Action and Reaction
"Oh, Boss Bang, you're having some too?"
"No. I—I was just……"
Smile.
I put on the brightest smile I could manage. Boss Bang, by contrast, looked ready to cry. The way his eyes darted about made it plain just how rattled he was.
Never imagined I'd settle this so fast, did you?
The whole A-frame signboard stunt had only gone up that morning. He never would have guessed I'd have it handled before half a day was out.
Still smiling, I asked him,
"You weren't standing in line for ramen, then?"
"Well, that's……"
Boss Bang hemmed and hawed. For some reason, even the companion at his side couldn't get a word out.
Maybe the deliberation went on a little too long.
"Hey, if you're not eating, step out of the way!"
"Why even get in line?"
People around them started pressing. In the end, Boss Bang squeezed his eyes shut and thrust out a card.
"J-just give me one!"
"Yes, sir. Order received, customer!"
I ran his card and went straight to preparing the ramen.
Cup ramen.
Most people would picture the usual instant stuff. What I made was different. I used a cup, true to the name—specifically, the grande-size cups I'd gotten from the coffee truck owner.
Cooking in progress.
351st dish in progress.
First, I sank the noodles into the broth I'd already boiled. Getting those noodles fully cooked was step one. While they softened, I loaded in the toppings I'd prepared—that was step two.
Alright, what toppings for him? Boss Bang's been under a lot of stress today, hasn't he? Still piling up even now—better show a little generosity!
Fake talk of mutual prosperity or not, a customer was a customer. I had zero intention of messing with the food.
Spicy is the classic fix for stress!
I packed in chili powder along with some black pepper. Then I dropped in a single little fish cake that went perfectly with the rest. Finally, as I transferred the well-cooked noodles into the cup—
Umami Enhance!
Ding—
Umami is enhanced.
Flavor rises by one additional stage.
A cooking skill on top, as a wish for him to enjoy the meal. Three stages total, and the cup ramen was complete!
"Here you go—one cup ramen. Enjoy!"
"Uh……? R-right. I'll, uh, enjoy it……"
Boss Bang took the cup in both hands.
"Whoa. Oh…… what kind of cup ramen is this?"
The cup's owner changed hands. Not Boss Bang—the café owner beside him was the one scarfing the ramen down. It must have tasted even better than expected; his eyes were sparkling.
"You bottomless idiot. Can you even fit that in your mouth?"
"Why? It's good. Try some. This is insane."
"Ugh……"
Boss Bang tried to scold him, but it didn't land.
"That good?"
"Yeah. It's crazy. Man, if I'd known, I would've bought a few cups!"
"……You bottomless bastard."
He could curse all he wanted—it wasn't getting through.
Why is this guy so slow on the uptake? Can't he see the coffee truck right there?
Boss Bang thumped his own chest.
"What, man? What's wrong with you?"
"Can't you see behind us?"
"What? Did something new open?"
"That coffee truck!"
"That truck's been there forever. What about it?"
"I know. But look—it's already closed."
"Yeah. So?"
"I'm going to explode! That truck must've sold out early because business was so good. Which means your café was sitting empty with flies buzzing around, right?"
"That so?"
"……Forget it. Only I get a headache from thinking. Why would you?"
Boss Bang was the only one seething. The café owner, for his part, had a stomach of steel.
"Listen to this guy talk."
"What—why!"
"Whatever. Today's business is already over, right? Want to grab another bowl with me?"
"……You absolute menace!"
He had finally succeeded in lighting Boss Bang's fuse!
"Take care!"
The last customer left. The cup-ramen business had started out of nowhere, and it had kept me running nonstop. Not because I was cooking something new—the menu variety was actually smaller than when I ran Ramenkase. It was the sheer number of customers that wore me out.
Still, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Serving ramen in cups sped up the turnover. I'd cut the price and reduced the portion, and people ended up coming back for seconds. Customers who ate once came again, and again. If the coffee truck owner, who'd already closed up shop behind me, hadn't come over to help, things could have gotten ugly. I was lucky he showed up. Without him, I would have been in all kinds of trouble. It was, in a word, a hit.
"That was huge, right?!"
"It really was! How about you, boss?"
"Me? I crushed it. Sold every last bit! First time that's ever happened!"
The work had been hard, but neither of us was tired. We were buzzing with energy.
"The whole five kilos of beans?"
"Every last gram! The lot of it!"
"Wow. So that's two hundred fifty cups, all sold out?"
"Exactly. First sell-out ever. Man…… at the end, when the beans wouldn't even stick to my hands, the rush was unreal! If I'd had more, I would've sold more."
"You must be thrilled!"
"You're not far behind, are you? You used every cup I brought you?"
"Thanks to you."
"Heh. Nice."
"Right?"
An unexpected jackpot. We agreed that, paid for by the day's wages, he'd roast even more beans tomorrow. The amount would grow past what we'd done before—up toward ten kilos. The owner headed home grinning from ear to ear.
Even after he left, I stayed a good while cleaning up the area. Disposable cups meant more mess than usual. I had to hunt down cups scattered all over and dispose of them, and I finished that too with a glad heart.
"Alright—that's business closed for today!"
And then I received an unexpected gift.
Cooking complete.
You have deliciously served over five hundred people in a single stretch.
"Oh…… healing effects already?"
Healing effects. The ability to produce, through cooking, something like the potions everyone knew. I'd only just received it, so the effects would be basic for now.
But even so—so what?
A potion itself was practically a miracle. Smear it on and external wounds closed; drink it and internal injuries mended. Even a fraction of that wasn't something to shrug off. It was the best!
Ten days had passed since the first bowl of ramen.
The cup ramen was selling like crazy.
"One cup ramen—no, three!"
"I'm sorry, but it's limited to one bowl per person."
"What!? Why!?"
"If you look behind you……"
"Ah……"
The line now stretched past the A-frame signs. The customer took one look and understood the situation.
"I'm truly sorry."
"No, no! I'll come back another time!"
"Yes. Thank you!"
And so cup ramen was one cup per person—and even then, I was selling out. It wasn't just a long line, either.
"Hyung. This is a total hit, right?"
"Oh, you're here?"
"Yeah. Shame I missed the first wave this time. Man, people sure get up early."
"Tell me about it. An open-run for a ramen shop…… does that even make sense?"
"Tch! If the boss talks like that, we're done for."
"Fair enough."
Somehow, an open-run had formed. I opened the ramen shop at 10:30 a.m. For reference, I arrived at 8:30—two hours before opening. That was the only way to get all the prep finished properly.
So when I reached the truck that day, I got a real shock.
Never imagined customers would already be waiting the moment I showed up.
People were there before I even opened. The line was so long I thought something was wrong—another new form of harassment, maybe. It wasn't. It was a line for the ramen shop.
The first day, I was too surprised to handle it well.
I was stunned too.
Opening even a little earlier was the best I could do. The next day, I came early and handed out number tickets in advance. Waiting a long time was hard on people. It was a courtesy for the ones I was grateful to have.
And I wasn't the only one doing well.
"Couldn't get coffee again today, huh?"
"I know. It's a shame."
The coffee truck was thriving too. Customers who came early for number tickets naturally drifted over there. Business was so steady every day that the owner had dropped the sandwiches. He said he couldn't handle both alone.
"Did you get some, hyung?"
"Me? Well—see for yourself?"
"Ugh!"
I lifted my coffee cup right in front of Jinwoo's face. Two cups, for the record.
"I gratefully accept every time."
"Damn it!"
I was always Customer Number One. The coffee truck owner pulled my shot first.
"That's special treatment, you know."
"If it bothers you, go run a truck yourself. Then maybe he'd give you some."
"……Would he really? I've actually dreamed of being a chef for a long time."
"Don't. Honestly, it wouldn't work."
"Tch…… I really did dream of being a chef, though."
"Pass your exams first. You said you wanted a proper job and a solid footing, right?"
"Yes, sir! That's true enough. Heh."
Jinwoo's sulky expression brightened the moment he got his cup ramen, and he was busy slurping it down.
That stomach of his, I swear.
There was no curing the guy.
Plenty of customers came and went. Regulars from before kept showing up as well. That they still came even with the longer lines was something I was simply grateful for.
And the new regulars have multiplied too.
A kind of pattern had formed. Early in the morning, people took a number, had coffee, and when their turn came they picked up a cup of ramen. In the afternoon, they filled a long line and waited. As the queue grew, so did the conversations.
"Man. I had it yesterday and still craved it today."
"I already ate this morning and came back."
"What? This morning?"
"Yeah. Lined up before booking the early academy class."
"Whoa…… why didn't I think of that?"
"Next time we do it together."
"Deal. Sounds fun."
Customers who treated standing in line like a game, swapping stories as they found their way here.
"Is this the place?"
"Yeah. On Instagram it popped up in a whole string of new-hotspot posts."
"Isn't it just regular ramen?"
"Try it once. I thought the same thing, came, and then came back."
"Yeah?"
The anticipation of new customers. Talk about the flavor, too. Most of what I overheard was full of positive chatter.
Though every so often, someone would suddenly voice a complaint.