First Impressions Always Last

As he set up shop and waited for his first customer he sighed; he knew that it'd take a while but he didn't expect it to be this long. It was already past dawn and the waves of workers getting off their twelve hour shift had come and gone, yet his shop was still devoid of customers. Yes, he had specifically made his shop nondescript, but his stall was in the Cherry Blossom Market, one of the busier streets in Night City.

Business was so poor and unpopular that even the vendo shop beside his stall was far more popular despite how they just served cold, microwaved, food that was restocked everyday. Just to see what all the fuss was about, he decided to buy himself the most expensive option for that day, a BLT Sandwich that had "Vegetable Paste made from 100% real vegetable". He regretted that decision with every damn bite.

Biting through the stale sandwich, he grimaced as he forced down the last bit. The slimy texture of the synth meat, the off taste of the "lettuce paste" and "tomato paste", along with the sad soggy bread was almost too much. He could taste some hints of lettuce alright, but it appeared that, while it was made with real vegetables, the paste was not made entirely of vegetables. "Crafty fuckers," He grimaced, wiping his mouth from the abomination of a sandwich he just ate.

"How the hell does someone eat like this," He asked himself as he felt his stomach gurgle not too appreciatively. "I need something to wash that down," He told himself as he grabbed himself a glass and poured himself a glass of plain seltzer; one he'd crafted himself as no one made them anymore.

Shaking his head, he looked around and wondered if it's his shop. It was an eclectic bastard love child of a 50's Diner and a Ramen Shop, a rather peculiar sight if he said so himself. With a griddle and deep fryer on one side to fry burgers and other all american staples while a proper jet stove sat on the other end for all the other stuff. He even had an oven for his baking needs. Still, there were empty spots he had yet to fill; like the ice cream machine he was still trying to score as well as some old appliances he could have refurbished but, for the most part, his shop was complete and ready to serve.

Still, why did he put all this effort into getting all these devices? Why didn't he just make food directly? It wasn't like he needed any of it, yet he wanted it. Food was more than just the end product, after all. It's about how it's cooked that gives it character.

It'd also stop people from asking where the hell he was getting all his food if he had to cook everything. It was a natural limiter, keeping him from being too suspicious with the amount of food he was practically giving out. That and the fact that cooking was quite the rewarding experience, one he relished everyday.

Washing his hands, he decided it'd be the best time for him to practice. Firing up the griddle and getting it piping hot, he prepared himself a proper meal this time; a smash burger. First came the ingredients, a tray from the freezer filled with prepared balls of beef and some oil to grease the pan.

Pulling out his spatula, he let the flat steel edge dance across the piping hot surface, making sure that it was properly coated. Once done, he tossed in the meat balls and squeezed them against the surface. He paused momentarily to hear the satisfying sizzle and let the amazing aroma of beef caramelizing as it cooked fill his lungs.

As the patties cooked, he pulled out buns he'd stocked up on the shelves and sliced them in half before they went to the pan as well to let them get toasty. The vegetables were already pre chopped and the sauce was ready, all that was left now was to assemble it.

Flip went the buns and the patties. As it was extremely thin, it wouldn't take long for it to brown. First came the buns then the patties, then the cheese, vegetables, pickles, sauce and finally another bun, served just for him.

He took a moment to appreciate the sight before digging in, taking huge bites of the burger. The crispy bun and juicy meat along with the sourness of the tomatoes and the mild creamy and salty taste of american cheese was just perfect enough to get the taste of the previous meal off his tongue. So absorbed was he in enjoying his meal that he didn't notice that he already had an audience

"Mmm.~ Now that's some good grub if I ever smelled one," A young woman's voice called out, making him jump in surprise. Whirling around, he found himself face to face with the grinning face of a girl he thought he'd never meet. "Yo chef, what's on the menu?" Rebecca asked as she gave him a wave.

With her red eyes, pale skin and green jacket, she made quite the striking sight. Seeing her grin widen, he quickly scolded himself as he averted his gaze and replied, "A little bit of everything." Setting his own food aside for now, he washed his hands clean once more, and turned around to give her his winning smile, "Just tell me what you want and I'll cook it for you. If you're not happy with my food, I'll pay you instead," He then said as he finally gathered his wits.

He had to remind himself that Rebecca wasn't just a pretty face, she was also a true native of the city. If he couldn't impress her with his food, it was probably best that he go back to the drawing board.

"Oh, really~?" Rebecca purred out as she leaned closer, leaning on her elbows as she cupped her cheeks. "Might want to take that back cause I'm pretty hard to impress," She warned him as a teasing smile stretched across her face.

He was too far into his idea to back out, the reputation of Seoul Kitchen rested on his performance there and then. "Wanna bet?" He fired back confidently.

Rebecca chuckled as she then said, "Your funeral.~" Shifting in her seat and tapping on her cheeks, she hummed, "Imma make this easy for you, give me a burger, an ice cream soda, and fries with some cricket tempura and we're good. Impress me and I'll spread the word about your place because from the looks of it…" pausing briefly to gesture at his empty shop before she continued, "you're not exactly popular."

"Hey, it's my first day. Give me a break here," He replied, feeling a bit of heat on his cheeks.

Snorting, the smaller girl continued teasing him, "You're making quite the first impression on your first day then, cause people aren't lining up. First impressions matter, you know and a place avoided by people? Sheesh, not a place I'd eat."

Squaring shoulders and rolling up his sleeves, he fired back, rising to the challenge, "Well, better make this the best goddamn first impression I'll ever give."

"Hah! That's the spirit!" Rebecca cheered him on as he got to work.

A/N:

The first customer of the shop has finally arrived and isn't she an adorable little scamp. Will our enterprising protagonist impress the refined palate of a certain Edgerunner or will his food be branded as mediocre? One things clear though, he's all pumped up to impress her or die trying.

And that's it for now for our little show. Tune in Tuesday next week for the next chapter of Seoul Kitchen~ There's 22 Chapters lined up and with my plan of trying to post at least once or twice a week, you guys will be eating good for a while~

With that out of the way, I'd like to thank vyor making this possible. Thanks to him, you guys can read through my mess. Praise be vyor for his work I say praise thee in the comment section! Also if you see it in advance or want to help me continue writing, you can drop by my Pat reon and Ko -Fi. You can check out the prologues of some of my work there! First chapter is always free. Links in my Bio