Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 3 - Pumpkin Soup

Stab. Stab.

I wonder how long it's been since I last used a shovel after my time in the army.

STAB!

As I dug into the snowy mountain to bury Bert's corpse, wearing Bert's coat, I recalled.

Four days ago.

That day, for some reason, Jeros told me a particularly interesting story.

So I secretly gave him a full bowl of pumpkin soup, and as soon as he left, I heard it.

Tring.

< The customer is satisfied with the service. >

I thought it was an auditory hallucination.

I wondered if it was a late-onset game addiction.

But,

The system sound, which I heard intermittently whenever Jeros visited since that day, was too clear to be a hallucination.

< You have obtained 1 ‘Satisfaction.’ >

I judged that there was something to it, and what I found at the end of my reasoning was the 'Shop Window'.

If I hadn't found this Shop Window, I probably would have frozen to death long ago.

'In many ways, Jeros did save me.'

On the way back to the shop after burying Bert in the snowy mountain, I pulled Bert's coat tighter and had various thoughts.

Thinking it over, the situation wasn't all that bad.

Bert, who had habitually assaulted me, was gone, and although I was a figurehead boss, I had become the owner of the shop.

Thanks to that, I could now earn money.

Conditions that were much, much better than before.

So a feeling of gratitude towards Jeros keeps creeping up,

But I suppressed this feeling as much as possible.

Since I've decided not to trust him completely.

'Because what Jeros did to me was, indeed, a threat.'

What would have happened if I had refused his offer?

He would have killed me, right?

Probably so.

In the end, I shouldn't trust medieval people.

You never know when or how they might backstab you.

Let's absolutely never trust medieval people completely.

I made up my mind.

Anyway,

There were many twists and turns, but I had obtained a great spoil of war overnight.

'Because this shop is mine now.'

This place, which I arrived at after a long walk.

I stood tall in front of the shop and looked up at the protruding sign.

'The Fairy's Leg.'

At first, I thought it was a fairytale-like name,

But when I found out it meant 'the leg' of 'that fairy' Bert had slept with in the red-light district…….

'Ugh. That psychopath bastard.'

I want to change that filthy shop name right away, but,

Before that, I had to check how much money Bert had saved.

Since the shop's operation will change depending on the budget.

Honestly, I didn't have high expectations.

This was Bert, who frequented the red-light district.

He couldn't possibly have saved money.

I went inside the shop and locked the door first.

Clank.

The shop is closed for the day.

Bert's shop,

No,

’Because I need to get my shop in order.'

Thump. Thump.

I was strangely thrilled.

To one day inherit my parents' shop, hadn't I always considered becoming a restaurant owner my dream?

But now that I had achieved that dream so unexpectedly, I felt myself getting overwhelmed with emotion without realizing it.

However, that feeling did not last long.

'My Madam Kim and President Lee, I wonder if they're doing well?'

Thoughts of my parents came to mind.

Because the dream of becoming a restaurant owner was something I received from my parents.

Was it because my mind had found some peace?

A longing that hadn't been able to surface due to my anxiety washed over me.

Tears welled up and my vision blurred.

But I held it back firmly.

I couldn't get weak already.

I have only just overcome one hurdle.

I couldn't be satisfied with just having survived.

I know this because I played the game 'Belkazium'.

This land is a medieval fantasy where 'magic' exists.

Therefore, there must also be a way to return home.

I had to find a way.

I will return home.

Without fail.

And the first step to that is,

'To earn money through the shop.'

In modern times or the Middle Ages, money was power.

It was the same when I played the game Belkazium.

Because money was needed to buy items and equipment.

'Of course, high-level equipment has to be obtained directly, but it's much better than having nothing.'

Especially in the early stages, the influence of money was absolute.

I had to save money and watch for an opportunity.

'An opportunity to be free from Jeros.'

Right now, Jeros held my weakness in his grasp.

And he was also much stronger than me.

For now, I had no choice but to accept the unfair contract terms of 8:2, but someday, I had to shatter this injustice.

There were two ways.

Either find a weakness of Jeros's in turn, or become stronger than Jeros.

'The latter seems a bit difficult.'

If that's the case, I have to find a weakness.

But how?

“Hmm.”

I thought of Jeros.

He was the kind of bastard who bragged about taking bribes.

And yet, a strange guard who never gets caught.

'……Damn it.'

For now, no plan to seize the bastard's weakness came to mind.

It can't be helped.

My given circumstances are still limited.

For now, if I steadily earn money, won't an opportunity present itself as time passes?

I can only hope so.

Gathering my thoughts, I went to Bert's room.

There were six rooms in the inn, three on the first floor, and three on the second floor.

Among them, Bert's room was the one farthest from the stairs.

I stood in front of that door.

I took out the bundle of keys I had taken from Bert's corpse.

Click. Clack. Creeak.

Opening the door and stepping inside,

“Uuup.”

The stench of semen was overwhelming.

And he threw a fucking fit at me about the smell of garlic.

'Damn it.'

A characteristic of northern-style building bedrooms.

For the sake of warmth, there were no such things as windows.

I opened the door wide to ventilate and began to search the room.

It wasn't easy to suppress my gagging, so my hands moved quickly.

Fortunately, it didn't take very long.

At the very bottom of the chest of drawers, a compartment with a wooden lock on it.

It stood out at a glance, and a money pouch was sitting there all by itself.

'He saved up a surprising amount.'

27 shillings, and about 70 copper coins.

Considering a commoner's monthly salary is 2 shillings, it was not a small amount of money.

With this money, I could buy the ingredients I wanted and also change the sign.

'Hmm. Still, let's change the sign later. I don't know what might happen.'

One must always be careful about spending money.

I took out just enough to spend, 20 copper coins, and put them in my coat pocket.

Jingle.

Damn it.

My dopamine spiked.

Money.

To think I was holding copper coins in my hand.

It was the first asset I had obtained in this world, no, in this place.

I could finally feel that my status had risen.

Yes. The saying 'it's better to live, even if you have to roll around in a field of shit' is right.

You have to live to enjoy such glories.

'So let's live. Let's survive, no matter what.'

As my brain was soaked in dopamine, my gagging stopped.

I searched the room more actively to find something else.

Under the bed and inside the bedsheets,

Shake, shake, shake.

But,

This looks really warm and cozy.

'So this bed and these blankets are mine now, too?'

Goodbye to the cold chill of the kitchen's stone floor and the blanket riddled with holes.

“……Still, I should probably wash them.”

Since the smell of chestnut flowers is still there.

Unfortunately, nothing came out of the bedding.

Next was the bookshelf, which didn't suit Bert.

As I frantically rummaged through the ledgers and notes,

“……”

A stylish diary that didn't fit in with this world emerged.

I had an uneasy feeling, but I slowly opened it.

It was a diary.

Alphabets were written in it.

But it wasn't English.

No, is it really not English?

I couldn't read it.

Anyway, as I turned the pages, from a certain point on, the diary was written in the Imperial language.

'So I'm not the only one.'

As soon as I fell into this world, I was able to speak the Imperial language.

A language with a strange pronunciation.

And at the same time, I lost my sense for my native language, Hangeul.

It must have been the same for the outsider who wrote this diary.

That must be why they started writing the diary in the Imperial language after coming to this world.

With a heavy heart, I turned the pages one by one.

The entries, which were long at first, gradually became shorter.

The last one was just a single line.

— I want to go home.

Thud.

I closed the diary.

“……”

I don't know who you were, but I have avenged you.

May you rest in peace.

……

Nothing else of note came out of Bert's room.

All I got were the money and the ledgers.

First, I decided to clean the room and wash the bedding.

Unlike a regular house where you have to fetch water, since this was an inn, I could draw water, so it wasn't that difficult.

I washed the blankets like that, but something was left to be desired.

'The lye soap is a bit weak.'

The ingrained dirt didn't disappear completely.

If I had laundry detergent, it would remove the stains, add a nice scent, and kill all the germs.

A modern man, me, who still longs for the products of modern civilization despite having spent six months in the Middle Ages.

'But the only modern products I can get are the food ingredients from the Shop Window.'

I smacked my lips in disappointment and said.

“Shop Window.”

With a sliver of hope,

I summoned the Shop Window, wondering if I could get something useful.

----------

[Satisfaction : 0] x 1pt

[Recognition : 1] x 10pt

----------

Looking at it now, something different caught my eye.

Until now, what Jeros had given me was Satisfaction, but this time, I received 'Recognition'.

I'll have to figure out the exact difference between the two eventually,

But for now, I felt good.

Because the points were a whopping 10 times higher.

'10pt.'

Until now, I had only bought garlic with the 1pt of Satisfaction I'd received, but now, my range of choices had widened.

I calmly scrolled through the shopping list again from the top.

Just then,

“Ah!”

.

..

[Coarse Salt (150g) : 5pt]

..

.

I think I heard somewhere that vinegar or salt could be used as a natural detergent.

Probably from some lifestyle info show?

Even thinking about it with common sense, it seemed like it would be better for sterilization.

However,

“……It's expensive.”

How can coarse salt cost 5pt.

Having only bought 1pt garlic until now, a psychological barrier was triggered.

But my hesitation wasn't very long.

The message in the system voice I heard when earning points from 'Jeros' was clearly–

< The customer is satisfied with the service. >

This.

The subject was 'the customer,' not 'Jeros'.

In other words,

It meant that I could earn points by receiving satisfaction and recognition not just from Jeros, but from any 'customer'.

'If I run the shop well, I can earn more points in the future.'

With this judgment, I decided to boldly invest the large sum of 5pt.

When I touched the coarse salt in the Shop Window, a bag of salt materialized in mid-air.

I caught it with a smack and tore off the top.

'It's nice to see this after so long.'

I put a grain of coarse salt in my mouth.

Crunch.

“Kuh. That's electrifying.”

The very salty taste spread throughout my mouth.

I was so delighted.

How long has it been since I've tasted such a stimulating flavor.

I wanted to eat one more grain, but I held back firmly.

Because I have to use it usefully.

I grabbed a handful of coarse salt, sprinkled it evenly on the blankets, and washed them again with the lye soap.

Stomping on them with all my might.

Stomp. Stomp.

“Ooh.”

The blankets, which had been a greyish tone even after one wash, were now shining white.

It was a night-and-day difference from when I washed them with only lye soap.

To think coarse salt would be this effective.

After hanging the whitened blankets on the drying rack,

The room of the late Bert,

The room I will live in from now on, I began to clean.

It was so filthy that no matter how much I cleaned, it seemed endless.

But it wasn't difficult.

Because I could only think about how happy I would be to fall asleep in this room.

After finishing cleaning the room, it was time to clean the kitchen.

“You're done for. Just you wait.”

Until now, I had only cleaned it half-heartedly because it was Bert's kitchen, but now it was different.

Because it was my shop, and my kitchen.

I did as I was taught by my parents.

'The number one priority of a restaurant is cleanliness.'

I cleaned every nook and cranny, generously sprinkling coarse salt and water.

There was a ton of old dust and grime everywhere, but I found myself humming a tune.

Sparkle. Sparkle.

Goodbye to Bert's filthy kitchen.

A completely new kitchen was born.

Feeling a sense of rising satisfaction, I moved on to the last task of the day.

The menu item that Jeros told me to keep–

'Remaking the pumpkin soup.'

To be honest,

I was dying to make gukbap right away.

How warm and hearty would it be to eat gukbap in this cold north.

But I didn't have the ingredients.

The only meat in the kitchen was smoked goose meat for snacks and rat meat sausage.

I can't even imitate gukbap with this.

'And there's no meat in the Shop Window either.'

There are plenty of other food ingredients, but I wonder why there's no meat, the main event.

Anyway,

For now, I decided to improve the pumpkin soup first.

Starting with preparing the pumpkin and onion.

My specialty, knife work, time for some storm dicing!

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Much smaller than what I used to make before, I pulverized them until they almost looked like powder.

'Bert used to tell me to just do a moderate job, but then the texture is lumpy in your mouth when you eat it.'

When it comes to soup, the finer the particles, the more delicious it is.

That's why sincerity and taste are proportional.

'In a way, you could say it has something in common with gukbap.'

Thinking that made me happy.

Come to think of it, I've always been this way.

The kind of person who loved cooking and loved working at the restaurant.

An aspiring restaurant owner who tried to inherit the family shop against my parents' opposition.

'Let's do this properly.'

The task of improving that shitty pumpkin soup with the knowledge of a modern person.

My instincts welcomed this work.

Tssssss!

I sautéed the finely diced onions in butter, poured in water, added the pumpkin, and stirred.

To finish, I adjusted the consistency by adding reindeer milk.

Without Bert's nagging "Don't add too much milk!", cooking was a joy.

A moment later, a bright yellow pumpkin soup was completed in a pot that would be about a size 66 by Korean standards.

You could tell it was different just by looking at it.

The color itself was a work of art, you could say.

I put a little of it on a ladle and brought it to my mouth…

“Slurp.”

It was truly a night-and-day difference from the pumpkin soup that bastard Bert used to boast was a secret family recipe.

However,

“It's still a bit lacking.”

My palate, a product of modern civilization, knew no satisfaction.

Because there was nothing but the pure taste of the ingredients.

Of course, even at this level, Jeros might pass out if he eats it.

'I'm not satisfied.'

I soon opened the Shop Window again.

---------------

[Satisfaction : 5] x 1pt

[Recognition : 0] x 10pt

---------------

After spending 5pt from Recognition, the rest was converted to Satisfaction.

I guess I don't know if it's just a difference in how the units are displayed.

Anyway, I'll figure out the details eventually, for now, let's just buy what I need to buy.

.

.

[White Sugar (1kg) : 2pt]

.

..

I wonder how much more delicious it will be if I add this.

I was already getting excited.

The feeling of my mouth watering.

I unhesitatingly touched it, surrendering 2pt, and immediately emptied the white sugar into the pumpkin soup.

I stirred it vigorously several times,

And once again, slurp.

“Kuh~!!!”

This is it.

This is exactly it.

This is how pumpkin soup is supposed to taste!

“……Am I going to hit the jackpot?”

I started to worry that the medieval people might faint after eating this pumpkin soup.

I think I should change the shop's name before I make it big.

Just as these worries began to surface.

BANG, BANG, BANG.

Someone pounded on the shop door.

“Hey, Ian! Are you in there!?”

Jeros's voice could be heard.

“……Don't tell me he ran away?”