The Last Piece
What should I even call this feeling?
It was simply a heavy, muted taste.
And yet, he didn’t dislike it.
What was certain was that he would probably eat it again someday.
No matter when, he had a feeling he would definitely come back to it one day.
He picked at the pieces one by one until, before he knew it, only the final slice remained.
“……”
For some reason, his hand strangely refused to reach for that last piece.
The face of his wife came to mind—how she loved tonkatsu but, with her poor teeth, would always leave a few pieces behind.
The owner stared at the final slice for a moment before finally making up his mind. He stabbed it with his fork and popped it into his mouth.
The plate was now completely clean.
“That was good.”
“Did it suit your taste?”
“It was delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
Was it because they shared a similar kind of pain?
They didn’t need any more words between them.
What emotions they had felt, and what they were feeling now—they understood each other far too well.
The only difference was that the owner of this restaurant had one more precious thing in his life.
For the first time, the elderly chef felt envious of someone else.
He had never once envied another person’s youth, yet today, for the first time, he found himself feeling that very emotion.
“Grandpa!”
“Yeah?”
“Was it yummy?”
“It was. Your dad’s cooking is really something.”
“Hehe.”
Seia wore a proud little smile, as if to say that wasn’t quite right.
“The one Grandpa ate was made by Seia.”
“Hm? You made it, Seia?”
Wondering what she meant, the elderly chef looked at Jungwoo, who simply nodded in confirmation.
He had watched Jungwoo make the tonkatsu himself.
Could it be that Seia had truly made it?
“Did our little one make it herself?”
“Yes! Seia put on the white powder and the bread crumbs and everything!”
Well then.
How was he supposed to describe this feeling?
Just moments ago he had envied Jungwoo, but now it felt as though he had been allowed to share, even a little, in that precious thing Jungwoo possessed.
“No wonder. It was incredibly delicious.”
In truth, the breading on the tonkatsu had been much thicker than he had expected.
There was far more panko than usual, too.
He had wondered why it was made that way—only to learn that the master behind that particular flavor was Seia.
“Waaah!”
At the praise, Seia beamed with a bright smile, clearly overjoyed.
With a reaction like that, he suspected she would have said it was delicious even if someone had handed her raw meat.
The meal was clearly over, yet it still didn’t feel like mealtime had ended.
With the empty plate before him, the elderly chef’s gaze remained fixed outside the window.
People strolling along the street.
The tall buildings visible beyond them.
There had been a time when those buildings couldn’t be seen from here.
He never imagined he would feel the passage of time so clearly inside this small restaurant.
“…Time to head back.”
The elderly chef rose from his seat and placed a fifty-thousand-won bill on the counter.
“It’s ten thousand won.”
Jungwoo naturally moved to give him change, but the elderly chef shook his head.
“Keep the change.”
“Pardon? I can’t do that.”
“Consider it payment for the memories.”
“Still…”
“Make something tasty for the little boss. If that’s too much trouble, then next time I come…”
The elderly chef glanced briefly at the menu board on the wall before offering a faint smile.
“Just fry up another tonkatsu for me.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. By the way, what kind of restaurant do you hope this place becomes?”
Jungwoo answered the elderly chef’s question without the slightest hesitation.
“I hope it stays just like it is now.”
“Just like it is now…”
A place where anyone could come, enjoy a hearty meal, and remember the good moments from their past.
That was the kind of restaurant Jungwoo wanted it to be.
Together with Seia.
“If you ever need help, just say the word.”
“Yes, I will.”
The elderly chef smiled, tapped the counter twice, then turned his gaze toward Seia, who was looking up at him.
A child who gave others happiness.
A child who was happiness itself.
“Will our little one make me another one next time?”
“Yes! Seia will make it for you!”
Just like someone he knew, Seia’s answer came without a trace of hesitation.
With one last gentle stroke of Seia’s hair, the elderly chef left the restaurant.
“Daddy, Daddy—”
“Our Seia. Why is there so much aegyo in that voice?”
“Hehe…”
Seia gave him a bashful grin.
That kind of smile should be illegal.
“When are we eating the tonkatsu?”
“Haha. So Seia wants to eat the tonkatsu, huh?”
“Yes!”
Seia nodded vigorously, her voice slightly raised with excitement.
Evening was slowly approaching, but it still wasn’t quite time for dinner.
Still, once dinner service starts, things might get busy…
The end of dinner service didn’t mean the end of the day.
If people came in for a casual drink, the rush could easily continue late into the night.
In that case, he might not have time to properly feed Seia.
He hadn’t yet experienced the dinner or late-night crowds, but preparing in advance was far better than assuming it wouldn’t happen.
“Hmm…”
He checked the time—five in the afternoon.
Dinner service would begin soon.
“Alright. But since Seia already ate a lot today, let’s split one with Daddy, okay?”
“Seia is fine with everything!”
Jungwoo began frying the tonkatsu he had prepared earlier. The savory aroma immediately captured Seia’s full attention.
Thanks to that scent, Seia scrunched up her nose, closed her eyes, and seemed to savor it—no, to appreciate its fragrance.
She looks like a cat.
“Meow.”
“…Huh?”
The moment he thought Seia resembled a cat with her nose twitching, a real meow came from somewhere.
It hadn’t come from Seia.
She was also startled by the sound and was now looking around in every direction.
While the tonkatsu continued to fry, Jungwoo stepped out of the kitchen to find the source of the sound.
There, sitting by the window near the restaurant door, was a cat licking its paw.
“Wait, how did you get in?”
“Whoa, it’s a cat!”
He was certain he hadn’t left the door open. So how on earth had the cat slipped inside?
Thinking about it, there were moments when the door definitely opened—when customers came and went.
If it had entered with a customer, they would have noticed. So it must have snuck in when the building owner left earlier.
“Daddy! The cat is so cute!”
At the sound of Seia’s voice, the cat turned to look in her direction.
It was a familiar cat.
It was the same cheese tabby he had met during their short outing earlier.
“Should we give it something to eat?”
“Yes! Seia wants to give it!”
“No. You can only give it directly once you’ve become friends. Okay?”
“Hng… Okay. I understand.”
Seeing Seia look so downcast made him want to run to the convenience store right then and buy her a Churu to feed the cat.
But cats could be feisty creatures.
If it swatted at her in the wrong way, Seia’s skin could get scratched.
“Hmm… but how exactly do you feed a cat?”
He had never raised a cat or dog before.
Given Jungwoo’s circumstances, keeping a pet would have been like committing a great sin.
Until recently, Seia had often sung about wanting a puppy or a kitten.
But every time, Jungwoo had answered firmly.
If you can’t take responsibility, you shouldn’t take in a life.
Seia had seemed to have trouble understanding at first, but she no longer asked him about getting a cat or dog.
After some time, she appeared to have understood why it wasn’t possible.
While searching on his phone whether it was okay to give a cat meat, Jungwoo found that pork loin was acceptable.
He also confirmed that it needed to be cooked until soft.
“It says you have to cook the meat before giving it to a cat.”
“Then, Daddy—”
“Yeah?”
“Seia will catch the meat and throw it in the frying pan!”
Since she wasn’t allowed to give it directly, she had cleverly come up with the idea of throwing it instead.
Jungwoo had already planned to do exactly that, but Seia’s little scheme was utterly adorable.
“Haha. Let’s do that. If Seia keeps feeding it, the cat will remember you.”
“Then can I pet it later?”
“Hmm… Let’s think about that after you two become friends, okay?”
“Okay!”
He couldn’t just say yes outright. No matter how he looked at it, this cat was a stray.
If she touched it and then rubbed her eyes, it could cause real trouble.
Jungwoo himself remembered once petting a cat and then rubbing his eyes, only to suffer unbearable stinging and itching for a long while.
By then, the tonkatsu in the oil had finished frying. Jungwoo cut off a portion of the leftover tenderloin he had prepared earlier and began boiling it gently in water until soft.
While doing so, he checked to see if there was anything else the cat could eat, but unfortunately, the ingredients at Seona’s Restaurant were all too strong for a cat.
“Here. It’s all done.”
He had already sliced the tonkatsu and placed it on a plate. Jungwoo took the softly cooked meat, cut it into bite-sized pieces, put it in a bowl, and brought it to Seia.
“Then Seia will go give it!”
“Okay, but just open the door and give it right away. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Seia walked carefully so as not to startle the cat.
She moved as if she herself had become a cat.
Of course, the cat kept its eyes fixed on her.
It had stopped licking the jelly and now watched Seia with eyes that seemed to hold a hint of caution.
“Seia is giving you something yummy.”
Seia spoke in a reassuring tone before opening the restaurant door.
At the tinkling of the bell, the cat flinched slightly, but thankfully it didn’t make any sudden movements.
She grabbed a piece of meat from the bowl, tossed it outside, and stepped back. The cat, which had been twitching its nose, soon darted out after it.
“Hehe… Is it good?”
Seia continued tossing the remaining pieces of meat from the bowl one by one to the cat, then crouched down in front of the restaurant door to watch it eat.
The cat’s round little head as it nibbled the meat was adorable, but so was the back of Seia’s head as she watched it.
Jungwoo paused what he was doing for a moment, took out his phone, and captured the sight of his daughter crouching in the glow of the sunset.
“…She’s my daughter, but she’s too cute.”
He was looking at her from behind, yet the chubby cheek peeking out from the side seemed to greet him shyly.
A smile came naturally.
She was simply too lovable.
“I should finish preparing our meal.”
The dinner they would share.
All that remained was to plate it nicely.
Neatly and with care.