A delicious smell, hard to resist, tickled the tip of the nose. Johann, who had already lifted the spoon and was watching Ara put the soup in her mouth, glanced to the side. Johann was a non-awakened person, so he couldn’t see the item’s mark, but he was more curious about the soup’s effect than its taste.
And everyone except Kyu-seong and Ara seemed to be watching something intently, as if they had all made a promise to eat well but didn’t actually eat.
‘What kind of effect does it have…?’
The process seemed to take longer than expected. Then Johann noticed that sweat had formed on Director Choi’s forehead.
Sweat? In this cool weather and after just sitting around, why would a Level 7 awakened person sweat?
“Why aren’t you all eating?” Ara, who was eating well, asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Only then did Han Seok-jun and the Choi brothers nod as if they had come to their senses.
“Well, we should eat.”
“Um…”
Awkward responses followed. The more this happened, the more Johann’s curiosity and questions grew, but he had to maintain his dignity and couldn’t ask openly in this setting.
He decided to ask when he returned to the guild later and took the first bite himself. As he lifted the spoon, the aroma intensified. The sudden, dizzying scent made Johann realize he was unconsciously tense, and he swallowed dryly.
‘Yesterday, I had carrot soup too, made by our guild’s head chef, whom we recruited with an incredible contract and salary.’
There was no way it could be more delicious than the soup made by such a head chef.
Although Kyu-seong said it was special, that seemed more related to the item’s effect than the taste. Despite not particularly boasting about the item’s effect,
Ultimately, it was a matter of tasting it to find out. The carrot soup’s smell and appearance suggested it couldn’t possibly taste bad, so it was worth having expectations.
So cautiously, he took a bite…
One bite…
“Hmm?”
What is this?
As he looked around, he suddenly saw a hill with a sunset. On the hill, cute carrots waved their hands as if urging him to come quickly.
For a moment, he was dazed by the unbelievable sight, but his feet naturally moved forward. When he reached the hill, the carrots held his hands and pointed somewhere.
A sun shaped like a golden carrot shining brightly.
While admiring the sunset created by the brilliant golden light that illuminated the world with a fragrant…!!!
He spent time with the carrots, losing track of time, and watched the sunset. As the golden glow gradually faded, Johann said goodbye to the carrots, regretting the fading light.
Goodbye…?
“Huh?!”
‘What just happened to me?’
Johann, coming to his senses, looked around. He felt as if he had been with the carrots just a moment ago.
But this was Ara Hongryeon’s reception room.
Johann, struggling to believe that he had seen an illusion, calmed himself and looked at the bowl where the carrot soup had been. It was completely empty.
“You eat so heartily!”
“Huh?”
Ara, looking at Johann, smiled contentedly and said. Johann pointed at himself with his finger.
“Did I eat it all?”
“You even licked the bowl. Was it delicious?”
“…..”
He only remembered taking a single spoonful, but was that really the case?
However, he soon had to admit it.
“Slurp.”
Next to him, Director Choi, who seemed like he would never engage in such a frivolous action, was licking the bowl absentmindedly.
What about the others?
“Slurp.”
“Lick, lick.”
It was the same for everyone else. The only saving grace was that he regained his composure first and didn’t show such an embarrassing scene. Of course, it seemed that Kyu-seong and Ara across from him had seen it.
Johann stared intently at the empty bowl for a moment, savoring the peculiar lingering taste in his mouth. The rich aroma of the broth lingered, as if to affirm that what he ate wasn’t a lie.
Drip, drip.
“Guild Master Johann? Are you okay?”
At Kyu-seong’s worried question, Johann suddenly realized that the sound he heard was coming from him.
“Ah!”
Tears.
Tears so thick that they made a dripping sound were streaming down his cheeks.
“It’s an amazing experience. I feel fine, but my body seems beyond my control.”
“Oh, well, that’s a relief?”
While Kyu-seong pondered whether this should indeed be considered a relief, others slowly began regaining their senses.
“Gasp! What’s going on? Where am I?”
“…Just a moment ago, I was dancing with the carrots…”
The Choi brothers muttered, and Han Seok-jun slowly removed his glasses and gently closed his eyes.
Drip.
A tear, like a dewdrop, fell gently.
“It was an inspiring bowl.”
Simple words, but they left a more profound impression than any other review.
“Why are you crying after eating something delicious?”
When Ara asked worriedly, Han Seok-jun smiled and calmly replied.
“It was so delicious that I was moved. I express my gratitude to Kyu-seong and Ara for serving such delicious food.”
“Oh, was it that good? I also enjoyed it!”
Ara jumped up at Han Seok-jun’s high praise and started dancing with joy. Seeing this, Choi Sung-hyuk murmured absentmindedly.
“Carrot dance… I danced that dance too…”
Kyu-seong, witnessing them still not fully composed, realized anew the power of his food. It was because he could never have imagined that the person he admired the most, whom he considered the most perfect awakened, would appear so dazed.
‘I need to rethink this.’
Johann also reconsidered as he watched the scene.
Initially, he thought of it as a highly useful mass-produced buff item for dungeon conquests and, secondly, as a morale-boosting food for guild members. However, this incident made it even clearer.
Irreplaceable.
Kyu-seong’s crops were best described by this word.
‘Buff? Delicious food? No, this cannot be dismissed with such simple words.’
No buff or food could replace Kyu-seong’s crops. Truly, these were unique items only producible by Kyu-seong.
Knock, knock.
While deep in thought about Kyu-seong, there was a knock on the reception room door.
“Guild Master, the food is ready.”
“…Oh my, it wasn’t over yet.”
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t come here just to eat carrot soup.
Anticipating the dishes made with Kyu-seong’s crops that would continue, everyone opened their eyes wide.
***
“Who do you think you are to treat people so carelessly?”
The intense emotions seemed to pierce through the screen.
People watched breathlessly.
Soon, the atmosphere gradually intensified, and as the conflict dramatically resolved, the situation concluded.
“Cut!”
“Wow! Well done, everyone!”
“You’ve all worked so hard until now!”
The last scene of the drama “Between Our Steps,” a highly anticipated fourth-quarter release from HBS, had just wrapped up filming.
“Good job, everyone! Good job!”
Seo Ye-eun, who filmed the last scene with everyone, was bowing and greeting people here and there. The director clapped in satisfaction and said to Seo Ye-eun.
“We’re really glad that you’ve suddenly gotten better, Ms. Ye-eun. I was really worried when I heard you weren’t doing well…”
“I’m sorry for causing you concern.”
“No, no. In the end, the final scene was wrapped up well. Especially this scene was truly the best.”
“Thank you, Director.”
In a cheerful atmosphere, they finished filming and headed off for an after-party. Since it was the last shoot, most people gathered unless they had a busy schedule, and as a result, the reserved restaurant was bustling.
As the actors gathered and talked among themselves, Kim Hye-na suddenly asked Seo Ye-eun.
“I was afraid it would be burdensome to ask before, but do you have a secret method for your throat healing so quickly?”
“A secret method? Ah!”
Seo Ye-eun nodded immediately. Then she took out a small container that she always carried in her pouch.
“It’s thanks to this.”
“What is that?”
Kim Kang-woo, who was next to her, also looked at the container she took out with a curious face. As people watched, Seo Ye-eun opened the lid.
As the lid opened, a familiar scent spread around.
“Garlic?”
“It smells like garlic…?”
Inside were several whole cloves of garlic, about three or four. People looked back at Seo Ye-eun with expressions of disbelief.
“This is…?”
“Hehe, it’s not ordinary garlic. It’s something specially provided by our company, and it seems to be an item.”
“An item!”
This ordinary-looking garlic?!
With such an unexpected item, everyone once again examined the garlic with curious eyes. It looked no different from regular garlic on the outside.
“Iron Blood Entertainments is an agency under the Ironblood Group. With the Ironblood Guild, that makes sense.”
“Wow, amazing, an entertainment agency linked with a guild! I’m really envious.”
As the sudden interest continued, Seo Ye-eun smiled awkwardly, and Kim Hye-na asked enviously.
“Did that garlic heal your sore throat?”
“Yes. To be precise, it prevents the body from becoming dry. Thanks to that, it’s also good for skin moisture.”
“Wow… Did Mr. Kim Tae-yang get it for you?”
“Oh! That’s right. Our director got it for me.”
As she clapped and agreed, the director and assistant director also approached to examine Seo Ye-eun’s garlic.
“Are these kinds of items sourced directly from dungeons by the Ironblood Guild?”
“No. I heard it wasn’t acquired by the Ironblood Guild but through an acquaintance of the director.”
“As expected of Mr. Kim Tae-yang, he has a wide network.”
“But I heard he briefly visited the site…”
“Pardon? He visited the site? Not Mr. Kim Tae-yang, but the owner of that item?”
“Yes. I wasn’t on set then because filming was postponed due to my vocal cord nodules, but I heard it was the guardian of a child named Ara…”
Everyone was surprised by the vague image of Lee Kyu-seong that emerged.
“Ara?!”
“Wow, so he was Ara’s guardian.”
“No wonder Iron Blood Entertainment brought them in.”
Even those who didn’t know Ara before had long become subscribers to her YouTube channel through the previous filming.
“Speaking of Ara, we’re shooting a commercial together. It’ll probably air right after the drama is broadcast.”
“Ooh.”
“I hope the drama is a hit. That way, Ye-eun’s commercial shoot will go even better!”
Seo Ye-eun was also curious. She had seen Ara on YouTube, and Lee Kyu-seong, who was Ara’s guardian and helped resolve her vocal cord nodules.
Knowing she would soon meet him for the commercial shoot, she planned to express her gratitude. She had heard that Ara loves to eat…
“Okay, okay! There’s only one month until the drama airs! Everyone, you’ve worked hard, and now let’s all pray together!”
“Hahaha! Of course! Should we do 108 bows or something?”
“Even without seeing it, I know it will do well! It was made so well!”
“I feel sorry for the editing team, who are still working, but our team is excellent. Success is guaranteed!”
While the filming team was enjoying the after-party, a significant post appeared on Ara’s daily YouTube channel.
– Our Ara will soon be on TV!
This sparked an unexpected reaction.
Cliche Novel 