A Morning at Eunhye Market
Jungwoo's eyes, which had fought so hard to find sleep, slowly fluttered open.
Sunlight slipped through the gap in the drawn curtains.
The bed was different, so it might have felt a little uncomfortable, but neither Jungwoo nor Seia—who was still lost in a deep, innocent slumber—seemed particularly bothered by it.
“What time is it?”
He switched on his phone. Seven o’clock.
The restaurant opened at ten, so there was still plenty of time.
Seia had always been a heavy sleeper. Given that she’d gone to bed around eight the night before, she could have woken by now, yet she remained firmly in dreamland.
“How does she sleep so well?”
He watched her with eyes full of love, then began getting ready to start the day.
A quick wash, fresh clothes.
The bustle should have woken her, but Seia stayed exactly as she had been when he first checked—lost in the deepest of sleeps.
Today they needed to visit the market. The restaurant’s stored ingredients were the kind that kept well, but meat and vegetables that spoiled easily were best bought fresh each day and used right away. Any leftovers could become side dishes tomorrow.
There was a market close by, so he had planned to take Seia along.
Just as Jungwoo finished preparing, Seia’s eyes drifted open.
“……”
Seeing her father moving busily, she squeezed her eyes shut again.
She kept them tightly closed, listening to his footsteps, until the sounds suddenly stopped. Peeking with just one eye, she found Jungwoo already gazing down at her.
“Hehe. Our Seia. When did you wake up?”
“……”
She snapped her eyes shut again, but Jungwoo wasn’t fooled for a second.
“Come on—time to get up.”
He stroked her hair with a tender hand, yet no answer came. She was clearly pretending, and those tightly shut eyes might as well have been shouting, I’m pretending to sleep!
“Hmm… I was going to make something delicious if you woke up now. But if Seia’s sleeping this deeply, I guess there won’t be any breakfast.”
“N-no fair!”
Food was more important to Seia than anything else in the world—especially when her father made it. Perhaps she took after her mother in taste, but to Seia, Jungwoo’s cooking was the most delicious thing on earth.
“Has the princess awakened?”
“Yes. Seia is up now.”
“Today we have to go to the market with Daddy.”
“Market?”
“That’s right. There’s a lot to buy.”
At the word market, curiosity sparkled in Seia’s eyes. They had never gone together before. The reason was simple: outside was dangerous.
It was a world of hunters and gates. If they ran into a bad hunter, Jungwoo couldn’t protect Seia—let alone himself. So he had always gone alone. But the market they were visiting today was different from the small supermarket near their old home.
This one had a proper scale. It served ordinary people without powers, and while hunters could visit, the Hunter Merchant Association would step in if trouble arose. It was the safest option available.
Of course, hunters who preyed on others were rare. People like that had bounties placed on them immediately. Still, even a small chance was too much when Seia was with him.
“If we’re going to the market, Seia needs to wash up quickly, doesn’t she?”
“Yes!”
The promise of a new place she had never seen made Seia’s still-sleepy eyes begin to shine.
“Daddy will help. Let’s go.”
He took her small hand and led her to the bathroom. The space that greeted them was nearly twice the size of their old one.
Such a big bathroom.
He washed Seia quickly, changed her clothes, and they stepped out of the house together. Holding her tiny hand tightly beneath the warm morning sun, Jungwoo paused to look at the restaurant before heading toward the market.
Eunhye Market
Voices of the market merchants drifted from inside.
“Fresh domestic mackerel and squid just in today—”
“Pure sesame oil, pressed by hand—”
It really felt like a proper market. And it was—though Eunhye Market was one of the few places where traces of the old world still lingered, a remnant from a time nearly lost.
“Wow… Daddy! There are so many people!”
“Right? There’s nothing you can’t find here.”
An unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar faces. Seia should have felt shy, yet her eyes only sparkled brighter with curiosity.
Jungwoo gently stroked her hair, then double-checked the list of things they needed.
Meat (pork shoulder).
Vegetables (lettuce, perilla leaves, zucchini…).
Tofu….
“Hmm… Maybe Daddy should make a special menu for our Seia today.”
“Sp-special menu!”
She already looked excited even though she had no idea what it was. He had made something similar once before using store-bought products, but now that they had a proper kitchen, he wanted to make everything from scratch.
“Hehe. Don’t get your hopes up too high. Let’s go!”
“Okay!”
Jungwoo and Seia never noticed the warm gazes following them from every stall.
The first stop was the vegetable shop. Wooden crates had been opened, with names and prices scribbled on cardboard signs in marker. The elderly woman running it was one of the longest-standing merchants in the old market.
“Hello.”
Her relaxed eyes shifted from Jungwoo to Seia.
“Yes. What will it be?”
“Ah, lettuce, perilla leaves, and…”
Jungwoo began to answer, but the grandmother’s gaze remained fixed on Seia. Was she encouraging the little girl to speak for herself, or was she simply enchanted?
“Perilla leaves and… what else?”
“Zucchini as well, please. Five thousand won worth would be wonderful.”
Vegetables weren’t exactly cheap. Since he didn’t know how many customers might come, he decided to buy generously. Leftovers could always become side dishes.
But the amount of vegetables going into the bag was far more than expected.
I definitely said five thousand won worth… right?
Jungwoo knew the usual prices and portions. Yet what the grandmother was giving them was nearly double.
“Th-thank you. You gave us so much.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-nine this year.”
“Not you, this one.”
“Ah.”
Jungwoo scratched his head awkwardly and crouched to Seia’s eye level. Perhaps because of the grandmother’s blunt tone, Seia’s eyes held a hint of caution.
“Seia, tell Grandma how old you are.”
“I’m five.”
“And your mother…”
The grandmother started to ask but waved her hand instead.
“Never mind. I gave you plenty.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you!”
As the pair walked away, the grandmother watched their backs with an unreadable expression.
“Hehe, what’s gotten into Grandma? Giving extra to people she doesn’t even discount for.”
The neighboring shopkeeper’s teasing made her clear her throat and fiddle with perfectly good vegetables.
“What does it matter? If I want to give more, I give more.”
“Hehe. True enough.”
Leaving the merchants’ conversation behind, Jungwoo and Seia moved on to the next stall. Even though he said he could carry everything, Seia insisted on taking one bag. She clutched it tightly against her body so it wouldn’t drag on the ground, waddling along beside him.
Next was the old butcher shop, passed down through generations. A relatively young owner greeted them warmly.
“Welcome! Goodness, what a beautiful daughter you have.”
“Haha. Thank you.”
“Thank you!”
“Haha, and she greets so well. What can I get for you?”
“Pork shoulder, sirloin, and neck meat, please. For stir-fried pork, cutlets, and soup.”
“Coming right up.”
With skillful hands he sliced the meat perfectly, and they managed to get high-quality cuts at a good price.
Wherever Jungwoo and Seia went, smiles bloomed. The merchants calling out to customers, the ones whose shops they entered—everyone’s faces softened. Even after the father and daughter moved on, the smiles lingered.
The whole market felt different. It wasn’t a dramatic shift, but those who had been there for years could sense it clearly.
Once they had bought everything, both of Jungwoo’s hands were full of bags. Seia still clutched her own small bag of perilla leaves and lettuce tightly to her chest.
“All right, shall we head back, Seia?”
“Did we get everything?”
“Yes, all done. Are you tired?”
“No! Seia had so much fun!”
“Haha. Good. Let’s go home and eat.”
“Okay!”
He had wondered what she would think of the market, but her bright reaction showed she had loved it. Everyone who met her eyes had smiled, and they had received a little more than the usual portions.
“Seia.”
“Yes?”
“Want to come again tomorrow?”
“Seia likes everything!”
Jungwoo knew she meant it with all her heart. Her pure joy was so beautiful. Even though she could have slept longer.
“All right, we will.”
Back at the restaurant, it still wasn’t ten o’clock, so Jungwoo prepared Seia’s breakfast first.
“The cutlets need time to marinate, so we’ll make something else.”
The restaurant door stood open. Maybe that was one of the charms of a place like this—you could open when you wanted and close when you needed to.
As he cooked, the delicious aroma drifted out through the open door. The savory scent of doenjang stew and the fragrant smell of freshly cooked rice filled the air.
Before long Seia had settled into her special seat, watching her father work. He had taught her strictly never to enter the kitchen. It was full of hot and sharp things; he couldn’t risk it.
The savory smells grew richer, filling the entire restaurant. He plated the finished dishes on a small plate for Seia, then began preparing for the day’s business.
These days the lines between lunch and dinner had blurred. Some hunters finished their raids early in the morning, others returned late.
The rhythmic sound of a knife against the cutting board. The sizzle of ingredients meeting the frying pan. The aroma and gentle sounds of completed dishes floated softly out of the restaurant, inviting the world in.