I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 73 ­ Protein

* * *

“…Your teeth aren’t that long, are they?”

“Anacondas don’t have venom. Still, compared to others, they’re not too short, right?”

“That’s true. Fascinating….”

Did I open my mouth too wide?

Maybe it was because I skipped breakfast, but I found myself eating high-quality food without much thought, leading to such comments. Even though the remark seemed purely out of curiosity, it didn’t really bother me.

However, I couldn’t help but be a little self-conscious. After swallowing my food cleanly and rinsing my mouth with sparkling water, I touched my teeth with my finger, and the person who asked the question looked embarrassed.

“It’s okay. It’s a perfectly valid thing to be curious about. While we’re at it, I should mention my tongue is quite long too. But that’s gross, so I won’t show you.”

“Really? Wow….”

“Still, if I keep getting asked the same question, it might get tiring….”

“Ah… Hang in there!”

“Haha.”

It’s an unavoidable part of life.

Although I haven’t fully realized it yet, being one of the few unique beings in the world is quite burdensome. But thinking deeply about it wouldn’t change much….

I carefully applied strength to my legs and stood up, stacking the empty plates neatly to one side. Since I ate quite fast, I told them I’d be right back.

Drawn by the sweet and stimulating aroma, I found a spot where well-cooked meats were piled up. There were freshly grilled items on the grill and some that looked like they had been out for a while.

I stacked them on my plate, adding sauces and salts. There were quesadillas and pizzas nearby, so I grabbed those too. People often say it’s a waste to eat such things at a buffet, but if they fill you up, it doesn’t matter.

I thought about getting items from other sections, but taking too much at once might be embarrassing, so I turned back.

Before returning, I got a small amount of a drink.

As I put the plate down with a click, Harmony, who had almost finished her plate, widened her eyes. Her expression was straightforward and hard to ignore.

“Wow, can you eat all that?”

“If you’re going to say that every time I go back and forth, you’ll probably say it five or six times today.”

“Ah, haha… Yes, enjoy. It’s worth bringing you here.”

I sat down.

All six lamb ribs I brought were French rack. Beside them were a few pieces of sirloin, roast beef, and LA ribs. The plate had garnishes, salt, and sauces. There were a few slices of pizza too.

Using a surprisingly sharp knife, I cut the meat smoothly and put it in my mouth. As I thought, expensive places have their reasons.

The taste justified the price.

One of the dining etiquette I learned in the past was not to show others the food in your mouth. Similarly, there was no need to show how long you chewed the food.

As Harmony asked earlier, my oral structure differed from others in many ways. Perhaps dining etiquette evolved to match that.

The point was that my eating speed was incredibly fast due to these ingrained behaviors.

As I lifted the third lamb rib, Harmony kept glancing at me, curious about something. Her gaze was reminiscent of a cat, overlapping with her cat avatar.

From that perspective, it was a well-made avatar.

“I do eat a bit fast, don’t I?”

“Oh, did it show?”

“It’s hard to pretend not to notice. Ahaha.”

“Sorry. I’m not usually one to pay attention to such things.”

“I think it’s perfectly understandable.”

As always, empathy lubricated relationships between people. It wasn’t particularly bothersome, and I found her gaze rather endearing.

If her avatar was a cat, in reality, she resembled a hamster. Her hazelnut-colored hair and cute face made her look more adorable than beautiful.

Having emptied her plate, she said she’d get some meat and disappeared.

I had already consumed about half of what I brought, and by the time Harmony returned, there wouldn’t be much left. My energy was gradually replenished as I met my daily calorie intake.

Thinking about it, I suddenly became curious about where Harmony lived. If she lived nearby, I could visit her often, perhaps to encourage her to exercise. She mentioned it took about 40 minutes to get here, so she didn’t live too far away.

But it felt awkward to ask directly, so I decided to wait for an appropriate topic.

“I’m back!”

“Oh, you got a lot of… Why so much soda?”

“Hehe, I often drink sweet sodas at home. Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Sigh….”

“Oh, today is cheat day! Cheat day!”

“Not every day is a cheat day, right?”

“Ugh, mom… Yoo Jin is bullying me during lunch…!”

It ended as a simple incident.

Since I had almost finished eating, I was contemplating what to eat next—though there were still many options. Just from what I saw, there were Chinese, Korean, instant foods, pasta, curry, dim sum, soups, and bread, among many other items I couldn’t list.

One good thing about this body was that I could make the most out of a buffet. I just realized this advantage now. In the past, the only thing I could eat until I was full was combat rations.

I moved quickly, and this time, it was the turn for Chinese food.

A little while later.

“…Sir. How much more are you going to eat?”

“I’m making a round of the buffet.”

“Wow….”

It had been nearly two hours since I started eating.

I was still eating well.

“I don’t want to go out… It’s so hot and humid today. I felt suffocated as soon as I stepped out. Didn’t you feel the same, Yoo Jin?”

“I like this kind of weather….”

“Oh.”

But today was a bit extreme. It felt like walking around in a giant sauna. Fortunately, I had a body that could withstand high temperatures.

If we talked about the discomfort index, today would be a day where going out would seem unreasonable. The weather in Korea was indeed chaotic.

Anyway, Harmony kept showing curious and impressed reactions.

There was still about an hour left before we had to leave, and I had eaten quite a lot. My stomach was quite full. I had probably covered most of my daily minimum calorie intake here.

But I wasn’t planning to leave right away. I was now enjoying dessert and light snacks to pass the time.

There were various breads and butters, jams, fruits like oranges and melons, shaved ice, soft ice cream with toppings, waffles, cupcakes, jellies, gelato, pies, egg tarts, crème brûlée, macarons, coffee, drinks, smoothies, and fruit juices.

I brought one of everything, thinking it would be a waste not to try them all. Harmony was taken aback, but since they were all going into my stomach, it wasn’t a big deal.

I would burn off the calories with some exercise at home anyway.

“Still, having one of each is like a mini buffet. I can taste a bit of everything… Oh, I ate too much.”

“You started pushing yourself halfway through.”

“But watching you eat made me hungry….”

Does watching someone eat well stimulate appetite?

Considering that mukbang content was still common on Yourspace, it wasn’t that strange.

Harmony, looking proud of her full stomach, patted her belly through her clothes and wobbled off to the bathroom.

She soon returned, clean-handed, and plopped back into her chair.

“By the way, Yoo Jin, are you not interested in Yourspace at all?”

“Actually, I was just about to ask you about that.”

The questions I had stored in my mind were triggered.

“Some people said that watching the recorded broadcasts directly on Tricky was inconvenient. So I was thinking of quickly uploading videos to Yourspace.”

“Have you linked Yourspace yet?”

“I wasn’t sure how, and just as I was about to, you contacted me for lunch.”

“Oh.”

“How did you handle it, Mina?”

After a brief hesitation, she replied.

“…Since we started from different points, I don’t have much advice, but once you link it, a Yourspace channel will be automatically created. After checking all the recorded broadcasts and uploading them, everything should be uploaded within a few days.”

“Hmm.”

“Once you reach a certain number of subscribers and views, you can monetize after a review. For thumbnails, you can contact fans who create fan art in the community, and you can find editors similarly.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s a temporary solution. If you plan to run the channel properly, it will get quite complicated. With an average broadcast time of twelve hours, you’d need at least two editors… But you don’t have to think too much about that now.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep asking if I have more questions.”

“Hehe, ask me anything. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

The questions continued.

The main topics were financial management and money issues, and contracts. Harmony managed her finances with a personally developed app to track cash flow and ensure salaries weren’t delayed.

She was also affiliated with an MCN, which provided some support.

Financial issues always needed strict management to avoid problems, especially in this fast-moving field where even small mistakes could escalate quickly.

I decided to manage these aspects with ICARUS Gear after setting all the parameters.

I asked various other questions.

For example, MCN proposals I received, collaboration requests from other streamers, or interview requests from other Yourspace channel operators. These were personal matters, but you never know.

Thorough preliminary research was essential for any task. If detailed investigation was impossible, asking questions would definitely help.

In this respect, Harmony was a veteran streamer with at least a few years of experience, and I gained a lot of useful information

from her.

Though she complained about experiencing unprecedented bizarre events in the past few weeks.

“…In any case, MCNs have both pros and cons. Do thorough research and choose one that aligns with your strengths and needs.”

“Is there anything else I should be mindful of?”

“Whether you join an MCN or go solo… As your channel grows, responsibilities and choices will increase in any direction. Keep that in mind.”

“Thank you.”

I said and stood up.

Harmony tried to stand up too, but I raised my hand to stop her.

“Huh? Weren’t we about to leave?”

I answered.

“Before we go, I need to have one more plate of meat.”

“Oh, come on!”

But I couldn’t compromise on protein intake.

Ignoring Harmony’s protest, I walked away.