After seeing his wife’s reaction, Yeongseong hyung quickly bit into a carrot himself.
Crunch!
He reacted the moment that fresh, crisp sound rang out.
“Mmm?!”
“Remember the carrots I showed you last time?
I’ve improved them again.”
Well, it wasn’t as though I’d deliberately improved them.
But the results were good, so who cared?
Yeongseong hyung and his wife, Siyeong, were too busy chewing their carrots to pay much attention to what I said.
“I brought a few more, so take your time.”
“You have more?
Mr.
Gyuseong, are you an angel?”
Siyeong jokingly reached out her hand, and I gave her another helping of carrots.
“Hahaha!
Gyuseong really is an angel.
An angel sent down to save us!”
“Oh, come on.
I just got lucky.
You’re going to make me uncomfortable if you praise me like that.”
“Gyuseong, listen.
Luck doesn’t come whenever you want it to, and it doesn’t come to just anyone.
It comes only to people who are ready to receive it.”
“Ah…”
“During the three years I’ve watched you, you never gave up.
You kept working hard.
You were already prepared to seize your chance.”
I’d only been trying to be modest, but his words really resonated with me.
Would I have awakened for a second time if I’d simply given up?
And even if I’d awakened again, what if I’d already abandoned farming?
“If you put it that way, the same is true of you, hyung.”
“Hm?”
“You were kind to me, and that’s why you were able to receive your own stroke of luck.
You know I only ever did business with you, right?”
“…That’s true.”
Yeongseong hyung scratched his head sheepishly.
Watching us while she chewed a carrot, Siyeong grinned mischievously.
“Are you two filming a youth romance drama?”
“N-no, it’s not like that…”
“You’d better eat your carrots, honey.
I’ll finish them all at this rate.”
Seeing her laugh so freely suddenly reminded me that this woman had once been one of South Korea’s most prominent Awakened.
‘Once her poisoning is cured, will she return to clearing dungeons?’
If she did, a major shift would probably sweep through the country’s Awakened community.
For one thing, the Ara Hongryeon Guild would regain much of the prestige it had lost.
Either way, that world was rather distant from me.
My highest priority was growing crops happily alongside the slimes in my dungeon.
‘Maybe I should learn farming more professionally.’
While I was lost in thought, Yeongseong hyung discreetly nudged me.
I looked up, wondering whether he had something else to say, and found him awkwardly holding out his hand.
“Can I have some carrots too?”
* * *
The Ara Hongryeon Guild was enjoying the full impact of its record-breaking clear of a Grade 4 dungeon.
Interview requests poured in from all directions, and invitations they had never received before were arriving from everywhere.
People viewed the achievement as the beginning of Ara Hongryeon’s revival and became even more eager to approach the guild.
The attention inevitably reached Jeong Soyeon as well.
As the country’s youngest Grade 6 Awakened and one of Ara Hongryeon’s most recognizable faces, she couldn’t escape the frenzy.
She had finally finished a long day’s schedule and was catching her breath when her manager approached.
“You have a dinner engagement with the gourmet club at 6:40 p.m.
Shall I cancel it today?”
“No, I have to go to that.
Eating good food is the one pleasure I have left.”
Soyeon swallowed the saliva already gathering in her mouth as she looked forward to dinner.
Admittedly, she wasn’t particularly fond of everyone she’d be meeting, but that hardly mattered.
Eating delicious food was enough to make her happy.
In fact, she was the type who became so absorbed in eating that she ignored people speaking to her.
“Then we’ll leave in ten minutes.”
“All right.
Where are we going this time?”
“The Bare Fist Guild.”
“So not a restaurant.”
“They’ve invited Chef Seong Yundo from Epic Course.
I imagine it will be quite good.”
“Oh!
If he’s cooking, then I have something to look forward to.”
A bright smile blossomed across Jeong Soyeon’s face.
Her manager hesitated, wondering whether to share something else he knew, before finally speaking carefully.
“Um, I heard the leader of Team Two will also be attending.”
“…That’s fine.
I’m only going there to eat.”
Although she said that, her brilliant smile immediately faded.
Wondering whether he should have kept his mouth shut, the manager left so that she could rest a little longer.
Alone in her room, Soyeon fiddled with her phone and suddenly remembered Gyuseong, whom she’d met not long ago.
More precisely, she remembered the crops he’d brought with him.
“I want to eat those again.”
With dinnertime approaching, she found herself craving the satisfying fullness of carbohydrates.
She couldn’t forget the potatoes and mashed potatoes she’d eaten before, no matter how hard she tried.
Then Kang Hanul suddenly came to mind.
He would certainly have Gyuseong’s phone number.
And since he sometimes bought Gyuseong’s crops himself, perhaps this would be a good chance to ask him about them.
“Team Leader, shall we leave?”
“Yes, I’m coming!”
The Bare Fist Guild was one of the nation’s top ten guilds.
Backed by a massive corporation, it had stood out even among newer guilds and expanded at an astonishing speed.
The guild building itself had been constructed with its sponsor’s support and was suitably magnificent.
It wasn’t quite on Ara Hongryeon’s level, but it certainly gave its members plenty of reason to walk around with their heads held high.
“Welcome, Awakened Jeong Soyeon.
Please allow me to show you inside.”
Voices could already be heard from within, suggesting that some guests had arrived before her.
When Soyeon entered, familiar faces greeted her.
“Oh, Soyeon!
It’s been ages.”
“Ah, Sehui unni!
Have you been well?
It’s good to see you again too, Donghun oppa.”
After greeting everyone, Soyeon found her seat.
Almost immediately, all eyes turned toward her.
Most of the people there were friends, so she could normally have laughed off the attention, but as a team leader from a guild whose reputation had recently soared, she felt rather pressured.
“Is there something you’d like to ask me…?”
“How did you do it?”
“Ah, you mean Yeongdeungpo?”
“Even if it was only a Grade 4 dungeon, that clear time was honestly ridiculous.
There’s never been a case like it overseas, either.”
“That’s a trade secret.
Hehe.”
She tried to brush the question off playfully, but someone else joined in.
It was an Awakened from the Bare Fist Guild who had always been particularly fond of her.
“Even from us, Soyeon unni?
That’s so mean!”
“H-haha…”
While Soyeon laughed awkwardly, more guests arrived and took their seats.
Since the group met only once a month, everyone had plenty of stories to catch up on.
Naturally, the biggest topic of conversation was Ara Hongryeon.
“Seriously, how did they finish in just twenty-seven hours?
That’s insane!”
“And it wasn’t just any dungeon.
They’d already failed there once because of an unidentified monster.
But this time they came back carrying the unidentified monster’s entire corpse, as though to show everyone up…”
Even as they talked among themselves, they kept stealing glances at Soyeon.
The fact that she was the only Ara Hongryeon Awakened at the gathering didn’t help.
She was fast approaching the limit of her patience with all the indirect questioning when the room suddenly fell silent.
Wondering what had happened, Soyeon turned her head.
There stood Kang Hanul, wearing a satisfied grin and carrying something enormous.
“Wahahaha!
Now I see how interested you all are in us!
I happened to bring that ghost stingray we recently identified, so take a good look at it!”
Thud!
Everyone froze at the outrageous sight of Kang Hanul carrying an entire monster corpse into the gathering.
Oblivious to their reactions, he called an employee over and gave an order.
“Try cooking this.”
“P-pardon?
Yes…”
It was practically the height of arrogance, but Kang Hanul was famous for his eccentric behavior.
The Bare Fist Guild employee didn’t dare refuse him.
Meanwhile, Kang Hanul cheerfully took the seat beside Jeong Soyeon.
“Hey, kid!
Why are you sitting here looking so miserable?
Wahahaha!”
“How did you even manage to bring that thing here?”
“Hm?
The stingray?
I told our big brother I wanted to take one.”
“…And the guild master actually allowed it?”
“Of course not!
I fibbed a little and said it was for research.
Wahahaha!
Well, technically it is research, isn’t it?
Personally tasting an unidentified ingredient is a kind of research too!
Wahaha!”
‘Ah, right…’
Soyeon couldn’t help chuckling.
There really was something a little loose in this man’s head.
“See how much nicer you look when you smile!
Anyway, it’s been a while since I attended one of these gatherings, so I’m looking forward to it!”
“Chef Seong Yundo is cooking tonight.
You know Epic Course, right?”
“Mm!
Of course I do!
Though I haven’t been there very often.”
Then Kang Hanul’s expression grew serious, and he spoke in a low voice.
“Kid.
Do you know why I suddenly decided to attend this gathering?”
“Did you have a particular reason for coming?”
His sudden gravity made Soyeon straighten her posture.
Seeing that he had her full attention, Hanul continued.
“These days, nothing I eat is satisfying.”
“Pardon?”
“Ever since I ate the food made by little brother Gyuseong…
Well, his food, nothing else has seemed good enough.
If I eat something without expecting much, simply to fill my stomach, that’s still fine.
But when I look forward to a meal, it never gives me the satisfaction I anticipated.”
A chill ran down Jeong Soyeon’s spine.
What he was describing amounted to losing the pleasure of fine dining.
‘Does that mean he can no longer experience food as truly delicious?’
For Soyeon, that would be an extremely serious problem.
Worse still, she had already tasted Gyuseong’s crops herself.
“I-I haven’t experienced anything like that yet…”
“Maybe it’s different for everyone.
Or perhaps you simply haven’t eaten enough of little brother Gyuseong’s food.”
“Ah…”
“But here’s the thing.
I don’t regret tasting his food.
Even if I could turn back time, I’d make absolutely sure to eat it again.”
“Excuse me…!”
Just as Soyeon steeled herself to ask for Gyuseong’s number, the host of the gathering appeared.
“Whoo!”
“Ooh!
Guild Master, you’ve really dressed up tonight!”
“Ah!
Does that mean dinner’s coming?
I’m starving!”
The guild master of Bare Fist entered to cheers and bowed his head.
“Thank you all for traveling so far to join us.
Don’t worry, the food will be served right away.”
Wink!
He winked at the Awakened who’d been complaining of hunger, then turned to greet Kang Hanul.
“Thank you for bringing the newly identified monster.
We’ll do our best to repay you with an excellent meal.”
“I’m counting on it!”
Once the greetings were over, dishes began arriving one after another, just as the guild master had promised.
Servers bustled around, attending to the Awakened guests.
“Ooh!
What wonderful umami!”
“Chef Seong Yundo really is amazing.
I wonder if he’ll come out to greet us in person.”
As the guests ate with obvious satisfaction, the Bare Fist Guild Master watched happily.
Then he slowly turned toward Kang Hanul and Jeong Soyeon.
‘Hm?’
He tilted his head at their oddly strained expressions.
“Is the food not to your taste?”
“N-no.
It’s delicious.”
Soyeon answered hastily, but the guild master could tell that there was no conviction behind her words.
Soyeon was just as surprised by her own reaction.
‘Why?’
The food definitely tasted good.
And yet something was missing.
Had she expected too much?
Or was she simply tired today?
She couldn’t tell.
“It’s lacking.”
At that moment, Kang Hanul spoke, and everyone’s attention immediately turned toward him.
“Huh?
I think it’s fine…”
“Me too.
I was just thinking how delicious it was.”
Tastes varied from person to person, of course.
But what puzzled everyone was that Kang Hanul, as they knew him, had never been a particularly picky eater.
“What exactly is lacking?”
The Bare Fist Guild Master finally asked him directly.
Hanul answered without hesitation.
“I’ve eaten something far more delicious than this.
Ever since then, my palate hasn’t been the same.”
“Far more…
delicious?
Y-you mean better than this?”
“That’s right.”
Seeing that he wasn’t joking, the guild master’s expression turned solemn.
“Brother Hanul, what on earth have you been eating without sharing any with your little brother here?”
“Hehe.
Curious?”
Kang Hanul smiled and shot a meaningful look at Jeong Soyeon.
She found herself smiling too.
They normally bickered constantly, but Lee Gyuseong was a secret known only to the two of them at this gathering.
It was only natural that they would exchange such a look.
“It’s not the chef’s skill that’s lacking.
The problem is the ingredients.
I’ll bring some myself next time and show you what the very best flavor really is.”