Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Purpose of the Table (4)
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[Yoon-seul's talent 'Food Spirit' activates.]
Talent?
Activates?
Unfamiliar words. But one thing was certain.
They felt infinitely closer to game terms than everyday language.
I wasn't exactly a gaming expert, but something about this felt far from ordinary.
With trembling fingers, I tapped on the message window.
[Food Spirit: During meals, spreads cravings for food and happiness across the surrounding area!]
[Use it wisely! Represented by Onui]
"Onui? What's that supposed to be...?"
At first, I thought it was some prank or spam message from a stranger.
But thinking it over, that didn't seem right.
Anyone with half a brain could see how closely this description matched the situation unfolding around Yoon-seul right now.
Especially since my little sister's name was clearly written in the message window.
I could brush off a single occurrence as coincidence. But by my count, this wasn't the first time.
Never mind the cravings for food and drink—for every time I cooked for Yoon-seul or fed her myself, a wave of happiness had washed over me.
Maybe it's just because she's my sister.
Perhaps it wasn't something I should have dismissed so simply. My shoulders trembled, goosebumps prickling my cheeks.
I glanced around.
- Mmm! Eating this crepe is making me feel so good?
- Should I get some to take home to Mom?
- Hey, we're gonna run out if we keep dawdling. Let's swing by together next time and grab some.
The reactions nearby seemed much the same.
So, according to this message from these Onui people, all this was happening because of Yoon-seul.
It wasn't normal by any stretch.
It was like something straight out of a game happening in real life.
"Huh...?"
Whether she knew it or not, Yoon-seul was just focused on devouring her crepe.
She'd already munched her way down to the base.
Bits of fresh cream dotted her soft cheeks, making her look even more innocent.
I stroked my sister's fluffy hair.
Maybe the sudden crowd had startled her. So many people had swarmed in out of nowhere.
No, honestly, I just wanted to calm myself down.
A fantastical event like this unfolding right in front of me—especially one tied to my own sister—was hard to swallow.
"At least it doesn't seem like you're doing it on purpose... right?"
"Ah... wait, Oppa."
"Hm? What's up all of a sudden."
"Oppa and I were s'posed to eat together... but Yunseul-i ate it all up."
This isn't about the crepe, kiddo!
"Ugh..."
Still, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Was this Yoon-seul's power at work too?
Nah, probably not. It was just her innocent words, so perfectly everyday, that lightened the heavy feeling in my chest in an instant.
Suddenly, I felt unbelievably calm.
"If this message is real, so what?"
Yoon-seul was my sister either way.
That fact wouldn't change, and her ability didn't seem to harm anyone.
Nothing had really changed.
She was just like those mukbang YouTubers—influencing people just by eating. I'd simply become aware of it.
Thanks to this [Onui] message.
"If I think about it that way, it's not such a big deal, huh?"
I already knew Yoon-seul ate well.
And watching her eat always put me in a good mood.
"Come on, Yoon-seul. Let's just chill out."
"Hm? Chill?"
Yeah, Joo-hyun, let's chill.
But as I thought it over calmly, a few more out-of-the-ordinary incidents from recently came to mind.
Cooking.
I'm not bad at cooking to begin with.
After seven years of living alone, I figured I had some decent skills under my belt.
But lately, it felt like I'd tapped into something beyond that.
Like knowing you have to rinse somyeon noodles extra thoroughly,
or being able to tell how ripe a tomato is just by looking at it,
or whipping up a recipe I'd never even considered before on the spot.
That definitely wasn't the old me.
Looking back now, that part gave me even more chills.
But I had no clues about that yet, and the Onui message about Yoon-seul had already vanished from my smartphone screen.
For now, I decided to sit Yoon-seul on my lap and observe the surroundings a bit longer.
- We're out of stock for today! Sorry to those still in line—please come back next time!!
It wasn't long before the owner announced they'd sold out, and the people at the back grumbled as they dispersed.
He probably hadn't expected a crowd like this today.
But the customers' reactions this time were a bit different from before.
- Ugh, that's why I said we should get in line faster.
- Did I mean to be late? But is this crepe really that good...? Why's the line so long?
- Beats me. And if you're complaining that much, we didn't even like what we got anyway. Why'd we bother lining up?
- You said you wanted to eat it!
- I just thought it was cute watching that kid eat! So what!
They bickered just like that, and the earlier praise fizzled out.
The same went for the people who'd finished their crepes.
'It's alright.'
'Tastes decent enough.'
'Not worth the line, though.'
Those were the kinds of responses now.
Probably because my sister had already polished off her crepe.
As the crowd thinned, the area around the crepe truck turned into a quiet plaza again.
I approached the truck cautiously.
"Um... you guys still here?"
"Oh, yeah. I was kinda curious about the sudden rush, so I stuck around to watch."
"Yeah, this doesn't happen often. No idea what's going on."
I wondered what reaction the owner would have if I explained what caused it.
It nagged at me, but I wasn't eager to find out firsthand.
The owner stared at us for a moment, then pulled a few remaining strawberries from a drawer under the truck and put them in a paper cup before handing them over.
"Share these with your sister."
"Oh, no need! We'd feel bad taking more like that."
"Tasty..."
Yoon-seul clearly thought otherwise.
The owner smiled kindly and thrust the cup at me. I grabbed it instinctively before it could fall.
He pulled his hand back and got to cleaning up the stall, so I couldn't hand it back.
"Yoon-seul, sit here for a sec and eat these strawberries! I'll go help the owner with that stuff and be right back."
"Okay, got it."
Yoon-seul, already popping a strawberry in her mouth, nodded and toddled over to the bench beside the truck.
As I followed the owner into the truck, he glanced at me and chuckled softly.
"Thanks."
"No, thank you. I owe you one."
A twinge of guilt for dragging his truck into this bizarre phenomenon.
Plus, his generous spirit in handing over the leftover ingredients so cheerfully—it had my body moving before my brain caught up.
It was a small operation anyway, so cleanup didn't take long. Thanks to my part-time job experience, maybe.
Or maybe some of Yoon-seul's mysterious something had rubbed off on me.
I grasped the truck's layout easily, and my hands moved nimbly.
The owner watched me with a hint of surprise.
We finished tidying up and stepped outside to find a few people still milling about, watching Yoon-seul munch on her strawberries.
I overheard a mother and daughter chatting.
- Mom, should we buy some strawberries to take home today?
- You never eat fruit anyway—what do you want strawberries for?
- I dunno, just watching that kid eat them makes me wanna try some.
- Sigh, fine. We'll get one box then.
Maybe I should be careful about what I feed her in public.
Was my sister influencing the consumer economy now?
"Oppa...!"
"Yeah?"
"Gimme more."
Thud-thud-thud—
Having finished the strawberries, my sister ran over and stuck out her sticky cheeks and hands. Crepe and strawberry remnants were smeared all over them.
"Heh heh heh... I came prepared for this."
I pulled wet wipes from my jacket's inner pocket.
Real parenting hack right here.
Kids get stuff on them anywhere, anytime—best to carry extras for emergencies.
Does this mean my parenting level's gone up a notch?
I turned around to see the crepe owner watching us fondly.
"Thanks for the help with cleanup."
"No biggie. Consider it payment for the strawberries."
It hadn't even been ten minutes of work—hardly strenuous.
"Yoon-seul, say thanks for the strawberries."
"Thank you! They were yummy!"
The owner gently patted her cheek in response.
"You said you're... starting a business?"
"Yeah, assuming no major hiccups, it'll probably be soon."
"Good. This might come off as nagging from an old-timer, but mind if I offer a bit of advice?
Kids these days hate being called boomers for saying stuff like this, right?"
"Oh, not at all. I'd appreciate any tips—please, go ahead!"
How could anyone call this thoughtful guy, who put others' feelings first, a boomer?
He was a senior. A business senior.
"You seem quick on your feet. Polite too. I bet you'll succeed at whatever you do."
"Thank you."
"But do you know what's most important for sticking with a business long-term?"
"Not really, no."
"Haha, of course not. You haven't started yet. In my opinion, it's the people you do it with."
"The people...?"
"Yeah, exactly—it's not feeling lonely. Whether you hire part-timers or do it with family.
I hope you find someone to share it with. That way, even when it's tough, you can keep smiling. I..."
He trailed off there.
The owner just smiled and waved it off, but my mind filled in the blanks on its own.
- That's what I did.
I recalled tidying the food truck together.
A space too big for one, a bit cramped for two. That size.
The emptiness where his wife used to be must have felt wider and more hollow than the actual space.
That's what crossed my mind.
After that, we exchanged a few casual words standing there before parting ways.
'I'll swing by again if I'm in the area.'
Vague promise like that.
Talking with the crepe owner left me feeling a bit sentimental, so I convinced Yoon-seul to walk home along the quieter roads.
Not that it took much convincing—she was thrilled, just enjoying the sights and scampering along.
"Is Yoon-seul my good luck charm or something?"
She gripped my index and middle fingers tightly with her tiny hand.
I muttered softly, too quiet for her to hear.
If the owner was right, having Yoon-seul stick around the shop instead of going to kindergarten—because she didn't want to—might be a huge help to me.
Mentally, at least.
I could picture it vaguely.
Me sitting alone in a shop too big for one person, waiting blankly for customers.
Not a comforting image.
It'd be lonely.
I glanced down at Yoon-seul. She was peering around at the colorful neon signs lighting up the evening city.
Following her gaze, I scanned the signs too.
"So many food places around here."
That's what stood out first.
Talk about how your worldview shapes what you see.
And among them, the sign that caught my eye most.
[The Purpose of the Table]
Seeing those five bold letters, I wanted to scoop Yoon-seul up in a hug.
But picking her up out of nowhere might make her squirm.
"Sis, want big bro to give you a piggyback ride?"
"Yeah... yay!"
This time she meant it for real, right?
Right in the middle of the bustling downtown sidewalk, Yoon-seul gazed out at the streets from a height even taller than mine.
The Purpose of the Table, huh...
Maybe it's time to start thinking about restaurant menus when we get home?