Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Purpose of the Dining Table (5)
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Ugh.
Can't breathe.
Save me.
A memory that feels like it happened not long ago at all.
Someone strangling my neck.
Like they wanted to kill me.
Like they wanted to be killed.
On the border between sleep and consciousness, having lost the thread of reason, I couldn't claim any will to live.
I could only gaze at the woman choking me with an impure, hazy stare.
- It's not my fault, right?
That was Mom.
And it was a dream.
"Puhah! Yoon-seul-ah, Oppa can't breathe!"
"Mm... Yeah..."
Jang Yoon-seul-ssi, clinging to my chest like a fierce wrestler with sharp eyes.
She must've crawled on top of me while we were sleeping.
She does this sometimes.
After a bad dream, seeing Yoon-seul's innocent sleeping face lightened my heart.
Maybe she climbed on top of me because of her sleeping habits and that's why I had that dream.
But let's just let it be.
The past is the past, after all.
Now is now.
No point crying over it anymore.
[05:34]
"Too awkward to go back to sleep now."
I don't know about others, but once I'm awake, it's hard for me to fall back asleep. Maybe I'm a bit sensitive about that.
If I keep sleeping straight through without waking, I can sleep for ages sometimes. Thanks to that, between 17 and 19, I grew past 180 cm on the power of sleep alone.
But waking up like this in the middle makes it hard to drift off again. That's my personal issue.
"Yawn... Sleepy."
Still, experience tells me one thing.
Lying here like this, I won't fall asleep anyway.
If I toss and turn, I might wake Yoon-seul, so I'll just lie still and admire my little sister's face.
"Was I this cute when I was little too?"
Gotta admit what I gotta admit.
Our family may not have much else, but we've got the looks.
Smooth black-brown hair cascading to her shoulders.
Cheeks soft like rice cakes but springy and firm.
Eyes drooping like a puppy's.
Anyone would like her on sight.
If Yoon-seul's picture ever floated around online,
- Yeah, our country's future is bright.
- Please just grow up like this.
Comments like that would probably pour in.
Gives me the chills.
"I absolutely can't let Yoon-seul's pictures circulate online."
No way I'm handing my sister over to creeps like you!
A soft blue dawn light filters through the window onto Yoon-seul's face.
Feels like I could stare at her for hours.
That's the confidence surging through me.
"Food God..."
That message from those [Onui] folks is probably true nine times out of ten.
That's the conclusion I've already reached in my head.
But more important than that is my 'cooking skills.'
The sudden boost in my cooking ability no longer feels like a coincidence tied to those Onui guys.
And right on cue, the turning point comes to mind.
The moment I felt my cooking skills skyrocket.
'Yeah, there's a kitchen inside too, right? We've got some family flour ingredients left over.
Show off your skills. Gotta make sure you're really good enough to start a business, you know?'
It was during the tomato egg ramen I made because the butcher shop boss—no, Ho-yeon Hyung—brought it up.
That's when I definitely felt it.
And before making that dish, I remember a weird dizziness washing over me while my phone kept vibrating.
It was an experience I hadn't had before, so it's vivid in my memory.
"If those Onui guys messaged me back then too..."
It wouldn't be weird if I gained cooking abilities as a result. Unrealistic, sure, but that's how it happened.
"Today might be the perfect chance to check for myself."
Today, I'm inviting Uncle Kang and Ho-yeon Hyung over to taste some dishes.
If I cook seriously, maybe I'll figure something out. That's the feeling I get.
**
[08:21]
Staring at my sister's face got boring, so I fiddled with my phone. That's when I actually found a community post like the one I'd randomly imagined earlier ('grow up just like this').
It only strengthened my resolve.
Morning came before I knew it. Time to get up.
To welcome the foodies, prepping ingredients comes first.
Seeing Yoon-seul's peaceful face, sleeping soundly oblivious to the world, makes me feel a bit bad about waking her. But no choice.
Can't leave her alone and go to the mart by myself.
Gotta eat breakfast together too.
Eat your three meals properly to grow up healthy.
"Yoon-seul~ Time to get up?"
"Mmm..."
"Not gonna?"
"Mm, nooo."
"Can't go to the mart together if you don't?"
"Ugh... Mart...!"
Yoon-seul wrestling with sleep.
Eyes squeezed shut tight, hands stretched out straight in front.
Waving her flower-petal hands and feet kicks up a gentle breeze.
She's weak to sleep, just like a proper little sister, so I stroke her head.
Pat pat.
Softer than a pillow, I wanna keep going.
"Ugh... Need choc... late..."
"Need chocolate? If you get up?"
"Yeah!"
"Then Yoon-seul can guard the house alone. I'll go to the mart and eat tasty stuff by myself."
"Ah, nooo... Getting up now."
Up she springs—!
Rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Such a simple kid.
Can't start swinging Oppa around like that already.
"Sis, how about toast with peanut butter for breakfast instead of chocolate, then mart?"
"Toast?"
Guess I haven't made her toast yet.
She tilts her head, not sure what it is.
"I'll spread peanut butter and make it super tasty."
"Yay!"
Probably reacted to 'tasty' more than peanut butter, but whatever.
Yoon-seul bolts to the bathroom like always first thing—thud thud thud.
To wash up.
Amazingly, she washes her face by herself.
I have to towel her off since she doesn't dry completely, though.
"What a age where she washes her own face alone."
I don't remember what I was like at that age, so no real comparison.
But at least I think it's impressive!
Maybe because she grew up with Grandma, she tries to do everything herself. Super independent.
"Oppa...!"
"Yeah~."
"Towel!"
I check the bathroom, and there she is, water dripping everywhere on the floor, waiting.
Bits of foam linger on her chin and under her ears here and there.
"Oppa will wipe a bit more."
Take her back to the sink and rinse once more.
Splish splash.
Kids make mistakes like this sometimes.
I wash up my sister, then oil the pan and grill the bread.
Once one side turns a golden brown, appetizing hue, set it on the prepped plate.
The soft bread crisps up so nicely, just touching it lets me imagine the texture.
Grab peanut butter from the fridge and spread it on the browned side. Swish swish.
The spatula scraping the bread sounds like ASMR, tickling the ears pleasantly.
Sister watches me grill quietly, then pokes my side.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"What's that?"
"Peanut butter?"
"No, that."
She's pointing at the tool I'm using to spread the butter.
"Oh, this? Spatula."
"Spa... Spee, Spat... Spa-too..."
Tries pronouncing it a few times, realizes it's too much. Purses lips, makes a 'pbbbt' sound, and runs off to mess with the table.
Yeah, 'spatula' is tricky to say. She can't even say 'Oppa' right yet, calls me 'Oppa' instead.
Huh? Hold on.
"Wait... Why do I even know the word 'spatula'?"
Up till now, I'd just called it 'the thing for spreading jam on bread' or 'knife-like thing for food' and glossed over it.
My brows furrow for a sec, but no need to overthink. Same as with the tomato ramen before.
"Getting more amazing the more I learn."
- It's just some mysterious power making it this way.
Even trying to brush it off like that, it feels like some unknown force has seeped into the depths of my consciousness.
So subtle you wouldn't notice unless you look closely, making it feel like knowledge I already had.
Not a bad thing, but it feels kinda suspicious too.
"Sigh, no point overthinking. Yoon-seul-ah~ Bread time."
"Yeah!"
Sister sits primly, puffing out her chest like she already set the table. Face all smug. Eyes sparkling, lips pursed cheekily.
Pat pat!
Drumming the table with both hands like she wants praise for a job well done.
"Wow, Yoon-seul set the table too? Good job."
"Yoon-seule did it."
"Yeah, Yoon-seul did. Good job, good job. Let's eat the bread yummy."
No sooner do I set the plates down than she snatches a piece and bites. Crunch!
Watching her munch makes my heart tickle.
'Cause you're my sister?
Or 'cause of your power?
Pushing away stray thoughts, I take a bite like her. Crisp!
The dual texture of toast browned on one side only.
Soft on the unbrowned, crumbling satisfyingly in the mouth on the other.
Peanut butter clings with its stickiness.
Melts from the bread's residual heat but keeps enough chew. Smooth as it coats.
Rice for breakfast is great, but toast like this now and then feels like it enriches life. Nice vibe.
Eating with Yoon-seul seems to speed up the meal a bit.
Bread vanishes from the table like melting snow.
"Yoon-seul, time to get ready to go out... But first."
"Yeah?"
Sister stares right into my eyes with an innocent face.
Wet wipe out, rub around her mouth.
My bad.
Crumbs and butter smeared everywhere.
Should've wiped her later.
Only after cleaning her face does Yoon-seul happily slip on the racing jacket from last time.
Her mouth curves up obviously, steps light.
"Good purchase."
A bit oversized and baggy, but that just makes it cuter.
"Oppa! Let's go."
Yoon-seul waits at the entryway, craning her neck, excited for the mart.
Makes me smile.
On the way to the mart, Yoon-seul kept mumbling:
Spa-chee
Spa-too
Spat-cha?
Like 'spatula' was bugging her.
I glanced at her now and then, feeling at ease.
And when we arrived at the mart, my perspective was completely different from anything before.