Kimchi Stew and Rolled Omelet
The next day, at dawn.
I opened my eyes, as was my habit. It was time to get up and prepare for work. The sun hadn't even fully risen yet, and a faint, pale morning light was seeping into the room through the gaps in the window.
And right next to me, Baek Ri-seol was fast asleep, oblivious to the world. Her red hair was slightly disheveled, and she was in a defenseless posture, clutching the quilt to her chest.
...
She had told me herself at the drinking party yesterday. That she was a heavy sleeper. She even claimed she’d once been nearly kidnapped while she was asleep.
"How on earth did you survive to become the Blood Demon..."
I looked down at her with an incredulous expression. She was such a strange woman. Despite being a dangerous Blood Demon, she was somehow clumsy and full of openings. Yet, that very fact made people smile in a strange way.
After planting a light kiss on her forehead while she slept, I quietly rose from the bed. Baek Ri-seol was still sound asleep, letting out small, rhythmic breaths.
...
She really sleeps well. I chuckled to myself and headed straight to the kitchen. Since she would be home all day, I decided to prepare her meals in advance.
Today, I took the beef and dried seaweed I’d set aside yesterday and stir-fried them with garlic and soybean oil instead of sesame oil.
Sizzle—
Once the savory aroma began to spread, I poured in water and let it simmer until the seaweed soup was complete. I also took a croaker that had been hanging from the kitchen ceiling, grilled it until it was golden brown, and placed it on the table.
Savory seaweed soup. Freshly steamed rice. A perfectly grilled croaker. I carefully covered the table with a piece of unbleached cloth to keep the food from getting cold.
...
Even so, my feet wouldn't move away. Eventually, I walked back into the room. Baek Ri-seol was still sleeping soundly. I stared blankly at her snow-white face peeking through her red hair for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
...
Even to me, it felt a bit strange. We’d only been living together for a few days, yet my mind was constantly filled with thoughts of her. Was it because my life in this foreign land had been so lonely? Living alone in this strange Murim world without family or friends. I had grown accustomed to working all day and returning to a dark, empty house.
But now, it was different. Someone was waiting for my food, eating the meals I prepared with delight, and sleeping in the same room as me.
...
The more I thought about it, the hotter my face felt. I cleared my throat and hurried toward Sehwahu. There were three teams of guests reserved for today. Unfortunately, they were all for the evening banquet.
"Please, just one more plate!"
"Young Master Jin-woo! You must come to the sixtieth birthday celebration!"
Why were there so many demands? By the time I was finished standing in front of the fire, the night had grown deep. Completely exhausted, both physically and mentally, I headed home. And then, I saw my house in the distance.
...
The house, which was always pitch black, had light leaking out from it today. My footsteps faltered for a moment.
"Ah..."
So this is what a house waiting for family feels like. Strangely, my chest felt ticklish. I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. And, thinking of the red-haired Blood Demon waiting inside, I quickened my pace.
When I arrived home and opened the door, there was, as expected, no one in the room. But today, I didn't feel disappointed. I naturally walked toward the kitchen, where smoke was rising from the chimney. And there, Baek Ri-seol was boiling something.
"What are you doing?"
As I stepped into the kitchen, delight bloomed in her red eyes.
"Gaga was so late, so I was preparing a little dinner."
"What are you making?"
For a moment, Baek Ri-seol puffed out her chest with a confident look.
"Beef noodle soup!"
"Wow."
I was genuinely impressed. "That sounds delicious."
"You can look forward to it!"
Seeing her smile with such confidence, I couldn't help but chuckle. I decided I should wash up first. After washing my hands and feet, I changed my clothes. When I returned to the room, Baek Ri-seol was carefully carrying a table with both hands.
...
Honestly, it was a little funny. A red-haired Blood Demon carrying a table of beef noodle soup with such a serious expression.
...
She looked quite adorable. I chuckled, hurried over to help her with the table, and set it on the floor. The beef noodle soup was steaming. It looked decent enough. The smell was also quite good.
...
The problem was the taste. I lifted the noodles with my chopsticks and took a big slurp.
Slurp—
In an instant, the noodles snapped apart. She must have boiled them for too long; they had lost all their elasticity. Baek Ri-seol was looking at me with eyes full of expectation. Her red eyes were sparkling.
...
This is dangerous. I tried to act nonchalant as I set down my chopsticks. "Seol, let's eat together."
I couldn't die alone. But Baek Ri-seol shook her head and said nonchalantly, "Gaga, I already ate a lot while tasting it."
...
I'm doomed. She probably didn't even drain the blood from the beef properly, as a subtle, fishy smell was rising from the broth.
...
But there was no turning back now. In front of those sparkling eyes, leaving food she had made herself? That was something no human, let alone a chef, should do. I quietly lifted the bowl. And then—
Slurrrrrp—
I shoved the beef noodle soup into my mouth as if I were pouring it in. It's better to end the pain quickly. Dragging it out would only make it more agonizing.
"You must have been very hungry, Gaga." Baek Ri-seol gently stroked my stomach with a proud expression. "You went through so much trouble cooking for me, so this time, shall I make you something to eat, Seol?"
For a moment, Baek Ri-seol's red eyes wavered slightly. "I... actually, I was very hungry..."
"...But you definitely tasted the beef noodle soup a lot..."
Seeing her mutter dejectedly, I finally burst into laughter. "What are you going to make?"
I headed straight to the kitchen. I opened our family heirloom number one—the cooling box containing a small piece of Ice Crystal from the North Sea Ice Palace—and rummaged through the ingredients inside. A chilling cold air wafted out. Behind me, Baek Ri-seol was following me like a puppy.
...
Suddenly, I craved a spicy kimchi stew. "Shall we have kimchi stew and a rolled omelet?"
Baek Ri-seol's eyes sparkled instantly. "If it's kimchi, I like it."
As expected. I chuckled and started by washing the rice. I put the clean rice into the pot, added a piece of kelp, and set it to cook. Then, I took out some kimchi that had gone slightly sour from the cooling box. After rinsing it lightly in water, I sliced it lengthwise for a good texture.
...
Actually, it tastes better if you don't rinse it. I just do it because it looks cleaner. I drizzled soybean oil into the pot and stir-fried the kimchi, minced garlic, and finely chopped pork together.
Sizzle—
A spicy, salty aroma spread in an instant. Baek Ri-seol, who was watching from behind, began to twitch her nose. Then, I poured the rice water I’d saved earlier directly over the stir-fried kimchi.
Bubbling—
The red broth began to boil slowly. The final step was my secret weapon. Kelp, anchovy powder, and beef jerky powder. My invincible secret seasoning, created by combining various things like a ghost. In other words—Homemade MSG.
I sprinkled the powder over the kimchi stew. In an instant, the aroma of the broth exploded.
"Wow... Gaga, the smell is insane..."
Baek Ri-seol, who had followed me right behind, was staring at the pot with a dazed expression. Her red eyes were already half-glazed.
"The taste is even crazier."
I chuckled and pulled over the basket of eggs I’d bought at the market. Crack— Crack— I broke five of them in a row and whisked them vigorously with chopsticks. I added chopped green onions from the garden, finely diced carrots, sugar, and salt.
"Ohhh..." Baek Ri-seol let out an exclamation.
I drizzled plenty of oil onto a wide iron wok and heated it slowly over a high flame. Sizzle— I poured the egg mixture thinly over the hot wok. And then, after lifting the edges with a square spatula, I slowly folded the cooking egg like a blanket. One turn. Another turn. The yellow layers of egg stacked up, forming a thick rolled omelet.
After cooking it until golden brown, I sliced it into bite-sized pieces and placed it on a plate. Hot kimchi stew. Freshly steamed rice. And a thick rolled omelet. It was a perfect meal. Plus, a bottle of white liquor I’d bought on the way home.
...
We sat facing each other and began to eat. Baek Ri-seol was quite cautious this time. After burning the roof of her mouth while eating soybean paste stew too quickly last time, she seemed to have developed a wariness toward hot broth.
She first scooped a large spoonful of rice onto her jade spoon. Then, she picked up a long piece of kimchi from the stew with her chopsticks. Along with a piece of well-cooked pork. It was a perfect combination. But she didn't eat it right away.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Baek Ri-seol began to blow on it carefully with a very serious face. I could feel her determination not to repeat the tragedy of last time.
...
Why is she so cute, seriously?
Finally, a spoonful of cooled kimchi stew entered her mouth. And in an instant, Baek Ri-seol's red eyes widened noticeably.
...
Right. I knew she’d react like that.
"Wow... Gaga..." she muttered with a dazed face. "This taste is truly insane..."
No sooner had she said that than Baek Ri-seol began to shovel the kimchi and rice into her mouth frantically. She piled on the kimchi, scooped up the rice, and even drank the broth. She was in a state of total rampage. But the problem was that the kimchi was too long. No matter how much she chewed, it wouldn't break, so it hung out of her mouth.
Eventually, I couldn't hold back my laughter and leaned toward her. "Ah, wait."
After tearing the kimchi with my hands, I rolled it up nicely and placed it back on her spoon. Baek Ri-seol's eyes sparkled again.
...
It feels like I'm feeding a pet. I'm about to witness a live pet-feeding show after a food-eating broadcast.
...
But that, too, was incredibly cute.
Next was the rolled omelet. Baek Ri-seol carefully picked up a piece of the golden-brown omelet with her chopsticks. And then—Sniff, sniff. She started by smelling it with a serious face.
"Do I just eat this?"
"Yes," I replied, scooping up a spoonful of rice. "Take a bite, and if it's a bit salty, just eat a spoonful of rice." I had intentionally seasoned it a bit strongly since it was a side dish.
Baek Ri-seol nodded and took a big bite of the omelet. In an instant, her red eyes softened again.
"The egg flavor is so rich..." Baek Ri-seol muttered with a happy face. "And the vegetables inside don't bother me at all..."
"And..." Her gaze naturally drifted down to the rice bowl. "I really want rice."
As soon as she finished that sentence, she scooped up a large spoonful of rice. And then, the infinite loop began. Stew—Rice—Omelet—Rice—Stew again.
...
It was a perfectly optimized eating routine. Eventually, I let out a dry laugh and brought the entire rice pot over, setting it down next to her. "It's all-you-can-eat, customer."
Baek Ri-seol's red eyes sparkled instantly. "Gaga, I love you."
At her unconscious confession... both she and I froze in place.
