Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Countryside Meal

『 Translator – Divinity 』

I changed Byeol's clothes. The little one, dressed in Suho's green innerwear, was even cuter than I thought.

"Hehe—!"

The little one smiled beamingly, as if something was just so delightful.

Holding Byeol, I went out to the kitchen.

"Byeol, play with Suho oppa for a little bit, okay?"

"Ppaa!"

She nodded vigorously, and Suho grinned broadly as if finding Byeol cute.

"Byeol is cute! Let's play robots together!"

"Ppiya!"

(Anonymous 1): This really is a cuteness Burning Event.

(God of Rain and Sunlight): To think that's an Elemental King. It would have been nice if my homeland also had one such Elemental King.

(Anonymous 1): In my homeland, an Elemental King destroyed a whole territory.

(Father of Crops): I think I maintained good relations with elementals. Since farming and elementals are inseparable, after all. In that sense, Jinwoo should try farming once too.

(Water God of Cheongha): Descendant, live doing whatever you want to your heart's content. Without listening to the nagging of kkondaes.

(Father of Crops): Who's calling whom a kkondae?

After roughly reading the Constellations' chat, I chuckled. If you look closely, they each have a cute side.

"Grandfather-nim, Grandmother-nim. Isn't there anything I can help with?"

"Rest, rest. How could we make a guest cook?"

"The old man is right, you brought that precious Red Wolf meat, how can we make you cook? Rest."

"Haha, I like cooking. I'll just stay beside you, partly to learn Grandmother-nim's and Grandfather-nim's 'hand taste'."

"Hoho, the young man is truly a decent person."

The 'hand taste' of elders who have resided in the countryside for a long time is exceptional. Because when fresh homegrown crops and 'hand taste' combine, it results in that kind of taste you can only eat precisely in the countryside. Meaning that if I help with the cooking and listen to various pieces of advice, there will be something to make use of someday.

While the two of them grilled beef, I grilled the Red Wolf.

"Did you learn cooking somewhere? It's systematic."

Melt butter in the pan, then add the meat, cover with a lid, and sear. Unlike just grilling roughly in the cave, I started grilling quite properly. Seeing that sight, Grandfather-nim posed the question.

"My original dream was to be a chef. Now I'm traveling after retiring as a Hunter, though. I've never learned cooking systematically or properly, but I looked up a lot of various materials."

"Heoeo, amazing. I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm looking forward more to Grandfather-nim's and Grandmother-nim's cooking, though?"

Smiling slyly, I glanced sideways. Because meat requires concentration as temperature and timing are most important, but the savory smell of Gangdoenjang (strong soybean paste stew) wafting gently from the side broke my concentration.

The smell of Gangdoenjang simmering with various spring greens added on top naturally made my mouth water.

(Anonymous 1): Aoh, this bastard grilled carelessly when giving it to us, but now he's grilling diligently, it really pisses me off.

(Water God of Cheongha): ...I believe in my descendant.

(Father of Crops): If he doesn't give that as tribute, I'm gonna cry.

(God of Rain and Sunlight): ...Surely he wouldn't not give it?

I typed one chat message.

― Everyone's pockets are bulging, right?

(Anonymous 1): That guy's driving me crazy.

(Father of Crops): ...Can't I somehow make do with crops?

(God of Rain and Sunlight): Aoh, damn it... I'll go find my emergency funds.

(Water God of Cheongha): ....

* * *

Kim Byeol.

She was born on Earth and began adapting to this dimension at a rapid speed.

The Unidentified Egg was an egg that possessed enormous potential in itself. An egg from which even a Dragon hatching wouldn't be strange. Obtaining such a formidable egg on Earth was virtually impossible. Because subjugating an A-Rank Gate within 1 minute didn't make sense.

However, thanks to the Constellation's sponsorship, Jinwoo pulled off that absurd feat and obtained the Unidentified Egg, which was an Easter egg, and Byeol was born from that egg, having absorbed various elements.

Byeol, being an Elemental King, naturally began gathering large amounts of essence inside her body right after birth, and thanks to that, she could achieve rapid growth as time passed little by little.

"Ppa! O...ppa!"

The little one learned words in an instant while interacting with Suho, and Suho, perhaps finding that fun, brought a Hangul learning worksheet he used to play with at home.

"This is Chamoe!" (Korean melon)

"Chamae?"

Byeol tilted her head as if asking what that was.

Since Chamoe, a fruit right in season, was available, Suho brought one cut piece of Chamoe from the kitchen.

"Want to try eating?"

"Meogeo, Meogeo—!" (Eat, Eat!)

Byeol, whose speech didn't work well yet, but who nodded her head vigorously.

Suho put a piece of chamoe into Byeol's mouth.

Byeol had the appearance of roughly a two or three-year-old. Less than an hour had passed since she was born, but fundamentally, she wasn't human but an Elemental King using a human elemental body, which is why she had the appearance of an average child. Because of that, her teeth had also grown sturdily, and thanks to that, she could slowly chew the chamoe Suho put in.

She giggled 'Kkyareureuk', as if finding the texture of the cold and hard-rinded chamoe novel.

Paat—!

As soon as it entered her mouth, the crisp outer surface was chewed, and when the soft inside with seeds burst open within, sweetness rushed in.

"Uwaaaaaa! Uwaaaa—!!"

The chamoe eaten for the first time in her life was fantastic.

Byeol clapped her small, fernbrake-like hands and said.

"Chamae! Again! Again!"

"Hehe, delicious, right?"

"Masi—! Sseo!" (Delicious!)

Finding Byeol, who slowly uttered one word at a time, cute, Suho unconsciously picked up and fed her another piece of chamoe.

Around the time the Hangul study learning with chamoe was almost ending, Suho's grandparents and Jinwoo, who had set a table so lavishly its legs might break, called the two.

"Hey kids, come eat!"

"You must eat quickly now, hurry and come."

Byeol toddled over and jumped into Jinwoo's arms.

Jinwoo unconsciously wore a dad smile, and the Constellations watching the broadcast also unconsciously wore dad smiles.

(Anonymous 1): Byeol is the empire.

(God of Rain and Sunlight): Byeol saves the country.

(Water God of Cheongha): Byeol saves Goguryeo.

(Father of Crops): Byeol saves the countryside.

"Chamae! Chamae!"

Byeol, having learned 'Chamoe' from Suho, shouted the newly learned word as if boasting.

"Byeol's a genius, isn't she? A gifted child?"

Jinwoo hugged Byeol tightly and boasted to Suho's family. Meaning, asking them to look at how well our Byeol speaks.

"Hoho, the cute thing."

"Byeol is a genius indeed."

Hearing the grandmother and grandfather's praise, the corners of Byeol's mouth rose up to the sky.

Jinwoo briefly pondered if it was okay for Byeol to eat such normal food, and the Constellations, sensing that, left chat messages.

(Anonymous 1): Even though she looks like this, she's an Elemental King. She can eat it.

(God of Rain and Sunlight): Usually Elemental Kings eat essence or things like fruit, but eating normal food won't be a problem.

Phew, what a relief.

Putting his mind at ease, Jinwoo scooped rice onto a small plate. He scoops several spoonfuls of that Gangdoenjang which made his mouth water earlier and mixes it into the rice.

Gangdoenjang is fundamentally strongly seasoned, so mixing just a few spoonfuls with the solids into the rice allows the flavor to fully permeate the rice.

He mashed some minari, tofu, pork, and zucchini well and mixed it with the sizzling Gangdoenjang and rice, and topped it with nicely browned, well-grilled beef.

"Byeol, open wide, say Ahh—."

"Aah—!!"

A huge spoonful went into Byeol's widely opened mouth.

"Ueuueo...."

Her already huge eyes grew twice as large.

The savory doenjang taste and umami-rich aftertaste, the lightness and unique sweetness of the tofu and zucchini, and finally the flavorful, slowly melting beef coming in.

For Byeol, who hadn't been hatched from the egg for long, it was an incredibly stimulating taste.

This shocking taste, like dopamine circulating from head to toe!

The little one, captivated by that taste, clapped her small hands and spoke.

"Ma...sitta...!!" (Delicious!)

The food Jinwoo kept feeding her tasted fantastic. The unique sweetness of rice spreading the more she chewed, and the overflowing umami and savoriness of the Gangdoenjang. Besides that, rolled omelet and grilled ham, which kids go crazy for, and beef kept coming, so there was no chance for her smile to fade.

Byeol thought.

That this place must be heaven.

"Waa, Jinwoo hyung! This is super delicious!"

"...I'd only heard talk that Red Wolf was delicious, delicious, but I never dreamed it would be this good."

"Hoho, thanks to Jinwoo, we get to see cute Byeol and try Red Wolf too; we're really living in luxury."

"Seeing such a cute child in the countryside is hard these days too, I'm telling you it feels like a real luxury! Hehe."

Suho and his grandparents spoke in unison. Saying Byeol was cute, and the Red Wolf meat was delicious.

"Igo...! Igo!" (This!)

"You want this?"

"Ung!" (Yep!)

Byeol expressed interest in the Red Wolf that everyone had praised in unison.

(Anonymous 1): The kid knows what's good.

Jinwoo placed the rice mixed with Gangdoenjang on a piece of seasoned laver, and topped that with Red Wolf meat. It was a savory combination that kids who like that hearty taste go crazy for.

As expected, that combination worked on Byeol too.

The pleasant umami from the salty Gangdoenjang and seasoned laver comes in, whetting the appetite, and the savory flavor and richness of the light-tasting Red Wolf meat perfectly balances the saltiness.

"Ueoeo... Jinjja masitta...." (Really delicious...)

It was a moment when Byeol's vocabulary rapidly increased.

* * *

"I will do the cleanup."

"Hey? It's okay, I told you to rest, didn't I?"

"I received a delicious meal and the Gangdoenjang recipe; I should do the cleanup. Please let me do it."

"Well... if you really insist then, I'll ask this favor of you. We'll play with Byeol, so don't worry."

"Yes, thank you. By any chance, could I pack a little leftover food to go?"

"Of course! No, should I make some fresh side dishes?"

"It's okay. I'll just pack a little of what's left."

"Okay okay, take plenty."

Asking Suho's grandmother and grandfather, I took charge of the cleanup.

(Anonymous 1): Now?

I gave a small nod to Anonymous's chat.

There was quite a lot of leftover meat and various side dishes.

Sponsorships from the Constellations wanting these burst forth, and I grinned.