Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Chapter 5
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Resident Registration Card
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Na Gang-in returned to the PC bang after buying some clothes.
He hadn't set his working hours yet.
Boss Cha Dong-seok asked.
"Mr. Gang-in. Daytime full-time? Or nighttime full-time? Which shift do you want?"
Na Gang-in needed to gather information on the current world. That required activity outside. Fixed long shifts would be a problem.
"I'd like part-time."
"Huh? Part-time?"
"Day shifts, night shifts, specific time slots only—and not even fixed times."
No normal PC bang would accept those terms for a part-timer.
But Cha Dong-seok didn't want Na Gang-in as a PC bang part-timer. He wanted him as a cook.
"Uh... then, mainly around lunch or dinner when food orders pile up."
"I'll do that when there's nothing else. But there's an unused space in the back. Even has a cot."
"That? Thinking of using it for storage."
"I'll sleep there for a while in exchange for part-time work."
"Huh? For real?"
Night shifts included female employees. More allies were better for unexpected situations.
Cha Dong-seok thought it over.
'If the place gets rowdy, he'll wake up and help out, right? Sounds good!'
Cha Dong-seok asked.
"In return, pay hourly for hours worked?"
"Of course."
The decision came quickly.
'If I push for full-time and he bails, I'm the one who loses. Treat special cooking orders like pop-up events.'
Even then, profit at worst break-even. Shorter hours meant less pay out. The key was keeping Na Gang-in around.
Cha Dong-seok said.
"Deal. Bring your ID by tomorrow. Can't pay wages without it."
"Got it."
Night shifts had one guy and one girl. Late night, just the guy.
That evening, no selling food to customers. He wasn't an official part-timer yet.
Na Gang-in made his dinner in the kitchen.
Using PC bang ingredients, he couldn't just make a single serving. So he made plenty from the start.
The night part-timer tasted it and their eyes went wide.
"Whoa. This is insane."
At midnight, barely any customers left. The lone night part-timer was dozing off.
Na Gang-in took the farthest corner seat. Time to create a new identity.
"Can you hack the network?"
"Isn't that skill based on 2082 network systems? It's 2022 now."
"Huh? Wait. So you can hack any computers from this era? Any field? Bank accounts too? Do I even need a job?"
"Like what?"
"Kinda figured."
"Yeah, thought so."
Na Gang-in smirked.
"Oh yeah? Defending against what? Hacking attempts on this PC bang?"
"Where do you buy those options?"
"That company sells 2082 options in 2022?"
Na Gang-in was dumbfounded.
"Hey. Do AIs get dumber after a reset?"
"Mine's not a reset—it's amnesia in technical terms. And I'm navigating 2022 just fine, aren't I? So I'm doing better than you."
Na Gang-in glanced around as he spoke. No one paid attention to his mumbling.
"Let's get started."
"Granted."
AI Jeon Ji-in took control of his hands.
His hands flew across the keyboard, downloading and installing public software from the internet. With that, it created a few simple programs. Then, using those, it scouted entry points into the government network.
"Not working well?"
"Your skills are kinda..."
"Isolated, you said?"
"One-shot deal. Hurry up and make my ID."
His fingers hammered the keyboard.
The info on the monitor changed.
"Knew you'd hit a wall eventually. What's the issue?"
"Someone with my name? Homonym possible."
Na Gang-in's expression hardened.
"Huh? Hey, does that even make sense?"
He glanced at the clothes he was wearing.
"This is Earth Union special operations gear, right?"
"Strategic Special Forces affiliation."
"No Earth Union military in 2022."
"You were made in 2082."
"So how's my resident registration here in 2022? Fingerprints too? Explain."
Na Gang-in pondered briefly, then reached a conclusion.
"One more mystery to solve. On top of confirming if this is Earth, really 2022, why I'm here, no Earth Union contact—now why my resident info exists in 2022."
"Anyway, no need to forge an ID?"
Na Gang-in instructed.
"Then look up reissuance procedures. Actually, first check who I am here."
"Fingerprints match. No memories anyway—assume it's me and proceed with local adaptation."
AI Jeon Ji-in displayed Na Gang-in's personal info on screen. He looked it over with interest.
"Whoa. College grad, even did military service. Special forces or something?"
"Huh. What company did I work for?"
"Huh?"
"Or maybe deliberately avoided official records. Check unofficial sources too."
AI Jeon Ji-in scoured the internet for data. Not much turned up.
Reviewing the records, he asked.
"Why no records at all the last two years?"
"Why?"
"Hmm... gotta uncover that too."
The next day, Na Gang-in visited the nearby community center and reissued his resident registration card. Looking at the Gangwon-do address printed on it, he asked.
"Tch. Was gonna check for my stuff there, but nothing's easy."
To get a handle on his situation, Na Gang-in first needed an operational base. The PC bang was serving that role now.
He returned and showed his resident card to Boss Cha Dong-seok. The boss needed it for payroll like wages.
Part-time pay was hourly as discussed yesterday—20,000 won per hour, higher than standard part-timers.
Food-handling staff required a health certificate. He'd handled that last night.
Na Gang-in pulled out the health cert issued online and asked AI Jeon Ji-in.
"This won't get flagged, right?"
Last night, AI Jeon Ji-in had accessed the government network and altered the health cert data. It even hacked servers at other regional hospitals to fake an exam there.
"You saying 'rest assured' just makes me more uneasy."
Today was two hours at lunch. Yesterday's ingredients expanded the menu options.
AI Jeon Ji-in borrowed his hands to start cooking.
Na Gang-in watched the mass production and asked.
"What's this one called?"
"Cool name for 2022 sales. Right?"
A PC bang customer asked.
"What's this 'special dish'?"
The daytime part-timer—boss's niece Cha Eun-seo—answered confidently.
"Our hired chef is seriously top-tier. Menu changes daily, but today's the special."
Field Tactical Cooking specialized in mass-prepping from everyday ingredients. No multi-hour marinades on a bullet-riddled battlefield.
The customer read the screen fully.
"Jeongga Bok-style mixed rice?"
"Tastes similar, but no pricey stuff like sea cucumbers or abalone. Way cheaper. Only selling for two hours at lunch today."
"No yesterday's tasty fried rice then?"
"Yep. That was the teaser from our chef. Really want fried rice? I can whip some up."
The customer recalled yesterday's fried rice. Miles better than the old frozen stuff here.
"Nah. This mixed rice seems kinda obscure, but I'll go with it."
The order arrived fast. Today's dish was Field Tactical Cooking mass batch—just pour over rice.
"Hmm... looks decent enough..."
He picked up veggies with chopsticks first.
"Hm?"
Way tastier than expected. He scooped rice and toppings together.
Umami burst in his mouth, then smoothly faded.
"Whoa! This is no joke—insanely good!"
His voice carried. Orders flooded in right away.
The early bird who tried the mixed rice called friends over. Happened multiple times. Those called in stayed at least 30 minutes to eat—many much longer.
Ingredients sold out before the two hours were up.
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