A Warm Bowl of Pork Back Bone Stew

Suddenly, his stomach felt a bit uneasy.

The first dish he decided to make with the stamina-boosting potatoes was gamjatang—pork back bone stew. A combination of tender, slow-boiled pork back bones, fluffy potatoes, and soft dried radish greens, finished off with fried rice generously sprinkled with seaweed flakes and sesame oil... Gulp. Just imagining it made his mouth water.

"I bought everything on the list," Lee Jia said, having just returned from the grocery store. She set the boxes she was holding in both hands down onto the kitchen counter.

"Thanks for the hard work. Go get some rest."

Sending Lee Jia to the living room, Park Jaeyoung began the prep work. He blanched the pork back bones, then rinsed them in cold water to remove any impurities.

He filled a pot with enough water to fully submerge the bones, then tossed in halved onions and green onions. From here on, it was a waiting game. He had to let it simmer until the meat became tender and the rich broth was fully extracted from the bones.

As he was peeling the potatoes, Lee Jia wandered back into the kitchen.

"I'm bored. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Want to peel some potatoes with me?"

"Sure!"

Jaeyoung and Lee Jia sat at the dining table and peeled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠potatoes together.

"But are we really peeling this many potatoes?"

"Well, if you, me, Porri, and Gomdori are all going to eat, we need at least this much."

"True."

Once all the potatoes were peeled, Jaeyoung said, "Let's wait in the living room. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It'll need to simmer for at least another hour."

"Sounds good."

Chatting and scrolling through their smartphones, the time flew by faster than expected.

Returning to the kitchen, Jaeyoung scooped out the green onions and onions from the pot. Seeing how mushy they had become, it was clear the broth had been perfectly extracted.

Now, it was time to make the seasoning paste. Jaeyoung mixed various ingredients, including soybean paste and red pepper flakes, to create the seasoning.

He dissolved the seasoning paste into the pot, then added the potatoes and dried radish greens. Simmering it for just another twenty minutes would complete the delicious pork back bone stew.

Bubble, bubble!

As the stew began to boil vigorously, Jaeyoung tossed in Cheongyang chili peppers, green onions, and wild sesame leaves. He tasted the broth; it was perfectly spicy, savory, and deep.

"Jia, set the table."

"On it."

Lee Jia stepped into the kitchen, scooping rice into bowls and bringing out various side dishes. Meanwhile, Jaeyoung took out a large basin-like bowl and ladled a generous portion of the stew into it, keeping Gomdori's massive appetite in mind.

"Go give this to Gomdori."

Taking the bowl from Jaeyoung, Jia nodded.

While she was gone, he prepared a mustard dipping sauce for the meat. When Jia returned, Jaeyoung asked, "How did he like it?"

"He absolutely loved it."

"Glad to hear."

Once Jia sat down at the table, Jaeyoung took a sip of the broth. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The deep, rich flavor extracted from the pork bones enveloped the tip of his tongue, followed by a savory, salty umami and a sharp kick of spice. It was a taste that instantly cleared his chest.

"Phew."

Jaeyoung picked up his chopsticks, only to set them back down. Food like this is best eaten with your hands.

Grabbing a back bone with his right hand, Jaeyoung dipped it in the sauce and tore into it. The thoroughly boiled meat fell off the bone effortlessly. The tangy mustard sauce cleansed his palate, urging him to keep gnawing on the bones. Setting down the clean bone, he scooped up a potato with his spoon. Having soaked up the rich broth, the tender potato melted softly in his mouth.

It boosted his stamina significantly more than when the potatoes were simply boiled.

"I should try experimenting with different recipes," Jaeyoung mused.

Lee Jia, who tasted her potato a moment later, widened her eyes. "Wait, this raises stamina way more than just boiling them?"

"Yeah, I think it's worth experimenting with."

But experimenting was a matter for after the meal. Right now, it was time to focus on the food. Jaeyoung swallowed the potato and picked up some dried radish greens with his chopsticks. Having absorbed a massive amount of the broth, the greens burst with an incredible savory flavor.

Jaeyoung rotated between the bones, potatoes, and greens, and a pile of clean bones steadily grew in front of him. A heap of bones also accumulated in front of Lee Jia and Porri.

To top it off, Jaeyoung made fried rice. Even though they were stuffed, the slightly scorched, crispy fried rice kept disappearing into their mouths.

"That was a great meal."

"It was so delicious, I lost track of time eating," Jia said.

Porri also licked its lips, clearly pleased with the stew.

"Look at him."

"I guess I'll have to make it again next time."

Watching Porri nod in agreement, Jaeyoung and Jia burst into laughter.

"Oppa, you're going to have some fruit, right?"

"Fruit? Sure, if you have some."

Lee Jia pulled a leather pouch from her coat.

"You carry fruit in there too?"

"I carry literally every kind of plant in here. Shall we have some refreshing pear?"

"A pear sounds great."

When Jia reached into her pouch and pulled her hand out, a massive pear appeared. Jaeyoung handed her a paring knife, and she peeled the pear with swift, practiced movements.

Jaeyoung picked up a slice and popped it into his mouth. The moment he bit down, sweet juice flooded his mouth.

"Wow, this is incredibly delicious."

"I only carry around the most carefully selected ones grown on my farm."

Lee Jia owned a massive farm where she raised countless crops and animals.

"Oh, right. Do you have any tips for raising chickens?"

"Tips? I'll just cast a blessing over them. They'll grow up healthy without catching any minor illnesses."

"Thanks."

"Oh, please. This is nothing compared to what you did for me back when I was a rookie, Oppa."

Lee Jia immediately went outside, cast a blessing on the chicks, and then climbed onto her bear.

"I thought you were going to stay for a few more days?"

"I'm just going to take him for a walk."

"Want me to tag along?"

Jia nodded. "Sure."

Jaeyoung left the house empty-handed. As long as Lee Jia was by his side, there was virtually zero chance of any danger. She might be weak compared to Jaeyoung, but Jia was still one of the top hunters in South Korea.

Gomdori was also a summon that could easily hold his own against an S-rank hunter. The two returned home without a single scratch.

"That was a nice walk."

Still riding atop the bear, Lee Jia stretched lazily.

"Gomdori seems even stronger than the last time I saw him."

"Since the last time we met, Gomdori has probably eaten over ten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠billion won worth of elixirs."

"That much?"

"Well, they don't do much for me anyway, so I just fed them all to Gomdori."

Before heading inside, the two checked on the vegetable garden. True to crops that had been showered with blessings by a world-class Druid, they had already grown. The corn silk had turned brown, and the ears were plump and full.

"My efforts paid off. We can harvest them right away."

Jaeyoung and Jia began harvesting the corn. Grasping the stalk with his right hand, Jaeyoung used his left hand to twist the ear downward. The husked corn snapped cleanly off the stalk.

It wasn't particularly surprising anymore, but the corn also boosted stats. The corners of Jaeyoung's mouth curled upward. Securing a variety of stat-boosting crops was a great development.

It meant he could plan a much more diverse menu. Getting stronger while fully enjoying the pleasure of eating—this alone made retiring to the uninhabited zone entirely worth it.

After feeding some of the harvested corn to the chicks, Jaeyoung and Jia went back inside.

"What should we make with the corn?"

"Corn cheese? Popcorn? I can't really think of many dishes where corn is the main ingredient."

"Well, if we run out of ideas, we can just feed it to the chicks."

"That might be for the best. They seemed to love it earlier."

After relaxing and spending some time on their own, dinner time rolled around before they knew it. Jaeyoung asked Jia, "What do you want for dinner?"

"Hmm. Shouldn't we eat the potatoes and corn, whatever we make?"

"We have other vegetables too."

Mentally combining the ingredients on hand, Jaeyoung decided on the menu. "Let's make spring cabbage bibimbap and eat it with grilled pork belly."

"How about we grill some potatoes too? Potatoes grilled in pork belly fat are incredibly delicious."

"Sure, let's do that. It's easy enough."

Just then, Jaeyoung's ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. Judging by the time, it was likely Kim Minseo.

"Jia."

"Yes?"

"Go open the front door."

"The front door?"

Tilting her head in confusion, Jia walked over to the entrance. Three seconds later, Kim Minseo's scream echoed through the house.

"W-what? Unni, why are you here? Where is the Association President?"

Lee Jia's playful, nonchalant reply followed. "I just came to hang out. Oppa is inside getting dinner ready."

Thanks to Jaeyoung's incredibly sharp hearing, their conversation came through loud and clear.

"No, wait, no!"

"Are you just going to stand there?"

"No, it's not that... but still..."

Soon, the sound of the door closing was followed by Kim Minseo and Lee Jia entering the kitchen. Just as Jaeyoung was about to greet Minseo and tell her she arrived right in time for dinner, she shrieked once more.

"No way! Since when did you get so close to Porri?!"

Turning around, Jaeyoung saw Porri snuggled in Jia's arms, completely sprawled out on its back with its belly exposed. Minseo looked utterly devastated.

"I met him first... I gave him snacks too... I petted him so much..."

Smirking, Jia replied, "Just because you met him first doesn't mean you'll be closer."

Jaeyoung could clearly see the smug smile of victory on Jia's face. Meanwhile, Minseo's expression was frozen stiff, a stark contrast to her usual self.

What on earth is going on here?

Suddenly, his stomach felt a bit uneasy.