Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 38 : Happiness

Happiness

I left the military headquarters with Plerine.

Maybe more time had passed than I realized, because the sun was already starting to set past its zenith.

'I wonder if the construction is going well.'

The old man said that he was one of the best in the stonemason guild.

If that was true, there should be no major problems.

I felt my steps to the Fairy's Leg grow lighter,

But then suddenly something I'd overlooked came to mind and I stopped in my tracks.

"...... Damn."

The shop name I was planning to change—

'I never told the stonemason guild workers!'

"Boss, what's wrong?"

Plerine asked, concerned.

I stomped on the ground and said,

"Run!"

"Huh?"

There's no time to explain.

I could only hope the signboard work hasn't started yet.

'I can't use that filthy name as it is!'

I absolutely didn't want Burt's brothel joke, about a fairy's smooth leg, continuing any further.

Ta-da-dat.

I ran desperately and arrived at my shop, formerly the Fairy's Leg.

"Huff, huff."

As I bent forward, breathing hard almost to bursting—

"Oh ho. So this is the place. Where I'll work and stay."

Plerine said leisurely as she looked at the shop.

But thank goodness.

The exterior renovations hadn't started yet.

Who would have thought I'd feel happy about the battered door and old signboard?

"Oh! You've arrived!"

The old man from the stonemason guild, who was working inside, came out to greet me.

"You're earlier than I thought. Was there any trouble?"

Trouble.

Well, with things like reenlistment, getting into a spat with that green-eyed guy Hank the company commander, and all sorts of other things—

"Let's just say nothing major happened."

I straightened up and asked,

"The shop sign isn't done yet?"

"My way is to handle the big work first and leave the small things for later. Why, do you want me to do the sign first?"

"No, please proceed as you intended. I just forgot to tell you the new shop name."

"Ha! Could've been a disaster if I'd done the sign first without you telling me that."

Looking over the inn, with construction sounds coming from all around, I noticed Plerine muttering 'I actually liked the name Fairy's Leg...', but I completely ignored her.

This shop was no longer the Fairy's Leg.

"The new name of this shop is 'Happiness Gukbap'. Please make a good sign for it."

'Happiness Gukbap' was the name of my parents' restaurant since their 30s,

and it reflected their philosophy too.

They wished happiness for everyone who came to their restaurant.

'I'm going to carry on that spirit.'

A warm feeling filled my eyes.

It was the dream I wanted to achieve by inheriting my parents' restaurant,

and now, I could carry it on here.

At the same time, another thought surfaced.

'Someday, I'll have to return to my parents. To their real restaurant.'

It struck me, for the first time in a while, how this still wasn't truly my home.

My warm eyes chilled over.

'Get a grip. This is just the beginning.'

What was the real reason I wanted to return here and run this shop?

First, to earn points and develop my system ability.

I'd grow strong enough to survive,

and ultimately—

'To return to the world where I originally lived!'

Don't forget.

I am not Ian,

but Han Chul Lee.

"Happiness Gukbap?"

As I lingered in emotion, Plerine's voice brought me back.

"It's not an inn, but Gukbap (rice soup)?"

"Right."

"Why?"

"Because we'll get famous for our Gukbap."

There was a time I worried whether medieval folks would like Gukbap.

But after going to Grey Fortress, all that concern vanished.

'Even the best restaurant in that city just had food at a medieval level.'

Compared to modern cuisine, medieval dishes couldn't hold a candle.

On the other hand, I had modern culinary skills and ingredients from the [shop window].

I was now confident I could win over medieval palates, personal preference or not.

'Plerine has always liked my Korean food, and the commander enjoyed my vegetable rice porridge.'

It was more than doable.

"Fine. It's your shop, boss. You should do what you want."

Plerine nodded, then continued,

"So, what's Gukbap?"

"Remember the soup we had made from Ice Bear meat last time?"

"Yeah. Beef-radish soup."

"Put that together with rice, and it's called Gukbap."

"!"

Plerine flinched, eyes wide.

"If I work at your shop, that means I can eat that every day, right?"

If I always had enough meat and points,

"Um. Maybe?"

Plerine buried her head and shuddered at my vague answer.

'What's with her?'

Then she lifted her head with a slightly raised voice.

"All right! Can I help with the renovations inside?"

Her earnest posture as she rolled up her sleeves moved me, so I nodded.

"Even using magic?"

"Only inside the shop. Don't let outsiders know. Ask the stonemason guild to keep it a secret too."

"Got it!"

With that, the girl with the eyepatch briskly started working inside.

She moved quickly, probably using mana.

'With me helping out, too, we might be done in under a week even without that green-eyed guy's help.'

However,

before I could help with construction, there was something else to do first.

"Keep going, Plerine. I have somewhere to be."

"Okay!"

I gathered the quiver and arrows set aside as a gift for the hunter and left the shop.

Time to head to Flaco's place, where Employee No. 1 was waiting.

'How's Naba doing, I wonder.'

I figured she'd be fine since she was such a gutsy kid,

but Flaco was so rough, it couldn't have been easy.

Anyway, I was on my way to fetch my entrusted Employee No. 1.

With a rare bit of free time, I thought about what I needed to check.

'It's time.'

I hadn't had a chance amidst all the chaos,

But now I could finally check the new system ability that had been unlocked.

'Upgrade!'

With excitement, I called inwardly, and a cheerful system sound chimed.

Dding.

[Upgrade]

〈Upgrade Point: 1〉

-------(Upgrade List)-------

└ [Profit Increase: Lv.0]

└ [Product Discount: Lv.0]

└ [Effect Expansion: Lv.0]

└ [Time Extension: Lv.0]

I had hoped for upgrades directly linked to my survivability and strength,

but once again, my expectations had missed the mark.

Still, I wasn't too disappointed.

All four upgrade items formed clear, four-letter words whose meaning immediately came to me.

'They're all related to the [shop window].'

[Profit Increase]—probably meaning earning more points,

[Product Discount]—getting discounts on purchasing points,

[Effect Expansion]—strengthening the buff effects,

[Time Extension]—or making effects last longer.

There weren't detailed explanations, but I could guess pretty accurately.

'No wonder. The upgrade tab appeared right next to the [shop window].'

So this was the buildup.

I also felt utterly thrilled.

Hadn't I been frustrated by the [shop window]'s unfairness?

Earning points was hellishly hard,

Items cost a fortune,

And with no extension or Korean food bonus, the buff duration was way too short.

'Exhilarating.'

Unable to help myself, I clenched my fist and gazed at the top of the system screen.

'They even gave me an upgrade point in advance—which is rare for this system.'

I got a whopping 〈Upgrade Point: 1〉.

I could worry about how to earn more 〈Upgrade Points〉 later,

But for now, with a point in hand, it was time to use it!

Carefully, with trembling fingers, I brought my hand to the system window.

'Let's use it for the first [shop window] upgrade!'

Dding.