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CHAPTER 05……
One loaf of bread. I opened a bakery. Let’s become Baek Jong-won (4)
The worker’s name was Malina.
Ellie, who had been worrying about how to keep a male worker in line if one showed up, was overjoyed when instead a warm-faced middle-aged woman appeared.
“Just tell me to do anything! What kind of rough work could those slender little arms possibly handle?”
“Oh, Malina, really now. Do I look like that to you?”
Anyone could see her arms were strong, yet Malina flattered her effortlessly without even wetting her lips.
Ellie instantly took a liking to Malina.
Having lived her whole life hearing only harsh words, even a lie sounded sweet if it was wrapped in kindness.
“See? At least this much, right?”
“Wow, that’s impressive…”
Her biceps were especially notable. Her forearms, too, were excellent—solid muscles that could knead dough just as well as any mixer.
“I’d been so curious about you—your reputation precedes you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course. I heard you have to line up in front of the store at six in the morning just to get your bread. I wanted to try it myself, but I could never get any. They say that once you taste it, you can’t eat any other bread. Morris brags about it endlessly…”
When Morris tasted her bread, all he’d said was, “It’s edible.” Ellie had secretly smirked to herself.
“I tried to buy some too, but every time I went, it was sold out. I wondered why you didn’t just bake more—but now I see, such a delicate person running the shop all alone…”
There was a hint of reproach in her words about why Ellie didn’t bake more, but Ellie pretended not to notice.
Even with Malina’s help, she wasn’t planning to increase production much.
Her main products were:
- The basic baguette.
- Campagne with nuts for a nutty flavor.
- White, chewy sandwich bread.
Ellie wanted to succeed and get rich, but more than that, she wanted to live safely and comfortably.
Becoming rich and expanding into a franchise was something to think about only after securing a safe and comfortable future.
When the heroine left the capital, that would be the time to truly pursue her dream of business.
Until then, she had to avoid all the novel’s characters.
To Ellie, they were like grim reapers—including her verbally abusive and scornful father.
After regaining her memories, she had lived only for independence and escape.
She had escaped safely, so now she intended to live quietly, like she was dead to the world, alone where no one knew her.
Alone…
“Just how delicious is this bread you’re selling?”
Malina was persistent in her curiosity.
Ellie’s bread was fermented bread.
The nearby bakeries sold unleavened bread—flatbread that was fine when freshly baked. Most of the residents of the area still bought that.
Ellie’s bread was more of a snack than a staple, which helped her avoid resentment from competitors in the industry.
“Would you like to taste some?”
“Oh my! May I? Oh dear, now it feels like I begged for it.”
It was obvious she had. Ellie opened the storage room.
“This one didn’t come out looking very nice, so I was saving it for myself.”
“Not pretty? My goodness, I’ve never seen bread so round and cute!”
Of course, she was used to eating flatbread.
Ellie took out baguettes with split sides, campagne with uneven coloring, and slightly burnt pieces—she still made small mistakes every day.
“Hold on, let me cut this.”
Ellie sliced the baguette lengthwise.
“Just wait a moment.”
Malina, who had been about to reach for it, froze. Her eyes widened when she saw the white, hole-filled cross-section.
“My goodness, is this all made from wheat? How does the inside look like that?”
She was saying exactly what every first-time customer had said.
“This will be on the menu later. I want you to try it first and tell me what you think.”
Ellie tucked thinly sliced salami and fresh leafy greens into the open bread and drizzled it lightly with oil.
“Hold it like this and take a big bite—yes, just like that.”
With her large hands, Malina grabbed the rather big baguette sandwich easily.
Without being told, she took a huge bite. The crisp sound of fresh vegetables breaking under her teeth was delightful.
“Sesame!”
“Is it good?”
Malina’s mouth moved busily. She seemed reluctant to swallow, wanting to keep savoring the taste.
Moments like this were when years of effort paid off—
When someone ate her bread with delight and amazement on their face.
When their eyes sparkled with happiness, their mouth full of joy.
That was the only time Ellie truly felt fulfilled and happy. Seeing that expression made her life feel more worthwhile.
Maybe I really am happy right now.
A thriving shop, steady income, a reliable worker, heartfelt praise and admiration—everything felt perfect.
At last, Malina swallowed and shouted:
“This is a miracle…!”
“Haha, Malina, you’re spitting.”
“The crust is crispy but not hard, the inside moist and soft! Has bread always been this savory and fragrant? And the salty bite of the salami with the fresh vegetables… Ellie, you’re a genius!”
“Haha, go on.”
But she took two steps back to avoid the spit.
“No wonder Morris swore no one would regret it!”
Ellie spent another ten minutes feeding Malina’s vanity. Praise was always pleasant to hear, no matter how it came.
“Just come at this same time every day, Malina.”
“Morris said you start work at three in the morning.”
“Yes, but it’d be hard for you to be out that early, and it’s dangerous in the dark alleys.”
“Oh, me?”
Malina blinked as if the thought had never occurred to her.
Ellie almost fell for her right there—such confidence could only belong to a true powerhouse.
Wait… were you actually a mercenary, not a maid?
Unbeknownst to Ellie, Malina was indeed a former mercenary.
“I appreciate it, but the work I need help with is in the afternoon anyway. See here—”
Ellie opened the fermentation room door.
It was the space she had invested the most care into—designed to maintain warmth using heat from the oven. Cabinets full of bowls with dough in various stages of fermentation, a kettle of boiling water to keep humidity.
She could feel Malina’s curious gaze on the back of her head.
“The sacks of flour and other ingredients are here. You’ll need to move them…”
“Ellie, you’ve been doing this alone until now?”
“For two months, every day.”
Baking was hard physical labor.
Malina looked at Ellie with a complicated expression, which made Ellie feel a bit proud—like her strength had been acknowledged.
“I wrote the ratios down here. Can you read—”
“I can read.”
“Good. Just measure the ingredients according to the ratios, and add this.”
She took out the most important item—her levain.
The bubbly, runnier-than-dough starter smelled faintly like makgeolli. Malina’s eyes shook violently.
“I-Isn’t this spoiled?”
“It’s fine. You could even eat it.”
“…Really…?”
“This is what makes the bread rise soft and fluffy. Without it, the bakery is doomed.”
She’d been nurturing this precious partner for over eight years…
Her beloved companion yeast.
If someone asked what living thing she was closest to in the world, she’d answer without hesitation: this natural sourdough starter, her levain.
In her past life, she’d kept it in the fridge and fed it every one or two weeks. Here, without refrigeration, she had to feed it daily.
Considering the time and effort she’d spent raising it, she could never let it die.
Time after time, it failed to ferment and died!
Or just when it seemed to grow well, contamination killed it!
Or after she’d finally nurtured it, a servant trying to torment the pig princess broke the jar—dead again.
It was as fragile as a sunfish.
A starter is alive. Yeast is life.
Currently, Ellie’s closest living companion was this bubbly, breathing, sunfish-like levain.
It even had nicknames—when it died often, “little bastard”; after eight years of survival, “my baby.”
“You dissolve this in water, mix it well with flour…”
When Ellie struggled, Malina naturally stepped in to help. Ellie fell for her all over again.
“Knead it well—yes, just like that.”
Malina grinned and pounded the dough like a pro. Ellie realized she must have always been pounding something.
She decided not to get on her bad side.
Malina, savior of my shoulders.
No more nights of soaking her pillow with tears while massaging her aching shoulders.
She’d escaped that wretched household, cut ties with all the story’s characters, her shop was thriving and selling out daily—
At that moment, Ellie’s life was perfect.
The next day, a cloud appeared in her perfect sky.
“Ellie! I’m here! Open up!”
“For heaven’s sake, let me sleep!”
The cloud’s name was Morris—the living creature who’d spent the second most time with her after the sunfish-like levain.
Ellie, who’d been sleeping soundly after finishing the morning shift, grumpily opened the door.
“I told you I have to sleep at this time. Listen when people talk!”
“Did you sleep well? You look even cuter, all round and puffy.”
“…Uh, sure.”
Thinking sweet words would dissolve her anger. Ellie snorted, ready to unleash a torrent of curses.
“I brought you a gift. You can’t just be sleeping—you’ll love this, I promise.”
“The best gift would be you shutting up and leaving…”
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, then froze with her mouth open at the sight before her.
“Ellie, meet my friend—Edmund Langworth.”
I know who that is, you lunatic…
Candidate No. 1 for male lead had arrived.
