186. Someone's First Omakase
186. Someone's First Omakase
***
In the heart of Gangnam, there was a high-end izakaya that primarily operated as a dinner omakase restaurant.
And the name of that restaurant was—
—Izanami.
As a place that mainly served dinner omakase, it operated by reservation only, and its popularity was beyond imagination.
So much so that it was known to be difficult to even secure a reservation, requiring days of phone calls just to book a table.
Jingle!
The entrance door, decorated with distinctive Japanese-style wooden interiors, swung open with the sound of a customer's arrival.
"Irasshaimase!"
"Welcome~"
Two staff members of Izanami greeted the entering guests.
A male employee with a bright impression turned his head out of habit and offered a greeting in Japanese, while a female employee with a short bob spoke in a demure voice, in contrast.
The two women who entered the restaurant were striking from appearance alone.
Pure white silver hair revealed beneath a black beret. One woman possessed an exceedingly refined beauty, while the woman with glamorously styled brown hair had a freshness reminiscent of a female idol.
Despite their contrasting hair colors, what they had in common was that both were beauties from whom it was hard to look away once you laid eyes on them.
Since the guests were so beautiful, the two employees blinked and exchanged glances for a moment, but soon the male employee moved first, stepping forward quickly.
Then, after briefly straightening his hair and attire, he wiped the playful tone from his voice.
"What kind of seating did the two of you reserve?"
"We reserved seat number 27."
When Sua answered with a bright smile, the male employee's gaze unconsciously drifted toward her.
As a high-end omakase specialty restaurant, many customers came dressed up.
He had seen plenty of good-looking customers over time, but these women before him were on an incomparable level.
'Could they be celebrities? People in that kind of industry?'
The man didn't usually pay attention to celebrities, so he didn't know, but he wondered if they might be people like that.
"Ah. Then I'll show you to your seats!"
Still, despite such thoughts, the employee outwardly smiled brightly and guided them to their reserved seats.
Sua slowly walked along behind him.
And Serin, following slowly as well, took another idle look around the restaurant's interior.
'How did she manage to book a place like this?'
The restaurant's exterior alone looked luxurious, and the sight of customers seated in small groups chatting quietly inside the elegant interior made the atmosphere feel very different from an ordinary restaurant.
"What do you think? The atmosphere here is nice, right?"
Sua, walking behind the employee, smiled brightly as she asked, and Serin nodded without thinking.
"Yeah. It's nice. Seems like it'd be hard to book a place like this. How'd you manage?"
"Well, there are ways. And on a special day like today, we can't just have an ordinary dinner, can we?"
"Honestly... what's so special about it."
Serin let out a small laugh at Sua's exaggerated remark. Sua smiled along with her.
Tap.
The two of them were seated at the far end of the restaurant's second floor.
"Then I hope you have a wonderful time."
As the employee offered his farewell and left, a chef in a clean, all-white uniform appeared right in front of them.
"Welcome."
"Yes. Hello."
"...Yes."
When the chef with a warm, friendly impression calmly greeted them, Sua answered brightly, but Serin responded a little awkwardly.
'...There are places like this?'
The very situation of sitting face-to-face with the person cooking for her was deeply unfamiliar.
So when she glanced around, she saw that the long row of tables each had their own dedicated chef. One chef per table.
It was a sight she'd never seen before, and Serin couldn't shake a feeling that was both strange and somehow fascinating.
A chef dedicated solely to their assigned table, cooking just for them. It felt like being treated like royalty.
"There's still a little time before the second dinner seating begins, but would either of you care for some tea?"
At the chef's question, they gave a small nod. Soon, tea with white steam rising from it was served in what looked like fine ceramic ware.
Carefully lifting the tea, Serin couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"Sua. What kind of place is this?"
"What kind of place?"
Sua, who had taken a sip of tea, replied as if asking what she meant. Serin smiled a little awkwardly.
"Honestly, this is my first time at a place like this."
Clink.
Sua set down her tea and asked with a look of disbelief.
"Serin. Don't tell me this is your first time having omakase?"
When Sua looked at her with a no-way expression, Serin nodded.
"Yeah. What's omakase?"
At Serin's question asking what omakase was, Sua's mouth fell open slightly.
Then she stared blankly at the chef right in front of them. She caught him smiling softly at Serin's words.
As if he found her utterly adorable.
'First time?'
Sua, a bit dumbfounded, took another look at Serin.
Even on second glance, her appearance was endlessly beautiful.
Could you even bring in some famous foreign actress or model and have them look more stunning or prettier than this woman? Sua had learned after spending that one night together that even Serin's body proportions were close to perfect.
And after actually meeting her, she'd felt that her way of speaking and mannerisms were subtly elegant, too.
'Seriously, how has no one ever done this for her?'
Of course, omakase wasn't something you absolutely had to try, but with someone like Serin, it felt like she should have been taken to all sorts of places at least once.
So Sua couldn't believe that no one had ever brought her to omakase before.
Despite her surprise, Sua soon calmly began explaining what omakase was.
"Omakase, simply put, is when the chef prepares various dishes right in front of you. But the menu changes depending on the chef's discretion, as far as I know. Honestly, I've never really thought seriously about omakase either, so trying to explain it feels a little awkward."
"Ah, I think I get it."
"You have a rough idea, right?"
"Yeah."
When Serin said she had a sense of what it was like, Sua found Serin's reaction kind of funny.
Sometimes, despite her glamorous appearance, Serin seemed to live a simple, modest life.
"And it's 7:50 right now. For a place like Izanami, the first dinner seating is at 6:30. The second dinner seating is at 8:00. The food comes out according to the time."
"Sua, you don't have to... explain every little thing."
Serin's embarrassment, saying she could figure out that much on her own, looked indescribably cute to Sua.
......
After chatting about how each other had been for a few minutes, Serin spotted the chefs bringing out a huge cut of fish and preparing it.
The moment she saw it, a scene suddenly came to mind.
That first time she'd shared drinks with Sua.
The food Sua had only taken a few bites of before barely touching it afterward.
It had been seafood.
"Sua, you're not great with seafood, are you?"
"...A little?"
When Sua smiled awkwardly, Serin frowned slightly.
"No, you don't even really like it, and you suggested we have dinner at a Japanese restaurant?"
"Well... you like this kind of food, don't you?"
When Sua glanced over and said that, Serin let out a small sigh without meaning to.
"Let's go somewhere else now. I don't care about the money."
As Serin moved to stand up, Sua hurriedly grabbed her hand.
Snatch.
Then, quickly shaking her head, Sua parted her lips.
"I am sensitive to fishy tastes, but this place is really fine. I can eat here."
"Still, you don't like seafood."
"Even so, I can eat here just fine."
"Sua, you. Seriously... ha."
When Serin made an exasperated face, Sua laughed awkwardly and, holding her hand, guided Serin back into her seat.
As Serin sat back down with clear reluctance, Sua spoke in a coaxing, affectionate voice.
"Come on~ please. Okay? I just wanted to make dinner plans for today at a place you like."
She was practically nuzzling her face against Serin's shoulder like a cat, acting cute, and Serin couldn't bring herself to refuse, letting out a helpless laugh.
"Sua. You can really eat here, right?"
"Yes. I can really eat here. The fishy taste is really mild here. With all the sauces and seasonings, it's a place that knows what it's doing, so you barely notice any fishiness."
After insisting it was really fine, Sua suddenly turned her head toward the chef.
The chef had been watching them with amusement from time to time, and now, pausing his fish preparation, he spoke.
"I can adjust the flavor to your preference. Even someone sensitive to fishy tastes should be able to enjoy it comfortably."
At the chef's confident tone, Serin had no choice but to accept.