It had been a month since she arrived in China.
Lee Seon-ah had adapted well to life in China.
She went to work at dawn, finished by 4 PM, and had free time afterward.
However, she didn’t leave the guild premises even during her free time. Most things were available within the guild grounds, including a shopping mall and tourist attractions.
Between studying Chinese and work-related tasks, she barely had enough time.
The only consolation was the photos and videos Kyu-seong sent her daily.
Kyu-seong would send her pictures and videos of his daily life, and before bed, they would have video calls.
Of course, since he had to step out of the dungeon for calls, she couldn’t talk to many of the children.
‘I miss Ashu, Mammon, and Ras. I wonder if Frey and the fairies are doing well? And Purureuk? Gomgom and Soo aren’t causing trouble, right? Now that I think about it, I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Guwa. I feel bad about that.’
As she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of longing.
Although her days were busy, the memories of what she had experienced in Kyu-seong’s dungeon resurfaced, filling her heart.
“Seon-ah.”
“Yes, Team Leader?”
While taking a brief pause during work, someone approached her.
“Secretary-General Yoo Bihong is calling for you.”
“Bihong? Understood.”
What could it be about?
Yoo Bihong was one of the people who looked after Seon-ah the most since she arrived here.
However, she usually only sought her out during leisure time, so this was quite unexpected.
Seon-ah headed to the 50th floor of the main guild building, where Yoo Bihong was waiting.
Since the building Seon-ah worked in was separate, it took her nearly 30 minutes just to get there.
“Sister Bihong! I heard you called for me.”
“Ah, Seon-ah! You’re here. Come in.”
Outside of work, they had become close enough to call each other Sister.
Not only them but Ryu Cheon as well.
Right then, Ryu Cheon arrived shortly after.
She bowed her head slightly in greeting.
“Hello, Ryu Cheon?”
“Hi, Sister.”
After exchanging greetings, Seon-ah turned to Yoo Bihong and asked why she had been called.
“But what’s the occasion today? I’ve never been called in the middle of work before.”
“I have good news.”
“Good news?”
Seon-ah tilted her head in curiosity, and Yoo Bihong smiled.
Sensing something significant, Seon-ah glanced at Ryu Cheon, who also seemed clueless, only staring blankly.
“I’m on vacation.”
“Ryu Cheon, I know you just returned from a dungeon two days ago, but I assure you, you won’t regret this.”
“What?”
“Just wait a moment.”
“What?”
Seeing Ryu Cheon persistently asking with a puzzled expression, Seon-ah chuckled.
The three of them casually chatted while enjoying refreshments.
“Are you doing okay these days? Is work manageable?”
“Yes. My colleagues treat me so well that I almost feel overwhelmed. Work is still a bit difficult since I’m learning, but it’s fulfilling and fun.”
“I’ve heard that you’re doing exceptionally well.”
“Oh, that’s just thanks to my awakened ability, not because I’m particularly skilled.”
“Awakened abilities vary depending on how the person utilizes them. You’re making good use of yours, which is why you’re getting recognition.”
“Ara’s Daily Life… It’s not uploading. Sad.”
“Ara’s Daily Life isn’t uploading, but my brother has been sending me a lot of videos. I’ll try editing and uploading them.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Most of the conversation was between Yoo Bihong and Seon-ah, with Ryu Cheon occasionally jumping in with random comments.
Yet, the flow of conversation remained natural, almost strangely so.
Just then, Yoo Bihong received a call.
After briefly checking it, she smiled brightly.
“Alright, shall we go?”
“Go where?”
“Let’s go eat.”
Yoo Bihong led them back to the elevator and hurried toward a destination.
Seon-ah and Ryu Cheon followed her without knowing what was going on.
Then, they were caught completely off guard.
“Huh? Brother!”
“Hey, I’m here.”
Kyu-seong was there.
And beside him, as if it was the most natural thing, were Ara and Cheong.
“Ara! Cheong!”
Ryu Cheon skipped the greetings and called out to the kids first.
Ara waved her hands enthusiastically and ran toward them, while Cheong walked gracefully.
Thud.
“My little Cheong! Did you miss me? What did you do while I was gone?”
“You mean ‘I missed you,’ not ‘what did you do.’”
Cheong bumped his forehead lightly against Seon-ah’s leg and rubbed his head against her.
Just that simple act filled Seon-ah with an overwhelming sense of emotion.
She grinned widely and petted Cheong.
Meanwhile, Ara finished greeting Ryu Cheon and Yoo Bihong before running toward Seon-ah.
“Seon-ah Seon-ah!!”
“Ara!”
They embraced each other like long-lost family members.
A month had been quite a long time for them.
“You’ve been eating well, huh? Your cheeks are all chubby.”
Kyu-seong tried to insert himself into their reunion, but he was effortlessly ignored.
After some time, Seon-ah and Ara calmed down and separated, but then Ryu Cheon grabbed Ara and refused to let go.
“By the way, why are you here? Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“I just came to visit. And I have some news to share.”
“News?”
Kyu-seong held out his phone to Seon-ah.
Displayed on the screen was a photo, seemingly taken inside the Dungeon of Gluttony.
“Huh?”
Then, Seon-ah noticed something and snatched the phone from Kyu-seong.
Caught off guard, Kyu-seong blinked in confusion as Seon-ah shouted.
“A cat—mmph!”
Kyu-seong quickly covered Seon-ah’s mouth.
Yoo Bihong and Ryu Cheon were watching.
“It’s a secret, a secret!”
“Mmmph!!”
In the picture Kyu-seong had shown, there were Bell and the cats who had already settled in.
Though the village was still under construction, the blacksmiths had already built a proper cat haven.
“Wait, when? Since when?”
“Not long ago. About a week?”
“How could you do this without me?!”
“You can come and see it yourself. You’ll have vacation time, right?”
“I’m definitely coming! No matter what!”
Watching Seon-ah get excited, Kyu-seong felt glad that he had shown her.
Though they always bickered, seeing her regain energy made him happy.
“I think I’ll be able to take a vacation starting next month. I’m still learning the job… But from my third month here, I can take three days off each month.”
“Great. Come visit and see the kids.”
“Anyway, it’s about time for dinner. Shall we all eat together?”
“Sounds good.”
“Food. Hungry.”
Including Kyu-seong’s group, the six of them headed straight to the restaurant.
Even before they entered, a familiar aroma filled the air.
‘This smell…?’
Seon-ah looked at Kyu-seong in surprise.
Kyu-seong smirked.
“I prepared it in advance.”
“Really? Is it what I think it is?”
“Oh, it’s one of your favorite foods.”
Ara, who was next to them, eagerly chimed in.
“Tteokbokki!!”
Ever since making rice cakes, Kyu-seong had been planning to make tteokbokki.
With gochujang readily available and now even freshly made rice cakes, he had finally completed the dish that every Korean, young or old, would love.
‘After dozens of trials, Jae-seong and I finally made the most delicious tteokbokki.’
Tteokbokki was a dish filled with memories for the siblings.
That’s why Kyu-seong and Jae-seong had put their utmost effort into perfecting it.
They had brought their special tteokbokki sauce and garaetteok.
The guild’s chefs had already prepared the dish, serving it fresh and hot.
“Wow!!”
A beautifully arranged tteokbokki spread.
Beside it, soondae was served as well.
The soondae had been specially made at Machunru, exuding a rich, savory aroma that complemented the tteokbokki perfectly.
“I tried this with Ryu Cheon on the streets of Korea. We had such a great time eating it back then.”
Yoo Bihong spoke with excitement.
For the first time, Ryu Cheon’s attention shifted from Ara to the tteokbokki.
“Eat as much as you like. I brought a thousand servings, so there’s plenty for everyone here.”
“As always, Mr. Kyu-seong, your generosity is astounding.”
Yoo Bihong felt a warmth in her heart, grateful for Kyu-seong’s constant thoughtfulness toward everyone.
Each of them took their seats, their eyes fixed on the steaming hot tteokbokki.
“Let’s eat!”
“It’s a shame the Guild Leader is too busy to join us.”
“That’s fine. My grandfather eats weird stuff.”
Ryu Cheon scrunched up her nose before grabbing a piece of tteokbokki and taking a bite.
Chewy.
“!!”
Her expression said it all.
She froze for a moment before slowly starting to chew again.
“Gulp.”
Seeing this, Seon-ah swallowed her saliva and glanced at Kyu-seong.
Sensing her anticipation, Kyu-seong nodded as if to say she wouldn’t be disappointed.
“Hoo, hoo.”
She blew on it a few times.
Ah, she needed more sauce.
She dipped the garaetteok back into the sauce before taking a big bite.
Chewy and bouncy.
‘Ah, this… It’s even better than before.’
The texture of the garaetteok, along with the taste and aroma, had all been upgraded.
At first, she thought it was just because she was eating it with tteokbokki sauce, but no—it was the rice cake itself that had improved.
“Jae-seong worked really hard. He’s been intensely researching cooking every day.”
That must be why.
But it wasn’t just the rice cake.
The sauce…
It was something else entirely.
‘Spicy and sweet, but the depth of flavor is incredible.’
It tasted like the tteokbokki she had loved since childhood—familiar, yet somehow refined.
The deep, rich flavor of the gochujang stood out.
This wasn’t just any ordinary gochujang.
It had the perfect balance of sour, sweet, and spicy, with an unexpected umami depth from the chili itself.
‘Since when did chili have such an umami taste?’
She wasn’t sure how, but the moment she tasted it, she just knew.
The combination of this luxurious flavor with the soft, chewy garaetteok resulted in an absolutely insane taste experience.
Undoubtedly the best tteokbokki she had ever eaten.
Of course, some might prefer it spicier or sweeter, but for Seon-ah, this was the perfect balance.
It made sense—she and her siblings had often eaten street food together, so their taste in tteokbokki was naturally aligned.
“Who would have thought garaetteok could taste this good…”
Even Yoo Bihong, surprised, kept eating.
Before she knew it, her plate was already empty.
“If anyone needs more, help yourselves!”
“Yes!”
Ara, who was already on her fifth plate, scratched her head sheepishly at Kyu-seong’s words.
She was so adorable that Seon-ah and Ryu Cheon melted on the spot, pausing mid-bite.
“Our Ara, eat as much as you want!”
“You can even have half of my portion.”
Hearing their encouragement, Ara beamed and nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay! I will eat a lot! Everyone, eat a lot!”
“Aah… So cute. Ara, just live with us here.”
“Uh?”
Ara looked flustered, making her even cuter.
Seon-ah couldn’t resist and hugged her tightly, momentarily forgetting about the tteokbokki.
A meal filled with nostalgia, surrounded by loved ones.
Everything felt like a gift.
Seon-ah turned to Kyu-seong and flashed a bright smile.
“You really put some thought into this, Brother. Thanks.”
“You always say stuff like that… Geez.”
Well, what’s good is good.
Kyu-seong let out a soft chuckle.
And so, the two of them shared a smile, enjoying their nostalgic tteokbokki together.
Cliche Novel 