A Child's Resolve
It wasn't as if they'd dueled or made some kind of bet.
And yet, Yuhyeon felt an inexplicable sense of defeat.
It was the first time he'd experienced such a feeling in his life.
It was unfamiliar, but rather than unpleasant, it stirred something like a competitive spirit within him.
But Park Geon-su shouldn't have done that.
He was forgetting his position.
He was the guild leader of a guild that many hunters belonged to, which meant he had to lead them all.
But what about Yuhyeon?
He was just a guild member.
A guild member who was far stronger than most—actually, too strong—but still just a member.
Needlessly provoking a competitive streak like that.
Unaware of Yuhyeon's thoughts, Park Geon-su simply assumed the smile on the man's face was one born of helplessness.
The yukjeon and tteokbokki that Jungwoo had prepared as snacks disappeared from the plates in the blink of an eye.
In fact, it almost felt a little insufficient.
Every single reaction was full of praise, and thanks to that positive feedback, Jungwoo decided to register all the savory pancakes he'd served as snacks today as new menu items.
“Guild… I mean, Elder.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Thank you for the meal.”
“……”
Seong Ye-eun was the first to offer her thanks to Park Geon-su.
As Jungwoo looked at her with an expression that seemed to ask why she was saying it to him—
“Mm, I enjoyed it as well. Thank you, Elder.”
“Uh… then, me too. Hehe…”
Yuhyeon and Choi Su-yeon followed with their own words of gratitude.
There was no way Park Geon-su didn't understand what this meant.
“Hah, hahaha. You lot really show no mercy to an old man.”
With an air of resignation, Park Geon-su pulled out his wallet.
Today was a joyful day.
Wasn't it the day Seia had taken his hand first, squeezing it tightly?
“The bill, please.”
“No, it's fine. I was the one who suggested we eat.”
Just as Park Geon-su had expected, Jungwoo refused to accept payment.
Goodness, how did the man expect to run a business like this?
Especially since the location wasn't exactly one that drew huge crowds of customers.
Of course, for the two owners of Seona's Restaurant, simply having more customers wasn't all that helpful, which was why they weren't doing anything extra to attract them.
“Haha, if you keep doing this, it'll become a habit. You really should take what you're owed.”
“Haha… then just for this much…”
“I had four kinds. And the tteokbokki too. Since there's no price listed for the kimchi pancake, please calculate everything at the kimchi pancake price.”
“Understood, Elder. I'll do it that way.”
As Jungwoo was about to tally it up immediately, Park Geon-su leaned in slightly and added,
“And while you're at it, please include the students' portions as well.”
“Of course.”
At that reply, Park Geon-su let out a small chuckle.
The man had firmly refused to charge for the food he'd personally made and served, yet when it came to paying for what others had eaten, he answered without the slightest hesitation.
They say you can see ten feet into the water but not into a person's heart. It seemed not all proverbs were entirely accurate.
“Will you be going out to sell lunchboxes again later?”
“Ah, yes. I have to. The response earlier in the afternoon seemed pretty good.”
“What are you selling in the evening?”
“For dinner, I made some bulgogi. There was leftover meat after making the stir-fried pork.”
“It'll do well. You've already shown them the most important thing—how it tastes.”
“Haha… I just hope everyone enjoys it.”
As he spoke, Jungwoo's gaze naturally drifted toward Seia.
It was the same mindset he had when making every dish for her.
That must be why S-class hunters like Park Geon-su, Seong Ye-eun, and Yuhyeon had come to cherish this restaurant so deeply.
After settling the bill, Park Geon-su left with Seong Ye-eun and Yuhyeon in tow.
There was no longer any need to say “come again next time.”
“Please come again next time!”
Yet he still said it.
It wasn't because he feared they might not return.
It was to let them know he would be waiting for them.
“Come again soon!”
Seia offered her farewell with the same heartfelt wish.
Having eaten her fill of snacks until her belly was pleasantly round, Seia hummed the theme song from a cartoon she'd seen on TV while helping clean up the tables.
“Today too— in the morning— with bread in my mouth—”
“…Hmm?”
The lyrics sounded familiar.
And the melody, though a bit clumsy, was one he'd heard before.
Was that children's song… not actually a children's song?
Most of the songs Seia knew came from the ones Jungwoo played on TV or from programs.
Or perhaps from the music that had played on the streets when they'd gone into town or walked through the shopping district.
She couldn't have memorized the lyrics perfectly from hearing it just once, so it must have been something Jungwoo had played on TV.
There was a playlist specifically for Seia filled with songs good for children, and Jungwoo quickly checked his phone to see if this one was on it.
Sure enough.
It was listed under children's songs, but this particular one had come up.
“Seia.”
“Yes!”
“Did you hear that song on TV just now?”
“Yep. Didn't Daddy play it?”
“Mm… well, I suppose so?”
“I like the song! With bread in my mouth—”
It was good that she liked the song, but Seia kept humming only that one section over and over.
“Don't you remember the rest of the lyrics?”
“Seia remembers the next part too!”
“Really? Then why are you only singing that part? Do you like it that much?”
“Yes! Because it has bread in it!”
“Hmm?”
So the reason she liked this section wasn't because of the tune itself, but because of the bread.
It seemed the line about having bread in one's mouth had really caught her fancy.
“Bread is delicious!”
“So that's why you like it?”
“Yup. Because bread is yummy.”
What a refreshingly straightforward answer.
Well, bread is delicious, after all.
“Don't tell me… you want some bread right now?”
“Is there bread?!”
“…Seia, aren't you full?”
Did children's digestion really work this quickly?
No, this was beyond reasonable no matter how you looked at it.
It hadn't been that long, and she'd just eaten a hearty snack a little while ago.
“But bread is bread!”
“Mm… what exactly does that mean?”
“Bread isn't rice.”
Bread isn't rice.
Well, she wasn't wrong…
Yeah. It's better for her to eat well than not eat at all.
Of course, that didn't mean he was going to hand over bread right away.
He didn't even have any on hand.
Still, to already be separating her “rice stomach” from her “dessert stomach” at this age—she seemed to have been born with the qualities of both a big eater and a gourmet.
And yet she didn't gain weight easily.
Seona used to struggle so much with gaining weight.
For a moment, he recalled his late wife, who used to complain every day about how there were too many delicious foods in the world.
Seia had inherited her mother's hearty appetite, but the constitution that kept her from gaining weight no matter how much she ate was exactly like Jungwoo's.
“Pfft, Seia really loves food, doesn't she?”
Choi Su-yeon, who had been quietly listening nearby, burst into laughter and joined the conversation.
“Yes, she does. I'm starting to worry she might turn into a pig at this rate.”
“P-pig…?!”
The only pigs Seia knew were the ones with big snouts.
Jungwoo had been thinking of a cute little piglet, but to Seia, it was a fully grown, chubby pig.
“It's okay. Even if Seia becomes a pig, she'll still be incredibly cute.”
It was meant to be comforting, but Seia seemed quite shocked.
To Seia, becoming a pig didn't just mean gaining weight.
It meant her body would gradually grow larger, and eventually even her appearance would transform to look exactly like a pig.
S-Seia… a pig?
She thought back to her reflection in the lounge mirror earlier.
Seia had actually been quite satisfied with how she looked.
She couldn't compare to the cute animals she loved like kittens, puppies, or bunnies, but she had liked it well enough.
Now that image in the mirror was slowly changing into a pig.
And then the pig in the mirror spoke to her.
“N-no way!”
“What? The pig thing?”
“S-Seia is going to lose weight now!”
This was a matter of life and death for Seia.
Even now, whenever her dad gently pinched her cheeks, her plump, full cheeks would stretch out like taffy.
Every time, her dad would say they were just like glutinous rice cakes.
She didn't know what glutinous rice cakes were, but maybe they were friends or relatives of pigs?
“No, Seia. You don't need to lose any weight.”
“That's right. It's not something you need to worry about yet.”
Just as Jungwoo and Choi Su-yeon said, Seia was actually on the lighter side compared to other children her age.
She hadn't weighed herself recently, but the last time she'd been measured about six months ago, she'd been around fourteen kilograms.
It wasn't extremely light for her age, but it wasn't normal weight either.
Even though he made sure she ate three hearty, delicious meals every day, it seemed her body was simply built that way.
But if she decided to lose weight now, she might become even lighter.
“…Really?”
And in truth, that was exactly what Seia had been hoping to hear.
The terrifying possibility of turning into a pig.
The oinking thing in the mirror had been a little cute, but she didn't want to become that.
She'd said it on impulse, but what if her dad had responded with “That's right! My daughter can't get fat!”?
I wouldn't get to eat delicious things anymore!
All the tasty pancakes and tteokbokki she'd eaten today.
And even more delicious things like steak and chicken.
And the french fries that her grandfather had said were so good.
She probably wouldn't be allowed to eat any of it.
That was something that must never happen, no matter what.
Seia felt truly relieved that both her dad and Choi Su-yeon had told her not to lose weight.
“Hehe. Then Seia won't lose weight!”
“G-good. Daddy will make you things that are delicious and won't make you gain weight.”
It was a decision that had flipped as lightly as a feather, but since Jungwoo was against Seia losing weight anyway, he didn't mind.
Though she hadn't planned it, Seia had accidentally gotten a promise from her dad to make her delicious food that wouldn't cause weight gain.
This was a huge victory!
And today was the day Seia's greatest shortcomings would be filled.
Seia loved delicious food.
Especially if her dad had made it.
She knew how to eat with joy and how to be grateful.
But Seia didn't really know what was truly delicious.
After all, she'd only just learned about french fries today.
But with help from her little uncle, the pretty big sister, and her master, she would surely get hints about foods she didn't know yet.
Seia knew very well that there were still so many delicious things in the world she hadn't tried.
Hehe. I'm going to eat them all!
While running the restaurant with her dad for a long, long time, she planned to eat the delicious food he made every single day.
Oh, of course she didn't mean eating it alone.
She wanted to eat together with her dad, her big uncle and little uncle, the pretty big sister, the cat big sister.
And even the other big sisters sitting over there.
She wanted to eat with everyone.
If they came again next time, maybe they could all eat french fries together?
Even though it had only been a moment ago, the image of a pig had already flown out of Seia's head.
Instead, she imagined herself sitting in the same spot as today, eating mysterious-looking french fries with everyone.
Just thinking about it made her feel happy for no reason.
“Today too— in the morning— with bread in my mouth—”
As proof, Seia was humming her favorite song once again.