Mother and Daughter's Cooking Showdown
Middle-aged Park Sun-ja headed home to retrieve her forgotten phone after the mother-daughter cooking showdown. She wasn't old enough for dementia, but recent events had frayed her nerves to the breaking point. A few months back, she'd been falsely accused of reusing side dishes by mega-YouTuber Shin Do-young with his 3 million subscribers, and then her family had been branded as the ultimate deadbeat trio on Shin Do-young's Health Restaurant Korea. The diner, Bulpae Pochaa—packed with memories of her late husband and resilient enough to weather even X rumors—teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. And as if that wasn't enough, her wandering son Lee Ha-neul had gotten caught in a tower collapse and transformed into a little girl. The world seemed to be picking on her alone, bursting her with frustration until she couldn't recognize her son's soul in that girl's body.
It must have been bewildering with the sudden life change, yet the girl had offered to help at the diner with her frail little frame—that alone was admirable. Not just in spirit; her cooking skills seemed genuinely improved, which lifted Sun-ja's mood. But then... somewhere along the line, the girl had snapped and harshly critiqued the pork stir-fry infused with Sun-ja and her husband's souls.
"But our regulars love it."
"Even those regulars are dwindling—we can't even fill half the tables at lunch."
Of course, Sun-ja had thought the same... but after decades of doing it one way, changing risked losing what little she had left. Haneul's gotten prickly all of a sudden. Or has she actually mastered cooking?? Even as she said it, the girl polished off her plate. Was she trying to steer things toward an emotional moment, like bursting into tears at home? Or had her mind cracked from suddenly becoming a girl, and she'd gotten sulky when questioned about her identity?? Either way, Sun-ja decided to humor "Haneul" for the time being.
Did she develop some new dish in the room of spirit and time? But the world isn't that forgiving, Haneul... Sun-ja resolved to add whatever Haneul wanted to the menu. Customers would judge fairly anyway—if they hated it and it got pulled, Haneul wouldn't blame her.
We'll go under at this rate!
Haneul rinsed her mouth with cold water and headed straight to the kitchen. The roasted chili powder brought bitter and artificial sweetness that clashed separately, and the meat was tough as jerky.
Hehehe. Back in the day, you'd hurl the plate at slop like this, but you've mellowed out, huh??
"Can't help it with family. Gotta convince 'em with cooking. I'm making the Slippery Pork Stir-fry that sold best on the Solas Continent. Remember?"
[....... Processing ......]
As Haru rummaged for an old wok in the kitchen, the hovering Yui AI froze at the mention of Slippery Pork Stir-fry.
No such thing in my memory banks or Earth cuisine?? If you're pranking me with a fake recipe, that's too mean~~~
As expected, Yui AI had forgotten all the Solas Continent recipes.
"I'll show you soon—watch closely."
Haru called to her mom, seated at a hall table. "Mommy! By any chance, do you have any pork belly left??"
"We use foreleg meat, so no. Don't even put it in doenjang jjigae.... Want me to go buy some??"
"Nah, it's fine!!"
"I'll go buy it!"
She'd need cooking oil anyway for bulk cooking. Dumping in the pork belly Mom prepped and circling with oil.
"What're you making, sweetie?"
"Chili oil."
Ideally, 100% pork belly renders the fragrant oil. And different chili powder, but cost was the issue.
But in 24 hours, I'll get monster ingredients to fix that.
Frying pork belly and oil, then adding chili powder inside to make chili oil—the savory, spicy aroma filled the diner.
"Achoo!!!!"
She sneezed into the strained oil by accident.
"Oh no!! Gotta toss it all. What a waste."
No need!! You've got the God's Droplets trait, so it'll actually improve it!
"Don't know what flavor got added, though?"
She had resting Park Sun-ja taste it—seemed fine, so they proceeded.
"Effects don't apply to me, so gotta have others taste-test. Can't you analyze the flavor?"
Impossible at current level.
A mechanical voice unlike Yui's original persona emerged. "Dyenjang...."
After chili oil, she pulled onions from the corner, washed and blended them into a measuring cup.
"Ingedient prep done...."
She whipped out three woks in a flash and started cooking. One hand tossed in meat for two servings of pork stir-fry, added chili oil, stir-fried like deep-frying till brown, then killed the heat to cool. Meanwhile, both hands stir-fried onions in the other two woks. When onions caramelized brown, she lowered the flame, adding sugar, soy, blended onion, gochujang, strained chili oil solids, and daenggi in precise ratios. A splash of starch slurry to thicken the sauce, then split the cooked meat evenly and pour.... Sizzle!!!
"Whoa!!!"
The chair slipped, nearly dropping the wok, but young flexibility saved her! One wrong move and her back would've collapsed on regression day one.
"Done.... Urgh!!"
Not just her back—unused muscles screamed.
"Two servings at once was too much, huh...."
Nope, you nailed it!!
"No flattery—what were the issues?"
Mom dozed in her chair, so Haru chatted directly with Yui AI.
Biggest problem... only you can pull this off.
"Not that bad??"
Even some of Ramji's direct disciples on Solas could manage it.
Maillard reaction on the meat, starch slurry density for the sauce reduction, precise emulsion timing for sauce and oil...
"Train 'em hard!! Find non-cooking issues."
Ingredients were subpar overall—especially the crucial meat!!! Could a level 1 AI spot it??
.... Can't find any. That glossy meat shine—now I get why it's 'Slippery Pork Stir-fry'! This is just...
"You have a long way to go. Sigh...."
Yui, stuck in broken-record flattery, suddenly yelled.
Ah!!! Found it!! You don't have a health certificate!!!!
"Right!!!"
Health cert was king. Forgetting Earth admin basics mid-cooking—needing AI help was embarrassing! She'd hit the government office ASAP to report as a tower collapse victim.
Do it now or after awakening?
Ding-a-ling! Six construction workers entered Bulpae Pochaa, jolting dozing Park Sun-ja awake. No formal break time at the diner, so they weren't wrong... but
Oh no!!!
Local merchants' group chat infamy for nitpicky complaints. Tower collapse aftermath meant tons of repair sites nearby. Pressured by deadlines from above, these guys were always grumpy.
"Welcome! Sit wherever's comfy~"
Forcing a smile despite her grimace, she guided them... when
"Hey! Isn't this the place from Health Restaurant?"
"Yeah, that stubborn lady..."
"Cut it out!!! Most diners are on break now—no choice!"
"Still, if we're eating, might as well pick a good spot..."
"Huh?? What's that smell??"
Chili oil's appetite-whetting aroma lured the workers to tables. Haru blocked the kitchen entrance.
"Mom. Wanna test my new menu...?"
"Huh?? Wait..."
If Haru's new dish flopped and these roughnecks trashed it, she'd be crushed.
"Does it have to be now??"
"Yeah. They're not regulars—no bias??"
"You... Fine. Don't get hurt by what they say, Haneul. People grow through challenges..."
"Huh??"
Haru blinked, robbed of her line, and prepped. Sun-ja, having consoled her daughter preemptively, took orders.
"Six pork stir-fry sets."
"Coming right up! Um, we're developing a new menu—wanna try?"
"Hmm... Sure, why not. Free's good. Might leave some, though."
"How much?"
"Same—six servings."
"Twelve servings solo? Takes forever, right??"
"Kitchen's got a p-part-timer, so fine~"
"Part-timer here??"
Sizzle-crackle!!!! Meat hitting chili oil echoed through the diner.
"What the?? Some kid..."
"Huh??"
In the kitchen corner, a brown-haired cutie in tacky red longjohns, baggy pants, and apron moved two woks like a machine.
"Enjoy~"
"Dig in pwease."
The mother-daughter duo served twelve plates—six each—and retreated to the kitchen. Tables buzzed.
"Who's that girl??"
"Idol part-timer??"
"Filming here??"
"Child actress?"
"Damn, that face... Would've remembered from TV!"
"Pro cooking form, huh?"
"Big eyes scream foreign-trained chef's kid."
"Seong Chan-ho's daughter??"
"Saw her once—not that grown."
"Or Hwang Yeon-seo? Hwang Chef's girl ain't even twenty, blue-eyed momma's genes make her slim and pretty~"
"That American chef chick??"
"But which is new—those two??"
"Reviews say this is original, that one's new," said the glasses-wearing maknae, phone in hand.
"So the kid made the new one??"
"Whoa, check the sheen."
Unlike Sun-ja's standard orange, Haru's pork glistened under lights with its deep red, starchy sauce—like ruby-ground paint plating. Eyes drew to visuals first, then chopsticks moved. But the taste??
The senior-most vet loaded meat and onion on a rice scoop and took a bite. Crunch!! Crispy brown coating, chewy texture. Sauce racing sweet-spicy extremes oozing out. The vet slammed down his chopsticks dramatically.
"One bottle soju per person—order up!!!!"
The hesitant crew nodded after one bite each.