A Nostalgic Aroma
Even in the bright daylight, the sign at Seona's Restaurant glowed with its lights on.
Around Seona's Restaurant stood the Eunhye Market, but something far more important drew people here.
The location was subtly perfect.
There were areas where Gates appeared with high frequency, and it just so happened that one lay right around Seona's Restaurant.
Of course, that wasn't entirely a good thing.
Sometimes those Gates would trigger an Overflow, and magic beasts would come pouring out from the untamed portals.
If those magic beasts ever attacked Seona's Restaurant, the outcome didn't require much imagination.
Yet the frequent Gate activity also meant quite a few hunters lived in the area.
The Association building wasn't far away, either.
While it sat a little off the beaten path, it wasn't so remote that people couldn't find it.
The savory aroma drifting through the open door, accompanied by the cheerful clatter of dishes, was already reaching the ears of nearby hunters.
Hunters possessed far superior physical abilities than ordinary people.
They could hear distant sounds, smell faraway scents, and perceive them as clearly as if they were happening right before their eyes.
“Sniff, sniff. What’s that smell?”
“It smells… like soybean paste stew, doesn’t it?”
“Soybean paste stew? That takes me back.”
The food available outside these days wasn’t like this.
Most dishes were beautiful to look at and delicious, but expensive.
Chefs with special abilities prepared them, and bills were sometimes settled with magic stones.
The spreading aroma didn’t instantly pull in every customer, but it did make people notice that something nearby was stirring up old memories.
And there were those even more susceptible to such nostalgia.
“Ah… What a longing scent.”
An elderly man in a suit and fedora turned his head toward the aroma.
The smell of soybean paste stew from his childhood had awakened old memories and yearning.
“Has something new opened nearby?”
At the old man’s question, the woman who appeared to be his secretary quickly pulled out a device and began checking.
“…It looks like a restaurant opened recently. Seems to have been just yesterday.”
“A restaurant. Is it close?”
“Yes, very close.”
“It’s mealtime. Let’s go see.”
Following his secretary’s guidance, the old man’s eyes fell on the Seona's Restaurant sign.
It was clearly brand new, yet the lettering used a style no longer common today.
The sign carried an old-fashioned warmth that evoked memories rather than seeming outdated.
“Impressive.”
It was a small building that felt pleasantly out of place amid the surroundings.
A slight turn of the head revealed towering structures that required one to crane their neck upward.
“…Oh?”
“Yes!”
Just then, the voices of a young man and a small child drifted from between the open doors.
The old man’s wandering gaze was drawn inside as if enchanted by the sound.
There he saw the child.
And the young man who was clearly her father and the owner of this restaurant.
“……”
An indescribable emotion filled the old man’s eyes as he watched them.
What exactly had he seen?
Was he seeing his own past in that scene?
Or perhaps his own experience reflected back at him?
After gazing at them for a moment, the old man moved as though to enter, then stopped where he stood.
“Aren’t you going inside?”
At his secretary’s question, the old man shook his head.
“They’re in the middle of eating.”
Indeed they were.
The little girl and her father were enjoying a late breakfast that doubled as an early lunch, with savory soybean paste stew as the side dish.
The old man simply watched them.
He remained steadfast until their meal ended, as though he refused to disturb their precious father-daughter time.
“Daddy!”
“Yes?”
“Seia wants to eat some meaty!”
“Hehe. Seia, there’s also meat that comes from the garden.”
“Meat from the garden?”
“Yes. That’s what this tofu is made from.”
“Aww…”
Seia wasn’t very fond of tofu.
She liked the taste, but the slightly mushy texture just didn’t appeal to her.
“You have to eat a good variety. Otherwise Daddy won’t make yummy things for you, okay?”
“Okay! From now on Seia will eat everything evenly!”
Seia beamed as she spoke, but her words hid one little trap.
The phrase “from now on.”
Her clever little mind was already growing, creating escape routes like this.
Maybe Seia was actually a genius?
While Jungwoo pondered this seriously, Seia had already scraped her bowl clean.
She might have hurried before the “from now on” trap could be noticed, but no parent can truly win against their child.
“All done eating~”
She neatly placed the empty bowl in the kitchen sink. Meanwhile, Jungwoo cleared away the remaining soybean paste stew.
He planned to finish the leftover rice himself.
While Jungwoo quickly polished off the rest, Seia had already fetched the spray bottle and was diligently wiping down the tables.
How adorable she was.
I need to prepare Seia’s pork cutlet soon.
Meals with Seia took time, but Jungwoo ate alone at an impressive speed.
He finished a bowl of rice and the remaining stew in moments and was about to prepare Seia’s dinner—pork cutlet—when a voice spoke.
“Are you open?”
“Welcome to Seona’s Westaurant!”
Seia answered energetically in place of Jungwoo, who still had rice in his mouth. The well-dressed old man smiled at her and nodded.
“Two of you?”
“That’s right.”
“Please sit wherever you like.”
“Sit in a comfytable spot!”
“Hehe. Would the little princess recommend a seat for this old man?”
At his words, Seia immediately chose a spot and pointed it out.
It was near the counter.
And close to her own special seat.
There were no other distinguishing features, but the old man nodded in understanding and sat where Seia had guided him.
A menu rested on every table.
The old man accepted the one his secretary offered and looked it over first.
– Kimchi Stew: 10,000 won (per serving)
– Spicy Stir-fried Pork: 9,000 won (per serving)
There were many other options as well.
The fact that spice levels could be adjusted for every dish was a nice touch.
He had come because of the savory aroma, whose source was the soybean paste stew.
He had intended to order that, but the surprisingly varied menu gave him more to consider.
“What will you have?”
“Must I… eat something?”
Unlike the old man, the secretary didn’t seem to view the restaurant favorably.
Despite having opened recently, the entire atmosphere felt distinctly out of step with current trends.
“It’s rude to speak that way. If you don’t wish to eat, you don’t have to.”
“No, I’ll have the seaweed soup.”
Having been rude, the secretary chose to eat as a form of atonement.
The old man sighed inwardly and scanned the menu again.
She was the type who lived only for work, so these moments happened often.
“I’ll have the kimchi pancake.”
“Yes! One seaweed soup and one kimchi pancake!”
Seia, who had been listening from her nearby special seat, energetically relayed the order to Jungwoo before they could finish speaking.
“One seaweed soup and one kimchi pancake, coming up!”
Seaweed soup was simple to prepare and didn’t take long.
Soak the seaweed in water, then drain the blood from the beef brisket that would go inside.
Instead of simply grilling the meat, Jungwoo first drizzled sesame oil and stir-fried the beef in it.
After adding the drained seaweed and stir-frying once more, he poured in water.
Jungwoo often used rich beef bone broth instead of plain water.
Then he seasoned it with minced garlic, soy sauce, and salt before letting it simmer gently.
For the kimchi pancake, he finely chopped the kimchi and mixed it with pancake flour.
A ratio of two parts kimchi to one part flour worked best.
He poured the batter onto a well-heated pan, drizzled oil around the edges while frying, and soon had a perfectly crispy kimchi pancake.
The aroma of the freshly made pancake quickly filled the restaurant.
“What a warm, familiar smell. I believe I need a drink with this.”
He wasn’t in the habit of drinking in broad daylight, but the taste of memory made a drink irresistible.
If it felt like this during the day, he wondered what atmosphere the little restaurant would have at night.
“I’ll just take one bottle of makgeolli.”
“Ah, I’ll bring it right over.”
“No need. I can get it myself.”
While the old man rose to fetch the makgeolli, Seia carefully carried appetizer plates and glasses with both hands, serving them herself.
Jungwoo hadn’t taught her to do this.
She had simply watched how he treated the first customers yesterday and begun moving on her own.
Warmth filled the old man’s eyes, but the opposite emotion began to fill his secretary’s.
“…Is it appropriate to put a young child to work like this?”
Whether she had heard or not, Seia set the items on the table and spoke up.
“He didn’t make me! Daddy never makes Seia do chores!”
The secretary was left speechless.
Seia’s expression held a trace of anger.
Though it was less true anger and more of an adorable pout.
The old man soon returned with the makgeolli. He crouched to Seia’s eye level, his gaze and voice gentle.
“Your name is Seia, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s wight. I’m Lee Seia.”
“How old are you?”
“Seia is five years old.”
“Hehe, at an age when children usually don’t listen, yet you’re so admirable—helping your father like this.”
At the old man’s praise, Seia’s face brightened again as she nodded.
“Yes! The food Daddy makes is all so yummy.”
“I thought so. That’s why I came. You must be happy to have a father who cooks so well.”
“Hehe. Does Gwandpa have a daddy who cooks well too?”
At the innocent question, the old man kept smiling.
Though the smile had shifted from simple delight to something more wistful.
“My father was good at other things. But this grandpa can cook a little, too.”
“Wow! Gwandpa, can you make daeji-bokkeum really well?”
“Hm? Daeji-bokkeum?”
It seemed she was talking about spicy stir-fried pork.
“Hehe. Of course I can. Do you like cooking, Seia?”
“Seia wants to cook too, but Daddy won’t let me.”
She would have to handle hot and sharp objects.
It really was too soon.
“Something like bibimbap should be fine, though.”
“Bibim… bap…?”
“Would you like me to tell you about it?”
“Yes!”
It had been a long time since simply waiting for food to arrive felt this joyful.
No—after so many years that he could barely remember, it might as well have been the first time.
“Well, you see, bibimbap is…”
It was the moment when all the experience and wisdom he had gathered over the years truly shone.