Chapter 16: The Golden Carriage to the Capital (2) Could it be he felt that regretful because he wouldn't be able to eat bunsik while he went back and forth? I mean, it made me feel good, but it was also kind of weird. I'd never been treated like this in Korea…
Jinseo found the current situation awkward—customers were valuing bunsik more than the person actually making it.
No matter how much care he put into making it delicious, back in Korea it had only ever been "just bunsik."
Still, he couldn't bring himself to ignore someone who had helped him in so many ways looking so dejected.
AI, can you explain the Subspace Storage upgrade in detail?
{-Yes, that is possible.-}
With the free upgrade coupon I have right now, the Subspace Storage I can get is B-rank, right? Based on my average daily sales in the Francia Continent, calculate how much ingredients I can store.
{-Based on the conditions you provided, Lee Jinseo-nim… Please wait a moment… One year's worth.-}
What? A year's worth? I can store that many ingredients?
{-Yes, that is correct.-}
While it's stored, is there any chance it spoils?
{-Inside the subspace, the flow of time stops. There is absolutely no possibility of spoilage or deterioration, so please rest assured.-}
Seriously? Damn it, I should've upgraded that first. All this time I kept splitting ingredient purchases and wasting time for nothing.
Jinseo considered asking for detailed explanations about other upgrades while he was at it, but stopped.
What mattered right now was saving a middle-aged man who was despairing at the future where he couldn't eat bunsik for a while.
"My Lord, if it wouldn't be a burden, may I accompany you?"
"Accompany me?"
"I mean driving the food truck. If I do that, I can take responsibility for your meals, right?"
"Y-You really mean that? Is that real?!"
Oswald sprang to his feet and stared at Jinseo with eyes that couldn't believe it.
"Was it an unreasonable request?"
"Unreasonable? I'm the one who wants to beg you for it!"
"Understood. Then since we're doing it, I'd like to take full responsibility not just for you, but for everyone traveling with you. Is that alright?"
"Of course! I'll cover all the costs on my end!"
"Ah, but taking full responsibility for everyone would be too much. If you eat only bunsik nonstop, it can get heavy, so I'll provide it as one meal a day, or two at most."
"I don't mind three bunsik meals a day! No—do it like that!"
"Please endure two meals."
Jinseo wasn't making this offer only for Oswald.
To obtain teleportation points, he needed to drive the food truck a long distance himself.
But no matter how sturdy the food truck was, and even if Jinseo possessed abnormal strength… traveling alone through an unknown world was still a burden.
Especially since there was no guarantee an incident like last time wouldn't happen again—he needed people who could protect him.
In that sense, the Castle Lord and his son's travel route would obviously involve an elite escort, which greatly reduced Jinseo's burden.
On top of that, since he was already running the food truck, he wanted to travel more places and spread the taste of bunsik throughout the Doren Kingdom.
And while he was at it, he could travel too.
"Oh, I almost forgot the precious meal I get here at the food truck. The usual."
Oswald sat back down and ordered ramen with the kind of line only a true regular could use.
"Understood."
Jinseo set water on the burner and began taking out ingredients and prepping them.
This time, though, he planned to add one more ingredient.
"Today's ramen will be a little unusual."
"Is that so? I'll look forward to it!"
With Oswald's expectations raised, Jinseo began slicing garaetteok on a slant.
"Isn't that the rice cake that goes into tteokbokki?"
"Yes. But it can be used in ramen too."
A little later, Jinseo set the finished ramen in front of Oswald, still in the aluminum pot.
"It's tteok-ramen."
"Then first, this…" Oswald used his fork to spear a piece of garaetteok and lifted it out of the steaming ramen. "Hoh. As expected, it tastes different from when it's in tteokbokki."
"There are many kinds of ramen. When I have the leeway, I'll show them one by one. And for the two of you behind him, the usual drink is fine, right?"
Jinseo handed Dan and Austin a PET bottle of cola each.
After the salty taste of the fish cake broth lingering in their mouths got cleanly washed away by the carbonation—along with a hit of sweetness—the two hulks smiled.
But the happiest person right now was none other than Oswald.
"So ramen can change like this too. Interesting."
Oswald savored the texture of the rice cake, which the ramen before had never had, and started eating as if he were inhaling it.
As always when he ate ramen, sweat ran down his forehead, but he didn't care and focused only on the meal.
"Whew… Thinking I almost went two whole months without eating ramen this good… it still gives me chills."
After devouring the tteok-ramen in the blink of an eye, then even mixing cold rice into the broth and finishing everything, Oswald rubbed his stomach and grinned broadly.
"Excellent!"
"Thank you."
Oswald left a short but powerful tasting review.
But the light that burst from his body in that instant was even more intense.
{-Ramen preference for the Castle Lord-class individual, Oswald, has increased. (130→150)-}
"Huh… what is this light?"
Oswald, looking blank, checked himself over from every angle.
"Are you alright?"
"I don't feel bad at all. If anything, my head feels clear, and I feel motivation surging up. But I have no idea why light came out of my body. It's just strange."
"Has anything like this ever happened before?"
"Light didn't come out, but this sensation… it isn't the first time. After I eat bunsik, I always feel energized."
Even to Jinseo, Oswald's expression looked livelier, brimming with vitality.
"If you feel that way, I'm grateful."
"It's proof I'm benefiting from you. So if there's anything you need, say it without 부담."
"Then I have one more request."
"What is it?"
"If possible, could you assign one patrol soldier when I'm doing business here?"
Even with his strong body and the spirit Nero, Jinseo still felt he needed someone to keep watch in case something happened.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to do it for free. Since I'm operating without paying taxes…"
"You won't need to pay taxes like before. If you just provide appropriate meals to the guards assigned to the food truck, that will be enough."
"Just that?"
"Everyone likes your bunsik, so there won't be any complaints. If something happens to the food truck, the guards will make a bigger fuss than I will, so you might end up suffering from how many volunteers you get."
Oswald rinsed his mouth with fish cake broth, then stood up.
"We depart in one week. We'll leave early in the morning, so come out earlier than usual that day."
"Understood. Is there anything I need to prepare separately?"
"Just prepare the bunsik we'll eat while traveling, and that's enough. As for the rest, we'll be passing through other territories, so we'll issue you temporary travel permits… Ah. I almost left without saying this."
"What is it?"
At Jinseo's question, Oswald's delighted expression turned notably serious.
"This is only a suggestion, not an order. And it wasn't even my own proposal. I'm telling you only so you'll consider it, so don't feel burdened."
Oswald's gaze went to the four trees Jinseo had broken.
Then he rested both elbows on the counter, laced his fingers, brought them to his philtrum, and looked at Jinseo.
"Jinseo, I heard you possess outstanding strength not only in cooking, but physically as well."
"What? Why are you suddenly bringing that up…?"
"The knight order I command wants to recruit you… What do you say? They asked that you join, even if only as an honorary member rather than official."
"It's an honor, but I refuse."
Jinseo rejected it instantly, without even a second of hesitation.
Two years of military life was enough for him.
Until the day of departure arrived, Jinseo made preparations step by step over the week.
First, he invested without holding back—using the free upgrade coupons he still hadn't spent, and the mileage he'd piled up without using for a long time—into upgrading the food truck.
Then he bought ingredients and other necessary supplies in bulk and stored them in Subspace Storage.
The supplier he usually used was delighted at the sudden bulk purchase and even gave him a discount.
Lastly, he bought a large additional batch of ice cream and handed it over to Doren Magic Tower.
The storage location was decided as Dean Painfolt's Subspace Storage.
Inside the subspace, there was no worry about melting, making it an ideal storage place.
In truth, Jinseo also wanted to provide the clergy of Kaysus Cathedral with special tteokbokki in the same way.
But unlike ice cream, which he could simply buy in bulk and hand over, tteokbokki required making everything one by one, so it was impossible to produce all the needed quantity while the food truck was away.
Jinseo suggested that he make as much as possible and store it like ice cream for them to eat later, but Cardinal Fedora politely refused.
Not being able to eat the sacred food for penance and having to wait for it would also become a form of penance, she said.
That hectic week passed, and early in the morning, Jinseo arrived in front of Falstead Castle and ran final checks.
AI, open the food truck status window.
{-Owner of the Mobile Cooking Facility: Lee JinseoMobile Cooking Facility Level: 15Additional Flavor Boost Grade: E-Achievements Acquired to Date: None…Upgrade Status List: Subspace Storage (B+), Additional Subspace Storage (F), Additional Gas Stove (B)＊2, Durability Reinforcement Coating (A→A+), Barrier Function (same grade as durability), Nitro Booster (A), Additional Trailer (S), Large Speaker (A+, linked with Large TV), Large TV (A+, linked with Large Speaker)…-}
Inside the status window spread before Jinseo, the upgraded items were listed in a long line.
Among them, the upgrade Jinseo liked most was the additional trailer installed behind the existing food truck.
It was a comfortable space that included bunk beds like a camping car, a cozy sofa, heating and cooling, and even a shower room and toilet.
Even if he found other ways to sleep, cleanliness was essential for cooking.
So this upgrade was necessary, and because it was S-rank, it consumed the most mileage.
It dropped all the mileage I'd saved to a single digit, but mileage exists to be spent, so this is exactly when I should use it. And anyway, I can keep building mileage during the two months on the road.
He had already gotten a clear answer that he could run the food truck during the trip as long as it didn't interfere with the schedule.
That was why Jinseo was swelling with anticipation over how many people he would spread bunsik to on this journey.
"Hyung! Is it true you're accompanying the Castle Lord's procession?"
"You're really not coming back until two months from now?"
Facing Jason and Foltan, who came rushing over, Jinseo scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.
"Somehow, things turned out that way."
"Damn… I have to endure two months without bunsik… I feel like I'm going crazy."
To the two of them—now regulars—the bunsik had become part of daily life.
They slumped their shoulders and let out deep sighs like the ground might cave in.
"Before you leave, can't you do business even just for a bit?"
"I want to, but if I factor in the time to prepare and clean up, it's not doable. But ice cream is possible."
The two took big bites of the ice cream Jinseo handed them.
With the sweetness that made their tongues happy along with the cold, they wore expressions of happiness they couldn't quite describe.
All while forcing themselves to forget the fact that they'd have to wait at least two months to taste that sweetness again.
"Then, hyung, we pray you return safely."
"You have to come back as fast as you can. Got it?"
With ice cream in their mouths, the two hurriedly ran into the gate.
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