Chapter 26
Editor: Stomatopoda, Nets,
This section of meat was glossy and vivid in color . If you pressed it down a little, it had a strangely pleasant elasticity .
When one looked closely, the meat still twitched as if it was alive . It was not that the meat was alive, but that it had just been harvested recently and hadn’t ‘hardened’ yet .
It was quite literally ‘freshly slaughtered’ raw meat .
With a smile, Cheol-ho sprinkled salt and pepper over the cut meat .
The cut had a thickness of about the length of an index finger .
The combination of the thick layer of fat and the meat, a characteristic of pork belly, created a pleasing shape .
When grilling meat, a frying pan was the most convenient equipment to use . The meat cooked more uniformly, and could be easily manipulated and moved around .
However, pork belly was a little different .
“Khan!”
Khan poked around the doorframe .
“Did you call me?”
“Is Tangerine asleep?”
“Yes, she’s asleep . ”
“Wake her up . We’re eating out tonight . ”
“Huh?”
Khan opened his eyes in surprise . Then looked at the meat that Cheol-ho was chopping up… he was speechless .
* * *
The unnamed mountain was so remote, it was near impossible to find it .
Cheol-ho glanced around . There was no one around . Tangerine was still half asleep, cradled in Khan’s arms, and rubbing her sleepy eyes .
Cheol-ho collected large blocky stones from his surroundings, and stacked them into a sizeable round fire pit . He stacked firewood in it .
“Fire . ”
Khan nodded, and exhaled with focus . His controlled breath of flames spurted out, lighting the firewood .
Taktaktak~
Cheol-ho raised his head with a satisfied look .
The firewood began to burn violently .
Cheol-ho disappeared and then reappeared, his arms full of dry branches and firewood .
“…”
Khan was surprised once again .
How great was Khan’s power?
Khan was currently the master of the ‘Mutuga’ class and ‘Swordsman’ class, and also achieved the “power of regeneration” class while he was learning them .
The time and effort it took to master a second class was twice as much as mastering a first class . What about third classes?
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Once again, it took twice as much time and effort as it took to master the previous class . In short, mastering new classes was exponential in difficulty . Even himself, a dragon, had failed to reach the level of a three-class master within 50 years .
So how great was Cheol-ho? He had no clue .
“What do you think?” Cheol-ho asked, sliding an iron-mesh plate over the fire .
“I’m not sure . ”
“Haha!” Tangerine giggled, opening her eyes to look around .
She seemed to be wide awake . She smiled, and shook her hand in the direction of the iron plate .
poof~
A water spirit appeared in the air, and Tangerine pointed at the fire with her stubby finger . She brought her hand down over the fire as if commanding the spirit . The fire went out with a loud hiss .
Tangerine smiled and yelled excitedly at the spirit .
“Mamma! Mamma!”
“…”
Cheol-ho rubbed his forehead and sighed .
It took less time to light the fire again . The moon rose in the clear night sky, and clouds passed overhead . Cheol-ho placed the Kingpin’s pork belly on the well-heated iron plate .
sizzle sizzle~
The meat began to cook as soon as it made contact with the iron plate .
Grilling pork belly was fun . Oil dripped from the thick layer of fat, and the flames shot up where the drops landed . If you used specific types of wood for the fire, the taste of the meat could be improved . It would have a much better taste if they had used quality oak, bamboo, or charcoal, but unfortunately there wasn’t any nearby .
But it didn’t matter .
Even if it was just firewood that you’d picked up, meat you grill outside would always taste very special .
“…”
Cheol-ho gazed at the sizzling meat in expectant silence . The side of the meat facing the fire was properly cooked . The meat was thick though, so they just needed to wait a little longer for it to be cooked all the way through .
Now here it goes . If its color indicated it was half-done, it should be flipped .
sizzle~
An exciting sound was heard .
The slightly burnt light brown surface of the meat and the streaks of white fat bubbling out delighted Cheol-ho . Once the other side has been grilled well, they could eat it .
Cheol-ho sliced the thick pork belly into bite-size pieces . Usually salt, sauce, and red chilli paste was used when eating pork belly, but today he would only use salt . The theory was that salt can be used to deepen the taste and flavor the ingredients . He gently sprinkled the salt all over the meat, and handed one of the cubes of pork belly to Tangerine . She waved her hand over the pork belly to cool it down before taking a bite . Her eyes widened in awe .
“It’s yum . ”
“Yes . ”
Cheol-ho patted Tangerine’s cheek and turned to Khan .
“Let’s eat . ”
Grilled pork belly was delicious when cooked well, but Cheol-ho preferred it when the savory taste and softness co-existed sublimely . He put it in his mouth and chewed it– the fat part full of juices burst first, as it cooked the fastest on a high heat . Warm juices spilled out to blend with the taste of lean meat .
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It was savory, salty, light and oily . The pork belly had an ironic flavor . It was delicious .
He took another bite of the dripping fat . The more he chewed, the better it tasted . Cheol-ho chewed it for a long time . He was happy with the new flavours the fat produced as he chewed, and he was also happy with the greasy feeling he felt when swallowing the meat .
Cheol-ho, who had been eating for a while, took out a soju bottle .
“Soju is best for when eating pork belly . ”
Khan grinned in agreement and nodded .
The cup of soju was filled to the brim .
Taking a bite of the hot meat, he chewed it well, and swallowed it . Immediately after that, he chugged down a glass of soju . Then ate the meat again, and so repeated the cycle .
Should he sprinkle some more salt?
Strangely, he thought the meat tasted better the saltier it became .
Between each other, Cheol-ho and Khan drank their way through a couple of bottles of soju . At this time, Khan turned to Cheol-ho .
“Cheol-ho,” Khan asked carefully .
“Huh?”
“Was the devil strong?”
Cheol-ho smiled lightly . He shook his glass of soju, and then gargled and swallowed it .
“Yes, he was strong . ”
Cheol-ho paused .
“Of course, I was stronger,” he added .
“Do you hate the devil?”
“Hate…”
There was a time when he hated the devil . The monster corps and the demon warriors which he commanded were strong . It was a war in which much blood was shed and many of colleagues and friends died .
Cheol-ho hated the devil then .
“I did hate him . ”
“The devil said he was summoned by someone . ”
“…Hmm?”
Cheol-ho poured soju again, lost in thought for a while, and then opened his mouth in reply .
“Someone said he was summoned to the Esfan continent . ”
“Is that possible? Is there really someone capable of summoning the devil?”
“I was also summoned by someone . ”
“Who summoned you?”
“For ten years I wandered the land, trying to find the person . I’ve searched the East and the West, but I still haven’t found them . ”
“…”
Khan was silent for a moment .
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“How did you return then?”
Cheol-ho laughed bitterly .
” For ten years I searched the whole world, but I couldn’t find the answer . At some point I was summoned to that world, and ended up fighting the devil . As powerful people were injured and dying in the fight I couldn’t help but step forward with my power .
As time passed I became desperate . Eventually, all of a sudden a long, tear-like gap appeared in front of me . I could see a modern building through the cracks .
That’s how I came back . ”
“Can you believe it? This is the truth . ”
Khan said nothing . He just sipped his drink, quiet for a long time .
“I believe you,” Khan muttered quietly .
He nodded .
“Hard working Cheol-ho . ”
“…”
Cheol-ho laughed while looking into the fire .
“Hard working . ”
The night settled over the mountain as the two men poured and emptied glasses of soju .
Tangerine’s mouth was covered in oil from the pork belly . He was thinking of grilling the pork neck and sirloin too, but he was full before he finished the pork belly . So he was thinking of Ieaving it for the guests .
Khan’s words lingered in his head .
Did he hate the Devil?
Yeah .
He still hated the Devil .
However, at the same time, he felt compassion .
So ironically, he might not hate him .
But–
Cheol-ho stood up from his seat, shaking his head .
Cheol-ho often had nightmares .
He usually dreamt about the war .
Those that died were people precious to him . Remembering them was painful . His chest would hurt like a nail was stuck in it .
It must have been around that time that he began to depend on alcohol . If he was drunk, he could sleep . It was hard to keep his sanity . Perhaps he would have lost his mind without drinking .
“…”
It was a peaceful morning when Cheol-ho opened his eyes .
He was short of breath . His heart was pounding . He bit his lip, breathing out slowly .
He turned his head, and Tangerine rolled over to bury her nose in his chest . She fell asleep again . He listened to her little snores, and his heart felt warm . Cheol-ho slightly closed his eyes and breathed in and out with her . He was relieved .
He stroked Tangerine’s face . She smelled good . She smelled like a baby . Cheol-ho held her closely and deeply inhaled her scent .
Here we go .
Time to get up .
Cheol-ho woke up carefully so as to not jostle Tangerine . In the corner of the room, Khan was asleep in a strange position . He was a dragon with a very poor sleeping habit .
It was a normal morning .
He liked this life of mediocrity .
Cheol-ho walked around with a smile on his face . He cleaned the floor and washed leftover dishes . When he was done, he opened the doors of the restaurant and went out to enjoy the warm sunshine .
It was just a moment after he took out a cigarette .
“Student . ”
There was already someone in front of the restaurant .
“Huh?”
What did this person mean by , ‘student’?
Cheol-ho looked over curiously to see a grandmother . She was seated on the ground with an innocent look on her face .
“Where do I have to go to catch the Arirang train?”
“What?”
He had never heard of the Arirang train . Cheol-ho tilted his head in confusion, and she stood up .
She was a very small, skinny old woman .
“Don’t you know? Oh dear . What if everyone doesn’t know…?”
She slowly walked away down the alley, muttering unknown words .
“…”
Cheol-ho watched her disappear into the alley .
At the end of the road she left from, a familiar man appeared, quickly striding over .
“Oh sir! Hello! Hahaha, it’s a good morning, right?
This chatty guy was Choi Jae-woo .
Cheol-ho bowed lightly with a smile .
“Hello . ”
A new day had begun .