A Special Lunchbox and the Circus Invitation
The staff from the management office who visited Seona's Restaurant totaled six people.
It was the busiest moment since Seia's birthday.
They ordered six lunchboxes, and Jungwoo immediately began preparing the food.
Typically, when people thought of a lunchbox, they pictured rice accompanied by various side dishes. But Jungwoo decided to add one more element.
Soup.
He wasn't sure about others, but for Jungwoo, a meal simply wasn't complete without soup. It wasn't that he couldn't eat without it, but if he could make it, he always would.
"For now, the sides will be the usual banchan…."
In the future, the side dishes going into the lunchboxes would be the same ones served to customers at Seona's Restaurant.
Combined with a main dish and soup, his goal was a lunchbox that looked simple but was anything but light.
Today's banchan at Seona's Restaurant consisted of kimchi, seasoned laver, stir-fried fish cake, and stir-fried anchovies.
Since there weren't any bowls or plates specifically designed for lunchboxes, he planned to arrange the sides somewhat spaced out on a large platter.
He intended to change the main dish every time, and for today, he had decided on stir-fried spicy pork.
It just so happened that he had the most stock of pork belly at the moment.
I guess I'll have to eat rice a little later.
He had just finished preparing the steak for Seia when the customers arrived, so it seemed he'd have to put it off for a bit. On the plus side, taking the meat out of the fridge to let it come to room temperature slightly would actually make it taste better.
This was the first time he'd made such a large batch since the chicken.
Just because he was making more didn't mean the flavor could change.
"How old is Seia?"
"Seia is…."
In the dining area, Seia was handling the customers with impressive confidence.
Thankfully, Jungwoo had paused the documentary with quick thinking, allowing Seia to focus entirely on chatting with the guests.
"I'm weally five years old!"
Really five years old.
The staff stared at Seia with eyes full of curiosity before shifting their gazes toward Jungwoo in the kitchen.
Jungwoo was busier than ever preparing the lunchboxes, but he kept one ear tuned to whatever was happening on Seia's side.
"Ah, it was Seia's birthday just recently."
"I see. That explains it. How adorable…."
Team Leader Lee smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly looked startled.
"Oh, I didn't mean that the owner is adorable…."
"Haha. I know what you meant."
Laughter kept ringing throughout the restaurant. Even without joining the conversation, it was impossible not to smile.
Still, I need to focus on the cooking.
Before long, the restaurant was filled with the sound of customers laughing, the aroma of delicious food, and the sounds of that food being prepared.
It would be wonderful if this peaceful atmosphere could last forever, but the customers' laughter would fade once they left, and the scent and sounds of delicious food would vanish once everything was eaten or finished.
After some time passed, the sounds of cooking had completely died down.
"This should be about right…."
Four side dishes and the stir-fried spicy pork.
Along with freshly cooked rice and beef bone soup.
With the weather gradually turning chilly, a piping hot bowl of beef bone soup paired perfectly with the season.
And for the final touch: seasoned seaweed.
Back in the day, Jungwoo used to polish off a whole bowl of rice with just kimchi, seasoned seaweed, and beef bone soup. Maybe Seia would like it too if he made it for her later?
For an even more dramatic flavor, he'd wait until the dead of winter.
"Your ordered lunchboxes are ready."
While the customers took turns chatting with Seia, the lunchboxes arrived on a single large platter.
"Oh…? This is a lunchbox?"
"Wow, it almost looks like bibimbap, doesn't it?"
"Looks delicious. The smell alone is making my mouth water."
Leaving the staff's positive comments behind, the person in charge asked in a slightly worried tone.
"But… can you keep making these at this quality if you prepare them fresh every time?"
"Yes. Since I'm making each one by hand, I'll have to set a daily limit on quantity, of course."
"If you make them like this, I'm sure people will love them. Well, it's been a while since I last went on a gate subjugation, so I'm not entirely up to date with the current trends."
"If that's your assessment, then I feel confident."
"Hehe… you're laying on the flattery pretty thick."
"Not at all. Please eat before it gets cold."
"Yes, thank you. Everyone, let's dig in."
And so the customers began their meal.
Today, Jungwoo didn't ask how it tasted.
In fact, even if he didn't ask, there was someone who would ask on his behalf.
"Daddy."
"Yes, my daughter. What is it?"
"Seia is hungry…."
Because they'd gone to the shopping district in the morning, and now with customers arriving right before lunchtime, their meal time kept getting pushed back.
"Let's eat once the customers leave. Daddy will make something really delicious for you."
He whispered softly to Seia so the customers wouldn't overhear. Seia seemed to understand she needed to keep quiet too, and whispered back in a small but energetic voice.
"Everything Daddy makes is yummy!"
"Haha. That's right. This time it'll be even tastier."
The customers' mealtime was also waiting time for him.
Until now, he'd observed their reactions, conversations, and expressions to gauge things, but today he had something else to do.
It was time to take a closer look at the circus flyer he'd received earlier.
For a circus flyer, it had a rather gloomy feel to it.
The circus was divided into two themes: fire and ice.
Though split into two, all the information for both circuses was printed on a single flyer.
"Wait a second, the admission fee is 500,000 won…?"
He'd never gone to see a circus in person, so he didn't know the typical prices, but even so, 500,000 won seemed much more expensive than he'd expected.
And strangely, rather than charging different amounts based on seating, the higher prices were for tickets that allowed you to meet the performers personally after the show.
The cheapest ticket was 500,000 won, while the most expensive ones exceeded one million won.
"Fifthy man?"
"Ah, yes. It's the circus Seia likes."
"Fifty…? Five hundred thousand…?"
Seia wasn't quite sure whether it was fifty or five hundred thousand.
Nor did she fully understand how much value that amount held once "won" was attached to it.
"Are you thinking of going to the circus?"
At that moment, the person in charge, who had been eating, spoke up.
He must have eaten incredibly fast—his plate was completely clean, unlike the other staff members whose plates were only about half empty.
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help overhearing."
"Ah, yes. I thought Seia might enjoy the circus."
"Haha, the circus is nice. It is, but…."
The person in charge hesitated for a moment, then looked at Jungwoo as if he had something to say.
It was probably something difficult to discuss in this setting.
And the reason for that was likely Seia.
Was there some kind of problem with the circus?
The person in charge stepped outside the restaurant first.
"Seia, Daddy will step out for a moment."
"Okay! Seia will guard the restaurant!"
Leaving behind his daughter’s energetic reply, Jungwoo followed the man out of the restaurant.
"Do you happen to know about the circus?"
"…Isn't it a place that shows amazing things?"
"Hehe, that's not entirely wrong, but the purpose of a circus for ordinary people and one for hunters is completely different."
Jungwoo had suspected there would be differences, but he'd assumed they were only in content, not in fundamental purpose.
Could it be one of those so-called back-alley operations?
Perhaps because of the man's solemn expression, Jungwoo asked with a hint of tension.
"Could you tell me what it's really about?"
"Of course. It's not difficult."
The explanation was simple.
The circus wasn't all that different from a talent showcase.
While ordinary people who weren't hunters sometimes came to watch, for the most part it was a way for people to advertise their own power.
The reason it was divided into fire and ice was because those two were the most common types of abilities.
They were also the most visually spectacular.
"Then the people who come to watch the circus…."
"Are mostly guild leaders. That's also why the admission prices are set so high. Guild leaders tend to have plenty of money, after all."
"I see…."
Still, it didn't seem to match the level of concern he'd seen in the man's eyes earlier.
"Ah, and that's not the end of it."
"There's more?"
"After the circus ends and the guild leaders have their private meetings with the performers, an underground market opens."
"An underground market…."
When people spoke of underground markets, they usually meant places dealing in illegal goods.
They were bound to be rough.
It was the kind of place and atmosphere that didn't suit Seia at all.
"If it's an underground market… doesn't that mean it's illegal?"
It was a cautious question.
The other man was the deputy director of the management office—a public official, essentially.
"Well, yes. But cracking down on them doesn't make them disappear. In that case, it's better to manage them moderately and make sure they don't cross the line."
Come to think of it, Jungwoo agreed that simply trying to shut them down wouldn't work.
Besides, in this era, powerful hunters essentially stood at the top of society.
"Ah… then it might be difficult. I wasn't planning to participate in the underground market, but if the atmosphere is like that, it could be dangerous."
It was a shame, but it couldn't be helped.
Seia's safety was far more important than her curiosity.
The show started at nine o'clock, which meant he'd have to close the restaurant about an hour and a half early.
Doing so would mean losing more than he would gain.
"If it's alright with you, I could accompany you."
"Pardon? To the circus?"
"Yes. I go occasionally to watch. As the deputy director of the management office, my position includes personnel authority. Hehe."
A deputy director wasn't called that for nothing.
Things were different now than in the past. Since hunters had gained individual power, they had become far more independent and free-spirited.
Because of that, rather than hiring through standard civil service exams, each department recruited directly, and that was much more common.
"So it's like being a guild leader?"
"You can think of it that way. So, would you like to go together?"
"Ah… I'd like to, but the restaurant operates until ten…."
"You can just post a notice in advance. There's a related app for that, so it would be good to use it when you make announcements later."
The man in charge, who had initially seemed difficult and almost unfriendly.
For some reason, he had now become an incredibly reliable person.
"Think it over and let me know. Oh, and you won't need to pay for admission."
"Huh? Is that really okay?"
"Haha. Who do you think I am? I'm the head of the management office. Getting a couple of admission tickets is easy."
He didn't go into detail, but as the deputy director of the management office, he could easily turn a blind eye and secure entry.
Even bringing a few people along.
"Then please think about it and contact me. Here's my business card."
"Yes. Thank you for your consideration."
"Also, regarding the support program…."
The man continued explaining what kind of support was available.
It started with the basic setup of the stall and extended to initial funding.
These days, there were perfectly insulated lunchbox containers available, but they were quite expensive.
The support apparently covered those costs as well.
"Even if it's your first time, there's no need to worry."
The man smiled as he headed back into the restaurant.
"Because it won't be my first time."