The Wary Cat and Today's Special
He took in the sight of Seia. He plated the food on the dish. He had served everything that needed serving, yet Seia was still gazing intently at the cat.
The way her little body twitched now and then, it was clear that if Jungwoo hadn't warned her, she would have reached out to stroke the cat right then and there.
Seia watched the cat eating its meal with obvious delight, and Jungwoo watched the plump, rounded cheeks that puffed out on Seia's face as she did so.
He wanted to poke one, just once. Would his finger sink into that softness with a gentle squish, only to bounce back with a satisfying spring?
The tonkatsu was slowly growing cold, but neither Jungwoo nor Seia cared much about that in the moment.
It was a stretch of quiet with no conversation passing between them, yet sometimes only this kind of silence could bring such comfort.
Before long, the cat leaped away as though it had accomplished everything it came for, vanishing into the distance. Seia crouched down with a disappointed expression, staring after it until the very last trace disappeared, then finally toddled back inside the restaurant.
"Daddyyy…"
"Hmm? What's the matter, my sweet girl?"
"The cat went away. Is it 'cause of Seia?"
Seeing her teary face, Jungwoo almost felt a flash of resentment toward the cat that had left so soon.
Still, what fault did the cat have? It was simply that cats were naturally wary, aloof, and cautious creatures.
"Seia, cats are usually afraid of strangers."
"Is Seia scary?"
"What do you think when you see someone much taller and bigger than you, Seia?"
"Umm…"
Seia pictured a tall, burly person just as her father described.
"It would be interesting."
"Hmm… you think so?"
That wasn't the answer he had expected. Usually when people encountered something far larger than themselves, they felt overwhelmed. Some might fear it, others might not, but most developed a sense of caution born from that very difference.
"Cats are animals with a lot of wariness."
"Wariness?"
"That's right. Seia, remember the movie we watched together with Daddy last time? The one with the really scary ghost."
"Eek!"
It felt like he was dredging up a bad memory, but in this situation it seemed the only way to help her truly understand.
There had been a time when they watched movies together often. That particular day, he had put her to bed and was watching a horror film. He even wore earphones so he wouldn't wake her.
He was deeply absorbed in the story when, at the exact moment the ghost appeared on screen, he felt something wriggling violently right behind him.
The wriggler was Seia. She had woken briefly from her sleep and secretly watched the movie with him.
It was a rare sight—Seia's tears. The instant she saw the ghost, she cried "Ah, Daddy!" and threw herself into his arms. As adorable as it was, she sobbed so bitterly that her tears fell like rain.
He had immediately turned off the horror movie and switched to a fun comedy, but that ghost haunted Seia for nearly a week afterward.
"It's okay. Daddy's right here."
"…Yes!"
"Daddy wasn't scared of that movie, but you were, right?"
"Yes. It was so scary."
"Cats can be the same way. Every cat is different. Some might be wary of Seia, and some might like her."
Seia was a child who had only ever known love. Not just from Jungwoo, but from everyone around her. Objectively speaking, her appearance was gifted beyond the ordinary. Jungwoo himself was fairly handsome, and she seemed like a carefully crafted doll that had taken only the best traits from him and his beautiful late wife.
Such looks certainly drew affection, but Seia also possessed a genuinely bright spirit. Simply being near her allowed that brightness and happiness to flow into others' hearts.
That was why the concept of wariness was so hard for her to grasp.
"Then what should Seia do?"
"Hmm… you have to wait until the cat comes to you first, right?"
"B-but what if the cat doesn't come?"
"Then there's nothing we can do about it. But Daddy thinks the cat will come back."
"Really?"
"Yes. Our Seia gave the cat a wonderful present, didn't you?"
Seia had treated the cat to a delicious, nutritious meal. Though Jungwoo had prepared it, to the cat it would seem as if Seia had given the gift.
"Then next time Daddy should give it too."
"Huh? With Daddy?"
"Yes. Daddy made the meat, right? The cat should know that."
Well now. Seia's heart seemed to shine even more brightly than her lovely appearance, and the thought brought a warm smile to Jungwoo's face.
"All right, let's do that. Next time Daddy will help give it too. But first, shouldn't our Seia finish her meal?"
"Ah! That's right!"
Seia quickly climbed into her chair while Jungwoo brought over the tonkatsu he had plated earlier. It had cooled slightly but still held its warmth. Fortunately the exterior remained perfectly crispy.
"You have to chew it well. Understand?"
"Yeees—!"
Perhaps because of the savory aroma, Seia already gripped a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other, fully prepared for battle. Since he had cut the meat in advance, all that remained was to eat.
She didn't have tonkatsu often, yet Seia seemed to instinctively know the most delicious part.
The very end piece—the one with the thickest batter, making it the crispiest. She carefully speared it with her fork and popped it into her mouth.
Thanks to the brief time spent with the cat, the tonkatsu had cooled to just the right temperature. The sound of the crispy batter breaking filled her mouth, followed immediately by the sweetness of the sauce blending with the rich savoriness of the coating.
After fully savoring that crispy delight, the moist, tender meat hidden beneath finally revealed itself. The perfect contrast of chewy yet soft meat against the crunchy batter, all brought together by the sweet sauce—it was a flawless harmony.
Seia closed her eyes tightly, completely lost in the festival of flavors.
She wasn't a particularly fast eater, nor was she especially slow. Even so, the tonkatsu in her mouth seemed to vanish only gradually.
"How is it, Seia?"
"It's so, so delicious…"
This was Jungwoo's happiest moment when cooking. Every time he saw Seia enjoying his food so wholeheartedly, he strangely never felt hungry himself.
Once the piece disappeared, Seia speared another end piece of the tonkatsu. Then she lifted her short arm and offered it across the table to Jungwoo.
Even with her arm stretched fully, it barely reached halfway across the table. In her small, adorable hand she gripped a fork longer than her entire palm, presenting the tonkatsu to him.
"Daddy, aah—"
Since Daddy had made it, Daddy should taste it too. Worried her little arm might grow tired, he quickly accepted the bite. The flavor was far better than he had imagined.
Now he understood the expression she had made. It was crispier than any processed product, the batter perfectly balanced with the juicy meat. At this level, he could confidently add it to the menu.
"Is it delicious?"
"Yes. It's incredibly good."
"Daddy's cooking is the best!"
Seia thrust her thumb upward, and Jungwoo returned the gesture with his own.
As Seia continued eating, a rather clever idea occurred to Jungwoo.
Today's menu. Having something like that would be nice.
For items like tonkatsu, he could buy pre-made frozen products that kept for a long time, but his personality wouldn't easily accept that. It wasn't wrong, exactly, but it wasn't satisfying either.
If he bought fresh meat, minced it himself, coated it in batter and stored it, the result would be satisfying but couldn't be kept long. Since he still didn't know whether the restaurant would succeed or not, preparing it regularly might lead to the absurd situation of serving tonkatsu all day, every day.
What if he made it a daily special instead? If he created a small signboard out front announcing today's menu as tonkatsu, he would only need to sell it that one day. Sales would naturally rise a little as well.
He couldn't guarantee there would be no leftovers, but at least he would remove the pressure of keeping it in regular stock. The very concept of a daily special could become another charm of this small restaurant.
Jungwoo headed straight for the storage area behind the kitchen. It was a small space he wasn't currently using, filled with items from the past that had been left almost abandoned.
The familiar scent of the semi-basement apartment where they had lived until recently lingered there. Inside, Jungwoo found exactly what he was looking for.
"This is it."
A small wooden A-frame sign. The simple kind that stood on the ground.
These days, signs crafted with specially processed magic stones were popular, but this wooden board matched the unique atmosphere of Seona's Restaurant perfectly, as if they had been made for each other.
"Just right, isn't it?"
He pulled out the dusty sign and wiped it clean. The deep brown wood, touched by the artist known as time, gave off an even richer, warmer feeling.
"I'll have to write on paper and attach it, I suppose?"
He couldn't make it flashy like everyone else. He had neither the resources nor the reason to. Besides, anything too fancy would probably clash with the wood—and with the spirit of Seona's Restaurant.
Unable to find paper that perfectly fit the sign's size, he took out a plain sheet of A4 and prepared to write the day's menu announcement.
Just before the pen touched the paper, Jungwoo's hand paused.
Should I ask Seia to write it?
This too would become a small, precious memory. It seemed like an excellent idea.
"Daddyyy. Seia finished eating!"
As if on cue, Seia's voice called out. When he turned, she was approaching the kitchen carrying the large plate with both hands.
"I'll move the heavy things. You might fall."
"Hehe. Seia doesn't fall easily!"
In truth, Seia's sense of balance was remarkably good. She had fallen often while learning to walk, but those experiences seemed to have strengthened her. Now she could run around without falling much.
Still, this was a restaurant. The floors could be slippery.
"You mean you don't fall easily. If you do fall, you could get really hurt. You can't let your guard down!"
"Yes!"
Seia answered energetically and returned to the table. When Jungwoo checked, more than half the tonkatsu remained.
"Hmm? Are you full, Seia?"
"Daddy hasn't eaten yet. Daddy has to eat too."
If he hadn't stepped away because of the sudden idea, they would have shared it together. But the thought had made him leave the table, and she had saved some for him.
"As expected, there's no one like our Seia."
"Is Seia the best?"
"Of course. Then, our very best Seia—do you want to do a little job together with Daddy?"
"A job with Seia…? Yes! I want to!"
Perhaps inspired by her father's solemn expression, Seia answered with an equally determined and serious look on her face.