A small office building stood in Jeonpo-dong, not too far from Seomyeon.
The sixth floor housed the women's lifestyle magazine LUMINA.
"Is Seo-yeon still not back?"
Choi Ha-neul dropped her head onto her desk.
"I'm hungry."
Park Ji-won, sitting beside her, turned to look.
"You ate a pastry twenty minutes ago."
"That was dessert."
"The meal hasn't even arrived yet."
"That's a minor detail."
Ha-neul turned back to the computer screen displaying restaurant photos.
Her stomach growled.
"If Seo-yeon takes much longer, I'm going to die."
The office door finally opened.
Han Seo-yeon walked in carrying a paper bag.
Ha-neul immediately stood up.
"Food!"
"You're not even going to say hello?"
"I'll say hello after I eat."
Ha-neul snatched the bag.
But when she saw what was inside, her expression changed.
"Toast?"
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me it's from that handsome vendor near the school."
Seo-yeon took off her bag. "It is."
Ha-neul groaned.
"Why'd you buy it there? His face is definitely model material, but his toast..." She stopped, searching for a polite word.
Ji-won helped her out. "Just average?"
"Worse than average." Seo-yeon shrugged.
"His cart was empty, and I felt bad for him. Besides, I was in a hurry, and there was no line."
Ha-neul looked at the bag in her hand.
"Fine. I'm too hungry to be picky."
She opened the wrapper.
The next second—
a warm aroma spread through the office.
Ha-neul stopped moving.
Ji-won raised her head.
An editor at the desk behind them turned to look as well.
"What's that?"
"Who ordered food?"
"It smells amazing."
Several chairs scraped back almost simultaneously.
Ha-neul stared at the toast in her hand.
The bread was golden brown.
Melted cheese nestled between the egg, ham, and cabbage.
The aroma of margarine mixed with the sweet-and-savory sauce, making her stomach growl again.
Seo-yeon stepped closer.
"Wait. That smell I caught on the way here..."
Ha-neul had already taken a bite.
Crunch.
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
No one said a word for several seconds.
Ji-won frowned.
"What?"
Ha-neul chewed slowly.
Then she looked at the toast as if she'd just discovered buried treasure.
"This is insane."
"What?"
"It's delicious."
Ji-won laughed.
"You'll eat anything when you're hungry."
Ha-neul immediately shook her head.
"No. I'm serious."
She took another bite.
The bread was crisp on the outside but still soft inside.
The egg was savory.
The cabbage still had a slight crunch.
The ham added just the right amount of salt, while the sugar and sauce created a sweet-tart flavor without being overpowering.
The cheese brought it all together.
"This is really from that cart?"
Seo-yeon was surprised too.
"Of course."
"The same guy whose toast yesterday tasted like warmed-up bread with an egg thrown on top?"
"Same guy."
Ji-won reached out her hand.
"Give me a little."
Ha-neul immediately pulled the toast against her chest. "No."
"I only want one bite."
"No."
"We're friends."
"Friendship doesn't apply to food."
Seo-yeon raised an eyebrow.
"I bought it."
Ha-neul fell silent. "...Fine. You can have one small bite."
Ji-won immediately grabbed Ha-neul's arm.
"Hold her."
"What?! Hey!"
Within seconds, the desks had turned into a battlefield.
Seo-yeon managed to take a piece.
Ji-won got one bite.
Two other coworkers joined the attack.
"It's delicious!"
"Oh my God, this is from a street cart?"
"Give me more."
"It's gone!"
Ha-neul stared at the empty wrapper, devastated. "Are you people even human?"
No one paid her any attention.
Seo-yeon was still savoring the aftertaste in her mouth.
"I bought it right near the school."
Ji-won immediately grabbed her bag.
"Is it still open?"
"It should be."
"Let's go."
Another editor stood up.
"I'm coming too."
"Buy me two!"
"Why bother asking them to bring you some? Come on, let's go together."
Ha-neul, who had nearly cried over her toast moments ago, immediately grabbed her coat.
"Wait!"
The elevator doors opened.
Six women stepped inside almost at once.
Seo-yeon pressed the button for the ground floor.
Ha-neul stood at the front with a serious expression.
"Today, I'm buying five."
Ji-won stared at her.
"Five?"
"One for now. Four to protect myself from you people."
The elevator doors closed.
Several hundred meters away, Lee Jun-ho was still standing in front of his cart.
There was no line.
Kim Man-sik was yawning.
Jun-ho propped his chin on his hand.
"So much for Absolute Mastery..."
He looked at the street, which remained deserted.
"...if no one wants to buy anything?"
He had no idea that a group of customers was running toward his cart.
And they were coming because of one toast.