A Warm Lunchbox and a Little Girl's Big Wish
Cooking for twenty-five people went much faster than Jungwoo had expected.
He had already prepped ingredients for fifty servings and stored the rest in the refrigerator.
To think there would come a day when this massive fridge would actually fill up.
The side dishes going into today’s lunchboxes were Jungwoo’s most confident recipe and Seia’s absolute favorite.
Spicy stir-fried pork.
For the basic sides, he had prepared kimchi, stir-fried fish cakes, a few fresh wrap vegetables, and ssamjang. When he had sold at the restaurant before, the sides had been slightly different, but this time he included crisp vegetables so customers could enjoy everything wrapped up.
He had also made a soup that paired perfectly with the spicy pork—refreshing bean sprout soup. With all of that in one lunchbox, it would really feel like eating at a proper restaurant.
After filling the containers with twenty-five servings, it was already time to head out.
“All right. Let’s go!”
“Let’s gooo!”
Out of the fifty containers, only twenty-five were filled. The result of worry winning over confidence that they would sell well.
The rental car he had borrowed for today was the kind of compact everyone knew well. Back in the day, he used to drive one of these little cars everywhere.
Though the person who had ridden with him was gone now, seeing it again brought back old memories.
From now on, he would layer new memories on top of those old ones—with the most precious person his late wife had left behind.
“Whoa, it’s a vroom-vroom!”
To Seia, every car was fascinating. From the really big ones to these tiny ones. She liked the big ones because they were cool and the small ones because they were cute.
Compact cars do have a certain adorable charm.
After loading everything he needed to sell into the trunk and buckling Seia into the passenger seat, she tilted her head.
“What’s this?”
It was her first time seeing a car seat. Although Seia had ridden in cars before, this was her first time in a child safety seat.
“This is a special seat just for our Seia.”
“It’s small!”
“Yeah. Seia is small too.”
“Seia is… small?!”
Why was she so surprised to hear she was small? Had Seia really never thought of herself that way before?
Even her dad had to look up at the sky to see her face, the height difference was that big.
“Seia isn’t small at all…!”
“Haha. You’re still small for now, Seia. But you’ll grow bigger later.”
“Seia wants to grow as big as Daddy.”
“Then…”
You have to eat your meals evenly. Don’t skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
He was about to say that, but Seia already ate incredibly well. It was almost surprising that she didn’t gain more weight.
Maybe Seia has a constitution that doesn’t put on weight easily?
He didn’t know how much other children her age typically ate, but even without knowing that, he could tell. Seia definitely didn’t eat little. If anything, she ate often.
It might be because she was eating the food Jungwoo made. Lately he had even started using stevia instead of sugar in some dishes.
“Just keep eating the way you do now, my daughter.”
“Then can Seia grow like Daddy?”
“Hmm…”
If Seia wasn’t one of the Chosen, she probably couldn’t surpass 180 centimeters.
“Seia probably won’t be able to grow as big as Daddy.”
“W-why…!”
“But why do you want to be as tall as Daddy?”
He suddenly grew curious. She had said the same thing before—that she wanted to be tall like her dad. He wondered what the reason was.
“Then Seia can hug Daddy.”
So she could hug him.
Jungwoo imagined himself being held in Seia’s arms and let out a small chuckle. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t picture Seia at over 180 centimeters tall. Instead, what came to mind was the current Seia hugging him.
Well, that wasn’t so bad either.
“Haha. So that’s why? Then I guess I should hope our Seia grows up quickly.”
“Then I have to eat lots of rice!”
Come to think of it, Seia still hadn’t eaten yet.
What was the best form of advertising when selling food? Letting people smell it, of course.
Jungwoo wasn’t particularly fond of walnut cakes, but whenever he stopped at a rest area he would always buy some. The same went for deli manju and baby potatoes. Thinking about it now, the list seemed to keep growing.
…There were chicken skewers too.
Anyway, the best advertisement was the aroma.
Especially in a shopping street. Since it was near that enormous building called the Lounge, there would be a huge number of people passing by. That was exactly where Seia would eat her meal.
He worried it might be too hard on her, but they had already talked about it. Jungwoo planned to eat with her there too.
These days it was rare to see compact cars on the streets. With so many hunters around now, a small car was a bit too tiny to carry much.
Even now, Jungwoo had only prepared twenty-five servings and could fit them all in the trunk, but if the scale grew later, a compact car would no longer be enough.
“Vroom-vroom—”
The cute little car carrying the cute little girl soon arrived at the shopping street.
He saw the same staff member from last time managing the visitor logbook. People who came by car didn’t need to be recorded separately since their vehicle information was already logged.
As he drove the compact car closer to the Lounge, a Lounge employee approached with a slightly furrowed brow.
“How may I help you?”
“I’m Lee Jungwoo. I’ll be running a street stall starting today.”
“Ah, I see. Understood.”
The employee’s brow smoothed out once he realized Jungwoo wasn’t a customer. No need to guide someone who wasn’t buying anything.
Jungwoo didn’t mind such small things. After all, this Lounge wasn’t a place you could enter just because you were lucky.
He parked in a spot that gave direct access to the street stalls. Around him he could see other people running their own stalls.
“Hm? Never seen him before.”
“What’s this? Doesn’t look like anything special…”
This wasn’t an ordinary street market. It was the place where the most hunters gathered, and at the same time, the only place where the Lounge’s rules didn’t fully apply.
In a way, it meant a stall here could wield even more influence than the shops inside the Lounge itself.
Naturally, the people running stalls here all possessed considerable power. So when an unfamiliar face appeared—someone whose background they didn’t even know—their gazes weren’t exactly friendly.
“Daddy!”
Just then, a child’s voice rang out.
Children were rare in a shopping street like this. Yet here was a child whose cuteness couldn’t even be described with the word “cute,” smiling brightly.
“Hehe, there’s a little one here.”
“Oh my… how adorable.”
Thanks to Seia, the looks directed at Jungwoo now carried a faint trace of goodwill.
As for Seia herself, there was no need to even mention it.
“Okay, Seia. Let’s each carry some and go together. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Seia answered energetically and carefully lifted a lunchbox. The container was still warm—perfect for warming her slightly chilly hands.
“Lunchboxes?”
“Looks like he really came just to do business.”
“…We don’t know yet. Depends on what’s inside.”
The things sold at these stalls were often special. Or rather, it wasn’t so much the items as the people selling them who were special.
People who received the Lounge’s protection but didn’t have to strictly follow its rules. A place where many people gathered, where special individuals guided others to special locations.
“We’ll find out once we buy one.”
“Sounds good. Let’s relax our faces first.”
While they were talking, Jungwoo and Seia approached.
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you. Haha. You’re the one opening a stall here, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“It feels a bit much to call myself president, but… I’m Kim In-wook, president of the street vendor association.”
“Ah, there’s even an association like that. I’ll be in your care.”
“Hellooo!”
Following her father’s slight bow, Seia placed her hands on her belly and gave a polite greeting.
“Aigoo, how pretty. It’s rare to see children around here.”
“Goodness, how can someone be this cute? Hello there?”
Most of the street vendors were middle-aged. There was the rather thin and somewhat strict-looking president, and beside him a woman with striking red hair and slightly languid eyes.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jang Seo-eun, the vice president.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“Hellooo, unnie!”
“Oh my? Unnie?” Jang Seo-eun, who had already introduced herself as vice president, melted at Seia’s words. “Hehe… to think I’d be called unnie by a child younger than my own daughter—”
She already looked completely smitten with Seia.
“Come visit unnie later, okay?”
“Yes—!”
Perhaps because she had raised a daughter herself, stroking Seia’s head came so naturally that Seia didn’t even notice.
“So soft… I’m getting addicted…”
“Since it’s your first day, if you have any questions while doing business, just ask.”
“Thank you.”
Leaving the father and daughter to move the lunchboxes, the president, vice president, and the other members of the street vendor association moved on.
“I wanted to pet her a little more…”
“Ahem. Vice President.”
“Hehe, you liked her too, President. Weren’t you always saying you wanted a daughter?”
“W-well, that’s true, but…”
To anyone listening, it sounded like an ordinary conversation, but the other vendors knew. The fact that such normal talk was even possible showed just how different the president and vice president usually were.
“For now, there are seven of us, so let’s try seven lunchboxes.”
“I agree.”
Jungwoo and Seia had no idea, but reservations were already starting to form.
Without knowing that customers were slowly gathering, the father and daughter finished carrying all the lunchboxes to the stall.
Seia was bringing the last, fiftieth lunchbox. She seemed reluctant to let go of the warm container and held it a moment longer before setting it down.
So this is the street stall area.
He had imagined it would be similar to a regular market. Just a simple stand to display goods and a signboard showing what was for sale. But there were not only stands and signs, but also chairs to sit and rest on, an invisible ceiling to protect against rain or snow, and even small tables in front of food stalls so customers could eat right there.
It was a much better environment than he had expected. He had even been worrying about what to do if it rained and whether he should set up a parasol.
“Daddy! There are so many people!”
“Right? There were already a lot last time too.”
“Are we selling lunchboxes now?”
“Yes, we should. But do you remember what Daddy told you?”
“Yes! Eat the rice deliciously!”
Out of the twenty-five servings, two were set aside. He had wanted to prepare them separately, but it wasn’t just about eating. Showing people that they were eating the exact same lunchboxes was important too.
Fortunately the stand was spacious enough that even after displaying all the lunchboxes, there was still plenty of room.
The preparations for the meal were now perfectly complete.
“Seia. Can you eat nicely?”
“Yes! Daddy’s food is always delicious!”
There was no need to worry. Even if he told her not to eat deliciously, Seia would still eat with gusto.