In the heart of Gangnam, Seoul.
The headquarters of the Terror Guild was quite modest compared to its reputation.
Of course, considering the land price, it must be astronomical, but compared to the expansive estates of the Iron Blood Group and other prominent guilds, it was quite ordinary.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Hmm.”
“Shall I prepare your meal?”
“No, let’s go to the cafeteria.”
After returning from an external meeting, Johann Rothschild took off his coat and hung it over his chair as he spoke.
Having moved from Austria to Korea and even gone so far as to become naturalized, he was satisfied with his current life, free from the shadow of his family, as he headed down to the cafeteria.
Though his days were just as busy as when he worked for his family, the sense of fulfillment was different.
“Secretary Kim, what’s on the menu today?”
“We have pork bulgogi set, spicy chicken and octopus stir-fry set, potato dish and goulash set, and sausage set.”
“And for dessert?”
“Today’s desserts are chocolate cake with apricot jam, apple pie with cinnamon and mint, and a set of three traditional Korean sweets.”
“Sounds promising.”
What Johann loved most about coming to Korea was the food.
Initially, he planned to start a small business, but he ended up naturalizing and founding the number one guild.
It was no exaggeration to say it was the power of culture.
However, since he sometimes missed his hometown food, the Terror Guild’s cafeteria offered a variety of dishes every day.
As a result, Johann, the guild master, usually had his meals in the cafeteria.
Listening to his secretary, Johann suddenly remembered something and spoke again.
“By the way, I heard we recently acquired an item made by the awakener Lee Kyu-seong.”
“Yes, we managed to get a few. Besides what was sent to the lab for research, there’s one potato and one sweet potato left in the building.”
“Hmm, shall we try tasting it? Now that we’ll be signing a contract with Ara Hongryeon, there’s no need to keep it so tightly guarded. Let’s taste the potato.”
“I’ll contact the kitchen right away.”
“Please prepare it simply, as a fry.”
As they headed down, they saw a quiet cafeteria.
It was well past lunchtime, so most people had already finished their meals.
“Ah, Guild Master!”
“Mr. Seung-ju, you missed your meal time too?”
“Yes, I just came up from Gimpo after settling the by-products.”
The person who had been having a late meal greeted Johann warmly.
After ordering from the kiosk and waiting, the food soon arrived.
Johann and his secretary naturally took the food from the serving line and sat next to Kim Seung-ju.
“Seeing you having your meal now, did you just come back from somewhere?”
“Yes, I had an external meeting. The meeting went longer than expected, so I missed the meal time.”
Saying so, Johann checked the lunch menu he had chosen for today.
Spicy chicken and octopus stir-fry, his favorite combination.
The stir-fried octopus in spicy sauce paired with chicken was perfect.
“Phew, that was a good meal.”
“Ah, Mr. Seung-ju, hold on a moment.”
“Yes, Guild Master?”
“I asked the kitchen for something. Please stay and have a taste.”
“Sure!”
In fact, he hadn’t missed the rumors about Kyu-seong’s food items.
His subordinates had already talked about it endlessly, so he was aware of it.
Moreover, since a few guild members had already tasted it, there was some anticipation.
Although Johann hadn’t had the chance to taste it himself, he had managed to obtain some of Kyu-seong’s crops recently, most of which had been sent to the lab for research.
“Guild Master, the fries you mentioned are ready.”
“Ah, thank you. Chef, please have a bite too.”
Before eating the main dish of octopus stir-fry, they each took a hot fry.
Even though it was a cafeteria, it wasn’t just any ordinary place, and the fries were perfectly cooked. The thick half-moon shaped potato pieces emitted an irresistible aroma.
“The smell is wonderful.”
“The rumors seem to be true.”
The secretary nodded in agreement.
As the guild leader, Johann had focused more on the effects of Kyu-seong’s items than their taste. However, now more than ever, he felt his mouth watering as he picked up a fry.
Not being an awakener, he couldn’t see the item window, but he silently stared at the fry he was holding.
He then slowly brought it to his mouth and took a gentle bite.
Crunch!
While marveling at the chef’s frying skills, he suddenly felt a powerful flavor envelop his mouth. The crispy exterior gave way to the soft, fluffy interior of the potato, hitting his taste buds with a burst of intense sensation before melting away.
“Wow.”
Just one bite.
Although he had only eaten about a third of the fry, the overwhelming taste and sensation he experienced was extraordinary. This was not just a potato dish. It was potato art.
Johann wanted to call it that.
“How is it, Guild Master?”
“…You all should try it. It would be an insult to describe this taste with mere words.”
“Is it that good?!”
Soon, Kim Seung-ju, Secretary Kim, and even the chef each took a fry and tasted it. They all immediately understood what Johann meant.
A heated silence ensued.
Though no words were spoken, everyone’s eyes and gestures conveyed their amazement.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Johann also took another steaming fry and put it in his mouth. The crispy, hot texture, and the fluffy potato interior crumbled at the slightest pressure.
‘Ah!’
Delicious.
He felt it once again.
Simply delicious!
The quiet sound of fries being eaten filled the cafeteria.
The fries made from just one potato quickly disappeared.
“Ugh.”
The secretary sucked the grease off her fingers, startled, and then wiped them with a tissue. She seemed embarrassed by her unintentional display of impropriety.
“I was mistaken.”
Regardless, Johann opened his mouth with a serious expression. “Mistaken, you say…?”
“I thought the value of this item, no, this food, was solely in its effect as an item. But I was wrong.”
Johann imagined it. Now it was just fried potatoes. What if he used it to make a hometown dish? It didn’t even have to be a hometown dish. He was incredibly curious about the flavors and taste it would produce if made into a more proper dish.
“The crops of Awakener Lee Kyu-seong have immense value as food alone.”
“That’s right!” The chef, savoring the lingering taste, nodded vigorously in agreement. “Secretary Kim, it seems we need to completely revise our plans.”
“!!” The secretary looked surprised at Johann’s words about revising plans, while the other two tilted their heads in curiosity. “I will convene an executive meeting. Schedule it for when we have an open slot next week.”
“Aaaahm~!”
***
I put a well-made lettuce wrap in my mouth. Ara watched intently from beside me, chewing enthusiastically.
“Hmm? Hmmm!?”
The harmony of meat, Doenjang (fermented bean paste), and garlic. As I chewed, the flavor and grease of the meat burst, mixing explosively with the Doenjang and garlic.
“Gulp.”
Even with food in my mouth, saliva flowed. My stomach growled, demanding the meat be sent down quickly.
‘Meat, as expected!’
The greasy pork belly, yet the lettuce wrapping it, perfectly balanced the potentially overwhelming aftertaste, creating a flawless wrap. Apparently, others thought the same as their movements became busier. Amidst it all, it was amusing to see people occasionally making wraps to feed Ara.
“Hmm, hmhmhm!”
Ara laughed as she kept eating without being able to speak. It must be really delicious.
“Hmm! Hm!”
“You can talk after you finish.”
“Gulp! I want to! I want to make one too!”
She seemed to be trying to say she wanted to make a wrap herself, but couldn’t because she was continuously being fed.
I picked a large lettuce leaf and placed it on Ara’s tiny palm. She then picked out all the things she liked and filled it.
“Ara?”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind, it’s nothing.”
Seeing the overflowing, no, overflowing wrap, Ara exclaimed happily.
“Wrap!”
“Wow, Ara’s wrap looks delicious too,” my mother clapped and responded enthusiastically.
We all watched Ara, wondering if she could fit that big wrap into her mouth in one bite.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, ahhh~!”
“Me? You made this for me?”
“Yes!”
Wait, was that wrap made for me? Ara slowly approached, the heavily laden lettuce wrap precariously wobbling closer, looking almost pitiable.
“Brother, you have to eat it in one bite. Don’t disappoint me.”
“And you call yourself my sister?”
Listening to Seon-ah’s cold words, I opened my mouth as wide as I could.
“Ahhh!”
The tower Ara had painstakingly built was deposited into my mouth. Somehow managing to fit Ara’s wrap in my mouth…
‘This is delicious?!’
It was surprisingly tasty. The ingredients couldn’t fail to be good, but it was even better than expected.
“How is it? How is it?”
Ara, with a look of hopeful expectation, was cute as she had put everything she liked into the wrap. Slowly swallowing, I gave her a thumbs up.
“Wow!”
Ara’s eyes sparkled as she began making a second wrap. I thought she was finally going to eat it herself, but…
“Ahhh~!”
“Uh, uh? Ara, is that for your sister?”
“Yes!”
Ara’s wrap delivery wasn’t over. She ended up feeding everyone present with her special wraps, finishing with a satisfied expression.
“Hmm!”
Ara, with a pleased look, finally ate the wrap she made herself. Meanwhile, all the food had been eaten.
“Urgh.”
“It’s tasty, but I can’t eat like this again…”
My parents and Seon-ah, being ordinary people, lay sprawled out. At least So-yeon and Hanul, being awakened ones, seemed to be coping better.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had so much of Kyu-seong’s food.”
“Such a filling meal! Hahaha!”
Seeing everyone satisfied made me feel good too. Is this a farmer’s heart? It was so fulfilling to see everyone enjoy food made from my crops.
“Alright, let’s rest a bit before making the meju (fermented soybean blocks).”
“Okay. Let’s rest a bit,”
Mother said as she settled into the hammock installed on the wooden pillar. While she rested for a moment, I decided to check on something else.
I entered one of the storage sheds in the village. Inside were large tubs filled with soybeans and water. This was the process of soaking the beans to make meju.
“Alright, let’s take a look.”
I took something out of the space-expansion artifact I received from the guild.
“Wow, what is that?”
“It’s a tool that artificially creates sunlight. I’m going to use it for growing chili peppers.”
It was an item powered by magic stones. It cost over 100 million won, but I could afford it with the recent increase in my funds.
“Hm, hm.”
While I was reading the manual, So-yeon and Hanul, who had been looking around the village, entered the storage shed.
“Oh, are those the beans for making meju?”
“That’s right!” Ara answered proudly.
Nodding beside her, I checked the time, thinking it was about time to start making the meju.
“Ara, can you go wake up Mom?”
“Okay!”
Soybean paste, chili paste, soy sauce!
Just wait, I’m coming!
Cliche Novel 