“Thank you! Please come again!”

With a cheerful voice from the employee, the automatic door of the supermarket opened. A young man wearing a gray hoodie and carrying a strawberry-patterned shopping bag filled with various ingredients headed towards the bus stop.

“A rift has appeared at the intersection, and traffic is being controlled. Please cooperate.”

The young man tilted his head at the unfamiliar scene unfolding on his usual route. Someone wearing a fluorescent yellow safety vest over a suit and a yellow safety helmet was blocking the passage, waving a red flashing baton. Over their head, the entrance of a shimmering blue rift was visible.

Below it, hunters were desperately fighting monsters that had squeezed through the rift.

“Kyahaaa!”

“Ugh! Not yet?”

“Just a little more…!”

A lizard the size of a car swung its spiky tail fiercely, emitting a bizarre cry. A hunter with a shield blocked the attack, but the lizard, excited, thrashed its tail around wildly, as if sweeping the surrounding area. The hunter barely managed to fend off the relentless attacks and cursed.

“Damn it, die! Fireball!”

A bright red flame engulfed the lizard. Seizing the moment of hesitation, another hunter shot an arrow at the lizard. The arrow pierced the lizard’s eye, causing it to writhe in agony and scream.

“Kieeek!”

“Wow, that was awesome…”

“Do not approach the barricade!”

“I’m gonna record it for YouTube Shorts.”

“Yeah, I’m already doing that.”

People stood a little distance from the barricade, filming videos and watching. The young man, not joining the commotion, walked briskly. The strawberry-patterned shopping bag swung as he moved.

As he stepped into a deserted alley, he encountered a gigantic figure blocking the narrow path. A purple toad was rummaging through a pile of trash and turned its head sharply toward the young man, sensing his presence. A long green tongue flicked out of its mouth, snatching up an empty plastic bottle and swallowing it. It was clearly a monster that had leaked from the rift.

“Damn those rift management guys. Can’t they do their job properly…”

The young man grumbled, rummaging through his shopping bag and drawing out something long like a sword. From the soft curved tip to the straight stalk and the solid root at the bottom.

In his hand… was a fresh green onion.

The toad croaked and turned towards the young man. Each step of its heavy legs shook the entire alley like an earthquake. The young man carefully set down his shopping bag, skillfully twirled the green onion, and gripped it firmly. Then,

He leapt onto a trash can lid and soared like a butterfly—

Doctors In The Philippines: Do This For Lasting Knee Relief!

EasyGo Max

This Household Trick Kills All Parasites In Your Body Overnight

ParasiCleaner

One Simple Trick To Relieve Knee Pain Permanently!

Easy Go Max

Whacked the toad’s head with the green onion!

Bam!!

The clear, sharp sound of impact echoed loudly in the alley. The toad, unable to even let out a death cry, flipped its eyes and trembled all over. Sadly, the center of its head was deeply indented in the shape of the green onion.

The young man caught his breath and dusted off his hands. As the hoodie slipped off from the recoil, his cool face was revealed.

“Green onions are expensive… What a waste.”

He squatted in front of the toad, stuffing the remnants of the green onion into its mouth with his bare hands while taking out his phone. After some time, when someone answered the call, he spoke.

“He- Hello… There’s a dead monster in the alley here. It looks like a hunter killed it and just left…”

The young man’s voice trembled at the end, as if he were scared and even on the verge of tears. However, unlike the voice that seemed as if it would faint at the slightest touch, his current actions were indifferent.

“This is the alley going to Deukero Mart… The monster? It looks like a toad, but it’s too big and gross to see clearly. Please handle it. Yes, no need to contact me… Uh, you’ll be here in 5 minutes? Thank you, no problem. Yes, thank you…”

The young man sniffled and ended the call. Even after hanging up, he remained crouched, shoving the green onion pieces into the toad’s wide-open mouth. Despite claiming the monster was too gross to look at, his eyes were fixed on the toad.

Five minutes until the hunters arrive.

‘It’d be troublesome to encounter them.’

The young man stood up and erased his footprints from the trash can lid. The toad seemed to have died instantly with only the green onion-shaped dent in its head as an injury. With no other traces left, it would be hard to track down the person who dealt with the monster.

Having cleaned up the evidence, it was time to flee. The young man picked up his shopping bag, lightly bounced a couple of times in place, and reviewed the phone call he had just made.

‘…Should I have sounded more shocked when I reported it?’

Well, it was too late to regret it now. The young man easily jumped over a wall taller than himself.

***

“Is this the right alley?”

“Yes, it is!”

A few minutes after the young man leisurely disappeared, two people arrived at the scene— a man and a woman wearing fluorescent vests over their shirts. The urgency on their faces melted away upon seeing the toad’s corpse.

The woman, Yang Hye-jin, an A-grade hunter from the Rift Management Bureau, gasped as she looked at the toad with its tongue sticking out.

“Wow, this is insane.”

“Why, ma’am? Let me see… Whoa.”

The newcomer, who had followed closely behind, was startled and whispered to his senior.

“Wow… Can someone really take down a swamp toad this cleanly, ma’am?”

“It doesn’t make sense. This thing was taken out in one hit. If you’re even slightly off in timing, it sprays strong acid everywhere. It’s a nightmare, melting buildings and people alike…”

“It’s really impressive.”

The newbie, once again in awe, straightened his yellow safety helmet that had gotten crooked in the rush. Yang Hye-jin, with a sharp look, inspected the surroundings and gave instructions.

“Check if there’s any trace left. Someone this skilled is no ordinary person.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The newbie rummaged through the trash can and the surrounding garbage.

“Whoever did this… They did it so cleanly that the post-cleanup isn’t difficult.”

“Right. It’s so clean we could donate this to the monster research team. I wonder why such a skilled person didn’t dispose of the body and just left.”

Speaking sarcastically, Yang Hye-jin put on white gloves and opened the toad’s thick mouth. Toad-type monsters swallowed anything that touched their tongues and spat out poison or strong acid. A helpful toad, like in fairy tales, was a unicorn in reality.

In any case, it was necessary to check thoroughly as the toad might have swallowed a person on its way from the rift. Yang Hye-jin took out a flashlight and inspected the inside of the toad’s mouth. Fortunately, she found no human remains, just a few partially melted plastic bottles. Relieved, she sighed.

“Looks like it didn’t swallow any people…”

Meanwhile, the newbie, using a radar-equipped device to scan the alley, called out to Yang Hye-jin with a distressed look.

“Ma’am, whoever took down this toad must be a real pro. There’s no trace left.”

Yang Hye-jin, dusting off her hands, tilted her head.

“They must have used their ability, right? No trace of it? Look carefully.”

“I’m looking! But there’s no sign of any ability or any trace. Nothing at all.”

“What, did they take it down barehanded?”

Although she accidentally guessed close to the truth, unaware of this, she shook her head.

“Phew, must be another of those hidden strong ones. Why are there so many hidden powerful hunters? Cartoons and novels have ruined everyone.”

After turning off the flashlight and getting up, Yang Hye-jin stretched to relieve her tired body.

“Anyway, a 4th-grade monster came out, but it didn’t eat anyone or destroy any buildings, so we should be grateful. Let’s take the toad and head back. You write the report today.”

“Yes, ma’am. Who should I list as the one who dealt with the monster?”

“List it as unknown.”

“Understood. By the way, ma’am…”

“Yeah. What?”

The newbie, looking awkward, asked.

“Do you smell green onions?”

“…Now that you mention it?”

Sniffing around for a while, Yang Hye-jin shrugged.

“Maybe the toad picked up some green onions off the ground. Anyway, we’re going to have dinner together after work, right?”

“Yes. The usual place?”

“Yeah, the hangover soup

restaurant.”

***

At that time, in an old, decades-old hangover soup restaurant…

—I’m against this marriage!

—Father! How can you say that!

—Actually… You two are siblings!

“Oh dear…”

The old brown TV was showing a rerun of ‘Couple Clinic: Love or War’ on a cable channel. Someone, sitting in the prime spot where the screen was clearly visible, was peeling garlic with their eyes fixed on it.

—Don’t scold the kids! You’re no saint either!

—Mother-in-law, don’t intervene! This is about my child’s marriage!

—I never intended to reveal this secret, but given the circumstances, I have no choice. The truth is… we’re siblings too!

“The mother-in-law and son-in-law are siblings?”

The busy hands dropped the garlic they were holding. Without paying attention to the next scene, the person came to their senses to find a bald lawyer declaring, “See you in four weeks,” and announcing a mediation period. The hands, which had been stiff as stone, only started to move again with a rustle after a few commercials had passed. Once a considerable amount of garlic peel had piled up, the body that had been sitting down stood up straight.

“Taking out the trash~”

The voice, humming a tune while looking for the trash can, was slightly low but pleasing to the ear. The figure walked across the hall with long strides, although he was significantly taller than average, his head did not quite touch the ceiling, so there was no difficulty in moving.

The young man, having thrown out the garlic peels into the trash can, glanced at the clock. There was still a little time left before the evening shift began. His gaze drifted to one corner of the shop, and he momentarily frowned.

“Ah, I should have hit it with something else…”

With a sigh, the young man tidied up the area where he had been sitting and headed toward the door. He took down the break time notice and casually tossed it to the spot he had been eyeing earlier.

[Ingredient preparation time from 2 PM to 5 PM.]

Underneath the haphazardly discarded sign lay a crumpled strawberry-patterned shopping bag, completely empty.

Haejang-guk or hangover soup refers to every kind of guk or soup eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine. It means “soup to chase a hangover” and is also called sulguk. It usually consists of dried napa cabbage, vegetables and meat in a hearty beef broth.

In a secluded corner of an obviously old alley, there was a restaurant operating without even a signboard. The only clue as to what kind of place it was was a “Hangover Soup” sticker attached to a creaky iron sliding door, yet the place was packed. The inside was as busy as it was crowded outside, with people lining up.

The only items on the menu were a fifteen-thousand-won hangover soup and alcoholic beverages. Near the menu on the wall, there were some faded posters and autographs taped up haphazardly. Not celebrity autographs, but rather;

[Hangover Soup Restaurant – Hunter Bae Won-woo]

[It’s a great restaurant! – Hunter Yang Hye-jin]

They were autographs from hunters.

Among the crowd, a young man with black hair skillfully navigated his way. Wearing a gray hoodie and a black apron with a soju brand logo, he nimbly moved through the narrow shop, even with a tray full of boiling hot stone bowls in both hands.

“The hangover soup is ready.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Boss, we need two more hangover soups here!”

“Alright.”

“Also, add two bowls of rice, please.”

“Sure, coming right up.”

The young man memorized the table with his eyes and busily headed to the kitchen. Just then, a man with a shaved head asked in a booming voice from behind.

“Excuse me, can we get another bottle of soju?”

“No, you’ve already had two bottles of soju.”

“What are you talking about? This is only our first bottle.”

“I saw you put the empty bottle in the inventory earlier. No more.”

The young man pointed to a spot next to the simple menu with his index finger. The hastily scribbled note on an A4 paper in black marker showed the firmness of its writer.

[Soju limited to

two bottles

per table]

[※ To prevent nuisances and fights]

The young man gathered empty dishes and stone bowls from the next table and went into the kitchen. As the shaved head man awkwardly pulled out the empty soju bottle from his inventory, the man opposite him scolded him, saying he knew this would happen.

“See, I told you, it’s not allowed. That part-timer is very strict about how much we drink. It’s always two bottles.”

One Simple Trick To Relieve Knee Pain Permanently!

Easy Go Max

If You Find Papillomas On Your Body, Do This Immediately!

EasyGoMax

A Clump Of Worms Will Come Out Of You In The Morning. Try It!

Parasi Cleaner

“He’s sharp as a hawk. I slipped it in quicker than when I catch monsters. Isn’t he a hunter?”

Correct

But the man opposite shook his head.

“I heard from Team Leader Han that he already asked and the guy said he’s just an ordinary person.”

“What? Is that the trend now? Hidden-power hunters? Or is he unregistered?”

“Come on, you know how severe the penalties are for unregistered hunters. And if he were a hidden-power hunter, he’d be raking in money in dungeons, not working part-time at a hangover soup joint.”

The young man’s back flinched for a moment, but the shaved head man didn’t seem to notice. Instead he nodded in agreement.

“True. Those hiding their power are always after some grandstanding.”

“Team Leader Han is waiting to recruit him once he awakens. If he’s this good before awakening, he’d be at least a B-grade after.”

With the murmuring voices of the hunters behind him, the young man who entered the kitchen poured water into the dishwashing basin and chuckled. ‘I bet I awakened before you did. Instead of bringing in some far-off veteran hunter…’

The young man, named Cha Eui-jae, had an exceptional vision that could spot the empty soju bottles being hidden, and the superhuman strength to carry several boiling stone bowls at once. Despite being a hidden-power hunter, there was a reason why he chose to settle in this old and shabby restaurant instead of taking the easy way out in dungeons.

***

Several months ago, Cha Eui-jae woke up in a garbage dump. How long had he been unconscious? He blinked his eyes for a long time before his twisted senses slowly started to return.

“Where am I, ugh…!”

As soon as the unpleasant stench hit him, bile rose from his stomach. Despite having eaten nothing, his exhausted body heaved uncontrollably. The world spun, and he had no strength to move even a finger.

Monsters had poured endlessly from the white ruin. Yes, he remembered fighting the basilisk at the end, and stabbing its head. And then…

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw a giant black hole in the middle of the dark blue night sky. It had appeared as if to herald the end of the world, but by now, it had become a familiar sight to the extent that one couldn’t imagine the sky without it. Commonly referred to as the Black Hole.

Black holes are not visible within rifts. That meant he had returned to reality. As his consciousness became clearer and he grasped the situation, the next thing that came was a physiological need.

“I’m hungry…”

He had to eat something. Cha Eui-jae used the trash piled up around him to prop himself up. Leaning against the dirty wall, he caught his breath for a moment. He then pushed his weak body forward, using the wall to steady himself like an invertebrate.

As he forced his wobbly legs to keep walking, the smell of meat wafted in from somewhere. His instincts made him open his eyes wide and scan his surroundings. At the end of the alley, he saw a solitary light. He continued to drag himself toward it.

He arrived at a shabby place with no signboard. Through the glass of the iron sliding door, an old woman was sitting alone. Hearing a presence, the old woman who had been peeling garlic with her back to the door slowly turned her head. Cha Eui-jae leaned his face against the glass and mumbled.

“Is it… possible… to get food…?”

Of course, he looked like a wreck, with a haggard and emaciated body, barely able to stand on shaking legs, so it probably sounded more like, “Isht… passhible…to get fud…?” But he had no time to be self-aware. Despite looking like a homeless person who had barely escaped from a psychopathic murderer, the old woman opened the door for him instead of screaming.

“What are you doing standing there? Hurry and come in.”

The warm atmosphere and the smell of meat broth enveloped him as he entered. Cha Eui-jae looked down at the old woman who opened the door with a blank expression.

“What happened to you? Did you roll in the dirt? Did you come back from a dungeon or something?”

“Uh…”

Clicking her tongue, the old woman gestured for him to sit anywhere and disappeared into the kitchen. Cha Eui-jae awkwardly sat at the table in the farthest corner. After a while, a bowl of white bone broth

and a bowl of rice were placed in front of him.

“Eat up. The hangover soup will take some time.”

“…”

“If you’re not going to eat it, throw it away.”

Looking bewildered at the bowl of rice, Cha Eui-jae finally bowed his head and looked back at the old woman. Without waiting for his response, she turned and resumed peeling garlic.

Faced with food, his appetite soared far beyond what it had been earlier. As if possessed, he devoured the bowl. As the white bone broth entered his empty stomach, the cold and hunger that had made him shiver began to subside. Cha Eui-jae thought that maybe the light he saw in the alley was the old woman’s kindness, and he scooped rice into the broth.

After satisfying his immediate hunger, Cha Eui-jae started to notice the interior of the restaurant. There was an old CRT TV on a shelf, faded soju posters, a worn-out wall fan, and a large wall calendar from some association. It was a restaurant that bore the marks of time.

How long has it been since I entered the rift? Cha Eui-jae closely examined the calendar.

‘20… what year is it?’

He blinked his eyes in disbelief. The year on the wall calendar showed eight years had passed. He rubbed his eyes thinking he saw it wrong, but the printed numbers on the paper did not change.

Cha Eui-jae held his breath. The sense of reality he had barely regained was slipping away again. He tried to calm his swirling mind by taking another sip of broth. Just then, the TV on the shelf began to broadcast a calm narration.

—…Eight years ago today, a Grade 5 rift occurred over the West Sea.

…Eight years? Cha Eui-jae took another sip of broth.

—When the rift suddenly upgraded to Grade 1, the government deployed S-grade Hunter J, along with 14 A-grade and 30 B-grade hunters. The rift disappeared after a week. Unfortunately, the hunters dispatched did not return.

Familiar faces flashed across the screen. These were the people he had desperately searched for among the piles of corpses.

Cha Eui-jae felt a pang in his heart but ignored it, maintaining a calm expression as he continued to watch the TV. After the pictures of B-grade and A-grade hunters passed by, a final image showed S-grade Hunter J wearing a black mask that covered his entire face.

—The Awakened Management Bureau acknowledged the deaths of all hunters who entered the rift three months after it closed.

With that, the screen changed. Cha Eui-jae, holding an empty spoon, put it in his mouth.

‘All dead?’

Even S-grade Hunter J?

He continued to move his hand in the air, not realizing he was still spooning an empty spoon. The screen now showed a middle-aged man giving a closing remark.

[Song Jo-heon | S-grade Awakener | Guild Leader of Samra Guild]

—Without J, our country would not have a future. Eight years ago, we lost a hero in Incheon. J and 44 hunters bravely entered the rift. They gave us a future. We have a duty to look forward and move ahead.

A man with a somber expression spoke solemnly as he looked at the screen.

—This concludes the documentary commemorating the 8th anniversary of the West Sea Grade 1 Rift, ‘To J’.

A caption appeared at the bottom of the screen: [This program was produced with the support of the Pado Guild and the Awakened Management Bureau], followed by a moment of blackout on the screen. Cha Eui-jae replayed what he heard several times to ensure he had heard correctly.

—It has been confirmed that all the hunters who entered the rift perished.

—Eight years ago, we lost a hero in Incheon.

—The 8th anniversary commemorative documentary, ‘To J’.

Is this a dream? If I close my eyes and open them again, will I wake up? However, it was clear to him that this was reality. The black hole he saw earlier, his belly filled like an empty bowl, and the spoon he had unintentionally dropped with a clang, all proved it.

Cha Eui-jae couldn’t hide his astonishment and clutched his head. All the hunters dispatched to the West Sea rift perished? As far as he knew, that was absolutely not true. No, it couldn’t be true.

Because Hunter J, Cha Eui-jae, was the sole survivor and was sitting here eating soup!

White bone broth is a type of broth made by simmering animal bones (typically beef, chicken, pork, or fish) for an extended period. The term “white” refers to the fact that the bones are usually not roasted before boiling.

“Um, may I use the phone?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

Cha Eui-jae headed straight to the counter inside the store as soon as he finished speaking. He grabbed the old receiver and dialed the direct line to the Awakened Management Bureau Director, a number only he knew. His hand trembled constantly as he dialed. However,

—The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again…

He tried calling again just in case, but the result was the same. Cha Eui-jae slowly put down the receiver. His heart, which had been quiet as if doused in ice water, started to beat faster, and before he knew it, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Did I really fall eight years into the future? Or, more importantly… am I really dead?

However, he couldn’t be sure of anything. Maybe the director just changed their number. Cha Eui-jae didn’t want to see the situation in a purely negative light. As he hurriedly turned to leave the store, he remembered an important fact.

He had no money. Before entering the rift, he had only packed consumables like potions. He had even used up all the potions, leaving nothing. He was completely broke. He didn’t even have money to pay for the meal.

Sneaking a glance at the old woman, Cha Eui-jae cautiously spoke up.

“Um, Grandma.”

“Mm?”

“Well, I…”

As he rubbed his sleeves awkwardly, unable to continue, the old woman looked at him silently. She then slowly walked over to him and took his injured hand in her wrinkled one.

“It’s okay, kid.”

“Pardon?”

“Just come back to eat again sometime.”

Two crumpled 10,000 won bills were placed in Cha Eui-jae’s hand. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to speak, and just bowed his head. The old woman went into the kitchen and soon returned with an old navy jacket and a black hat.

“Wear this.”

“No, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”

“If you wander around in that state in daylight, you’ll get caught. Wear it.”

The old woman’s words were indisputable. Cha Eui-jae, while taking off his tattered jacket, noticed the silver watch on his left wrist. It was something he had since the moment he awakened. This is it! Cha Eui-jae hurriedly took off the watch and handed it to the old woman.

“Grandma, take this.”

“What is it?”

“A watch. This is all I have right now.”

“What for? I don’t need it.”

“No, please take it. Or think of it as a pawn. I’ll come back for it later.”

Cha Eui-jae forced the watch into the old woman’s hand, pulled the hat over his head, and left the store, bowing repeatedly. The old woman called after him urgently as he ran away, but he ignored her and kept running.

Looking up at the sky after running for a while, he saw that it was already getting light. A long line at the bus stop, cars filling the road, people walking on the wet pavement with tired faces. Many were going about their own ways.

It was a peaceful scene, but to Cha Eui-jae, it felt unfamiliar. This South Korea, which he estimated to be eight years into the future, was vastly different from his memories. Cha Eui-jae watched the moments of everyday life with a sense of emptiness.

Then it happened.

Beeeep— An alarm started blaring loudly around him. People took out their phones to check something. Two boys in school uniforms were chatting.

“Damn, a rift is opening in 30 minutes.”

“Do you think we’ll see any hunters? If a ranker comes, let’s film it and put it on YouTube.”

“Yeah. Man, I should’ve brought my drone.”

A rift is opening? Cha Eui-jae looked around in bewilderment. However, despite the rift alert, people seemed calm. It was as if rift alerts had become a normal part of life. Confused, Cha Eui-jae grabbed a passing woman and spoke to her.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry. Is a rift about to open?”

“Huh? Yes, we just got an emergency alert. Didn’t you see it?”

“Oh, no. I left my phone behind.”

“Ah, I see. Here, look.”

The woman showed him her phone.

[Rift Management Bureau]

[A rift is expected to appear east of Wirae-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul at 7:42 AM on November 14. Residents should evacuate to designated shelters. If pre-evacuation is not possible, contact the Awakened Management Bureau.]

A rift is essentially a ‘sudden dungeon entrance’. Unlike regular dungeons, which have fixed entry points, rifts appear randomly and open an entrance. If not quickly subdued, they pour out monsters. But to predict the location and time of a rift appearance?

As Cha Eui-jae stood frozen, lost in thought, the woman asked cautiously.

“Um, are you okay…?”

“Oh, yes… I’m fine. Thank you for showing me.”

The woman nodded, still looking concerned, and walked away. After watching the people’s backs in a daze for a moment, Cha Eui-jae also started moving.

As the sound of car exhausts roared, the hallucinations he had tried so hard to ignore began to trouble his ears again. The sound of bones breaking, flesh tearing, necks snapping, voices begging for mercy… The familiar screams and noises overlaid the peaceful city scene. This strange sensation made Cha Eui-jae stop in his tracks. And he thought.

Did all those sacrifices mean anything?

The world eight years after J’s disappearance was so peaceful and perfect. In fact, this was the very scene he had longed for.

Broken asphalt roads, buses crushed under monster feet, collapsed buildings, burning and bent streetlights, people holding their breath in fear of monsters appearing at any moment. The past scenes were as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.

Cha Eui-jae had sincerely wished for this. To have a daily life without fear. Even if he wasn’t there to see it. But now that such moments were unfolding before his eyes, his feelings were complex.

Would anything change if J, presumed dead for eight years, returned? The moment J announced his return, the world’s peace would be shattered. Everyone would flock to him, demanding to know what happened in the rift, how he survived alone, and why it took him eight years to return.

Cha Eui-jae wiped away his cold sweat. He felt like his insides were twisting.

He believed that he should inform the world of his comrades’ sacrifices, of course. He remembered all their names, faces, and how they died.

But…

“Eui-jae, remember.”

“The world has changed, and since you have power, everyone will rely on you. They will expect you to save them all.”

“But Eui-jae, you’re still young…”

“You don’t have to save everyone.”

“You can run away.”

Cha Eui-jae recalled his aunt’s words as she had held his shoulders and advised him.

His aunt, who had also awakened as a B-grade hunter after losing her two sons when Cha Eui-jae’s family was swept away by a rift, was the only other survivor in that hellish rift. They weren’t really related by blood, but they depended on each other like family. She had been the one to advise him to hide his identity.

‘Now I understand, Aunt.’

Cha Eui-jae rubbed his eyes unnecessarily.

Hunter J was already dead, and no one knew Cha Eui-jae as a person. People wouldn’t even know he existed. Even after eight years, twenty-year-old Cha Eui-jae was still twenty. He still vividly remembered his aunt congratulating him on becoming an adult. However, in this world, he was twenty-eight.

People passed him by indifferently. Cha Eui-jae stood alone for a long time in the crowd. Quietly, lonely.

And finally,

Cha Eui-jae decided to run away for the first time.

***

A few months later… back at the hangover soup restaurant.

Cha Eui-jae, who had been about to wash the piled-up dishes in the kitchen, had to come back out to the hall due to the constant orders and calls from customers.

“Check, please!”

“Yes, just a moment.”

One important thing Cha Eui-jae realized while working at this restaurant was that even though he had switched from being a hunter to a hangover soup restaurant part-timer, this wasn’t a place where he could live while completely hiding his power.

“More kimchi

and radish

, please!”

“And some more cheongyang peppers

!”

“Alright, just a moment.”

This place had too many customers, especially hunters who ate quickly and a lot. As a result, Cha Eui-jae was pretending to be an ordinary person who was just a bit stronger and more agile, using his awakened abilities only slightly.

“Excuse me, could we borrow some pepper…?”

“Oh, yes, sure.”

“Thank you.”

“Hurry up and clear the table! We need to eat quickly and head to the dungeon!”

“We’ll wipe the table ourselves! Can we use the cloth over there?”

“If you give us the peppers, we’ll slice them ourselves.”

“This guy’s a B-grade hunter. He’s really good at slicing with his sword.”

In the short time Cha Eui-jae had returned to the kitchen, the customers had started to divide roles as if they were raiding a dungeon. Finally escaping the bustling hall that resembled a newly opened rift, Cha Eui-jae took out containers of kimchi and radish from the fridge and took a moment to catch his breath. He moved mechanically, his eyes now empty.

‘I should set up a self-serve bar for kimchi and cheongyang peppers as soon as possible.’

Gathering up two bags of rice and chili peppers, he quickly came out of the kitchen, rapidly assessing the hunters with his eyes. It seemed best to leave the task of chopping the peppers to the B-grade hunter.

“You there, please chop these chili peppers, and take the kimchi, radish kimchi, and rice. I’ll handle the bill.”

Following his instructions, the hunters seamlessly fell into their roles as if tackling a dungeon raid. The B-grade hunter, using a dagger that looked like at least a C-grade weapon, chopped the peppers. A C-grade hunter used tongs to serve kimchi and radish kimchi, while other hunters lined up with their bowls, waiting for their turn. Cha Eui-jae processed their payments at the card reader, watching the harmonious scene.

Is this the peace I’ve protected…?

Formerly the number one hunter in South Korea and the first S-grade hunter of the nation, known by the hunter name J. Eight years ago, he closed the first-grade rift in the West Sea and was declared a national hero after his death. His real name, unknown to anyone, was Cha Eui-jae. And now…

“Thank you, have a nice day. Welcome, how many in your party?”

…He is currently a part-time worker at a hangover soup restaurant.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings is used, including gochugaru, spring onions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal. Kimchi is also used in a variety of soups and stews.

Kkakdugi or diced radish kimchi is a variety of kimchi in Korean cuisine. Usually, Korean radish is used, but other vegetables or fruits can also be used. Kkakduk-kkakduk is an ideophone related to dicing/cubing. Kimchi made with radish that are not diced into cubes are not called kkakdugi.

Cheongyang chili pepper is a medium-sized chili, with intensity of 10,000 Scoville heat units. Cheongyang chili peppers look similar to regular Korean chili peppers, but are many times spicier. The chilli is a local speciality of Cheongyang County in South Korea.