39
Ch.39 It's free.
Does that make any sense? Eating that much and still saying you're hungry.
It clearly shouldn’t make sense, yet he piles food onto his tray as if performing a circus act.
Double portions, mountain-like servings—no, even those terms fall short. A special double portion, a special mountain serving.
This was his 35th plate, but honestly, it should’ve been counted as four times that.
Watching the man return to his seat, Yoo Hyena, standing behind the serving counter, stepped into the makeshift kitchen where volunteers were busy cooking. With a forced smile, she asked,
“How much of the ingredients are left?”
“Th-they’re almost gone… That guy alone emptied three whole pots.”
“We always bring more than enough… What do we do, Hyena?”
“We’ll have to go to the nearest supermarket and restock. The quality might drop, but we can’t let anyone go hungry today because of him.”
Sighing, Yoo Hyena rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a gold-colored Hero-exclusive card.
Equipped with fingerprint recognition, the card wouldn’t work unless it was her, so she had to go herself.
After signaling the larger male volunteers with a glance, she got into the truck used to transport the food and headed to the nearest supermarket, grabbing vegetables and meat indiscriminately.
By the time Yoo Hyena returned to Black Bear Park, the cheers from the residents had grown even louder.
“44! 44! 44!”
“Woooooah!”
What’s all this commotion now? Don’t tell me he’s already on his 44th plate?!
Horrified, Yoo Hyena rushed into the kitchen to check the situation.
The volunteers, sweating as if they were running a high-end restaurant rather than a free meal service, didn’t look relieved to see her—just utterly defeated.
“Aaaaah…! You’re finally back! With ingredients!”
“No! Give us a break!”
“Ugh… Ughhh…!”
As the male volunteers dumped onions, potatoes, and meat beside the last remaining cooks, the groans only grew louder.
But it didn’t last long. The cooks, moving with swift hands, refilled the empty pots.
Residents lined up, took their portions one by one, and then—the towering man who dwarfed everyone else got back in line.
Clenching her fists, Yoo Hyena steadied herself and approached him.
Don’t get mad just because he eats a lot. He’s here because he’s hungry too. Treat him equally, let him leave full…
“D-did you… Enjoy the meal?”
“It was good.”
At least he’s not complaining about being hungry. Good, he should eat well. But after all that… Surely he’s full now, right?
Betraying her thoughts, the man lined up again and scooped another mountain of food onto his plate.
“You’re… Having more?”
“I’ll eat more.”
“O-oh…? That’s… Impressive?”
“Hmm… Isn’t this what they call a thumbs-up?”
He raised his thumb, and Yoo Hyena felt a throbbing headache coming on.
Thumbs-up my foot! No matter how you look at it, this is just too much!
As the freshly filled pot was half-emptied by his towering serving, the volunteers groaned while the residents cheered.
And then—again—surely this is the last time?
Please, just say it’s the last time already!
Seriously!
“I’m done.”
“Ah, ha, ha…?”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the man who had been eating nonstop announced he was done.
Yoo Hyena’s smile, long past its limit, didn’t even resemble a smile anymore.
As the man placed his bowl in the return bin, the residents—who had stayed even after finishing their meals—erupted in cheers.
“57! It ended at 57!”
“Ahahaha! Just a little more next time!”
“Woooooah!”
“Amazing! So cool!”
Watching the man pat his stomach in satisfaction before raising a triumphant fist, Yoo Hyena’s eyebrow twitched.
Is he even human? Where does he put all that?!
If he were wearing clothes, she might’ve suspected he was hiding it somewhere, but the man was only wearing tattered firefighter pants, his muscular torso fully exposed.
Standing nearly twice her height, the man let out an impressed sigh as he approached her.
Now that he was right in front of her, his mountain-like frame and the clearly defined muscles—despite all that food—made Yoo Hyena blink in disbelief.
“You must be the leader of this place.”
“I’m not the leader, I’m just—ah, uh—”
“Impressive. I never thought I’d actually get to eat until I was full.”
“You’re… Finally full? R-really? This is full?”
“This is the first time I’ve ever eaten this much delicious food to my satisfaction.”
Without realizing it, she reached out toward his abs. Snatching her hand back like she’d been burned, Yoo Hyena felt a fleeting sense of fulfillment at the man’s sincere tone.
But that didn’t last. The sheer amount he’d eaten made her more suspicious than satisfied.
One of Yoo Hyena’s rules for this free meal service was never to ask about someone’s background.
Even if they were criminals, feeding them until they were full and sending them off could turn them into honest workers.
But even so, she couldn’t help but wonder—what the hell is this guy?
Is he even human? Some monster disguised as a human? Or just a pig? A superpower human who awakened an eating-based ability?
But it is over now. Sighing, Yoo Hyena gave the same farewell she always did to the residents.
“I hope you find the strength to keep going, now that you’ve eaten your fill.”
“Hmm… You’re not going to ask for money?”
“No. This is a free meal service for those in need.”
“Truly amazing. Actually free…!”
Did she know? That it was rare for this man to show emotion like this?
So rare that he even opened his mouth wide and clapped before extending a hand the size of a pot lid toward her.
What’s this? Hesitantly, she took his hand—only for her delicate fingers to be vigorously shaken by his rough grip.
“You’re an incredible woman. The fourth most incredible I’ve ever met.”
“Uh… Fourth isn’t exactly special, is it?”
“No, fourth is special. As impressive as Yarikiri.”
“Ya…ri? Yakitori? Are you talking about skewered chicken…? We didn’t serve that today.”
Is there something wrong with him? Confused by the bizarre conversation, Yoo Hyena checked if her hand was still intact after being released.
What kind of hand is this big? She suddenly felt like a child again.
Meanwhile, the man—perhaps afraid she’d ask for money—had already retreated to the park entrance, giving her another thumbs-up.
This time, with both hands—still backing away while doing so.
Dumbfounded, Yoo Hyena blinked.
“What a typhoon of a man…”
Behind her, a volunteer muttered the same sentiment, and she silently nodded.
That’s exactly what he was—a typhoon.
Appearing out of nowhere, devouring everything in his path, vanishing just as quickly.
Leaving behind exhaustion, but also the feeling that they’d survived.
And the desperate hope that he’d never return.
“...He won’t come back tomorrow, right?”
“Ahaha… Surely not.”
“If I ate that much, I’d be full for a month…”
With a sigh, Yoo Hyena and the volunteers continued serving the remaining food.
Even the biggest eaters after that only had three or four servings. To them, she smiled brighter than usual and asked how they were doing.
And so, the day ended.
But the very next day—the last day of the weekend—the man returned.
“That guy? The one who ate 57 plates? Seriously?”
“Wow! It’s 57 Uncle!”
“57 Uncle!”
“Hiiiiii….”
“Why’s he back…? After eating that much yesterday…?”
Standing imposingly at the meal site, the man was impossible to miss—even if you didn’t want to see him.
Yoo Hyena and the volunteers trembled, their arms aching just at the sight of him.
Amid the residents’ laughter, the man—gulping down saliva—approached Yoo Hyena.
With shaking hands, she handed him a tray and greeted him.
“Y-you came back again today…?”
The usual greeting ended there. Names and identities weren’t asked—that was the rule.
But Yoo Hyena couldn’t hold back any longer. Lips trembling, she asked for his name.
“Um… By the way, what’s your name?”
“Hmm… My name.”
The man scratched his unkempt head thoughtfully before answering.
“It’s Han Mu-ryo.”
“That’s… Quite a name for someone who loves free things…”
How can someone’s name be ‘Free’? Wait, actually… It's kind of cool?
Her thoughts didn’t last long.
“Han! Mu-ryo! Han! Mu-ryo!”
“Woooooah! He eats so well!”
“Boss, looks like we’ll have to go shopping again.”
“Ha, ha, ha, ha…”
Having learned from yesterday, the volunteers cooked faster—but he ate even faster.
By the time he hit 55 plates, Yoo Hyena—who had already gone shopping once—prepared to go again.
Word of Han Mu-ryo’s food-devouring spectacle must’ve spread throughout District 4, because the number of residents coming for meals had doubled from the day before.
For Yoo Hyena, who had been worried about how to attract those in District 4 who prioritized pride over hunger—those who refused to visit free meal services even when starving—this was good news.
Free food and entertainment in the form of Han Mu-ryo. She told herself she should be happy the residents were enjoying themselves as she went shopping.
Today’s record: 68 plates.
As Han Mu-ryo patted his stomach and walked out amid the cheering crowd, placing his empty tray in the return bin, the park erupted.
“The best! Han Mu-ryo!”
“The best! The best! The best!”
Amid the cheers, Han Mu-ryo closed his eyes and waved his hands, as if denying the title.
Then, approaching Yoo Hyena, he grabbed her wrist and lifted it high.
“She is the best… This Yarikiri-like woman!”
“Woooooah! Yari, Yarikiri…?”
“What’s that…? Something perverted? Or dazzling?”
“Director Yoo Hyena isn’t perverted…? She’s elegant! Not dazzling either…?”
What is he talking about?
As the residents buzzed in confusion, Han Mu-ryo took a deep breath and roared loud enough to shake the park.
“YARIKIRI!!”
“Woooooah! Yarikiri! Yarikiri! Yarikiri!”
Amid the cheers for something nobody understood, Yoo Hyena waved blankly at the crowd.
And just like that, the man who had swept through the meal site like a typhoon vanished just as quickly.
“Whoever he is, he’s fun!”
“Isn’t Yarikiri that thing where you leave work as soon as you’re done?”
“Like, I ate, so I’m out?”
“Yarikiri’s a good thing!”
Even after he left, the residents laughed and chatted about their new source of entertainment.
Watching them, Yoo Hyena decided to take it in stride as she cleaned up.
Surely he won’t come back next week… Right?
***
After discovering the paradise of unlimited free meals, my life changed.
I finally understood why people looked forward to weekends so much—why weekends were truly something to be happy about.
Just thinking about the weekend made even tasteless meals feel satisfying.
Sure, some citizens clung to me unnecessarily, or tried to feed me drugged meat without getting bored, or those pests who kept multiplying and attempting to capture me became annoying—but I was still in a good mood.
And so, a week later, I returned to the utopia that had appeared in District 4.
Just being here made my mouth water. Gulping down saliva, I locked eyes with the woman in charge—who froze upon seeing me.
What’s on the menu today? As I peered behind her, she strode toward me with an unusual intensity.
Sensing her emotions, I slowly swallowed the remaining saliva in my mouth.
“...Han Mu-ryo?”
“Hmm?”
“Han Mu-ryo… Sigh. Starting today, you’re limited to 30 plates. No more.”
“AAAAAAH!”
“NOOOOOO!”
Thud! The shock hit me like a critical strike from Starlight. My eyes widened.
Knowing what was coming, I clenched my fists.
The people around me groaned in sympathy before nodding in agreement.
“I mean, I screamed too, but she’s not wrong.”
“This guy eats way too much. Last week, because of him, the food ran out, and I had to wait in line for 10 minutes.”
“Same. It’s rare for this place to run out of food.”
“You heard her, right? If you eat like last time, others will suffer.”
…That can’t happen.
Glancing around, I saw only people who clearly didn’t eat well normally.
Still reeling, I nodded slowly.
Honestly, eating until I was full twice had been absurd to begin with.
But this is an unbearable regret…
“So, just 30 plates. You do realize that’s already a lot, right? I wouldn’t even offer this much normally, but after seeing how you eat…”
“Aah…”
So this was it… Unlimited and free couldn’t coexist.
Nodding again, the woman repeated firmly,
“30 plates. Only. Understood?”
“I’m… Not Han Muryo anymore.”
“Huh?”
Today, my sparkling world crumbled.
Unlimited and free—the names couldn’t coexist. Unlimited had to go.
But free remained—dimmed, yet still noble.
Yet, this emptiness was unbearable…
“Call me… Heo Mu-ryo from now on.”