I took out all the monster by-products for now.
Young-seong mentioned that sorting, organizing, and researching would take quite a bit of time, and I nodded in agreement.
“Fusing and synthesizing the minerals you brought will also take some time.”
“I’m fine with that. It’s for the guild members to wear, so it’s better to take extra care for them rather than for me.”
“Alright. I’ll make sure it’s safe and performs well. But it seems like collaborating would be a good idea…”
Young-seong glanced at the guild leader.
Han Seok-jun, the guild leader, smiled warmly and said,
“I’ll get in touch with Ironblood and Terror.”
“Ah, as expected from the guild leader.”
“But if it’s not developed independently, our share might decrease. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m fine with it.”
I had no issues at all.
Ironblood and Terror Guilds didn’t feel like outsiders anymore anyway.
After all, aren’t we all Koreans?
‘Ah, doenjang jjigae.’
I suddenly remembered something and asked,
“By the way, is Team Leader 2 very busy these days?”
“Hmm, he went on a business trip to a dungeon in Yeosu.
It’ll probably take at least a few days for him to return.”
“Ah, I see.”
I hadn’t made gochujang yet, which was a bit tricky, but the doenjang was ready.
I could make doenjang jjigae whenever I wanted.
Gulp.
Just imagining it made my mouth water.
Ah, I really want to eat!
“Why do you ask about Team Leader 2?”
Si-young tilted her head and asked.
“Team Leader 2 made a request to me, and it’s almost complete.”
“A request? Complete?”
“Yes, he specifically asked me to make doenjang jjigae.”
“Doenjang jjigae?!”
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on me, and they started firing questions like a rapid-fire gun.
“Doenjang jjigae? You’re going to make it, Kyu-seong?”
“What about rice? Last time, didn’t your rice farming fail? Did you finally succeed?”
“Is it ready? I remember you mentioning making doenjang before. It must’ve turned out well?”
As I was getting flustered by the barrage of questions, Ara stepped in to mediate.
“One person at a time! Kyu-seong is feeling overwhelmed!”
At her words, everyone calmed down and began exchanging glances as if deciding who would ask the first question.
Soon, after exchanging looks, Si-young spoke up.
“Can we try it too, Kyu-seong?”
“Of course. But it’s not fully complete yet. The doenjang and soy sauce are ready, but I haven’t made the gochujang yet…”
“Gochujang…!!”
“We can skip the gochujang or use store-bought, though. Oh, and by the way, the rice farming you mentioned was successful this time, so I can make rice. I also tried making kimchi.”
“Ah… ahhh…”
“Kimchi…!!”
Si-young couldn’t continue her sentence, and the reactions of others were similar.
“Since we’re all here, how about we have a meal together?”
“I was waiting for you to say that! You weren’t planning on leaving without feeding us, were you, Kyu-seong?”
“Come on, like I wouldn’t take care of you all. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll give some rice to the cafeteria too, so let’s all eat together with the staff and guild members.”
At the mention of food, everyone was excited.
Even Ara, who eats my cooking every day, was so happy that she started dancing.
We decided to leave the by-products for now and headed to the cafeteria.
The chefs and the cafeteria manager, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, greeted us warmly.
“I’ve brought some new ingredients.”
“New ingredients? We always welcome that! There’s hardly any ingredient we can’t handle, so feel free to hand them over.”
They had no idea what I brought.
As all the chefs gathered, I took out the sack of rice under their eager gazes.
“Hmm? This is…”
“Rice? Is this rice?”
“Why did you bring rice?”
“Wait… no way…!!”
The manager and chefs all looked at me in shock, while the guild leader and Si-young couldn’t take their eyes off the sack of rice.
“This is delicious rice!”
Ara exclaimed with drool in her mouth.
Sensing the growing anticipation, Han Seok-jun, the guild leader, spoke in an urgent voice.
“Quickly, let’s try it right away.”
It was the first time seeing the guild leader act like this.
He had always been calm, so seeing him look anxious felt quite refreshing.
However, it seemed like the others didn’t notice his change in demeanor and were just nodding vigorously.
“And there’s this as well.”
Kimchi.
Although all the ingredients except the red pepper powder were store-bought, it still tasted better than regular kimchi.
When I took out the kimchi container, the people watching curiously gasped.
“Gasp!”
“Is this… kimchi?!”
As more food that Koreans would love appeared, everyone looked like they were about to faint from excitement.
Of course, there are some who can’t eat kimchi, but it didn’t seem like there was anyone like that here.
“Is this enough?”
I continued stacking rice sacks and kimchi containers as I asked.
The manager quickly assessed the amount and nodded.
“It should be more than enough.”
“Well, I don’t think there’ll be any leftovers.”
Though I was thinking of Ara when I said this, everyone else took it differently and agreed enthusiastically.
“I’m going to eat five bowls!”
“Only five? I think I can manage eight!”
“Kyu-seong, can I have a taste of the kimchi? I can’t hold back any longer.”
“Wait, hold on! Let’s cook the rice first! We’re going to make the best rice ever!”
Despite the lively conversation, the chefs, as expected of their skill, started moving like machines.
Watching them prepare the meal, we left the kitchen and sat in the dining area.
Ring-ring-ring!
Just as the phone rang, I thought it might be a call from my family checking on the guild, but it turned out to be from Iron-Blood Entertainment.
Since Ara was scheduled to appear on a broadcast tonight, I thought it might be a check-in, so I excused myself and answered.
“Hello?”
-Hello, Kyu-seong. How have you been?
“Oh, the manager for actress Seo Ye-eun! I’ve been doing well!”
-Yes, that’s right. Would you be able to talk for a moment?
“Of course.”
-So, during the last commercial shoot, I heard you had agreed to do a YouTube video with our actress. Is that correct?
“Uh? Yes, I think I did mention that.”
-Well, our actress would like to be a guest on Ara’s daily life channel for her next schedule, and we were wondering if that would be possible.
Whoa, an unexpected offer!
Though we had verbally agreed, since she’s a celebrity, I thought it was just polite talk.
‘Won’t she be too busy?’
Well, since she’s the one who suggested it, I probably don’t need to worry about that.
“We’d love to have her anytime.”
-Oh, really? How about next Tuesday evening?
“Next Tuesday… That works!”
-Thank you. We’ll follow up with the details and any preparations needed via text. Is that alright?
“Yes.”
-Thanks again. We’ll see you on Tuesday.
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
After hanging up, I shared the news with Ara.
“Ara, you know actress Seo Ye-eun, right?”
“We ate seolleongtang together! It was delicious!”
“That’s right. She wants to have dinner with you next Thursday. How does that sound?”
“Great! It’ll be a good match!”
Hearing our conversation, Si-young showed interest.
“You’re meeting Seo Ye-eun?”
“Yes, she’s agreed to be a guest on Ara’s YouTube channel.”
“Wow, I’ve been watching a drama with Seo Ye-eun lately. That’s so cool.”
“Oh! Ara is also appearing in that drama today. I forgot to mention it.”
Upon hearing this, Young-seong and the guild leader perked up.
“Oh, it’s that drama you filmed before. I’ll have to check it out tonight.”
“Oh, is Ara going to be on TV? Ara, you must be excited!”
“Yep!”
As we chatted, the familiar smell of freshly cooked rice began to spread throughout the cafeteria.
The aroma was so rich and fragrant that I could already feel my mouth watering.
“Wow, is that the smell of cooking rice?”
“As expected from the rice Kyu-seong made. This is already promising.”
Young-seong and his wife looked at the kitchen with anticipation.
Then, they quietly approached me and asked,
“Can we come over again next time?”
“Of course. I was actually wondering why you hadn’t mentioned it earlier.”
“Well, we’ve been really busy lately, and Si-young’s been preoccupied with getting back to work. Plus, we felt a bit hesitant about just dropping by your place uninvited.”
“That’s unnecessary worry. As long as you’re not too busy, feel free to visit anytime.”
“Oh, really?”
“Things have changed a bit since your last visit. Plus, we can now even go to the beach.”
“The beach? You have that too?”
At that moment, the guild leader cautiously chimed in.
“Kyu-seong, if it’s not too much trouble, could I join you as well?”
“Of course! I should have invited you sooner, and I apologize for that.”
Come to think of it, Young-seong, Si-young, Jeong So-yeon, Kang Hanul, and even Ryu Cheon had all visited my dungeon.
I felt a bit sorry for not having shown the guild leader around.
“How about we hold a guild gathering at my dungeon next time?”
“Oh, we couldn’t impose like that…”
“It’s no imposition if it’s just once in a while. Honestly, I would feel proud and happy if everyone could enjoy a good meal and some rest together.”
Despite my words, Han Seok-jun seemed to be deep in thought, still hesitating.
At that point, Ara couldn’t hold back and added,
“Everyone should come visit! My home is amazing!”
“Hmm…”
“There’s no need to overthink it. As I said, I’d be happy to treat the guild members.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Judging by his expression, it seemed like he was seriously thinking about it in a positive light.
“The rice is ready! The broadcast is starting!”
Right on cue, the rice was finished cooking.
Just like last time, the broadcast announcement echoed throughout the guild building, and people started pouring into the cafeteria.
“I knew it when Kyu-seong arrived at the guild today!”
“I had a feeling it was finally time, and it really is!”
“What’s that smell? It’s rice, but why does it make my mouth water so much?”
Soon, the chefs came out of the kitchen carrying the pot of rice.
As the lid was lifted, white steam billowed out, unleashing the full aroma of the perfectly cooked rice.
“Wow!”
“Wait, is this rice from Kyu-seong’s harvest?!”
Finally, everyone seemed to realize and admired the radiant appearance of the perfectly cooked white rice.
One of the head chefs spoke up,
“Alright, let’s start serving. Get your bowls and line up.”
But why does the rice smell even better than when I cooked it?
I guess professional chefs really do have their own way of cooking rice.
Before I knew it, my family, who had been on a tour, also came down to the cafeteria.
We all lined up together to get our rice.
The tables were already set with kimchi and various side dishes.
“Kyu-seong, thank you for the meal!”
“Please come by every day, Kyu-seong!”
Hearing the guild members and staff thanking me, I awkwardly bowed my head.
Finally, I took a spoonful of kimchi and a large bite of the rice.
‘Wow!!!’
My taste buds exploded.
Cliche Novel 