Chapter 44
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44
The so-called ‘Breathing Sea’ was, quite literally, a world submerged in water.
There was no one else here besides Gio. The water rose so high that even the sun seemed trapped beneath its surface, and all traces of human life—brick houses, fences, and the like—lay completely drowned.
Amidst it all, Gio sat perched on the edge of a cliff.
“Since we’re completely underwater, I have no idea how I’m supposed to fish.”
“Kwoooooroong.”
“Honey, stop drinking the seawater. You’re getting too big, and you’re scaring all the fish away.”
There were plenty of aquatic creatures to be seen.
A creature resembling a massive hermit crab moved in clumsy, mechanical jerks, crossing a red rooftop with its companions. A gentle-looking water snake repeatedly popped its head out of the sand before hiding again.
Far beyond them, a pod of massive whales drifted lazily through the watery sky, while colorful seahorses danced in pairs as if singing. Fish hid in the crevices of seaweed that grew between the bricks.
“Maybe I just don’t have a talent for fishing.”
“ ”
“Then again, a fishing rod is completely useless in a situation like this.”
“ ”
“A landing net? That’s not a bad idea.”
He was enjoying the dreamlike scenery, but he hadn’t caught a single fish.
“It’s not like I’m a particularly good swimmer, either.”
Because Giovanni’s world shared an incredibly close bond with the sea, ninety percent of its population were skilled swimmers. Giovanni, however, belonged to the five percent who were exceptionally terrible at it.
“Even when I first met Aria, our connection was forged because she threw me into the sea. From what I’ve gathered, I can’t exactly call Aria a good kid, but she was still a diligent student.”
“ ”
“Since Father doesn’t hold a grudge against Aria, my mind is at ease as well.”
Wearing his characteristic gentle smile, Gio soon let out a troubled sigh.
“But… how on earth am I supposed to catch a fish?”
Giovanni was a terrible swimmer. And while Seo Gio was a decent swimmer, he had never caught fish with his bare hands. No matter whose skills he relied on, there was no way he could snatch any of these incredibly nimble-looking creatures.
“……”
“ ”
“Pardon?”
When the Sun God indicated Honey of all things, Gio turned to look at the bright yellow waterbird. Bathed in the Sun God’s spotlight like an actor on stage, Honey was sparkling brilliantly. It was nothing short of a divine revelation.
“Honey?”
“……”
“Honey, can you catch them?”
“…Kkoong….”
“Why are you avoiding your dad’s eyes?”
Gio tilted his head at the expression that clearly said, I can do it, but I don’t really want to. If Honey simply didn’t want to work, Gio wouldn’t force him. But it didn’t seem like he hated the labor itself, which made his reaction hard to read.
“Why doesn’t he want to do it?”
“Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong….”
“……??”
Seeing the father and son failing to communicate, the Sun God subtly revealed the truth.
“ ”
“……”
“ ”
“...Ah.”
Only then did Gio remember that his waterbird was far from ordinary.
Of course, a living bird made of water was already far from ordinary, but this was something else. Honey possessed far greater potential than Gio had ever anticipated.
“Our kid can evolve?”
“……”
“Oh, Father.”
Honey was incredibly capable.
“To catch fish, he has to evolve, but he’s acting coy because he doesn’t want to take that form…? Really? Oh my god, that’s both amazing and ridiculous. He’s really committed to maintaining his cute appearance.”
His son definitely had a prince complex.
“I’m pretty sure I told you thirty minutes ago that no matter how cute and adorable you act, the only one you can conquer is your dad. Why are you so hopelessly cute?”
“ ”
“I’m sorry, I was being a bit silly. But Father, don’t you think your grandson is adorable, too?”
The Sun God merely smiled. He found their family dynamic quite heartwarming.
Although he didn’t get a clear explanation, Gio decided to leave it at that. What mattered most right now was for everyone to join forces, overcome this obstacle, catch some fish, and prepare a meal.
“...Hmm…”
Not wanting to force his son, Gio simply laid out the reality of their situation.
“Honey.”
“Kkoong.”
“Dad can’t swim.”
“…Kkoong?”
“So I can’t catch fish.”
“……”
“If you really hate it, there’s nothing I can do. But if you don’t catch fish for us, we’ll all have to starve. If you still refuse, I’ll have no choice but to grill the leftover sausages from last time for lunch.”
At those words, Honey’s pupils shook. Gio had no idea where the pupils were in eyes made of water, but it was clear that Honey was deeply shocked by their grim reality and was trembling all over.
Gio nodded solemnly, like a judge passing sentence.
“Yes. We are facing a situation where we must eat the exact same meal twice in a row.”
It was a miserable reality, utterly unacceptable for gourmands and big eaters like them.
“But if you still refuse, your dad will do his best to make stir-fried sausages, sausage fried rice, and sausage soup for lunch today.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
The Sun God was horrified by this bizarre standoff. Even he thought that stir-fried sausages, sausage fried rice, and sausage soup was going a bit too far. Having recently been spoiled by the delicious meals Gio prepared, he watched the situation with bated breath.
“…Koo….”
The winner was Gio.
“Kooroorook.”
But there was a condition.
“You want me to close my eyes?”
“Kook.”
“But I’ll love you no matter what you look like, son. Why?”
“Kook.”
“Ah, you’ve really hit puberty.”
Indeed, parent or not, everyone had secrets they wanted to keep. Although Gio had never even dated, let alone married or had a child, he knew the importance of respecting a child’s personal space.
Gio nodded, closing his eyes.
“You really don’t want to show me your evolved form? Dad is incredibly, deeply curious, but if this makes you feel more comfortable, Honey, I can close my eyes for as long as you need…”
“Kooroorook.”
“Puberty really makes kids difficult.”
The sound of a massive body of water churning, followed by seawater being violently stirred, echoed in succession. Not long after he focused on the sounds, he heard a new one.
“Kkoong-kooroo-roook.”
“……?”
Oh, already?
“Can I open my eyes, son?”
“Kooroorook.”
“Alright.”
And then, Gio opened his eyes.
“Oh.”
Inside Honey’s body, which had grown plump and swollen with seawater, about thirty fish were trapped.
“That’s amazing.”
“Koorook-koorook.”
“You look like a magnificent pig.”
“……”
“It was a compliment.”
Since Honey had been growing this large ever since they arrived at the Breathing Sea, this form probably wasn’t his ‘evolved’ state.
He probably swallowed the fish in his evolved form and then returned to his original shape.
Either way, it was both funny and impressive.
“A pig…”
“Kkoong.”
“A pig filled with fish…”
“Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong.”
“I like it.”
Giovanni smiled brightly with his characteristic cheerful grin.
“How reassuring.”
Gio was known for cooking in massive portions.
* * *
Returning to the cabin, Gio immediately set to work prepping the fish.
“Exactly thirty-three.”
It was a number that meant his hands were going to be absolutely wrecked today, but he decided not to care. Showing weakness before a mere thirty-three salmon-sized fish would be a great shame for someone his grandmother had certified as a pig.
“Fortunately, they say they’re all edible, so I can prep them without worry.”
“Koorooroorook.”
“Honey, spit one out.”
“Kook.”
Ptooey.
Honey, who was still bloated, spat out a fish.
“……”
Catching the fish as he staggered backward, Gio felt dizzy for a moment.
What kind of challenge did I just take on?
Anyway, it was time to prep the seafood, where freshness was key. Even if food didn’t rot in this painted world, there was no telling if that would prevent dead fish from smelling fishier as time passed.
Gio poked the forehead of the first fish with an awl, sending it straight to the Dragon Palace.
“Hmm.”
He prided himself on a technique as swift as an assassin from a martial arts novel.
“It pays to have sliced some fish in my day.”
“Koorook?”
“The taste of slicing and eating freshly caught fish right on a boat is truly special.”
Reminiscing about his past, Gio moved his hands with practiced speed. He cut off the fins, scraped off the scales with a satisfying shuck-shuck, inserted the knife at just the right depth to avoid puncturing the entrails, and sliced all the way down to the vent.
“Seeing how there’s barely any fishy smell even from the guts, it must be incredibly fresh. Now, once the entrails are out, next…”
“Kooroong-loong-loong-loong.”
“Honey, if you only eat guts, you’re going to end up smelling just as fishy as them one day.”
Where on earth did he get the nerve to snatch the guts while his dad was busy cooking?
...Still, the way he selectively dissolves things is always fascinating to watch.
Waterbirds enjoyed decorating themselves by putting things inside their transparent bodies. Honey, who loved jewels, was no exception. However, when it came to food—which wasn’t for decoration—it dissolved rapidly inside him. To be precise, rather than dissolving, it seemed more accurate to say the nutrients were converted into water. The swallowed food would gradually turn transparent, shimmer, and then vanish completely.
“……”
Whose son was he to be born so entertaining?
How fascinating.
Seeing how even his eating habits were hilarious, Honey was definitely Gio’s son. The little guy was top-tier content just by breathing.
“Hmm…”
“Kkoong?”
“I was just sizing up how long it’s going to take to prep all of this.”
If it were pre-cleaned fish from the supermarket, he would have bought a mountain of them without a second thought, but prepping live fish by hand was quite labor-intensive.
“Let’s keep going.”
Once the entrails were removed and the belly was emptied, he had to scrape out all the blood pooled along the spine. Gio diligently washed the inside of the belly clean and continued butchering the fish.
“……”
“……”
And then he discovered something surprising.
“...Was it actually salmon?”
“Koorook?”
“No, it’s definitely not salmon.”
But the flesh inside was highly unusual.
“The texture is like a white fish, but the color is orange, resembling salmon or trout.”
When he filleted it for sashimi, the flesh was so tender it would give way with just a little pressure, much like salmon. Yet, like white fish such as flounder or sea bream, the grain was round and firm.
“……”
Chew, chew.
“……”
The taste was also similar to salmon. But with its refreshing, crisp watermelon flavor, it seemed closer to trout.
Though the texture is much springier and chewier…
It was a very strange sensation. No matter how much of a fantasy world this was, having familiar elements overlap with something entirely new like this was subtly amusing.
“Uh…”
“Kkoong?”
“...Well, it tastes good, so that’s all that matters.”
Thanks to the tender flesh, the prepping went quickly.
“I’ll slice a few for sashimi and prep a few to deep-fry whole.”
“Koorook?”
“It’s tastier than I thought. Besides, there’s no way anything deep-fried in oil tastes bad. Don’t you worry, Honey, just wait comfortably for the fried fish.”
“Kooroorooroo…”
“It would actually be tastier with some spicy sauce.”
“Kkoong-kkoong-kkoong…!!!”
“Do you have to reject it so seriously? We have plenty of fish left. Won’t you let your dad make just one spicy fried fish, son?”
Having finished all the cooking, Gio was half-dead from exhaustion.
“……”
“Kooroorong.”
“It was a record-breaking day.”
He concluded that thirty-three large fish was simply too much. Such repetitive, relentless labor was sure to wear him out.