The saying “winter is coming” turned out to be true.
The day after negotiations with the U.S. ended, I woke up at dawn, feeling the chill in the air, and checked the window.
“Oh!” It was snowing.
I had been a bit disappointed by the lack of any warning signs of winter here, but when I stepped outside, I saw the leaves of the World Tree turning translucent in the distance.
“I need to work quickly.”
With the snow falling, it was time to set up the greenhouse.
It seemed like it would take a while, but fortunately, it wasn’t too cold, so there was no rush.
Along with the ever-awake slimes and Kkumuris, I set up the greenhouse in the field.
From afar, I could hear the children’s laughter. “Hahaha!”
“It’s snowing!”
When I checked the time, it was already morning.
Half of the greenhouse work was already done.
We decided to finish the rest later and start with breakfast.
“Today, let’s have bread and pasta.”
Tomato sauce, pasta, and bread dough.
I quickly started with the bread, kneading and proofing the dough.
Soon after, I crushed the tomatoes to make a fresh tomato sauce.
At that moment, the children, who had been running around in the snow, approached me.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong !”
“Daddy!”
Turning around, I saw the children holding a tiny snowman.
I smiled and pinched off some dough to make eyes for the snowman.
“It has eyes now!”
Cheong looked at the snowman with sparkling eyes, while Ara was already checking what I was making.
“We’re having bread and pasta.”
“Bread! Pasta! Delicious!”
“It’s going to be tasty!”
Ah, now that I think about it, winter means Gomgom goes into hibernation.
No wonder he was nowhere to be seen.
I asked the children to find out where Gomgom was sleeping.
“We need to find Gomgom! It’s like hide and seek!”
“It’s going to be fun! Find brother Soo too!”
I placed the snowman on the kitchen table and the children ran off again, leaving cute footprints in the snow.
While they searched for Gomgom, I started preparing the pasta.
In a large pot, I boiled the dried pasta I had made earlier and waited a bit.
Soon, the noodles began to cook.
Using a large spatula, I stirred the soft noodles and then scooped them out with a slotted spoon.
“Mmm!”
The cooked noodles emitted a delicious aroma.
It was definitely homemade.
After repeating the process a few times, even the slimes and Kkumuris had gathered, attracted by the smell.
I asked the children to crush more tomatoes as the sauce I had made earlier seemed insufficient.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong ! Found it!”
“He’s sleeping on the straw! And I brought brother Soo too!”
Cheong was pulling Soo’s hand along.
Soo, half-asleep, walked and then noticed the snow, looking bewildered.
“Well done. Shall we cook together now?”
“Yes!”
“Sounds good!”
I asked the children to sprinkle salt and pepper on the crushed tomatoes.
Ara, having helped a few times before, skillfully grabbed the salt and pepper.
“Pepper pepper pepper.” Ara made sound effects while sprinkling the pepper, which Cheong soon began to mimic.
“Pepper pepper.”
“That’s the salt.”
“Salt salt salt.”
I seasoned the tomato sauce lightly with pepper and salt, then poured it over the cooked pasta.
And just like that, the tomato pasta was ready.
The heat from the noodles brought out the fragrant aroma of the fresh tomato sauce.
“That’s a lot!”
“I made a lot, so everyone eat up.”
Pasta was one of the dishes that was easy to make in large quantities.
Thanks to that, our big eaters could enjoy a hearty meal, and I checked the bread dough.
“Good.”
It was fermenting well.
In about 10 to 20 minutes, it would be ready to bake.
Ara and Cheong came up to me after I had stoked the fire in the oven, offering pasta.
“We eat together.”
“Dad, have some too.”
I nibbled on the pasta the children handed me.
The first taste was a strong burst of tomato!
The fresh tomatoes delivered a shocking flavor and aroma, more intense than any spice.
Despite being my own creation, it was incredibly delicious.
Soon after, the rich, nutty taste enveloped the initial tanginess, a must-not-miss nutty aroma.
The pasta, made in large batches quite casually, was tastier than any pasta I’d had at restaurants.
“It’s snowing.”
“Seon-ah Seon-ah! Are you awake?”
Seon-ah, who had woken up late, naturally came over and began devouring the pasta.
Then her eyes sparkled with delight.
“So delicious.”
“Delicious indeed!”
Thus, we spent some time just eating pasta.
It was a snowy morning in the dungeon, filled with the sound of slurping noodles.
“Seon-ah, is this your first winter?”
“I saw it last time.”
“Eh? Really?”
My memory was a bit fuzzy.
Anyway, after devouring the pasta, I checked the dough again.
It had risen perfectly.
I called the children over to feel the dough.
“Do it like this, like this, like this.”
The skilled demonstration by the instructor was followed by Cheong, clumsily fiddling around adorably with the dough.
While Seon-ah was capturing this scene, I checked the oven’s temperature and grabbed the remaining tomato sauce.
“Let’s make a simple pizza bread with just some tomato sauce on it.”
“Okay!”
Ara began to spread the dough widely at my command, with Cheong and Soo diligently following suit.
Soo, who had no fingers, was so eager that he got dough all over his face.
Cute.
“Now, shall we spread the sauce?”
“Ooh!”
Ara, welcoming the task with open arms, started to generously apply the sauce on the spread dough.
Compared to her, the other two were still wrestling with their dough.
Thanks to that, Ara’s dough went into the oven first.
About 30 seconds.
That was enough to cook it thoroughly.
“There’s plenty of dough, so make as much as you want.”
“Yes!”
Ara joyfully ate the freshly baked warm bread.
Seeing this, Cheong and Soo hurriedly spread their dough.
“Kkumuris, you guys make some too.”
With so many mouths to feed, it was hard to make just one at a time.
Eventually, with the help of the Kkumuris, spreading and baking the dough continued.
Gooey!
“Yes, yes. Eat a lot.”
The slimes showed their gratitude with gestures as they enjoyed the bread.
Despite having eaten all that pasta, they could still eat more; indeed, they were impressive.
“Wow, brother. I can’t eat anymore.”
“Just hang in there! We’re almost done!”
Seon-ah, having tried to make bread, eventually threw in the towel.
Indeed, it was at times like these that the absence of a chef was painfully felt.
‘I need to cure Kyler’s daughter quickly and meet the Seven Sins.’
Ashura, was it?
Since she likes cooking, perhaps showing her the ingredients here and tempting her might lure her over.
Of course, being one of the Seven Sins, there was a bit of worry, but having already dealt with Ara, Mammon, and even Ras, I had nothing to fear.
“Brother, you said about bringing our parents today, right?”
“Yes. Can you bring them along?”
“Got it. When should I go?”
“Shouldn’t they be awake by now? Want to head out?”
“Yes.”
Seon-ah, strongly intent on not making any more bread, headed outside the dungeon.
I calculated the time roughly and decided to go meet them while finishing baking the bread.
“Isn’t Kyu-seon Kyu-seong eating?”
Ara, excited that the Grand lord was coming, brought the bread she was eating to my mouth.
Having already filled up on pasta, I was somewhat full but took a bite of the cozily baked bread.
How could I resist such a delicious smell?
And the bread that entered my mouth did not disappoint my expectations; it was fluffy and tender in taste.
The well-kneaded and risen bread perfected the word ‘cozy’ as it met the high heat of the oven.
The lightly applied tomato sauce, too, transformed in the oven’s heat, emphasizing a smooth sweetness, unlike the fresh tanginess experienced with the pasta.
It was the epitome of cozy, sweet bread.
“Indeed, freshly baked bread is the truth.”
Despite being my own creation, it was incredibly delicious.
This bread alone, if sold as a single product, could cause a huge crowd.
After a grand breakfast, the children and I went outside.
It was about time for my parents to arrive.
“gulp.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Cheong’s visibly nervous appearance.
Unlike me, Ara carefully soothed and encouraged him.
“It’s okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Are you scared?”
“Yes! Cheong is strong and brave. There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
“Sister will protect you.”
Cheong clung tightly to Ara’s arm.
And finally, we stepped outside the dungeon.
As we came out, the well-maintained grounds in front of the dungeon were noticeable.
Seon-ah and my parents hadn’t arrived yet, only an empty space was there.
Cheong, who was outside for the first time, looked around nervously, his small hands gripping Ara’s arm pitifully.
“They’re coming!”
Ara exclaimed, sensing their arrival.
As we waited, seeing figures in the distance.
“Huh?”
But something was off.
The figures didn’t quite match Seon-ah and our parents’…
“It’s Jae-seong Jae-seong! Junichi is here too!”
“Jae-seong?!”
Why was Jae-seong here?
Was he visiting again?
It seemed Junichi and Chef Orie were with him too.
The three of them walked side by side, then spotted us and looked surprised.
“Brother!”
“Jae-seong, what’s this about coming without a call?”
“I’m back in Korea. For good.”
“What?”
I was startled and looked at Junichi.
Then Junichi greeted and explained.
“Ha ha! It’s been a while, Kyu-seong! Jae-seong has now completely graduated from our restaurant.”
“Ah, hello. Graduated? Oh, you mean…”
“He’s back in Korea for good.”
It felt like it hadn’t even been a year yet?
Of course, I had urged him to come back, but this was faster than expected.
And we hadn’t even started the restaurant construction…
While greeting Orie, Jae-seong asked, “But brother, when did you have another kid?”
“Ah, that’s Cheong.”
Cheong, meeting new people for the first time, was visibly tense and hid behind Ara, who puffed himself up protectively in front of him.
“This is my brother!”
“Ara’s brother?! A real brother?”
As Jae-seong asked with wide eyes, Ara nodded.
How do I explain this?
While I pondered, Cheong asked me, “Daddy, who are they?”
“Ah, that’s my brother Jae-seong.”
“Daddy’s brother?”
Jae-seong murmured with wide eyes in surprise.
“Daddy…?”
“Ara is my daughter and Cheong is my son too. Hmm.”
I brazenly nodded as I spoke, and then Jae-seong, coming to his senses, whispered in my ear.
“A slime?”
“Right.”
“Wow…”
Jae-seong, still unable to believe that Cheong was a slime, marveled again.
He awkwardly scratched his head and bowed in front of Cheong.
“Hello? I’m Lee Jae-seong, Kyu-seong’s brother.”
“Hellooo…”
Cheong timidly greeted back.
And just then.
“Ara! Grandma’s here!”
Our parents were also coming up.
Cliche Novel 