As they walked through the bustling capital, Liam eagerly guided Fainyx from one fascinating place to another.
"Look over there, they sell some amazing trinkets here!" Liam cheered enthusiastically.
"And look across the street, those skewers smell absolutely incredible!"
Vibrant stalls lined the cobblestone streets, overflowing with colorful merchant goods and the rich, mouthwatering scent of freshly cooked food.
Fainyx quietly observed every single detail of his surroundings. Even though he already knew the exact layout of this place from his extensive memories of the game, seeing the sprawling city in person was an entirely different experience.
It was so much more vivid and undeniably alive.
The peaceful exploration was suddenly interrupted by a loud, echoing rumble from Liam's stomach. Liam froze completely in his tracks while Adam slowly turned to glance at him.
"Are you already hungry?" Adam asked with a perfectly flat tone.
Liam laughed awkwardly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Ahaha... yeah, I suppose I am..." Then his bright blue eyes lit up with sudden realization.
"Oh, I just remembered! There is this really famous restaurant right nearby!"
Adam narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone dropping into something dangerously cold. "When exactly did you visit this place?"
Liam instantly stiffened. "I did not go anywhere! You are just imagining things!"
Adam's sharp gaze pierced right through his younger brother's terrible lie. "Do not tell me you sneaked out of the estate without permission again."
Liam began to visibly sweat under the intense scrutiny. "No! Of course not!"
Without waiting for any further interrogation from his eldest brother, Liam quickly grabbed Fainyx's hand and practically dragged him forward. "Let us just go eat, Fainyx!"
Adam released a long, exhausted sigh while Weinhart chuckled softly behind them, warmly noting that Young Master Liam truly never changed.
They followed their energetic guide down a much quieter side street before finally coming to a complete stop.
Fainyx froze perfectly still. Right in front of them stood a restaurant that looked absolutely unlike anything else in this entire fantasy world.
The architectural structure was incredibly strange for the setting, featuring perfectly clean lines, smooth wooden panels, and large, pristine glass windows.
Perched directly above the main entrance was a boldly painted sign written in a language that Fainyx knew far too well.
It read [하늘불고기집], which translated directly to Haneul Bulgogi House.
His breath hitched slightly in his throat.
'Korean...?' he thought in absolute disbelief.
Liam grinned broadly at his siblings' reactions.
"See? It looks super weird, right? I found this place while I was just... walking around,"
Liam coughed awkwardly, trying to cover up his past transgressions. "But I promise the food here is amazing! They even have this long stringy food covered in a delicious black sauce!"
Fainyx did not offer a single physical response to the enthusiastic rambling. But deep inside his mind, his thoughts were spiraling into utter chaos.
'This absolutely should not exist in this world...'
Even the normally stoic Adam looked deeply intrigued by the bizarre building, admitting that he had never seen such unique architecture in his entire life.
Weinhart simply observed the storefront in respectful silence, though a faint, unmistakable glint of intellectual interest sparkled in his aged eyes.
They finally stepped through the front entrance, greeted by the soft, pleasant chime of a bell echoing above the wooden door.
Once inside, the entire atmosphere shifted into something incredibly cozy and nostalgic.
The interior was bathed in warm, inviting lighting that perfectly highlighted the neat rows of polished wooden tables, while the rich, intoxicating scent of perfectly grilled meat and savory spices filled the air.
A young female employee quickly approached their group to offer her assistance.
She wore a crisp white apron over her clothes and had a matching bandana tied neatly around her head. Stopping right in front of them, she executed a flawless, proper Korean style bow.
"Welcome to our humble shop," she greeted them cheerfully.
Fainyx's crystal violet eyes widened a fraction of an inch at the deeply familiar gesture.
The girl smiled politely at the group of nobles. "Will you gentlemen be dining in with us today or ordering your food to go?"
Liam answered immediately with a bright grin. "We will definitely dine in! Do you have any good seats available?"
The waitress nodded graciously and assured them that she did, smoothly guiding the wealthy party toward a spacious table near the back of the room.
As they comfortably settled into their seats, Fainyx immediately noticed another glaring anomaly.
There was a circular metal grill built directly into the center of their wooden dining table.
Liam leaned forward over the surface, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
"This is honestly the best part of the whole restaurant! You actually order raw meat from the kitchen and then you get to cook it yourself right here! It is seriously so delicious!"
The waitress handed out their beautifully crafted menus and politely asked what they would like to order for their afternoon meal.
Liam squinted hard at the unfamiliar text on the menu, struggling to pronounce the foreign words.
"I think I will have the bulgogi, and maybe the doenjeng jigae? Let us get two full servings of that!"
The waitress smiled gently at the boy's enthusiastic attempt. "So that will be the bulgogi and the doenjang jjigae, two servings in total, is that correct?"
Liam nodded his head proudly, confirming his confident order.
"And what can I get for the rest of the table?" she asked, turning her attention to the older brother.
Adam glanced down at his menu with a mildly confused expression. "Do you happen to serve any sweet desserts here?"
The waitress nodded eagerly. "We certainly do! We serve tteok, which is incredibly satisfying and bouncy, almost like the chewiest bread you have ever tasted, but made entirely from pure steamed rice instead of wheat. We also have bingsu, which is a wonderfully sweet shaved ice dessert."
She briefly explained the exotic treats, painting a delicious picture that easily won Adam over.
He offered a decisive nod and requested to try a portion of both items.
"Understood completely! Please wait just a moment while I prepare your order," she chirped happily. She bowed respectfully once more before turning to hurry back toward the busy kitchen.
Adam spent a quiet moment looking around the bustling dining room, thoughtfully taking in the bizarre but charming atmosphere.
His sharp gaze eventually shifted over to Fainyx, who was still staring intently at the exact spot where the waitress had just been standing.
"Are you feeling curious about this strange place too?" Adam asked softly.
Fainyx gave a slow, deliberate nod of his head. After a brief moment of calculating his next move, Fainyx pulled out his writing pad and quickly scrawled a short message.
[ I want to go use the restroom. ]
Liam instantly smiled and jumped up from his seat, offering to escort his little brother so he would not get lost. Fainyx quickly shook his head in absolute refusal before writing another swift note.
[ There is no need for that. ]
Spotting another passing employee, Fainyx lightly tapped the man's arm to stop him and held up a fresh page.
[ Where can I use the restroom? ]
The employee was visibly startled by the silent communication at first, but he quickly recovered and offered a warm smile.
"The restroom is located upstairs on the second floor, little lord. I can gladly guide you there right now."
Fainyx nodded his thanks and stood up from the table. Liam looked slightly disappointed that his protective offer had been rejected, but he simply told his brother to be careful.
Fainyx offered one last reassuring nod before turning to follow his guide.
As Fainyx obediently followed the polite employee up the wooden staircase, his delicate facial expression remained a mask of perfect, unchanging aristocratic calm.
But deep inside his racing mind, his thoughts were spiraling entirely out of control.
The Korean language proudly displayed on the sign, the traditional Korean customs of the staff, and the authentic Korean food sizzling on the grills proved that this could absolutely not be a mere coincidence.
With every single step he took up the stairs, the gravity of the situation felt infinitely heavier.
'Someone else from my world is actually here...' he realized with stunning clarity.
And for the very first time since his sudden reincarnation into this fantasy universe, Fainyx felt a deeply unfamiliar emotion blossoming in his chest.
It was not paralyzing fear, nor was it simple childish excitement. It was pure, unfiltered anticipation.
'Could there truly be another reincarnator?'
Fainyx continued walking calmly behind the employee, keeping his footsteps perfectly light and measured so as not to draw any suspicion. However, the internal storm of logic continued to rage.
'It is entirely possible... If I managed to be reincarnated into the world of a video game, then there is absolutely no logical reason why I should be the only one. There could easily be others out there just like me. Other reincarnators, or perhaps even transmigrators...'
They finally reached the second floor landing, stepping into a hallway that was significantly quieter and much more private than the bustling dining room below.
Just before stepping into the designated restroom, Fainyx took out his trusty writing pad and composed one final, probing question.
[ Who exactly is the owner of this fine establishment? ]
The employee glanced down at the elegant handwriting and blinked in mild surprise.
"The owner?" he repeated softly, before flashing a polite, apologetic smile. "I am afraid our boss is currently out running errands at the moment, but he may return later this afternoon."
Fainyx paused to digest this critical piece of information before offering a slow nod of understanding. He quickly scribbled another note.
[ Thank you for your help. ]
The helpful employee bowed slightly in farewell and turned to head back downstairs to his waiting customers.
Fainyx stepped quietly into the empty restroom. The exact moment the heavy wooden door clicked shut behind him, the entire atmosphere in the room shifted.
His perfectly crafted mask of calm indifference finally slipped, fading just slightly to reveal the intense, calculating gaze underneath.
'So the mysterious owner is currently absent...' Fainyx analyzed silently. 'That actually makes things significantly easier for me.'
He turned slowly toward the polished mirror hanging on the wall. For a long, silent second, he simply stood there and stared directly at his own reflection.
He saw a small, aristocratic child trapped inside an incredibly fragile body, wearing a flawlessly expressionless face. But hiding deep behind those crystal violet eyes was a brilliant, mature mind that absolutely did not belong in this fantasy world.
"Let us officially confirm it," Fainyx murmured softly, his actual voice barely rising above a ghostly whisper.
It was an incredibly rare indulgence, something he absolutely never allowed himself to do outside the complete isolation of his personal domain.
Pure mana began to gather quietly around his tiny frame. It did not swirl violently or manifest into a blinding visual display. Instead, it was terrifyingly controlled and surgically precise.
A faint, magical ripple spread smoothly across his entire body, looking exactly like intense heat violently distorting the summer air.
Slowly, his physical figure began to blur into the background, eventually fading into a state of magical transparency.
It was not a spell of complete, flawless invisibility, but it was more than enough for his current needs. The ambient light simply passed right through his form, distorting his physical presence so heavily that to anyone else passing by, he would appear to be nothing more than a fleeting optical illusion.
Fainyx looked down at his faint, semi transparent hands, flexing his fingers to test the complex spell.
'The mana structure is remaining perfectly stable...' he noted with satisfaction. 'Good.'
He took a confident step forward toward the door before suddenly pausing in his tracks.
'If this mysterious owner truly is another reincarnator from modern Earth...' Fainyx deduced logically.
'Then this specific building has to be hiding something much more significant than just a simple restaurant.'
Moving with agonizing slowness, he pulled the restroom door open and slipped back out into the corridor. He was entirely silent and completely unseen.
The long, carpeted hallway stretched out before him like an open maze. From the floor below, he could hear the muffled voices of happy customers, the steady movement of the waitstaff, and the faint, sizzling sound of grilling meat.
But Fainyx absolutely did not turn back toward the dining room. Instead, he moved deliberately in the exact opposite direction, venturing deeper into the restricted, private areas of the building.
He systematically scanned the surrounding doors, looking for a hidden kitchen, a private management office, or a secret storage room.
He knew that somewhere hidden within these walls lay the answers he desperately sought.
His padded shoes made absolutely no sound against the floorboards, and his magically concealed presence left zero trace in the air.
But beneath his blurred form, his violet eyes were terrifyingly sharp and endlessly searching.
'Let us see exactly what kind of person managed to build this place.'
Fainyx challenged the empty hallway, stepping deeper into the shadows.