Our Restaurant is Operating Normally Even in the Apocalypse - Chapter 7

Episode 7. Shrimp Tempura Udon (3)

In a world where being ruthless made survival easier.

A pathetic villain who chose looting to survive, and a man who had lived as a villain even before society collapsed.

If they were to clash, which side would survive?

The answer was already decided.

Gil-ho was strong.

Stronger than the zombies that rushed to tear into the flesh of living humans.

And far stronger than the looters who eyed the pockets of survivors.

That was why Yoon-ji decided to follow him.

“…Don’t follow me.”

Regardless of Gil-ho’s will.

“It’s the golden rule that superheroes always have a sidekick following them to assist with missions, you know.”

“Reality is different from movies. So go back.”

“Ayy, but it’s nice not to be lonely, right? If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t have been traveling with me for months.”

Was she being nonchalant, or just shameless?

Gil-ho let out a long sigh.

Her name, Han Yoon-ji.

A normal college student who was about to graduate before the world ended.

After he saved her from looters, she had been following Gil-ho around.

“Alright, enough with the complaints. Let’s go now!”

It wasn’t romantic attraction.

It wasn’t because he felt sorry for her having nowhere to go, either.

A whim he couldn’t even justify to himself.

It could be said that Gil-ho allowing Yoon-ji to accompany him was purely out of a whim.

Although she chattered ceaselessly and was annoying, Yoon-ji was more helpful than he thought.

“Ah, I guess it works by boiling on its own once you add water!”

Reading instruction manuals for items written in English.

“I think this will work if we just replace the batteries!”

Skillfully handling electronic devices that seemed broken and unusable.

Gil-ho protected Yoon-ji with force, and Yoon-ji assisted Gil-ho with knowledge.

A subtle symbiotic relationship that started from a simple whim.

They were gradually becoming accustomed to each other.

“…Is there any food you want to eat?”

At Gil-ho’s question, Yoon-ji blinked her eyes and asked back.

“Oh my, what’s with Ajusshi asking such a personal question?”

“Forget it if you don’t want to answer.”

“No, it’s not that. I just asked because it was interesting. Food I want to eat… I haven’t really thought about it since the world turned into this mess… Ah, there is one!”

Yoon-ji continued, her eyes sparkling.

“There was an udon shop in the neighborhood where I lived. It wasn’t like, ‘Wow, this is an amazing restaurant!’, but whenever I ordered tempura udon there, it always came with a shrimp tempura on top. Before I left my hometown for college, I think I ate it at least twice a week. Now that Ajusshi asked, I’m reminded of that tempura udon I used to eat. Then, what’s Ajusshi’s favorite food?”

Gil-ho answered shortly to Yoon-ji’s question.

“Pollock stew.”

“Hmm? That’s a very unexpected menu choice.”

“What do you mean by unexpected?”

“No, just, how should I put it. I thought Ajusshi would definitely say he wanted to eat pork belly with soju. Don’t adults usually look for pork belly and soju when they have company dinners?”

“That’s just a prejudice. And you’re an adult too if you’re a college student.”

“I still have dreams I haven’t fulfilled, so I’m not a bleak adult.”

“What’s your dream?”

Gil-ho asked, tilting his head.

“Hehehe, it’s a secret!”

Yoon-ji dodged the question with a shy smile.

She said it was a secret, so he didn’t want to press her.

Well, he wasn’t particularly curious either.

A journey continuing without a specific destination.

By the time the two could call each other friends.

The incident erupted at an unexpected moment.

“Kyaaak!”

A sharp scream heard from behind.

Gil-ho turned his head in a hurry to grasp the situation, and there he saw Yoon-ji, bleeding as her flesh was bitten off by a zombie.

“Damn it!”

Gil-ho rushed in, spitting out a curse filled with deep rage.

The zombie biting into Yoon-ji’s neck fell instantly before Gil-ho’s axe blade.

To prevent getting bitten by zombies, they had wrapped magazines tightly around their hands and feet, which were the most dangerous areas.

They had deliberately worn thick clothes to prepare for any unforeseen accidents.

But in the end, the zombies had found that gap.

“Are you okay?!”

Gil-ho didn’t want to believe the reality that had just unfolded before his eyes.

“I’m okay, Ajusshi… It’s just a slight scratch, so don’t worry.”

Her voice was becoming increasingly faint.

Gil-ho urgently took out bandages to stop the bleeding from her neck wound.

But Yoon-ji stopped Gil-ho and said,

“Actually, I should have told you sooner. Let’s end our journey here. To be honest, I’m tired of playing along with you.”

Yoon-ji spat out words she didn’t mean to detach herself from him.

“…I understand. I understand, so please, don’t say anything right now.”

However, as if he already knew everything, Gil-ho was desperately trying to stop the bleeding from Yoon-ji’s wound.

“Ha… I wanted to go to that udon shop in my neighborhood with you… I said it was ordinary, just a familiar place because we wouldn’t be able to go anyway… but it’s actually a famous restaurant with a waiting line…”

Her breathing became increasingly labored.

In contrast, her body was growing cold.

“Yes, let’s go together… This kind of wound is nothing, so shake it off, get up, and let’s go together.”

“Hehe… It feels good to see you, an Ajusshi who looked like he wouldn’t even bleed if stabbed with a knife, crying for me… Thank you for protecting me all this time. You were an adult who was more like a hero than any superhero I know.”

What kind of hero was he?

He couldn’t even save one dying child.

Gil-ho wiped away the tears blocking his vision and looked at Yoon-ji’s face.

“I’ll go first, Ajusshi…”

Soon, her breathing faded completely.

Gil-ho held the deceased Yoon-ji in his arms and shed tears endlessly.

“…That’s how it happened.”

Gil-ho finished his story with a deep sigh.

“…So you’re suffering from auditory hallucinations and seizures due to the guilt of not being able to protect that child in the end.”

Jae-hyung also nodded, feeling a bitter emotion.

“It’s not just guilt. Looking back, I never once opened up to her or told her my true feelings. …I only realized it after she was gone. That she was the last friend and companion I had left.”

At Gil-ho’s low voice, Jae-hyung realized what kind of emotion was contained within it.

The deep regret of not being able to reveal himself until the end.

Jae-hyung also knew what kind of weight that carried.

All too well.

The journey taken to subjugate the Demon King.

Those who remained at the end were not even half of the original expedition members.

All the survivors who lived to the end owed a debt of life to those who had left first.

A debt that could never be repaid while they were alive…

“…”

Many names flashed through Jae-hyung’s mind.

-Hehehe!

-Kwahahaha!

-You… must live.

-Kueok…!

Their smiles and the moments they lost their lives followed.

That was why Jae-hyung could understand Gil-ho’s heart.

Because he himself had also shed endless tears in front of items or food that a friend and companion who had left first had missed.

“…It’s not the tempura udon from that shop the child talked about, but thanks to you, it was a pleasant meal. If she were alive, it would have been a taste she would have raved about and praised.”

Bitterness.

At the same time, a voice filled with deep longing.

Gil-ho looked into Jae-hyung’s eyes and said,

“Thanks to you, I was able to remember her. I want to pay for the meal, but in a world that’s become like this, you wouldn’t accept money… What can I do for you?”

Even in the previous world, which was peaceful to the point of monotony, there was no such thing as a free favor.

So, in a world that had become this messed up, the fact that he had extended a hand meant he surely wanted something from him.

Gil-ho hoped.

That he would be able to pay the price this mage demanded.

“Hmm… Usually, I receive information as payment for food instead of material compensation. But I think Ajusshi needs to pay a slightly different price?”

Since he had never been interested in things other than himself from the start, one could say it was fortunate that he didn’t ask for information.

Gil-ho couldn’t help but feel tense at Jae-hyung’s meaningful expression.

“First, let me ask one thing. Where is your current destination?”

To Jae-hyung’s question, Gil-ho answered immediately.

“I’m heading to that child’s hometown in Gangwon-do. I don’t know what you might think, but I… intend to send her off there.”

Since they had encountered each other on the outer road leaving Seoul, Jae-hyung had thought that perhaps he was heading to the same destination as himself.

And as expected, Gil-ho’s destination was Gangwon-do, where Jae-hyung was heading.

“Good, then the answer is decided. The price you have to pay me for the meal is to take me to Gangwon-do. How about it?”

Gil-ho tilted his head at Jae-hyung’s sudden proposal to travel together.

It wasn’t that he wanted him simply because he needed a conversation partner.

A mage who burns zombies in an instant certainly wouldn’t need a bodyguard.

Then why on earth did this man want to travel with him?

Did he feel pity after hearing his story?

No, this guy’s eyes hadn’t changed from before he heard the story.

“Well, it’s simple. Originally, it would be much easier to travel alone than to protect others, but this time, I need someone else’s help. And since a capable person who can take care of themselves without my protection happens to have a similar destination, why would I want to miss the opportunity?”

“Need help, you say…”

A mage who floats all sorts of kitchen tools in the air and shoots flames from his hands.

What kind of help could a being who could dare to be said to be performing miracles possibly need?

Gil-ho couldn’t easily shake off his doubts.

However, he didn’t refuse his proposal.

“I have to pay for the meal, right? Fine, let’s go together.”

This man’s absurd abilities would surely be helpful for Gil-ho’s journey as well.

Thus, the former gangster and the restaurant owner who was a former hero began their journey together.

A rural village about 4km away from the base camp.

Since it was a place with a small population even before the world ended, the number of zombies should be small as well.

She thought that if she didn’t get unnecessarily greedy and only took the necessary medicine, she would have a good chance of success.

Su-a’s plan was perfect.

As expected, the number of zombies was small enough to count on one’s fingers.

Now, if she quietly went to the pharmacy while keeping her footsteps as silent as possible, she would be able to complete the mission.

However, before long, Su-a encountered them.

A reckless driver speeding down the road, honking the horn with a “Bbaang!” sound.

“What the crazy…”

But it was too early to be amazed.

“Nice to meet you, zombies!”

A crazy guy rolling down the window from the passenger seat and drawing the zombies’ aggro.

That was Su-a’s first impression of Jae-hyung.