Chapter 1
“Assistant Manager Han, is this really this month’s order data? Are you out of your mind?”
Manager Kim’s scream, loud enough to make her ears ring, shook the office ceiling.
Here we go again.
Three years into working on the sales support team at a distribution company.
It was always the same routine.
“I’m sorry. I heard there was an error on the logistics side, so I’m checking it again.”
At those words, Manager Kim’s face turned bright red, and his voice grew even louder.
“Is saying you’re sorry going to fix everything? Don’t even think about going home today.”
With that, Manager Kim slammed the door shut and stormed out.
Ah… seriously.
She was annoyed, but the text message she had received earlier informing her that she had won the apartment lottery kept popping into her mind.
I’m going to quit soon anyway, so just hang in there a little longer.
After wrestling with the work for quite some time, Sehee finally finished sorting everything out and left the office.
“Let’s buy something to eat on the way home.”
As if possessed, Sehee made her way toward a convenience store.
Ding!
“Welcome!”
The moment Sehee entered the convenience store, a cheerful greeting welcomed her.
She picked up a packet of Manseong instant noodles to satisfy her immediate hunger, then glanced to the side.
A buy-one-get-one deal?
Sehee grabbed two bottles of banana milk and a chocolate bar before heading to the register.
“Would you like a bag?”
“Yes.”
Sehee gave a small nod and left the convenience store.
The plastic bag hanging from her wrist dug into her skin, bumping lightly against her thigh with every step.
After walking for some time, she spotted a crosswalk.
Should I just eat the ramen tomorrow?
She was exhausted.
Just then, the traffic light at the crosswalk turned green.
Sehee adjusted her grip on the bag and took a heavy step forward.
The humid air brushed against the tip of her nose, as though rain were about to fall.
“Huh…?”
It happened in an instant.
HOOOOONK—!
The moment she turned her head, her vision filled with blinding white light, and she couldn’t even scream.
The headlights of a massive truck filled her field of vision, and her body was sent flying.
What is this?
Scenes flashed before Sehee’s eyes, almost like a life flashing before her.
Her childhood.
Her years at university.
And finally, the report she had been finishing at work.
She even remembered the autosave failure icon that had blinked right before she was about to save it.
Ah, I’m screwed…
That was her final useless thought before she lost consciousness.
How much time had passed?
Sehee opened her eyes when she felt something damp and sticky against her cheek.
“Ugh…”
She tried to sit up, only to freeze.
The sight spread out before her was not the Seoul she knew.
“What? Where am I?”
The sky was covered in a haze of purple mist.
Twisted trees filled the forest.
“Ah… Could this be heaven? I could’ve sworn I was hit by a truck.”
Sehee looked around.
The sharp, fishy smell stinging her nose made it clear that this wasn’t a dream.
She cautiously pinched her thigh.
“Ow!”
It hurt terribly.
This is way too realistic for heaven.
They say you can survive even being caught by a tiger as long as you keep your head straight. First, stay calm.
Then Sehee noticed her own hand.
She was certain she had been holding something, but it was empty.
“…Huh?”
The plastic bag that had been hanging from her wrist was gone.
So was all the food inside it.
“Damn it! My food!”
Faced with this incomprehensible situation, Sehee quickly got to her feet and looked around.
A little farther away, she spotted a chunk of metal wedged between the twisted trees.
It was a wrecked truck.
“That…”
The body of the truck was crushed, and the driver’s seat was empty.
“Where’s the driver?”
Naturally, there was no answer.
She was there, and the truck was there, too.
Yet everything that should have been between the two was simply gone.
“How does this make any sense?”
Her mind raced.
Sehee instinctively checked her pockets first.
Her phone was gone.
So was her wallet.
All that remained were the clothes she was wearing and her own body.
Surprisingly, the first thought that came to her mind was simple.
My apartment! I won the apartment lottery!
Just then, the center of Sehee’s vision began to flicker, and a blue holographic window appeared before her.
[Loading…]
[Please wait.]
“…What?”
Sehee stared at the air in front of her.
There were unmistakably words floating in empty space.
She waved her hand through them, but the letters remained exactly where they were.
“What is this?”
Until a moment ago, she had thought the forest was strange.
Now, she was starting to think there was something wrong with her head.
“Don’t tell me… Is this a game? Reincarnation? No, I’ve never heard of a world like this.”
At that moment, another, much clearer blue window appeared before Sehee.
[All data synchronization has been completed. Welcome.]
“No, forget the welcome and all that…!”
Sehee let out a hollow laugh as she read the message and was about to demand an explanation.
[Store Owner ‘Han Sehee’ registration complete.]
This system is a galactic distribution system designed to facilitate the distribution of goods throughout the world.
You have been chosen as the one and only store owner who will bring prosperity to this other world.
*Store Owner Privileges Granted…
“Wait, what? Store owner? What kind of store owner?”
Even though she knew the window couldn’t possibly answer, she still asked the empty air.
“Is this a novel?! Am I the protagonist? Can’t you give me some information about the setting?”
She couldn’t believe she had somehow ended up in a situation straight out of one of the novels she’d seen countless times online.
Of course, no answer came.
The only thing floating in the air was the indifferent message stating that her registration as a store owner was complete.
Sehee closed her mouth and slowly drew in a deep breath.
“Don’t tell me…”
[In order to return to your original world, you must fulfill certain conditions.]
“…Right. I’m definitely going back.”
A comfortable life awaited Sehee in reality, now that she had won the apartment lottery.
There was no way she could give that up.
Sehee looked at the window floating in the air once again.
There was no way she could deny what was happening.
The very fact that a system window had appeared in the middle of a forest was already more than enough proof that reality had become utterly absurd.
“Fine.”
There was no time to panic.
She wanted to find other people first, but the system window before her took priority.
If she wanted to survive in this unfamiliar world…
The only thing she could trust right now was this status window.
“By the way, what kind of store am I supposed to run?”
Sehee looked around, but there was absolutely nothing resembling a shop.
Even if there were a store here, it didn’t seem like there would be a single customer.
I’m supposed to run a business in a place where no one even seems likely to pass by?
It was ridiculous.
Sehee stared blankly at the message for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh.
- If no transaction occurs within the designated time, the Store Owner Protection Function will be permanently deactivated.
“Here? In this forest?”
Just then, she heard an unpleasant sound coming from the bushes.
“…What is that? Is someone there?”
Instead of an answer, she saw pairs of fiercely glowing yellow eyes.
Grrrrr…
Wolves as tall as grown adults bared their sharp teeth, drooling hungrily.
Ah. This is really… the end for me.
The wolves’ gazes were fixed on Sehee’s neck.
“Hey! Help me! Get rid of these things first!”
Sehee shouted toward the empty air.
[The first potential customer is approaching.]
“Potential customer?! How is that a customer?! They’re wolves! Anyone can see that I’m the food here!”
Sehee screamed as she backed away.
Her heel slipped in the wet soil, and her back slammed against a cold rock.
“Ugh…!”
She felt the pain, but there was no time to worry about it.
Because one of the wolves in front lowered its head and crouched down.
It was unmistakably the stance of a creature about to pounce.
Is that the leader?
Among the wolves at the front, one particularly large wolf caught her eye.
“Wait, wait!”
Her heart pounded so violently that it felt as though it were beating right beside her ears.
“I don’t have anything on me right now.”
The moment she finished muttering, another window appeared.
[Status Window and Inventory functions are now available.]
“Is this really the time for that?”
Sehee gritted her teeth and tried to look away.
But as if responding to her muttering, the window smoothly changed.
[Player Information]
Name: Han Sehee
Occupation: The Other World’s Only Distributor
Cooking Skill: F-
“F-?”
Sehee frowned.
[The mana system of this world is incompatible with the player’s cooking abilities.]
“…”
The message had appeared at precisely the moment Sehee was about to question it.
“Hey. You just heard what I said and answered me, didn’t you?”
There was no response, but the silence looked suspiciously like someone pretending not to know anything.
“Or is someone watching me?”
She looked around once more, but there was nothing except the purple mist and no sign of anyone nearby.
Meanwhile, the wolf that appeared to be the leader was steadily approaching.
“Ah, damn it… Inventory!”
It came out almost as a scream.
But there was nothing inside her inventory.
For a moment, Sehee’s mind went completely blank.
“There’s nothing?”
It was the ultimate betrayal by the inventory she had trusted.
As if mocking her, the window appeared again after a brief pause.
[Summoning the purchased items that disappeared into the inventory.]
“Don’t tell me…”
Just as the wolf’s teeth came within inches of her, Sehee opened the inventory again.
[Inventory]
Stored Items: 1 pack of Manseong Instant Noodles, wooden chopsticks, 500 ml bottled water
“Finally!”
But the next system window plunged her into despair.
[Sell food to your first customer!]
If you fail to complete your first transaction within 30 minutes,
you will become dinner for the hungry wolves.
Objective: Serve a meal to the wolves (0/1)
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Upon Success: Basic settlement equipment, 1 old parasol, x3 Maximum Gold
Upon Failure: Annihilation
Your labor will soon become the sacred welfare of this other world. (Work songs recommended)
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You really want me to sell food to wolves?”
