The Support Ate it All-Chapter 349: Hong-Qyu

The next day.

Normally, we would have headed to the training grounds before the morning sun even rose, but this time, we all slept in.

It wasn’t until the sun had climbed high into the sky that we sluggishly got up and started getting ready to head out.

On the way into the city, I was gazing out the car window at the scenery when I asked Dang Gyu-young,

“So, where are we going first? Crystals?”

“That’s the most important, sure, but it’s not urgent.”

Even though there was a limit on how many she could get, receiving additional crystals wasn’t difficult.

That was thanks to the fact that Dang Gyu-young had already taken care of all the complicated procedures in advance.

“Let’s eat first. I’m hungry.”

“What do you feel like eating?”

“Since it’s the first meal of the day, nothing too heavy? I heard there’s an amazing brunch spot nearby.”

“I can’t say no to a famous restaurant. Let’s go.”

I glanced at Hong Yeon-hwa, wondering if she might have a different opinion, but her eyes sparkled with the same kind of anticipation as ours.

And so, by unanimous agreement, we headed to the brunch café.

Inside the café, the gentle aroma of pancakes and coffee lingered in the air.

As soon as we sat down at a table, Dang Gyu-young grabbed the menu and pointed to the first item listed at the top.

“I’ll have this.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Nope. Why?”

“You chose way too fast.”

It was the kind of speed you’d only expect from someone who had visited similar chain restaurants or done their research ahead of time.

But Dang Gyu-young answered without a hint of concern.

“When you don’t know what to get, just go with number one. It’s always at least decent.”

“That’s true, but aren’t you a little too carefree?”

“So what, you don’t like that?”

“On the contrary, I love it. I’ll go with number two.”

“Pffft. That’s more like it.”

Dang Gyu-young giggled as she lightly slapped my shoulder over and over.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa was staring intently at one particular spot on the menu, as if she had found something that really caught her eye.

Then, she carefully asked the two of us,

“Um… is it okay if I order something spicy…?”

“Mhmm, just get whatever you want.”

Dang Gyu-young responded casually.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s face lit up, and she spoke to the server.

“Then I’ll have the Super Hellfire Omurice.”

“…….!”

The server flinched for a moment but quickly regained composure and gave a slight bow.

The reaction, along with the name of the dish, felt a bit ominous, so I checked the menu again.

Warning. Spicier than Hellfire!

If it was spicier than something called Hellfire, just how spicy was it supposed to be?

A little worried, I asked Hong Yeon-hwa,

“You sure you can handle it?”

“Mhmm.”

My concern seemed completely unfounded.

Far from looking worried, her eyes sparkled with excitement and a hint of competitive fire.

Like a martial artist meeting a worthy rival.

I turned to Dang Gyu-young and said,

“Everyone seems to handle spicy food well. I must be the weakest link here.”

“Why do you say ‘everyone’?”

“Well, there’s Hong Yeon-hwa, and you noona, and also Sho-sho noona.”

Dang Gyu-young’s expression hardened.

“Kim Ho, you’re supposed to call her Jegal So-so noona.”

“We already agreed on it, remember?”

“Sho-sho didn’t agree though, did she?”

“That’s true. Alright, I’ll call her noona.”

“And if that’s the case, then you better start ending every sentence with Qyu-Qyu noona when talking to me. Actually, just drop the ‘noona’ part.”

I didn’t respond to that and steered the slightly derailed conversation back on track.

“Anyway, everyone’s great with spicy food.”

“You seem to handle spicy food pretty well too. Like with the Hellfire tteokbokki.”

“I mean, I can eat it. It’s just tough.”

“Honestly, same here. Inferno level is just right for me.”

“You seemed to handle it better than I did, though.”

Even during our small get-togethers in the dorm room or the swordsmanship clubroom, Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so would devour Hellfire-flavored buldak and tteokbokki without showing the slightest hint of struggle.

At that, Dang Gyu-young stuck out her tongue halfway.

“I’ve just built up a tolerance, so it doesn’t show.”

“Come to think of it, you’re from the Dang family, right?”

“Mhmm. Back in the day, we used to eat all sorts of stuff.”

It wouldn’t make sense for someone from the Dang family, known for using poison as their main weapon, to be weak against it.

That’s why, to build resistance, she had to ingest all kinds of bitter, spicy, and salty poisons from a young age.

She didn’t go into detail about what she gained from it, but considering she’s a direct descendant, maybe she reached the level of complete poison immunity?

Being able to handle spiciness was just a bonus.

I asked Hong Yeon-hwa too.

“Did you go through any kind of training like that?”

“Nope~ I just… like it.”

Hong Yeon-hwa gently shook her head from side to side.

Her strength seemed to come from her mindset of enjoying everything.

A moment later, the server started placing our ordered dishes on the table one by one.

Dang Gyu-young’s Menu No. 1 was an omelet and pancakes served with a variety of fruits.

My Menu No. 2 was toast, hash browns, and grilled mini sausages.

Dang Gyu-young grinned.

“See? The one on top is always the winner.”

“You’re definitely playing it safe.”

Meanwhile, the Super Hellfire Omurice was placed in front of Hong Yeon-hwa.

At a glance, it looked normal, but the moment she cut into the egg with her spoon, an intense spicy aroma wafted through the air.

Still, Hong Yeon-hwa asked us as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Wanna… try some?”

Dang Gyu-young and I exchanged glances.

“Well, we should at least taste it.”

“Just one bite’s enough.”

So we each took a little of our food onto small plates and exchanged them.

Soon after, Dang Gyu-young and I exchanged glances again, then simultaneously shoved a bite of the Super Hellfire Omurice into our mouths.

The first thought that came to mind was:

I think I understand Seo Ye-in’s feelings now.

The heat that started on the tongue shot straight through the brain in an instant.

Still, after downing half a cup of iced coffee in one go, I started to feel a bit better.

Meanwhile, Dang Gyu-young remained as composed as ever.

“It’s definitely spicy.”

“But you hardly react. I guess you really have built up some tolerance.”

“Told you.”

“No side effects? Like, you can’t taste anything anymore?”

“Not really?”

Dang Gyu-young shrugged, then paused for a moment as if something had come to mind.

“I think I’ve started to like sweets more. Probably from eating too much bitter stuff.”

“That actually makes sense.”

“Mhmm. Speaking of which, let’s go get some ice cream later.”

“We could just order it here.”

She said this place was good, and it really lived up to the hype, so the desserts would probably be decent too.

But Dang Gyu-young shook his head.

“There’s something I wanted to try with you.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

“Well, I don’t see why not.”

I agreed without hesitation.

We filled our stomachs while chatting about trivial things, and Hong Yeon-hwa polished off an entire bowl of Super Hellfire Omurice.

Naturally, there wasn’t even a hint of struggle on her face.

I thought we’d head out for ice cream next, just like Dang Gyu-young said.

“Let’s get the crystal first. It’s on the way anyway.”

“Sounds good.”

So we headed to the Guild Union branch.

It was a faction that included various thief clubs and guilds, and it maintained a close partnership with Dragon Slayer Academy.

The size of each branch varied by region, but you could find one almost anywhere in the world. This was clear evidence of the Guild Union’s influence.

This place was no exception.

Even though it was a relatively quiet rural town, a small branch still stood out.

However, regardless of its influence, the inside was almost eerily empty.

The only person around was a receptionist, blankly passing the time at the front desk.

Sensing our presence, the receptionist looked up, and Dang Gyu-young stepped forward and spoke.

“Here to restock some crystals.”

Then she pulled out the pre-filled paperwork and a crystal orb, placing them neatly on the counter.

The orb probably contained a log of her portal usage.

Maybe because she handed over everything needed from the start, the process moved quickly.

The receptionist skimmed through the documents and fast-forwarded the orb to check the records.

At the same time, the receptionist gave a quiet note of admiration.

“You’ve been busy. Most people take about three weeks to use fifty of these.”

“That’s the problem. I’ve been too busy.”

Dang Gyu-young let out a wry smile and glanced over at me and Hong Yeon-hwa.

Soon, the receptionist came back out with a large tray piled high with crystals, and Dang Gyu-young swept them all into her inventory.

“Thank you. Take care.”

She gave a quick farewell, and we all stepped out of the branch together.

Dang Gyu-young smiled and said,

“See? Easy, right?”

“As expected of someone who comes prepared.”

“It’s not like this is my first time.”

Last year, she had been the vice president of the club, and this year, she had taken on the role of president, so she had naturally become thoroughly accustomed to the related responsibilities.

Well, just because it was a “thief” club didn’t mean they had to go around causing trouble all the time.

“Are we heading out now?”

“Mhmm, we’re not going far. Just over there.”

Where Dang Gyu-young motioned with her chin, there stood a convenience store.

“Convenience store ice cream?”

“Mhmmn mhmm, just wait a minute..”

With that, Dang Gyu-young strolled casually inside.

As Hong Yeon-hwa and I exchanged puzzled glances, she quickly came back out with an ice cream in hand.

<33 Bar>

It was a large ice bar with three sticks stuck into it. It was designed so that each person could break off a piece for themselves.

There were also sibling products like the 22 Bar and 44 Bar.

“I’ve always wanted to try this.”

“You could’ve just bought one and eaten it yourself. It’s a three-part thing.”

“How could I? That’d make me look like I have no friends.”

“You’ve got So-So noona and Pang Mi-ryeong senior too.”

“We don’t meet up that often.”

Although she was on decent terms with both Jegal So-so and Pang Mi-ryeong, it turned out that all three of them were quite busy with their own circumstances.

It was apparently pretty rare for the three to be in the same place at the same time.

Still, this feels a little sudden.

When I glanced over at Hong Yeon-hwa, she seemed to be thinking the same thing, though she also looked somewhat intrigued.

Come to think of it, she didn’t have many friends either.

And now that she had already gone and bought it, there was no way we could just tell her to put it back.

Besides, seeing how much she wanted this, it felt like the least we could do was go along with it.

To begin with, I wasn’t picky about food, so it’s not like I chose my ice cream with much thought.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Here, grab it.”

Soon after, Dang Gyu-young unwrapped the packaging, and the three of us each grabbed onto the stick.

I was in the middle, with Dang Gyu-young and Hong Yeon-hwa on either side of me.

Dang Gyu-young looked back and forth between us and said,

“On the count of three, we pull. One, two, three—”

Right as she finished counting, Dang Gyu-young and Hong Yeon-hwa yanked the ice bar to each side.

It split “perfectly”. One and a half servings each.

And what I was left holding was nothing but an empty stick.

“Hey, if you take it all like that, what am I supposed to eat?”

“Pffthahaha!”

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you? I knew it.”

“Nooohoho! I didn’t, really!”

Even as she shook her head wildly, Dang Gyu-young burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Even Hong Yeon-hwa had turned her back with her shoulders trembling with laughter.

“Snrk, hngh…!”

“I’ve fallen victim to Hong-Qyu’s schemes…”

While I was sighing in defeat, still wallowing, Hong Yeon-hwa who had been giggling the whole time held out her ice cream to me.

But even her fingertips were trembling from trying to hold in her laughter.

“Heheh, here… I’ll give you a bite…!”

“Hey, hey! You can have some of mine toohoho!”

The two girls held out their ice creams at the same time, but I just bit down on the innocent stick in my mouth.

“No thanks. I’m sulking now.”

If you were going to give it back, you shouldn’t have taken it in the first place.