00424 10. Last story (9/9). ————————————————– ———————-=
There were four ready-to-eat food booths instead of six in total. It seems like there are places where two people can be seen inside the booth, working together to cook. How about doing anything? They say they cook the food themselves.
The first place I reached was the booth where Hayeon and Hanna were. A fragrant smell wafted through me, and I had already tasted Hanna’s skills during ‘Love House’. In other words, it is a proven skill.
“meat! meat!”
“Meat~! Meat~!”
There was a passenger who arrived first. Ahn Hyeon was banging on his plate and singing a meat song. I was a bit worried about Hangyeol following along, but seeing his happy face, I decided to skip it this once.
“hello.”
“Oh my, Suhyeon. “Did you come to us first?”
As I approached and said hello, Hayeon lifted her head and smiled brightly.
“yes. “It smelled so good that I was drawn to it.”
“Ho Ho. It’s a good choice. We won, Hannah. yes?”
“sure. After all, our Clan Lord has eyes to see. Hehehe. Ah, sister. “I baked everything.”
“Good. Su-hyun! Please give me the plate. “I’ll give it to you.”
I tilted my head. Is it so important that you got here first? I’m planning on going anyway.
Anyway, I quickly handed out the plate and Hayeon started cutting off the meat one by one.
“uh! Sister Hayeon! “We came first!”
Then, Ahn Hyeon, a passenger, raised a strong complaint.
“This guy. Even cold water has ups and downs. Or go somewhere else and eat first.”
“Wait. I’ll bake you a new one soon. Hehehe.”
Hayeon and Hanna burst into tears at their answers. no. Why am I crying? I feel sorry for no reason.
As expected, the meat was quite delicious. The slightly savory aroma and soft texture of the meat made it worthy of being called a chef. I looked at Hayeon, feeling something unexpected.
“Hayeon. Have you always been this good at cooking?”
“How do you see me? I am also a woman who knows how to cook… .”
At that moment, I heard Hannah giggling. Hayeon noticed her for a moment and immediately smiled with her awkward face.
“Ho Ho. “Actually, I can’t.”
“But this is delicious…” .”
“As soon as we started planning the festival, we immediately caught up with Hannah. “People who can’t cook just need to stick next to someone who can and help them.”
“aha.”
I smiled, thinking I knew what he meant. Hannah just shrugged her shoulders with a polite smile.
I handed the remaining meat to Ahn Hyeon. Even though I wanted to eat it, I couldn’t ignore his bright eyes.
Eventually, I moved to the next booth and this time I saw the old man and Shin Jae-ryong standing there. As I was leisurely eating vegetables, I could see that the dishes at this booth were of the vegetable variety.
“Are you here?”
“Hehe, this is the clan lord.”
“Welcome, Clan Lord. You’ve come to the right place. Freshly stir-fried vegetables are very delicious. “Hanbyul’s skills are very good.”
‘Hanbyeol?’
Hearing Shin Jae-ryong’s words, I quickly looked inside the booth. And as he said, we were able to find Hanbyul wearing an apron.
“Turn down the heat here… . Add half a spoonful of seasoning… .”
It looks like they don’t even know I’m here. Wherever Ye’s cold eyes went, Hanbyeol was diligently frying vegetables with seasoning on his nose. It was quite a refreshing sight.
I smiled slightly and spoke.
“Hanbyeol.”
Hanbyul was startled and raised her head. I took a few steps closer and slowly extended my hand.
“You came… . Oh, brother?”
“Still.”
Hanbyul reflexively tried to pull away, but because she was cooking, her upper body was only slightly bent. Soon she lightly wiped the smooth bridge of her nose.
“There’s seasoning in here.”
After showing me the seasoning on my thumb, I lightly licked it with my tongue. It was a little salty, but the taste was pretty good.
Hanbyul was the flagship.
“Oh, brother! Well, what if you eat that… !”
“huh? why? “It’s pretty delicious, isn’t it?”
“… yes? Oh, no, that’s not it… .”
“The seasoning wasn’t bad. Anyway, the reviews on the booth were good. Can you give me a plate too?”
As I politely held out the plate, Hanbyul lifted her red face and stared at me. Then he glanced at me again and again and started moving his hands.
Why should I be so embarrassed? Even though Hanbyeol was blushing all the time, he managed to serve the stir-fried vegetables. As soon as I picked up a chopstick and brought it to my mouth, a refreshing smell along with a pungent aroma flowed in. To be honest, it wasn’t as delicious as the elders said, but it was pretty decent.
As we were chomping at the vegetables, Hanbyeol asked cautiously.
“… “How are you?”
“It’s better than I thought. “It’s worth eating.”
“Really?”
“huh.”
Hanbyeol, perhaps feeling fortunate, exhaled with a much relieved expression.
However, the old man and Shin Jae-ryong walked over and presented the plate again as if they could not agree.
“haha. Clan Lord. It’s better than I thought. This is very delicious. Isn’t that right, Shin Jae-ryong?”
“That’s right, old man. “The seasoning is spicy and the vegetables have a very nice aroma. I guess Miss Hanbyeol has a talent for cooking.”
As the old man and Shin Jae-ryong go back and forth, Hanbyeol’s body twists slightly. It seemed like he didn’t know what to do with the excessive praise.
“Oh, no. “Don’t do that.”
Despite Hanbyeol’s restraint, the old man did not stop showing favoritism.
“Hmm, not really. I could marry her off right away. Isn’t it? Clan Lord?”
“That’s right. Miss Hanbyeol’s future husband will definitely be very happy. Clan Lord. “What do you think?”
“… yes?”
Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder. No, it’s Hongdukkae in the middle of the night. While I was eating delicious stir-fried vegetables, a strange question suddenly came to me.
“grandfather… . Uncle Jaeryong… . Why are you doing this to my brother… . Please, stop… .”
Hanbyeol’s body is twisted and twisted. The two elders burst into laughter at the same time, perhaps because the sight was so refreshing.
“Hehehehe. Shin Jae-ryong, did you hear?”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. I heard. He says it’s my brother. “This is really meaningful.”
“Oh really, why are you doing this… !”
The tearful tone was now almost like a pleading tone. I felt like I would really cry if I laughed here, so I chose to quietly leave the place. We ate almost everything anyway, so it was time to move on.
The chef at the next booth was Cha So-rim.
“oh. Has the clan lord arrived? “Slurp.”
As soon as I left, Sasha Felix pretended to know me. Slurping down the thin noodles at the same time, I thought it was a type of noodle this time. Noodles are my personal favorite dish, so I had high expectations.
Eventually, as I stood in front of the booth, I could see Cha So-rim calmly preparing the ingredients.
“User Cha So-rim.”
“welcome. Clan Lord.”
“Sasha said it was delicious. “Can I have a bowl of noodles?”
“All right. please wait for a moment.”
Cha So-rim answered briefly and began to move her hands quickly.
Crack, thump, thump. Crack, thump, thump.
The quiet yet precise sound of a knife is pleasing to the ears. I quietly stared at Cha So-rim. The necklace hanging around her white and pretty neck caught my eye.
Cha So-rim also wore an apron neatly and looked very nice. I would say that her calm features and neatly styled hair make her look like a new woman welcoming her husband.
“haha. You can look forward to it. “Because my owner’s cooking skills are really good.”
As I was watching Cha So-rim from a distance, I heard Sasha’s proud voice next to me. I responded by saying that playing Go was no easy task, and Sasha continued her story by saying that she would like to try it sometime. As we were chatting about this and that, a booth came up and said, “It’s finished.” A voice was heard saying, “Please give me a plate.”
Cha So-rim carefully placed the noodles and then stretched out her arm holding the plate.
“I hope it suits your taste.”
He speaks nicely, but still doesn’t look at me. Her head was turned to the side, her eyes were half-closed and her gaze was downcast.
“thank you for this food.”
After politely responding, I picked up my chopsticks.
Slurp.
‘uh?’
The moment I finally sucked in the noodles, I couldn’t help but be surprised. The noodles melted gently on the tongue, and the vegetables mixed with the noodles were crunchy and had an excellent texture. And the warm soup that spreads throughout your body.
When evaluated objectively, it was truly comparable to the high performance.
I opened my eyes wide and looked up, and before I knew it, I saw Cha So-rim just playing with her hands neatly together.
“How are you?”
He was soon asked for an evaluation and I answered honestly.
“It’s so great. “It’s really delicious.”
“… thank you.”
Cha So-rim lowered his head and began to refine the ingredients again.
Crack, thump, thump. Crack, thump, thump.
With the rhythmic sound of the knife as accompaniment, I ate a bowl of noodles in no time. I thought about eating another plate, but there was still one booth left so I decided to stop there first.
So I said I would come back and then turned to the next place. Now the remaining members were Vivien and Nam Da-eun.
‘Everyone is good at cooking.’
I don’t know, but I had an unfounded expectation that Vivien and Nam Da-eun’s food would also be delicious.
Just as I was about to stand in front of the booth with such a happy heart.
Clap!
“Wow, Clan Lord!”
Someone suddenly jumped out and grabbed my waist strongly.
“?”
When I looked down in confusion, I could see Park Hyeon-woo staggering around with a distorted face. His legs were shaking and cold sweat was streaming down his forehead, making him look like he was about to collapse at any moment.
“User Park Hyeon-woo?”
“You can’t go!”
“yes? What do you mean?”
“Weren’t you planning to go to the booth in front right now?”
I nodded my head. Because that was the only place left.
“You must never go! I can’t lose my clan lord like this!”
Park Hyun-woo held me tighter. As if I could never let him go from here on out.
It was then.
“uh! Kim Soo-hyun is here?”
“oh. “Is our clan lord here?”
When the two women’s voices were heard, Park Hyeon-woo said, “Hi!” I was distraught and ran away.
So, the moment I turned my head to see why this was happening, I stopped without realizing it.
“Crack… . Well, stop… ! Bubbly… .”
I don’t know why, but Seon Yu-un was lying on the floor and shaking. And that too with foam in her mouth. Vivien was squatting next to him, shoving the black lump into his mouth.
puck! puck! puck! puck!
And Geomhu was wearing an apron and swinging Seol-ah vigorously. Every time you hit the cutting board, the ingredients jump up and down.
“Clan Lord. I waited. I worked hard to make it. So, would you please give it a taste? Ahaha!”
I reflexively took a step back.
“Kim Soohyun! Why don’t you come quickly? This place even provides a feeding service. “Yohohoho.”
But Vivien quickly got up and pulled me. As I was dragged in without any reason, I instinctively activated my third eye.
『Unidentified food.』
(General description: I know that it is a food made with a combination of various ingredients, but I have no idea what the chef’s intention was when making it.)
(Details: Maybe it’s not of this world. I recommend you just don’t eat it.)
It is recommended not to eat.
I stared blankly at the information.
‘… ‘How on earth can I make this kind of sick food?’
I shook my head violently.
“Hey, wait a minute. “I’m suddenly full.”
“no way. Don’t do that, just take a bite. It’s really delicious? look! “He also fainted after taking just one bite.”
“I think it’s so delicious you’ll faint. Ahaha.”
Seon Yuun’s head dropped.
‘… … .’
This is an atrocity.
“Kim Soohyun! Oh~.”
“Soohyun! Now, please do it.”
However, before I knew it, the unidentified black mass was right in front of me.
I thought quietly as I looked at the lumps sticking out from both sides.
Maybe today might be my last.
*
After the meal time that went back and forth between heaven and hell, the festival entered the next chapter. Actually, there is nothing special about the next chapter. All we did was drink the drinks provided and chat happily.
‘That’s exactly what I need.’
As I shook my throbbing head, I felt a soft touch supporting my neck. When I glance up, I see Hannah smiling brightly.
“Woke up? “Are you okay inside?”
“still… . I think I’m going to die.”
My stomach was upset to the point where I fainted because I forcibly inhaled food earlier, but I feel a little better after resting for a bit.
“Hehe. “Rest a little more.”
After rubbing my head against my soft thighs, I tilted my head. Come to think of it, why isn’t he enjoying the festival?
Thinking that my thighs were going to hurt, I slowly got up. Then, I leaned against the wall of the restaurant and stared at the scene of the festival.
The first thing I saw was Anhyeon. The guy was taking a deep breath with a quite nervous expression on his face. Then she took a brisk step forward and stood in front of Shaolin. Her gait looked like something out of military training.
“hello! User Cha So-rim! My name is Ahn Hyeon! “If you don’t mind, could I talk to you for a moment?”
“… yes?”
Cha So-rim’s eyes widened for a moment, but then she nodded her head. Seeing Ahn Hyun smiling, I turned my gaze elsewhere.
Won Hye-soo is still having fun playing with her baby unicorn. Woo Jung-min was smoking a cigarette a little away and smiling happily.
Yujeong was having a drinking match with Sasha Felix, and the referee was Hayeon.
Ansol fell while walking unsteadily, and Hangyeol, who had fallen first, became her bed.
The old man and Shin Jae-ryong were clinking their glasses together and laughing.
Vivien was wandering around with a plate containing the food she had made earlier. Then, someone happened to catch it. Coincidentally, it was Seon Yu-un who was passing by.
“hey! you… !”
“Aaaah!”
Seon Yu-un screamed and ran away.
I laughed to myself as I watched Vivien chase after me. A loud commotion is heard from all directions. Fortunately, everyone seemed happy.
“Now that I think about it, Suhyeon. Hey… .”
After watching the festival for a while, I stood up with great enthusiasm.
“Whatcha!”
“uh? Where?”
“Whew, it’s hard. “I’ll take a short rest.”
“Yes? “Then what about the festival?”
“well. I’ll rest for a bit at the hotel and come down when I feel better. “I think I’m going to stay up all night anyway.”
“… “Would you like me to bring you something to drink?”
I shrugged my shoulders. It meant that you can do whatever you want.
Soon, he stepped over Ansol and Hangyeol, who had collapsed in the shape of a cross, and quickly walked out of the restaurant. The moment I passed through the hallway and was about to go up the stairs, I reflexively stopped. Because I felt someone’s presence.
When I looked up, I could see a woman standing still and a man with his head bowed. It was Hanbyeol and Park Hyeonwoo.
“sorry. Hanbyeol. Please forgive me.”
“… “Why are you doing this now?”
“Because I came to Mercantile. And I like this place… . I felt like I wanted to work properly for once. But before that, I thought it was important to apologize to you and ask for forgiveness.”
“… “Lift your head.”
However, Park Hyeon-woo did not raise his head. Hanbyeol let out a long breath and calmly took his hand.
“I know how good Hyunwoo oppa was to me at Golden Lion. And that wasn’t what you meant.”
“Hanbyeol… .”
“Our paths only diverged for a moment. It was an unavoidable situation. Yes?”
“… thanks.”
I watched quietly and took a step back. In fact, it was almost over and it would not be polite to watch any more.
‘wait for a sec. If this happens, I can’t go to the dorm.’
After thinking for a while, I walked into the garden. I still felt bad, but I wanted to enjoy the festival more. I thought it would be better to get some cold air to calm my stomach and come to my senses.
As expected, the garden was very cool. As I breathed in the strong wind, I felt like my chest was being ripped open. My complicated stomach calmed down and my tangled mind cleared up.
After feeling the wind for a while, I walked towards the pond. While I was leaving, I was planning on doing a simple face wash.
I had just crossed the garden and arrived at the pond.
“huh?”
There was a ferryman in the pond. I was startled by the unexpected situation and stopped walking.
“Clan Lord?”
The person who came first was none other than Nam Da-eun. She was dipping her feet into a pond sparkling in the moonlight, holding her bottle of liquor in one hand. Although it was only for a moment, it occurred to her that she was very beautiful, bathed in brilliant light.
“How can we get here…?” .”
“Why here… .”
We spoke at the same time and then shut up at the same time.
After some time passed, Nam Da-eun cautiously opened her mouth.
“I have something to think about for a moment. “I want to get some air.”
“The following are alumni.”
Nam Da-eun then patted the floor with one hand with a look of satisfaction on her face.
“and. “Then would you like to get some air together?”
“great.”
After a while, I ended up sitting next to Nam Da-eun. Quiet night. A pond illuminated by moonlight. And a silence filled with awkwardness.
Nam Da-eun, perhaps uncomfortable with this reasonless silence, spoke quietly.
“I was sorry earlier. Actually, it contains a lot of things that are good for your body. So I didn’t even know it was that kind of food… .”
“haha. it’s okay.”
In fact, I wanted to say to myself, “Do you really know?” However, it was food that barely settled my stomach, and just thinking about it made me vomit. So, with the intention of quickly changing the subject, I opened the conversation.
“ah. Do you remember what happened in the lobby last time?”
“If it’s the lobby… . Ahaha. You said something harsh to me back then, right? are you okay. “I already forgot.”
“no. That’s not it. “I didn’t mean what Geomhu thought he meant.”
“hmm? is it so? then… . “What did you mean?”
In response to Nam Da-eun’s question, I raised my head and stared at the sky. And while reminiscing about that day, he opened his mouth softly. Back then, her smile was really pretty.
I opened my mouth honestly.
“at that time… . “I thought Nam Da-eun’s smile with Vivien was really pretty.”
“… yes.”
“That’s it. I just wish I could see it more often. That’s why I said that, I didn’t mean anything else.”
Nam Da-eun seemed to think for a moment, then clapped her palms together and opened her mouth.
“aha. So, my smile was pretty, and I hope you see it often. That’s why he said that. “Is this what you mean?”
“yes.”
“Really?”
“yes.”
For some reason, I answered yes to the excited tone. Then Geomhu made her weak nasal noise and she suddenly laughed and shook her head. She had a very satisfied face with a deep smile on her lips.
Eventually, I felt Geomhu’s gaze staring at me, so I lowered my gaze again.
“I’m glad you understand. By the way, what about the festival? “You look quite happy.”
“sure. Have fun. “This is my first festival experience since coming to Hall Plainin.”
“ah. Is this your first time at the festival?”
“This is my first time holding a festival within the clan. Hehehe. It’s not just a festival, it’s a place where every day is fun… . is it so. “When I think about it now, I feel like joining Mercenary was a really good choice.”
Nam Da-eun smiled brightly and answered. After talking, I felt my heart soften as he kept smiling at me.
“Thank you for saying that. “I think accepting the postmortem examination was a good choice.”
“ah. At that time, I was a little surprised too. “I thought people would look at me negatively because of the rumors surrounding me, but they agreed to it more willingly than I expected.”
“Honestly, I was a little concerned. However, I wasn’t worried because of the rumors.”
“sure?”
Nam Da-eun tilted her head. I continued quietly.
“I was a little curious why you turned down Istantel Row’s request and came to Mercantile.”
“hmm… . “You were curious about why I came to become a mercenary?”
“yes.”
“hmm.”
It was true. It may be a fairly successful clan now, but at the time, there was a clear gap between Istantel Row and Mercanary. And that gap still exists.
Geomhu was silent for a long time. No, she’s biting her lip slightly as if she’s thinking about something.
Huiing, whiiing.
Suddenly a cold wind blew and lightly passed us by. Nam Da-eun placed her hand on her slightly fluttering hair and brought it down neatly. In that state, she stared at the center of the pond and opened her mouth.
“Clan Lord. “After hearing what you said a little while ago, I also have a question.”
“I will listen.”
The voice of a serious prosecutor. I glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, calmly calming herself down. Instead of looking excited like before, I noticed sunken eyes.
Eventually, Nam Da-eun quietly parted her lips.
“I’ll ask you the question back. Clan Lord. Why did I come to become a mercenary? “Don’t you know why?”
I turned my head in confusion at the unexpected words. Geomhu was still looking at the pond. However, he just slightly lifted his butt and came closer next to me. Suddenly his throat felt burning.
“Why did I come to Mercantile? “Are you sure you don’t know why?”
“haha. After the examination… .”
“Clan Lord. No, Suhyun… .”
A faint voice rings out, and Nam Da-eun finally turns her head and stares straight at me. They were so close that their shoulders touched and they could feel each other’s breath. Suddenly, I feel a soft touch covering the back of my hand that fell to the ground.
“Let me ask you again. Really, really why I came here. “You don’t have the slightest idea?”
As Geomhu said that, his eyes were shining more clearly than ever.
*
“It’s not here either.”
Hannah closed the door to the dormitory on the 4th floor and narrowed down the list of ARMYs. She was told that she was definitely going up to her dorm to rest. However, Kim Soo-hyun was nowhere to be seen.
Hannah stared at the stairs for a while, then clicked her tongue and walked away. Her direction was not the stairs, but the office on the other side.
smart.
“Suhyun. “Are you in the office?”
I knocked on the door as a courtesy, but there was no answer.
“Are you sleeping? “I’ll go in first.”
Sweet.
Hannah opened the door with anticipation. But her office is also empty. Deep regret flowed from between her lips.
“They said they were taking a break… . Where the hell did you go… .”
Hannah sighs deeply. She was about to turn her body like this, but she suddenly stopped walking. This is because beyond the office desk, I could see a window filled with moonlight. In front of it was a wide open terrace.
“Did you go out to the garden?”
Thinking that it made sense, Hanna quietly entered inside. She knew it was trespassing, but she just wanted to take a peek at the garden through the window. If I find Kim Soo-hyun, I will go down to the garden. If I don’t, I will return to the restaurant.
Hannah quickly reached the window and pushed open the door leading to the terrace. A cold wind flowed through the open gap. Holding the drink she brought carefully in her arms so as not to break it, she went out. The moon rising in the sky was sprinkling brilliant light and beautifully coloring the garden.
Hannah created magical power and strengthened her eyesight. And she began to calmly look through her garden. The thought of her suddenly going to such lengths to get him a drink made her laugh bitterly.
It was then. Suddenly, Hannah’s eyes stopped on one side. It was a place where light was particularly reflected and there was a pond.
And in the pond, a man and a woman were sitting together, leaning on each other’s shoulders.
Gulp.
Hannah swallowed. And without realizing it, she greatly strengthened her eyesight. Then, her human image, which seemed to be the size of her fingernail, came closer, and her blurry vision became clear. And it was that moment.
“uh… !”
It happened in an instant. The faces of a man and a woman sitting in a pond momentarily met each other.
Hannah stopped breathing.
Clink!
At the same time, the sound of something breaking echoed through the quiet terrace.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
There’s a lot I want to say, but I’ll just say it briefly.
1. It looks like the next midnight update will be difficult. I think it will probably be uploaded around the same time as today. There is a lot of content to be included in the last episode as well. Anyway, I will write this as quickly as possible.
2. I’m so sorry but I love you. It’s all lies.
3. ㅇ<-< fantasy,
