"It couldn't be helped..."

“You call that an excuse?!”

“Can you lower your voice?”

There was no response.

However, whether he had heard or not, Park Yeon, who had been staring blankly at the TV, picked up the remote and lowered the volume.

“I told you, we shouldn't have shown him TV in the first place.”

Shaking his head, Seo-jun began preparing a meal.

Today’s dish was kimchi pancakes.

A couple of days ago, while watching TV together, Yeon-jun had suddenly mentioned that he was craving kimchi pancakes.

Since the flavor of kimchi pancakes depends entirely on the kimchi, they’re relatively easy to make. The cooking process itself is also simple.

However, just because it's simple doesn’t mean they’ll turn out delicious no matter how they’re cooked.

The first and most important thing is the kimchi.

Just as kimchi stew tastes better when made with well-fermented aged kimchi, kimchi pancakes also taste best when made with deeply fermented kimchi.

Since the kimchi itself is a great seasoning, there's no need to add extra salt.

The batter must not be too watery or too thick, and the heat level while cooking is also crucial.

Knowing exactly when to flip the pancake is another key point.

Seo-jun took out the kimchi given to him by Lee Sook-hee from the refrigerator.

“Not much left.”

Since he had only received half a head of kimchi to begin with, it was surprising that some was still left, but it was a shame nonetheless.

Once these pancakes were made, there wouldn’t be any more of Sook-hee’s delicious aged kimchi to eat.

“For now, let's focus on the pancakes.”

Seo-jun took out the kimchi and squeezed out the excess kimchi juice.

While kimchi stew tastes better with its juices, only a small amount is needed for kimchi pancakes.

If too much liquid is added, the batter can become too watery.

Next, he chopped the squeezed kimchi into bite-sized pieces.

Chop, chop, chop!

The sharp, tangy aroma of kimchi filled the air, bringing a smile to his face.

He placed the chopped kimchi into a bowl along with the pancake mix. Beginners often struggle with getting the right consistency, but the key is to check how thick the batter is.

Then he thinly sliced an onion and added it to the mix, along with two spoonfuls of sugar.

All that was left was to mix it together.

Squish, squish—!

Once the batter reached the right thickness, he ground some dried anchovies into powder and added it to the bowl.

If the kimchi is good, kimchi pancakes don’t really need additional seasoning to taste amazing, but anchovy powder enhances the umami flavor.

Delicious food becomes even more delicious. And if you're going to eat, isn't it better to eat something as tasty as possible?

Especially in this era, where good kimchi has become a rarity.

He coated the pan generously with oil, and once it was hot enough, he spread the kimchi pancake batter evenly in the pan.

Sizzle!

Hissss—!

The sound of frying kimchi pancakes was reminiscent of raindrops pattering down.

Seo-jun preferred his kimchi pancakes slightly crispy. So he started cooking them on medium heat before turning it up to high heat toward the end.

Just as the fragrant scent of kimchi pancakes filled the shop—

Jingle!

The shop door opened, and Cha Jinmyung walked in.

“Where is he…?”

Seo-jun wiped his hands with a dishcloth and pointed to a small room.

“Oh, right. It’s about time for his daily drama.”

Having spent the past two weeks together, Jinmyung had learned that Park Yeon always watched his daily drama at this hour.

Just then, Seo-jun brought out the freshly cooked kimchi pancakes.

“Let’s eat together.”

“What about Park Yeon?”

“He probably won’t come out until his drama is over.”

“I see… Oh? Kimchi pancakes?”

“There was some kimchi left from your grandmother, so I made some.”

“Grandma’s kimchi is really delicious.”

Seo-jun smiled.

Jinmyung was right—Lee Sook-hee’s kimchi was exceptionally good.

It was delicious even with plain rice, but using it to make kimchi pancakes or stew made it even better.

“Here are some chopsticks.”

Jinmyung accepted them without hesitation.

Until recently, he wouldn’t have even imagined this situation.

In fact, even during training, Jinmyung had always gone home to eat.

So today was the first time he was tasting Seo-jun’s cooking.

Seo-jun tore off a piece of the pancake and offered it.

“Try it.”

“Thank you.”

As he took a bite, a smile spread across Jinmyung’s face.

“It’s really delicious. So good.”

“The ingredients are important for kimchi pancakes. Since your grandmother’s kimchi is delicious, the pancakes naturally turned out great.”

“I see.”

Jinmyung took another bite and chewed slowly.

It was truly delicious—so much so that trying to critique it would be an insult.

The outside was crispy, while the inside remained moist. The seasoning was well-balanced, making dipping sauce unnecessary.

And then, an unexpected thought crossed his mind.

“I’m really glad I didn’t die.”

“……”

“Honestly, I used to think about dying at least a dozen times a day.”

What should he say in response to something like that?

As Seo-jun hesitated, Jinmyung’s expression turned bitter as he took another bite of pancake.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? The teachers who ignored everything when Kang Hyun-sung was bullying me and the other kids suddenly started investigating school violence when I finally fought back.”

Seo-jun didn’t think the teachers had been unaware.

They had to have known.

They must have been aware that Kang Hyun-sung was ruling over Daejin High School and lording over the other students.

‘They knew, but they turned a blind eye.’

Because it was troublesome for them.

But when the situation escalated, they intervened at the last minute, conducting a formal but superficial investigation…

‘A world where adults don’t protect children…’

Seo-jun suddenly wondered—was this really any different from the demon realm, where only the strong survived?

“Even the bystanders who used to ignore it eventually wrote down Kang Hyun-sung’s name. He was called to the teachers’ office. And I was too…”

“You as well?”

“They said they wanted to know why I fought, what happened, and how much I had been bullied…”

“What happened?”

“Since it wasn’t just one or two students reporting him, they said Kang Hyun-sung will be expelled.”

Seo-jun thought it was a good thing, but at the same time, he felt it was too late.

For Cha Jinmyung and the other victims, it must have already left an indelible scar.

This nightmare would probably never be erased, even after a lifetime.

“I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Park Yeon hyung... are you an Awakened?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Every time we train, it feels like you're systematically trained. And when we enter the room, time seems to slow down.”

“......”

“At first, I thought it was just my imagination. Maybe it was just because the training was so hard that time felt slower... But that wasn’t it. Park Yeon hyung... are you an Awakened?”

“Jinmyung, you already know the answer.”

“You haven’t revealed it because there’s some secret you can’t share, right?”

“Probably.”

Cha Jinmyung was the only person on Earth who had begun to suspect Park Yeon's true identity. But Seo-jun didn’t care much and simply put another bite of kimchi pancake into his mouth.

He could erase Jinmyung’s memory if he wanted.

But if he did, the confidence Jinmyung had just gained would disappear as well.

He also believed Jinmyung wouldn’t go blabbering about it. That’s the kind of kid he was.

‘It’s delicious.’

Only then did he take a moment to evaluate the taste of the kimchi pancake.

It was good.

The outside was crispy, the inside was moist, and it had a light, savory taste.

Adding anchovy powder had definitely been the right choice.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Jinmyung put down his chopsticks and stood up. He gave a slight bow before leaving the store.

“You’re not going to say goodbye to Park Yeon?”

“Tomorrow...”

“Hm?”

“I can come back tomorrow, right?”

Seo-jun smiled brightly as he answered.

“Of course.”

“Is he inside?”

When Bureau Chief Lee Myung-seop pointed to the conference room, his subordinate nodded.

“Yes. But...”

“What?”

“Before I tell you... Since he can hear inside, please don’t raise your voice, no matter what.”

“What’s this about? Alright, fine. Tell me.”

“...He says his consultation fee should be raised to three million won per minute.”

“What?”

Now he understood why his subordinate had been so insistent.

But instead of shouting, he was left speechless.

Sometimes, when people are faced with something utterly ridiculous, they simply lose the ability to speak.

That’s exactly what happened to Lee Myung-seop.

Three million won per minute meant an hour-long consultation would cost 180 million won.

“Hah...!”

Clicking his tongue, Lee Myung-seop stepped into the conference room.

Kim Chul-jun was spinning around in his chair. When he finally spoke, he simply said...

“You’re here.”

“Awakened Kim Chul-jun... No, should I call you Guild Master now?”

“Call me whatever you like. Awakened, Guild Master, whatever works.”

“I heard you raised your consultation fee to three million per minute.”

“Yes. By the way, time is passing right now. Tick-tock, tick-tock—one minute gone.”

Crack—!

“Hah... I’ll get straight to the point. We called you here because of the 12-K98 Gate.”

“I figured as much. You should have just come to me from the start instead of wasting national funds consulting other guilds.”

“Anyway, can you break the barrier of the 12-K98 Gate?”

Lee Myung-seop asked as directly as possible.

Yes or no.

That was all he needed to hear.

But Kim Chul-jun had no intention of making it that easy.

“Before that, could I get a cup of coffee? I didn’t have one this morning, and I’m not feeling great...”

At Lee Myung-seop’s signal, a subordinate hurried off to get coffee.

“So, can you break it?”

“Did the other guilds say they couldn’t?”

“If it were just a regular job, they might have considered it. But they didn’t want to send their top personnel to such a troublesome task.”

“They’re not wrong. Breaking the barrier around the 12-K98 Gate will require a massive amount of effort.”

“So, can you do it?”

Kim Chul-jun glanced at the clock before answering.

“I can.”

“Then can you start the job right away?”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d let me finish my sentence.”

“......”

“I said there are a lot of variables involved.”

“And what exactly are those variables?”

Kim Chul-jun drew a circle in the air.

“Compensation.”

News that the Demon King, Kim Chul-jun, had appeared in District 12 quickly spread across social media.

Reporters swarmed the area.

“Mr. Kim Chul-jun, you’ve just secured your first contract with the Bureau. Do you feel confident?”

“Can we consider this Hydra Guild’s first official mission? Could you share your thoughts?”

Faced with a barrage of microphones, Kim Chul-jun’s expression was one of pure annoyance.

Even so, he made sure to say what needed to be said.

“There is no such thing as an unbreakable barrier.”

His words immediately caught the reporters’ attention.

“Are you saying that the Bureau has neglected the 12-K98 barrier until now?”

“Well... rather than neglecting it, it would be more accurate to say that the Bureau simply didn’t have anyone capable of breaking it.”

It was a blatant critique of the government’s incompetence.

But no one dared to criticize Kim Chul-jun.

Because he was Kim Chul-jun.

Just then—

“There’s a possibility of failure. Have you considered that?”

A journalist with a literary aura had thrown cold water on the entire scene.

Kim Chul-jun frowned as he replied.

“Failure is not an option.”

“Then when will you start?”

“As soon as the Bureau sends the advance payment. Probably... the day after tomorrow.”

Journalists typed away furiously on their laptops.

[The Demon King, Kim Chul-jun, and Hydra Guild’s first move...]

[Kim Chul-jun to start breaking the 12-K98 barrier the day after tomorrow—]

[Kim Chul-jun: “Failure is not an option.”]