The planned dinner gathering was canceled.
It was likely due to the news that spread late in the neighborhood.
And now.
The Dok family was gathered together for dinner. And by the way, Jaewoo’s wealthy family was also present.
“Sister, how is it? Is it delicious?”
“Sis! Is it delicious?”
Jaewoo and Haeli looked at Yeona with hopeful eyes.
In front of Yeona was a yellowish curry-like soup. According to the kids, this was supposed to be curry.
“You haven’t even tasted it yet? At first glance…”
Normally, curry is made by boiling vegetables in a generous amount of water until they’re soft and soupy, then eaten with rice.
However, the curry in front of them was closer to a ‘soup’ than anything else. It wasn’t very appealing.
“At first glance?”
“At first glance?”
But facing those bright eyes, it was difficult to tell them the truth. So Yeona told a white lie with good intentions.
“At first glance, it looks delicious. You know, there’s a saying in our country. A good-looking rice cake tastes good too. It must be delicious.”
“But this isn’t rice cake, it’s curry, isn’t it? Delicious curry made by Jaewoo and me!”
“Hmm. Okay, curry. Shall we try it now?”
“Yeah!”
Receiving the children’s eager looks,
Yeona finally picked up her spoon.
In the hearty curry broth, Yeona scooped up something.
“…Hmm. Was this accidentally put in?”
It was a potato. A fist-sized potato, at that. Yeona was taken aback, and Haeli looked crestfallen.
“Oh? It’s a potato! That’s the potato I cut, sis!”
“Ahaha. It wasn’t accidentally put in. It was the potato Haeli cut.”
Haeli and Jaewoo bickered as usual.
“He’s still cheerful. Looks like he’s completely forgotten about what happened this morning.”
Thankfully, as long as the kids were okay, they could eat curry soup like that a hundred times over.
Yeona scooped up another spoonful of curry and put it in her mouth. It was still salty and sour, like before. However, she raised her thumb.
“Mm, it’s delicious. Both Haeli and Jaewoo could be chefs!”
The two bickering kids looked at Yeona.
“Is Jaewoo’s really delicious?”
“Yeah, it’s so tasty!”
“Tsk! But Haeli’s cut potatoes are even more delicious, right?”
“No! Jaewoo’s cut potatoes are tastier. Right, sis?”
Wasn’t this like asking if mom or dad is preferred? It felt like a cold sweat was running down my spine. Yeona awkwardly changed the subject.
“They’re both delicious, right? So, what should we try next? Onions?”
“Haeli’s cut onions first!”
“No, Jaewoo’s first!!”
Meanwhile, at the table where the adults were gathered.
“They seem to get along well. I think you don’t have to worry.”
Jong-siklooked at the kids while chewing on the king potato.
It wasn’t just that, but Jaewoo and Haeli seemed unchanged from usual. It seemed like they had completely forgotten about the unpleasant incident this morning.
Then, Oh Moon-se, with a puzzled expression, shook his head.
“It’s really fortunate. It’s all thanks to Haeli. He helped out the surrounding merchants, and he also held onto Jaewoo so he wouldn’t get influenced by that woman. If Jaewoo had been alone… Oh, I don’t even want to imagine it.”
With that, he quickly emptied the glass of soju.
“I think we made the right decision to move to this neighborhood.”
“We’re also really glad Jaewoo’s here. Jaewoo is Haeli’s only friend of the same age, and if Jaewoo wasn’t here, we wouldn’t have anyone to entrust Haeli to.”
“Haeli is always welcome here. It would be great if you entrusted herto us for life.”
“Y-yes?”
“Our Jaewoo really likes Haeli, you know.”
Upon hearing that, Trigo, who was listening nearby, urgently exclaimed, “Lifetime entrusted? Hey, Jaewoo’s dad, what does that mean?”
“Why, there’s such a saying, isn’t there? From being brothers to becoming in-laws…”
“Wha-what? That’s not it! Haeli is going to live with us forever! Right, Jong-sik?”
Jong-sik nodded vigorously as Trigo finished speaking. Is that why they say love for nephews is like being a dad? Jong-sik wasn’t any different. Trigo continued to snicker at Oh Moon-se, trying to keep him in check.
Because of that, an awkward silence enveloped the room.
The silence was broken by the sound of the wind chimes on the door.
Ding-dong-
“Manager Dok, can you come out for a moment… Oh? Jaewoo’s dad is here too!”
It was the owner of the seafood restaurant. He held a black plastic bag in his hand. He addressed Oh Moon-se with a look of satisfaction.
“It’s perfect timing. I was going to drop by Dok’s restaurant and then head over here.”
“To our house?”
“Yeah! I brought this for you. Just take it for now. My arms are about to fall off.”
“What on earth is all this? Manager.”
Oh Moon-se reached out his hand. The plastic bags landed in Jong-sik’s hand after a while. There were quite a few of them. They seemed quite hefty.
“It’s nothing much, just some sea eels for a body-strengthening tonic. It’s amazing for your health. I thought the kids would be surprised, so I brought them to grill. Oh, and this one is from the boss of the pig’s feet restaurant over there, and this one is from the lady at the fruit shop, and this one is from the Poison Toad family, and…”
“Oh my, why did you bring all this? We’re already grateful for the help from the kids.”
“Grateful for what-! It’s just the right thing to do. And if you want to talk about gratitude, we should be even more grateful. We’ve educated the Poison Toad family who were causing trouble in the neighborhood, sharpened the knives for the merchants for free, and organized a neighborhood watch with a neighborhood patrol. To put it simply, we’ve done it all.”
So this time, the residents of the neighborhood came together with one heart and one mind.
“Oh, and that woman who did bad things to the kids! Her name was Yang Aran, right? Since all the residents agreed to submit a petition for strict punishment, she better receive proper punishment this time!”
Oh Moon-se bowed his head and said, “Thank you,” expressing his gratitude. Trigo, on the other hand, hugged Mr. Jang tightly and exclaimed in a loud voice, “Mr. Jang, remember I mentioned the knives last time? Bring them all!”
Jong-sik felt a warm feeling in his heart as he watched them. Even the bitter curry seemed to taste good at this point.
***
The Hunter Headquarters in Seoul was bustling.
The dimensional beings who had been staying in Block D would be leaving tomorrow.
Those who had completed the social adaptation program would move to the accommodations provided by the government. They would also secure jobs arranged by the government. Finally, they would take their first steps into society.
However, it was different for the dimensional beings with individual sponsors. That was the case for a dimensional being named ‘Mujin.’
Hunter Headquarters, Seoul, Block D, Counseling Room.
“Mujin, your discharge is tomorrow. Have you decided on your residence?”
The deputy director in charge of overall dimensional being affairs asked the dimensional being in front of him.
“Yes. I will be going to Hunter Dok Jong-sik, who has agreed to sponsor me.”
Mujin, the little monk who came from the Middle Realm.
Hunter Dok Jong-sik had taken an interest in the dimensional being.
“Oh, that’s a good choice. With him, you’ll have support whether it’s at home or at school. There couldn’t be a better option for you than that.”
“The reason I want to go to him is not because of that.”
“Are you falling for Hunter Dok’s appearance like our staff members? Haha.”
A profound answer came in response to the jest.
“In Chapter 17 of the Book of Tao by Laozi, there is a passage that goes like this: The best ruler is one whose subjects only know he exists. The next best ruler is one whom they love and praise. The next is one whom they fear. The worst is one whom they despise.”
“….”
I have no idea what he’s talking about.
The little dimensional being in front of him often spoke such incomprehensible words. It was the same situation now. In response, the deputy director chuckled and muttered, “What does going to Hunter Dok Jong-sik have to do with the Book of Tao…”
“There’s a principle in everything in the world.”
“Hmm.”
And so it begins again.
Isn’t this from the “Book of Tao” by Won Giseong?
As the deputy director furrowed his brow, Mujin finally revealed his thoughts.
“After Hunter Dok Jong-sik visited and left, I searched for information about Hunter Dok Jong-sik and the neighborhood I want to live in.”
Then he took out his phone and showed it. His recent search history was filled with terms related to Dok Jong-sik, such as “Hunter Dok Jong-sik,” “Sangwon-dong,” “Dok’s Restaurant,” and so on.
“Sangwon-dong is currently rated as the best neighborhood to live in South Korea, and the residents there constantly praise and express their affection for Hunter Dok Jong-sik.”
“…Ah!”
Earlier, wasn’t it about how the best ruler is one whom the subjects love and praise? Was that what he meant? But still…
“Mujin, Hunter Dok is not a ruler. You may have learned through the social adaptation program, but in our Republic of Korea, there are no rulers. We elect a president through elections…”
“But he looks like a great ruler in my eyes, doesn’t he? That’s why I also want to live in that neighborhood.”
“Hmm. Well, anyway, I understand. I’ll relay your decision to Hunter Dok Jong-sik right away. He’ll be very pleased to hear the news.”
The deputy director quickly ended the conversation. He didn’t want to risk getting caught up in a discussion about the “Book of Tao” again like last time.
As he was trying to conclude the conversation, Mujin suddenly shouted loudly, not again?
“Deputy Director, wait a moment!”
“…What is it?”
Surely not again?
“Well, actually, I have a colleague who wants to come with me. Can you ask Hunter Dok Jong-sik if it’s okay for us to go together?”
Fortunately, it wasn’t about the “Book of Tao” this time.
Relieved, the deputy director asked, “How many people?”
“…It’s quite a few.”
The deputy director thought to himself that it would probably only be one or two people, at most.
“Go ahead and tell me.”
“There are thirty of them.”
For a moment, the deputy director could only widen his eyes in disbelief.
The thirty people Mujin mentioned accounted for half of the dimensionals who were being discharged.
“T-Thirty people…”
It seemed like there would be another news story about Sangwon-dong after all.
