Chapter 556: Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 556: Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl
“…….”
“…….”
There I was, sitting in the living room, with Choi Jin-ah staring daggers at me.
She stood there frozen, not even thinking about sitting down, looking as if she were either in total shock or so flustered she didn't know what to do with herself.
“Pfft, this is freaking hilarious.”
Yoo Ah-rin, sitting on the other sofa, was still giggling as she scrolled through her phone.
Sizzle!
The savory sound of frying drifted from the kitchen, meaning Choi I-seo was hard at work frying pork cutlets.
“There, there! Are my little cuties hungry? Shall we have some yummy food?”
And in the kids' room, Seo Ye-rin was busy soothing the juniors who had just woken up.
Normally, I would’ve snapped at Choi Jin-ah, asking what the hell she was staring at.
But right now, I was the ultimate underdog.
Fortunately, I’d already managed to get the ball gag out of Yoo Ah-rin’s mouth.
I tried to offer a gentle, good-natured smile, hoping to pass the moment as quietly as possible.
“Hello, Jin-ah. How are you?”
“…….”
“I-seo said she’s making pork cutlet rice bowls today. You love fried food, don’t you?”
“…….”
“Since we’re about to start our diet, we should enjoy today as our last feast, right?”
“…….”
“I even told Senior Ju-hee to let it slide just for today since we’re eating pork cutlets—”
“Cry.”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence filled the room.
I stared at her with blank eyes, not quite processing what Choi Jin-ah had just said.
“Huh? Do I need to clean my ears?”
Even Yoo Ah-rin tilted her head and looked at Choi Jin-ah. She stared intently, looking as if she’d heard something impossible.
“I said, cry.”
When Choi Jin-ah repeated herself, Yoo Ah-rin’s jaw dropped as she looked at me.
Her gaze seemed to ask if I was actually going to do it. Breaking into a cold sweat, I gave an awkward response.
“Jin-ah? What are you talking about all of a sudden? If you say scary things like that, I really might cry.”
“Cry like a pig. Give me a ‘oink oink.’”
“……Aren’t you the pig, Jin-ah?”
“Hey! Kim Woo-jini! Just do it already!”
Choi Jin-ah lunged at me, grabbing my collar and shaking me back and forth.
“This is going down as one of the top five most humiliating moments of my life! Hurry up and do it! Do it!”
The world started spinning.
As I was tossed around by Choi Jin-ah’s grip, I looked toward Yoo Ah-rin.
Despite my silent plea for help, Yoo Ah-rin just smirked, went back to tapping on her phone, and focused on her own business.
* * *
“Alright, let’s let him go so we can eat.”
The savory aroma of the pork cutlet rice bowl tickled my nose. Choi I-seo had learned many things while I was in the military, and one of them was cooking.
She’d learned from Oh Yun-ji and even attended a separate culinary academy to improve her skills, all to cater to my tastes.
Of course, thanks to the aunties who worked for us, I-seo rarely had to get her hands wet in the kitchen.
But occasionally, when she was in a good mood or when the aunties were off, I-seo would take over the cooking.
Just look at her in that apron.
If I weren't currently restrained, I would’ve picked her up right then and—!
……Well, I probably would’ve just put her back down.
I can’t win against I-seo, anyway.
“Ahem, alright girls. Let me go now.”
As I stood before the dining table and held out my wrists, Seo Ye-rin rushed over.
“Why! Just stay like that! I can just feed you!”
“Why on earth would you do that? You just finished feeding the kids.”
But Seo Ye-rin replied with a boastful air.
“I can just leave the kids at my breasts and feed Woo-jini at the same time! I can feed three people at once! I am the literal embodiment of motherhood!”
“…….”
“Mother Ye-rin Seo!”
As I stared at her with a hollow expression, Yoo Ah-rin, who had already taken her seat, clicked her tongue.
“She’s gotten worse lately because she hasn’t been seeing people. In my opinion, Seo Ye-rin needs to go back to school or return to acting as soon as possible.”
“Hmm, you’re not wrong.”
Since Ye-rin spent so much time alone, her comments were becoming increasingly unhinged.
On the other hand, I’d been spending almost every day out of the house lately, so I was becoming more sensible by the day.
“Whoa! Pork cutlet rice bowl!”
Choi Jin-ah sat at the table with a beaming smile. Her phone kept emitting “oink oink” sounds.
It was a recording of what I’d just been forced to do.
“Hey, turn that off! You’re ruining my appetite!”
“Is it okay if I set this as my ringtone?”
“Just try it. I’ll smash your phone every time it rings.”
“I have plenty of money.”
She was really pushing it now.
In the meantime, Choi I-seo came over and unlocked the handcuffs.
The moment my wrists were free, I prepared to move for revenge, but Choi I-seo pressed down on my shoulders and forced me to sit. I ended up eating quietly.
The pork cutlet rice bowl was piping hot and delicious.
It had the exact feel of a Japanese katsudon. I remembered mentioning once while watching TV that I wanted to try one with a thick cutlet.
It seemed I-seo had remembered and made it just for me.
“Thanks for the food.”
The sight of the delicious meal made my anger vanish instantly. If I asked myself if I had really been angry, the answer was probably not that much.
I picked up my spoon and took a large bite.
The thick pork cutlet, the sweet sauce, and the perfectly cooked rice harmonized in my mouth, and a natural smile spread across my face.
“I-seo! This is seriously delicious! Are you a professional chef?!”
“Stop exaggerating.”
Though she spoke calmly while eating in her own seat, the corners of Choi I-seo’s mouth quirked up slightly. It seemed she didn't entirely mind the praise.
“Wow! It’s so good!”
“Choi I-seo’s actually got some skills in the kitchen.”
“I-seo! Give me another bowl, please!”
The other girls also ate heartily, showering Choi I-seo’s cooking with compliments.
Choi Jin-ah, faster and more determined than anyone else, had already emptied her bowl.
Seriously, that’s a bit much.
In my opinion, she should’ve been a mukbang creator.
Violin, my ass.
Anyway, as we ate, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Come to think of it, I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. I’ve never been there before.”
As I muttered that, the girls glanced at me.
Since I’d brought it up out of the blue, they seemed a bit intrigued.
“We have kids, remember? Where do you think you’re going?”
Choi I-seo immediately threw cold water on the idea.
But don't get me wrong.
“No, I was just thinking out loud. I didn’t mean I was actually going right now.”
It was just a passing thought, not a concrete plan to go on a trip.
Midterms had only just ended, and there was still some time before summer vacation started.
“Oh, right. Hey, Kim Woo-jin.”
Yoo Ah-rin called out to me in the middle of her meal.
The conversation at the table naturally shifted in a different direction.
“You said we should take wedding photos. When are we doing that?”
“Oh, right.”
The last time I went to Myung Je-il’s studio, I’d made a separate request to him.
Even if we couldn't have a proper wedding ceremony, I wanted to take proper wedding photos.
I have to let my women wear wedding dresses at least once.
Not for my sake, but for theirs.
“I talked to Myung Je-il about it. I think we’ll have to coordinate with his schedule. I’ve already put the word in. He said his team would even list some good locations for us. The service is great.”
Everyone looked surprised to hear that I was already preparing for it.
It seemed they hadn't expected me to be this thorough.
“……You’re preparing more seriously than I thought?”
“Of course. They’re your wedding photos, after all. These things last a lifetime, so of course we have to do it right.”
Just as someone who usually acts like trash can move people by doing one good thing.
Knowing that I was preparing this quite meticulously, everyone seemed a bit touched.
“I’m so moved, Woo-jina!”
“Yeah. Honestly, I thought I’d never have a reason to take wedding photos in my life.”
“Hey, tell us as soon as the date is set. I need to start managing my look from that moment.”
“I’m taking them too, right?! Right?”
“That goes without saying.”
Am I not the man responsible for all six of them? So of course, we’d take them together.
Before long, the dining table was blooming with talk about wedding photos.
“Hey, we have my parents’ wedding photos at home. But when I was little, I didn't know who the woman in the pictures was.”
“Eh? Why not?”
“…….”
Yoo Ah-rin continued her explanation with a giggle.
“I mean, the dad was definitely my dad, but no matter how I looked at it, the bride wasn't my mom. She was way thinner and prettier back then. So when I was a kid, I thought my dad had gotten divorced and remarried my current mom.”
Yoo Ah-rin burst out laughing.
While the story was absurd enough to make me chuckle, it also showed just how much she was looking forward to the wedding photos.
Clack.
“Man, why is the weather already so hot?”
Oh Yun-ji walked in.
Having finished work earlier than usual, she headed straight for the kitchen.
“What’s this, katsudon? Give me some too.”
“I set some aside over there.”
“Oh yeah. The timing is pretty uncanny, isn't it?”
Oh Yun-ji quickly grabbed a bowl and sat down.
When we looked at her, wondering what she meant by timing, Oh Yun-ji shrugged and answered.
“I have to go to Japan on a business trip. I thought the timing was just perfect.”
A business trip to Japan?
Then, Oh Yun-ji picked up her spoon and asked me.
“Kim Woo-jin, can you clear some time in your schedule?”