The Possibility of Permanent Growth
First of all… it was time for some fact-checking. I’d experienced one shocking event, but my daily life afterward hadn’t changed all that much. Incidents with villains and monsters running amok were an everyday occurrence, so the Hero Association had solid systems in place to support people who’d been through them.
“Yes… the repairs are complete. As for the compensation for the days you couldn’t run your business, we’ll need to review your income records and prepare the proper paperwork~!”
“Understood. Thank you.”
The only thing that had broken in my shop was the glass window Astra had smashed through, and even that had been neatly repaired by Association staff who showed up the very next day. After a free health check-up (with no awakening test included) confirmed I was perfectly fine with no injuries, I returned to my normal routine.
Without anyone discovering that a man had awakened superhuman abilities, I simply went back to being an ordinary person working in the food service industry.
Seems they really kept their promise.
That’s what I told myself, but I had still worried that Astra might slip up or that the investigation into the incident would expose me anyway. Yet she must have covered things up better than I expected, because no Association agents suddenly appeared at my door. Thanks to that, two full weeks had passed since the event, and I was finally able to relax and live an ordinary life again.
Ding-a-ling!!
Ah, but there was one change in my daily routine.
“Hello, Astra. Out on patrol again today?”
“Yes, Siwoo. I hope I’m not bothering you while you’re busy.”
“There weren’t any customers anyway. Have you eaten yet? If not, I’d be happy to make you something.”
A special new regular had been added to my shop, which didn’t get many visitors to begin with. And of course, that regular was Astra.
She was originally in charge of patrolling this entire district, including the Ain Shopping District where my restaurant was located. So she would often stop by during her rounds.
She’s probably monitoring me, too.
At first she had only come to tell me that she had successfully kept the incident hidden. But after that, she kept dropping in regularly to eat or just say hello. She always claimed it was simply because she was passing by on patrol or felt like grabbing a meal… but I suspected there were other reasons.
Well, no matter how well she hides it, I’m the first male awakener and an unregistered one at that. She can’t help but stay alert.
She was probably checking in to make sure I wasn’t abusing my powers or had any connections to villains. Still, I could understand her position completely. Plus, having a beauty like Astra show up at my shop every day wasn’t exactly a bad thing, so I always welcomed her warmly.
“I couldn’t possibly accept it for free. I’ll pay properly. In that case… could I have today’s special?”
“Of course.”
Forgetting our first awkward meeting, we had grown fairly close. Not quite friends, but close enough to be called acquaintances. She smiled as she placed her order.
I put on my cooking mask, stepped into the kitchen, and began preparing her meal.
Today it’s Korean-style rose tteokbokki.
The country I lived in during this life was indeed Korea, but this world differed in many ways from the one I vaguely remembered from my previous life. For example, I recalled that in my old world Korea had been split in two, but here it existed as a single unified nation. The food culture was slightly different as well, which was why I often recreated dishes from my previous life here.
The rose tteokbokki I was making now was a menu item that had existed in my previous world but didn’t in this one. Still, by recalling its general appearance and taste, I could recreate it well enough using the cooking skills I’d gained after awakening.
“Let’s see. I have rice cakes and fish cakes… There are pre-boiled eggs sold in packs, so I’ll use those. Heavy cream, gochujang…”
I wasn’t sure why certain aspects of the food culture differed while fermented pastes like gochujang remained exactly the same, but it was a blessing. It let me cook and enjoy a wide variety of dishes that bridged both my past and present lives.
After preparing the rice cakes and slicing the fish cakes, green onions, and cabbage into bite-sized pieces, I mixed heavy cream, gochujang, and red pepper flakes to create the rose sauce. I couldn’t remember the exact recipe, but I recalled it had been especially popular with women in my previous world. Hopefully Astra would like it too.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
I heated oil in the pan, added a bit of garlic and green onion, and stir-fried them. Then I pan-fried the sausage and fish cakes until they were lightly crisped, added the rice cakes and the cream-based sauce, and let everything simmer. Once the sauce had reduced to the right consistency, I topped it with cheese and parsley before plating. I also made a few small rice balls to serve on the side, then brought the finished dish out to Astra.
“Here you are. Today’s special—rose tteokbokki.”
“Oh my… another fascinating dish.”
She tilted her head curiously, picked up a fork instead of chopsticks, brushed her hair back, and blew on a piece before trying it. Her small mouth worked like a rabbit’s as she chewed. Then her eyes widened slightly, clearly pleased with the taste, and she began eating faster, quickly emptying the bowl.
She really is beautiful.
With no other customers around, I cleaned up the cooking tools while stealing glances at her face. She had the perfect beauty and figure one would expect from a superhuman. As I admired her, the dreamlike events of that night naturally came back to me.
Those breasts…
It had been to dispel the side effects of my ability, but the memory of being allowed to freely massage Astra’s breasts for a full ten minutes was still burned vividly into my mind. Of course, I had no intention of making things awkward for her by bringing it up.
I want to touch them again.
Just remembering it was enough to stir that desire. I felt guilty for looking at someone who had been so considerate of me with such thoughts, but I was also a healthy young man in his prime. Controlling those urges wasn’t easy.
Still, objectively speaking, it probably won’t happen again. That incident only occurred because I didn’t realize how strong the side effects would become after feeding her my cooking…
Now both she and I understood my ability and its side effects. So something like that shouldn’t happen again. That fact felt both regrettable and deeply disappointing.
“Um… Siwoo?”
“Yes? Would you like another serving?”
“That would be… No, that’s not what I meant.”
I had been washing dishes alone, quietly swallowing my lingering regret, when Astra—who had already cleaned her plate—spoke up. I thought she might want seconds, but instead of simply eating and leaving like usual, she hesitated, looking unusually shy before asking something completely unexpected.
“That… ability of yours, Siwoo.”
“Pardon?”
I was genuinely surprised. Ever since she had told me she’d kept the incident hidden, Astra had never brought up my ability first. Why was she suddenly mentioning it now?
“Is something wrong? Are the side effects still lingering?”
“No! It’s not that… You mentioned before that you had used that ability on yourself, right?”
“Yes. You were the first person I ever used it on. Before that, I had only tested it on myself.”
Confirming no one else was around, I answered her question. I had already given her a general explanation of my ability before, so there was no reason to be evasive.
“Then, after you used it on yourself… did any of the buff effects remain even after the buff itself expired?”
“Hmm? What?”
This wasn’t something we had discussed before. Did the effects remain after the buff disappeared?
“No, nothing like that ever happened.”
I answered honestly, though I was curious why she was asking. I had experimented on myself once to see how long the physical enhancement buff lasted, and there had never been any residual power left behind once it ended. If there had been, I would have used it on myself every day to gradually build up my own abilities.
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
“Well…”
Astra hesitated for a moment before revealing what had been happening to her.
“We heroes periodically train our abilities at the Association and measure something called Cho-in-ryeok, right?”
“Ah, I’ve heard of it. It’s the source of power that superhumans use.”
After gaining my own ability, I had looked into superhumans out of curiosity and naturally learned about Cho-in-ryeok. The name was a bit uninspired, but it was straightforward and easy to remember.
“When I returned to the Association this time, they measured my Cho-in-ryeok… and it had grown quite a bit.”
“Oh. Congratulations.”
Thinking about Cho-in-ryeok, I offered the compliment without much thought as Astra continued. It was common knowledge that heroes constantly trained to grow stronger and increase their Cho-in-ryeok. So hearing that hers had risen was definitely something to celebrate… or it should have been. Wait a second.
Why is she bringing this up right now?
It was worth celebrating, but the serious expression on Astra’s face and the timing of her words made me sense something immediately.
“…Are you saying you think the buff I gave you is the reason it grew?”
“It’s… I can’t be certain yet. It could just be that my ability grew from fighting that monster. But the timing is too coincidental…”
My own expression grew serious as well. What Astra was suggesting was that my buff didn’t simply grant a temporary power boost.
“You’re saying it might permanently strengthen the target’s power…?”
“I wasn’t sure, so I waited two weeks. But the increase in my Cho-in-ryeok is still there.”
…Did that even make sense?
I might not have officially registered as a superhuman, but I knew how hard heroes and villains worked to increase their Cho-in-ryeok. It only grew in tiny increments after pushing their abilities to the limit and clashing with other superhumans. Even then, the rate of growth varied wildly depending on talent and effort. Raising one’s Cho-in-ryeok was practically every superhuman’s lifelong dream.
And yet it could increase just from eating a meal?
If that’s really true…
Setting aside the title of first male awakener, if this became known, I would be targeted without question—whether by heroes or villains.
“It’s not confirmed yet! I’ve only tried it once, and it could just be that my own ability grew naturally!”
When my face darkened, Astra quickly grabbed my hand, trying to reassure me with warm words. Meeting her steady gaze helped calm the anxiety swirling inside me.
“So… after thinking about it carefully for the past two weeks…”
Having steadied me, Astra’s ears turned slightly red. She hesitated, still holding my hand, and spoke in a voice as quiet as an ant crawling.
“Could I… try that buff dish from before one more time to check…?”
She was proposing to eat my buff food again.