As a result, it became a high-class dish containing expensive pine mushrooms, premium fish cakes, various vegetables, and even beef—not the level of snack food you could buy anywhere without burden.
When the tteokbokki broth started bubbling, she even tasted the broth, then added more seasoning herself and stirred it around. Then she scooped up the broth and had Yeojin taste it.
“How is it? The seasoning is just right, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, it’s amazing. I felt it yesterday too, but your cooking skills are really excellent.”
At the pure compliment, the housekeeper smiled brightly.
“I’ve been in charge of meals continuously since the Grand Master was here. He was such a picky eater that he couldn’t eat just anything.”
The Grand Master seemed to refer to Kim Hanseong’s grandfather who was in the hospital.
“Everyone calls you Doctor, so you’re a medical doctor, right?”
“Yes.”
“You worked at the Seoul Temporary Quarantine Center?”
“Yes, but I was fired. My medical license was probably revoked too? Somehow I ended up branded as a Level 1 dangerous person. They called me a rebel.”
Perhaps because the housekeeper had such a benevolent impression, even unnecessary words came out smoothly.
“The government isn’t on the people’s side.”
She briefly sighed and smiled.
“The government says to trust them because they’ll protect us safely, but well. We also don’t know when or how we might suddenly become Transcendents, and when that time comes, the government will persecute and try to cut us out, calling us cancerous existences. They change their attitude in an instant.”
She continued muttering while stirring the bubbling tteokbokki with a ladle.
“The Grand Master was also someone who contributed greatly to the country. He even received a presidential medal. He knew many political and business figures. Everyone respected the Grand Master. He was someone worthy of respect. The government was on the Grand Master’s side. But when a Transcendent emerged among the Grand Master’s family, the government became the most frightening enemy.”
“Are you talking about Kim Hanseong?”
“Yes, because he was the one the Grand Master favored most. The Young Miss divorced when Young Master Hanseong was young and returned to her maternal home, so the Grand Master played the father’s role for Young Master Hanseong. The Young Master was so smart and clever from childhood. He did everything well on his own without the family’s help and even succeeded in business. He appeared in the media several times. Interview requests even came from abroad. But one day, Young Master Hanseong suddenly awakened as a Transcendent.”
A man born into a diamond-spoon family who became self-made without the family’s help. A young businessman who possessed both wealth and honor. He must have been the family’s pride. But the man who had been the family’s greatest pride suddenly became a Transcendent.
It must have been a tremendous shock. Incomparably more so than having a Transcendent family member emerge from an ordinary household. A successful businessman who had received the world’s attention was branded a Transcendent in an instant, lost everything, and fell into the abyss.
“The Grand Master didn’t report Young Master Hanseong’s awakening to the government. Everyone hushed it up and hid it. They made excuses that he suddenly fell ill, and the Grand Master hurriedly dealt with Young Master Hanseong’s company too. While hiding the fact of the Young Master’s awakening, the Grand Master inquired everywhere in every way, and in that process, National Security and Peace Maintenance Department officials became suspicious and suddenly barged in to conduct a search. Those who usually played golf with the higher-ups of the National Security and Peace Maintenance Department, drank with them, and addressed each other as ‘hyung’ familiarly—how fiercely they pressured and cornered the Grand Master and Madam. Fortunately, at that time, Young Master Hanseong was in America using illness as an excuse. The Grand Master said at that time, the government is not on our side.”
The tteokbokki was cooked just right. The housekeeper turned off the gas.
“At that time, Leader Park Wiyeol became a great support for the Grand Master. So the Grand Master also provided a lot of support to ‘Earth.’ Leader Park, he was such a good person—it’s too unfortunate.”
Though no one asked, Yeojin helped her by taking out dishes and utensils from the sink and bringing them to the table. The freshly made hot foods were placed on the table one by one. Haeju also stood up tactfully and helped.
“I hope no one gets hurt anymore. I really hope I can continue to prepare Young Master Hanseong’s meals like this.”
Her wrinkled eyes seemed to moisten. Having worked in this household for so long, she must be like family rather than just an employee. She must have watched Kim Hanseong since he was young.
Understanding her feelings of hoping to prepare meals for a long time, one corner of Yeojin’s chest ached.
“Are you also a Transcendent, Doctor?”
“No.”
“It must not be easy for an ordinary person to live among Transcendents.”
It was a statement full of many implications. Yeojin just smiled.
People began appearing in the kitchen one by one. Im Yena, who sat at the table yawning widely with puffy swollen eyes, saw the tteokbokki and her eyes sparkled.
“Wow, tteokbokki!”
As she quickly grabbed chopsticks and brought them toward the tteokbokki plate, Haeju swiftly moved the tteokbokki dish aside.
“No, it’s mine.”
“What? Where does that exist?”
“The Doctor made it for me to eat.”
“They say even neighbors share a side of beans. Give it here, I really like tteokbokki.”
“Who’s neighbors?”
It was an utterly childish fight. Fighting over food when they weren’t even kids. They were like siblings fighting over favorite food. Unable to watch anymore, Yeojin moved the tteokbokki dish Haeju had moved aside back to its place. Then he scooped out Haeju’s portion onto an empty front plate first and placed it in front of the kid.
“There? You eat this. We’ll share the rest together.”
But Haeju’s expression showed he was thoroughly displeased. To Yeojin, he looked like a sulking child and was cute, but to others’ eyes, he would only look like a strange guy.
“It’s noisy from the morning.”
Kim Hanseong also appeared in the kitchen. The housekeeper poured water into the cup placed in front of Kim Hanseong sitting at the table.
“Thank you as always, Auntie. I’ll eat well.”
Kim Hanseong greeted with a smile, and the housekeeper also smiled affectionately. Though they weren’t blood-related strangers, the two somehow resembled each other. Everyone gathered at the table and a boisterous breakfast began.
A noisy mealtime that didn’t match the antique kitchen atmosphere. Throughout the meal, Im Yena, Han Daesik, and Seo Yul took turns talking endlessly. However, no one stopped them saying to be quiet. Kim Hanseong also seemed to enjoy the noisy atmosphere. Yeojin didn’t dislike this atmosphere either. It felt humane, which was rather good. Eating together made the food taste better.
Before he knew it, Yeojin was also eating while chattering nonsense with them. What did manners or table etiquette matter?
“The tteokbokki is so delicious. It’s the best tteokbokki I’ve ever eaten.”
Haeju also puffed his cheeks, munching and chattering, in a good mood from eating his favorite food. Actually, it was made together with the housekeeper, but seeing Haeju eat deliciously was satisfying. The expression that just watching a kid eat well fills you up seemed to apply to times like this.
As Transcendents possessed superhuman abilities, their appetites must also be tremendous—they all devoured enormous amounts of food. Im Yena easily emptied three bowls of rice. Rice was basic, and they ate snacks and refreshments where they sat. The housekeeper couldn’t rest for a moment and had to busily bring food.
Haeju also quietly munched beside him, eating tremendously. He suddenly thought that food expenses wouldn’t be easy if he lived with that kid.
Though he didn’t know if they were eating or shoveling into their stomachs, it was a very enjoyable time. Yeojin could also smile pleasantly, filled with a satisfying fullness. It was also like when he ate school meals laughing and chattering with friends during his school days.
It was enjoyable, truly. At the trivial jokes Im Yena, Seo Yul, and Han Daesik tossed out, he giggled without realizing it, and Yeojin also unhesitatingly threw out jokes. When Yeojin told a funny anecdote from the military, everyone laughed breathlessly.
The young friends in their twenties laughed a lot. Even Haeju, who ignored other people’s words, listened to Yeojin’s words with shining eyes and laughed loudly. Though they’d just met yesterday, they seemed like they’d been close for a long time. Everyone had outstanding sociability. They naturally included Yeojin and Haeju into their group without reserve.
Everyone seemed to have pure and good natures. Who knows what their inner thoughts are. But he wanted to trust these people. He even felt a sense of camaraderie he’d never felt with company colleagues he’d worked with for years.
He newly realized that he’d actually needed somewhere to rely on. He thought it was better with Haeju than alone, but he must have still been anxious. Might it be okay to continue with these people? Rather than the two of them, Haeju and him, holing up in some rural corner living in seclusion, wouldn’t it be good to live gathered with fellow Transcendents?
If he continued to associate with like-minded people laughing and chattering like this, he’d be less lonely.
Yeojin realized he was in a more anxious and difficult state than he thought.
It was natural. Too many things happened all at once. His life changed in an instant. He was stripped of everything he’d naturally enjoyed in an instant and became someone being chased by the government having lost everything. Yet the fact that he was still maintaining his sanity was amazing.
For Haeju’s sake, as an older person who had to protect the kid, he desperately held on.
