The Day You Go Is the Market Day

Cha Eui-jae carefully placed the hair dye on the table and bowed sincerely.

"I really like it… Thank you."

"I knew you would."

Honeybee struck a pose just like the one on the side of the hair dye packaging. This time ,Cha Eui-jae clapped sincerely as well. After enjoying the attention for a while, she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, the rice wreath is great too. I paid extra to get premium Icheon rice. As soon as I heard the news this morning, Team Leader Han and I…"

"Where did you hear the news?"

Cha Eui-jae was most curious about that. Where did Honeybee and Team Leader Han, who sent the first wreath, hear the news? And what about the other hunters who came in droves, pretending to bring gifts but actually trying to persuade him not to close the hangover soup restaurant? Honeybee, who had her eyes wide open, soon nodded in understanding.

"Team Leader Han, explain."

"Yes, understood."

Team Leader Han adjusted his glasses and began to explain.

"Guilds plant informants or scouts at the Awakening Centers. It's to scout talent quickly and efficiently. If there's a promising talent, they report immediately and start laying the groundwork for recruitment."

"I don't think I'm that promising."

"How could you say that? Cha Eui-jae-ssi, you were the kind of talent we wanted in our guild even before your awakening."

Team Leader Han spoke firmly. Honeybee added to the explanation.

"Normally, scouts only look at government-run centers, right? They barely pay attention to temporary centers like the one in Gwangjin-gu. The quality is much better at government-run centers."

That made sense. Awakeners who wanted to show off their abilities and get higher grades would get thoroughly examined at government-run centers. Team Leader Han continued.

"But then a rift appeared in the Gwangjin-gu temporary center. In the middle of the city, no less, and it appeared without warning at the awakening center, so all eyes were on that place. It was naturally a matter of public concern."

Of course, if an unexpected rift appeared that even the Rift Management Bureau hadn't predicted, it would cause anxiety. This time, it happened to appear in an awakening center, so everyone's attention was inevitably drawn there.

"Everyone started gathering information. That's when we found Cha Eui-jae-ssi's name on the survivor list."

So, if not for the rift, he could have quietly registered and slipped out as planned. 

As he listened, Cha Eui-jae felt a vein on his forehead bulge, heat rising. According to Team Leader Han, it was all ruined because of that damn rift. The butterfly effect of the rift was so great that it ended up sitting Cha Eui-jae in a hangover soup restaurant fan signing event.

'Damn rift.'

The fan signing event ended in an hour. Cha Eui-jae, unable to even think of clearing the gifts, staggered to the kitchen to prepare for the evening business, feeling drained.

Moreover, that evening, Jung Bin's busy self made a personal visit, draining Cha Eui-jae's remaining energy.

"Hello? Congratulations on your awakening."

What Jung Bin handed over was an envelope with the Awakened Management Bureau's logo on it. It looked so official that he didn't even want to touch it. Bae Won-woo, who was sitting in the corner eating hangover soup, grumbled.

"What's that envelope that looks like a summons, a warning, or a fine notice?"

"Haha, no way."

'Guess he's received one before.'

There was a nuance only someone who had experienced it firsthand would know. Cha Eui-jae accepted the envelope with a slightly uneasy look. The envelope was thicker and heavier than expected, as if it contained something significant. Jung Bin smiled gently.

"Would you like to open it? It's filled with things Cha Eui-jae-ssi will need."

'No thanks.'

But his hands dutifully opened the envelope. As expected, it was more or less what he had guessed.

[Basic Guide for New Hunters]

[Tax Payment Guide for New Hunters]

[Welfare Policies for Hunters]

[One-Touch! How to Use the Hunter Market]

[Special Laws for Awakeners at a Glance]

Various pamphlets and thick books that looked like they belonged in a public office spilled out. Small jeers seemed to come from the surrounding hunters. But Jung Bin still wore a soft smile.

"Originally, after completing hunter registration, you would hear various explanations from the Bureau's hunters. But since Cha Eui-jae-ssi couldn't due to the unforeseen accident, I've brought only the essentials."

If this was just the essentials, being a hunter nowadays must be really complicated. Cha Eui-jae's face filled with melancholy.

'Damn, being a hunter isn't easy these days.'

"Read it when you have time. If there's anything you don't understand or find difficult, please feel free to contact us anytime."

Jung Bin pulled a crisp business card from his suit pocket and placed it on top of the pamphlets.

[Awakened Management Bureau Field Response Team 1]

[Team Leader Jung Bin]

For hunters without power or backing, Jung Bin's business card would be the greatest gift. Despite his friendly image from numerous public service ads, he was an S-grade hunter, ranked fourth in Korea, not easily accessible. The hangover soup restaurant, likely to face hunter-related issues, was no exception. Any regular hunter would be deeply moved, but…

'I'll just keep it sealed.'

Not Cha Eui-jae.

At that moment, Bae Won-woo stood up confidently.

"This is why civil servants don't make it. They call it a gift and just pile up study material! Guys, come in!"

With the sound of clapping, the door of the hangover soup restaurant opened, and people equipped with various gear flooded in. The already crowded restaurant seemed about to burst. Cha Eui-jae squinted his eyes at Bae Won-woo, demanding an explanation.

Bae Won-woo ran his hand through his short hair confidently.

"I'm Bae Won-woo, the number one regular at this hangover soup restaurant. I prepared something the restaurant needs most as a gift for your awakening."

'What is that?'

"Here it is…"

He proudly gave a thumbs-up.

"An automatic kimchi and side dish self-serve bar!"

"An automatic kimchi and side dish self-serve bar?"

"…What's that?"

The hunters unknowingly repeated after him, starting to murmur. Automatic kimchi and side dish self-serve bar. The word combination was akin to soy sauce crab macaron dumpling. It seemed comprehensible yet utterly baffling.

A self-serve bar couldn't be automatic, could it? Cha Eui-jae's confusion was evident on his face, and Bae Won-woo smiled broadly.

"Don't worry. It's a masterpiece meticulously calculated and built by Pado Guild engineers. May we use that space?"

"Yes? Sure."

Bae Won-woo pointed to the empty space next to the water dispenser. Nodding, the Pado Guild engineers swarmed over and started assembling something.

Soon, a white machine was completed on the chair. It looked like a coffee machine from a coffee shop or a larger water dispenser. The center of the machine was a hollow circle.

"What is that?"

"Isn't it just a coffee machine?"

"Oh, come on! It's a masterpiece with the blood, sweat, and tears of Pado Guild engineers."

Striding to the machine, Bae Won-woo pulled something out of his inventory; a large thumb-sized magic stone!

"Wow, look at the size of that magic stone."

"It's huge."

"One of those would be enough to buy a house and then some."

While the hunters admired the rare, large magic stone, Bae Won-woo carefully inserted it into the machine. At the same time, the machine's button lit up blue. With a whirring sound, the machine began to operate. Bae Won-woo made an exaggerated bow.

"The magic stone support was provided by Guild Leader Lee Sa-young of the Pado Guild."

'What kind of extravagance is this?'

Cha Eui-jae, feeling a sense of déjà vu, watched the magic stone installation show. He thought he'd had the exact same thought before. But since getting something for free wasn't bad, his expression softened.

"Now, Part-timer-nim. Try putting kimchi, radish cubes, and chili peppers in here. Just press the button, and the side dishes come out in the exact amount needed. You won't have to handle each one yourself!"

Oh? This might actually be enticing. Cha Eui-jae, as if entranced, brought the kimchi container and chili pepper container and put them in the machine as instructed by the engineer. The eyes of the hangover soup restaurant's hunters were fixed on Cha Eui-jae.

If you hold the bowl and press the button… kimchi is served in the exact amount needed!

"Wow!"

"Pado Guild is amazing!"

"Hey, it really works."

"But if it runs on magic stones, isn't it super cost-inefficient? Wouldn't it be better to connect it to an electric outlet…"

When someone raised a quibble, Bae Won-woo snapped with a stern face.

"Shut up! This is about aesthetics."

"It feels more like an extravagant display of wealth than aesthetics…"

"If anyone disrespects the hangover soup restaurant, just tell them you have an automatic self-serve bar powered by magic stones."

Visually, it looked like an ad that said, "In our place, even the water dispenser serves kimchi." Regular hunters were thrilled at the idea of lightening the part-timer's workload, cheering enthusiastically.

However,

"Come to think of it,"

"Yes?"

Jung Bin, who had been observing the regular hunters, poured cold water on them with a smiling face.

"It looks just like an automatic pet feeder, doesn't it?"

***

The next day at 5 AM, the sliding door of the hangover soup restaurant creaked open. Cha Eui-jae, his face gaunt and sharp, hastily scribbled a warning on an A4 sheet of paper and stuck it on the door.

[!!! Hangover Soup Restaurant Stays Open !!!]

[No wreaths, gifts, or banners allowed.]

[No asking the part-timer about their grade.]

[No persuading the part-timer to join a guild.]

[No headhunting allowed.]

[Violation of any of the above rules will result in a ban from the restaurant.]