After the duel ended,
Jong-sik found himself surrounded by his family.
“I’ll probably hear another lecture now.”
He thought to himself, being the younger brother who was always worried.
However, an unexpected response came.
“You did well. Hyung, you were cool.”
“…Huh?”
“I said you were cool. Did you have to pretend like you didn’t hear that?”
“Well, I…”
“Or did you think I was going to nag you again?”
“Huh.”
“You’re fine, even though you could have gotten hurt.”
Jong-sik chuckled awkwardly. Jong-pal added a few more words with a relaxed expression.
“So that’s why I told you not to worry. Now that I’ve seen it for myself, I feel much better.”
“Who said that?”
“Hehe. I did! Wasn’t I right?”
Suddenly, Pyeong-ari approached. She interjected into the conversation between the brothers. Yeona and Haeli chimed in.
“Pyeong-ari unnie suggested we go see Uncle’s duel. She said we’d understand if we saw it for ourselves.”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
Jong-sik tousled Haeli’s hair and looked at Jong-pal.
“I see. So, are you feeling less worried now?”
“Yeah. Definitely. I feel a bit relieved now. Honestly, every time you went out on a mission, our family waited anxiously.”
‘Was that so? He hadn’t noticed because they always saw him off with a smile.’
If he had known, he would have taken Jong-pal and gone exploring dungeons or something. There was no need to hide it.
“If you don’t talk, how am I supposed to know? From now on, don’t keep anything to yourself and talk to me.”
“Really? If you set the table like this, I should just tell you everything?”
“What else is there?”
“Don’t just go from home to work, home to work. Bring your pretty sister-in-law and go on dates. That’s my last wish and worry. What are you looking at? You told me to tell you everything, so don’t keep it to yourself.”
“But why so suddenly?”
“It’s not sudden, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Since we’re on the topic, should I help you find your sister-in-law?”
“Phew!”
A distant sound was heard. It was Pyeong-ari. She chuckled as if she had heard something amusing, her face turning red.
Jong-pal smiled subtly. It was just a thought, but it turned out to be true.
“No wonder Pyeong-ari’s gaze towards Hyung during the duel seemed odd.”
Now that he thought about it, Hyung and his sister-in-law seemed to get along well.
On the other hand, Jong-sik and Yeona exchanged puzzled looks. They hadn’t had a drink, so why was Pyeong-ari laughing? They clearly had no clue.
“Unni, are you okay?”
“Team Leader Pyeong, go get yourself some water.”
“Cough, cough. Ah, why is this happening?”
Pyeong-ari fanned herself.
Just then, Trigo approached them.
“Ah, you guys, why are you holding on to me like that?”
Thanks to him, Pyeong-ari’s attention was diverted. It was understandable, given how loudly he spoke.
“Jong-pal, little brother, I’m so hungry, is there any food left?”
Trigo pleaded with his growling stomach.
It seemed he missed a meal while repairing Kang Chang-soo’s spear. Jong-sik was no different.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t had a proper meal either. Is there any food left?”
“We were in the middle of cooking. Let’s go back. I’ll make you something delicious.”
***
Some time later,
The makeshift diner where Jong-pal returned was bustling with people.
“If we knew it would be like this, we should have bet with Master Dok.”
“This guy is so ungrateful! Of course, it had to be this way. Who do you think helped the Poison Toad Gang reform and waived their management fees? How dare they betray us?”
“Who said anything about betrayal? It’s just that Hunter Kang Chang-soo is so renowned… ”
“Enough, just hand over the money already.”
Some settled their wagers.
“I have no idea how many people have gathered here. Is this an opening ceremony or a neighborhood feast? In the old days, the neighborhood leader would gather people for a drink and contribute funds… ”
“Oh, you’re talking too much again. Instead of that, let’s drink! Let’s keep going!”
Some refilled their glasses that had been momentarily set aside due to the duel.
The most excited of them all was Trigo.
“Haha! This is the taste!”
Trigo swiftly emptied a 5,000cc glass of beer.
The residents were surprised and wide-eyed at Trigo.
“Trigo, you might get knocked out in one shot if you keep going like that.”
“Who’s going to get knocked out? Me? Trigo? Haha.”
“Looking at you laughing like that, you’re already drunk.”
“What nonsense! Even if I drink all the alcohol here, I won’t get drunk, being a Dwarf and all.”
Trigo boasted. It was a typical dwarven claim – to live and die by the drink.
However, alcohol wasn’t exclusive to Dwarves. People loved alcohol just as much.
The owner of the fish restaurant, the boss of the Kimbap place, and the owner of the dry cleaner all shared a love for alcohol.
For those who loved alcohol, there was a common trait: pride in their drinking capacity.
“Huh? Trigo, how much can you drink?”
“My drinking capacity? I don’t know.”
“Now I see, your boasting wasn’t just talk!”
“Boasting? Trigo boasting? If you can’t believe it, why don’t you try challenging me?”
“Wow. Who would’ve thought someone would back down? It’s me we’re talking about. I used to drink soju straight from the jug since childhood! What’s gotten into you?”
“Hehehe. Really? That’s something to look forward to. I’ve never lost a drinking contest as a Dwarf.”
“In that case, are you ready to lose today?”
“Haha! Me, lose? It would be quicker for the world to split in two!”
“Huh! Saying that, who’s backing down now? Alright then. Let’s drink all night tonight!”
“Hehehe. Alright, alright. Bring it on! To whoever beats me, I’ll give a lifetime voucher for free use of the blacksmith shop.”
That statement sparked a frenzy. The neighborhood drinkers, known for their capacity, flocked to Trigo.
Meanwhile, Jong-sik was leisurely eating and chatting.
His conversation partners were Kang Chang-soo and Pyeong-ari.
As time passed, Haeli and Yeona had gone home, and Jong-sik was still by the fire.
Pyeong-ari looked around and said, “I think we made a really good decision moving here.”
To which Jong-sik asked, “All of a sudden?”
“Yes, really. It just suddenly crossed my mind.”
“I totally understand.”
Kang Chang-soo agreed. Pyeong-ari smiled and continued, “When we lived in the penthouse, I didn’t really know who lived around us or what kind of people the neighboring merchants were. I never made an effort to find out.”
Kang Chang-soo nodded, and Jong-sik asked him, “Was it the same for you, Hunter Kang?”
“Yes, it was. I didn’t even know who lived next door, let alone the neighboring merchants.”
“Then both of you must have been quite reluctant when I suggested joining the neighborhood watch.”
At Jong-sik’s question, both of them chuckled.
“It wasn’t like that, but we did have a ‘really?’ kind of feeling. Of course, not anymore!”
“Exactly! In fact, we’re enjoying it now. It’s very rewarding. Every time we patrol the neighborhood, the merchants give us things, and there’s a subtle joy in receiving them.”
A few days ago, they even received lettuce from a resident who operates a weekend farm. I never thought I’d receive lettuce in my life… Is this what friendship is about?
Kang Chang-soo burst into laughter. Then this time, Pyeong-ari chimed in, saying, “That’s right. When interaction like that continues, you start to feel a sense of belonging to the neighborhood, right? That’s why I’m genuinely looking forward to tomorrow’s training.”
“Oh, now that you mention it, it starts from tomorrow. The area assigned to the Healing Guild is…”
“Is it Sangwon-dong?”
Kang Chang-soo and Pyeong-ari brought up the topic of tomorrow’s training. Hearing this, Jong-sik furrowed his brows and asked, “There’s training tomorrow?”
But the returning glances seemed odd. It’s as if they were saying, “How come you’re asking? Didn’t you know?” Jong-sik quickly rummaged through his memory.
“Oh!”
Only then did the memory come back to him.
He had heard about it before but had forgotten.
“Oh? You suddenly remembered?”
“Hahaha. Somehow, yes.”
“Phew, it would have been a big problem if you hadn’t remembered! Tomorrow is the first day of the Integrated Defense Training.”
That’s right. It was the day of the national operation, the Integrated Defense Training, aimed at preparing for the end times and conducting safety training for civilians. And the civilians here were the neighbors eating and drinking with her.
So Pyeong-ari had mentioned that she was sincere about this operation.
To have completely forgotten about such an operation! Pyeong-ari nodded vigorously and reiterated the schedule for tomorrow.
And how much time had passed?
The surroundings began to quiet down.
The group, who had been engaged in mundane conversation, looked around nervously.
The self-proclaimed drinkers, who had been challenging Trigo, were falling one by one.
“Huh? Why are they collapsing like this?”
“I, I mean, when I was young-”
“Ugh!”
Meanwhile, Trigo remained unscathed. Not only that, but he swiftly downed a 3,000cc glass of beer in one shot.
After finishing the beer, he shouted, “Alright, who’s next!”
However, there was no one to answer his question.
“What? Did they all collapse? We haven’t even started yet? Ugh. How can I drink with anyone like this?”
In the end, no one managed to defeat Trigo. The lifetime free pass to the blacksmith shop also disappeared.
Thus, the grand opening that began at noon ended in the middle of the night.
—
The next day.
Whack, whack!
From the early morning breeze, there was a person holding a bat. It was the wife of the owner of the Sangwon-dong Royal Pig’s Feet House.
“Goodness, this man! There isn’t a day he doesn’t drink. He even makes me hit dried pollack heads from the morning? If it weren’t for the Dok’s family Forge grand opening, I would have just…”
As she muttered to herself, she prepared the dried pollack soup, feeling bitter inside about her husband.
But then, a voice came from behind.
“Good morning.”
“Ahh!”
The wife screamed abruptly.
Her husband, who should have been sleeping soundly until now, greeted her with a perfectly normal face. Moreover, he was awake much earlier than usual.
“You’re going to make my ears fall off. Why are you screaming like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“You scared me! You’re usually impossible to wake up, but today you’re up at this hour? And especially after drinking so much yesterday? Shouldn’t I be surprised?”
“Heh. Well, you see. Strangely, I have no hangover and feel quite refreshed?”
“Tell me honestly. Have you been eating something behind my back lately?”
“Eating? Where would I get the money for that! Or maybe, perhaps.”
“Perhaps?”
“Has my constitution suddenly become better at handling alcohol? Heh heh heh. That would be nice.”
“Ugh! You’re still not sober, seeing how you can’t get your act together!”
Despite his wife’s sarcasm, the pig’s feet restaurant owner just smiled without any concern.
Strangely, he was feeling too good to be bothered.
Today, he was willing to listen to any nagging without complaint.
However, on this day, not a single nagging word came out of his wife’s mouth.
And it was understandable.
Waking up early, eating well, and even going to work early.
What more could she possibly nag her husband about?
With a joyful face, the wife bid farewell to her husband, and the pig’s feet restaurant owner opened the shop early in the morning.
It was an earlier opening than usual, and there was a reason for that.
In no time, it had been 20 years since he started his pig’s feet business. As time passed, his wrists became weaker.
Yet, he couldn’t use store-bought pig’s feet.
Even though his body was getting older, he insisted on handling the ingredients himself and serving clean food, which was his pride in his business.
However, recently, his wrist pain, like a chronic illness, had eased significantly.
“With this condition and a properly sharpened knife, let’s prepare the ingredients with a fresh start!”
There couldn’t have been a better day for meat preparation. The owner of the Royal Pig’s Feet restaurant picked up his knife.
“Huh, what’s this?”
At the same time, his eyes widened in surprise.
“It’s just been left here, but…”
It’s already been prepared?
That meant the knife was indeed sharp.
