Chapter 592: Spicy Stir-fried Pork
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 592: Spicy Stir-fried Pork
Slurp, slurp.
Schloop, schloop.
To anyone else, it might have sounded like kissing, but it was nothing of the sort.
We were currently sitting in a park, eating ice cream that was on a 1+1 sale at the convenience store. It wasn't that I particularly wanted it. We were only eating it because Choi Jin-ah had made such a fuss, insisting that you had to eat this kind of ice cream when you came to a park like this.
"How is it? Good, right?"
"If it tasted bad, would the convenience store even sell it?"
"..."
Choi Jin-ah pouted at Yoo Ah-rin’s cold hard facts. She should have just stuck to sucking on her tube ice cream instead of speaking up and getting shut down.
"More importantly, where are we having lunch? You said we were going to a famous spot earlier."
Naturally, Yoo Ah-rin had a reason for being cranky.
Choi Jin-ah was supposed to be in charge of lunch today, but the place she’d picked as a 'must-visit' spot had called to say they were too crowded and couldn't accommodate three children.
So, we had ended up standing around blankly, debating what to eat, until we eventually settled for ice cream.
"Should we just go home and eat?"
Choi I-seo suggested, glancing at our reactions.
The responses were immediate.
"Whoa! You sounded exactly like my mom just now, I-seo!"
"Mom? Please, that was total grandma vibes."
"..."
Choi I-seo immediately shut her mouth after the heavy roasting from Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin. But honestly, the way she talked about hating eating out did make her sound a bit older than her years.
She wasn't like this before.
Back when she was the freshman class representative, she used to be the one suggesting we go to trendy salad places and things like that.
"...I only said that because we have the kids, and it's easier to feed them at home."
This time, Choi I-seo pouted as she aggressively worked on her ice pop.
"So, what are we eating?"
I finished my King-du-maru and tossed the stick into the trash.
It was nice being out, but if we were going to eat lunch, we needed to head somewhere soon. If we kept this up, we’d miss the lunch window entirely and end up starving, forced to duck into the first place we saw.
"Just eat whatever."
See? Yoo Ah-rin was already grumbling.
Actually, I felt the same way. If we were just going to sit around the park like this, we might as well eat anything and then figure out where to go next while we ate.
However, there was one person among us who took food very seriously.
"No! Every meal is precious! That's the first step toward a happy life!"
Choi Jin-ah, who had been pouting just a moment ago, made a bold declaration. She spoke as if she were reciting a famous proverb, but in reality, she was just oinking for something delicious.
"Did you just think something really rude about me?"
Sensing my cold gaze, Choi Jin-ah tilted her head and glanced at me.
The problem with my women is that their intuition is way too sharp. Or maybe I'm just too easy to read.
"Maybe a little?"
"Even after I gave you the top of my ice pop? How could you?"
"...My bad."
The top of the ice pop is sacred. I had to concede.
"Aaaagh! Then what the hell are we eating?! I've had enough! In times like this, one person just needs to decide!"
Seo Ye-rin finally shouted, unable to take it anymore.
She was right. In situations like this, the wisest move was for one person to take responsibility, pick a menu, and just go.
Everyone agreed, and their eyes naturally drifted toward one person.
Namely... me.
"You want me to pick?"
When I asked in bewilderment, they all nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Woo-jin! You're the boss!"
"Ye-rin, what do you mean 'boss'... He's the head of the household."
"Ugh, just pick. It's not like you usually care what people think anyway."
"I feel like if Woo-jin picks, we're going to end up eating something weird."
There was some static, but it seemed the decision-making power had been handed to me. Being the head of the household isn't just about exercising authority in bed; it's about stepping up at times like this.
"Okay! Follow me!"
* * *
"Spicy stir-fried pork? Seriously? How can you suggest spicy stir-fried pork again?"
"..."
Someone was questioning the choice of the head of the household. I looked over, but it seemed a coup was brewing in my home. The way everyone was staring at me was ominous.
"Hey, why not? The spicy stir-fried pork here is great."
I wouldn't tolerate them disparaging this place's pork before they'd even tasted it. But despite my words, they all kept their pouting expressions.
"Try it before you judge. It's rude to the owner."
"Woo-jin, it's not that we think the pork here is bad."
"Huh?"
"What did we have for dinner last night?"
"Last night?"
...
......
.........
"Woo-jin doesn't remember."
"Then I'll help you remember, you jerk!"
"Finger Pistol! Finger Pistol! Finger Pistol!"
Yoo Ah-rin immediately smacked the back of my head, while Seo Ye-rin poked my ribs with her fingers.
"Ow! Okay! I remember! Spicy stir-fried pork! We had spicy stir-fried pork!"
That’s right. Our menu at home last night had been spicy stir-fried pork.
"Exactly. We're eating out, so having the same thing again is a bit much. And besides... we have leftovers from yesterday, so we have to eat it for dinner tonight, too."
"Eh? Why are there leftovers?"
"Why?! Because you told the aunties you loved it and asked them to make a ton of it!"
Yoo Ah-rin looked like she wanted to slam the table, but she carefully lowered her hand, mindful of the kids sleeping in the strollers.
Oh, right.
Since they were making it for the first time in a while, I’d told them to make plenty. So it had turned into a pork party.
I almost said, "Isn't that a good thing?" but I kept my mouth shut, knowing I'd get beaten up again. Still, I felt a bit wronged.
"But guys. I think you're misunderstanding something."
"..."
"..."
"..."
My wives stared at me as if waiting to see what kind of nonsense would come out of my mouth next. I began my explanation calmly, like I was giving a presentation in a college class.
"The pork we had at home yesterday was delicious. But it wasn't this place's pork."
"..."
"Every house has a different recipe for spicy stir-fried pork. So technically, we're eating a completely different dish today than we did yesterday."
Everyone let out a collective sigh. They didn't even bother responding, probably because they knew it was nonsense before I even started.
Anyway.
The pork arrived shortly after. At home yesterday, we’d had it with fried eggs, but here it came with lettuce wraps, which made it taste heavenly.
"Oh?! This is actually really good."
"It is. The seasoning is quite unique."
"...Ugh, I feel like I'm losing if I admit it's good."
"Ooh?!"
I smiled contentedly as I watched them eat. There wasn't really a winner or loser, but I felt like I’d won something.
As we ate, our conversation continued.
"Woo-jin, now that I think about it, didn't you say you were stepping down as the Bamboo Forest Manager?"
Choi I-seo asked, placing a piece of garlic on my wrap and telling me to eat it.
"Yeah. Ye-rin said it was probably time to quit. And thinking about it, I have been doing it for a long time."
As I chewed on my lettuce wrap, the others chimed in.
"Exactly! Woo-jin is a father now, he doesn't have time to worry about that stuff!"
"Seo Ye-rin actually made a good point for once. Honestly, why did you even keep being the manager after you got discharged from the military? You haven't even been managing it properly lately, have you?"
I swallowed my wrap, took a sip of water, and replied.
"I worked pretty hard, actually. I even added another manager. Selecting a manager is surprisingly a lot of work."
Even though that manager turned out to be my stalker, she was doing a decent job. If she had enough time to stalk me, she clearly had plenty of free time to manage the site.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Choi Jin-ah, who had absolutely nothing to do with the Bamboo Forest, was just busy vacuuming up the pork. She was like a human vacuum cleaner at this point.
"...I'll order more if you want."
"No! It's okay! I'm on a diet!"
"..."
She just ate ice cream earlier; what is she even talking about?
"Does Choi Jin-ah even know what the word 'diet' means?"
Yoo Ah-rin sighed. Choi I-seo quietly ordered another portion of pork and then steered the conversation back to the Bamboo Forest.
"So, who are you going to give it to? Yun-ji again?"
"No, Yun-ji is too busy. I'm still thinking about it."
Clang!
Seo Ye-rin set her chopsticks down and raised her hand.
"In that case, I, Anonymous 69, Seo Ye-rin, would like to apply!"
The thought of what would happen to the Bamboo Forest the moment Ye-rin became the manager made me dizzy. Besides, why was she volunteering after being the one who told me to quit?
"Hehe."
Ye-rin lowered her hand and went back to eating, clearly joking.
"But seriously, it's a dilemma. I don't know who to give it to."
It was actually a significant concern. The Bamboo Forest wasn't officially part of the school; it was a separate, private app.
"Well, Woo-jin. How about just giving it to the Student Council?"
"The Student Council..."
It was Choi I-seo's suggestion. I hadn't completely ruled it out. Usually, these things were managed by organizations like the Student Council.
"I absolutely object! We shall not become slaves!"
But Seo Ye-rin immediately protested. As a long-time user of the Bamboo Forest, it seemed she didn't want that.
"Well, I'll look into it."
Despite Ye-rin's protest, I was actually leaning toward just dumping it on the Student Council.
Sigh, I didn't realize it when I was doing it.
Just like last time, now that it was time to hand it over, it felt like a chore.
"Just let it rot."
I pretended not to hear Yoo Ah-rin's suggestion to turn it into an apocalypse.