The visitor to Dok’s Family Restaurant was Pyeong-ari and Dok Jong-sik.
Pyeong-ari wanted to make a contract with Jong-sik right away, and Jong-sik couldn’t afford to take a break, especially from the morning business. Because there were customers coming without fail every day.
For instance, there was Park Cheong-sol, a student at the academy, or Oh Mun-se and his son, Oh Jaewoo.
Especially Park Cheong-sol had become more than just a customer since he visited even before the opening of the restaurant.
“Maybe because he attends the same school as Yeona. Well, he’s quite different from others.”
Anyway, for that reason, Pyeong-ari came to the store personally.
“I…”
“We’ve come.”
Pyeong-ari entered the restaurant with Jong-sik. The restaurant was filled with delicious smells.
Although he usually had sandwiches and half an apple for breakfast, Pyeong-ari, for some reason, felt hungry.
“Normally, I hate smelling food in the morning because it makes me feel nauseous, but strangely, I feel hungry when I come here. Hmm, it smells delicious!”
Pyeong-ari instinctively sniffed and wrinkled his nose.
“Boss, the guest, no, Mr. Pyeong-ari is here with Big Boss.”
“Oh, Mr. Pyeong-ari. Looks like you’ve come to make a contract!”
“Uncle!”
The employees, with smiles as wide as their faces, warmly welcomed the two. Haeli ran to Jong-sik, leaving her spoon behind. After all, Uncle was more important than food.
Then, Haeli caught Jong-sik’s pant leg and looked up at Pyeong-ari.
Jong-sik tousled Haeli’s hair and said, “Why are you just staring? You should say hello. This is your Uncle’s Colleague. Didn’t you learn what a colleague is from Yeona?”
Dok Haeli, who learned various things through homeschooling. The teacher is the whole family.
“Yeah. Those uncles are also colleagues.”
Haeli pointed to the restaurant staff, and the uncles chuckled and said, “Haeli, you’re smart!” with their mouths shut.
Meanwhile, Pyeong-ari covered her mouth with both hands and made a surprised sound.
Anyway, the reaction of people seeing Haeli for the first time was usually similar, and Pyeong-ari was no exception.
“Uncle? Chief Dok! Besides Yeona, do you have another niece?”
“Yes. Something like that.”
“Hmm? Anyway, she’s so pretty! I’ve never seen such a beautiful child before.”
She bent her knees and met eyes with Haeli. Haeli was still holding Jong-sik’s pant leg. Jong-sik gently grabbed Haeli’s shoulder. Then Haeli finally greeted.
“Hello, ma’am.”
Yeona wore the same clothes (school uniform) as Unnie.
“The woman with white hair is Grandma.”
“The rest are Ajumma.” That’s what Haeli learned.
“Hmm…?”
Haeli’s mouth was blocked. It was because it was the first time he had ever heard those words in his life.
“Oh, Ajumma? Your name is Haeli, right? Unnie would be so happy if you called her Unnie. Shall we greet each other again?”
“Unnie? Umm, not Unnie.”
“No, it’s Unnie!”
“Then why aren’t you going to school? Unnies are studying right now! Yeona Unnie went to school too! Wearing the clothes that unnie wears…!”
“Oh, Unnie doesn’t have to go to school. She’s already learned everything.”
“Then you’re Ajumma, right? You’re not even wearing the clothes that unnie wears.”
“Dok Haeri. You should use honorifics.”
Haeli glanced at Jong-pal. He heard the same thing every time, but strangely, honorifics don’t come naturally to his lips.
“Not wearing… those.”
“Hmm? What’s that supposed to mean? Even if you don’t wear a school uniform, you’re still Unnie. I’m not Ajumma yet….”
At Haeli’s firm reply, Jong-pal made a dejected expression. In fact, speaking informally is no big deal. She’s still a kid, isn’t he? But the titles are different! Somehow, being called Ajumma in her mid-twenties feels, well, very unfair.
An awkward atmosphere lingered for a while.
It was Jong-pal who broke the silence.
“Ahaha. Haeli, just call me aunt!”
“Aunt?”
Haeli asked, tilting his head.
“Aunt is what you call your mother’s female siblings, right? But Haeli, you don’t have a mom. You only have dads. A Uncle and a little dad! So instead of Ahjumma why not call me aunt?”
“Hmm. Even if it’s not necessarily your mother’s female sibling, you can still call her aunt. Oh! Haeli, what do you call those colleagues of your little dad over there?”
“Uncles!”
“Exactly. You call them uncles, right? Even though they’re not my siblings.”
“That’s because they were sad when they were called ajusshi”
“Exactly! It’s a similar reason. So you can just call that lady over there aunt.”
“It’s strange. Why are they sad? Haeli wants to grow up quickly. Being an adult is good.”
“Pffft. You shouldn’t say things like that when you’re still young. Anyway, can you call her aunt?”
“Yes. Since she said she’s sad when called Ajumma, I’ll call her aunt. Aunt, hello…!”
“…Yeah. I’m really thankful.”
This is the traditional bow, the deep bow.
“Ahaha. Okay, Aunt….”
“But where is Aunt?”
Jong-pal chuckled awkwardly.
“Oh my, you’re clever. Who do you take after to be this smart?”
“Our family. Uncle, little dad, Yeona Unnie, umm. And the uncles!”
Meanwhile, honey dripped from Jong-pal and the restaurant staff’s eyes.
“Wow. Haeli even mentions the uncles?”
Nods.
“It feels like watching Yeona when she was young. Ah, such a cute kid.”
It was all because of Haeli. Between Dok Jong-pal and the restaurant staff, there had been an unmistakable bond formed over the past few days.
While Yeona was at school, they had taken care of Haeli, so it was understandable.
“Let’s sit over there for now.”
Seeing his younger brother, Jong Sik smirked and gestured for Jong-pal to take his seat. Only then did Jong-pal come to his senses. Haeli was also entrusted to the staff.
“Oh, sorry. I should have guided you first. Ahem.”
“It’s okay. You corrected me to call you Aunt, right?”
“Ahaha.”
“More importantly, Jong-pal, I’d like to show you the contract. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
Jong-pal went straight to the point.
Jong Sik also nodded seriously.
“Haha. Me too. But before that, there’s something I want to show you first…. Just a moment!”
With that, Jong-pal headed towards the kitchen.
***
The hastily made dishes were brought to the table. They couldn’t present the food they had been testing with the staff.
Jong-pal quickly prepared a new dish.
One was a dish with a small amount of sacred power, and the other was a dish with a large amount of sacred power.
Now he could adjust the sacred power quite familiarly. If he could do it now, he would be able to adjust it even more smoothly in the future.
“There’s something I want to tell you before we sign the contract.”
“Yes. Please tell me.”
Crack.
Jong-pal answered, looking at the dish in front of him.
“I have no intention of closing the restaurant just because we’re signing a contract. I want to make that clear.”
“Ah! If you’re talking about that, Mr. Jong-sik mentioned it to me. So you don’t have to worry about that part. And regardless of whatever actions Mr. Jong-pal takes apart from running the restaurant, our Healing Guild has no intention of imposing any constraints. The purpose of the contract is purely to support Mr. Jong-pal.”
Faced with such treatment for the first time, Jong-pal couldn’t conceal his surprised smile.
Just a few months ago, he couldn’t even dream of contracting with the Healing Guild.
“Whatever, what does a D-rank hunter have to do with the Healing Guild anyway.”
He couldn’t believe he was now contracting with the Healing Guild. And with no constraints whatsoever. Unconditional support. Who would have thought.
“Thanks to you, I’m receiving such generous treatment.”
Jong-pal expressed his gratitude with his eyes towards his brother, Jong-sik. Contracting with the Healing Guild was entirely thanks to him.
Jong-sik nodded silently, and Jong-pal continued.
“Thank you for saying that, it really puts my mind at ease. Anyway, I plan to continue running the restaurant, but with a focus on quality. That’s what I wanted to convey.”
“Quality?”
“Yes. It’s easier to understand by tasting it yourself rather than me explaining it. So, could you please taste the food in front of you?”
At that, Pyeong-ari picked up his utensils.
Starting with the omelette rice on the left.
“Mmm, it’s excellent, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, it’s not just ordinary omelette rice. If it were developed as combat rations, it would definitely maximize combat efficiency.”
Jong-pal’s cooking had the effect of potions.
‘However, potions couldn’t be consumed indefinitely. There was a recommended dosage. If you drank too much, toxicity would build up.’
But Jong-pal’s food? Of course, experimentation would be necessary, but Pyeong-ari was one hundred percent certain. There wouldn’t be any accumulation of toxins.
“Right now, only a few people know about this, but what if it were to spread in the hunter market? It would play a significant role in hunter advancement. To think that such a person would be embraced by our Healing Guild! Seriously, it’s crazy. Crazy!”
In other words, it was better than potions.
With that meaning, Pyeong-ari exclaimed in admiration.
In the meantime, Jong-pal added an explanation.
“The dish you just had is the standard that can be presented at Dok’s Family Restaurant here. And the dish next to it is at the level that can be provided to hunters. Please try the omelette rice on the right.”
“Wait a moment. Are you saying that the food I just ate is at the level that can be sold at the restaurant?”
“Yes.”
Pyeong-ari was speechless.
“The dish in the bowl on the right is at the level that can be provided to hunters? There couldn’t possibly be anything better than the food I just ate….”
‘Ah! That’s how it is.’
‘Thinking it over, from Jong-pal’s perspective, Dok’s Family Restaurant would take priority, so the mention of providing lower-quality food to hunters might have been intended.’
…she thought as she ate.
“Crazy!”
An incomparable taste and efficacy were conveyed.
She couldn’t find the words.
“…Huh?”
“How is it? Is that satisfactory? That’s the best level I can currently achieve. When produced in bulk, the effectiveness might drop slightly. But will you proceed with the contract?”
“Y-yes!”
“In that case, I’m relieved. Oh, and I’ve tested it multiple times, and I’ve found that the better the ingredients, the better the effect of the dish. So, please pay attention to the ingredients. If possible, focus on ingredients from the Otherworld.”
Naturally.
Only the best ingredients would be provided without fail.
Pyeong-ari nodded vigorously without reservation.
A moment later.
The two exchanged various opinions about the future direction, and finally, the signature of “Dok Jong-pal” was drawn on the contract.
Watching all these processes, Jong-sik suddenly became curious.
“But didn’t you ask about that?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
In response to Jong-sik’s question, Pyeong-ari widened her eyes and asked back.
“You asked me about Jong-pal’s cooking skills yesterday.”
But she hadn’t given an answer.
Because there were many ears listening.
However, Pyeong-ari had learned a lot overnight.
“Oh! There’s a reason I didn’t ask that question. Actually, after the dinner last night, when I got home, I thought about it carefully. And I found the answer. So, I didn’t bother asking…”
‘Is she the successor of a major guild?’
Her ability to grasp situations is exceptional.
“He knew that Jong-pal had consumed a large amount of Ashen Runes.”
Jong-sik looked at her with a surprised expression. His younger brother, Jong-pal, was the same.
“Oh, did you know? I thought I should tell Team Leader Pyeong, but if you already knew, there’s no need to mention it.”
“Yes. I’m quite observant.”
Pyeong-ari laughed heartily and continued speaking.
“You’ve been hiding your cooking skills all this time! Right? No wonder I found it a bit strange when a hunter opened a restaurant.”
‘Quite perceptive…’
Jong-sik and Jong-pal thought to themselves, “That’s right.”
Pyeong-ari continued with her incorrect guesses.
“I think I know why you did that.”
Well, let’s hear it.
Jong-sik chuckled and asked, “Hmm. Why do you think so?”
“Well, because your abilities are so remarkable, you decided to open up cautiously! Of course, it could also be because Director Dok was there to support the opening.”
“…?”
“That’s just how things are in this world. No matter how extraordinary your abilities are, if you don’t have the power to control them, they become a disaster. Anyway, that’s what I think. Jong-pal probably knew about his abilities for a long time. But he couldn’t reveal them. He didn’t have the power to control them, and he didn’t have anyone he could trust.”
‘Amidst all this, he met his brother again, and precisely because his brother, Dok Jong-sik, was incredibly strong, he finally decided to unleash his abilities.’
‘And his brother, Dok Jong-sik, first joined the Healing Guild, evaluated the guild, and only then felt confident enough to propose bringing his brother in!’
That’s the picture Pyeong-ari had in mind. And she confidently asked, “What do you think? Am I right? Huh? Why is everyone silent?”
Dok Jong-pal and Dok Jong-sik were silently smiling, nodding their heads.
