The Sect Leader's Token
Dawn was just breaking when the cart Dong-gwi pulled rolled back into the clearing at the foot of Mount Hua. Another day at Siksin Somyeon was about to begin.
Baek Ri-seol unfurled the folding canopy with practiced ease, and I set to work beside her, prepping the day's ingredients.
Thock— thock—
Scallions fell across the cutting board in clean, even cuts. The chicken broth began its slow climb toward a simmer, a low bubbling that sent a rich aroma unfurling through the dawn air.
Baek Ri-seol arranged the collapsible tables and chairs, then wiped every surface down with a rag, meticulous as always.
"Dear."
"Today's going to be huge. I can feel it."
I snorted and lifted the lid off the stockpot.
"I actually prepped plenty of ingredients this time."
A short while later I hung a promotional board around Dong-gwi's neck for good measure, then flipped the sandwich board out front.
Tap—
That was the moment.
Down the mountain slope, a figure came racing toward us at a staggering clip.
A whisper of cloth. A rustle like falling petals.
Her toes barely kissed the ground. Mount Hua's signature lightness technique — the Dark Fragrance Float.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Well now."
A heartbeat later, the hem of a snow-white martial robe settled lightly over the clearing.
Mae So-yeon.
Unbelievable. She had actually shown up first, exactly as she'd promised yesterday.
She was barely even breathing hard. With a proud little shake of her bulging coin purse, a thick, reassuring clink of silver rang out.
"Hello!"
Mae So-yeon looked distinctly pleased with herself.
"I arrived first today."
She hugged the purse tight against her chest and added, perfectly serious,
"I'll make sure your sales are excellent."
I couldn't help a short laugh.
"Welcome, miss."
Baek Ri-seol beamed and waved as well.
"Come in, Miss Mae."
The air among the three of us was already far more natural than it had been the day before.
Mae So-yeon glanced around, her gaze landing on the ordinary seats set out beneath the canopy. She tilted her head.
"Are the noodles supposed to be eaten over there?"
I shook my head, perfectly straight-faced.
"Heroines such as yourself belong at the special table."
"The special table?"
Mae So-yeon's eyes went round.
"Why?"
I dropped into one of the omakase chairs as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Because I'd rather not spend my workday staring at a bunch of stinking men."
A brief silence.
Then Mae So-yeon burst out laughing.
"Ahaha—!"
"Chef, you're too funny!"
She couldn't stop. She pressed her fingers to the corners of her eyes, still shaking with it.
"But you're so much younger than I expected."
I gave the broth a lazy stir, unbothered. The pot bubbled softly.
"I've passed twenty, I assure you."
Mae So-yeon studied me with a look of genuine curiosity, then, as if the thought had only just occurred to her, turned toward Baek Ri-seol, who was still folding rags nearby.
"But…"
"…what's your relationship with this young woman?"
Baek Ri-seol cut in almost on reflex.
"He's my cousin."
She went on wiping down a table, her face the picture of innocence.
"I'm helping out. The pay's good."
I almost laughed out loud. She had really committed.
I kept the ladle turning and played along, just as casual.
"Well."
"As you can see, she's temporary help."
"Quick with her hands, so we're working together."
Mae So-yeon looked from one of us to the other. After a beat, the corner of her mouth curved in a very particular way.
"…So you're not involved, then."
Her eyes narrowed into a smile — a knowing, faintly loaded little thing.
Baek Ri-seol's fingers twitched to a stop on the rag.
I cleared my throat for no good reason and busied myself with the stockpot.
Ahem—
I had a feeling today's business was not going to end in any ordinary fashion.
Baek Ri-seol murmured something about fetching tea and slipped into the kitchen.
She checked that we were alone, then leaned in so close her face nearly brushed my ear. Warm breath tickled my skin.
"Dear."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"…I'm already turned on."
"Let's finish up shop early today."
I stopped mid-slice and stared at her, incredulous.
"Why do you get like this every time you see her?"
Baek Ri-seol's crimson eyes curved into thin crescents. She dragged the tip of her tongue slowly across her lower lip.
"The higher my Blood God Constitution climbs…"
Her voice had gone a little husky.
"…the higher the lust seems to climb with it."
She huffed a quiet laugh and added,
"…Or."
"Maybe you're the one who corrupted me."
I looked at her, deadpan.
"Hey."
"You're the one who showed up and started stripping first, remember?"
Baek Ri-seol's gaze flicked away.
"…That."
"Was because you looked too delicious, so…"
"Which still makes it your fault."
I let out a hollow laugh. Honestly. The logic was getting stranger by the day.
From outside, Mae So-yeon's voice carried in.
"Chef!"
"What's this premium special? It's a whole tael of silver?"
I stepped back out, composure restored, and tapped the sandwich board.
"Exactly what it says. A special dish."
"Only the finest ingredients. I cook several things fresh, a little of each, and send them out as a special co— a selection of dishes, if you like."
I had been about to say course meal, then thought better of it. Explaining that would have been more trouble than it was worth.
Mae So-yeon's eyes lit up.
"…I want to try that."
I ran a quick inventory of what I'd prepped. Prime beef. Pine mushrooms I'd only just gotten my hands on. And the spiced oil I'd made myself.
I nodded slowly.
"Hm."
"A steak and some pine mushroom soup should do nicely today."
Mae So-yeon's eyes went perfectly round at the unfamiliar names.
"Stay-ke…?"
"What's that?"
I grinned.
"A roasted beef dish from the Western Regions."
I let the next words land with a little weight.
"Once you've had it, you'll never forget it."
Mae So-yeon's face turned serious. She nodded like someone who had just made a life decision.
"Then I'll have that."
Behind me, Baek Ri-seol poked her head out.
"Dea— no."
She corrected herself in a hurry.
"…Cousin."
"Leave some for me too."
I snorted.
"You think I'd forget yours?"
Baek Ri-seol's face lit up in an instant.
"Yes!"
It was still early enough that the regulars hadn't started pouring in. I decided to put Mae So-yeon's special together first.
To start, I sent out a pine mushroom soup — not the ordinary button kind, but a lavish helping of the finest pine mushrooms I had.
Mae So-yeon lifted her silver spoon with care and took a sip.
And then her eyes widened, just a fraction.
"Oh…"
"The fragrance is so deep…"
I smiled to myself and laid two cuts of beef I'd already seared onto the fire.
A fierce hiss. Red juices began to bubble up as the surface browned at speed. I timed it, then dropped a pat of butter on top.
It melted at once, running down over the meat, and the smell that burst from it was staggering — rich, nutty, and so dense it rolled across the entire clearing in a matter of seconds.
Mae So-yeon, who had been devouring her soup in a daze, caught that scent and froze solid.
Slowly, she turned toward the meat. Her eyes were huge.
"What is this violent aroma, Chef…?"
I basted the pan with its own juices, perfectly calm.
"Butter."
"Fermented sheep's-milk fat, brought down from the north. A rather precious thing."
"I see…"
Mae So-yeon looked from the meat to the butter and back again, as if she'd been put under a spell.
"…That's more than worth a tael of silver."
A short while later, two perfectly cooked steaks were set in front of them.
Mae So-yeon managed an awkward stab with her fork, took one bite, and her eyes flew wide.
"…!!"
"This is far too delicious…"
Beside her, Baek Ri-seol sliced into her own steak with a look of pure bliss.
"Cou… Cousin, you really can cook a piece of meat…"
I poured cornelian cherry wine into both their cups.
Mae So-yeon took a sip of that as well, and the last of her composure gave way to open awe.
"…I don't regret a single coin."
By the time the meal was finished, the look in her eyes belonged to someone who had been transported somewhere else entirely.
She stared at her empty plate for a long moment before speaking, carefully.
"Chef."
"May I ask your name? You must be terribly famous…"
I tossed back a cup of the cornelian cherry wine, unhurried.
"I am called Woo, of the Guangdong Jin clan."
"I used to cook a little, back in Luoyang."
Mae So-yeon's eyes went wide.
"Luoyang…"
"…Don't tell me. The Food God of the Sehwa Pavilion?"
My chopsticks stopped.
"No."
"That rumor made it all the way out here?"
Mae So-yeon nodded, still looking stunned.
"Of course."
"You're huge in the gourmet broadsheets…"
"Your name was always sitting at the top of the rankings."
"I…"
She fidgeted with her empty cup for a moment, then carefully lifted her gaze.
"I'm not usually the kind of woman who says this, but…"
She hesitated, then asked, very quietly,
"…Chef."
"Would you happen to have some time free?"
Beside me, Baek Ri-seol's eyes — she had been mid-sip of her wine — curved into a pair of delighted crescents.
She looked like she was having the time of her life.
I glanced at that face and huffed a laugh.
This popularity of mine. Well. It had been common enough back at the Sehwa Pavilion.
I took another unhurried sip of wine.
"Not at the moment."
"I'll have to check my schedule."
Mae So-yeon's face brightened at once.
"I'll wait."
Then, carefully,
"I can come again tomorrow, right?"
I snorted and settled the lid back on the stockpot.
"Women customers are always welcome."
Mae So-yeon finally lost the fight and let out a small laugh.
"Ahaha…"
"Then I'll come early, before the crowds."
"Today was truly, truly delicious."
Her eyes shone.
"…Food God."
I waved her off.
"Go on, then."
Mae So-yeon bowed several times over, then started up the mountain path toward Mount Hua with a spring in her step. The white hem of her martial robe receded slowly into the morning mist.
Baek Ri-seol watched her go, then jabbed me lightly in the side.
"Dear."
"…She's already fallen for you, hasn't she?"
I snorted and started stacking the empty cups.
"If I took her up on it right here, I'd be the desperate one."
Baek Ri-seol's eyes curved, thoroughly satisfied.
"That's my husband…"
She hooked herself onto my arm.
"Let's go already…"
I stared at her, then made a point of looking around the empty clearing.
"We haven't even opened yet."
"Don't care."
Baek Ri-seol just pulled harder.
"Today's mission is over."
"Let's pack up."
"And the ingredients?"
"Put them in the cold box and use them tomorrow."
I finally gave in to a helpless laugh. Honestly. The side business was starting to outrun the actual business.
And so Siksin Somyeon's second day of trade ended before the doors had ever properly opened — an early close, whether the customers liked it or not.
The next day as well.
I barely managed to finish setting up, my legs still shot out from under me.
"Dear, your walk looks even weirder today."
"Shut up…"
Baek Ri-seol dissolved into laughter all over again, and I stirred the broth with the eyes of a dead man.
A short while later, the familiar whisper of the Dark Fragrance Float came rustling up from the foot of the mountain.
Mae So-yeon. First again, right on schedule.
She sat down at the special table as if she owned it and said, without preamble,
"The special course again today, please."
I snorted and started pulling out ingredients.
Something was off, though.
Mae So-yeon was unusually quiet. None of yesterday's bright excitement. She didn't even spark at the smell of the steak.
She stared at the tabletop and let out a small sigh.
I stopped slicing pine mushrooms.
"Something on your mind, miss?"
Mae So-yeon flinched, then carefully raised her eyes.
"…Actually."
She hesitated, then caught her lower lip between her teeth.
"There was something I meant to ask you yesterday…"
"It was a rather difficult favor, so I couldn't bring myself to say it."
I waited, saying nothing. The only sound was the soft, steady hiss of the broth.
Mae So-yeon wavered a long time. Then, carefully, she spoke.
"Our Mount Hua Sect."
"Would you consider helping us?"
She stopped. Drew a small breath, the way a person does when they have decided something.
"If it's possible…"
And then, very carefully, she drew a plaque from her robes — a red plum blossom carved into its face.
She set it down.
Tap—
"…I'll give you the Sect Leader's Token."
