Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Fine Dining Course Meal

One week later, the Hunter Shop's business license came through.

If it hadn't been approved, I would have opened a convenience store or a Wind Forest Guild merchandise shop instead, so it was a relief.

I immediately began interior construction for the Hunter Shop.

Next door, Director Jang's wine shop bustled with customers and was thriving.

During a lull in business, I visited the wine shop and spoke with Director Jang.

"Thanks to you, Guild Master, the neighbors use our shop when they buy wine."

Director Jang's face was bright as he spoke.

It seemed the neighborhood was using his wine shop generously as a thank-you for closing the Rift that had opened nearby.

"That's a relief. Since you moved here at my request, I'd have felt terrible if there had been no customers."

"Even if that had been the case, I'd never have regretted the move. You are my benefactor, Guild Master."

"Benefactor is going a bit far... haha!"

"I'm sorry I keep only receiving from you. I wish there were a way I could repay this gratitude. Please let me know if there's anything, anything at all, that I can help with."

Help, was it?

"Then, could you happen to find Hunter staff and part-time workers on my behalf?"

I had only one body, and far too much to do.

So I wanted to enlist the help of Director Jang, who ran the shop next door to the Hunter Shop.

"Ah, you want Hunters because of the Hunter Shop."

"Yes. It'd be best if items at a Hunter Shop were sold by Hunters who can see system messages. And you're better-informed than I am and likely better at recruitment, so I'm asking you."

"Understood! That sort of thing is easy. I'll post a hiring notice and handle the interviews."

There were actually quite a few Hunters with Rift phobias.

Some had registered as Awakened but had never even entered a Rift due to their phobia.

Others who had entered and been attacked by monsters now lived with PTSD and shuddered at the very thought of a Rift.

I told Director Jang it would be good to hire from among such Hunters.

"Understood. I'll select from among those Hunters."

Thus, I entrusted the recruitment to Director Jang.

The shop would open for business in two weeks.

***

Today was my mother's birthday.

For dinner, I planned to make her the fine dining course meal I had promised some time ago.

Mother took a taxi and got off in front of my building.

I went out to meet her.

"Oh, my."

Getting out of the taxi and looking up at the building, Mother was very surprised.

"Is this really your building, Seon-u?"

"Yes. It's nice, isn't it?"

"Nice hardly covers it. It's magnificent. I should have come sooner, but one urgent matter after another kept coming up at work."

"You've been busy—it couldn't be helped. You've been back and forth between Korea and the U.S. constantly."

"Yes, I have."

Even though she had requested a transfer to the Korean branch, Mother had kept going back and forth to the U.S.

Each time she was away, the head office work kept hitting snags.

Her work abilities must have been more remarkable than I'd realized.

Accordingly, Mother had spent most of her time at the U.S. head office.

She had flown back into Korea just yesterday, she said.

Ria also came down to the first floor to welcome her mother-in-law.

"Mother, you've arrived."

"Oh! My new daughter."

Mother greeted her daughter-in-law with even more delight than her son.

"Dear daughter, are you resting well? Nothing feeling off with your body?"

"No, Mother. I'm healthy."

"Is Seon-u being a good husband?"

"He's being so good that it's almost a problem. He's overprotective."

"Overprotective is the right thing to be. Be careful, careful, always. Take good care of yourself."

"Yes, Mother. I will."

Mother didn't know how to contain her delight at her pregnant daughter-in-law.

Honey was practically dripping from her eyes.

'I had no idea she'd be this pleased.'

I took Mother up to the sixth-floor home by elevator.

When I opened the door and stepped inside—

"Hewwo, Gwanma!"

Rin, who had been waiting, gave a deep bow.

A smile spread over Mother's face again.

"Rin, my granddaughter, have you been well?"

"Yes! Gwanma. Rin mithed Gwanma."

At those words, Mother crouched down—without even taking off her shoes at the entry—and hugged Rin.

"How can a child be this lovely and sweet?"

"Hehe!"

Rin hugged Mother back with her little fern-like hands.

Mother released the hug, rose, and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

"It's good to see my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter after so long."

Her work must have been taking quite a toll on her.

Mother was astonished by our home.

"The house is magnificent. Like a palace. And the interior is so beautiful."

"Right?"

She sat down at the table.

Ria and I lit the candles on a handmade cake we'd made ourselves.

We sang the birthday song.

Mother smiled as she listened, then blew out the candles.

"Happy birthday, Mother!"

Ria pulled out her gift.

A cream-colored cardigan she had knitted herself.

"Oh, it's beautiful. Did you knit this yourself, dear?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Your craftsmanship is remarkable. This must have taken a long time and been hard work..."

"It wasn't hard at all. Since my belly started showing, Seon-u and Ruina have been taking over my tasks and not letting me move about, so moving my hands at least gave me peace of mind."

"Haha! I was the same way when I was carrying Seon-u. I'd make socks and hats for him to wear using string work."

So that was how it had been.

I was hearing this for the first time.

Looking at baby photos, there had been some outfits that looked handmade.

Those might have been ones Mother had knitted herself.

"To receive such a thoughtfully made gift—thank you."

Mother was deeply moved by Ria's gift.

Then it was Rin's turn.

"Gwanma, here's my pwesent!"

Rin's gift was a brooch.

An emerald brooch that Maxim had made at Rin's request—Rin had handed him a flower and asked him to make a flower-shaped ornament.

"Oh, it's beautiful. The emerald sparkles just like my granddaughter's eyes."

"Hehe!"

Rin pinned it to Mother's jacket herself.

Perhaps because it was from her granddaughter, Mother looked extremely pleased as she checked herself in the mirror.

As for my gift...

"I don't have a separate gift. Instead, I'll cook you a course meal."

"Yes—a cook's gift is his cooking."

"That's right."

I began cooking in earnest.

All the ingredients had been prepped.

All that was left was to cook.

I started.

I lightly seared scallop adductors,

and placed trout roe and green plum sauce atop them.

The sauce included balsamic, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, and pepper.

For plating, I placed the opened scallop shells on a dish and arranged the dish inside the shells.

Mother, tasting the first amuse-bouche with Ria, said,

"Mm, the condition of the scallop adductor is excellent."

"I selected them from among the best Tongyeong silky red scallops."

"I see. Lightly seared, so the scallop's texture is preserved, and the acidity of the sauce amplifies the scallop's flavor."

Mother had often taken buyers to famous fine dining restaurants when she'd worked at the U.S. head office.

Because of that, she was deeply knowledgeable about fine dining.

The next amuse-bouche was a Carabinero shrimp tart.

I roasted the Carabinero shrimp over an open flame.

On a small tart shell I'd made in advance, I first laid a bed of caviar.

Then I placed the peeled Carabinero shrimp on top.

I topped it with the lemon dill aioli I'd prepared and drizzled a touch of herb oil.

Mother tasted the finished tart.

"Mm? This is delicious. Some very luxurious ingredients in there."

"Indeed. Caviar and Carabinero shrimp, both."

"A nice touch of acidity, too. Is it that you, Seon-u, also emphasize acidity in your cooking—like Chef Ray Shelton?"

Ray Shelton was one of the world's most famous chefs.

"Honestly, I don't love overemphasizing acidity that much. I simply tailored it to your preference, Mother, since you're the guest of honor."

"Ah, is that why you're using a lot of seafood too?"

"Yes."

I knew Mother liked foods with acidity.

And that she preferred seafood to meat.

The next dish was fried tilefish wrapped in kamtae seaweed.

As the name suggested, I rolled fried, round-sliced tilefish flesh in kamtae seaweed.

The dipping sauce was a saffron cream sauce.

She enjoyed this dish immensely as well.

After the amuse-bouches,

the next cold dish was pine mushroom cold-dish wraps.

The warm dish was Korean beef cabbage wraps.

For the fish main, I made salmon steak.

After tasting the salmon steak, Ria said,

"Having salmon steak reminds me of when I first met Seon-u."

"Was it salmon steak when you two first met, as well?"

At Mother's question, Ria smiled.

"Yes. Seon-u gave up food he had made for himself to me when I was starving. And he even made me corn soup. It was probably the most delicious meal of my life."

That's right.

Truthfully, cooking openly in a way that let aromas spread on the Fourth Floor of a Rift had been practically suicidal.

It had only been possible because I hadn't known it was the Fourth Floor of a Rift back then—a naive act born of ignorance.

In any case, thanks to that cooking, a starving Ria had been drawn over by the scent and we had been able to meet.

"Was that when you fell for Seon-u?"

At Mother's question, Ria shook her head.

"No, I hadn't yet understood my own feelings. I just thought he was a warm, kind person. Then I had to leave him once because there was something I had to do, and as the time to leave drew near, that was when I realized my feelings. That I liked Seon-u very much. Such feelings were entirely new to me, so the unfamiliarity left me in a lot of confusion."

"I see. It's fun hearing the story of how you two met."

I had heard this story before, but hearing it again was still fresh and enjoyable.

"Papa, Mama stowy is so fun."

Rin had been listening avidly too.

Mother stroked Rin's cheek with the back of her hand.

"Now that I look, your Korean has really improved, dear, and my granddaughter's too. Your pronunciation is almost at native Korean level now, dear, and my granddaughter's Korean has grown a great deal as well."

Both Rin and Ria beamed at that.

Grilling the sirloin steak, I said with a note of pride,

"They both study hard. They work so hard for my sake that I can't help but find them beautiful and lovable."

"Yes, of course they'd be lovable. But, Seon-u—"

"Yes?"

"Turns out you have a doting streak too, Seon-u? I'd never have imagined it."

"Right? I never imagined I'd be like this either."

In the past, some of the women I'd briefly dated had said to me:

You have no feelings. You're like a machine. You have zero interest in me. You only love cooking.

I'd parted ways with them hearing resentful things like that.

Even after breakups, my heart didn't hurt in the slightest.

If anything, having more time to pour into cooking had felt better.

Because of my personality, I had at one point decided I'd stay single and never marry.

I'd felt I would only hurt a wife and family with my indifference.

That man was now being called a doter.

Mother must have found my change remarkable.

"When you love, people change."

"That's right. When you love, you change. Please don't let that heart ever change."

"I'll keep that in mind. It won't change, ever."

I served the sirloin steak meat main.

For the closing dessert: black sesame crème brûlée, perilla seed gangjeong, and black tiger milk mushroom ice cream.

For tea, a special-blended black rose tea.

After tasting it all and finishing the meal, Mother wiped her mouth with a napkin and said,

"Perhaps because it's a fine dining course meal tailored to my taste, but this was the most delicious course meal I've ever had in my life."

"You're flattering me. Perhaps it's because your son made it."

"It's not because you're my son. Truly, I think it stands up to any fine dining restaurant."

"Thank you for saying so."

Being recognized as a cook felt wonderful.

"Happy birthday again, Mother."

"Thank you for the birthday meal, son."

I felt one step closer to Mother.