Have a Meal Before You Go - Chapter 26

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?

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 .

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 .

“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 .