The large pot usually used for cooking curry rattled.
When the lid was opened, steam billowed out, revealing the pot filled with white beans.
“Nutty, nutty!”
Ara perked up at the savory smell.
Although it was a different scent, it seemed to remind her of something similar.
It was quite a lot for just us, but considering the slimes, the little ones, Gomgom, Poispois, and Pururuk, it seemed like it might actually not be enough.
‘I need to buy a larger cooking vessel.’
Alternatively, I could buy several pots of this size and cook everything at once.
I drained the boiled beans through a sieve and rinsed them.
With the river and the sweet-tasting hot spring nearby, washing was no problem.
The slimes and little ones, who had gathered around by then, quietly waited, making small sounds.
Their cute and peaceful demeanor made me smile.
“Where should we put these?”
“Just pour them onto the picnic mat.”
I poured the well-washed beans onto the mat.
The white gems poured out, shimmering under the starlight.
After boiling and washing, they looked more like decorations than food.
Purr.
Pururuk, who always enjoyed my crops, nodded eagerly, eyes filled with anticipation.
Despite their appearance, they emitted a wonderful aroma that made my mouth water.
The creatures that had been waiting quietly now gathered to inspect the beans.
“Can we eat them?”
“Of course!”
At Mother’s words, Seon-ah picked up some beans and fed them to Father and Mother.
I fed Ara, who was already drooling.
“Ahhh.”
“Ahhh!”
Following my lead, Ara opened her mouth and soon took the beans I handed her, nibbling them happily with her fingers.
She then slurped up the beans and chewed with a contented expression.
“Delicious!”
“Haha.”
“Kyu-seong, Kyu-seong, ahhh.”
Ara quickly picked up some beans and put them in my mouth.
As soon as the boiled, soft beans entered my mouth, they gently crumbled.
The soft texture and the mild, unique flavor of the beans were captivating.
‘Surprisingly…’
Despite their small appearance, the beans provided a satisfying experience in the mouth, like eating a thin-skinned red bean bun filled with a lot inside.
A faint, mild sweetness lingered at the end, different from when eaten raw.
Soon, not just us, but everyone else gathered around, picking and eating the beans.
The usually blank-faced little ones had faint smiles.
Giggle.
Their laughter was hearty.
Seeing everyone share the beans happily put me in a good mood.
My parents, too, seemed to enjoy the beans, sitting among the children and eating heartily.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Just a few more shots.”
Ara ran over to Seon-ah, who was now holding a camera.
“Seon-ah, Seon-ah, ahhh!”
“Great! That’s it, cut!”
Seon-ah’s pose as a camera director made me laugh.
Finally, she took the beans Ara offered and put them in her mouth, then put away the camera.
“Mmm! Amazing!”
“Not bad at all.”
“Not bad? Is that all you can say? Brother, I think your standards have gotten too high.”
“Really?”
I didn’t say it tasted bad.
Anyway, it was another successful crop harvest. I’m looking forward to making meju (fermented soybean blocks) with this. After all, making meju is the main goal.
“The peppers aren’t ready yet.”
When it comes to doenjang (fermented soybean paste), you need gochujang (red chili paste).
Unfortunately, I had my first failure with the pepper crop. While I was busy, the pepper farm failed during the dungeon break of the Avarice.
It was my first failure. However, I wasn’t too worried because the reason was simple.
‘I just need to grow Mark2.’
Mark2, which will level up soon, will likely ensure a successful pepper harvest.
Of course, I planned to analyze the reasons for the failure. The analysis was nothing more than asking Mark2 why it failed.
According to Mark2, the failure was due to a lack of sunlight. This place, the Dungeon of Gluttony, has sunlight, but it’s quite weak. The deep blue, dreamlike sky is proof of that.
‘I need to bring in a light machine.’
There were issues with electricity supply, but nowadays, batteries or even mana stones could be used as substitutes.
Even though the initial process wasn’t easy, I couldn’t give up.
We’re talking about gochujang and doenjang here.
These are essential to the Korean table.
How could I give up on this?
“When do you plan to make the meju?”
Mother asked while enjoying the beans. I roughly recalled the plan in my head and remembered an upcoming event.
“Ara has to dance at an event, so probably after that.”
“An event? Dance?”
“Yes, we happened to find a daycare center where Ara made friends and got a role in their year-end event. The event was postponed and is now happening soon.”
My parents looked at Ara with puzzled expressions. I could guess their concerns. Ara’s dancing was cute, but not exactly skillful.
“It’s just a little talent show. It’s not a big event.”
“Really? Can we go and watch?”
“Of course.”
“I’m coming too. Don’t stop me.”
Seon-ah, imagining Ara dancing on stage, was already trembling with excitement, holding a camera that wasn’t even turned on.
There was another event the day after. The newly acquainted Chinese skyscraper guild was visiting Korea on the day after Ara’s dance.
Since we were meeting at the Ara Hongryeon guild anyway, I could handle the guild delivery and the skyscraper guild business at the same time.
“Ara, do we still have a lot of bell pepper left?”
“I told them not to eat it and to save it!”
I had expanded the bell pepper field here, so there was no shortage. Although I had just returned, we were still consistently producing bell pepper vegetable juice through liquid synthesis.
Oh, there’s so much to do.
‘I need to build the goblin village, create new fields nearby, make meju, synthesize Mark2 and other slimes, and we need bell pepper vegetable juice too.’
I also needed to buy a large cooking vessel and a light machine for the peppers. Buying these was quick since the guild would deliver them directly once I placed an order.
That’s why being in a guild is great.
“Kyu-seong, aren’t you going to eat more?”
“Oh? Oh. I should.”
Am I a workaholic? I was thinking about work with such delicious food in front of me.
“Hey! It’s all gone!”
“Who told you to zone out?”
“No way!”
I looked at the empty picnic mat with a sense of loss and then gestured to the slimes.
“It’s time to work! Let’s harvest everything!”
***
“Is the preparation going well?”
“Of course. The schedule was delayed, so we’re more than ready.”
The daycare event, which had been postponed due to the sudden disaster (Avarice Dungeon), was being prepared without any issues. There was hardly anything left to take care of.
Wi Ji-hye, the director of Dasom Daycare, was checking the list of expected visitors one last time. Although it was an annual event, this time, unlike usual, a lot of significant people were coming.
‘The Ara Hongryeon Guild has always attended, but now the Iron Blood Guild and Terror Guild are coming too…’
Including the various companies and firms associated with these guilds, the scale of the event seemed too modest in comparison, making Wi Ji-hye worry.
It was indeed modest. Despite the significant attendees, you can’t exactly splurge on a daycare event! It would be better to use that money to take care of the children.
Still, Wi Ji-hye was confident that the preparations were made with sincerity.
“If more people come, it might be a bit overwhelming, but for now…”
Even with this, the connections were impressive enough to make the news. When only Ara Hongryeon attended, it wasn’t that notable, but now, the top two guilds in South Korea were attending.
What other daycare event would have the largest guilds in Korea attending as sponsors? Even though the guild leaders themselves wouldn’t come, just having their names on the list was a big deal.
Wi Ji-hye believed that the daycare could handle it and started another round of checks.
You can never be too thorough with preparations!
* * *
“Miss? There are still three days left until the promised date.”
Yu Bihong said, smiling awkwardly at Ryu Cheon, who was packing. Regardless, Ryu Cheon’s hands didn’t stop, continuing to pack clothes.
“Miss…?”
“I’m going to see Ara.”
“Ha, haha. Can’t you see Ara in three days?”
“I saw the YouTube notice.”
Ryu Cheon’s eyes blazed with determination.
“Ara’s going to dance. I want to see it in person.”
“That…”
Yu Bihong was at a loss for words.
In fact, he had heard this from Ryu Cheon before. That’s why the guild’s information department had found out which daycare’s event it was.
‘Ryu Cheon’s appearance is too distinctive to hide her identity…’
This could be a problem.
The reason was that many prominent guilds from South Korea were on the list of participants.
At first, she couldn’t believe it and had to double-check. But the results didn’t change upon rechecking.
The top guilds in Korea were moving for a mere daycare event.
‘It’s probably because of Kyu-seong.’
Ara’s participation meant Lee Kyu-seong would also participate. Considering the participation of the previously unrelated guilds from two years ago, the reason could only be Lee Kyu-seong.
The problem was that Ryu Cheon declared she would visit the event.
Recently, Ryu Cheon had been in a very good mood.
The bell pepper from Kyu-seong alleviated Ryu Cheon’s chronic pain, and Yu Bihong could see Ryu Cheon becoming brighter by the day.
Ryu Cheon’s positive change, from someone who always seemed indifferent to the world, even moved the skyscraper guild leader.
‘Although it’s a secret, our guild leader is also joining this trip to Korea.’
They planned to go quietly and return.
This showed how significant Ryu Cheon’s change was within the guild.
However, the problem was.
“Ryu Cheon, can’t we just go together in three days?”
“No.”
Ryu Cheon’s sudden decision had already started.
Despite usually avoiding attention, Ryu Cheon now wanted to go to Korea earlier than the scheduled date, alone.
Of course, everyone thought she was joking, but Yu Bihong, who knew Ryu Cheon well, realized it wasn’t a joke.
And her prediction was accurate, leading to the current situation.
“Ryu Cheon! If you do this, Kyu-seong will also be troubled!”
“I’ll hide my identity and be quiet.”
“Can you really hide your identity?!”
“Then come with me.”
“What?”
“Be my guardian. Then maybe Grandpa will allow it.”
Ryu Cheon tried to negotiate cleverly.
However, Yu Bihong fell for Ryu Cheon’s simple trick.
“Fine! I’ll ask the guild leader, so don’t act alone!”
“Okay.”
Thus, the Dasom Daycare event was becoming more complicated.
Cliche Novel 