I was a little taken aback by the unexpected visitors. However, I quickly came to think that it wasn’t a bad thing—what’s good is good, after all. Since we were all going to have a gathering tomorrow anyway, a few extra guests wouldn’t make much difference. In fact, it might be a good chance for everyone to bond and enjoy themselves.
‘But how did the timing work out so perfectly?’
I decided to make a call just in case. The guild master answered right away.
-Yes, Kyu-seong. You checked quickly.
“Yes, Guild Master! I just stepped outside for a moment to check if there were any messages, and I was quite surprised.”
-We were too. Both parties arrived without any notice, and we were in a bit of a bind.
-Ah, sorry about that.
I heard Junichi’s voice from the other side of the line. His usual cheerful tone felt familiar and welcoming.
-Haha, just joking. By the way, Kyu-seong, would it be alright if these guests joined as well?
“Of course! It’s actually great.”
-Understood. By the way, Ryu Cheon and Junichi were wondering if they could visit today. Is that okay with you? Oh, and it seems Junichi brought along his chefs as well.
“Oh wow! Helpers!”
-Sorry?
“No, nothing. I misspoke. I was just going to say that they’re more than welcome to come today.”
-Great. In that case, we’ll leave in about an hour.
“Are you coming as well, Guild Master?”
-I’ll probably have to join the others tomorrow. For today, I’ll send Ryu Cheon and Junichi first.
“Got it!”
After finishing the call, I returned to the dungeon and shared the news with everyone.
“Junichi’s coming?!!” Hanul hyung swallowed nervously with excitement. He probably assumed Junichi would bring some alcohol.
Oh, and speaking of which, the alcohol made from my ingredients was slowly being sold in limited quantities. However, it wasn’t widely available, being sold only in Junichi’s shop and at Ironblood Foods.
‘I’ve heard it’s being called a legendary liquor.’
Despite selling it at a lower price, the price had skyrocketed due to its scarcity. But releasing too much at once could harm other liquor companies, so I was being cautious and only selling small amounts. Most of it was consumed by people I knew, to be honest. Even my dad had a few bottles stored away at home. I told him not to worry since I could always get more, but both he and I shrank under my mom’s stern gaze.
“Is Ryu Cheon coming too?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“I must look good for my fan. I’ll change clothes, then.”
Ara was still in her swimsuit, but her appearance was so cute that I laughed.
“If Ryu Cheon sees you like this, she’ll probably be so happy she’ll pass out.”
“What happens if he passes out?!”
“It’s just a joke. It means she’d be really happy.”
“That’s a dangerous joke, Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”
Her adorable reaction melted everyone’s hearts. I then approached Jae-seong, who was cooking, to share the news.
“The boss is coming?”
“And he’s bringing all the other chefs too.”
“Oh….”
He looked a bit flustered.
Why does he seem worried? Shouldn’t he be happy about this?
“Why did he send me on vacation alone? If I had known this would happen, I would’ve waited and worked with them.”
“Ah, so that’s what’s bothering you.”
I nodded sympathetically at Jae-seong’s frustration. I guess he had a point, though it wasn’t really my place to comment, seeing as I was the one giving him work.
“They’re leaving in an hour, so they should be here in about two.”
“Got it. I’ll work hard until then.”
As Jae-seong was grilling some pancakes, I suddenly thought of something and asked him.
“When do you plan to open your own restaurant?”
“Hmm, not sure.”
“Maybe it’s time to start preparing?”
“You mean you?”
“Yeah. Is it too soon?”
“No, it’s not that. I just feel bad. You’re handling the ingredients and even the location, and I’m not doing anything…”
“Hey, it’s my little brother’s restaurant. What’s there to feel bad about? Besides, your cooking skills are the most important thing, and you’re working hard on that.”
“Hmm.”
“Oh, and I’ve already hired an employee. It’s a kid from the orphanage Ara visits. They want to become a chef, so I asked if they’d like to start working at our restaurant.”
“Thanks a lot, hyung. I should start paying more attention too.”
“Just focus on cooking. I’ll take care of the rest. Dad’s on a break, so we’ll handle the preparations together. If you have any requests for the interior or equipment, just let me know.”
“Got it. Thanks, hyung.”
While I was there, I worked hard with Jae-seong to make the pancakes.
When everyone was full, we energetically started working again.
“You can rest a bit longer, though.”
Aren’t we supposed to nap after a snack before getting back to work?
Why is everyone so eager?
“After receiving such a delicious meal, how could we rest?”
“Kyu-seong-nim and your family, please just sit back! We’ll handle everything!”
The guild members rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Thanks to them, my parents took a short break to play with the kids.
—Hehe.
—Kyu-it.
The kids were so adorable, just watching them was healing.
Then, I suddenly noticed something strange about Soo’s head.
‘What’s this?’
Something felt off, so I called Soo.
“Soo!”
—Kyu-ing.
Soo came trotting over, as if there were sound effects with each step.
“Soo, let me check your head.”
—Kyu-ing.
There were a few leaves on Soo’s head, but now there was a new stem that hadn’t been there before.
At the end of the stem, there was a small bud.
As I was checking it out, Ara came running over to see it too.
“Ohhh, is a flower going to bloom on Soo’s head?”
“A flower? Oh, is it really a flower?”
I never even imagined it.
Could a flower really bloom from Soo’s head?
Sure, Soo is an herb spirit, but still… a spirit, right?
Spirits, hmm, I don’t know.
‘I really don’t know much about spirits, huh.’
I should ask President Baek from Iron Blood about it next time.
Since he’s a summoner, he might know a thing or two about spirits.
“What’s up? Something wrong?”
Seon-ah, who had just approached, saw me holding Soo and asked.
“Take a look at this.”
“What about Soo?”
“A new stem grew from Soo’s head. Doesn’t it look like a flower bud?”
“Oh, that? It’s been growing for a few days now. You didn’t notice?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You should pay more attention to the kids.”
I gave an awkward smile at Seon-ah’s scolding.
I had only been checking if they were doing well, but as expected, Seon-ah, who was in charge of their health, knew much more than I did.
“Even though Soo is a spirit, he started out as an herb, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Each spirit has their own unique characteristics, so it’s hard to define their biology in general terms.
Just think of Soo as her own kind of spirit.
Besides, spirits don’t get sick, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Ohh, I see.”
So, spirits don’t get sick.
That meant this flower bud-like thing wasn’t a disease, and I could be somewhat relieved.
—Kyu-ing.
“That’s right. Soo, stay healthy and happy always.”
—Kyu?
When I set Soo down, he whined as if asking to be picked up again.
Ara took him by the hand and led him away, walking around with him.
“So cute. I feel so happy.”
Hearing Seon-ah’s content murmur, I started preparing to greet the new guests that were about to arrive.
“I’m going to head out for a bit.”
“Oh, the guests?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright.”
Seon-ah suddenly pulled out a mirror to check her makeup.
Ever since she heard some famous awakeners were coming, she’d been doing that.
‘Even though she’s met them all before, she’s really putting in effort.’
She must really like awakeners.
“Ara, do you want to come with me? I’m going to see Ryu Cheon.”
“Ryu Cheon! Let’s go!”
Ara, holding Soo in her arms, shouted excitedly.
“Soo, do you want to come too?”
“Soo will go too.”
—Kyu-ing?
Since we were only going out for a short while, it didn’t matter much.
So, I took Ara and Soo with me outside.
The grounds were empty.
It seemed they hadn’t arrived yet.
When I checked the messages, it looked like they would arrive in about 10 minutes.
“Yu Bihong is coming, Junichi is coming, and even Orie.”
“So many are coming! It’s a festival!”
“Yeah, it’s a festival.”
While waiting for people to arrive, my phone suddenly rang.
It was a call from President Baek.
Why was he calling so suddenly? Could it be…
‘Did he hear about the party?’
It was entirely possible.
With Ryu Cheon and Junichi both in Korea, he might have discovered that we were having a gathering during his investigation.
I answered the call.
“Yes, President Baek!”
—Oh! The call connected! What a relief. Haha.
“I happened to be outside right now.”
—Great, great. Actually, I heard some news a little while ago and thought I’d contact you quickly.
“Yes, please go ahead.”
—Well, I heard that the Sky Scraper Guild and Junichi from Japan have come to Korea. Aren’t they people you know, Kyu-seong-nim? I heard from Ara Hongryeon that you’re having a gathering…
“Yes, we’re all having a get-together at the dungeon tomorrow.”
—Ahem. Well, Kyu-seong-nim…
“Would you like to join us, President Baek?”
—Gasp! Would that be alright?
“Of course. But we can’t accommodate too many people.”
—Oh, well, would it be alright if I bring my son and daughter-in-law? Oh, and Awakener Kim Tae-yang, since he has ties with you.
“That would be fine.”
—Oh my, thank you, Kyu-seong-nim! Then we’ll prepare and head over by tomorrow! When should we arrive?
“You can come early! Feel free to come in the morning.”
—I’ll be there by morning. Thank you so much, Kyu-seong-nim!
“No problem. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Seung-hyun again.”
The number of people had unexpectedly increased.
But I couldn’t turn them away.
Well, there wasn’t any reason to, was there?
‘It’s all just for fun anyway.’
But just as I thought that, my phone started ringing again.
Cliche Novel 