1. Life is a 3-Minute Cup Ramen
“I’m hungry.”
What on earth is going on? I looked down at the two children who were only half my size. Their dusty, brownish-gray hair was messy, but unlike their dirty appearance, their bright blue eyes sparkled like mysterious sapphires.
“…….”
The two boys stared at me. To be precise, they were staring at the cup ramen in my hand.
***
In front of me was a dark hallway. I felt a chill from the mossy walls and the marble floor.
‘A castle? A temple? It looks like a building in Europe.’
I had never actually been to Europe, but I knew what it looked like thanks to the internet. However, this place wasn’t beautiful like the ruins you see on travel blogs.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts, but…’
It felt more like a well-made haunted house than a fancy art gallery. I tapped a mushroom growing on the wall and fell into thought.
‘Why am I here?’
A large supermarket near my house was having a huge sale.
‘Domestic pork for 1,110 won per 100g. Pumpkin for 500 won. 5 cucumbers for 1,000 won. Cup ramen for 100 won per person.’
The market was packed. The “Time Sale” was a battlefield for shoppers. Especially the shelf with the 100-won cup ramen…
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”
“Look at this guy! How old are you to be talking to me like that?”
Men who followed their wives were “politely” arguing about their ages. As they bumped into each other, cup ramen started rolling everywhere.
“Oh my, please stop!”
Among the chaos, a cup of Yukgaejang (spicy beef) ramen rolled toward me. The moment I picked it up…
‘Huh?’
My head started spinning.
‘Maybe it’s low blood pressure.’
I thought it was just a dizzy spell, but when I looked up, everything had changed.
“……Where am I?”
Dust from spores got on my low-heeled shoes. A long black dress and a white apron moved as I walked.
‘I was wearing sneakers and jeans, though?’
I looked around and saw a wall mirror in the distance. I walked toward it as if possessed.
“……Who is this?”
Brown hair reaching her chest. A pretty face with clear green eyes. The dress the woman in the mirror was wearing looked like a maid costume.
‘She looks like someone from the Middle Ages. Is she a maid?’
The most out-of-place thing was that this “maid” was holding a cup ramen. It was the same small Yukgaejang cup I had just picked up.
‘Is this a dream?’
When I moved my hand, the woman in the mirror moved too. The ramen did the same.
“……This is really strange.”
The voice was thinner and prettier than my original voice.
“Ah, maybe I fainted?”
Maybe I collapsed while picking up the ramen. If this was a dream, it all made sense.
‘I have been working too hard lately.’
I had been busy every day working part-time jobs and looking for a career.
‘But still.’
To collapse so suddenly.
‘There were so many people at the market… surely someone helped me?’
I wasn’t supposed to die young.
‘Then I just have to wait for the dream to end.’
The moment I thought that, my stomach growled loudly.
“Why am I hungry in a dream?”
My stomach was screaming for food.
‘This can’t be reality.’
Yet, I could feel the hunger and the cold air perfectly.
‘Cold, hungry, and sleepy…’
Those are the three elements of being a beggar. I hugged the cup ramen tightly. I really wanted that hot soup.
‘Let’s eat first.’
I walked past the mirror. Luckily, I found a kitchen quickly. I boiled water and waited. That’s how you make cup ramen.
“Carefully, carefully.”
I added the soup powder and poured the water.
“Mmm, smells good.”
The delicious scent rose with the steam.
‘Now, I just have to wait.’
Just as I turned around, feeling relaxed…
“I’m hungry.”
“Aaaah!”
I almost threw the ramen.
‘What? There’s no one— wait.’
I realized I had to look down.
‘Children?’
They had dirty blonde hair covered in dust. Their faces were so pale that I almost mistook them for little blue-eyed ghosts.
“Who are you guys?”
“I’m hungry.”
When I asked, they only repeated that they were hungry. The twins’ eyes were fixed on the cup ramen. After a short standoff with the mysterious kids, I instinctively shouted:
“Ah, it’s been 3 minutes.”
My internal clock told me it was ready.
Pop.
I pulled off the lid.
‘Look at that steam.’
The smell was even better now. One child’s eyes sparkled. The other pretended not to care but was still staring at the ramen.
I observed them. Their cheeks, which should have been chubby, were hollow and thin.
‘Even if it’s a dream, this feels bad.’
Even if they weren’t real, I felt too sorry for them to ignore them. It was just ramen, but still.
“Want some?”
“Yes!”
One boy nodded eagerly. But the boy next to him flinched and pulled him back.
“Whyyy?”
“Don’t you remember what happened before? Stay alert.”
The boy whispered into the other’s ear. I had no idea what happened “before.”
“I didn’t put poison in it.”
Have they never seen cup ramen? Maybe they were suspicious.
“Here, look.”
I lifted the noodles and took a bite.
“Mmm, so good.”
It was delicious. My biological clock was right; the noodles were perfectly cooked.
Gulp.
I heard the kids swallow their spit. Seeing me eat it made them less guarded.
“Here, try some. Open wide.”
“Ah.”
I rolled the noodles on the chopsticks. The perfect bite landed in the boy’s open mouth.
“It’s so good…”
He looked so happy he almost cried. Soft, chewy, and salty—that’s the charm of ramen.
‘Is it too hot?’
I blew on the soup for him. He puffed out steam from his tiny mouth but ate it happily.
“It’s spicy! But it’s so tasty!”
He was adorable. It felt good to watch them eat. I signaled to the other boy.
“You eat too.”
He flinched and stepped back. Was he still suspicious? But he must be hungry.
“It’s really okay. Just try one bite.”
I sounded like a salesman, but the classics always work. I held the noodles near his mouth.
“…….”
Growl.
His stomach made a loud noise. His cheeks turned bright red. His tightly shut mouth finally opened slowly.
“There we go.”
Noodles are no good if they get soggy. The ramen disappeared into his small mouth. Watching his cheeks move as he chewed was so cute.
“……It’s delicious.”
A small exclamation came out as he swallowed. His eyes sparkled. Of course, one bite wasn’t enough to fill him up. I fed him another mouthful.
“Me too! Me too!”
The other boy chirped beside us.
“Hehe, you’re so cute and soft.”
I fed him a small fish cake, and he gave me a big smile.
“All gone.”
After taking turns, they had eaten everything except the soup. The red soup was for me.
‘It’s full of salt and MSG, but who cares?’
Warm soup is a small comfort in life.
‘This is the taste of life,’ I thought philosophically.
“I’m full.”
The boy lay on the floor, rubbing his stomach. The other boy had also relaxed.
“But what’s the occasion? Usually, you wouldn’t give us anything even if we begged.”
The boy tilted his head innocently.
“Me?”
I was the one who was confused. But the child nodded as if it were obvious.
“Yeah. Eilein did.”
Eilein?
The moment the child said that name, my head started hurting terribly, and my vision went white.
‘What is this?’
A flood of memories and information poured into my brain.
[Prayer of Healing]
A “healing” novel where the female lead, Elshius, awakens as a Saintess and saves all kinds of men. It was a great story that I even paid money to read.
‘Why am I thinking of this novel?’
I looked at the children hugging each other with trembling eyes. Then, I began to see visions of what the owner of this body had done.
‘Eilein Hallen.’
The nanny of the abandoned twin princes. She was the one who abused the children and turned them into villains.
‘Blood, flesh, and broken bones…’
Eilein’s end was a brutal death.
‘Wait, this isn’t a dream. I’ve been possessed?’
And that doomed future was now mine.
