Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Father (1)

First year of middle school, 14 years old by Korean age.

Ever since I first gripped a kitchen knife, I'd constantly heard it:

"They say I was born with a natural talent for cooking."

I may not have had a gift for swordsmanship,

but when it came to cooking and knife skills, I stood out.

Because of that, it was only natural for me to want to inherit my father's "Happiness Gukbap".

But my parents were adamantly opposed.

They said it would be a waste of my talent.

They insisted I should pursue something more prestigious, like Japanese cuisine, instead of slaving away in a gukbap restaurant.

Even so, I stubbornly set my sights on my parents' shop, "Happiness Gukbap".

Even when my father refused to teach me his "broth secret,"

I never gave up.

I worked every single day without rest.

And there was only one reason I could do this.

"My father's original Happiness Gukbap is the flavor I love most in the world."

No matter how well I cooked,

when it came to my standards, my dishes couldn't compare to my father's original Happiness Gukbap.

And so, it's been fifteen years since I started working at the shop.

A long time passed, but my father never once revealed his broth secret.

It would be a lie to say I didn't feel hurt.

But since my father didn't want to hand over the shop, I decided to wait.

"And yet, out of nowhere, I became the owner of a medieval fantasy inn."

However, I didn't reveal or sell the "original Happiness Gukbap".

Even though I sold other rice and broth dishes, I kept the original Happiness Gukbap hidden.

"It just wasn't the same flavor as my father's."

Even when I secretly worked on reproducing the original Happiness Gukbap away from my employees,

my father's broth was still out of reach.

There was a gap in depth and savoriness.

That's why I couldn't serve a dish called "original Happiness Gukbap".

I couldn't tarnish my father's name.

But in the end, the time came.

The moment to reveal the origin of my love for cooking, my roots.

Because—

"To win Plerine over, I have to show her my sincerity."

Plerine might leave now that she had regained her memories.

If not now, when would I unveil it?

It had to be now.

Kiing. Kiing.

I sharpened my knife with a solemn heart.

Pledging to get as close as possible to my father's flavor, even if just a little.

"Let's do this!"

I sliced the wild boar neck meat supplied by Flaco.

*Seok*.

Honestly, the lower belly meat of the Ice Bear tasted better,

but wild boar's texture was closer to the meat my shop served.

I washed the sliced meat under cold water, as if to rinse it.

I shook off the water and blanched the meat in boiling water.

This process removes impurities and odors.

Next, into a large pot I put the blanched meat, green onions, and even ginger—which I'd never used before in customer dishes.

I'd held back on using ginger, worrying that these medieval Westerners wouldn't like it,

but the original Happiness Gukbap had ginger in it.

This time, instead of bones, I used milky-white beef bone broth I'd prepared in advance.

I also poured in rice water.

I thought perhaps the deep, cool flavor of my father's broth came from the rice water.

For the final touch, I added a suitable amount of soup soy sauce and coarse salt.

It was time to boil it on medium heat.

Even with beef bone broth, I still needed to draw out the flavor of the blanched meat, green onion roots, and ginger.

"Please, let my father's flavor come through in this broth."

Just as I closed the lid, my eyes met Plerine's.

Normally, we'd share small talk, but now she just stared quietly.

"She must know I'm more serious than usual."

In this situation, there was no need for me to start chatting, either.

I immediately cooked the rice.

For reference, there's a world of difference between the old pot rice and the rice I make now.

I'd paid Gerald a hefty sum to install a proper hearth.

With the place always packed, I couldn't keep using a pot for rice, so I made the investment,

and whether or not I understood the mechanics, the rice tasted much better.

Bubble bubble.

As I checked the stock, I skimmed off the small bubbles and oil rising to the surface.

A necessary step to ensure a clean taste.

"Good. The nutty aroma is getting stronger now."

If I boiled it any longer from here, the flavor would intensify,

but I had to stop at this point.

For an obvious reason.

"My father made his broth in just 30–40 minutes."

Boiling it longer would go against my father's method.

I strained the solids out of the broth,

sliced the meat into bite-sized pieces, and lined the bottom of a new pot with them.

On top, I added two handfuls of bean sprouts and two and a half spoonfuls of perilla seed powder, then poured in the broth.

Over that, a spoon and a half of minced garlic, a few shakes of pepper, and finally, two teaspoons of salted shrimp.

I brought it to a rolling boil on high heat for five minutes.

Then I took the pot off the flame.

I divided the soup between two bowls,

then finished each with Cheongyang chili and chives.

"It's done."

I placed the bowls in front of Plerine.

Though I'd given her food plenty of times before,

I still felt nervous now.

"This is the 'original Happiness Gukbap'?"

Plerine tilted her head in curiosity as she spoke.

"Just from the looks of it, it doesn't seem much different from the soup I usually have here."

Her offhand remark rattled me a bit,

but it wasn't an unreasonable reaction.

To a foreigner, not a Korean, it might all look the same.

"I should ask Gerald if he can make earthenware bowls."

That would make it look much more appealing.

At any rate—

"Don't judge by the looks. Just try it. It'll be different."

"Okay. I'll enjoy it."

Plerine grasped her spoon with a faint smile.

Of course, I just pretended to eat while I anxiously watched her reaction.

How would she respond? Would she try to savor it with tears in her eyes as usual?

"No, that's not enough."

I didn't make this dish hoping for her usual reaction.

With this "original Happiness Gukbap", I needed to make Plerine stay.

As I pretended to eat and glanced over,

a spoonful of chives, meat, and soup went into Plerine's mouth.

*Chew chew, gulp.*

The food went down her throat.

Why did it feel like it took so long? Jeez.

The reaction should've come out by now—

"?"

Plerine didn't cry.

Instead, she parted her lips slightly and trembled all over.

It was the expression someone makes when they're utterly shocked.

"Bo-boss."

I acted as if nothing was wrong as best as I could.

"Why? Not good?"

Slowly, Plerine's cheeks started to flush as she looked at me.

"She's making that face—and even blushing?"

Does she actually like it? Or is she just excited?

"Boss, what have you been doing until now, not selling this...?"

At those words, a shiver ran through my whole body.

Just as "You could sell this dish" is the highest compliment for someone who cooks as a hobby, for a pro, "Why haven't you been selling this?" is the ultimate praise.

"What a relief."

The tension eased as a wave of relief swept over me.

"Boss! Why haven't you sold this all along? Or more importantly, why are you only making something this good now?"

Plerine seemed almost upset all of a sudden,

so I chanted the magic words to calm her down.

"Just eat, Plerine."

"Okay."

Plerine took another sip of soup.

This time, there was a lot more in her spoon.

*Nham.* *Gulp.*

"Mmmmmm!!"

A strange sound came out from Plerine.

Once again, her face flushed.

"Looks like she really is excited."

Still, I felt like I was floating.

Now I knew there was an even stronger reaction from Plerine.

If the food was just good, she'd cry.

If it was better, she'd weep and savor it.

"If it tasted even better than that, this is what would happen, I guess."

Before I knew it, I was trying not to laugh.

"It's so delicious! Really, so, so much!!"

Like a high school girl swooning, Plerine dug in with delight.

At this rate, she wouldn't even try to savor it slowly.

"Ahh. This is a thrill."

Dopamine spread all through my body.

I'd thought I was heading for death by overwork when I collapsed into bed,

but now my fatigue vanished as though it had never existed.

"All right, should I try it, too?"

Now that I'd satisfied Plerine, it was time to check the taste myself.

I put some rice into my soup.

A quick stir, and it came apart nicely.

I scooped up some rice, meat, and broth together.

"Hoo..."

I let out a breath before I even realized it.

I was still nervous.

"Please, let it be the same flavor as my father's."

Slowly, I brought the spoon to my mouth.

Nom. Bit down.

Chew chew. The moist rice split, giving way to the texture of the meat, and the warmth and saltiness of the broth spread through my mouth.

The savoriness from the salted shrimp, the freshness of bean sprouts, and the kick of pepper mingled together.

Chew. Chew. Chew.

This time, I scooped up bean sprouts and chives instead of meat.

The doneness of the bean sprouts was perfect.

Well, that was always my specialty.

But the real issue—

was the taste of the broth.

"Damn it."

I almost cursed under my breath but held back.

It was better than the attempt I'd made a week ago,

but still, nowhere near my father's broth.

"What was I missing?"

I swallowed another sip and retraced my cooking steps in my mind.

What did I need to adjust to get even closer to my father's broth?

Or maybe the problem lay in the meat from the start.

Even if wild boar was similar to Korean pork, it was a different beast, after all.

As I was lost in these thoughts, Plerine's voice broke in.

"Boss. What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

At some point, Plerine had emptied her bowl and was looking at me with concern.

"Did I look really serious?"

"Yeah. Don't tell me it's because it didn't taste good?"

I couldn't answer Plerine's question.

It wasn't that it tasted bad—

but it wasn't the right answer, either.

"Will I ever figure it out?"

Maybe I'd never solve it.

Suddenly, I was reminded of my own long-lost dream and goal.

"Let's go back."

Back to our shop where my parents are, with the 'real' Happiness Gukbap.

The moment I made that vow,

Drip. A single bead of drool fell.

Naturally, from Plerine's lips.

"......"

Drip. Another drop fell.

Plerine's eyepatch was fixed on my bowl.

She looked like her neck would snap off from craning.

"I'd have to eat it myself to see how the system rates it,"

but for now, Plerine's mood took priority over checking the dish's grade.

I pushed my bowl over to Plerine and said,

"Here, have it."

Plerine gulped audibly.

"I don't really like soup with rice mixed in, but I'll make an exception this time."

Come to think of it, Plerine was always like that.

Even though I explained to her that real gukbap was supposed to be eaten with rice in the soup,

after trying it once, she'd always eaten the rice and soup separately.

"It's only truly delicious if you mix it with rice, you know?"

I found myself scolding her,

but Plerine just started devouring the bowl, blushing.

"Mmmmmmm! How can it still be so delicious even when mixed together?!"

I rested my chin on my hand and watched Plerine.

It felt like watching a YouTube mukbang.

"Well. Even if it's not perfect by my standards, as long as my employee is satisfied, that's enough."

That's right.

I revealed the original Happiness Gukbap just to see that expression.

Especially since the face of Plerine, who so often talked about "war," had always looked sad.

"Come to think of it, just how many battlefields must a 6th-circle mage have fought on?"

Used as a weapon of war, she must have taken countless lives.

Maybe that's why she wanted to end all wars.

Of course, that was still a ridiculous notion.

"Phew. That was great."

In no time, Plerine had finished off two bowls of soup rice.

How she fit all that into her slender frame, I'll never know.

"Was it good?"

Finally, Plerine turned her face toward me.

"......"

I expected her answer to come right away, but it didn't.

With a subtle expression, Plerine turned back to look at me, then opened her mouth.

"Yeah. It was the most delicious dish I've ever eaten in my life."

That brought back an old memory.

The day after I found Plerine on the side of the road, she'd eaten a bowl of rice porridge I made and said,

― It's the most delicious food I've ever had."

At the time, because Plerine had only two days of memories, it didn't make me happy.

But now, things were different.

Plerine had retrieved her memories.

That means, in all her life, the Happiness Gukbap I made was the best dish she'd ever tasted.

So I should be happy, but—

"Why do I feel so suffocated?"

I really was dizzy, afraid that Plerine might leave again.

Without thinking, I blurted out,

"Plerine."

Something strange slipped out of my mouth.

"I'll keep making it for you. Even better dishes than this."

"......"

"Only I can do stuff like this. You know that, right?"

No answer came back.

Time seemed to drag on.

Just when the heavy silence felt like it would send the world spinning,

"Hmm. I guess there's nothing for it, then. I'll work hard and win Employee of the Month again next month."

With a determined voice and fiddling with her Employee of the Month brooch, Plerine spoke,

and three seconds later, I understood what that meant.

"... Huh? Even next month?"

"Yeah. I'm going to be Employee of the Month again next month. I want to try all the new dishes before everyone else."

"S-so, you're saying, you'll stay with us?"

"Yeah."

She smiled sweetly.

"!!"

My heart surged.

Hearing that she was going to stay with us even after regaining her memories

moved me more than I could have imagined.

"Thank y—huh?"

Like air leaking from a balloon, all the tension drained out of me.

Then, I slammed my forehead onto the table.

*Thunk.*

My eyelids felt heavy. My body felt even heavier.

"What's wrong, boss?"

"I'm just so happy I'll get to see Plerine next month, too."

"Don't joke around."

"I really can't move a finger. I feel like I could die."

Jeros's sword training,

the special dinner for the staff,

and even the dish I made to win Plerine over.

I'd used up every bit of stamina I had left.

The moment I solved my problem and let my guard down, this is what happened.

"Pfft."

Plerine scoffed at me, cleared away the dishes,

and then effortlessly picked me up.

"Damn. To be held princess-style is humiliating."

"Funny, considering you just said you can't even move a finger, but your mouth works fine."

"I'm a chef—my tongue pays the bills."

"Shut it. Everyone's sleeping."

Plerine carried me up the stairs, opened my door with magic.

... Huh. Did I nod off for a second?

Before I knew it, I was lying in bed with a blanket over me.

Plerine was leaving the room.

I could just barely make out a soft smile on her face.

For a fleeting moment, she looked like an angel.

"Let's see each other next month, Plerine."

I barely managed to utter my last words, then passed out heroically.

*

A new day dawned.

As planned, Harper left for the Grey Fortress.

Harper felt sorry about leaving us,

but with Clara around, manual labor wouldn't be a big problem.

The real issue was the shop's financial situation.

"It's fine if you come back late, just focus on the money. Bring back as much as you can."

"Yes! Don't worry!"

And so Harper disappeared.

But unexpectedly, his absence was felt.

Because—

"Senior Naba. The dishes aren't washed properly here."

"I don't think I was the one who did those."

"No, I definitely saw you."

"Do—do you have proof?!"

There was no longer anyone to stop Plerine and Naba from bickering.

Clara just mumbled, "I don't know why they have to argue," and focused on her own work.

"So out of all of us, only Harper and I were normal."

Barely an hour had passed and I already wished Harper would come back soon. As I got lunch ready for the staff,

suddenly, Lantz's voice rang out.

"Ian! Iaaaan!!"

Alarmed by his tone, I rushed out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong? Lunch isn't ready yet."

Though Lantz's face was as serious as always, his voice sounded urgent.

"The battalion commander is calling for you."

All this when I'm already swamped?

"Why? What happened?"

My voice came out unintentionally sharp,

but Lantz's answer left me speechless.

"Jeros has disappeared."

* * *

The spirit stone quarry, where hundreds of beastkin had been transformed into chunks of meat,

about a hundred kilometers from there was a beastkin settlement.

This place, three times larger than Granfen village,

was the twelfth-ranked tribe of the Heroni Federation—the Nest of the Red Rooster.

"Our troops were stopped?! What kind of nonsense is that!"

The massive cock's comb fluttered as the rooster-headed chief shouted in fury.

Chief Jonar had just received the battle report.

"Don't tell me that human spy sent us false intel?"

When Jonar asked in a fiery tone,

the fox beastkin, his advisor, answered with a trembling bow.

"N-no! When we arrived at the spirit stone quarry, there were hardly any guards left. The humans were completely unprepared."

Jonar clicked his beak, demanding again.

"Then WHY! How could we have suffered such a devastating defeat?!"

The crisis was so severe that Jonar was beside himself with agitation.

He had deployed five of his seven 4th-rank warriors, and all of them had died.

And yet, to be wrecked so thoroughly—

"Don't tell me those bastards—while going on about mages, they sent a knight against us! Even a squire, at least!"

Jonar jumped to his feet and shouted, but—

"We can't confirm that either. According to reconnaissance, no one was seen using aura."

The advisor replied in a voice that seemed to crawl,

and the other officers only kept silent, watching the mood.

Unable to endure the silence any longer, a rabbit beastkin stepped forward.

"Jonar. Do you remember what I told you before about the humans' outsider?"

Jonar sharply turned to look at Aishdin.

A rabbit beastkin from the Magic Tower, sent by the king as an emergency measure,

'The only one who opposed this sneak attack operation.'

Jonar disliked Aishdin.

No, to be exact, he disliked rabbit beastkin.

What kind of beastkin are they, looking just like humans with only rabbit ears and tail slapped on?

'But in the end, things went just as that guy said.'

In this situation, he could no longer ignore him.

"I remember. That old bald man was feeding the officers dishes cooked by the outsider. So what?"

"The only thing that has changed about the humans is that."

Jonar replied, incredulous at the rabbit beastkin's words.

"Tsk. Are you trying to say humans got stronger because of the outsider's food?"

But the one who answered was not Aishdin, but the fox advisor.

"Chief. According to our intelligence, rumors were widespread in that village that eating the outsider's cooking made you stronger."

"What?! And why are you only telling me this now?!"

The fox advisor couldn't bring himself to say that he had already reported it,

while Aishdin smirked and cut in.

"Anyway, this much is now certain. All that's clear is that they did something—whether or not it was sending in a knight."

Jonar glared at Aishdin with dark eyes,

watching and waiting for something to counter.

But the rabbit beastkin only shrugged and said,

"But don't worry. The king of the beastkin, the great Arundel, said he'd send you more warriors. And above all..."

Aishdin took out an unnaturally twisted orb.

"He gave us this."

The orb, the size of a fist, was studded with countless little eyeballs.

Each eyeball emitted a strange energy and shone with a range of colors.

"If the humans are using strange methods first, surely we're allowed anything as long as we don't use a sorcerer, right? Heh heh."

Aishdin's smug attitude was grating,

but Jonar looked at the artifact the rabbit beastkin was holding and gave a sly smile.

"Indeed, with that, we just might be fine."