Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Those We Nearly Lost (2)
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Of course, it was depressing that so many civilians had gotten hurt, but what could we do?
We'd done everything we could, and I didn't want to drag everyone down with a gloomy mood.
Sharon already looked down in the dumps, and the twins had to be emotionally shaken too. No point in me moping around on top of that.
It was my way of being the responsible adult.
"Alright, everyone! Feast time on our officetel's famous delivery spread!"
The massive six-person table was piled high with food boxes.
I'd hauled out every dish from the kitchen cabinets just to plate it all up.
Forcing a bit of high energy to liven things up like usual worked—the twins jumped right in.
The lingering haze of tension vanished, replaced by a lively dinner table.
"Woooow!!!"
"Kimchi! Kimchi! Kimchi!"
"Assistant! We're eating all of this today!"
"Don't hold us back!"
Odil clapped like a seal in delight. Odet chanted about kimchi, a brave new world she'd discovered today.
The twins' outfits were adorable.
They were pajamas we'd bought as souvenirs from the aquarium.
Odil wore a blue shark hood set. Odet had a pink bunny hood.
Bunnies at an aquarium? Seemed odd, but they were easy to care for and super cute, so there they were, sharing space with land turtles.
Whether we'd ever go back to that aquarium...
Best not to dwell.
I shoved the gloomy thoughts aside.
"Think that's everything?"
"Looks like it."
"You two look so cute, Odil and Odet."
The twins' beaming energy was contagious—Sharon was back to her usual self, flashing a bright smile at Siu.
Odil reacted instantly.
"Cute? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly! We're proper young ladies, so 'elegant' suits us better than 'cute,' oh ho ho!"
Obsessed with sounding mature, the twins plopped down primly and fanned themselves like nobles.
Not that it fit at all, side note.
I pointed it out casually.
"But isn't that a weird thing to say in pajamas?"
"What's wrong with pajamas? They're cute—oh...!"
"What's wrong with pajamas? They're pretty and cute! Oh!"
Priceless.
A perfect comedy skit, served up in seconds.
I hadn't even set a trap, but the twins walked right in.
Watching them, I couldn't help thinking they'd thrive as idols or YouTubers if they ditched witchcraft. They were gorgeous and had that natural variety show charm.
Siu chuckled, used to it by now, but beside him, Sharon ducked her head, desperately holding back laughter.
"Anyway! We'll pretend that nitpick never happened! Watch your word choice from now on, Sharon sis!"
"You cool calling me sis? Drop the formal speech too—it'll be easier! You're our senior witch, after all!"
"You think...?"
"Yeah!"
Siu grumbled and cut in.
"Hey, doesn't that make me a senior too?"
"You're the assistant."
"I always use polite speech."
Sharon was loosening up, chatting casually with the twins thanks to their wrinkle-free antics.
Made sense. The twins' usual vibe meshed surprisingly well with Sharon's playful side.
I could picture them ganging up on Siu once they got closer.
Dinner was served.
Siu clapped to get attention, announcing the modest party as host.
"Bad stuff happened today, but let's shake it off and dig in."
"Assistant! I wanna drink!"
"Sis, sis—I grabbed these from the artifact cooler knowing you would."
Odet lugged armfuls of canned beer from the fridge like she'd planned it.
Odil cracked one open without hesitation.
Quick learners.
"Could you explain each one, Assistant? So much unfamiliar food!"
"Sure."
"You finally sound like yourself again, Assistant."
Siu introduced the dishes one by one amid the twins' giggles.
First up: the big red snow crab.
"This is snow crab. Sharon over there's favorite."
"Don't explain it weird!"
Sharon smacked Siu's shoulder—her hand stung.
"Whoa! It's huge!"
"Nothing like what we had in Ars Magna Town!"
"Fry up the innards with rice—it's delicious."
The twins dug into the crab meat, then scarfed the fried rice Sharon passed them.
Nutty innards mixed with sesame oil-coated grains, punctuated by popping orange flying fish roe.
Perfect for their palates, apparently.
They started out all refined, tasting daintily, but soon shoveled it straight from the shell.
Sharon and Siu watched with fond smiles.
"Feels kinda like we're mom and dad."
Sharon murmured. Siu agreed completely.
For once, he got why his parents had beamed watching him pick at meat as a picky kid.
The twins stuffed their cheeks full, munching away so appetizingly.
"Next! Next!"
"Gimme the next one!"
"This is pork belly."
Siu's second dish: premium delivery pork belly, pricier but using fresh domestic pork.
"Assistant? It's just grilled meat."
"Fat... so much fat..."
Gehenna's food culture leaned Western.
Especially for highborn witches like the Jemernai daughters.
Lower classes ate chicken and pork; elites savored beef, lamb, goose.
Pork belly, loaded with fat layers, was alien—used only for bacon, sausages, or lard back home. Intimidating to the twins.
But Siu was confident.
"Try it. You'll take that back."
"Really?"
"Sniff sniff... smells amazing, though..."
Sharon wrapped one nearby: lettuce, perilla leaf, ssamjang with green onion slivers.
Skipped the raw garlic, looks like.
"Wrapping meat in salad?"
"Like an instant cabbage roll...?"
"But it's raw!"
The twins watched wide-eyed.
"Odil, Odet—looks weird, I know, but trust me. Who's first?"
Their round eyes tracked Sharon's waving wrap side to side.
Odil went first, as expected.
"I'll try it. Ahhhn..."
It wasn't that big, but she stretched her mouth wide to fit.
She chewed carefully... then her eyes bulged.
"Suh gwood... sho gooood...!"
"For real? That good?"
"Chew thoroughly before swallowing, Odil."
"Mmph mmph mmph...!"
Odil gulped down Korea's prized pork belly, cheeks flushing healthily.
"Ooh! Th-this flavor...!"
While she spaced out, mouth agape, Odet begged Sharon.
"Sis! What is it? Why? Me too!"
Sharon quickly wrapped another, fearing she'd change her mind.
Crisp, fresh lettuce cradling fragrant perilla.
Then the fatty meat's smoky juices flooded the mouth, cutting through the slight chew.
Just as the pork's richness got heavy, sharp green onion hit.
Odet matched Odil's dazed expression, mouth hanging open.
"This... this dish is perfect..."
"Half my life's wasted!"
"Teach me how!"
Siu showed Odil; Sharon demoed for Odet.
They shared variations: kimchi-fried pork, raw garlic, chili, sesame-salt dips.
The twins jammed wraps in, bouncing on their butts in excitement.
"First thing home—buy a pig farm!"
"Poor Gehenna folk turning this into sausages! We must spread the gospel!"
Siu rolled out more hard-to-get Korean classics.
The twins handled spice like champs.
Gehenna cooking emphasized natural flavors; Korea's bold chili, pepper, salt, garlic, soy hit harder for them.
Tteokbokki and kimchi jjim vanished fast.
But samgyetang, all about pure ingredients? Meh.
Herbal smell, maybe.
Chicken, though...
"So this is the chicken you mentioned? How good can it be?"
"Yeah, turkey beats samgyetang for me!"
"Try first. This is yangnyeom—gochujang and corn syrup sauce. That's fried, just deep-fried."
"Okay, digging in!"
Expectations high despite the talk, they slurped and each grabbed a drumstick.
Siu had their tastes pegged by now.
"Ooh...!"
"No way...!"
Manga-level reactions as they savored.
Devilish thought: what if I fed them spicy chicken ramen? Viral YouTube gold.
"This... chicken?"
"What juices..."
Post-army, he'd thought his patriotism dead.
But these Jemernai girls, raised on bland elite fare, losing it over salty-sweet-spicy? Stirred something.
"National pride?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Sharon eyed him curiously mid-jokbal binge but let it slide.
Prime time: more twin reactions.
"Culinary revolution! I demand a Gehenna chicken joint—endless money pit!"
"Yes! Next to our house!"
Praise poured for jokbal, makchang, hoe, bulgogi, kimchi jjigae.
Beer flowed; cans piled by the twins elegantly.
"Haa... haa... don't wanna go home..."
"S-sis... gonna puke..."
Two-hour mukbang done, they flopped on the sofa.
Rude? Nah.
No way they'd been taught to clear plates.
They'd footed the bill anyway.
"Play with them. I'll wash up."
"Nah, leave it—I'll do it tonight."
"I got it~ Let's watch a movie after. They'll love it."
Sharon shoved him out in rubber gloves.
Odil melted against the bedhead. Odet sprawled beside her identically.
"Leave 'em to sleep?"
"Too soon."
"Yeah, our night's just starting... yawny~."
Heavy eyelids betrayed them—blinking slow like cows.
"Movie it is."
"Movie? Oh, I wanted to see one!"
"M-me too!"
Sharon joined post-dishes.
All four lined up on the sofa for the flick.