Ring!

The chime rang, and the door opened. As customers entered the restaurant, Seo-jun smiled.

“This is what it looks like, huh.”

“Yeah. The interior is clean and nicely done. The drinks will go down smoothly here.”

“Oh, Seo-jun.”

Seo-jun, who had been preparing ingredients, stepped out from the kitchen. They were familiar guests—Kang Min-hee and the supermarket employees.

“This is the first time meeting you at the restaurant. I've only ever seen you all at the supermarket.”

“Yeah, we kept meaning to come but never got around to it. But this place is really nice. It has a cozy charm...”

“Thank you. Is this a company dinner?”

“Rather than a company dinner, it's more of a gathering for the ladies' savings group. A savings group.”

“A savings group?”

“It's getting tougher to send kids to college these days. So we pool our money like this, taking turns to cover the costs.”

“Ah.”

That made sense. A 3KG pack of salted mackerel that used to cost just a few ten-thousand won now went for 280,000 won.

There was no way university tuition hadn't increased as well.

‘But do workplace colleagues usually form savings groups too?’

A savings group could strengthen bonds. Since the money was tied up, it reduced the chances of someone backing out or causing trouble.

But among coworkers, that seemed unlikely.

“Why? Does it seem strange?”

“No, not strange, just...”

“We all live in the same neighborhood. We've known each other for at least ten, twenty years, so we trust each other.”

That changed the perspective.

“Please sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

“Can we sit by the window?”

“Of course.”

Kang Min-hee and the employees took a seat by the window, discussing their order before placing it.

They ordered fried eggs and beer.

‘Looks like they just plan to have a light drink before heading home.’

It made sense—they all had families.

Seo-jun stepped into the kitchen to prepare Arutus Fry. Of course, he wasn’t just going to serve that.

The restaurant’s signature dish—gochujang pork belly—would also be served as a complimentary dish.

Fortunately, they were engrossed in conversation.

Seo-jun reached for the prepared Dekanto.

Zzzzzzt!

At that moment, sparks flew. In an instant, the Dekanto was fully cooked.

If any mage had witnessed it—no, not even a distant one.

If Park Yeon, who understood magic principles better than anyone, had seen this, he would have been utterly shocked.

What Seo-jun had just cast was Chain Lightning, a large-scale spell.

Depending on the caster’s circle, the range varied, but at a minimum, Chain Lightning affected everything within a 20-meter radius.

Yet here it was, concentrated onto a single spot—the Dekanto.

Even the intensity had been precisely controlled.

If Park Yeon had seen it, he would have surely exclaimed:

—"Truly, you were an unavoidable Demon King... To even twist the principles of magic! This is blasphemy against the gods! I shall strike you down!"

Ignoring the words that seemed to echo in his ears, Seo-jun looked at the steaming Dekanto with anticipation.

Back in the Demon Realm, there were no seasonings, so Dekanto was eaten simply grilled without being brined.

‘I ate so much of it that I got sick of it.’

And yet, it still looked delicious.

The crispy, tender contrast was perfection itself.

By then, the gochujang pork belly had finished cooking as well.

Seo-jun plated the whole roasted Dekanto alongside the pork belly and served them.

“Huh? What's this? We didn’t order this.”

“It’s on the house.”

“On the house? Pork belly and chicken... Wait, why is this chicken so big?”

“It’s a native breed.”

“Were native chickens always this big? It looks even bigger than usual.”

“Does it matter? Seo-jun specially prepared it for us as a treat.”

“That’s true.”

“Seo-jun, thanks! We’ll enjoy it.”

“Please enjoy, and let me know if you need anything else.”

The supermarket employees nodded.

“Is this rotisserie chicken?”

“Looks like it.”

“Wow, it’s been a while since I had rotisserie chicken.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen it around lately.”

“Enough talking, let’s dig in.”

“I’m starting with the pork belly.”

“Can I have the wing?”

Each took their preferred piece, exclaiming in delight.

“This is delicious.”

“You have to try the gochujang pork belly. I mean, what kind of pork belly is this...?”

As they continued to marvel and sip their drinks—

A door opened from a small side room in the restaurant, and Park Yeon stretched as he stepped out.

Kang Min-hee was the first to notice him.

“Oh? The funny guy is here too?”

The supermarket employees had taken to calling Park Yeon the "funny guy."

“It’s been a while.”

It was all because of his unique persona.

“Funny guy, want to have a bite too?”

“No need. But...”

Park Yeon's gaze locked onto the Dekanto. Realizing his intent, Kang Min-hee grinned.

“Come on and eat with us.”

“Would that be alright?”

“Seo-jun said it’s on the house, so why not? But did you just wake up, funny guy?”

“I stayed up late playing hide and seek last night, so I ended up sleeping in.”

“Haha, what a joker.”

“See? That’s why we call him the funny guy.”

The women burst into laughter.

After all, no adult would actually stay up all night playing hide and seek.

……Of course, it was their misunderstanding.

Park Yeon had genuinely overslept while playing hide-and-seek with Doo-shik.

Whether they believed it or not was none of his concern. His only interest was in the Dekanto leg.

He picked up the last remaining Dekanto leg and bit into it with a crunch.

“For a Demon King, he sure is good at cooking.”

Indeed, he was a strange Demon King.

Muttering to himself, Park Yeon turned to the market employees and spoke.

“By the way, did you see it yesterday?”

“The funny bachelor? You watch that too?”

“Of course. It’s my favorite drama.”

The topic naturally shifted to dramas.

As Park Yeon deboned the Dekanto leg, he slurped and spoke.

“Wasn’t Han Soo-yeon absolutely awful?”

“Right? That fox of a woman is downright evil. How could she do that to her own husband?”

“Exactly. Framing him like that… Tsk tsk.”

“Oh, by the way, funny bachelor, do you watch that too?”

“Ah, you mean the historical drama.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I don’t watch that one.”

“Huh? You seem like the type who watches every drama in existence. How come you don’t watch that?”

“It’s boring. So, I’ve decided not to watch anything by that writer anymore. It’s always the same anyway…”

“Well, yeah. I heard the ratings are 0.8%?”

“It’s actually 0.6%.”

At that moment, Seo-jun, who had just brought out a sample of freshly made baechu kimchi, cautiously joined the conversation.

“I actually found it entertaining.”

“Huh? That one?”

“Yes. It was quite enjoyable. The protagonist is rather cheerful too.”

“Well, different people have different tastes. Hoho.”

“But still, your standards for dramas are really low. Tsk tsk.”

Clicking his tongue, Park Yeon continued.

“More importantly, didn’t you feel bad for Lee Si-kyung?”

Lee Si-kyung was one of the supporting characters in the drama.

“People live relying on their memories. If one’s own parents don’t recognize them, how painful must that be? It nearly made me cry.”

“……”

The women, who had been laughing and nodding along, suddenly fell silent. Then, they glanced awkwardly at Kang Min-hee.

As the silence stretched, one of the employees quickly changed the subject.

“So, uh… funny bachelor, do you have a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend… Haha. I think I might have one soon.”

“Really?”

“Well, it’s not certain yet, but I’d say there’s an 80% chance.”

“What kind of woman is she? Is she pretty?”

“She’s a daycare teacher. An absolute angel.”

“You’ve really got a bad case of love goggles. Hohoho.”

“If you’re already like this now, how will you be later? Hoho.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Except for one person…

“Min-hee, this is becoming a problem. I have my own responsibilities, you know. This is already the fourth time this month.”

Kang Min-hee lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

The store manager let out a deep sigh.

“But what can we do? Your mother is looking for you… Go quickly. You don’t want to be late.”

“Thank you, Manager.”

Hurriedly, Kang Min-hee changed out of her uniform and rushed out of the market. One of the employees watching her leave turned to the manager.

“Min-hee unni is leaving early again today?”

“Looks like it.”

“That must be tough for you.”

The manager wasn’t the store owner. He was merely the manager.

If this kept happening, it was he who would get scolded by the owner for letting employees leave early.

“But what can I do? After hearing her situation, I couldn’t just say no…”

Meanwhile, Kang Min-hee anxiously boarded the bus.

‘I can’t be late…’

She glanced at her watch. It had already been ten minutes since she received the call.

As soon as she arrived at her destination, she hurried off the bus.

“Lady, you almost knocked me over!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

She quickly bowed in apology before dashing off. Her destination was a dementia care center.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, I got the call. You said my mother had a moment of clarity…”

“Yes, yes. She’s in the garden right now. You should go see her.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh! Min-hee!”

“Yes?”

“The doctor wants to talk to you later. It’s about your mother.”

“Alright.”

Kang Min-hee quickened her pace.

When she reached the garden, she took a deep breath to calm herself. She wiped the sweat beading on her forehead with her sleeve.

Then, pretending nothing was wrong, she approached.

“Mom.”

As she called out, the elderly woman on the bench turned toward her. A smile spread across the old woman’s lips.

“You’re here?”

“Yes. How are you feeling?”

“The same as always. But what about work?”

“You know my manager is a good person. As soon as I told him I was coming to see you, he let me go right away.”

“I really should thank that manager someday…”

“We can go together and thank him later.”

“I don’t know if that will be possible.”

“It will be. I’m sure of it.”

At Kang Min-hee’s words, the old woman smiled faintly.

“I need to go to the restroom. I think I drank too much water earlier.”

“Should I go with you?”

“No, no. I can go to the restroom on my own. You must’ve been standing all day—take a seat and rest.”

Her mother’s figure grew smaller as she walked away. It felt like watching a child playing near the water’s edge, but she chose to trust her mother’s words.

Yet, even after a long time, her mother didn’t return. Uneasy, she headed toward the restroom.

A commotion could be heard. Her unease grew stronger. A sense of foreboding crept in. And then…

“Grandma, you need to get up.”

“No! Give me snacks. I won’t get up unless I get snacks.”

“Please stand up. Your pants are wet. I’ll give you snacks after we clean you up…”

“Mom.”

Kang Min-hee’s voice trembled as she called out.

But her mother, sitting on the floor, soaked in urine, didn’t respond.

“Unni, who’s this lady?”

“……”

“Unni, I asked, who is this lady?”

Kang Min-hee finally let out the tears she had been holding back.

The mother she loved.

The mother who loved her.

Not recognizing her anymore—that was a pain only those who had experienced it could ever understand.