“What is this supposed to be?”
Lee Jun-ho stood behind his cart, his mind in chaos.
Ever since obtaining the Absolute Mastery Archive, knowledge of Gilgeori Toast had continued flooding his head. All the techniques that had once seemed difficult now felt as if he had mastered them over many years.
The griddle temperature.
The ingredient measurements.
The bread-toasting time.
The egg-to-cabbage ratio.
Even the exact amount of sauce.
But there was one thing that still confused him.
[First Mission]
[Gain a small amount of Reputation.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Reward: Unlock one random Mastery and gain 10 Mastery Points.]
“How much is ‘a small amount’?”
There was no answer.
Jun-ho sighed.
At least one thing had been proven.
His cooking technique had truly changed.
The first toast he made using the system’s ability had a completely different aroma from the food he had sold before.
Unfortunately, the customer had left right away, so Jun-ho had not even had a chance to find out how it tasted.
“Jun-ho.”
Kim Man-sik’s voice broke through his thoughts.
“Are you planning to stand there spacing out until all the kids have gone home?”
Jun-ho turned around.
Kim Man-sik was sitting on a folding chair beside a small table bearing the words:
[SAJU · GWANSANG]
“The busiest period only lasts a little while,” he continued. “Don’t tell me you’re satisfied with selling just one toast today.”
Jun-ho smiled.
“Relax. I’m experimenting.”
“Experimenting?”
“If it works, my life might become a lot easier.”
Kim Man-sik gave him a strange look.
Before the man could ask anything else—
Crash!
Someone slapped the counter of Jun-ho’s cart hard.
Oh Mi-sook, the tteokbokki vendor working not far away, stood there with her hands on her hips.
“You’re moving from this spot tomorrow.”
Jun-ho frowned.
“Why?”
“My husband is going to start selling hotteok. Your spot is better than the others.”
Jun-ho stared at her.
“And what does that have to do with me?”
Mi-sook sneered.
“You’re not selling anything, either. You’ve only had one customer all this time. What a waste to let someone who can’t sell use such a good spot.”
Jun-ho began to feel uncomfortable with her tone.
“This spot doesn’t belong to you.”
“You’re still young. Why force yourself to become a street vendor?”
Mi-sook folded her arms.
“My son is even younger than you. Now he works at a car-parts factory and earns more than three million won every month.”
“Good for him.”
Jun-ho shrugged.
“But he’s your son, not me.”
Mi-sook’s expression immediately changed.
“You—”
“Hey!”
Kim Man-sik suddenly stood up.
“Why are you bullying a young man?”
Mi-sook glared at him angrily.
“What business is it of yours, fake fortune-teller?”
Kim Man-sik’s eyes flew wide open.
“Fake fortune-teller?”
“Isn’t that what you are?”
“Watch your mouth. I can see a person’s fate just by looking at their face.”
Mi-sook snorted.
“Then look at your own fate. When are you going to stop scamming people?”
Several people nearby began turning to look after hearing their argument.
Kim Man-sik rolled up his sleeves.
“If I weren’t showing respect to an older woman—”
“Ajumoni! One order of tteokbokki!”
Someone called out from Mi-sook’s cart.
Mi-sook turned around.
Then she shot Jun-ho a sharp look.
“Anyway, think it over carefully.”
After saying that, she hurried back to her cart.
Kim Man-sik snorted.
“You’re too soft. People like her will only get bolder if you keep staying quiet.”
Jun-ho smiled.
“Thanks, Uncle Kim.”
Kim Man-sik lifted his chin.
“If she’d dared to attack you just now, I would have shown her my true abilities.”
Jun-ho looked at the skinny man’s body.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Jun-ho nodded seriously.
“I believe you.”
“Now that’s how you should respond.”
Though they often teased each other, they actually had a pretty good relationship. Kim Man-sik might have liked to brag, but he always defended Jun-ho when necessary.
Suddenly, Kim Man-sik’s eyes focused on the area ahead.
His expression changed.
“Whoa…”
“What?”
“Jun-ho, look.”
Jun-ho followed his gaze.
A group of young women were hurrying toward them.
Jun-ho immediately recognized one of them.
Han Seo-yeon. The woman who had bought a Ham and Cheese Toast earlier.
Beside her were Choi Ha-neul, Park Ji-won, and several of their coworkers from the LUMINA office.
The moment Ha-neul spotted Jun-ho’s cart, she pointed at it.
“That’s it!”
“That cart!”
They quickened their pace.
“I’m first!”
“Hey! No cutting!”
“I didn’t get much earlier!”
The people nearby began paying attention.
Kim Man-sik grabbed Jun-ho by the arm.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“What did you do?”
Jun-ho was confused.
“What do you mean, Uncle Kim?”
“Why is a group of beautiful women running over here looking for you?”
Jun-ho opened his mouth, but he had no idea how to answer.
Before long, the group had filled the space in front of his cart.
Ha-neul was the first to arrive.
“Jun-ho-ssi!”
Jun-ho took a small step back.
“Y-yes?”
“Make me five Ham and Cheese Toasts!”
“What?”
Ji-won immediately pulled Ha-neul back.
“Five? Don’t be greedy!”
“With my own money!”
“We want some too!”
“I’ll take two!”
“One for me!”
Jun-ho remained frozen.
He looked at Seo-yeon.
Could it be…?
His gaze fell on the empty bag one of the women was still holding.
Is this because of the toast I made earlier?
Ha-neul tapped the counter of his cart.
“Jun-ho-ssi, hurry. I want to eat it again.”
Jun-ho finally snapped back to reality.
“Okay. Give me a second.”
He immediately turned on the griddle.
Sizzle!
The margarine melted.
His hands began to move.
The egg mixed with cabbage and carrots was poured onto the griddle.
He shaped it into a square with his spatula, then grilled the ham on the other side.
He placed the bread down at exactly the right moment.
Every one of Jun-ho’s movements was clean and orderly, with no wasted motion.
Ha-neul watched with shining eyes.
“Wow… I didn’t see him make it earlier. His movements are actually pretty cool.”
Ji-won nodded.
“He looks like a professional chef.”
A savory aroma gradually filled the air.
Pedestrians passing by began turning their heads.
Several nearby vendors were watching, too.
Oh Mi-sook even glanced over at Jun-ho, her face filled with surprise.
As he worked, Jun-ho said, “When making Gilgeori Toast, you have to keep the griddle at the right temperature. If it’s too hot, the bread will burn before the inside gets warm enough.”
Ha-neul paid close attention.
“Really?”
“You also can’t use too much cabbage. Cabbage adds texture, but if you use too much, it’ll overpower the flavor of the egg and the other ingredients.”
“Oh…”
Ha-neul nodded seriously.
“So you can’t just stuff everything into the bread?”
“Of course not.”
Jun-ho flipped the egg, added the ham and cheese, then sprinkled on the sugar and sauces in precisely measured amounts.
Ding!
A voice suddenly rang out in his head.
[Mastery Points +1]
Jun-ho’s movements nearly stopped.
Mastery Points?
His eyes widened slightly.
What was that supposed to mean?
But the customers in front of him were still waiting.
Jun-ho immediately pushed the question aside.
Whatever. Focus on making the toast first. I’ll think about it after I get home.