Chapter 17
Editor: Stomatopoda, Nets,
My hometown .
My hometown was a verdant country .
The fragrant scent of lush grass and sweet smelling flowers filled the air .
He could still vividly remember how the warm sunlight pooled under the acacia trees .
Every spring, flowers bloomed on the mountains . He used to relax at the foot of the mountains, and when the sun began to set he would wander home . There he would take sticks of dry firewood from his carefully stacked pile, and place them in the furnace to watch the white smoke rise through the chimney .
It smelt like cooked rice .
It was such a leisurely rural neighborhood .
He would lay in the yard watching the smoke disappear into the sky . As the sun set, the smoke would fade into the dusky horizon…
Click~
The lighter snapped on, igniting the cigarette .
A middle-aged man with long, ungroomed white hair blew out a long puff of the cigarette . He looked up at the sky at night, following the trail of the smoke .
The stars are beautiful, tonight .
He was greeted by a sky that was not much different from what he had seen in his old hometown . However, the landscape had changed . A building would take the place of a tree, and asphalt roads the place of the grass .
His body, which used to emanate the leisurely flower scents, was now coated with the harsh stenches of monster blood and violence .
The man sheathed his sword at his waist, calling out to the subordinates behind him .
“Get the survivors!”
The man plodded off along the city streets . On his back, the logo embossed into his gore-stained leather armor glistened . The sun struck the rivulets of still-drying blood, painting out one word:
‘T E M P L E’ .
It was early in the morning .
The sun shone gently through the restaurant’s window, and the city lay quiet .
Only the faint rustling of the turning of pages of a newspaper could be heard .
Cheol-ho had often thought when looking at his old father, ‘What’s the fun of reading newspapers?’ .
Cheol-ho had only discovered the answer once he was his father’s age .
He was just looking at it .
Even if you didn’t care about anything specific, just reading the story of the world was fun .
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Let’s see .
So, the topic of the day was about… the big job the Temple Mercenary Corps carried out a while ago .
It seemed that last month the Temple Mercenary Corps prevented the invasion of a monster in the southern region . On the front there was a large image of a man .
“That’s great . ”
Cheol-ho whistled slightly as he read the newspaper, and carefully followed through the article .
Rustle~
Tangerine poked his head out from under the newspaper .
“Papa!”
Tangerine looked up at Cheol-ho with sparkling eyes .
“Did you just wake up?”
“Daddy!”
Tangerine nodded energetically, squeezing his body between Cheol-ho’s legs . In that state he crawled up, whimpering, onto Cheol-ho’s knee .
Tangerine perched on Cheol-ho’s thigh and laughed, looking down at the newspaper . Cheol-ho stroked his head, and tilted the page so he could see .
“Oh . ”
Tangerine slowly read the large letters of the headline .
“Today’s fashion . ”
Cheol-ho laughed at his words .
“You’re good . ”
When Cheol-ho complimented him, Tangerine smiled again .
“Ahem . ”
Tangerine cleared his voice and read another set of letters .
“I am warm . ”
“The weather is warm . ”
Nowadays, he was starting to be able to read quite a few words . He could read roughly, although he couldn’t pronounce the words very well .
Tangerine looked up at Cheol-ho to check if he had lost interest after being read the words for a long time .
“Papa . ”
“Huh?”
Tangerine leapt down from Cheol-ho’s lap, and trotted to the refrigerator in the kitchen . He raised one of his front legs and knocked on the refrigerator door .
Bam!~
“Come on! ”
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“Okay, okay . ”
Cheol-ho rose to his feet, stretching slightly . Come to think of it, it was almost time for breakfast .
Let’s see .
What should they have for breakfast?
What to have for breakfast was always a concern, because it was important to eat three meals a day .
You had to eat something delicious . Life was short, and they had only three chances each day to enjoy delicious things .
Ah .
Cheol-ho looked at Tangerine, and an idea sprung to his mind .
‘However, I can’t say it’ll be a short life for you . ’
Cheol-ho, who had been thinking for a while with his arms crossed, suddenly recalled the issue of the food .
First, he opened a square container to pour a handful of grain into a bowl .
It was white rice .
The rice had to be washed well .
Mixed grains were said to be good for bodily health, but Cheol-ho preferred white rice .
He wanted to make white rice .
No matter how bad it was for your health, it wouldn’t be able to affect Cheol-ho’s body .
He would put the rice in a rice cooker, and add a moderate amount of water .
If you can rest your palm on top of the rice and the water didn’t spill over the back of your hand, it was a good amount .
Next, he would cook the rice . The water began to boil once Cheol-ho placed the lid on the rice cooker .
“Wake up your brother, please,” Cheol-ho said to Tangerine .
“Okay!”
Tangerine nodded brightly and ran upstairs .
Arriving in the bedroom, Tangerine looked at his sleeping brother with a goofy grin . He turned his eyes to the big wardrobe next to him . Tangerine whined and dragged over a chair, allowing him to stand up and climb atop the wardrobe . From there he jumped, plummeting downwards as he wrapped himself into a tight ball .
“Argh!”
Cheol-ho laughed when he heard Khan’s scream .
White steam gushed out of the rice cooker, the water boiling furiously . The smell of rice had permeated the whole restaurant . It was a savory and appetizing smell .
Cheol-ho began to prepare the side dishes one by one . First of all, the Belto egg .
Break open an egg and empty it in an oiled frying pan . The dish was fried belto eggs, which is practically the same as normal fried eggs .
Take the diced vegetables out of the refrigerator . The diced radish kimchi and mandragora were now very ripe, and very delicious . Lastly, he needed the vegetables he had bought recently .
After the vegetables have been trimmed and lightly boiled in the water, the menu for the morning would be complete .
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“Hey! What if you crushed your brother, you goof!?”
Khan clutched Tangerine in his arms and kissed him on both cheeks . Tangerine chuckled as if he was being tickled .
Cheol-ho smiled at the sight .
Once the rice was done, open the lid of the rice cooker and peer inside .
“Great . ”
It had been quite a while since he cooked rice . Cheol-ho hadn’t had a chance to cook rice in a long time .
Stir the well-boiled white rice with a spatula and scrape it into a large pot . It should be topped with a fried Belto egg, the slightly boiled greens, and the diced radish kimchi .
Measure out and add three spoons of red pepper paste– this is the highlight of this dish .
Sesame oil .
Sesame oil doesn’t taste good, but it had an amazing smell . Pour in a generous splash .
Sesame oil ran from the bottle, and the succulent savory scent rose again .
Khan came running in a hurry .
“What’s this, what’s this? What is that smell?”
“Hmm . ”
Cheol-ho shrugged his shoulders, sticking out his spoon imperiously .
“Mix it . ”
Today’s breakfast was bibimbap .
“Believe in me! I’ll mix it so well!”
Khan took the spoon with a grim face .
When eating bibimbap, with each bite, it was best to fill your mouth with a large spoonful .
You would be able to feel the warmth of the freshly-made rice, sesame oil, and the harmony created by the resonance of the red pepper paste with the ingredients .
Cheol-ho gulped it down, breathing through his nose . The savory aroma of sesame oil remained , making him lift the spoon again .
It was rice .
Whenever he said rice, he developed a strange appetite .
First of all, rice was generally a dish that went well with anything . It was good to mix with condiments, and it was good to eat with side dishes .
It was delicious even when it was put in soups .
Cheol-ho’s personal preference was the cold rice rolled up in ramen soup . When grains of cold rice– not hot rice– entered the broth, the greasy rice grains came alive and were very enjoyable .
Scorched rice, that is , what was left after scooping the rice out of the rice cooker, was also good .
Scorched rice could be eaten boiled, or fried with sugar .
“Hmm . ”
Just thinking about it, Cheol-ho nodded . He was going to make some food for the next few days .
Then Cheol-ho would have to think .
What kind of side dishes should they make?
Tangerine had begun to doze off after eating the bibimbap .
“Khan, lately Tangerine’s been odd,” Cheol-ho asked with a tilt of his head .
“Hmm?”
Khan tilted his head in response .
“Yes . As soon as he eats, he sleeps . Is he alright?”
“Ah,” Khan replied, prodding Tangerine’s cheek .
“It’s already been three months since he was born . At this time, we should be able to slowly figure out what his class is . ”
“Oh?”
“This is the usual process . When I was his age I also ate a lot and slept a lot . ”
“Really?”
That was unexpected . He couldn’t believe he would soon be able to tell which class Tangerine was born with . Cheol-ho felt a strange excitement .
“I’ll put him to sleep . ”
By the time Khan had carried Tangerine to the bedroom in his arms, a guest was entering the restaurant .
Ding ding~
The guest was Kim Man-ho . He looked a lot better than the last time he had visited, when he was still very hungry .
“Good morning, sir . ”
“Oh, yes . Welcome . ”
Kim Man-ho seated himself at a table with a cheerful smile . Suddenly he inhaled deeply, breathing in the aroma circling the kitchen .
“Oh, the rice smells good . ”
“I just cooked it . Would you like some?”
Kim Man-ho nodded .
“Yes, but I’d like a bowl ramen first . And then the rice . ”
“Cold rice would be good,” Cheol-ho suggested .
Kim Man-ho laughed .
“Of course . Cold rice is the best for ramen . ”
Cheol-ho smiled, glad they shared the same sensibility . As Cheol-ho entered the kitchen he turned around, and saw Kim Man-ho with a much less happy expression .
Kim Man-ho’s eyes were focused on the newspaper that Cheol-ho was reading a while ago, stuck on a big picture of a big man .