Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 165
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 165
A mart!
A place a little different from a market, selling standardized goods.
It was also a space where you could encounter intriguing items you didn’t normally see.
As Lion walked through the neatly organized aisles, his heart fluttered for no particular reason.
‘Especially on a hot day, there was nothing better.’
You’ve probably experienced it at least once.
Midsummer, when sweat trickles out just from breathing and you find the glaring sun so hateful.
When clothes heavy with moisture stick to your body, and the wind feels as unpleasant as the heat blowing from an outdoor unit—if you quicken your pace and step into a mart…
Whoosh!
The refreshing blast of an air conditioner, clearing your head and cooling you down!
Even young Baek Yi-hyeon couldn’t pull himself away for days after first tasting that delight.
Perhaps that was why, whenever he had time, young Baek Yi-hyeon began to loiter inside the mart.
Of course, since he was alone, it was a little awkward and scary at first.
The voices of people, the clattering sound of carts being pulled.
And even the advertisements coming from the speakers.
For a timid child, there were certainly many overstimulating elements.
Even so, young Baek Yi-hyeon went there.
It wasn’t simply because he liked the ice-cold air-conditioned breeze.
‘It was nice because it felt so alive.’
Whole families who came for an outing, all laughing and chattering.
Holding up an item and having a heated debate about whether to buy it or not.
He just liked watching those things.
Thinking back now, it was vicarious satisfaction too.
Still, it never made him feel envious.
“Hey there, little customer, back again? Here, have one of these before you go.”
Because there was one employee who looked after Baek Yi-hyeon amid everyone else’s indifference and disregard.
It was the employee who grilled sample ham.
A good person, whose name he never even learned, who would call over a child awkwardly wandering the mart—and insist on cutting the ham bigger than the usual samples, spearing it on a toothpick with a dab of ketchup, and handing it over.
“But I can’t buy any…”
“It’s fine! I have to finish grilling all this before I can go home anyway.”
And with that, she would give a playful wink.
It must have been a lie, for sure.
She probably couldn’t go home even after grilling all the sample ham, and if the samples ran out without meeting her sales quota, the chances were high she’d get an earful from management.
‘She must have felt a lot of pressure too.’
In truth, instead of looking after a scruffy kid, working harder to attract customers would have been more beneficial for her.
Thinking back now, I felt truly sorry and grateful, but…
Regrettably, I was too young back then to fathom those deeper circumstances.
So I was happily oblivious.
“Thank you!”
Little Baek Yi-hyeon would always give a hearty greeting and receive a chunk of ham so thick a single toothpick could barely support it.
I can’t even describe how good and tantalizing that savory, thick-cut ham tasted.
‘Truthfully, I think I just wanted reassurance.’
That this place, and these people, wouldn’t push me away.
That it was okay to let my guard down here.
Looking back, I really owe my growth to the kindness of so many people.
Of course, there were just as many filthy, petty days too… but that’s all in the past now.
“Now that I think about it, samples…”
Lion looked around and murmured to himself.
Being able to stock this much food meant their finances were that comfortable.
Well, this was none other than Easter, so of course they would be.
In that case…
“Wouldn’t that work?”
It would take discussions to flesh out, but he thought it might be nice to create an experience like ‘A Chance to Taste Special Ingredients Rarely Encountered, Even by Nobility!’
While he was thinking that, Lion had already arrived at the [Special Ingredients] section.
What was there…
“Oh…”
Really, truly unusual ingredients were gathered.
[Salt Carrot]
-Chewing the outside yields a salty taste more intense than rock salt.
-Toward the center, a subtle savory flavor emerges. You know, this might be quite the delicacy.
Not your normal orange carrot, but an appetite-suppressing purple carrot.
[Cat Leaf]
-The shape of the leaf is plump and round like a cat’s paw.
-It is no different from a regular perilla leaf.
-Despite its name, this ingredient has nothing to do with cats.
An aromatic vegetable with a cute shape.
Definitely… unusual.
But it was a little different from the kind of unusual Lion had pictured.
‘First, let’s grab some.’
Since the employee earlier had said he could use anything he wanted before leaving, a little farming—no, a little gathering—would be fine.
And just in time.
“There it is!”
There was a vegetable presumed to be bean sprouts.
Why presumed, you ask?
[Mugwort Bean Sprout]
-Mugwort-colored bean sprouts. When blanched in water, the mugwort color disappears and they turn into normal bean sprouts.
-Consuming a large amount alleviates various types of pain.
-Be careful: if you don’t trim the roots, the mugwort color will not come out.
Because the color was a deeper mugwort shade than radish sprouts…
Still, fortunately, through the Expert’s Eye, it looked like once boiled, they would take on the familiar shape and color.
‘I will have to trim the roots.’
Typically, roots are packed with nutrients, so you usually just trim the dried-up, withered parts and use them as-is, but if I did that here, I suspected I’d end up with mugwort soup instead of clear bean sprout soup.
Still, just finding bean sprouts here was a blessing.
Lion was about to take a reasonable amount of bean sprouts when he paused for a moment.
“But it says it alleviates pain?”
It came with the caveat of consuming a large amount, but wasn’t bean sprouts exactly the kind of thing you didn’t eat in small portions?
It was the kind of thing where a whole bundle became one fistful after blanching.
‘Hmm…’
Lion hesitated for a moment, then glanced around furtively and grabbed a massive heap of bean sprouts from the storeroom.
Originally, he’d only planned to make bean sprout soup, but since things turned out this way, he felt like setting a whole table generously with bean sprouts.
“Now then, shall we head over to the spices?”
Lion hummed as he moved.
His appearance was exactly that of a neighborhood local who had come to do some shopping.
* * *
“This should do it.”
Lion gathered up armfuls of ingredients and came out of the storeroom.
The employees waiting in front, just in case, breathed quiet sighs of relief at Lion’s safe return.
‘Whew.’
‘We were worried because you didn’t come out for so long. Thank goodness.’
‘B-but what is all that?’
‘Don’t try to understand. He must have a purpose.’
After a brief exchange of glances, an employee beamed and stepped forward to take the load.
“Did you enjoy the storeroom experience?”
“Yeah. It was great, full of clean and fresh ingredients.”
“That’s a relief! Perhaps…”
The question ‘Is there anything that needs improvement?’ was cut off by another employee giving them a nudge.
Clearly, the manager had told them not to ask for direct feedback.
It was plainly an instruction to be careful, given who the guest was.
And that was understandable, because…
“Hm?”
Lion tilted his head slightly as if he had no idea what was going on.
As he did, his loosely tied hair slipped down, revealing a hair tie.
Emblazoned proudly on that tie was the Asteri crest.
Gulp.
His extremely casual manner of speaking had nearly made them forget he was a scion of a renowned magic house.
“Oh, no, no! We were just wondering if there is anywhere else you’d like to look around.”
The employee, having narrowly avoided a slip of the tongue thanks to their colleague, swallowed hard and asked as calmly as they could.
“Hmm, I’d like to use the kitchen a bit. Is it available now?”
“Of course! It’s just been tidied up, so please make yourself at home.”
“Thanks. But I’d like to use it alone.”
“A-alone, you say?”
The employee was flustered.
Of course, it wasn’t because the kitchen was dirty or the request was difficult.
Even if it weren’t for Lion Asteri, the kitchen was always kept in immaculate condition, and all the cooking tools were in excellent shape.
The problem was that excellent shape!
‘Even so, isn’t it dangerous…’
If you had to name the three most dangerous places at Easter, the first was the hunting ground, the second was the construction zone.
And the last, the third, was this very kitchen.
Kitchen knives always sharpened to a keen edge. Burners stronger than those in a typical restaurant!
No matter what, leaving the young master alone there seemed dangerous.
The other employees seemed to feel the same way, exchanging another flurry of quick signals.
And then…
“Aha. You’re worried I might get hurt?”
They were caught red-handed by Lion.
“Th-that is…”
“Lest the guest, in the off chance, gets injured and leaves Easter with bad memories…”
The employees, startled, flapped their hands wildly in excuse.
After all, according to rumors, Lion Asteri had no magical aptitude.
Even if he himself didn’t care, there was no way he wouldn’t be offended by the reactions of others—especially mere employees.
‘Th-this is bad…’
The employees broke out in a cold sweat, outwardly and inwardly.
And Lion, watching them…
‘Oh man, now I feel a little bad.’
He fully understood those employees’ feelings.
Before his possession, he had been in their shoes, having to placate those so-called hotshot types.
‘But I really am fine.’
However, proving that was a bit awkward.
Dramatically demonstrating his Cooking Talent by showing off some killer knife skills wasn’t a surefire solution either.
If he did that, they might dwell on the fact that they’d misspoken.
‘A more definite method…’
Lion pondered for a moment and then devised one method.
It was an act only the ‘eccentric Lion’ could pull off.
That was, specifically.
“I know exactly what’s on your minds.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re worried I’ll get hurt, right?”
“Th-that’s correct.”
“So, if I show you proof that I won’t get hurt, that’ll settle it?”
Having said that, Lion strode with firm steps toward the burner.
The sizzling heat he could feel just by getting close hinted that the fire was immensely strong.
‘This is actually perfect.’
The dish he planned to make today required high heat.
After quickly checking the burner, Lion slipped ‘those gloves’ onto his hands.
“S-sir?”
The gloves made of ‘Parental Devotion.’
And then, he immediately thrust his hand right over the blazing flame!
“Aaaagh!!”
“Oh dear, oh dear!”
The employees screamed as they rushed over.
Because of their mistake, the guest’s hand…!
“Uh, huh?”
“Look, look.”
But Lion’s hand was perfectly fine.
The glove wasn’t even singed.
“My grandfather worries a lot too, so he’s given me many gifts. So you don’t need to worry.”
See? That was the method only the eccentric Lion could pull off!
He’d casually stuck his hand into a fire pit to show that it was fine!
As a bonus, it also showed that there were no issues at home and that his feelings hadn’t been hurt.
Wasn’t it a great method?
Of course, if Grandfather had seen it, the furrow between his brows would have deepened twofold.
“So don’t worry too much, and you’re free to withdraw now. I tend to prefer cooking alone.”
With that, Lion personally opened the kitchen door and looked at them.
What more could they do after he’d gone this far?
“Y-yes, sir…”
“Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to call us with the bell.”
Creeeak-
The door closed, and the employees, pushed out into the hallway, muttered in a daze.
“To think his clothing has that kind of treatment on it…”
“He must hold his grandson very dear.”
“Right. If he goes around draped in magical tools of that caliber, he may well already be playing a major role in his family.”
“Heh heh. We were worried over nothing.”
Chattering among themselves about how that must be why the manager had so strongly emphasized discretion, the employees trudged off to the staff break room.
And Lion, left alone.
“Heh heh.”
At last, he could cook the dishes he’d been craving!