An Ominous Visitor
In fact, the sound of the bell was no different from usual.
It was simply one of those days everyone experiences at some point in life—an inexplicable sense of unease creeping in without warning.
“Welcome,” Jungwoo said.
“...Yes. Are you still serving?”
The rather slim man had drooping eyes and deep, sunken dark circles that left a strong impression. Exhaustion seemed to radiate from every inch of him.
“Of course. Please sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
The customer stared at Yuhyeon for a moment before shifting his gaze toward Jungwoo and the kitchen. He headed for the seat behind Yuhyeon, sat down, and immediately examined the menu.
Any customer would naturally look at the menu, yet this man’s eyes were different. His gaze wasn’t wondering which dish might taste good. It seemed to be searching for something more—something special, something hidden.
Kimchi stew, stir-fried pork, doenjang stew… nothing particularly special on the menu.
There were no dishes that raised any red flags. They were all familiar items, the kind whose flavors you could predict without tasting them.
Jungwoo’s eyes remained fixed on the customer.
The man studied the menu with an unreadable expression, and Jungwoo watched him with one equally opaque.
With Seia here…
A customer had arrived, so he had reflexively returned to the kitchen. Since Seia was asleep, he had simply told the man to sit wherever he liked instead of guiding him to a table. Unfortunately, the seat the customer chose was right beside where Seia slept.
He didn’t seem to have noticed her yet, but it wouldn’t be long before he did.
It’ll be fine, right?
The customer gave off a strangely uncomfortable vibe, but that didn’t alter Jungwoo’s professional demeanor.
“I’d like to order.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I noticed you had a daily special earlier, but it isn’t listed on the menu?”
“Ah, that’s because it’s literally only available today. Sometimes it makes it onto the menu, but most of the time it doesn’t.”
“I see. Then I’ll have the daily special.”
“Certainly. It’ll be just a moment.”
While Jungwoo began cooking, the customer glanced toward the kitchen before pulling something from his pocket.
It was a magic stone—one imbued with a special ability that could reveal who had visited the restaurant over the past several days. It read the lingering traces of mana left in the air.
He set the magic stone on the table and fell into thought.
The investigation definitely pointed to this place.
Park Geon-su had been visiting frequently lately. The Sajeol Guild leader was a regular at Provan Restaurant, but his visits there had decreased sharply, and the restaurant’s reputation had suffered as a result. After continued investigation, they had learned he was coming to Seona’s Restaurant instead.
What could possibly be so special about it?
Was the food exceptional? Looking at the menu, even if the dishes were good, they didn’t seem like anything extraordinary. No matter how delicious the kimchi stew was, it was still kimchi stew. No matter how tasty the stir-fried pork might be, it was still just stir-fried pork.
I’ll know once I eat it.
Until then, he wouldn’t take his eyes off the kitchen. If he spotted anything even slightly noteworthy or suspicious, he would record it all with the magic stone.
“Magic stone, huh…”
Yuhyeon’s quiet murmur reached no one. He had been gazing out the window when the man entered, radiating an atmosphere that was anything but ordinary. The moment he stepped inside, he had pulled out a magic stone.
Yuhyeon didn’t need to inspect it directly to know its purpose. No one was more sensitive to mana than he was, and he could discern the exact ability imbued in a magic stone with a mere touch.
He normally stayed out of such matters. That was simply his personality, and he had no interest in meddling in other people’s affairs.
Yet something about this felt deeply uncomfortable.
How dare the man come here with impure intentions.
He wanted to seize him immediately and demand why he had come to the restaurant, but without clear evidence, he could only hold himself back.
Wait. Isn’t that where she’s sleeping?
The man didn’t seem to have noticed her yet, but if he tried anything dangerous toward Seia…
For an instant, the mana around Yuhyeon rippled. The fluctuation was so faint that only a high-ranking hunter would have detected it, but for someone as skilled in mana control as Yuhyeon to react this way carried more meaning than it appeared.
Have I always been this bad at controlling my emotions?
For now, he would observe. Without the man noticing. But he would watch closely.
While Jungwoo prepared the meal, Seia was wandering happily through a dream.
Daddy!
Yes?
Look at that!
Whether it was a dream or reality didn’t matter. Having her father beside her was Seia’s happiest moment.
The dream was set inside Seona’s Restaurant at night. Yet the two sitting by the window were gazing at something extraordinary.
The sky beyond the glass.
It was the same sky they saw every day, nothing special at all, but in the dream it was different. Fireworks burst across it one after another, filling their vision, while the flames and ice from the circus floated gently through the air.
It was clearly nighttime, yet it didn’t feel like night at all.
It’s so pretty…
First time seeing fireworks?
Fireworks?
Yes. How is it? Do you like it?
Yes! It’s so beautiful!
But the dream didn’t end there.
With the cheerful ring of a bell, more people entered the restaurant—everyone Seia knew. The big grandpa and the quiet grandpa. Pretty Sister Seong Ye-eun and even Cat Sister. The workshop owner who had made the cake with her, and the former building owner and his wife. Everyone she cared about had come to the restaurant.
In the dream, they all gathered to watch the fireworks together. Being in her favorite place with her favorite people, enjoying her favorite sight, made Seia smile in her sleep. The smile she wore in the dream appeared on her face in the real world as well.
Watching the fireworks with everyone, then falling asleep in her father’s arms—both in the dream and outside it.
Light sleep often brings dreams. But sleeping lightly isn’t always bad.
Not if it lets you have a dream this wonderful.
“Hehe…”
The small sound spread through the quiet restaurant. Until then, the only noises had been those of Jungwoo preparing the daily special.
Even with four people present, one maintained complete silence while observing the restaurant, and another watched that person with sharp vigilance.
“What was that? What’s that sound?”
The customer, who had been focusing every ounce of attention on his surveillance, jumped and looked around in alarm. The sound had come from directly in front of him—very close.
“What… what is it…?”
It wasn’t a suspicious sound. If anything, it sounded full of happiness.
He leaned forward slightly and checked the opposite chair. A small child was lying there, wearing a faint smile.
“...A child?”
The unidentified sound now had an identity. The tension that had risen in him melted into relief.
“Why is there a child here…”
“She’s the owner’s daughter.”
The voice came from behind the man.
“Pardon? Ah, yes. But who are—”
“Just another customer.”
“I see. The owner’s daughter, you said?”
“Yes.”
The child was still smiling softly in her sleep. It was the first time the man had seen her. In fact, today was the first time he had even learned that Seona’s Restaurant had a child.
Yet the longer he looked, the harder it became to look away. There was something strangely captivating about her. No—she was openly captivating. She was only sleeping with a gentle smile, yet she drew the eye far more than anyone smiling brightly.
“Ahem.”
He had nearly forgotten his purpose. He had come to Seona’s Restaurant today to discover what made it special.
Right. No matter how special the child is…
He tried to push the thought aside, but it lingered.
The child… is special?
She truly was. The restaurant owner had striking looks that would turn heads anywhere, but his daughter belonged in an entirely different category.
Could it be because of her?
The question that began as a mere possibility quickly became certainty. It was definitely the child. If Park Geon-su had switched restaurants because of her, there were only two possible solutions.
One was to bring the child to Provan Restaurant. The other was to separate her from this place.
The first was impossible. There was no reason for the owner’s daughter to come to Provan Restaurant.
That left only one option: to separate the child from this restaurant.
Sigh…
He hadn’t even formed a detailed plan yet. He had simply considered one possible method. Yet an overwhelming wave of guilt washed over him.
What surprised him most was that Provan Restaurant already had a child of its own. Of course, the atmosphere there was completely different from this cozy diner, and the child didn’t enjoy the same free environment.
They’re both the owner’s children, yet…
Had he always been this superficial? He had thought the child at Provan Restaurant was clever and handsome too.
“Mmm…”
At that moment, the source of his dilemma slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She hadn’t slept long, but length didn’t matter. What mattered was how well one slept. In that sense, the brief nap she had just taken ranked among her best rests in recent memory.
“Huh?”
As Seia rubbed her eyes, she saw a stranger sitting in front of her.
“Ah! A customer!”
“Uh, um. Y-yes, that’s right. I’m a customer.”
The man didn’t particularly like children. It hadn’t always been that way, but seeing the son of Provan Restaurant’s owner had made it difficult. Because he was the boss’s son, no one could treat him sternly or correct him when he misbehaved.
“Welcome! This is Seona’s Westauwant. Have you ordered yet?”
“Um… I ordered the daily special.”
“Ahh…”
When she asked if he had ordered and he confirmed, the bright expression on the child’s face darkened.
Had he said something wrong? No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what the problem was. He had no choice but to ask.
“What did… uncle do wrong?”
“Eh? No, you didn’t!”
Seia shook her head vigorously, as if the very idea was ridiculous.
“Seia couldn’t take your order. That’s why I’m sad.”
“Ah, I see.”
A chuckle slipped out before he could stop it. He shouldn’t be laughing—especially not at a rival restaurant, and certainly not a smile he never showed at his own workplace.
“Your daily special. The hotpot bulgogi is ready.”
“Oh, thank you.”
The dish arrived at the perfect moment. The aroma alone was excellent. If hotpot bulgogi didn’t smell good, that would be a problem in itself.
Now then…
The important thing was the taste. Surely the reason a VIP had switched restaurants couldn’t be as simple as this one child.