Side Story 18
When Gliese arrived at the greenhouse door and grasped the handle as if to guide them inside, Yeon Ji-ho approached her side and spoke.
“Let me open the door.”
“What? I, I can open it too…”
Gliese’s cheeks flushed red, seemingly taking Yeon Ji-ho’s small kindness at face value. While there were people who would bow their heads and exalt Gliese, now that she had become empress, there were no men who showed gentle manners like Yeon Ji-ho.
As Yeon Ji-ho grasped the door handle, Shango, who was holding Ganesha behind him, asked a question.
“…Where are you going?”
“Ah, I’ll just go somewhere briefly by myself. Would you wait here with Gliese?”
“Where…?”
Shango persisted in asking where he was going. The more he asked, the more Yeon Ji-ho hesitated to answer with an awkward expression.
All of this appeared strange to Gliese. Even if they opened the door here, it was just a greenhouse, so where was Yeon Ji-ho saying he was going, and why was Shango asking so persistently?
The question was soon resolved by Yeon Ji-ho’s answer.
“Actually, I know someone who makes really good tteokbokki. I’ll just quickly ask them for a favor and come back.”
Click.
As he finished speaking, Yeon Ji-ho turned the greenhouse door handle. Then, without hesitation, he went inside, leaving Shango, Ganesha, and Gliese outside the door.
The place connected to the greenhouse door that Yeon Ji-ho had opened was a home filled with warm yellow wallpaper. Realizing that the door he had opened was connected to this house’s bathroom, Yeon Ji-ho carefully called out to the homeowner.
“Uncle Soo-cheol?”
Since today was Sunday, and the pediatric clinic would also be closed, he thought that Soo-cheol, who rarely went out, would certainly be at home. Then a voice came from the kitchen.
“…Ji-ho?”
Yeon Ji-ho followed the voice to the kitchen. There stood Soo-cheol alone, wearing an apron.
“What brings you here?”
Soo-cheol wasn’t surprised that Yeon Ji-ho had suddenly appeared without ever being invited. It had happened before. He had entered their house several times at Seon-rok’s forgetful request to turn off the gas stove, so his coming and going in this house was natural.
“Uncle, are you about to have lunch?”
“Yeah. …I’m trying to decide what to make.”
“Do you have a menu in mind?”
“No. Why, is there something you want to eat, Ji-ho?”
Having witnessed Yeon Ji-ho suffering from morning sickness, Soo-cheol often asked if there was something he wanted to eat, even after he had given birth. It seemed that Yeon Ji-ho’s condition back then had left quite an impression on him.
Yeon Ji-ho responded to Soo-cheol’s question with a soft laugh, as if this worked out perfectly.
“How about tteokbokki?”
“…Tteokbokki? You want some?”
“Yes! Your tteokbokki is the best in our neighborhood.”
When Yeon Ji-ho openly praised him, Soo-cheol cleared his throat and pretended not to be pleased, though he clearly was. In reality, his tteokbokki was so popular in the neighborhood that it rivaled what stores sold, which was Seon-rok’s not-so-secret pride.
“But… do you perhaps have plans to go on a picnic?”
“What?”
“The weather is nice, so I was thinking we could eat outside.”
“…”
Soo-cheol was momentarily silent. The excuse that the weather was nice wasn’t untrue. It was cherry blossom season, and he had been thinking of taking Seon-rok out for flower viewing.
But it was strange for someone to suddenly come and suggest going now. When Soo-cheol narrowed his eyes and looked at Yeon Ji-ho, he smiled awkwardly and said:
“Actually, there’s someone waiting who really wants to eat tteokbokki… I’d like to make it myself, but you’re better than I am, and I don’t have the ingredients at home right now.”
When Yeon Ji-ho carefully told the truth, Soo-cheol let out a “hmm” sound. After a brief deliberation, he finally reached a conclusion.
“Let me ask Seon-rok first.”
“Yes, of course!”
As soon as Yeon Ji-ho nodded vigorously, Soo-cheol took out his cell phone from his pocket and began dialing someone. With the phone to his ear, Soo-cheol nodded as if the other person could see him and answered:
“Yeah, with Ji-ho. Tteokbokki. …If that’s what you want.”
The conversation between Soo-cheol and Seon-rok ended more concisely than expected. After confirming that the call had ended, Soo-cheol put the phone back in his pocket and said to Yeon Ji-ho:
“He said he’s coming home right now.”
“Uncle Seon-rok? Where is he now?”
“Probably at the house next door or across the street, I guess.”
Soo-cheol responded indifferently, as it wasn’t unusual for Seon-rok to wander outside. Then he approached the refrigerator as if about to start cooking, taking out the necessary ingredients one by one. From the most important rice cakes and fish cakes to green onions, eggs, and even ramen noodles.
“Since we’re eating, let’s add ramen noodles too. …How many people?”
“Oh, um… including me, four people, but you could make more. They eat a lot.”
“Ah, those friends.”
Soo-cheol seemed to know well the appetites of the Gorgon Knights, whom he had often seen in passing, and nodded. Then he went back to the refrigerator and brought out twice the amount of ingredients he had initially taken. Soo-cheol, who himself ate a lot to maintain his massive physique, was generous with portions.
“Are, are you making that much?”
“Yeah. …Better than running out while eating.”
“…”
Yeon Ji-ho fell silent upon seeing the pot-sized pan that Soo-cheol brought out. That was a pan Soo-cheol occasionally used to make a month’s worth of ox bone soup.
Soon, Soo-cheol and Yeon Ji-ho began preparing the ingredients. After cutting the green onions as Soo-cheol instructed, Yeon Ji-ho noticed the large radish he had taken out and tilted his head.
“Are you going to put radish in the tteokbokki too?”
“Yeah. Everyone does that in my hometown.”
“…So that’s why your tteokbokki tastes different from mine.”
Nodding and stealing glances at Soo-cheol’s recipe, Yeon Ji-ho soon swallowed as he saw the tteokbokki beginning to take shape. It smelled so delicious that even Yeon Ji-ho, who didn’t usually crave tteokbokki, was salivating.
As the tteokbokki was nearing completion, Soo-cheol began opening the ramen noodle packages he had taken out earlier. As he did so, he asked Yeon Ji-ho:
“So where are you going for this picnic?”
“Oh, another world.”
Crack.
One of the ramen noodle packages Soo-cheol was holding broke into four pieces. As he slowly turned his head, Yeon Ji-ho smiled brightly and said:
“It’s a flower field in the imperial palace of an empire called Asterra. Come with us, Uncle, along with Uncle Seon-rok.”
***
Meanwhile, after Yeon Ji-ho left, there were Shango, Ganesha, and Gliese.
As soon as Yeon Ji-ho briefly left, an awkward silence circled among the three people who had absolutely no common ground. The only fortunate thing was that Ganesha, who had no sense of social awareness whatsoever, grinned and ran into the flower field.
“It smells good!”
Being shorter than some of the flowers that cast shadows, Ganesha’s face peeked out abruptly from among the flowers. It was as Shango and Gliese were blankly watching this sight.
Above their heads, the space split open. The split space spat out three people as if ejecting them, then sealed back up.
“Ah! Apophis, you’re so heavy!”
Two of the three people who fell seemed to have failed to land properly and fell on top of each other. Isquis kicked at Apophis, who had fallen on top of him, and expressed his irritation. Set, the only one who had landed properly, began looking around for someone.
Shango and Gliese hesitated upon seeing the three people who had suddenly appeared. Set, who was clearly looking for someone, approached Shango with large strides when he didn’t see the person he was searching for.
“Where is Ji-ho.”
At these words, which skipped the introduction and went straight to the point, Shango drew in his breath. It was because Set’s mood didn’t seem good at all. Shango cautiously opened his mouth.
“He went to Korea briefly…”
“What?”
Thinking he had missed Yeon Ji-ho again, Set held his forehead. By this point, it almost seemed like Yeon Ji-ho was deliberately avoiding him. As Set’s mood plummeted further, Shango hurriedly added:
“He will… return soon.”
“Korea? What’s Korea?”
Set’s head turned at the voice that popped up from the side. Then, as if just noticing Gliese’s face, Set asked:
“What is this?”
“Well… um.”
“Did Ji-ho come all the way here… to meet this woman?”
“…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Picnic with uncless!! But what about seho?!?!?!? Did you guys forget that you left him with BAALLL?!!!!?