Ramji's Repayment
“It’s not like I’m asking you to cook it for me…! I just need you to share a recipe that’s good for hangovers…! Please, I’m begging you…!”
Ramji pleaded with desperate eyes. Moisture welled up in those round pupils. The little beastkin even clasped his hands together, bowing repeatedly as he tried to wring the recipe out of me. After all, my recipes were practically tickets to a longer life.
“Hmm……”
Normally I would have refused outright. I had no time to spare, and the whole thing sounded like a hassle. Besides, this was exactly the kind of thing Ramji needed to handle on his own. If he kept relying on others, he would never grow.
‘Hangover cure, huh……’
Yet I couldn’t bring myself to turn him down so easily. My mind drifted through hangover dishes, searching for something suitable. After all, this request had come from Sofia. Even if it was Ramji who asked, helping him meant helping her. After what happened between us yesterday—when our relationship shifted from simple contract to something far more intimate—I couldn’t just ignore her.
“Just this once! Please…!”
“Fine. I’ll help.”
“R-Really?! I-I’m saved!!! Thank you so much!”
“I’m only giving you the recipe, though. You’ll have to make it yourself.”
“Got it! Ramji Hamz… will do his best!”
Ramji puffed out his chest, showing off the white fur that had grown a little thicker lately. He looked like he was about to shed again soon.
“Anyway, I’m only doing this because Sofia asked. Make sure you thank her later.”
“Understood…! By the way, Breeder?”
“Yeah? What now?”
“It’s not that… Why do you call the young lady by her name? You never used to do that before.”
“Huh…? Did I?”
“You just did!”
Ramji tilted his head, clearly puzzled. Now that he mentioned it, I realized I had slipped without noticing.
“Ahem…! You must have misheard.”
“Squeak—?! But just now you definitely—”
“Enough. Let’s head inside. I need to see what ingredients we have before I can give you a recipe.”
I stood up quickly, cutting him off, and headed straight for the kitchen. ‘I’ve been calling Sofia so casually without even realizing it……’
It was a small thing, yet it left me oddly flustered. Ever since we spent time alone together yesterday, I felt much closer to her—both physically and emotionally. Even though she was older than me, she still seemed quite inexperienced and clumsy as a woman. Sometimes she even felt younger than I was. Maybe that was why I had unconsciously dropped the formalities.
“Ramji? What’s on the lunch menu today?”
I asked casually while scanning the kitchen. Several beastkin staff were already trimming meat in the back.
“Today’s lunch is assorted grilled beef…!”
“Beef again? Last time we had T-bone steak.”
“That’s right! Most of the young ladies love meat, so we get a lot of it delivered every day…!”
Ramji took the lead and guided me toward the storage room. He pointed at the neatly prepared cuts stacked inside—ribeye, tenderloin, sirloin, and more. It was perfect for an assorted grill. Every part except the bones was there. They really did love their meat.
“Haah… So I have to make a hangover cure out of nothing but beef that everyone’s already getting tired of? And I can’t even pull tomorrow’s ingredients early……”
“Breeder? Is there no good menu you can think of?!”
“Give me a moment. Let me think.”
The ingredients were high quality, but the theme was “hangover relief.” A proper cure needed something warm and soothing for the stomach. Usually that meant a clear, refreshing broth—bean sprout soup, dried pollack soup, or even instant ramen. Spicy and refreshing was the way to go.
So what kind of soup could I make with beef……?
“Ah? That’s it…!”
“Breeder…? Did you come up with something good?”
“Ramji, remember those bones I told you to set aside last time?”
“Squeak—?! Of course I kept them safe! I was actually going to ask how long I had to hold onto them!”
Perfect. I could work with what we had.
*
—Gurgle gurgle gurgle…!
Steam billowed from the massive pot. Bubbles rose and burst, sending up thick white foam. The beef bones had been simmering long enough for the broth to turn rich and cloudy.
Ramji had stored them well. He mentioned soaking the bones first to draw out the blood and impurities. The kid had more sense than I gave him credit for. He was adapting faster than expected—honestly, for just a few days, he showed real talent.
I never thought I would end up using the leftover T-bone bones like this. But as a Korean, it only felt right to simmer every last bit of the cow. Nothing went to waste. Thanks to that, a solid soup dish had come to mind.
—Swish…! Plop!
“Ramji? Do the young ladies still show up on time even on weekends?”
I skimmed off the foam and impurities with a ladle while asking.
“I don’t know either—this is my first semester here…!”
“Oh, right. This is your first semester too.”
“Still, if they’re drinking because their stomachs feel off, maybe they’ll come a little later than usual…!”
“Good. We’re short on simmering time, but it can’t be helped. Keep the broth boiling until they arrive. Ideally it should simmer for at least six hours.”
“Got it…! So I just add the things you told me to this broth and keep boiling it?!”
—Flip, flip!
Ramji clutched his notebook like it was a treasure map, eyes sparkling as he shouted. The page contained the recipe I had just given him—a soup made from beef bone broth.
“Yeah. If you start prepping the ingredients listed there now, we should still make it in time.”
“This much is nothing if we all pitch in…!”
“Right. Just focus on slicing the meat thin for dipping. That’s the key point, so don’t forget.”
I checked the notes with him one last time, pointing out what mattered most.
“Understood…! By the way, what’s this dish called?!”
“Ah, that? Should I call it seolleongtang, or gomtang, or maybe shabu-shabu……?”
“???”
“Doesn’t matter. Just think of it as a hot pot. If the milky broth feels too rich, add some chili powder or the leftover flower essence we used before.”
That was the recipe I had passed on—beef bone shabu-shabu. Normally shabu-shabu broth used dried fish and soy sauce, but since we lacked those ingredients, I had gone with bone broth instead. Add vegetables, mushrooms, thinly sliced beef, and a flavorful dipping sauce, and the hot pot was complete. Pour rice in and it became a hearty soup meal.
It wasn’t a traditional hangover cure, but with the ingredients we had, this was the best option. I couldn’t create something from nothing.
“Huh? Time’s already flown by like this?”
By the time I finished teaching the full recipe, the kitchen clock pointed to 11:30 a.m. Sonya would be arriving soon. My work here was done, so it was time to head back to the dormitory. I had stayed far longer than planned.
“Ramji? Looks like everything’s set, so I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, Breeder—?! I have something for you before you go!”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I feel bad always receiving help…! Please take this!”
With those words, he suddenly handed me a small pouch and a canteen.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the broth we just simmered and a precious crop that mainly grows in the eastern continent…! I don’t really know how to use it, so you should take it, Breeder!”
“Really? Well, thanks.”
I accepted it without much thought. I hooked the canteen onto my belt and held the pouch in my hand. A precious crop from the east, huh…… I wasn’t particularly curious about the contents. What mattered was the thought behind it. I had assumed he would only ever ask for favors, yet here he was offering something in return. He wasn’t completely shameless after all.
‘Still, broth and a precious crop? What am I supposed to do with this?’
With Ramji’s small token of gratitude in hand, I shrugged and left the dining hall.
“Heavier than I expected. If it’s a crop, maybe it’s seeds?”
Even as I walked back to the dormitory, I kept glancing at the small pouch. I had no real interest in grains, so opening it felt like a bother, but the word “precious” had piqued my curiosity. Maybe I should take a few out and have a look.
—Rustle…!
I shook the pouch, letting several of the precious crops tumble into my palm.
“Huh? What the—red beans?”
What spilled out were beans. Bright red beans, to be exact. The color suited the eastern continent perfectly. And somehow, the shape looked strangely familiar.
Wait a second……
“These are adzuki beans, aren’t they……?”