38
Ch.38 I'm still hungry.
The buildings in the Age of Monsters were designed with the expectation that they would be destroyed, so they were built with modular structures that could be easily reconstructed.
However, even then, some high-rise buildings and internal pillars still required concrete and steel reinforcement.
And for that, the task of carrying cement up the stairs is called gombang.
"Whoa… Lee Moo-han, you’re seriously strong…? You’re faster than the construction drones?"
After arriving at the site to work as a day laborer, I was told to do gombang instead since I ended up punching holes through several steel plates while attempting welding.
Precise tasks like welding were difficult for me, but gombang was my calling.
I finished carrying the cement so quickly that I had time to spare, and the foreman suggested that if I was okay with it, he’d introduce me to another site nearby where I could keep working.
"Is this guy even human? How many kilos is this?"
"Is he a superpower human?"
"Huh, I think he really is a superpower human. How can a person carry a ton by himself like it’s nothing?"
"Why would a superpower human come here to do gombang…?"
After carrying cement at three different sites, I was told, ‘Yarikiri!’ and left the construction site.
Yarikiri means that once you’ve finished your work, you can leave regardless of the time—a truly beautiful culture.
"Moo-han! See you next time!"
"It’s Lee Moo-han, right? Come back to work again! Make sure to call!"
After receiving my pay, the place I headed to next was even more beautiful than Yarikiri.
There are some incredibly beautiful words in this world.
Gobongbap (extra-large rice portion), gopbaegi (double portion), super jumbo, bulk, 1+1… But there’s one word that surpasses them all.
The glorious, the magnificent—unlimited refills.
"Sir, um… Meal time is over."
"Hmm…?"
At that moment, I had just picked up my 30th plate at the all-you-can-eat pork restaurant near the construction site.
The owner, for some reason, approached me and tried to take the towering pile of meat from my plate back to the fridge.
"It’s only been an hour, hasn’t it?"
"Well, sir… You’re, uh, done now."
"Why? The sign says meal time is two hours."
"Ah, no… I mean, what kind of human eats a plate every four minutes? And each plate has almost a kilo of meat on it."
"It’s delicious."
"Yes, yes! Thank you for enjoying it! But please, just enjoy it up to this point! You’ve already eaten so much!"
"I don’t understand… Is eating a lot not allowed? It says unlimited refills…"
"My wallet isn’t unlimited, sir, please…"
This was strange… If it’s unlimited refills, then why isn’t it unlimited?
Unjustly kicked out of the all-you-can-eat restaurant, I went looking for another one.
"Please, please stop eating. I’ll give you your money back."
"Sir, please… This isn’t right…"
"Hey, you—fuck! Get out right now! Don’t come back, please, just don’t come in! Please!"
From the day I was kicked out of the fourth all-you-can-eat restaurant, my photo was posted in every unlimited refills place near construction sites.
The sign, which looked exactly like a villain wanted poster near a police station, read: ABSOLUTELY NO ENTRY.
That day, I decided to change my name from Lee Moo-han (Infinite) to Lee Yoo-han (Finite).
Unlimited refills—such a beautiful phrase, yet it turned out to be nothing but a deceptive lie to lure in unsuspecting people.
"So that’s why you told us to call you Yoo-han from now on? This guy’s really something."
"What a tragic story… An unlimited refills place that isn’t actually unlimited."
"Yeah, yeah, very sad story indeed…"
"So that’s why your photo’s up in those places? You should’ve just eaten in moderation."
"I did eat in moderation."
"You got kicked out for eating in moderation…? If you ate until you were full, would a murder happen or something?"
"Huh, so is that why you’re so strong and tall? Because you eat so much?"
"That’s just because I’m a superpower human… Wait, does eating a lot make it easier to awaken superpowers? I don’t know, I never studied it."
As I carried cement at the gombang site and shared the tragic news that unlimited refills places don’t actually exist, the construction workers chuckled and mocked my misfortune.
One of them said something like, ‘Tragedy becomes comedy when seen from afar’. It really did seem that way.
"By the way, if you like eating that much, why don’t you check out the Black Bear Park in District 4?"
"Oh, that place? I’ve been there before."
"Black Bear Park?"
Curious about what was there, the workers all chimed in to tell me about it.
"They open a free meal center there every weekend at lunch. Out of all the free meal centers in W-City, it’s the one with the most food. And hey, today’s the weekend, right? Moo-han, you’re gonna do Yarikiri early again today, aren’t you?"
"The portions are huge, and the food’s pretty good too. The people there are nice enough that they don’t say anything even if you go back for more. Though there’s this girl with a sharp memory who might give you a look if you take too much."
"For people like us, food is money. Since the money we earn goes straight into our stomachs, we often fill up at Black Bear Park whenever we’re in District 4."
"Free… Meal center…!"
Unbelievable. How could something so absurd actually exist?
Stunned by this unimaginable combination of words, I dropped the cement I was holding.
Gobongbap, gopbaegi, hefty portions, unlimited refills—all the beautiful words that once held the highest place in my heart were now dethroned by the emperor of all words: free meals.
And if you could eat as much as you wanted without paying, then the word unlimited could be added to this emperor… No, that would surpass even an emperor—it would be godlike.
"Moo-han really loves food, huh?"
"With that body, there’s no way normal meals would be enough."
"But how many servings do you think they’ll let him take before saying something?"
"I heard once that a guy who took seven servings got a quiet stare from that girl, but I think even ten would be fine."
"Damn, now I’m curious what the limit is."
That limit—I’ll be the one to test it.
My mind already filled with thoughts of heading to Black Bear Park, I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and kept carrying cement.
With this, my work at this building was done. After carefully counting the money the foreman gave me, I pocketed it.
"Moo-han, let’s work together again sometime, yeah? Give me your number."
"I don’t have one."
"Huh? Who doesn’t have a phone these days? If you’re gonna reject me, at least make up a believable excuse."
"I really don’t have one."
"Wow… I thought you were just being loyal by refusing when guys from other sites asked for your number."
"Those guys didn’t understand work-life balance."
"This is the first time I’ve seen someone talk about work-life balance while doing gombang."
I have no intention of working under construction sites that don't provide a single meal.
Work-life balance—after working, there must be time to eat, and work must go hand in hand with food.
Whoever came up with that concept, it’s a damn good one.
"Well then."
"Yeah! Take care, and let’s see each other on site again!"
"Moo-han! See you!"
"Thanks to you, my back feels great!"
With that, this job site was over, and it was time to say goodbye to these workers too.
As I, the first to Yarikiri, prepared to leave, the workers who had assigned me the heaviest and most dangerous tasks waved with bittersweet expressions.
But only for a moment. Leaving behind the sounds of cement mixers and the workers laboring away, I set off toward District 4.
The day my name becomes ‘Free’ isn’t far off.
***
District 4 of W-City, where the slums were concentrated.
Rumor had it that District 4 was considered a slum even in cities like A-City and B-City.
In the Age of Monsters, District 4 was avoided because the number four was considered unlucky. Aside from government-insured buildings, the area was filled with makeshift structures illegally assembled by squatters.
This was a place for those who had no room to worry about superstitions.
The flimsy, thin-plate structures looked like they’d collapse if pushed by a human, let alone a monster. The cracked asphalt roads showed that this area was low on W-City’s priority list.
Yet, there was a big difference between District 4 being called a slum like District 9 and being called a poor district.
"Hahaha! I’m the Black Cat!"
"Then I’m Starlight!"
"I wanna be the Black Cat too!"
Children in dirty black clothes (where stains didn’t show) ran through the broken streets, playing a game of tag called The Black Cat.
Passersby watched them, each carrying a basket with some food inside.
"Kids! Don’t trip while running!"
"Okay~!"
It was an old district, but not filthy.
Strangely, public safety here was no worse than in other Districts.
Thus, it wasn’t a slum—just a poor district where those unlucky enough to lose their homes to monsters or struggling to make ends lived.
Though pockets were empty, hearts were still generous here. Every weekend, a community gathering took place.
The free meal center at Black Bear Park, sponsored by the Starlight Foundation.
For those barely scraping by, one misstep away from starvation, this free meal was both welfare and a chance to check in on their neighbors.
"Slurrrp!"
Even the residents of District 4, who had known hunger themselves, never saw outsiders coming for free meals as stealing their share.
They must be taking a break from working hard. Eat well and keep going.
After all, thanks to the Starlight Foundation, there was always more than enough food.
"Gulp… Gulp… Gulp… Haaah…"
Perhaps because word had spread, sometimes people from other Districts would come and fill their hungry stomachs over and over.
But no matter how much they ate, no one had ever seen someone eat this much.
"That’s insane. Where does it all go?"
"Wow… Is today’s meal gonna run out because of him?"
Like the dust-covered laborers who sometimes visited, the man didn’t stop at one bowl—he went back for more, again and again.
The residents of District 4 greeted him warmly, saying, eat as much as you want!
But when his servings went past dozens, everyone began to stare.
"He finished another one!"
"Whoaaa!"
"Whoooooa!"
Next to the man, children and adults cheered as he climbed onto his chair and raised his empty tray high.
His meal had turned into an entertaining show.
The only ones not laughing were the Starlight Foundation staff.
"...What do we do about this?"
"That’s not a person, that’s a pig…"
"Ugh, damn it… Do we have to cook more already…?"
"That guy just ate an entire pig by himself."
"Surely he’s full now? That was the last one, right? Aaah…!"
Amid the cheers, the large man gulped down water leisurely while children patted his firm belly.
"Are you gonna eat more, mister? Really? Where does it all go?"
"It’s gone! Poof!"
"If you eat this much, you’re gonna poop a lot!"
"Don’t talk about pooping while eating."
"Eek! Ahahaha!"
Patting the boy’s head, the man stood up and approached the serving table with his empty tray.
The volunteers paled as the girl at the front took the tray with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
"Twenty… Three! Right? Did you… Enjoy the meal?"
One rule of this meal center was that when asked, Did you enjoy the meal? you were supposed to say, Yes, thank you, and leave your tray.
In other words, it was a polite way of asking, Are you done eating?
All eyes turned to the man as he looked around and declared boldly,
"I’m still… Hungry."
"WHOOOOOOOA!!"
"O-oh my~! My, you really… Eat a lot, don’t you?"
Amid the cheers, the girl’s smiling face twisted.