Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 552: Ordinary Life

“Ugh, uuuuuuugh…!”

“Keok! Is, is this what they call… the hell train…?!”

Just like ordinary young men, the two rode the jam-packed subway and experienced the hell of being sandwiched between a lot of other people. Once the doors opened, they both ran out as if they were running away from monsters.

“Ji-Hoon, let’s run! Quick!”

“Y, yeah!”

Both Minhyuk and Ji-Hoon became the fastest people to escape the subway hell and jump on the escalator. As the two exited the subway station, they were greeted by the view of Mt. Namsan’s peak reaching the skies.

“Wow. Look at those two. What amazing proportions…”

“So handsome…”

“Look at the guy with the wavy hair. Doesn’t he look quite handsome?”

“I think the person right next to him, the one wearing the mask, is more handsome?”

“But why is he wearing a black mask with a skull print?”

“The two men went to Namsan…”

But it did not matter to the two men how the others viewed them.

“Let’s race! Let’s see who’s faster between us!”

“Heoook! Why did you start first?!”

Minhyuk and Ji-Hoon ran towards Mt. Namsan, giving their all. They would run until they were out of breath, rested for a while, and took off again, continuing that cycle until their bodies were covered with perspiration.

They finally arrived at Mt. Namsan. The two did not even need any words as they stood at the top of Namsan Seoul Tower and took in the panoramic view of the city beneath them.

“Yahoooooooo! Freeeeeedooooooom!!!” Minhyuk shouted loudly, startling Ji-Hoon and the people around them.

Ji-Hoon hesitated as he looked at the people that turned to look at Minhyuk with his sudden outburst, “That’s embarrassing. What, what are you doing?”

“Embarrassing? Doesn’t matter. What matters is that the two of us are having so much fun right now!”

“…”

And Ji-Hoon, who heard Minhyuk’s words, thought: That’s right! I decided to change. What does it matter if it’s embarrassing?

“I am veeeeeeeeeeery handsooooooooooome!”

“…???”

That was right. Ji-Hoon was slowly allowing his inner self to awaken, after receiving people’s praises. The two screamed like crazy before drinking some water and coming down from the tower. Then, they went to Hongdae, the vibrant street of youth, and watched the people come and go while looking at their outfits. They also went to the cinemas and watched a horror movie.

“A, aaaaaack! He, help me… The, the zombies… the zombies are here!!!”

“…Aren’t you a summoner that summons zombies?”

They also went to the arcade and stood in front of the punching machine, just like two normal teenagers.

“Make a wish! If you get a high score then it will come true!”

Baaaaaaaaaaaaang—

Tiririri~

They laughed and giggled at the loser before going to the karaoke to sing.

“Bingsu~ Patbingsu~ I love you, I love you.”

“Chicken soup~ Oooooooooh!!!”

“N, no… why does the song start with food and end with food?”

The two also went to Myeong-dong to look at foreigners and try some street food.

“Are, are you alright?”

“I took this newly developed drug, the KD-11, so I’m fine. But there can be severe side effects if I use it frequently, so I can only go out once a month.”

“Y, you said that you’re alright, but why are you drooling so much?”

“Sluuuuurp!”

They even greeted a few Japanese tourists as they walked around Myeong-dong.

“Su, sugoi ne!!!”

“Nan desu ka?

“Sugoi ne!!!”

“B, baka…???”

“Sugoi!”

Ji-Hoon, who only knew the word Sugoi, kept on repeating the same word as a greeting and Minhyuk, who was beside him, kept on laughing at his antics. The smiles on their faces did not fade away, as they continued to walk amidst the bustling streets.

Minhyuk and Ji-Hoon were both very happy. For them, this ordinary life was a blessing. Even the boring and mundane things that people would repeat every single day, were considered miracles to them. They were both very thankful for this, their spirits still high as they ran to take Myeong-dong’s subway and experience the subway hell again.

***

There was one thing that people from the countryside always wanted to do whenever they visited Seoul. And that was none other than eating ramyeon by the Han River. In fact, this was the activity that Minhyuk was looking forward to the most.

“Oh, oooooooh… the, the water is coming out!!!” Minhyuk exclaimed when hot water came out of the dispenser after he placed his disposable bowl under the faucet.

The two divided their jobs. Ji-Hoon was in charge of heating the hot bars and the frozen dumplings in the microwave, while Minhyuk was in charge of cooking the ramyeon, making sure that the noodles were cooked well by lifting the noodles up from time to time. After cooking their meals, they sat under a tent that was facing the Han River.

Not long after, they were able to set up a very appetizing ‘Han River Ramyeon Table’. Their table was filled with steaming ramyeon in disposable bowls, piping hot dumplings and hot bars, stir-fried kimchi and convenience store kimbap, the perfect food for the slightly chilly weather and the cool breeze from Han River.

“What a great day,” Minhyuk said, looking at the Han River, as the wind caressed his face.

Minhyuk was given the opportunity to eat these dishes in real life once a month. The amount of calories that he could eat on this day had to be equal to or less than 2,000 calories. This limit was given after Jinhwan, Minhyuk’s personal doctor, said that his eating addiction might worsen if he ate a lot after drinking the newly developed drug.

However, even though he could only eat a certain amount, Minhyuk was still grateful to have the chance to eat food in reality.

As the cool breeze continued to ruffle their hair, Minhyuk lifted the bowl to his lips. He gently blew on the soup before taking a sip. The soup tasted both spicy and refreshing, a taste that would immediately make one shout, ‘Kghhk~’ the moment they had a sip. With the bowl close to his lips, Minhyuk grabbed his chopsticks and lifted a mouthful of ramyeon.

“Hoo, hoo! Sluuuuuuuuuuurp!”

A burst of exclamation escaped from Minhyuk’s lips the moment he bit on the chewy noodles. It was so delicious that Minhyuk felt like he was about to cry. Then, he clamped a piece of stir-fried kimchi, placed it into his mouth and exclaimed, ‘Wow~’. Then, he slurped another mouthful of noodles before picking up a piece of dumpling. The juices of the meat inside the thin skin of the dumpling flowed into Minhyuk’s mouth the moment he bit down on it.

Ho~

Minhyuk rolled the still-steaming piece of dumpling in his mouth before gulping everything down. He slurped another mouthful of noodles, before moving on to the convenience store bulgogi kimbap. Finally, he dipped a piece of kimbap into the ramyeon soup, before placing it in his mouth.

“Super! Amazing!”

The flavors of the sour, crunchy pickled radish and the slightly sweet bulgogi created a perfect harmony inside his mouth. Then, with a final mouthful of noodles, Minhyuk finished his Han River Ramyeon. He took a sip of the soup before picking up a piece of hot bar. The pleasant texture and rich flavor of the hot bar immediately brought a smile to his face the moment he chewed on it. After eating all of the dishes that he could eat, Minhyuk grabbed a can of refreshing sprite, opened it and…

Fwish—

…drank everything in one go.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp—

“Kyaa~”

The exhaustion of the day seemed to be washed away by the cool and refreshing taste that lingered in Minhyuk’s mouth.

“Do you want to eat some more?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Of course, Minhyuk wanted to eat more. Even if he took the drug for his illness, this feeling of wanting more had already become a ‘habit’ ingrained in his body. Thankfully, his strong mental power was enough for him to suppress such thoughts.

After finishing his meal, Minhyuk stared at the Han River for a long time. Time passed by just like that. Minhyuk and Ji-Hoon finally stood up from their seats, took the subway back and arrived in front of Ji-Hoon’s house again.

“You didn’t have to take me back,” Ji-Hoon said, staring at Minhyuk for a long time, who was smiling at him. Thanks to Minhyuk, he had so much fun today. He even gained the confidence to go out on his own.

“Minhyuk,” Ji-Hoon called out, “Thank you.”

“Well.”

The two of them smiled at each other for a long time until Ji-Hoon asked, “Are you going home now?”

Minhyuk shook his head. Ji-Hoon tilted his head, wondering if he still had some place to be after playing around all day like they did. Then, a black limousine suddenly stopped in front of Minhyuk as the driver got out of his seat and opened the back door for him.

Minhyuk smiled lightly and said, “There’s still somewhere I have to go.”

***

At Daehan Group’s Chairman Eom Jin-Woong’s granddaughter’s first birthday party.

Anyone that attended this birthday party would say that this was way over the top to be called an ordinary birthday party. After all, South Korea’s most prominent figures, from politicians to businessmen, were attending.

Of course, Chairman Kang Minhoo of Ilhwa Group was also one of the attendees.

“You already have a granddaughter. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Kang Minhoo shook hands with Eom Jin-Woong, someone that he had a feud with not too long ago. Eom Jin-Woong hated Kang Minhoo while Kang Minhoo just retaliated as punishment for what he did to them. However, even if they did not like each other, this was not the time nor place to fight. It was a celebration after all.

The moment Kang Minhoo entered the scene, plenty of political figures and business giants immediately flocked towards him. And standing right next to them were their wives and children, all dressed up for the party.

“Oh my~ So, Chairman Kang is here. Hahaha. This over here is my son.”

“Ah, so you’re that child that recently topped the exam and entered Seoul National University?” Kang Minhoo smiled softly at the young man that greeted him with a bow.

As Kang Minhoo walked forward again…

“Hello, Chairman.”

“Assemblyman Jeong.”

“You look younger every time we meet. Ah, this is my daughter.”

“Your daughter is quite beautiful. Maybe it’s because she resembles your wife. What a relief that she did not take after you, huh? Hahahaha!”

“I know, right? Hahahaha!”

Every time he tried to walk forward…

“Chairman, this is my wife.”

“Chairman Kang, this is my son.”

“Chairman.”

“Chairman.”

“Chairman Kang.”

…someone would approach Kang Minhoo and greet him with their family. They would either brag about their grandson, granddaughter, or wife, or their son that went to law school, or a daughter that became a celebrity. All of them approached him with their families.

“Damn bastards…” Eom Jin-Woong mumbled, a sigh escaping his lips as he watched Kang Minhoo’s figure from afar.

This was what always happened whenever Chairman Kang Minhoo participated in any kind of event, and Chairman Kang Minhoo participated in a lot of business gatherings and celebrations. Kang Minhoo was an upright man, yet he had always been participating alone for nearly a decade. Kang Minhoo’s wife had died early and Kang Minhyuk, his son, was suffering from eating addiction.

That was the reason why he had always been alone, despite being the object of envious gazes from the people.

Eom Jin-Woong hated Kang Minhoo, but he could not help but feel sorry for the man after seeing him alone for so long. In the ten years that Kang Minhoo came alone, the people would always whisper among themselves, ‘He came alone again?’. This was also the reason why Chairman Kang Minhoo felt both grateful and bitter whenever he appeared in events like this.

Once all of the greetings were over, Kang Minhoo was left alone once again. He could sit down but he remained standing with a bitter smile on his face for quite some time.

‘No, I’m fine,’ Kang Minhoo comforted himself.

So what if he was the only one who could not attend with his son? He was very grateful that his son, who was suffering from a terrible disease in the form of eating addiction, was already slowly moving forward. He was already satisfied just by being able to see his son smile happily, cry, and make friends.

‘That’s right. I’m alright.’

But that was something that was far from the truth. Kang Minhoo was not alright. He was not alright being alone, amidst these laughing, chattering people and their harmonious families.

Kang Minhoo has been doing his best for his son for the past ten years. He tried so hard to endure all the hardships, working twice, even three times harder than anyone, just so he could shut down rumors and those that voiced concerns about him needing someone else to become his successor.

Actually, Minhoo did not find it hard at all. He just hoped and wished that someday, one day, he would be able to sling his arms around his son’s shoulders and brag to others that ‘This is my son.’ while laughing happily.

“Phew…” In the end, all Kang Minhoo could do was lower his head and sigh. But then…

“Dad.”

…a familiar voice, a voice that he knew too well, rang in his ears. When Kang Minhoo turned around, he saw his beloved son greeting him with a bright smile on his face.