Gulp gulp!

Having drained the bottle of soju, Sung-jun flung the empty container onto the passenger seat.

This incident had cost him everything.

His honor... his family... his friends.

He was determined to die. Cleanly, without any hesitation. But the idea of dying alone never once crossed his mind.

The source of all this trouble.

"Ki Seok-tae."

He would kill that man before ending his own life. That beggarly bastard deserved to die.

Vroom!

Starting the engine, Sung-jun waited for Ki Seok-tae to leave the restaurant. Soon, the man emerged, smiling brightly as he left the establishment.

Bastard! How dare you laugh? While some of us can’t even cry when we want to, you laugh!?

Sung-jun slammed down on the accelerator.

Vroooom!

The roar of the engine echoed as the car hurtled toward Ki Seok-tae.

“Ah!”

Ki Seok-tae flinched.

Seeing that brought a wicked sense of satisfaction.

He must be seeing his life flash before his eyes.

Heh.

He would crush the man. Ki Seok-tae’s body would be obliterated. Surviving a head-on collision with a two-ton vehicle would be impossible.

“Die!”

As the car closed in to the point where Sung-jun could see the pores on the man’s face, it happened.

"...What the...?"

A sensation as though time had stopped.

No, it wasn’t just a sensation.

Time had truly stopped.

“What… what is this…?”

As Sung-jun reeled in shock, someone stepped out of the restaurant. Slowly. So slowly it was almost irritating.

“Ah!”

When their eyes met, Sung-jun gasped. The figure’s eyes lacked sclera.

Eyes that should belong to any human didn’t.

Panicking, Sung-jun turned and fled. He ran and ran. But the more he ran, the closer the figure seemed. As if he were being sucked into a black hole.

Eventually, the figure got close enough to wrap a hand around Sung-jun’s throat.

“Gah! Gah!”

“Money is a funny thing. The more you have, the more you want. The more you have, the more you want to take from others.”

“P-Please… gck!”

“I don’t condemn that. But…”

“Pl… Please… let me g-go…”

“You shouldn’t go so far as to take a life.”

“Ugh!”

Sung-jun’s face turned ghostly pale as Seo-jun tossed him aside.

Cough, cough!

“Go.”

Terrified, Sung-jun fled, repeatedly glancing over his shoulder. When he was far enough that he was no longer visible to the naked eye, Seo-jun restarted time.

By then, the car had long since been stowed away in a subspace.

“Ahhh!”

As time resumed, Ki Seok-tae screamed and crouched down.

“Mr. Ki, are you alright?”

“Huh? Boss?”

Ki Seok-tae looked around frantically.

“W-What? I could’ve sworn a car was speeding toward me…”

“Maybe you dreamed it?”

“No, that’s not it…”

Leaving the confused Ki Seok-tae behind, Seo-jun re-entered the restaurant.

Park Yeon, who seemed to have noticed that time had stopped, said nothing.

Instead—

“I’ll keep quiet about it if you let me have one more cola.”

“Deal.”

[Perpetrator in Bribery Case Claims to See a Demon in District 12... Netizens: “Feigning insanity for leniency? The worst.”] [Perpetrator Mr. Park Admitted to Psychiatric Facility, Claims: “I saw a demon.”]

The rice is done.

Hearing the notification, Seo-jun closed the browser.

Perhaps it was the long years of not eating it, but he never seemed to tire of Korean food. Especially soups.

They say craving soup with your meal is a sign of aging.

Recalling an old article he’d read, Seo-jun smirked. If aging was the case, then yes, he’d aged quite a bit.

Too much, in fact.

Today’s soup was oyster soup.

Though it wasn’t the peak season, oysters were a delight to eat year-round, not to mention affordable.

‘Radishes are pricey, though.’

The radishes for the soup.

Just as cabbage had become “golden cabbage,” radishes were now “golden radishes,” costing over 40,000 won each.

“What’s on the menu today?”

Park Yeon emerged, yawning, an expectant expression on his face. It seemed he had taken a liking to Korean food, happily eating whatever was served.

“Oyster soup, I thought.”

“Oyster soup? As in a dish with oysters?”

When Seo-jun nodded, Park Yeon’s face lit up with subtle emotion.

What’s with that look?

“How did you know?”

“Hmm?”

“That oyster dishes are meaningful.”

“Yes, they are.”

“Could you have read my thoughts? No, even for you, reading thoughts is—”

Why does he think it’s impossible?

Reading someone’s thoughts wasn’t difficult. He just refrained because it was tiresome.

Right now, for example.

Could I have been talking in my sleep? No, a hero like me wouldn’t talk in his sleep. Then how does he know it’s my birthday? This is touching... no! Veltebray! Pull yourself together! Feeling moved by the Demon God?

Birthday?

Ah, right. On that continent, there was a tradition of making oyster dishes for birthdays.

This could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

‘But a little misunderstanding on a birthday isn’t so bad.’

After some thought, Seo-jun spoke.

“You were talking in your sleep so loudly I thought you wanted me to hear.”

“Don’t misunderstand! I wouldn’t stoop to talking in my sleep for your sake! Still…”

“Yes?”

“…Thanks.”

“For what?”

“…Never mind.”

“I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Never mind, I said!”

Seo-jun chuckled.

That’s enough teasing.

“Ahem! By the way, what’s oyster soup like?”

“Hmm. You could think of it as oyster stew. A bit different, though.”

“Hoho, I’ve always liked oyster stew… Ahem!”

Before he could finish, Park Yeon retreated to his room. He must have realized he was getting overly excited in front of the Demon God.

‘A birthday, huh.’

Birthdays didn’t mean much in the Demon Realm.

Survival was what mattered.

Because of that, it had been so long since he’d celebrated someone’s birthday that he couldn’t even recall. If he tried, the last one might have been 400 years ago.

Back then, he’d commemorated the day of Varunk’s creation by bestowing a portion of his power upon him.

Well, technically that wasn’t a birthday gift, but it was close enough.

‘Not bad.’

Still, first things first—making the oyster soup.

Oyster soup didn’t require many ingredients.

Oysters and radishes were sufficient. Yet with a few additional ingredients, the flavor could be elevated.

First, anchovies and kelp were added to the pot to prepare the broth. The longer it boiled, the richer the flavor became.

While the broth was simmering, I peeled and julienned the radish.

Although radish is often cut into chunks for stews and other soups, julienning is an exception for oyster soup.

The julienned radish was immediately added to the boiling broth, followed by the prepared oysters.

After rinsing the oysters gently to remove any remaining grit, I drained them with a strainer. The key was to handle them gently. Scrubbing too hard risks losing the oysters’ natural, refreshing flavor.

Once cleaned, the oysters were added to the boiling broth. For seasoning, soy sauce sufficed, and a small amount of minced garlic was added for a finishing touch.

Done.

I sampled it.

At first glance, oysters and radish might seem like an odd pairing, but they complement each other remarkably well. It’s as if the refreshing flavors of land and sea combined to create a deep, savory taste.

The seasoning is just right.

Satisfied, I closed the lid of the pot. With the oyster soup complete, it was time to find a birthday present.

There wasn’t much deliberation—cola was the obvious choice.

A pack of 250ml canned cola would make the perfect gift.

On my way back, I stopped by a bakery. After all, no birthday celebration is complete without a cake.

Chocolate, whipped cream, or tiramisu? Which one would they like most?

Hoping to align with Seo-woo’s taste, I decided on a chocolate cake after some thought.

“How many candles would you like?” the staff asked.

I paused, recalling Park Yeon’s age.

How old was he again?

“Thirty, maybe?”

Since we were on Earth, I decided to settle on thirty.

“Please give me three large candles.”

With the cake and cola in hand, I returned to the shop. Park Yeon, sprawled on the table and watching TV, greeted me as I entered.

“You’re back?”

“You can turn on the TV by yourself now?”

“Don’t underestimate me. I’ve always said I’m a quick learner.”

“Didn’t Seo-woo have to explain how to use the remote ten times?”

“It wasn’t ten times—it was nine!”

“Was it?”

When I chuckled, Park Yeon shot me a sharp glance but quickly feigned indifference.

“What’s with the cola?”

“What do you think?”

“Is it for sale? Or is it a new product? I’ve never seen it in the grocery store… Ah! Don’t misunderstand. I’m not the kind of hero who covets other people’s things.”

“It’s a gift.”

“A gift? You’re not saying it’s for me, are you?”

“It’s for you.”

Park Yeon’s face lit up as he practically leaped to examine the cola, his expression brimming with excitement.

“How many cans are there? One, two, three, four…”

“No need to count—there are thirty.”

“Thirty?! You’re giving me all of this?!”

“That’s right.”

His face momentarily froze before he composed himself.

“I want to make one thing clear.”

“What is it?”

“If you think this gift will make me sell my soul to you, you’re mistaken. It’s also a mistake to think you can claim my soul with this.”

“Don’t worry—I have no intention of doing that.”

“Well then… Since you brought it, I’ll graciously accept it. Hehehe.”

As he unwrapped the pack of cola, he asked, “But when are we eating?”

“Now. Why?”

“Cola tastes best on a full stomach. Hurry up and serve dinner so I can enjoy it properly.”

Dinner first, cola second, huh?

Shaking my head, I brought out the rice and oyster soup. There was no need for side dishes—the oyster soup was enough.

“It smells good.”

“I’m glad.”

“Do I eat it as is, or is there a special way to enjoy it?”

“There’s no special way—just eat it with the rice. Though you can do this for extra flavor.”

I scooped some rice, placed an oyster from the soup on top, and added a couple of spoonfuls of pre-made soy sauce seasoning.

The final step was to mix it all together.

Watching me, Park Yeon immediately followed suit, mixing his rice and devouring it.

“This combination! I’ve never tasted anything like it before! It’s like the ocean is alive in my mouth!”

Smiling at his enthusiasm, I finally took a bite myself. Starting with the oyster soup, I scooped up some broth, an oyster, and a piece of julienned radish.

Just then, the bell rang.

“Ding!”

Lee Moon-Ik entered, hesitantly glancing around.

“Oh, I see you’re eating. I tried to avoid lunch hours to not interrupt….”

“It’s fine. But we’re not open yet.”

“Ah! I was just hoping to order takeout. If that’s not possible, no worries.”

“Takeout?”

“Yes, the spicy pork belly I had with Sungkyun the other day has been haunting me. As you know, when you eat something delicious, there’s a guilt if you don’t share it with your family.”

Ki Seok-tae had once said something similar.

“Of course, if it’s not possible, I understand.”

“There’s no problem. Please come in.”

“Are you sure?”

“Takeout is no trouble. How much would you like?”

“About… 200,000 won’s worth?”

“That much?”

“My mother loves spicy pork belly, and the kids go crazy for pork belly in general.”

“I see. Please have a seat—I’ll prepare it for you.”

As I went into the kitchen to pack the pork belly, Lee Moon-Ik surveyed the shop.

In the daylight, the bar had a completely different vibe than at night.

It feels more like a restaurant than a bar.

Almost like an omakase-style restaurant.

As he looked around, his eyes landed on a staff member eating.

How long has it been since they’ve eaten?

The staff was devouring their meal as if they hadn’t eaten in days.