16. Odin
While the air in the restaurant heated up for all sorts of different reasons, the young owner approached with a tray propping up the steaming pot.
Boil, bubble—
"Gukbap special with extra somyeon. I served the datagi on the side just in case."
His fingertips seemed to tremble ever so slightly, but Lee Jua's eyes were fixed solely on the fiercely boiling milky broth.
"Let's eat!"
Jua scooped up some broth first with her spoon. No seasoning at all. She actually liked it like this too, but...
This was her first gukbap since becoming Jua. She craved that punch, the stimulating kick of gukbap.
Without hesitation, she ladled in some shrimp sauce. Her senses, honed from a lifetime of gukbap, knew exactly how much to add just by tasting the broth—enough to make it perfectly salty without overdoing it.
Next, a big spoonful of the side datagi dissolved into the broth. Then a generous heap of perilla powder.
And the grand finale. She cracked open the jar of pickled radish on the table and dumped in a full ladle of that fiery red radish brine straight into the pot.
"...Gasp."
The sidelong glances that had been stealing peeks at her let out small gasps at the sight.
This pretty, delicate young woman who looked like she might not even finish a regular sundae gukbap was handling the shrimp sauce, datagi, and perilla powder like a pro. And then pouring in that radish brine without a second thought? Yeah, no wonder they were shocked.
"Whoa... is that for real?"
"Yeah, uh... she's got strong tastes. Better than something half-assed, right?"
"Still, dumping in that much radish brine?"
"Doesn't it look tasty? I used to hate radish brine, but... with that face pouring it in, it just makes sense? Gukbap's meant to be eaten like that anyway."
"Is she nuts or what?"
Whatever the others chattered about didn't reach Jua's ears. She scooped up a huge spoonful of the now blood-red gukbap and shoveled it in.
"Grrraaah—!"
A groan straight from her dantian. Maybe it felt a bit tame without Grandma's rough cursing, but the taste hadn't changed much.
Pure nectar. After starving all day, this hot gukbap hitting her stomach was like stumbling on an oasis after crossing the Sahara.
Slurp— She grabbed her hair tight with one hand to keep it out of the broth and devoured it spoon after spoon, mouth agape. Jua scraped the pot clean so voraciously it seemed she didn't even feel the heat. Her spectacle drew even the eyes of the woman who'd been chewing out her boyfriend.
'Ah, this is it.'
The world had changed, and the grandma from her old regular spot was gone. But this one bowl of gukbap in the pot hadn't abandoned her.
And above all...
'Life's too damn sweet...'
Drunk on the sweetness capitalism offered. Everything tasted better like this.
The donations from her last stream had exploded to a whopping 253,000 won. Chewing crunchy radish while reminiscing on that sweet cash taste.
'Lee Jinsu or Lee Jua, who cares? Being alive is what matters.'
Just days ago, she'd been cursing whatever unknown force had castrated her masculinity, shedding tears dozens of times a day mourning her lost manhood.
But in front of the miraculous 253,000 won, all her depression was cured.
For Prism rookie streamers, the cut was 40%. Add in taxes, and her take-home was 146,731 won.
'Still better than slaving at logistics, right?'
That backbreaking grind earned her about 1.3 million a month. But a short stream netted 1.46 million. Jua had an epiphany about life.
A strapping guy hauling gombang on construction sites, gnawing away at his joints and cartilage, earned less than a pretty girl casually streaming and opening her mouth.
She scraped the pot until the bottom gleamed, then tilted it to slurp every last drop.
"Grr... so filling."
Wiping her mouth, she stood with a satisfied smile, belly full and face beaming.
"Hey, hey! She finished already! She's leaving!"
"Go quick!"
"No, fuck, rock-paper-scissors!"
"You psycho! You said you'd go!"
The two guys at the next table whispered frantically, but stuffed Jua was humming a tune and didn't hear a thing. She just wanted to crash at home.
The young owner at the register stared blankly at the empty pot and Jua, alternating between them. A lone woman had polished off a special-size gukbap with extra somyeon, leaving not a drop—like she'd washed the damn thing.
"Check, please."
"Ah... y-yes. Somyeon's on the house. Special's 10,000 won."
Jua swiped her card and took the receipt. Price was the same as Grandma's days. Worth becoming a regular even without her.
As she pushed open the door, Jua glanced back and tossed a word to the owner.
"Boss, it was delicious. I'll be back."
"Pardon? Oh, yes! Thank you! Next time, sundae on the house."
"Aw, no need to go that far, hehe."
Her eyes widened a bit at "sundae service," and she waved it off modestly, but couldn't stop her lips from curling up.
Leaving the owner's awkward bow behind, Jua stepped out.
Ding-a-ling—
"Ah, um, excuse me!"
A frantic voice called from behind. Rock-paper-scissors must've failed, or they'd delayed so long they both bolted out in panic. The two guys from the corner table called after the departing Jua.
Jua instantly went into defense mode at the voice. Legs shoulder-width apart, chin tucked, glaring sideways.
"...What?"
The guys flinched at her icy tone.
'...Our eyes kept meeting earlier. Could be trouble.'
She never struck first. But she'd defend herself enough to claim self-defense.
Growing up in the orphanage through a rough life, Lee Jinsu knew exactly how much to take and dish out for it to count as justified.
But the guys just blushed and stammered.
'...?'
If they were picking a fight, just do it—why the hesitation?
"Nothing to say? I'm out."
"Ah, wait, I'm not usually the type to say this, but you're totally my type... Could I get your number?"
"...Pardon?"
Jua doubted her ears. His type? Number?
'Is this for real, fuck?'
First time in her life getting hit on.
She'd admit it—Jua's looks weren't neighborhood level, or even district. Top of the national charts, world-class even.
But getting hit on in a gukbap joint? Right after demolishing a special with radish brine dumped in and scraping it clean?
Absurdity, ridiculousness, and a weird shame washed over her.
"My number...?"
"Yes! You're exactly my style. The way you chowed down that gukbap so casually was super attractive."
Since she hadn't shot him down and asked again, the guy's tone perked up, sensing possibility.
But Jua scoffed and recited a line she'd used on viewers that stream.
"You know how to do gombang?"
"Huh? Gom... what?"
The guys looked like they'd never heard the word. Greenhouse flowers.
Jua shook her head, like she knew it.
"Can you sling 40-kilo cement bags, one per shoulder, and do three non-stop round trips up four flights of stairs? Or three bags on your back."
"...Pardon? Cement out of nowhere?"
They stared like she'd spoken alien.
"Can't, right? Look elsewhere."
The guys gawked, dumbfounded, as Jua walked off without a backward glance.
'...If gukbap joints are like this, I can't hit busy streets anymore.'
But she didn't feel bad. A strange superiority and conquest vibe settled in.
Belly full, simping beta's advance kicked to the curb—pure vitality surged.
"Hmm~ la la la~"
Jua hummed down the empty street.
At that very moment, as Jua hummed home, showered, and flopped into bed.
Odin, who'd effortlessly crushed a 10-million-won kill bet, got a video donation.
Right after some heartwarming teammate chat and plans to meet next time.
'CheckThisOutItsNovel' donated 50,000 lights.
"Whoa, thanks for the 50k lights! But who's this? Jua? First time hearing the name. Seems like a female viewer. Shall we check the clip?"
Perfect timing—content just wrapped. Plenty of time for a 50k-light video.
"Jua? Looks like plenty of bros know her?"
As the video played, Odin zoomed in on the donation window.
"Her hands are like... a pianist's?"
It was the moment Jua, hand cam on for hack excuses, dropped into Military Camp.
"Ooh, nice parachute control. But why start from the chute? Usually edits from landing, right?"
"Whoa, she even does hack explanations? Must be a good shot."
The video rolled on. Jua's character hit the inverted-V rooftop.
"Damn! F-key grabs the gun, drags ammo right away!"
Jua snagged the AKM and whipped the mouse around.
"Super high sens? Can you even adapt? See anything?"
Between his worried mutter at the blistering screen spin—
Bang bang— The enemy sneaking a punch from the side dropped instantly.
"High-skill move: Focusing the guy reloading on the right... O! Nailed the reloader. Nice shot."
Next, Jua grabbed the third kill on the left-side gunner, then mid-farm, heard the shotgun rack behind and 180'd into a head-to-torso double-tap for four kills.
"Holy shit, what was that? Even Zeus couldn't pull that."
"No... woman's voice in the vid, hand cam bottom-right screams girl. Where's she stream? Forest? Prism? NutTube?"
"Ooh, even on the gallery? Deserves it—not some montage, raw from chute, and top among girl streamers I've seen? But... 8-year logistics foreman? What?"
Odin was baffled. Girl streamer. 8 years manual labor. Logistics foreman. Didn't match at all.
"Anyway... shall we peek at her stream quick?"
"Hey, do-bang? Nah, just paying respects to Battlelands' new star. I'll drop lights first and ask permission."
Dropping "lights"—Prism's currency—on another streamer's channel was custom.
Thus, Odin decided to find Jua's stream.
But by now, Jua had been off-air for ages.