The Last Rice Ball
“Whaaat?!”
Yeon-woo was utterly appalled.
And furious.
“How… how could you do this?!”
How… how on earth could he?!
“Who roasts meat and forgets the salt? How are we supposed to eat this?!”
It was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
Meat without salt!
Having already tasted the glorious perfection of salted meat, her palate could never return to the bland, dreary days of unseasoned pork. Yeon-woo collapsed facedown onto the dirt in absolute despair.
“I am truly sorry,” Un-hyeon murmured contritely. “I must be losing my mind in my old age. What shall we do? Would you care to eat it as it is?”
“Don't you dare talk crazy!”
Meat without salt. Meat without salt. The horrific thought echoed in her mind.
“If only we had salt to soak into the plump, glistening meat while the juices burst in your mouth,” Un-hyeon sighed, a wistful note in his voice. “Just think of how heavenly it would taste when chewed…”
Ugh. Uuuugh…!
“And if we do not kindle the fire right this instant, it will soon grow far too late…”
Aaargh! Aaaaargh!!
“Whatever shall we do…”
“I'll be right back!”
Yeon-woo scrambled upright as though spurred by pure destiny. Her little face was carved with ironclad determination.
“I'll just go get it myself!”
“Will you truly be all right? After all, this place is…”
The very peak of a mountain.
A piercing gust whistled past, flapping the hems of their robes.
The spot Un-hyeon had brought Yeon-woo under the pretext of checking a trapped wild boar was the summit of a steep, treacherous mountain that had taken them a full hour to climb.
‘Under normal circumstances, an ordinary child would have failed to summit even after four hours.’
Perhaps it was the result of running up and down slopes gathering wild herbs, but Yeon-woo had kept right on Un-hyeon’s heels the entire way. He had intentionally increased his pace to gauge her endurance, yet she had reached the top without a hint of distress.
“Is it not far too long a journey?” Un-hyeon asked gently. “To be sure, curing it overnight in this mountain breeze would elevate the flavor to exquisite heights if seasoned with salt, but for you to make the trip alone…”
“I'm going! I'm bringing it back! And I'm going to eat the tastiest meat ever!”
Without another word, Yeon-woo spun around and sprinted down the slope.
“Get the fire ready! Don't you dare eat without me!!”
Moving with a speed that defied belief for a girl her age, she vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
“Take care on your way—!”
His voice echoed faintly into the valley. Watching her scamper off into the distance, Un-hyeon sensed her aura rapidly receding and leisurely cracked his knuckles.
“Well then…”
Perhaps he ought to follow and see just how swiftly she made the round trip.
With a light tap of his foot against the earth, his figure melted away like mist.
Yeon-woo returned to the mountain summit clutching the salt precisely two hours later.
True to their word, roasting and devouring the meat took them scarcely fifteen minutes.
As Un-hyeon tidied up their spot after the feast, he paused, gazing at the leftover pork with an air of deep contemplation.
“Now that I think on it, a certain delicacy I once tasted in the Central Plains comes to mind.”
“A delicacy?”
“Indeed. A dish fashioned from pork just like this…”
“Was it good?”
“It was spectacularly delicious.”
“What was it?! What was it?!”
“One slices the meat paper-thin and leaves it to dry for a very long time in a breezy place such as this. When prepared so, the meat's aroma deepens, releasing an intense, mouthwatering savoriness.”
When Un-hyeon glanced down, Yeon-woo was already drooling a river.
Slurp.
Wiping her chin with the back of her sleeve, Yeon-woo shouted, “Let's do it! Let's make it right now!”
“Well, to do that, we would need a few things…” Un-hyeon took a look at her sparkling eyes, then sighed and shook his head. “No, forget it. How could I possibly ask you to run all the way back down to the residence again? Let us simply leave the rest for the birds.”
“Why would we give it to stupid birds?! I'll catch and eat them too!!”
“Do you truly wish to taste it so badly?”
“Yes! I have to know what it tastes like!”
“Then will you bring the items I describe?”
Yeon-woo nodded frantically. Looking down at her, the corners of Un-hyeon’s lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile.
That day, Yeon-woo traversed the mountain three times in total, carrying out Un-hyeon’s requests.
Though her legs trembled like reeds and small scrapes dotted her skin, she was on cloud nine.
‘Wind-dried meat!’
As she descended the mountain after leaving the meat to cure, her grin was so broad it dug deep dimples into her cheeks.
However, that radiant smile did not last long.
“What… is this…?”
During their absence, the Guan Clan Residence had delivered their evening meal. Waiting for them were three solitary rice balls, each no larger than Yeon-woo’s small fist.
‘They took the request to reduce our rations a touch too seriously,’ Un-hyeon thought, glancing toward her.
Perhaps from sheer shock, Yeon-woo stood frozen stiff, staring at the meager dish in disbelief. Slowly, her head creaked around to face him.
“Grand… pa… the meat…”
“We left every scrap of it up there. Did you not insist we cure it all?”
It was true. Blinded by the promise of dried delicacies, Yeon-woo had left every single strip of meat at the summit to dry.
“Not even… a tiny bite…?”
Her pleading eyes practically screamed, There’s really none left?! Yet Un-hyeon shook his head with firm resolve.
“There is nothing to be done. It is far too late to hunt anew, so we must share this between us tonight.”
Though hungrier than she had ever been, she was equally exhausted. With no other choice, Yeon-woo gave a reluctant nod.
Three small rice balls wrapped in lotus leaves.
Sitting across from each other with the plate between them, the two amicably picked up one apiece.
Wearing a face of profound sorrow, Yeon-woo peeled back the lotus leaf and took a small bite.
“……!”
Her eyes snapped wide open.
“It's delicious!”
It was incredible! Absolutely mouthwatering!
Without even swallowing her first bite, Yeon-woo immediately chomped down another mouthful. Watching her cheeks puff out like a squirrel's, Un-hyeon tasted his own and nodded in agreement.
‘Did they focus on flavor in exchange for slashing the quantity?’
The seasoning was impeccable, carrying the rich, nutty fragrance of crushed sesame seeds. Furthermore, the combination of seasoned mountain herbs and finely minced meat bound into the rice was exceptionally savory.
The two fist-sized rice balls vanished into their stomachs in the blink of an eye.
The real trouble began immediately after.
“……!”
Resting both clenched fists on her knees, Yeon-woo glared at the sole remaining rice ball with a gaze so fierce it could pierce stone.
Two people. One rice ball.
I want it. I want it. I want it. I want it. I want it. I want it. I want it.
Even without her speaking a word, the desperate chant was practically audible on her face.
After glaring at the food for a long while, Yeon-woo finally made her move. After all, she still possessed a conscience.
“Grandpa and I can split it half—”
And half.
She had forced the words past her lips, fiercely suppressing the instinct to hoard it all. Yet her sentence went unfinished. The exact moment her fingers reached out—
Clack.
Un-hyeon pressed down on one rim of the dish, causing the rice ball to roll smoothly toward the opposite side, slipping just out of reach.
Yeon-woo’s brow twitched. She lunged with her hand once more.
“I really mean it, exactly fifty-fifty—”
Rumble-roll.
She darted her fingers forward again, but the rice ball spun away in another graceful arc.
Yeon-woo scowled deeply, glaring up at him.
“What are you doing?!”
“Doing what, child?”
“I told you I'd share! It's mine, but I'll share it with you!”
“The rice ball? Ah, I have no appetite left, so you may have the whole thing.”
“Really…?”
“Indeed. It was quite flavorful.”
Yeon-woo broke into a toothy grin. It really was delicious! Overjoyed at the prospect of eating the entire remaining piece, she gleefully reached for it once more.
Rumble… slide, swish.
“Aargh, why does it keep moving?!”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Eeeek!”
Yeon-woo’s face flushed bright red. Determined to snatch it before Un-hyeon could tilt the dish, she struck out like lightning.
Roll, dip, spin, whoosh—!
Rumble-tumble-roll!
Infuriatingly, the rice ball evaded her grasp with a speed superior to her own movements, dodging her grip by a hair's breadth every single time.
Tap, tap-tap, clatter!
Yeon-woo brought both hands into play, pouncing from two angles at once. Yet within the confines of that shallow dish, the rice ball rolled and drifted as if endowed with life, flitting through the air and skirting her fingertips with infuriating ease.
Snap! Tap-tap-tap!
Her pupils darted rapidly, tracking the rice ball's frantic trajectory. The unyielding obsession with food elevated her focus to terrifying heights.
Clack, patter, tap!
Engaged in this razor-thin tug-of-war, Un-hyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘She is adapting.’
Yeon-woo’s strikes were growing faster. More than that, she had begun anticipating the dish's tilting and was thrusting her hands toward where the food was about to go.
The rhythm had accelerated to a tempo that an ordinary child’s eyes could never hope to follow. Yet Yeon-woo’s gaze never lost track of her prize.
‘I knew her fixation on food was extraordinary, but…’
To think it ran this deep. This, too, was an innate gift of her physical constitution.
This child…
‘She was born with no choice but to walk the path of a martial artist.’
Snatch!
In that split second, Yeon-woo’s left hand shot out and clamped firmly around Un-hyeon’s wrist. Her eyes, however, remained glued to the plate.
The corners of Un-hyeon’s mouth curled into an approving smile.
A child who had chased only the rice ball had expanded her field of vision just enough to immobilize the source controlling the plate. Neutralizing the root cause to solve a problem was an obvious principle, yet when consumed by desire, humans invariably suffered from tunnel vision.
What was more, Yeon-woo was only a little girl. For a child her age to grasp the concept of looking at the broader picture was a remarkable feat in itself.
‘That is enough for today.’
Un-hyeon released his grip on the dish.
Instantly, Yeon-woo’s free hand clamped down on the rice ball.
She looked up at him, victorious.
“Enjoy your meal,” Un-hyeon said softly.
Yeon-woo’s face lit up with radiant joy. Promptly turning her back to him to protect her treasure, she peeled off the leaf and shoved the rice ball into her mouth.
It was, without a doubt, the sweetest, most delicious bite she had ever tasted.