Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Purpose of the Dining Table (6)
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Plod plod plod plod—
Thud— thud—
Walking in step with Yoon-seul slows my pace a bit. The difference in stride between a five-year-old and a twenty-five-year-old, after all.
Thanks to that, I get to take in the surroundings more leisurely. Back in the day, walking somewhere was just a means to an end—to reach the destination.
It was boring and tedious.
But these days, walking has become a bit enjoyable.
Yoon-seul peering around curiously at the cityscape is adorable. Like when she happens upon a puppy smaller than herself and they share some warmth.
Or wondering together where the stray cat strolling along the wall is headed.
Thanks to those little things, time spent heading somewhere no longer feels boring at all.
“Oppa, Oppa! Puppy!”
“Oppa, Oppa! Kitty!”
Every time she tugs hard on my hand,
“Hmm, yeah? Shall we play with it for a bit before we go?”
I’d stop, and her cheering with arms raised high melts my heart.
The glances from passersby bring subtle smiles too.
Our eyes often meet with other city folk.
— Ah, sorry. Your kid has such pretty eyes, I couldn’t help staring.
— Are you the dad? You look super young. The baby’s adorable too! Definitely make her a model someday.
— Your daughter’s staring at this like she really wants it—want to share a piece of bread? If that’s okay with you.
They often strike up conversations like that.
Each time, I’d pull forward the shy little girl hiding behind my pant leg.
“Yoon-seul, say hi.”
And without fail.
“I’m Jang Yoon-deul...”
That’s my little sister’s response.
Even the trip to the big supermarket is a delightful repeat of everyday moments like these.
It’s a routine, sure, but this time there was something a little unusual.
Vroooom—! Boom—
Who should come roaring through the alley on a high-end Harley in broad daylight but a rider with long red hair straight out of a fantasy novel, whipping through on a motorcycle.
It wasn’t going all that fast, so no real complaints there.
What was funny was Yoon-seul and me saying the exact same thing at the same time. Our three words matched perfectly, no deviation.
“Looks tasty...”
Looks like us siblings aren’t just into cars—we’ve got a big interest in motorcycles too.
Moments like this really make me feel the blood connection. In a good way, mostly.
We arrived at the mart and headed straight for the grocery section.
The shopping list was already set.
Shouldn’t take long at all.
— Sir~! Try a dumpling with your daughter. She’s so cute!
— We’ve got duck meat over here too! Give it a taste. 2+1 sale going on.
The staff, seeing me as a dad, kept calling out to us.
Even our Jang Yoon-seul-ssi nearly fell for it, reaching for a dumpling just before
I stopped her. Scooped up Yoon-seul and quickly made our escape.
“Yoon-seul, always be careful with food. Only eat what Oppa gives you.
If you go grabbing stuff impulsively, you’ll clean out the whole mart’s samples. You’ve got that kind of impact!”
“Hm... What’s that mean?”
Yoon-seul pouts, clearly not getting it. Yeah, anyone would think I’m overreacting.
But Yoon-seul’s powers were already proven at Dongdaemun. Wouldn’t want an incident at the local mart drawing unwanted attention.
Next thing you know, some reporter might post online: [Why Did This Major Mart Sell Out of Frozen Dumplings in One Day?]
This is me helping housewives avoid unnecessary spending.
“Anyway, today we’re just grabbing eggplant and pork loin and getting out quick, Jang Yoon-seul-ssi.”
“Uuu... Okay...”
“But if you shop with Oppa all fun-like, I’ll give you chocolate later and make jeyuk too.”
“Ooo...!! Jeyuk... Choco...”
I’d tested a jeyuk recipe on her recently, and she loved it.
I’m considering it as option one for the main menu at the new restaurant. Yoon-seul might seem like it, but she’s got standards when it comes to taste.
She loves eating, but her reactions to delicious food versus bland stuff are night and day.
The jeyuk I made fell into the former category.
Heading to the butcher section, I could tell my vision had clearly changed. Thanks to my new “special ability related to food,” probably.
“Your eyes look totally different now.”
For example, just touching the outside of the meat pack or checking the color lets me gauge freshness.
No denying it—freshness is key for meat, and as a big mart, the quality seemed well-managed.
“But the issue is the fat-to-lean ratio.”
Hard to tell by eye alone.
Even big marts don’t label ratios that precisely.
They just portion by weight, bag it, and shelve it.
Yet strangely, scrutinizing with my eyes, I could somehow tell the ratios of fat, membrane, and lean meat!
In other words, I now have the ability to pick the best cut out of several options right in front of me.
“Sis, we’ll make jeyuk with this tasty-looking pork hind leg. What do you think?”
“Hm... Looks good?”
I held one up for her to see...
And there it was—another hearty old-school word from Grandma’s lessons.
I tossed a pack of hind leg into the basket and headed to produce.
There, a horn-rimmed glasses-wearing staffer was grinning and hawking wares.
A few housewives clustered around.
“Hm...? Why’s she over at produce like that? Some promo?”
A quiet unease crept in.
Not from logic or reason, but pure instinct.
Sticking my head in for eggplant, it was divided into two types.
Bulk-packed in clear bags, and loose singles.
I knew right away what was up.
— Oh! Sir, got to grab some veggies for your kid’s health, right? We’re selling bundles now—promo item, take some!
The horn-rimmed staffer spotted me and shoved eggplant my way.
Rough count: about eight eggplants.
Price... not bad.
— Buying eggplant now? Bundles are way cheaper~! Good quality too, go for this!
Bundles were definitely a better deal price-wise. But good quality?
Bull.
Probably just dumping inventory.
The bundles weren’t inedible or anything, but they felt second-rate.
The singles might cost a few hundred won more, but they looked superior. Deep color, smooth sheen. No blemishes, clean.
The bundles were pale, with spots of damage here and there.
Without a word, I stepped toward the singles. No need to heed her pitch.
I’m spending my own money on what I want.
— Oh, sir! Bundles are cheaper than singles? Hehe, for your daughter’s sake, take the good stuff~!
“If the bundles are so great, ma’am, grab a bag for yourself on your way out. I like the look of these.”
— ....
The air turned frosty for a moment.
Nearby housewives started glancing around awkwardly.
I didn’t want to say anything harsh, but her obvious ploy irritated me.
Bundling off subpar eggplant cheap isn’t bad in principle.
If there’s demand, it sells.
But lying about quality?
And clinging when I try to walk away and buy something else? Annoying.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.
But it wasn’t wrong.
“Huh? Yoon-seul?”
“Auntieie, here.”
In the midst of it, whether Yoon-seul read my mind or just acted on impulse, I couldn’t tell.
She’d toddled up to the staffer and thrust a promo bundle of eggplant at her.
Caught off guard, the staffer took it.
“Make it tasty. Take when off work.”
Plod plod plod—
Then she bolted.
Clinging tight to my leg.
I bagged a few single eggplants and left produce behind.
As we turned away, Yoon-seul muttered to herself.
“Auntieie made Oppa mad. Bad Auntieie.”
She knew exactly how I felt.
Good job, my little sis.
I ruffled her fluffy hair.
Yoon-seul shrugged her shoulders with a smug look.
If that lady hadn’t been behind us, I’d have given her a piggyback ride.
Glancing back at the staffer on our way to checkout, she looked a bit dazed. Probably because the housewives had turned from the promo bundles.
Self-checkout lane.
These are handy nowadays.
No lines—just scan barcodes yourself.
Beep—
Beep—
Scanned the pork hind leg and eggplant bags one by one. Sharp beeps as prices popped up on screen.
Total under ten thousand won—thrifty shopping.
Pork hind leg: affordable with guaranteed flavor. Eggplant? Won’t break the bank.
Especially next month—peak season (April to August), prices drop more.
By the time the shop opens, it’ll be in season, saving on ingredients.
“Beep—! Beep—!”
Yoon-seul always mimics the scanner beep once per mart trip. Did it last time too, I think.
She wipes under her nose while at it.
Embarrassed?
Or high on her own accurate imitation?
One or the other.
Both cute.
“Yoon-seul, let’s cook something tasty with this together. Oppa, Uncle Kang, and Hyeon Hyung.”
“Sounds good. Jeyuk?”
“Yeah, jeyuk. And something else with this purple veggie.”
“Purple? Eggplant?”
“Yeah, with eggplant.”
“Eeee...”
She stretched her upper lip long, face screaming no thanks. Didn’t seem like she meant to upset me. Probably just a bad preconception about eggplant?
Fair enough—eggplant isn’t kid-friendly. Grandma probably fed her some sour pickled version.
“Just trust this Oppa, Jang Yoon-seul-ssi.”
“Hm, yeah. But eggplant’s iffy.”
Just you wait.
I’ll make it delicious.
On the way back, I called Uncle Kang and Hyeon Hyung to set up a meet.
Might be late after they wrap work, but I asked them to come anyway.
Time to showcase the main menu for the restaurant.
These two have helped me tremendously—they need to taste it.
Longtime connections, so they’ll give honest feedback for sure.
“Wonder if they’ll like it.”
I hope so.