scream at the electric pain wrapping around his entire body.

“Ah, is this not it…?”

Jae-hyung scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. Even though I’m proficient in magic, I never learned white magic. Still, the effect is definitely there. How is it? Do you feel a bit more alert?”

Gil-ho, who finally came to his senses, replied while holding his forehead.

“I’ve shown you an unsightly side of myself…”

“The world is in this state, so it’d be harder to keep your sanity. I understand completely. Anyway, why don’t you try eating the finished food first? It’d be a waste if the food I went through the trouble of making warm gets cold and loses its taste.”

Jae-hyung smiled as if it were nothing and pointed at the udon.

To this, Gil-ho asked with a look that suggested he still couldn’t believe it.

“…It really wasn’t a dream.”

“And you’re not going crazy and seeing hallucinations either.”

At Jae-hyung’s shrug, Gil-ho nodded with difficulty.

Soon, chopsticks reached out.

The tips, holding the warm heat, were trembling slightly.

A luxurious meal enjoyed in a ruined world.

He didn’t feel any anticipation for it.

Only, if this moment really wasn’t a dream or a fantasy.

If he had really encountered an absurd existence called a wizard.

He was afraid of the countless memories that would soon flood in.

Hururuk.

The batter soaked with the savory taste of the broth.

The chewy texture bitten into within it.

“…Heuk.”

Gil-ho couldn’t help but shed tears again.

It wasn’t tears of joy from fulfilling a wish, but tears caused by the guilt of having to face this moment alone.

At this, Jae-hyung brought up a question he had buried for quite a long time.

“You don’t look like you’re moved by the taste… It seems like there’s some kind of story behind this, right?”

At Jae-hyung’s voice asking about his story as if indifferent, Gil-ho nodded without any reply.

“No matter how much of a secret you can’t tell others, it’s always better to confide in someone else than to suffer alone. Especially if it’s guilt.”

A light smile where no seriousness could be found.

However, the deep gaze contained within it was telling him.

That if not now, Gil-ho would never be able to tell anyone his story in the future.

“A useless piece of shit gangster…”

It wasn’t wrong, so he had no intention of denying it.

A promising athlete who stood out at the National Sports Festival and was called the future of the South Korean boxing world.

At one time, he was even expected to be a future Olympic gold medalist.

Until his parents, who fought every single day, finally made the decision to divorce.

Family issues that struck while he was walking the already difficult path of an athlete.

The noisy environment, when he should have been focusing on his performance, led young Gil-ho astray.

As the saying goes, the only thing he could do was swing his fists.

Just like that, Gil-ho was instantly plunged into a bottom-of-the-barrel life.

A third-rate street gangster who wasn’t welcomed anywhere.

To such a Gil-ho, the end of the world didn’t leave a particularly special impression.

“Whether it’s a living guy or a guy who died and came back to life, beating people up is the same.”

An extreme situation where humanity was driven to the brink of extinction.

There was nothing particularly different.

No, rather, one could say it was much better.

Because in a world where social norms and laws had disappeared, there were no longer any humans left to point fingers at Gil-ho.

Not having to bow his head while worrying about annoying people…

A world where it didn’t matter if you smashed everything that got in your way.

In a world that had literally regressed from civilization back to barbaric primitivism, Gil-ho ran wild without hesitation.

While he was continuing to survive, reigning like a king alone without keeping anyone by his side.

“You, what kind of guy are you?”

One day, suddenly, a stranger appeared.

Gil-ho asked, glaring at the uninvited guest who had snuck into his hideout.

“Uh… Hello?”

The woman, who looked like she had just become an adult, greeted Gil-ho with a dazed expression.

It didn’t seem like she had any hidden weapons or companions.

Gil-ho slowly approached her.

Showing a murderous gaze as if he were about to beat her to death right then and there.

“I’m sorry for coming in without permission! I just had to find a place to sleep before the sun went down!”

He wasn’t curious about the reason or the story behind why she had entered his hideout.

“Get lost.”

A world that could only be complete because he was alone.

Gil-ho didn’t want his peace to be disturbed.

“Ah, excuse me…”

The woman tried to say something urgently.

But Gil-ho cut her off with a firm voice.

“I won’t say it twice. Go back. Unless you want to get beaten to death for no reason.”

Who could blame him even if he beat her to death right now?

Even sending her back in one piece, despite her stepping into his hideout without permission, could be called merciful.

However, her face, filled with terror, was telling him.

That if she went back like this, she might really lose her life.

What did he care?

It was a world where he had to live alone anyway.

Gil-ho had neither the duty nor the will to take care of a complete stranger.

“Was I right? If you let them go properly, they’ll run away on their own to the hideout where their companions are waiting, right?”

The voices of uninvited guests heard once again.

Gil-ho let out a long sigh at their appearance.

“You brought a tail.”

At this, the terrified woman shook her head and answered urgently.

“I’m also in a situation where I’m running away from those people! They are absolutely not my companions!”

She was desperately denying any connection to them.

Gil-ho stared blankly at her and the men who had followed her.

Since she didn’t seem to be lying, Gil-ho frowned and said.

“I’m not interested in what kind of story you’re all tied up in. Everyone get lost.”

However, the men who had burst in showed a smirking smile as if Gil-ho’s words were funny.

“Your attitude is quite an art, huh? Well, I like it! But shouldn’t we clear one thing up? From now on, we’re taking over this place. So if you want to prolong your pathetic life, back off obediently…”

Tang.

A gunshot rang out, swallowing the threat that wasn’t really a threat.

And the scream that followed.

“Kyaaak!”

Gil-ho frowned at the sharp sound hitting his eardrums.

“…If you make noise one more time, you’re next.”

After spitting out a short warning, Gil-ho aimed his gun at the intruders again.

“You said you were a former boxer, so where did the gun suddenly pop out from?”

Jae-hyung, who had been listening to the past story, tilted his head and asked with a serious expression.

“…There was a gun shop near my hideout. I grabbed a few shotguns and some ammo from there.”

Gil-ho was resolving his question in a calm voice.

“Aha, I thought this country allowed civilians to own firearms like that country far away.”

Only then, as if he were convinced, Jae-hyung let out a smirk and continued his question.

“Then, the guilt you’re feeling right now… surely it’s not the emotion caused by shooting and killing those looters, right? If that were the case, I’d be very disappointed.”

Jae-hyung could vaguely guess.

The fact that the object of the guilt Gil-ho felt was that woman he didn’t know, who had suddenly appeared one day.

“So, how is your past, which reeks of machismo, related to shrimp tempura udon?”

However, Jae-hyung was asking in a light tone, pretending not to know anything, pretending to be oblivious.

Otherwise, this guest, who was barely holding onto his mental state, might have another seizure.

“The story has only just begun.”

Gil-ho let out a small sigh and continued his story.