Crunch!

The moment he took a bite, a crisp texture spread through his mouth. Soon after, a spicy kick followed.

‘Delicious!’

While Lee Moon-ik was marveling at the taste, Seo-jun placed a plate of boiled pork on the table.

“Have some of this as well.”

“Isn’t this boiled pork?”

“Kimjang kimchi isn’t complete without boiled pork, is it?”(TL/N:Kimjang refers to the traditional practice of making and storing large quantities of kimchi for the winter.)

“Well, that’s true. By the way, I’m right, aren’t I? This is Jeolla-style kimchi.”

“How did you know?”

“Jeolla-style kimchi has that initial spicy punch. And thanks to the seaweed, it has a refreshing aftertaste.”

“Now that I see it, you must be a gourmet. The way you identified it in one go. Yes, you’re right.”

“Haha. I knew it. I wouldn’t say I’m a gourmet, though. My mother-in-law was from Jeolla Province. Every Kimjang season, she would always send us some of her homemade kimchi.”

With that, Lee Moon-ik turned his gaze to the boiled pork on the table.

This time, he decided to try a three-way combination.

First, he scooped a generous amount of rice onto his spoon.

Then, he placed finely shredded kimchi on top, followed by a perfect cut of boiled pork with a 7:3 ratio of fat to lean meat.

And with one big gulp—!

“Ahh!”

The combination was simply heavenly.

“Even my kids and I used to wait eagerly for Kimjang season. We always cherished the two or three heads of kimchi my mother-in-law sent us.”

“She must have been an amazing cook.”

“Until this morning, I truly believed my mother-in-law’s cooking skills—especially her kimchi-making—were on a master’s level. But now, I’m not so sure.”

“Excuse me?”

“I feel bad saying this, but this kimchi tastes even better than hers. Ah! Please, don’t tell my mother-in-law. Haha!”

With a playful expression, Lee Moon-ik wrapped another bite of the three-way combination and popped it into his mouth.

The flavor practically begged for a drink, but he held back.

After all, he wasn’t sure what would happen to the article he had sent to the editorial department.

“By the way, haven’t you gone to check out the 12-K98 Gate?”

“The Gate?”

“Yes. Even though the Management Bureau is controlling access, all the residents have gone to take a look. I suppose it’s because Kim Chul-jun is involved.”

Lee Moon-ik continued.

“Well… honestly, it might have been better if they hadn’t gone. The scene was like a funeral after the failure to break through the barrier.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Moon-ik nodded while placing more rice and kimchi on his spoon.

“Of course. Kim Chul-jun is one of the top Awakened individuals in Korea. When someone like him fails to break the barrier, it’s only natural that the atmosphere turns grim.”

Seo-jun gave a bitter smile.

If it was that barrier, not even Park Yeon could break through it. It wasn’t just any ordinary barrier.

“So, what happens next?”

“Next? Well, I suppose they’ll try to recruit Awakened individuals from other guilds.”

“Who would step up for something even Kim Chul-jun failed at?”

“If there’s money involved, there’s always someone willing. If they can’t find anyone in Korea, they’ll look abroad.”

“Do you know why they’re so obsessed with this barrier?”

“It’s because this type of barrier has never been seen before.”

“Never been seen before?”

“As you know, the 12-K98 Gate exploded. Normally, when a sealed Gate explodes, it means monsters are being summoned. But in this case, no monsters appeared. The Management Bureau and the government believe that has something to do with the barrier.”

“I see.”

“If their theory is correct, it would be an incredible discovery on a global scale. The government is willing to spend a fortune to break it. If they can study the Gate and determine its connection to monster summoning, Korea’s influence in international affairs will increase.”

Seo-jun gave another bitter smile.

It was all speculation. They were wasting their efforts.

“Oh, look at the time. I really enjoyed the meal. The kimchi, the boiled pork… even the rice—it was all fantastic. How much do I owe you?”

“It’s fine.”

“But I’ve already had a meal on the house before.”

“If you insist, just give me five thousand won.”

“Then, I’ll see you again next time!”

Instead of five thousand won, Lee Moon-ik took out a fifty-thousand-won bill from his wallet, placed it on the table, and walked out of the restaurant.

Seo-jun started to follow him to return the money but stopped.

For Lee Moon-ik, that was probably the best way to show his appreciation.

“Cut it like this with the scissors…”

Suddenly, from inside the restaurant, Seo-woo’s voice could be heard.

That brat, he must be cutting some kimchi to eat while I was away.

It would be best to go inside and stop him right away—

‘Hmm.’

Seo-jun’s steps came to a halt. Someone was rummaging through the food waste bin in front of the restaurant.

It was a familiar face.

That woman he had seen a few days ago.

She was picking out rotten potatoes and cabbage scraps from the trash and devouring them desperately.

At that sight, memories from thousands of years ago surfaced in Seo-jun’s mind.

The part-time shift had ended.

Dragging his exhausted body home, Seo-jun’s phone vibrated.

- A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has struck Sokcho. Residents, please evacuate to designated shelters.

- A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck Paju. Please evacuate to shelters immediately.

Seo-jun, who had been dozing off on the bus, couldn’t believe it.

An earthquake over magnitude 7 in Korea, a country known for its earthquake safety…?

He tried to check the internet for information, but the network was down.

It was likely due to server overload from the sudden traffic surge.

As the passengers began to panic—

The road collapsed, and a sinkhole formed.

At first, he thought it was an aftereffect of the earthquake.

But he was mistaken.

The sinkhole was swallowing everything around it.

The illegally parked car... the pedestrians passing by... the phone booth... and even the bus that Seo-jun was on.

When Seo-jun, who had lost consciousness, opened his eyes, he was alone.

It was an unfamiliar place.

The ground, possibly due to drought, was cracked open, with magma-like substances spewing out from the gaps.

The sky was a dark crimson, and instead of soft, fluffy clouds, there was an inferno blazing above, capable of melting everything in its path.

Seo-jun searched for any signs of human presence.

But there was nothing. It was as if no living soul existed in this world.

Time passed.

The scorching thirst and gnawing hunger blurred his senses.

And then, he saw a bipedal pig.

The pig muttered something in an incomprehensible language and handed him what looked like jerky.

It wasn’t good. In fact, it reeked of decay and a putrid stench.

Even as he gagged, Seo-jun forced himself to eat it.

The pig that showed him kindness was an orc named Kalax, who had been exiled from his tribe for committing a crime.

Years later, Seo-jun asked Kalax,

“Why did you help me back then?”

“I don’t know. You just reminded me of my past self.”

“I’m sorry. I was just so hungry...”

The woman lowered her head.

Seo-jun, reminded of his past self, approached her.

“Would you like to have a meal together?”

“......”

“I ended up cooking way too much food.”

“But...”

“I insist.”

The hesitant woman finally nodded.

“I found Yeoksam!”

Seo-woo, who had been searching under the table, playfully peeked at Yeoksam.

Yeoksam, who had been hiding, yawned and squinted his eyes, prompting Seo-woo to put on a stern expression.

“Yeoksam, again! If you keep doing this, I’ll tell Uncle!”

“Kang-kang!”

“Yeoksam, give me your paw!”

Yeoksam extended his paw. Seo-woo, satisfied, stroked him.

Though Yeoksam seemed mildly annoyed, he didn’t entirely dislike the affection. He rolled onto his back.

“So soft.”

“Kang?”

Seo-woo, rubbing his face against Yeoksam’s belly, suddenly sprang up.

He had caught a glimpse of the journalist and his uncle leaving the store.

“Yeoksam, shh!”

“Kang-kang!”

“I said, shh! Shh!”

“Kang?”

“Yeah, just say kang. Kang, okay?”

Seo-woo tiptoed toward the kitchen, eyes fixed on the shop entrance.

In the kitchen, there was freshly made kimchi.

Seo-woo recalled how his uncle had done it.

“Use the scissors like this...”

With his tiny hands, he snipped the kimchi, then scooped some rice from the electric cooker.

“Kang-kang!”

Yeoksam barked as if asking what he was doing, and Seo-woo pressed a finger to his lips.

“This tastes amazing, but Uncle and Dad don’t let me eat it. They say it’s spicy, but I can handle spice just fine.”

“Kang?”

“Yeah, spicy. Kang. So, shhh.”

“Kang!”

Seo-woo, struggling but determined, piled the rice onto a spoon, topped it with shredded kimchi, and took a bite.

The bright red kimchi looked delicious.

He popped it into his mouth.

“Kang-kang?”

Yeoksam seemed to ask if he was okay.

Seo-woo confidently put his hands on his hips.

“See? This is nothing for me! It’s not spicy at all! I can handle spice just fine!”

He eagerly scooped more rice and kimchi and took another bite.

The last time he had kimchi, it had been washed in water first. This was so much tastier than the washed version...

“Huh?”

Something was wrong.

“Huhhh?”

Suddenly, his tongue hurt.

“Huhhhhhhh?!”

It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

It was like his mouth was on fire.

No, he was sure of it.

His mouth was on fire!

“Haaa-!”

He instinctively inhaled and exhaled rapidly, but instead of putting out the flames, the burning sensation only intensified.

Seo-woo began stomping his feet in distress just as Seo-jun walked in.

“Ku-nappa! Ku-nappa!”

Ku-nappa?

Oh, "big uncle."

“Hmm?”

“It’s maayuh! Maayuh! Haaa-!”

Seo-woo was flailing his hands, fanning his tongue.

The kimchi had just been made. No amount of fanning with his tiny hands would get rid of the capsaicin.

“It’s maayuh! Maayuh! Maayuh! Firefighter! Firefighter!”

Seo-woo, stomping his feet in distress, was unbearably adorable.

As much as Seo-jun wanted to watch him longer, he needed to put out the fire quickly.

Seo-jun hurriedly took a carton of milk from the fridge and poured it into a cup.

Of course, he didn’t forget to cast a little magic on it.

“Seo-woo, drink some milk.”

Seo-woo clutched the cup with both hands and gulped it down.

Finally, his expression calmed.

“Feeling better now?”

“It’s off!”

“Hmm?”

“The fire is off! Look!”

Seo-woo opened his mouth wide.

“See? The fire is gone!”

The burning sensation from capsaicin must have truly felt like fire to a child.

Seo-jun chuckled and ruffled Seo-woo’s hair.

“Yeah. It’s all gone now.”

“Then, did you call the firefighters too?”

“The firefighters were too busy to come.”

“I wanted to ask them something...”

“What did Seo-woo want to ask the firefighters?”

“I wanted to ask why adults eat kimchi when it makes fire in your mouth. Uncle, do you know?”

Seo-woo asked with a pure and curious expression.

Seo-jun fell into thought.

Why do adults eat kimchi?

And why, even after living in the demon realm for thousands of years, could he never forget about kimchi?

And why was he seriously pondering this question?

Just then, his gaze landed on the woman.