“...Demon King. Do you know?”

Turning his head, Park Yeon spoke with a despondent expression.

“A certain sage once said that nothing is as fleeting as a human life… I didn’t understand it before, but now I see it’s true. I never thought a day like this would come….”

“Anyone would think you were saying farewell.”

“Are you saying you don’t feel sad?”

“Not at all.”

“As expected….”

“What’s with that look?”

“It’s the look of someone thinking, ‘You really are the Demon King.’”

Seo-jun let out a chuckle.

“What does Seo-woo going to daycare have to do with me being the Demon King?”

“Of course it’s related! You’re not even the slightest bit sad about Seo-woo going to daycare!”

Park Yeon hadn’t been able to sleep since last night.

Today was the day Seo-woo would be attending daycare for the first time.

‘Was this how Priest Vorpian felt when he sent me away from the temple…?’

Park Yeon gave a bitter smile.

Back then, he had thought the priest was cold-hearted. He hadn’t even come out to see him off.

But now he understood the priest’s feelings.

Seeing the child leave would have weakened his resolve.

“Uncle, why is Uncle Park Yeon acting like that?”

Seo-woo spoke while looking at Park Yeon, who was sitting there alone, looking dejected.

“He does that sometimes.”

“Yeah, but today he seems even weirder.”

“Hmm… He says he’s sad about you going to daycare.”

“Why would he be sad about that?”

“He’s sad that he has to be apart from you, even for a little while.”

Seo-woo tilted his head, as if half-understanding, then walked over to Park Yeon, who was still lamenting.

Then, he took a stuffed toy out of his bag and placed it in Park Yeon’s hand.

“This is Seo-woo’s favorite toy.”

“Why are you giving this to me…?”

“Uncle gets sad when Seo-woo isn’t around, right? Now, this toy is Seo-woo.”

“……”

Park Yeon’s eyes turned red.

But he didn’t cry.

Because he was a hero who had received the oracle.

Because he was the hero who had slain the evil dragon Deikarantu.

And because he was the hero who had—well, not exactly defeated, but at least attempted to defeat—the Demon King!

“…Go on.”

With a solemn expression, Park Yeon stood firm while Seo-woo scratched his head and moved to stand beside Seo-jun.

Time passed.

The daycare bus arrived.

Though called a daycare bus, it resembled an armored vehicle. It was shaped like a bus but had armor plating on the exterior.

More notably, inside the bus were two guards armed with rifles.

“Hello?”

A teacher stepped out of the bus and greeted them.

“Oh, hello.”

“You must be Seo-woo’s uncle, right?”

“That’s me.”

“We’ll take good care of him.”

“That’s what we should be saying. Please look after Seo-woo well.”

“No need to worry.”

The teacher knelt to match Seo-woo’s eye level.

“So you’re Seo-woo?”

“Yes!”

“You’re a brave one, aren’t you?”

“Seo-woo is always brave.”

“That’s great. Shall we go meet your new friends?”

Seo-woo’s face lit up as he eagerly nodded and climbed onto the bus.

The teacher smiled warmly.

That smile alone was enough to make someone’s heart explode—though she had no idea.

‘An angel descended from heaven? No… she’s a goddess. It must be the arrival of a goddess.’

No! On second thought, maybe she was a demon. Even a goddess couldn’t have such a beautiful smile.

‘Wait, are there even demons in this world…?’

He had never seen or heard of demons on TV.

Though there was a Demon King.

‘Then she must be a goddess….’

Just as the female teacher finished her farewell with Seo-jun and was about to board the bus—

She could not be allowed to leave like this.

“My lady.”

“…Are you speaking to me?”

“Yes. I am Park Yeon, Seo-woo’s uncle.”

“Oh, um… hello.”

“If it wouldn’t be too presumptuous, may I ask your family name and given name?”

“My… my name?”

“It would be a great honor if you would share it with me.”

The teacher, flustered by Park Yeon’s intense gaze, unconsciously blurted out her name.

“I… I’m Lee Ra-hee.”

“Lee Ra-hee… Thank you. So, if it’s not too much trouble, would you perhaps share a drink with me sometime?”

“A… drink?”

As Lee Ra-hee looked even more bewildered, Seo-jun sighed and stepped in.

“I’m sorry. He’s a little… slow.”

“Ah….”

“Slow? Don’t misunderstand! I’m not slo—”

Park Yeon suddenly fell silent.

Or rather, he had no choice but to. His mouth wouldn’t move.

Of course, that was thanks to Seo-jun’s quick intervention.

“Well then, we’ll see you later.”

Lee Ra-hee quickly boarded the bus.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Ruining my love life like this!”

“Love life?”

“Yes!”

“That wasn’t a love life, that was creating a lifelong embarrassment.”

“Embarrassment?! Explain it in a way I can understand!”

“What you did on the continent is considered laughable here.”

At that moment, Park Yeon felt as if he had been struck by a dwarf’s hammer.

Right, this was Earth.

Earth was completely different from the continent. Even the very concept of a president was different.

Wasn’t he like an emperor chosen by the people?

So, naturally, the way one approached a lady had to be different too.

Having realized this, Park Yeon let out a deep sigh.

“Thank you.”

With that, he hurriedly ran into the store.

Seo-jun had a good idea why Park Yeon had rushed inside.

From the room, a faint voice could be heard.

“-If you drink that, you’re dating me.”

“-Every moment I spent with you was dazzling. Because the weather was good, because the weather was bad…”

“-Do I… like you?”

Park Yeon did not come out of his room for quite some time.

“-I do not permit it. This person is mine.”

Hearing another faint line from inside the room, Seo-jun shook his head.

It seemed Park Yeon was devouring romance dramas, including historical ones.

‘Looks like I’ll have to eat alone.’

Not that eating alone was bad.

In fact, Seo-jun rather preferred it.

A quiet, tranquil atmosphere during a meal—what could be more peaceful?

He didn’t even need to think about the menu.

He planned to make something simple yet filling: kimchi fried rice.

And to go with it, a beer.

Some might find the combination odd, but beer made for a great palate cleanser.

Since kimchi fried rice was a stir-fried dish, it tended to be greasy, and beer was perfect for cutting through that richness.

Seo-jun took out the rice first.

As everyone knows, when making fried rice, cold rice is better than hot rice.

Hot rice sticks together and doesn’t fry evenly, whereas cold rice clumps less, allowing the ingredients to mix well and enhancing the flavor.

Seo-jun first finely chopped the green onion. The key here was to chop it ‘finely.’ It was crucial to make sure it was chopped as small as possible.

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Next was spam.

Spam is delicious whether grilled or boiled, but it pairs exceptionally well with kimchi fried rice.

Chopping the spam into small pieces was also important.

Once the ingredients were prepped, it was time to make scallion oil using the finely chopped green onion.

Sizzle—!

As soon as the green onions hit the heated frying pan, a sweet aroma burst into the air.

Once the scallion oil was well infused, it was time to add the spam.

After the spam came the kimchi. It wasn’t aged kimchi, but a few drops of vinegar would do the trick.

After adding the vinegar, he sprinkled in half a spoon of red pepper powder.

Too much red pepper powder could absorb moisture, making the fried rice dry, so he kept it at half a spoon.

Next, he added sugar to balance out the sourness of the kimchi.

If the kimchi was too sour, he could add a full spoon, but Seo-jun preferred kimchi fried rice with just the right amount of tang.

After adding the sugar, he mixed everything well.

Once everything was evenly combined, he added the rice and continued to stir-fry while mixing.

At this stage, using two spatulas or spoons was ideal.

Clumped-up rice wouldn’t absorb the seasoning evenly, so he carefully stirred it with two spoons.

To prevent the rice from sticking, he lowered the heat.

When the frying was complete, he firmly packed the kimchi fried rice into a bowl, then flipped it onto a plate to shape it.

Of course, it wasn’t over yet.

The grand finale— a fried egg.

Kimchi fried rice without a fried egg was like a red bean bun without red bean paste.

Seo-jun used a separate frying pan to make the egg.

He preferred a soft, runny yolk for fried rice. Once it was cooked just right, he turned off the heat and placed it on top of the fried rice.

Finally, he added a few drops of Hydra’s Saliva, and just like that, a visually stunning plate of kimchi fried rice was complete.

Now all that was left was to eat…

Ring!

“Hello!”

It was Ki Seok-tae.

“Ah! Were you eating?”

“I was just about to start.”

“I see. Looks like I interrupted you unintentionally.”

“Not at all. Have you eaten?”

“Look at the time. Of course, I have.”

Seo-jun knew that Seok-tae was lying out of politeness.

“I know you haven’t.”

“Haha, no, really, I have. See this belly? I ate a huge meal. I just came to drop these off, so please, continue your meal.”

“If you push yourself on an empty stomach, it’s easy to get sick. I can make mine again, so please, eat.”

At Seo-jun’s repeated offer, Seok-tae scratched his cheek.

“I feel like I’m stealing your food.”

“Well, technically, you are.”

“…Ah, I’m sorry.”

“I was joking.”

As Seo-jun smiled, he suddenly realized that he’d been joking around more often lately.

That, too, must be part of his positive changes.

“You said it so seriously that I was startled.”

“Are you okay with kimchi fried rice?”

“Would it be alright for me to eat such a precious dish?”

“Of course. Don’t worry and enjoy.”

Seo-jun placed the carefully prepared kimchi fried rice on the table where Seok-tae sat.

Looking down at the dish, Seok-tae admired it.

“It’s got a soft yolk.”

“A runny yolk is essential for fried rice.”

“That’s true. Well then, I’ll dig in.”

Seok-tae broke the yolk first. As the golden liquid oozed over the fried rice like molten lava, he scooped up a spoonful and took a bite.

A smile naturally spread across his face.

“As expected, it’s delicious.”

“Kimchi fried rice is always good.”

“No, there’s something different about yours. Actually, not just the fried rice, but all your dishes. Even when using the same ingredients to make the same food, yours feels like a completely different dish.”

“Really?”

“The other day, my daughter came here with her friends and had tteokbokki, right?”

“Yes.”

“She wouldn’t stop talking about it for days. So, I bought her some from the snack shop near our house, but after a few bites, she stopped eating. When I asked why, she said it didn’t taste good. She used to eat that tteokbokki just fine before.”

“Tell her to come by again.”

“Of course.”

Seok-tae nodded and took another bite of the kimchi fried rice.

As expected, it was amazing.

He also believed that kimchi fried rice should have a slight sourness.

That way, it balanced with the mild rice and enhanced the overall flavor.

This fried rice had exactly that— just the right tanginess and sweetness.

The rice was perfectly cooked, fluffy yet firm, and the runny yolk was rich and savory beyond words.

A taste that naturally made one smile.

That’s how Seok-tae would describe this kimchi fried rice.

“A cold beer would go perfectly with this.”

“Shall I bring you one?”

“You’re not suggesting I drink and drive, are you?”

“Ah, you came by car.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”

Seo-jun smiled knowingly and nodded.

There were all kinds of people in this world. Some were kind, some were wicked.

Even good people had moments of weakness. One of the biggest causes of that was alcohol.

Especially when they decided to drink and drive.

Many believed they were fine to drive with a light buzz, but that was a dangerous misconception.

From the moment alcohol entered the system, one’s reflexes and judgment significantly declined.

Insisting on driving in that state was essentially digging one’s own grave.

At least, that’s how Seo-jun saw it.

At that moment, Seok-tae, in the middle of taking his last bite, suddenly spoke.

“Ah! By the way, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“You know Kim Chul-jun?”

“You mean the one they call the Demon King?”

“Yes, yes. Apparently, he’s mastered a new skill.”

For some reason, Seo-jun had a feeling he knew exactly what Seok-tae was about to say.