The oil was making a lot of noise again.
Not the kind of noise you think about.
It was always making that damn noise during those late-night shifts. ( I'm already immune to it)
Inside the oily cramped kitchen, the fryer with oil bubbled like hot water.
I dropped the patty, and hot oil splashed on my hand.
"Ouch!"
"Order number 247! Two chicken burgers! One large fries! Hurry up!"
The manager is loud again.
I didn't even bother responding.
My hands moved automatically.
Grab a bun.
Drop patty.
Flip patty.
Salt fries.
Wrap the burger.
Repeat.
Again.
And again.
This has been my life for the past three years.
My name was Kang Jae-Min. Age twenty-six. Professional fast-food slave.
Some people dreamed of becoming doctors, engineers, artists, or CEOs.
Me?
I dreamed of sleeping more than five hours.
"Jae-Min! Move faster!" the manager shouted again.
I glanced at the clock above the freezer.
2:13 AM.
I have been working since 9 AM.
Seventeen hours.
My eyes felt like sandpaper.
"Why are people even ordering burgers at 2 AM…?" I muttered.
A coworker beside me snorted.
"Because they are hungry?"
"What?"
"I mean gamers," he corrected. "They stay up all night."
I flipped another patty.
My body moved on autopilot.
Grab a bun.
Spread sauce.
Add lettuce.
But my brain had already checked out hours ago.
At some point, I stopped thinking about burgers as food.
They were just… objects.
Items.
Products.
If someone asked me what a burger tasted like, I honestly wouldn't know.
Because I never had time to eat one.
"Order 250!" the manager yelled.
"How many more orders?" I asked.
He looked at the screen.
"…A hundred."
I stared at him.
"A hundred?"
He shrugged.
"Weekend rush."
I sighed and turned back to the grill.
This was my life.
Work. Sleep. Work again.
Minimum wage.
Overtime is not paid.
Grease in my hair.
Oil burns on my arms.
And the worst part?
The customers complained about everything.
"Too salty."
"Too slow."
"Too cold."
Sometimes I wondered if I had made a wrong decision in life.
Actually… I didn't wonder.
I knew I did.
"Another burger finished."
Suddenly–
My vision blurred.
The kitchen lights flickered.
I blinked.
"Whoa…"
My head spins.
The sound of the fryer faded, like someone slowly turning down the volume of reality.
"Jae-Min?" my coworker said. "You okay?"
I opened my mouth.
"I think… I need a break…"
Then the floor rushed toward me.
Or maybe I rushed toward the floor.
I couldn't tell.
The last thing I heard was the sound of the fryer and a coworker who was worried about me.
Then everything went dark.
...
"...Did I die?"
That was my first thought.
It was surprisingly calm.
No pain.
No noise.
Just darkness.
Honestly, if this was death, it wouldn't be so bad.
At least there were no burger orders and no yelling manager.
I sighed.
"Finally… rest."
But then—
A voice echoed in my head.
[System Initialization Complete.]
"…Huh?"
The darkness disappeared.
Light flooded my vision.
My eyes snapped.
The first thing I saw was a ceiling made of carved wood.
Not the greasy metal ceiling of the fast-food kitchen.
A chandelier hung above me, sparkling softly.
"…What?"
I sat up.
The bed beneath me was enormous.
Soft.
Ridiculously soft.
The blanket felt like it cost more than my monthly salary.
I looked around.
The room was massive. Polished wooden floors, tall windows with velvet curtains, shelves filled with books, and a fireplace crackling gently in the corner.
My brain struggled to process the information.
"Where… am I?"
Then I looked down at my hands.
They were not my hands.
My hands used to be rough from burns and cuts.
These hands were pale, smooth, and slender.
"What the hell?"
I jumped out of bed and ran toward a mirror.
A young man stared back at me.
Messy dark hair, average-looking face, hair covering his eyes slightly.
Not ugly.
But definitely not handsome.
Just… extremely normal.
The kind of face you forget immediately.
"…Who are you?" I whispered.
The stranger in the mirror whispered back.
My stomach dropped.
"Okay," I said slowly.
"Let's think about this calmly."
I pointed at the mirror.
"That is not me."
I pointed at myself.
"And I'm definitely not dreaming."
I slapped my cheek.
SMACK.
"Ow."
Yep.
Pain confirmed it was not a dream.
I looked around the room again. Huge bed, fancy furniture, expensive decorations.
It looked exactly like something from a fantasy manhwa I read before.
My brain reached a conclusion.
A ridiculous one.
But also the only one that made sense.
"…Did I reincarnate?"
Silence filled the room.
I waited.
Half expecting someone to jump out and yell "Its a prank!"
No one did.
I rubbed my head.
"So… I died from overworking at a fast-food restaurant…"
I glanced at my new clothes.
It's silk, real silk.
"…and now I woke up in a noble's bedroom?"
I stared at the ceiling.
Then I burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Of course this would happen.
All those anime I watched while eating instant noodles…
They were right.
Truck-kun wasn't the only killer.
Minimum wage could kill you too.
"Wow," I muttered.
"So I really reincarnated."
Then the strange voice returned.
[System Activated.]
I froze.
"…There's a system too?"
A blue screen appeared in front of my eyes.
Floating in the air.
[Restaurant System]
User: Unknown
Status: Initializing…
Primary Function: Ingredient Supply
I blinked.
"…Restaurant system?"
More text appeared.
[Welcome, Host.]
This system provides ingredients from the modern world.
Restrictions:
• Recipes are NOT provided.
• Cooking skills depend on the host ability.
• Magic effects determined by world laws.
First Ingredient Unlock:
Potatoes × 10
A small wooden crate suddenly appeared on the floor.
I jumped.
"Where did that come from?!"
Inside the crate were perfect yellow potatoes.
My eyes widened.
Real potatoes.
Not fantasy vegetables.
Earth potatoes.
I slowly picked one up.
"…Holy crap."
Then I started laughing again.
"HAHAHAHA!"
This was insane.
Absolutely insane.
But also…
Amazing.
"Modern ingredients…" I muttered.
Potatoes.
Flour.
Meat.
Cheese.
If the system gave those…
Then I could cook fast food.
Burgers.
Fries.
Fried chicken.
Things this world probably had never tasted before.
A grin spread across my face.
"Oh…"
"Oh this is going to be fun."
If I were really in a fantasy world…
Then fast food would be revolutionary.
Cheap, fast, addictive and extremely profitable.
My heart raced.
Potato = Fries
Fries = Money
Money = Rich
'Mwhahahaha'
"I might actually get rich here."
For the first time in years… I felt excited.
But suddenly—
Knock knock.
I froze.
Someone was at the door.
A soft female voice followed.
"Young master?"
Young master?
"…That's me, right?"
The voice continued, slightly worried.
"Forgive me for disturbing your rest, but you did not come down for breakfast."
Breakfast.
Oh right.
Normal people ate breakfast.
Unlike fast-food workers who survived on caffeine.
I cleared my throat. "Uh… come in?"
The door slowly opened. A young maid stepped inside.
She had neat brown hair tied behind her head and wore a simple black-and-white maid uniform.
She looked about twenty.
The moment she saw me standing beside the bed, her eyes widened.
"Young master!"
She rushed forward.
"You should not be out of bed yet! The physician said you needed rest!"
"…Physician?"
"You collapsed yesterday," she explained worriedly.
"His Lordship and Lady Viscountess were very concerned."
His lordship.
Viscountess.
I blinked.
"…Wait."
I looked at her carefully.
"Let me ask you something."
She tilted her head.
"Yes, young master?"
I pointed at myself.
"Who am I?"
The maid froze.
Her expression slowly changed from confusion…
To horror.
"Young master…?"
Her hands began trembling.
"You… you are Lord Adrian Valmont."
Adrian Valmont.
Son of Viscount Valmont.
I repeated the name silently.
But something bothered me.
Because despite hearing the name…
I felt nothing.
No memories.
No familiarity.
It was... Nothing
I looked back at the maid.
"…And you are?"
Her face went pale.
"Y-young master…?"
I scratched my head awkwardly.
"Sorry."
"I think there's been a misunderstanding."
I gave her an apologetic smile.
"Because I have absolutely no idea who you are."
'I know you're a maid' he thought.
The tray in her hands slipped.
CRASH.
The sound echoed through the room.
The maid stared at me like she had seen a ghost.
"Young… master…"
Her voice shook.
"…Did you lose your memory?"
I blinked.
"Oh."
"…That might actually be possible."
The maid slowly stepped backward.
Then suddenly–
She turned and ran out the door.
"HELP!!"
Her scream echoed down the hallway.
"THE YOUNG MASTER LOST HIS MEMORY!!"
I stood there in silence.
Then sighed.
"…Well."
"That escalated quickly."
Behind me, the crate of potatoes sat quietly on the floor.
And the blue system window flickered once more.
[Main Quest Unlocked.]
Build the First Fast-Food Restaurant in This World.
Reward: ???
I stared at the message.
Then smiled slowly.
"Alright."
"If this is my second life…"
My eyes gleamed with ambition.
"…I'm going to make a lot of money."
And somewhere outside the room…
Panicked footsteps were rapidly approaching.
The chaos had only just begun