Beep beep beep, the convenience store employee who scanned the barcode spoke in a mechanical voice.
“That’s 7,000 won.”
Wonyoung inwardly nodded at today’s perfect calculation. And he held out the Black Card.
He was using the Black Card every day. That card with a daily limit of 7,000 won. It was something born from his determination to receive help with household expenses somehow.
It was too sad that he could only use this good card at convenience stores, Kimbap Heaven, and market tteokbokki shops, but humans were animals of adaptation. Wonyoung bought food with the card, spending exactly 7,000 won each time as if using meal tickets.
Having bought provisions for the weekend today as well, Wonyoung headed home swinging the bag. But then a mission suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[※Daily Mission※]
Goal: Maintain accumulated warnings at 0 times for one day.
Reward: All character affection +50
Upon failure: Level 3 penalty applied
Seeing the mission content, Wonyoung narrowed his eyes. Zero times. That meant not receiving a single warning all day. It wouldn’t be difficult as long as he didn’t clash with the capture targets, but somehow it seemed like the game wouldn’t flow that way.
In that case…….
“System-ssi.”
After thinking, Wonyoung called out the System. The System that appeared before Wonyoung asked energetically.
“What is it, Player-nim?”
Wonyoung tapped the reward section of the mission window and spoke bluntly.
“This mission reward. Raise it.”
“What?”
“Do you know how difficult it is not to receive a single warning? Let’s be frank, you’re going to make me meet one of the capture targets anyway, aren’t you?”
“That’s……”
When the System hesitated, Wonyoung continued as if frustrated.
“In my play history, there hasn’t been a single day where I didn’t receive a warning. But only 50 affection? Isn’t that balance breaking?”
“Eh…… Are you bragging about getting warnings every day?”
“Didn’t you say the game makes its own judgments? Report that I’m requesting it reconsider this point and judge again. It’s a player request.”
“That’s not a request, it seems like an order……”
When Wonyoung raised his eyebrows at the System that kept raising objections, the System quickly said.
“I’ll go and come back!”
And a moment later, the mission’s reward changed.
[※Daily Mission※]
Goal: Maintain accumulated warnings at less than 1 time for one day.
Reward: All character affection +100
Upon failure: Level 3 penalty applied
‘As much as 100?’
Wonyoung was surprised at the result that exceeded expectations, while on the other hand, he became suspicious that the game was assuming his mission failure. Otherwise, it didn’t seem like it would give such a generous reward.
‘……It’ll be solved if I succeed.’
Wonyoung decided to shake off needless worries and focus only on the goal. The System that appeared again shrugged its invisible shoulders and asked.
“How is it?”
“Yes, it’s good.”
“Ehehe, I’m the Cute Manager who does what I say I’ll do.”
“You still haven’t abandoned that weird concept? Unfortunately, not a single part of that glowing sphere is cute.”
“Eeh, that’s too much! Player-nim who says such things…… isn’t cute at all either!”
“Yes, thank you. That’s the best compliment I’ve heard in this game. Then please go now.”
“Ack!”
The System huffed and puffed, muttered “just you wait,” and disappeared with a poof. Wonyoung watched this with a look of ridicule and then went on his way again.
And when his home came into view, the mountain he had to overcome today finally revealed itself.
“Rae. Did you go to the convenience store well?”
Heegang, who had been standing in front of the door, approached Wonyoung with a gentle smile. Wonyoung looked at him suspiciously.
“You didn’t pick the lock this time?”
“I knew you’d come back soon. Triangle kimbap again today?”
“……Mmm-hmm.”
Wonyoung, who was about to demand how he knew, recalled the mission and awkwardly glossed over it. This guy had too many dangerous remarks and actions, so special caution was needed. Surely the game knew that and sent Baek Heegang.
‘So you want to try.’
Wonyoung steeled himself and looked at Heegang. Heegang smiled and said.
“I went grocery shopping to cook you a meal. I thought about going together, but I wanted to surprise you after all.”
“Thanks, hehe.”
Of course, Heegang probably couldn’t cook, but instead of getting angry, Wonyoung flashed a stupid smile as if to show the game. It was a moment when his special training with Semi shone.
For a moment he felt doubtful, wondering if this wasn’t essentially the same as having Forced Correction applied, but he concluded that it was still better to do it by his own free will rather than by force.
“I was just hungry, so this works out well. Let’s go in, Heegang.”
Wonyoung said that and grabbed Heegang’s arm and pulled him along.
The affection was as much as 100, 100. And for all three people. For that, Wonyoung could give his liver and gallbladder.
‘It’s okay if it’s a bit awkward. Anyway, I just need to not receive warnings. For now, I’ll maintain the Abangsu character. That way, there’s less chance of making mistakes.’
Wonyoung entered the house while his brain spun fiercely. However, Wonyoung’s ordeal was only just beginning.
“Rae, the pot is burning.”
“Ahk, no, why, how……”
“What should we do?”
Heegang made a tearful face with an innocent expression. Wonyoung looked at Heegang in disbelief. Could this guy be an Abanggong? Or a god of fire? He began to have such reasonable suspicions.
Of course, he immediately came to his senses recalling the mission.
“W-we can just turn it off. Heegang, you prepare the vegetables. I’ll make the broth.”
“Should I? Sorry……”
Wonyoung, who turned off the fire by covering it with a wet dishcloth, carved the character for ‘patience’ in his heart. But Wonyoung overlooked something. That cooking disaster Baek Heegang couldn’t be good at knife work.
“Ow.”
“Gasp, are you okay?!”
Seeing Heegang’s cut finger, Wonyoung asked in surprise. Heegang smiled as if it was nothing.
“Yeah, I just cut it slightly. Don’t worry about it.”
“Will you be okay?”
“I want to help too.”
No, please don’t help. Wonyoung cried out desperately, but that cry couldn’t come out as sound.
And exactly 15 seconds later.
“Ow.”
Heegang cut one more finger. Wonyoung was about to hold his head but came to his senses and put his hand down.
“Are you okay?”
“Mm-hmm, sorry. What should I do?”
Why do you keep asking what to do? I don’t know what to do with you. Wonyoung brought the first aid kit and wrapped bandages around Heegang’s fingers.
“I’ll cut the vegetables. The broth just needs to boil now. So! Don’t go near the fire……”
Wonyoung, who almost shouted to get the hell away from the fire, barely held onto his reason and said that. Heegang seemed to think for a moment and asked.
“Then what should I do?”
“Can you knead the kalguksu dough? I’ve already measured everything, you just need to knead it. Be careful with your hands.”
“Okay, got it.”
Fortunately, it seemed even Heegang could at least knead dough. Wonyoung finally felt relieved at that fact and chopped the vegetables. Of course, with Narae’s skills, only a crooked shape came out, but it was better than Heegang who kept cutting up his fingers.
After putting the prepared vegetables in the broth, Wonyoung approached Heegang to check the dough.
“Heegang, the dough…… why is it like this?!”
“Huh? Why?”
The dough that should clearly be fluffy and chewy was goopy and mushy. Looking at the dough that had become slime, no, porridge, Wonyoung fell into confusion. Fuck. It felt like the F-word was dangling at the tip of his lips.
“Let’s…… let’s make sujebi instead!”
“Did I do something wrong again?”
“No, I want to eat sujebi! Hehe!”
Hehehehe…… Smiling with tears in his eyes, Wonyoung hurriedly performed CPR on the porridge. Adding more flour, kneading the dough again…… Complete recovery was impossible, so sujebi where you roughly tear off the dough and add it was advantageous.
‘Can eating be this hard?’
Feeling a deep sense of doubt, Wonyoung tore off pieces of the sujebi dough with vacant eyes and put them in the broth. In the end, Wonyoung had done all the cooking.
‘Still, I’ve passed the critical point.’
Judging so, Wonyoung set down the fully cooked sujebi on the table. Heegang, who had placed bowls and spoons, sat across from Wonyoung.
“This somehow feels like a poor newlywed couple.”
“……Mm-hmm. Hehe.”
Wonyoung just decided to keep giggling. Because his thinking about what to say had now reached its limit.
“Let’s hurry and eat the sujebi. I’m hungry! Hehe!”
“You’re laughing a lot today.”
“Hehe, am I?”
Wonyoung answered carelessly with cold eyes and scooped up a spoonful of sujebi and put it in his mouth. And he almost spat it right out.
Setting aside the chewy texture of the sujebi, he couldn’t taste anything at all from the broth. It was at a level where there was no seasoning.
Why? Why does the cooking keep failing? Wonyoung thought in shock, then seeing Heegang eating silently, he quickly grabbed his hand.
“D-don’t eat it.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It doesn’t taste good. This isn’t food for humans to eat.”
“I’m fine with it…… It’s the food you made, Rae.”
“No, it’s not fine. I’ll at least re-season it, just a moment.”
Wonyoung quickly brought salt and sprinkled it on the sujebi. Then he tasted it and grimaced. He clearly thought he’d added the right amount, but it was damn salty.
“Let’s throw it away.”
When Wonyoung tried to stand up holding the whole pot, Heegang stopped him in surprise.
“What? No, Rae. It’s food you made with your own hands…… How can we wastefully throw it away?”
“No, this needs to be thrown away. We’ll get sick if we eat it.”
“Then give it to me. I’ll eat it.”
“No. Let’s just share the triangle kimbap. Okay?”
“But…… Then at least let me take a picture.”
“Huh?”
What picture? As Wonyoung hesitated, not understanding, Heegang said.
“It’s the first food you’ve made for me. I’ll treasure it forever.”
“……”
“If it’s okay, could I put even just a portion in a bag?”
“You could? Hehe.”
