A Special Cut of Meat
“Just a moment.”
The butcher shop owner answered with a resolute expression and tone before immediately heading toward the place where he kept his treasures.
If there were treasures in a butcher shop, they would naturally be the cuts of meat. And among them, there was one piece he had set aside with special care.
‘Whew… The timing couldn’t have been better.’
The owner of the butcher shop.
It was a job one could only hold if they truly loved meat. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he knew everything there was to know about it—what cuts were best for grilling, which ones suited soups, braises, or stir-fries.
A typical butcher shop divided various cuts for different purposes and sold them accordingly. But for someone who genuinely loved meat, things were a little different.
Even a tough cut meant for grilling, or one lacking in juices, could transform completely in both flavor and texture depending on how it was prepared.
As it happened, a few days earlier he had placed a fresh Korean beef sirloin tip into his sous-vide machine. After three full days inside, the meat had reached a state where it practically fell apart at the slightest touch.
His wedding anniversary was coming up in a week, and he had been practicing so he could make it for his wife. Today was the day he would check the results of that practice.
“Honey, could you watch the shop for a bit?”
“What? Where are you going this time?”
His wife’s eyes were full of suspicion. In the past, he had left her in charge of the store while he went out drinking with his friends.
“It’s nothing like that. I’ll just be right over there.”
“Where exactly?”
“Seona’s Restaurant?”
“Seona’s Restaurant? You mean that…”
His wife paused for a moment, trying to remember where it was, then realized it was the small diner not far from their shop.
“Well, it is close. But why all of a sudden? We just ate a little while ago.”
“No, it’s not that. The owner and his daughter stopped by.”
“Huh? His daughter came?”
This butcher shop was run by the couple in shifts. That was why his wife, who had been eating an apple while watching TV, shot up from her seat the moment she heard that the owner of Seona’s Restaurant and the little boss had come to their store.
“W-why so suddenly?”
“They say his daughter is incredibly pretty. Is it true?”
“Haha, what did you think I was going to say? Go see for yourself. You’ll be shocked.”
The butcher couple was well-known in the market. They had three sons and no daughters. At first, his wife had hoped for a son, and the owner hadn’t cared whether it was a boy or a girl. But after three boys, he had started longing for a daughter. Now that they were too old to have more children, they found themselves wishing for a granddaughter instead.
“I should take this with me.”
“…Wait, why that?”
His wife stood up, grabbed the apple she had already peeled for herself, and headed outside.
As soon as she stepped out and saw Seia, she felt it immediately.
“Oh my goodness. How can a child be this beautiful? Hello there, sweetheart.”
“Hellooo!”
Seia bowed her head politely while nestled in her father’s arms. The butcher’s wife already had enormous affection shining in her eyes.
“Her father is incredibly handsome too. I was genuinely surprised.”
“Ah, haha. Thank you.”
“Here, have some of this. Sweetie, would you like to try a piece?”
“What is thith?”
“It’s an apple. It’s very sweet and delicious.”
The butcher’s wife speared a piece with a fork and offered it to Seia. The little girl smiled brightly and accepted the fork with perfect manners.
“Ma’am, I don’t see the other owner. Is he not here?”
“You mean our eldest? He’s learned everything he needs to. He went off to open his own shop—a butcher shop.”
“Oh, really? Congratulations.”
“Hoho, there’s nothing to congratulate yet. He needs to get married first. So what brings you here today?”
“I made a bet with Seia and lost. So I promised to make her a steak.”
“A steak? Let me see…”
The wife was just as much an expert as her husband. She could tell the grade of meat just by touch or smell alone.
“This one will do nicely. Use this. I’ll give it to you cheap.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
In truth, she wanted to give it for free. But no one understood better than she did that simply giving things away could make the other person uncomfortable. Offering it at a reasonable discount was better for everyone.
“I’ll let you have it for 10,000 won per 100 grams.”
Considering the quality, it was an incredibly generous price. At the same time, it wasn’t so low as to be ridiculous. She had probably given up most of her margin, or perhaps only taken a tiny bit.
“Hoho. Think of this as my service—buy all your meat here from now on, okay?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Mmm!”
Seia, who was crunching away on her apple, nodded as if to say she understood too. The butcher’s wife smiled with deep satisfaction and gave a nod of her own.
“Sweetie, how old are you?”
“Seia ith really five yearth old.”
“Really five?”
It seemed she was counting herself as five now that her birthday had passed.
“You’re at the perfect age to be the prettiest—”
“Hehe. Do you think Seia ith pretty?”
“Oh my, of course! Absolutely.”
“Then can Seia let you pat her head!”
“Hup…!”
It was completely unexpected. Seia had never been this forward before. Even Seong Ye-eun, who had earned the title of “pretty sister” the fastest, had only patted her head once—and that had been on instinct, not because Seia had granted permission.
“R-really?”
“Yeth.”
Seia tilted her head slightly toward the woman as if inviting her to stroke it. The butcher’s wife reached out with eyes full of emotion and gently patted the little girl’s head.
The hair was so silky it felt like it might slip through her fingers. The sensation was almost mesmerizing.
“Wow… This is the first time our Seia has ever said that to anyone.”
“Wait, really? I’m the first?”
“Yes. She’s never spoken like this to anyone else before.”
“Sweetie, why did you let this auntie do it?”
“Becauth you gave me thteak!”
A perfectly clear answer. It was because of the steak. It showed just how much Seia loved it.
And the butcher’s wife was thinking, for the first time in a long while, that she was glad she had kept working at the butcher shop. She had never felt this fulfilled.
“In that case, this auntie will have to give you steak often from now on.”
“Yaaay—!”
She had just secured a reliable steak supply line. Once again, it was clear that Seia knew exactly how to use the weapons she possessed.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The butcher appeared right on time, carrying a black plastic bag.
“Oh, your wife recommended a cut for me.”
“Did she? I brought something pretty decent myself.”
“What is it?”
“You know, the one I brought last time. That’s the one.”
“The one from last time…?”
Meat came in every day, so “the one from last time” was vague. Still, Jungwoo figured it must be some special cut the man had stashed away. He used to pack meat like this when he went drinking with his friends in the past.
“Shall we head over?”
“You’re coming too, sir?”
“Yes. There’s something I’d like to show you myself.”
The butcher was holding the black bag while glancing nervously at his wife. That serious yet anxious look in his eyes told the story.
‘It must be something really special!’
Sharp-eyed Jungwoo immediately understood the man’s intention.
“I see. Well, since you gave us such a good deal on the meat, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to treat you to a meal.”
“Haha, that sounds wonderful.”
“…Kim Jeong-hoon.”
“Y-yes, honey?”
At that moment, his wife spoke his full name. In all the years they had lived together, she had only called him by his name a handful of times since their honeymoon days when she used to call him “Jeong-hoon.” And she had even attached his family name.
The first time had been when he secretly bought a game console. The second was when he claimed a friend’s acquaintance had passed away in Jeju and went on a three-day, two-night “funeral trip.” As far as he could remember, those were the only two occasions.
So why today, all of a sudden?
She had simply called his name, yet an oddly deep sense of unease washed over him. It was also a little strange. When he was young, he heard his name dozens of times a day. As the years passed, it grew less and less frequent.
But this was no time to get lost in sentiment.
What mattered was why she had called his name.
“W-what is it, honey?”
No answer came.
Had she caught him doing something?
No, he hadn’t done anything recently that would get him in trouble.
“You watch the shop.”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
“You were going to go to the restaurant with the little one, weren’t you? Right?”
Well, she wasn’t wrong. But could a person be so thoroughly charmed in the short time it took to take meat out of the machine and wrap it up?
“Aw, honey, you can go next time. Your shift starts in ten minutes, remember?”
“Has it already been that long? Tsk… Fine. Go on, and come back quickly.”
“Haha. All right. I’ll be right back.”
The tense exchange ended without incident. The butcher let out a sigh of relief inside and followed the father and daughter with the black bag in hand.
It was nice that the restaurant wasn’t far from the market; they could go without any burden. As a fellow restaurant owner, Jungwoo could give an objective, professional evaluation of the meat. He hoped Seia would taste it with the purest eyes of a child.
“We’re here.”
“So this is Seona’s Restaurant. It really is close.”
“Yes. That’s why I buy ingredients at the market every morning.”
Still munching on her apple, Jungwoo held Seia in his arms and gazed at the sign for Seona’s Restaurant. No matter how many times he saw it, his eyes always filled with that same tender longing.
The butcher had already guessed that the “Seona” on the sign was someone’s name. And seeing the affectionate look in Jungwoo’s eyes, he didn’t need to ask to understand.
‘His wife.’
It was the kind of gaze you could never show if your wife were still at home or at work. So he decided not to ask. Not a single thing about the wife.
“Just wait a little longer, and I’ll make you a delicious steak.”
“Mmm!”
Seia nodded while still crunching her apple, then sat obediently in her usual seat and watched the kitchen. This was the first time anyone other than Seia had been allowed into the kitchen.
The contents of the black bag were, just as Jungwoo had expected, a very special cut of meat.
“Oh, this is…”
“I prepared it sous-vide. It’s sirloin tip.”
“Sous-vide…!”
Jungwoo had never tried it himself, but he had heard plenty about it. Meat cooked sous-vide was supposed to have an unbelievably tender texture.
“Boss.”
The butcher called to him with a confident expression.
“Yes?”
“Up until now, you’ve been cooking for other people, right?”
“…Yes.”
Why did Seona suddenly come to mind?
When his wife was still with them, they had taken turns cooking. Sometimes they would complain about side dishes, and on days when one of them was tired, the other would deliberately make extra so there would be enough left for dinner. They had lived together with those little tricks, sweet and warm.
It hadn’t been a very long time, but it had been precious.
After he lost his wife and Seia came into his life, he had never experienced anything like that again. Eating out was different—those were meals bought with proper payment. He had never received a hearty, unpaid meal from anyone else.
“Today, let me cook for you.”
“Haha… Thank you.”
The butcher’s kind face looked even gentler than usual. It was a little touching. After all, this was the first time he had met this particular owner.