An Old-Fashioned Meal and an Old Promise
The omakase restaurant I ran in my past life had been quite famous.
The reason I went looking for it was that this world had things eerily similar to my previous one. Phones, franchise chains—plenty of details overlapped, almost one to one.
‘The names being subtly different was the annoying part, though.’
Thankfully, the internet had a handy feature for digging up lookalikes, so I managed to find it.
Seol Hwaryeon and I moved while avoiding the CCTV cameras. The Electronic Witch had shown us the blind spots, so getting around was easy.
‘Good thing she’s cooperating with us.’
Along the way, I pulled off my mask, slipped into a nearby restroom, and changed into separate clothes. Seol Hwaryeon put her school uniform back on; I went with a hoodie and jeans.
‘Maybe I should buy her some clothes too.’
I had a fair guess as to why she wore the uniform everywhere. The Korea Hero Academy uniform was, after all, a kind of artifact.
It came loaded with every insulation function imaginable, plus cleansing magic, and once you attuned the garment to yourself it even self-repaired. Given that convenience, it made sense that Seo Gayeon wore hers constantly—except when she came to see me.
Kim Ara had also mostly lived in her uniform, right up until Paewang stormed the school. Or else in cheap, disposable clothes.
Looking at it that way, my heart ached for her. She had no family looking out for her, and her clan was destroyed. The clan had raised her as their ultimate weapon, fallen with her still in that role, and left her nothing but the inherited burden of their killing karma.
[Proficiency in Faceless Mask of Glamour (B+) is increasing.]
[Proficiency in Demonic Charisma (C+) is increasing.]
The moment we stepped onto the street, I felt every eye in the vicinity snap toward us. Gazes pierced me from all directions.
‘Is it the combination of talent and looks?’
The women’s eyes carried a warmer favor than usual.
“Wow, did you see that guy? The girl’s pretty too, but next to him she kind of just… drops off a cliff.”
“Seriously handsome. He’s dressed like a slob, but his face, height, and proportions cover for everything.”
I caught the women whispering as they passed. Seol Hwaryeon came over to my side and asked,
“So where are we headed today, Elder?”
“There’s a decent meat restaurant nearby. I was thinking we’d try it.”
“M-meat? Isn’t that awfully expensive?”
Seol Hwaryeon looked genuinely startled.
“Not expensive at all. Not compared to everything you’ve done for me lately.”
I praised her while keeping up the Elder’s speech. Honestly, even buying her beef would be letting her off cheap. I could rent out an entire restaurant and burn through every ingredient in its kitchen, and it would still feel like a bargain.
“If anything, it’s too cheap. You’ve done far more for me than you realize, Hwaryeon.”
“Elder…”
Seol Hwaryeon stared at me, visibly moved.
“So today, eat as much as your heart desires.”
“…But isn’t this place a little too upscale?”
Her eyes darted left and right. It was an expensive-looking traditional restaurant at a glance, and every car parked nearby was a foreign luxury model. A few of the passersby were famous heroes and politicians you’d recognize from TV or the news.
“Th-this place looks r-really expensive…”
“It’s fine.”
I guided Seol Hwaryeon inside.
“Welcome. Are you a guest with a reservation?”
“Yes. It should be under Lee Seoha.”
I hadn’t actually made any reservation. I’d simply asked the Electronic Witch to fabricate one for an open table.
“Reservation confirmed. I’ll show you to your seat.”
Another attendant in hanbok led us toward the back. We entered a private room and took our seats.
“M-may I r-really… e-eat here?”
She was trembling from head to toe, as if she had some deep-seated fear of fine dining establishments. I gave her a reassuring smile and pulled out the menu—deliberately angled so she couldn’t see it.
“We’ll have two portions of this, please.”
“Of course, sir.”
Once the staff left, I took a sip of tea.
“You seem remarkably familiar with this sort of place, Elder.”
“Mm. I used to come here often, a long time ago.”
An ex-girlfriend from my past life came to mind. A pretty woman, kind-natured, took good care of herself. Made good money, too.
I smiled wryly.
‘Right up until the topic of marriage came up, that is.’
Back then I’d had no self-esteem whatsoever. I was freeloading at her place, living off the allowance she handed me.
Anyway—this was the restaurant she used to bring me to.
“I used to come here with an old flame.”
“An old flame, you say—”
Seol Hwaryeon stopped mid-sentence and looked at me with trembling eyes.
“I-I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. She’s not part of this world, anyway.”
“………”
Knowing her, she was probably living well by now.
While we were talking, the staff returned. First came the pumpkin porridge, followed by raw beef garnished with pine nuts and pear.
Seol Hwaryeon ate with an expression of pure bliss.
“Good?”
“Yes! Somehow it tastes even better eating it with you, Elder.”
I smiled wryly at that. Unlike the other heroines, she had been lonely from the very beginning. Which made it hard to even find common ground with her.
She carried the karma of having to kill demons and Villains alike, so that was all she did—hunt them. She didn’t even have an ordinary hobby.
Hong Yuhwa secretly collected photos of the person she considered her rival. Kim Seohyun worked out to blow off steam. Kim Ara crafted dolls of the person she liked and carried them everywhere. Erciel tormented people with illusions. Seo Gayeon… stalked.
‘…That last one is admittedly a bit dangerous.’
Anyway, Seol Hwaryeon was on the level of having no hobbies at all.
“How would you like to receive sponsorship?”
“S-sponsorship?”
“That’s right. The Korea Hero Academy has a system where talented students receive backing—from outsiders or from within the school.”
I spoke casually, watching her face.
“I’ll be your guardian. Your clan is gone either way, so shouldn’t you go find your own life?”
“B-but I…”
Seol Hwaryeon’s voice trailed off. Probably because she didn’t expect to live long.
Ordinary people could afford to antagonize demons and Villains. Heroes, the Association, and the guilds would protect them.
But her position was more ambiguous. She was the sole survivor of an assassin clan—and that clan’s purpose had been the death of demons, Villains, and anyone who aided them. Some of those allies overlapped with heroes and the Association. Far from receiving their help, Seol Hwaryeon could well end up in danger because of them.
“It’s a sad thing, but the living have to live.”
That was how I saw it. Carrying on the legacy of the dead looks noble, but it is grueling, lonely work.
Revenge feels good in the moment. But revenge bought with everything you have—your entire future—leaves only emptiness behind.
“You can pay me back later. You’re talented enough, Hwaryeon.”
“…I will think about it.”
“Good.”
After that, the staff came in and grilled the meat for us.
“Hohhk! E-Elder! Th-the meat is incredible!”
“Yes, eat plenty.”
Seol Hwaryeon displayed an appetite of monstrous proportions. She ate so heartily that I ended up giving her part of my own share. Not content with that, she polished off two bowls each of the galbitang and naengmyeon sold as à la carte items.
“…I-I think I ate far too much. I’m sorry, Elder.”
“Not at all. Watching you eat so well put me in a good mood too.”
Seol Hwaryeon bowed her head to me afterward, apologizing over and over. Then she looked at the bill and nearly fainted.
“Seven hundred thousand won… for a single meal…?”
It wasn’t exactly a single meal—more like four or five people’s worth. Well, seeing how satisfied she was, I couldn’t call it money badly spent.
“Next time. Next time, I swear I’ll pay you back.”
After stuffing Seol Hwaryeon to the brim, I sent her back to the school. Then I popped in my Bluetooth earphones and talked to the Electronic Witch as if I were on a phone call.
“How are the bastards doing?”
“They won’t be moving for a while. I dropped a few bombs on their side of the fence.”
The Electronic Witch giggled through the earpiece.
“So you’re safe for the time being. The problem is, it’s only temporary, I’d say. The more I interfere, the more stubborn and persistent they get.”
“I see.”
Apparently the conditions the Seven Evils had set were fairly brutal.
‘Or maybe they handed over the materials he needs to resurrect.’
Either way, it wasn’t a good omen. I needed to strengthen my power as quickly as possible.
I walked slowly down the street. The crowds thinned, and robed mages gradually came into view. A male guide in uniform spotted me.
“Are you here to enter the Tower of False Dreams? You’ll need an entry pass.”
“Here it is.”
I handed over the pass Hong Yuhwa had given me at the very beginning. The Association employee’s eyes went wide.
“…You are a most distinguished guest. You may enter right away. If there’s anything you need, we would be happy to procure it for you.”
“That’s quite all right. I have most of what I need.”
The Red Tower Lord must have said something to them. The staff’s reaction was completely different from last time.
I stepped into the tower.
[Entering the Tower of False Dreams.]
[Tower of False Dreams engraving verified. True Qualification confirmed.]
Light flared brilliantly.
Whoosh.
A strange sensation of weightlessness washed over me, and at the end of it I realized I had arrived inside the tower. It was an odd space—stone walls on every side except the one before me.
—It has been a while since I last came here as well.
“Tell me about it.”
When had it been, exactly? Right around when I’d first started learning martial arts. I’d barely managed to grasp the Black Sutra and was racking my brain over how to put it to use.
‘I really have changed a lot.’
My connections, my power, my talent and capacity—none of it was even comparable to back then.
I strode forward without hesitation.