Fragments of the World

The fact that the part-time worker at the hangover soup restaurant had awakened quickly spread through the regular customers' network, and among them, talk of J ceased. And it had long been forgotten that the magic stone seller EZ was suspected to be a resident of this neighborhood.

All their attention was focused on "Congratulations on your awakening, part-timer. But is the hangover soup restaurant closing?"

An awakened hunter should join a good guild, receive full insurance benefits, and get a steady salary. Even if the rank is low, working in the guild's office is better than getting a job in a regular company.

This was the common perception, and since most regulars belonged to guilds, this perception was even stronger. Besides, the diligent part-time worker at the hangover soup restaurant would succeed in anything he did, so every guild would try to recruit him.

But if he joined a guild… who would make the hangover soup?

The owner was an old lady with bad legs who couldn't handle the rapid orders of the hunters alone. Moreover, even if they found a new part-timer, it was uncertain if they could work as well as Cha Eui-jae. After all, his hangover soup had the taste of a master who had been making it for 30 years!

Fortunately for Cha Eui-jae, who wanted to live quietly, he was an irreplaceable talent in the hangover soup world. Thus, the regulars, who held high positions in the Korean hunter society, miraculously reached a consensus among themselves.

They called it the secret meeting in the hangover soup restaurant's recycling alley.

Sitting precariously on a plastic box in front of the non-burnable trash, Bae Won-woo downed a protein powder stick in one gulp.

"Well, developing talent is good. Scouting is good too. But let's respect professional ethics and keep our feet on the ground, Team Leader Han. If he doesn't want to join a guild, do you think he'll change his mind just because we force him? It's his own will. That's what's important. We need to preserve our hangover soup tradition, don't we?"

Standing in front of the burnable trash, Team Leader Han also pushed his glasses up with his middle finger.

"It doesn't seem like something to hear from Pado Guild, who claims to be elite yet sweeps up all sorts of talents… but I'm glad to hear it, Vice-Guild Leader Bae Won-woo. Let's go in and have a bowl of hangover soup."

"Wow, I like this guy for the first time. Let's go! Let's order two bottles of soju too."

"Sure."

Vice-Guild Leader Bae Won-woo of Pado and HR Team Leader Han of HB Guild shook hands after completing some sort of deal at the recycling station near the hangover soup restaurant. After that, no hunter tried to persuade Cha Eui-jae to join a guild. It was a good thing for Cha Eui-jae.

Instead, there was a surge of secretive gifts.

Cha Eui-jae, wearing rubber gloves, held up a neatly wrapped gift for everyone to see.

[Special Limited Edition! Seclusion Training DIY Kit]

"Who dropped this in front of the kitchen?"

"…"

"Whoever is about to go into seclusion training, please confess."

Silence. The hunters started to avert their eyes. Cha Eui-jae let out a long sigh. This wasn't a martial arts novel, so what seclusion training? Moreover, the habit of slapping 'DIY' on everything was the same before and after the Day of the Rift. Cha Eui-jae issued a final warning.

"If no one comes forward within five minutes, I'll just throw it away."

A hunter suddenly raised his head and shouted.

"No! It's a limited edition I barely got through pocketing!"

"Are you going into seclusion training?"

Cha Eui-jae pointed to a new A4 paper placed next to the two bottles of soju for sale.

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

[No wreaths, gifts, or banners allowed.]

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

[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.]

Will you go into seclusion training, or be banned from the hangover soup restaurant? The hunter groaned, gripping the soju bottle, and after a moment of anguish, squeezed out a voice like a last will.

"…I'll go!"

"You, you fool…!"

"How strong do you plan to get?!"

"If you live this diligently, you'll only become an S-grade!"

The hunters at the same table cried out, holding back the hunter who ended up having to enter seclusion training over a wrong gift. Cha Eui-jae calmly returned the seclusion training DIY kit and went back to the kitchen.

Such things happen countless times a day. In those brief moments when Cha Eui-jae washed dishes, cooked hangover soup, and prepared ingredients, hunters threw gifts in various ways as if trying to improve Cha Eui-jae's reflexes, agility, and reasoning abilities.

Most of the time, he returned them to their owners, but occasionally, when he found hunter market gift certificates in the money box at the counter, it was really perplexing. Even Cha Eui-jae was curious about how they managed to put them there.

With every day like this, space for storing gifts began to run out. The inventory, which only contained empty potion bottles and basilisks' fangs, was filled with new potions received as gifts, and the small room where Cha Eui-jae stayed started to be taken over by accumulated items. Moreover, excessive gift wrapping generated a lot of trash.

Today too, after closing the store, Cha Eui-jae was sorting out the gift wraps and boxes. At that moment, he sensed a small presence outside the store.

It was hard to dismiss it as just a passerby, as the person had been lingering there since he started washing dishes until now when he was taking out the trash.

'Who is it this time?'

It wasn't a hunter hiding their presence, nor was it an ordinary person lingering around for a long time. It was reaching the point where the unofficial rule was that no one who visited the hangover soup restaurant during preparation or closing hours was normal.

'If they have something to say, they'll come out on their own.'

Cha Eui-jae bravely stepped outside with the trash. And then,

"Are you really going in? Really? Am I really going in? This is so extreme…"

He faced a schoolgirl muttering and biting her nails.

She was completely unexpected. Cha Eui-jae had anticipated a TV program writer, a reporter filming hunters, or a hunter secretly leaving a gift, but it was startling to see a student in a thick long padded jacket and heavy backpack pacing back and forth like a grub worm in front of the store.

'What is this?'

"What? Look behind me? No way, don't joke like that. I hate that…"

"…"

"Ack!"

The girl glanced back and screamed, collapsing on the spot. Naturally, Cha Eui-jae, who was about to offer a hand to help her up, froze. He realized he was wearing rubber gloves and holding trash. Standing awkwardly, Cha Eui-jae stared at the air for a moment before speaking.

"Uh, student?"

"Yes?"

"What brings you to a hangover soup restaurant at this hour…"

A cold winter wind swept between them. The student shivered involuntarily. Seeing her red nose and cheeks from the cold, Cha Eui-jae gestured towards the store.

"I'll throw out the trash, so would you like to wait inside?"

"Can I really?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Thank you."

Cha Eui-jae quickly disposed of the trash and returned to the store. The student was sitting at a table in a corner, vigorously kneading a green hand warmer. Cha Eui-jae took out a heater and placed it near her, then headed to the kitchen. He couldn't serve coffee at this late hour.

Instead, he handed her a cup of yulmu tea made with a tea bag in hot water. The student received the cup with both hands and bowed her head.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry for coming suddenly."

"No, it's fine."

The student bowed her head again, and Cha Eui-jae nodded reluctantly. She had her hair tied up in a bun, wore a long padded jacket, and underneath were gym pants and fuzzy socks, with slightly dirty sneakers. She looked like an ordinary high school student.

She was curiously looking around the store. Her appearance, behavior, and even her aura made her seem like a genuinely ordinary high school girl, which eased Cha Eui-jae's tension a bit. He sat across from the student.

"What brings a student to a hangover soup restaurant at this hour? Shouldn't you be at home…"

Cha Eui-jae pondered what reason a high school student might have to visit a hangover soup restaurant this late.

Was she looking for someone? If so, she must have seen that no one was here. Was she seeking help from something chasing her? If that were the case, she didn't seem frightened or unstable. Maybe she was a fan of a hunter who frequented this place, coming to see their faces.

As Cha Eui-jae considered various possibilities, the student spoke up.

"Well…"

After biting her lips, she bowed her head deeply. Then, closing her eyes tightly, she spoke.

"I know that Cha Eui-jae-nim is J."

For a moment, Cha Eui-jae's hands froze. However, he made a face of surprise as if he had heard something ridiculous and laughed awkwardly.

"J? What are you talking about…"

"No, you don't have to hide it from me."

She slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. Behind her round glasses, her eyes shone with a radiant golden light. They were piercing and intense, as if they could see right through him.

"Please help me, J."

The effort he had put into forcing a smile gradually faded. As his eyebrows and mouth settled back into their natural positions, a cold light appeared.

A moment later, a perfect expressionless look took over Cha Eui-jae's face.