Have a Meal Before You Go - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Editor: Stomatopoda, Nets,

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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’ .

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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 .

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! ”

“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 .

“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 .