The Taste of That Bread, Part 3

"I told you everything! I shared every single recipe with you!"

Ye-yun beat her chest in sheer frustration.

Noel looked back and forth between Cheol-min and Ye-yun.

Their stories were completely at odds.

She must have had an incredible touch.

Noel glanced at Ye-yun's hands.

"Their accounts clash. What is the truth of this matter?"

Asin, observing the strange situation, could not help but ask.

"Are you lying?"

Kkamang-i asked, looking at Ye-yun.

"No! I've never lied!"

"But they said you fought like crazy over a secret recipe?"

Kkamang-i narrowed its eyes, staring intently at Ye-yun.

Ye-yun shook her head repeatedly.

"No! I already gave them all the recipes! Truly! Why... why would I hide it?"

The more she spoke, the more her eyes drooped in sorrow.

If she had wanted to hide it, she wouldn't have taught them in the first place.

"They... they just didn't believe me. That's why they kept bringing up the recipe, even the day before I died, and even before that."

Ye-yun pressed her hand to her forehead.

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped her lips.

How could they?

"I see the signs of fraud on that man, Cheol-min."

Tam-rang, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke.

"Who scammed him?" Asin asked.

"How should I know? If I knew whether it already happened or is yet to come, I would still be a Seven Star God."

Tam-rang replied crookedly. Even if his words were meant to provoke, Asin merely nodded calmly.

"You speak truth. Thanks to you, I have seen something of note. Noel, it seems there is indeed someone else's hand at play regarding this recipe."

Noel agreed with Asin's assessment.

The contradiction between Cheol-min and Ye-yun's stories was impossible unless someone else had intervened.

"Mr. Park Cheol-min. This talk about a secret recipe—who did you hear it from?"

"From a friend who was also a disciple under the same teacher."

"And what exactly did they tell you?"

"They asked if our teacher hadn't actually kept a secret recipe to herself instead of sharing everything."

"Stop joking! Stop playing around!"

Ye-yun flared up again.

When deep affection curdled into hatred, it easily birthed an evil spirit.

Noel immediately questioned Cheol-min.

"And you believed that?"

"No, of course not at first. Why would our teacher deceive us?"

"Exactly! Why would I ever deceive you?"

Ye-yun clenched her fists. Whatever else might be true, she would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never do such a thing.

"But the doubt lingered. When we made the bread ourselves, it didn't taste the same. We followed the recipe exactly, but... it was different from hers. It was always like that. Every single time."

Cheol-min clutched his shirt in agony. The suspicion had grown past his control.

He wanted it to be false.

But what if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was true? The thought was driving him mad.

"So the suspicion grew?"

"Yes... Because the results were different. Because the bread didn't taste like hers. I didn't want to believe it. I really didn't. But I didn't know what else to think."

Cheol-min squeezed his eyes shut.

Noel pondered his words for a moment, sensing a glaring oddity.

"But tell me, why is Choi Ye-yun obligated to give you, or any of her other disciples, her absolute best recipe in the first place?"

"...Pardon?"

Cheol-min blinked in confusion.

"You closed down your shop because you suspected she kept a secret recipe. How is that any different from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some random relative showing up and demanding everything Choi Ye-yun owned?"

Silence fell over the room.

They had been so buried in the conflict that they had missed the core of the issue. It was a completely fresh perspective.

"Um... excuse me?"

Ye-yun spoke up, looking at Noel tentatively.

"From what I hear, Choi Ye-yun did everything for you. She taught you her skills, showed you how to run a shop, gave you her recipes, helped you buy a house, and helped you stand on your own two feet as respectable adults. She gave you everything. And yet, you turned your backs on her in disappointment just because you thought she held back one secret recipe? Surely that's not it, right?"

Noel smirked.

How much did they expect from her?

As Cheol-min's face darkened, Noel scoffed in disbelief.

If that was indeed the reason, why should anyone bother helping them?

Noel looked at Ye-yun. Her expression had also stiffened as she realized the harsh reality.

Was she still hoping it wasn't true?

"...No, that's not it," Cheol-min sighed deeply.

"Then what? Did you sell the shop out of spite?"

At Noel's prompting, Cheol-min let out another long breath.

"I know how immense our debt of gratitude to our teacher is. It eats away at my soul that I can never repay it now. But I absolutely did not sell the shop for that reason. After she passed away... I realized that I don't actually enjoy baking bread."

"...What?"

Ye-yun was shocked once again. She slumped to the floor, staring at Cheol-min in utter bewilderment.

"Is that not just an excuse?" Noel asked.

"If I believed my teacher was listening... how could I utter such words? I could never."

She is right here, Noel thought, holding his tongue.

"But I had to clear up the misunderstanding. If I only cared about money, I would have kept the shop open. With her reputation, I could have easily made a fortune for months."

"I agree with his point about keeping the shop if he only cared for wealth."

Asin looked at Cheol-min. At least he wasn't being deceitful.

"I always doubted my own talent. I wanted to strike out on my own to find out. But after she passed, and I looked at the empty space she left behind... I realized that what I loved was the act of doing things with her, not the act of baking bread itself."

"So you're going to quit? Give up on everything...?"

Ye-yun crawled toward Cheol-min and tried to grab his hand, but her fingers passed right through him. She bit her lip.

"Are you giving up?" Noel asked on her behalf.

"No. And the others won't quit either, whatever their reasons. Right now, we all just need something to help us process the grief of losing her in our own ways."

"He says he's not quitting," Kkamang-i whispered to Ye-yun.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Was it relief?

"By any chance... was her request for us not to give up on this?"

"Yes. She didn't want you to abandon a craft you've dedicated years of your lives to just because of her death."

Cheol-min smiled faintly, as if he had expected as much.

"We will never quit. Right now, we just want to rest. Because... our teacher is gone. My heart feels so hollow, I don't want to do anything. Could you... pass that along to her?"

Cheol-min stood up to get the phone.

"I had no idea Cheol-min felt that way. I thought I knew everything about them, but I didn't know their true hearts. How painful must it have been for him to do something he disliked all this time?"

Ye-yun choked up.

"No. You are indeed their benefactor. You guided them in the best possible direction."

Tam-rang spoke of their fate. Since she was already a ghost, there was no harm in telling her.

"Really...?"

Though she didn't know why he spoke from the corner of the room, Ye-yun found comfort in Tam-rang's words. Knowing her actions hadn't been wrong brought tears to her eyes.

"Go a little closer and tell her yourself," Asin whispered, stepping up to Tam-rang, but he only scowled.

"No. It is mere meddling, so I shall not."

Tam-rang turned his head away. Asin looked at him with pity.

"You are truly honest to a fault. Noel brought you along for a reason, yet you still fail to see so much."

Having been sealed for so long, he needed time to adapt to the world.

There was a reason Noel had brought Tam-rang along. It was to push him to learn about the world, and now that his calamity deity energy was suppressed, to help him get along with others.

Since he seems so comfortable in his corner, he will need more time.

Asin clicked her tongue inwardly. Still, she knew his eyes were undeniably useful to Noel. As a former Seven Star God, he could see fate better than most.

"Here it is."

Cheol-min returned and handed Ye-yun's phone to Noel. Ye-yun wiped her eyes and told Noel the passcode.

Unlocking the device, Noel began to look through the recordings. He had no choice but to listen to them one by one.

By the fourth recording, Ye-yun suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, I recorded something! There is a recording!"

Noel glanced at her.

"Near the very end. I remember making a recording right after I bought the phone. I even set a password on it!"

Trusting her words, Noel scrolled to the bottom. Near the end of the list, there was a file labeled "To tell the kids later."

It seemed to be the file she was talking about.

After entering the password, he listened to the audio. A smile spread across Noel's face.

"Mr. Park Cheol-min. Could you call the rest of Choi Ye-yun's disciples here?"

"Yes, yes. I'll do that."

"And, Ms. Choi Ye-yun."

As Noel spoke her name, Cheol-min froze in his tracks. He turned around slowly.

"...What... what did you say?"

"Choi Ye-yun is here. Right next to you."

"..."

"Once the other disciples arrive, whatever is said, the choice is up to Choi Ye-yun. I will simply deliver her words."

Cheol-min stared at him, unable to comprehend.

"Our teacher... is here?"

"Yes."

At the confirmation, Cheol-min quickly covered his mouth. He had just spoken his innermost thoughts. His face turned pale.

"It's fine. She was happy to hear that you aren't giving up on your craft because of her."

"Is she... really there?"

"I'll tell you more when everyone is gathered," Noel said easily. It was much simpler to explain everything at once. "For now, let's do *that*."

"That...?"

"Choi Ye-yun is going to bake some bread."

Noel smiled brightly. He planned to perform a possession. It might be difficult with one bad arm, but overcoming such obstacles was what made a professional, right?

"...We came, but... I really can't bring myself to believe this."

"I heard there are a lot of fakes these days."

The two other disciples looked at Noel skeptically. They were a woman named An Yu-gyeong and a man named Bong Jae-jun.

Noel barely registered their names. After today, they'd probably pretend not to know each other on the street anyway.

"Their attitude toward you is poor, yet they rushed here without a second thought. Your disciples clearly hold deep affection for you."

Asin looked at Ye-yun. When Cheol-min had called them, he had only said, "We need to meet and talk about our teacher."

They had dropped everything and run. Who could say they lacked affection?

"Who was the one who said there was a secret recipe?" Noel asked them directly.

The bread was almost finished baking.

Yu-gyeong and Jae-jun exchanged glances before Yu-gyeong raised her hand. "That was me. Why?"

"Did you actually see it?"

At Noel's question, Yu-gyeong frowned in discomfort. "Why on earth are you..."

"Just answer him," Cheol-min glared at her.

"What's wrong with you? Did you get scammed or something?"

As Yu-gyeong laughed awkwardly, Cheol-min spoke up.

"You know I have our teacher's phone, right?"

"Yeah. We left it with you."

"This man unlocked it instantly. How do you think he knew a password that even we didn't know?" Cheol-min said, his voice deadly serious.

"...What? What did you say? Just now..."

"Hey! Is that true? Really?!" Jae-jun cut in, pressing for answers.

"Do I look like I'm lying? I saw it with my own eyes!" Cheol-min pointed to his eyes.

"So, why did you say she didn't teach you the secret recipe?" Noel cut off the impending argument, addressing Yu-gyeong. "Please be honest."

As Yu-gyeong hesitated, Noel pressed her again.

"...Even when we made it exactly according to the recipe she gave us, it didn't taste the same. So when I tentatively asked her if there was a missing recipe, she definitely said there was something she hadn't taught us yet. I just passed that on to the others."

"Is that true?" Noel asked Ye-yun.

"...Oh... was *that* what it was?"

"Who are you talking to right now?" Yu-gyeong asked.

Noel placed a finger over his lips. "Choi Ye-yun is about to answer."

Noel looked back at Ye-yun. She had buried her face in her hands.

"Of course that was... a joke! They were all grown up and didn't act like they used to, so I said it playfully. But Yu-gyeong stormed out before I could finish my sentence. After that... I was going to say that the missing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recipe was 'love'!"

Ah. Noel understood. Everything started from a small misunderstanding.

"I understand it was a joke, but I believe you lacked consideration. How agonizing must it have been for your disciples when they couldn't reproduce the taste despite following the recipe exactly? It is no wonder they asked you."

Asin spoke to Ye-yun chidingly, though she couldn't hide her pity. That was where everything had begun to unravel.

"She says it was a joke. She was going to say the missing ingredient was 'love,' but you stormed out before she could finish."

"...A joke?"

Yu-gyeong let out a hollow, disbelieving laugh.

"How... how could she joke about that? All of us... we worked until our hands were blistered trying to recreate her recipe."

Yu-gyeong pressed her hand to her forehead, anger rising within her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, everyone. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have made such a joke."

Ye-yun reached out to Yu-gyeong, her face crumpled in tears. But her hand passed right through.

"We had to carry on her legacy... That's why..."

Yu-gyeong choked up, unable to finish her sentence.

Ding.

The sound of the oven signaling the completion of the bake broke the silence. Cheol-min stood up immediately.

"Did you bake something?" Jae-jun asked.

"No. That man did. But... no."

Cheol-min shut his mouth. He still couldn't believe his own eyes, so he dared not speak.

"You know it's really annoying when you stop talking mid-sentence, right?" Jae-jun narrowed his eyes.

"Just wait."

Cheol-min carefully brought the bread out from the oven.

Sniff, sniff.

As the aroma drifted through the room, Jae-jun and Yu-gyeong reacted instantly. It was a scent they had smelled to the point of exhaustion, a scent they missed so dearly.

It felt strange, as if they were possessed. There was no way this shaman could know this.

"Please, try it," Noel smiled, while Ye-yun watched in extreme tension.

It had been nearly a month since she last baked. With one arm impaired, she didn't know if it had turned out well. She watched her three disciples with anxiety.

What she had made was the cream bread they had bought for her back then.

While Jae-jun and Yu-gyeong hesitated, Cheol-min picked up a piece first. As he held it, his heart swelled.

Could it be?

He took a bite. The aroma, the taste, and the deep, overwhelming nostalgia filled his mouth. Cheol-min's hands began to tremble, and tears streamed down his face.

"...Cheol-min?"

Bewildered by his reaction, Yu-gyeong picked up a piece. The moment she held it, her eyes widened.

Huh...?

She looked at Noel with trembling eyes. No way. She took a large bite.

In that instant, she understood why Cheol-min was crying. Even with her mouth full of cream, her tears poured out uncontrollably.

"What are you two doing?"

Only Jae-jun remained confused. He took a bite of the bread.

After chewing a few times, Jae-jun stared at Noel, his eyes shaking.

Why? How? He couldn't comprehend it.

It was the exact taste they could never replicate, no matter how hard they tried.

"...Mr. Shaman. Please play the recording."

Ye-yun bowed her head to Noel, weeping.

Since she chose her ending, I should help her.

Noel played the recording for the weeping disciples.

The sound of Ye-yun clearing her throat echoed from the speaker. The three of them wept harder. It was undeniably their teacher's voice.

Were the disciples now eating the very bread that had once saved Ye-yun's life?

Noel snapped his fingers, throwing in a little extra service for his prospective chef.

Snap.

Following the sound of Ye-yun's recorded voice, the three disciples' eyes flew open. They couldn't believe it. Their teacher was sitting right there, weeping.

"Teacher...!"

Whether it was a miracle or magic didn't matter. All three of them rushed toward Ye-yun.

From insignificant country kids, she had given them a life, a future, everything. Her death had left them in agonizing despair.

She had passed away so suddenly, before they could even tell her they loved her.

"Teacher!"

They threw their arms around the teacher who had never answered, no matter how many times they called out to her.

"We're sorry... We're so, so sorry!"

The three of them sobbed, apologizing over and over. They had tortured themselves with the thought that she died because of their fight the day before. They feared her heart had stopped because of the betrayal she felt from them. They had been drowning in guilt.

How could they shamelessly stay in that shop when they might have been the cause of her death? Just looking at it had been a torment so painful it felt like dying.

But Ye-yun held them tight, shaking her head.

Telling them it was all okay. That it was in the past. That they shouldn't blame themselves.

She gently stroked their backs, comforting them just as she had when they were the little children she first met.

Just as that bread from back then had given her a new life, she wished, and wished again, that her beloved disciples would live better lives.