Chapter 301

“Ugh, I got goosebumps.”

“I know, right.”

“Me too, me too.”

As Ahn Yoojin, Ahn Yubin, and Yoo Mina spoke as they came outside.

Seonghyun had no choice but to agree.

It was the first time someone had nearly figured out his abilities without him even saying a word.

He briefly wondered if things might have been a little different if he had come here from the beginning as a child.

But, he had lived well.

He didn’t particularly have any regrets.

He simply thought that was how it was and moved on.

And since it was more useful than he’d expected, Seonghyun also thought it was a good thing he came.

Because he was able to hear an unexpected story.

‘Does that mean I still haven’t been able to utilize it all?’

Come to think of it, Helena had said something similar.

That he would naturally get better at it later on.

Which meant.

‘Could I possibly train this too?’

As Seonghyun thought that and gazed at his own hand.

Yoo Mina approached him and spoke.

“How was it? Useful, right?”

“Yeah, more than I thought.”

“Hehehe, I told you, if you just listen to this noona and follow along, good things will happen even in your sleep, you know?”

Though he couldn’t agree with her words.

He nodded his head as if he understood.

Honestly, she always has to take credit at times like this.

While shaking his head as if she couldn’t be helped, Seonghyun’s eyes met Ahn Yubin’s without him realizing.

Then.

Hwaek!

The moment their eyes met, Ahn Yubin’s face turned red and she quickly turned her head away.

Was it because of the fortune-telling from earlier?

Seeing how conscious she was of it, he just figured that was the reason.

He had heard earlier that she was 20 years old, two years younger than him.

So it was understandable that she would be quite mindful of it.

“So, should we split up now? We don't have any plans, but we should probably head in early.”

“Hmm, yeah. We can just hang out again next time.”

Yoo Mina agreed with Ahn Yoojin’s words.

Seonghyun was nodding, about to say he understood, when then.

“Ah, since this is a good chance, why don't you two exchange numbers?”

“Huh?”

“Ye-yes!?”

Ahn Yubin was startled by Ahn Yoojin’s sudden suggestion.

Seonghyun thought it sounded like a good idea and took out his phone, and Ahn Yubin also quickly took out her phone.

Just then.

“But don’t kids these days get Instagram IDs instead of numbers?”

“Ah, really?”

“Huh?”

Seonghyun reacted to Yoo Mina’s words.

No wonder they kept asking for his Instagram ID.

He had that thought, but.

Well, it’s all in the past, isn’t it.

So without paying it much mind, he exchanged phones with Ahn Yubin and they each entered their numbers.

“Here you go.”

“Th-thank you.”

Seonghyun handed his back first, and Ahn Yubin returned his phone with trembling hands.

After exchanging pleasantries like that.

His noona Yoo Mina and her unni Ahn Yoojin watched them with a pleased look.

They came to the department store together and then split up.

As Seonghyun, who thought it had been a while since he’d had fun outside, got into Yoo Mina’s car.

Yoo Mina looked at Seonghyun with a strange smile and asked.

“So how was it?”

“Ah, today was pretty fulfilling.”

“...I mean, how was Luna, no, Yubin.”

“Huh?”

He wondered why she was suddenly asking that.

He answered without filtering his thoughts.

“Her impression was a bit different from in the game, so I almost didn’t recognize her at first.”

“Huuung~ Is that so?”

Why was she smiling so slyly.

As Seonghyun furrowed his brow.

Yoo Mina exclaimed excitedly.

“I’m feeling generous! I’ll buy you a car!”

“Huh? So suddenly?”

“How about a Ferrari!?”

“Oh.”

Thinking what a windfall this was, Seonghyun grinned widely.

Yoo Mina, now in a great mood, took Seonghyun to a Ferrari dealership and even finalized the contract for him.

Paid in full, of course.

A noona who buys you a Ferrari.

He received all the envy from the dealership employees.

But Seonghyun didn’t really care.

He was a bit disappointed to hear it would take quite a while.

He was recommended to buy a Ferrari-certified used car if he needed something to drive in the meantime, so he took the opportunity to pick out a good one and signed a contract for that too.

Having gotten a new used car, Seonghyun's mood also improved quite a bit.

And likewise, watching Ahn Yubin, whose flushed face showed no signs of returning to normal the entire ride, her older sister Ahn Yoojin said with a strange smile.

“So are you just going to keep chasing after him?”

“...I don’t know.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say anything to her older sister.

Watching Ahn Yubin speak in such a timid, sullen tone, Ahn Yoojin shook her head.

Youth, indeed.

As she was thinking that while driving.

A thought suddenly occurred to Ahn Yoojin.

‘Mina and I are in our mid-20s, so why are we acting like this?’

Come to think of it, they were in over their heads.

But only Ahn Yoojin had figured that out.

4.

The next morning finally arrived.

Except for his mother, Lee Nakyeong, the rest of the family was already busy.

Seonghyun, who apparently didn’t need much sleep, had woken up at the crack of dawn.

Since early morning, he’d been using the ingredients they had bought the day before to prepare breakfast.

Of course, the soup was seaweed soup.

He’d been a bit worried that Lee Nakyeong might have made it ahead of time yesterday.

But since she had gone out to meet her friends, she hadn’t prepared anything in advance, which was a relief.

‘Good thing.’

Among the memories Seonghyun had absorbed were the skills of a chef.

So, with a fairly experienced hand, he cooked efficiently and quickly brought the seaweed soup to a simmer.

The cook he absorbed had been a ghost within the game, but recipes for Korean food could be found anywhere.

He’d only taken the cooking skill itself and was now making good use of it.

When he tasted the nearly finished soup.

‘Not bad at all.’

He’d managed to make a seaweed soup bursting with umami.

In the end, good cooking was all about how it was done.

After finishing the soup, Seonghyun began preparing various Korean side dishes.

Starting with bulgogi, then japchae, and even black beans cooked in soy sauce—his mother’s favorite.

Thanks to the beans he’d soaked the night before, everything went smoothly, and every dish came out perfect.

Even though he’d started at dawn.

Fortunately, his mother hadn’t woken up.

‘Dad said he’d turn off the alarm, didn’t he?’

She had always been a heavy sleeper in the mornings.

Without an alarm, she wouldn’t wake up.

That allowed him to cook without worry.

His mother prepared meals like this for the family every single day.

But actually doing it himself made him think a lot more deeply about it.

Even if it wasn’t her birthday.

‘I should do this for her more often.’

With that thought, Seonghyun made all the dishes his mother liked.

As the sun gradually rose and morning broke.

A clattering sound came from the master bedroom, followed by his mother Lee Nakyeong’s voice.

“Oh my, oh my~!!! What do I do~ The alarm was off!?”

“A-hem, what’s going on?”

His father, Yoo Gwangjin’s voice came through as well.

Then his mother’s flustered voice grew even louder.

“Aigoo~ I woke up so late! What’s wrong with me! I need to make breakfast for the kids!”

But when she hurriedly came out of the bedroom.

Seeing the neatly prepared breakfast table made Lee Nakyeong’s eyes widen.

And seeing her expression, Seonghyun smiled brightly and said.

“I prepared everything.”

“Oh my? Y-you made all this?”

“Yes, I got up early and did it.”

“Oh my goodness...”

At those words, Seonghyun’s mother, Lee Nakyeong, fell silent.

She looked at the table before her, eyes glistening as warmth welled up in them, unsure of what to say.

Her son must’ve really matured since his time in the army.

He had prepared a whole birthday breakfast like this.

Overcome by the unexpected gesture, she couldn’t hold back the tears that filled her eyes.

“Oh my, look at me… I’m being ridiculous again… Haah.”

Flustered by her own emotions, she laughed awkwardly as she wiped her cheeks.

Seeing her like that, Seonghyun walked over and softly comforted her, saying it was fine.

And then,

“Happy birthday, Mom!”

“Haha, happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday, Mom!”

As the tears freely rolled down her cheeks, the rest of the family gathered around her and spoke their warm wishes.

She had thought they were just going to have dinner together later.

But to surprise her like this in the morning, that was something she hadn’t expected.

Still emotional, Lee Nakyeong brushed away her remaining tears and said with a trembling smile,

“Oh my, let’s eat before the food gets cold. Seonghyun worked so hard making all this.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Ahem, thanks to my wife, I get to enjoy a meal cooked by my son today. What good fortune.”

“Haha.”

It felt a little awkward for Seonghyun, knowing his family was eating food he had prepared himself.

But it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Once everyone sat down at the table,

They all looked toward Lee Nakyeong, waiting for her to take the first bite.

After nodding, she picked up her spoon and took the first taste of the seaweed soup.

The surface shimmered faintly with just the right amount of oil.

As she scooped a spoonful, a tender piece of beef and neatly cut seaweed came up together.

When she took a bite, the soft texture of the meat, the rich broth, and the chewy seaweed harmonized beautifully.

The seasoning was perfect, and more than that, the depth of flavor was incredible.

“Oh my? Did you really make all this, Seonghyun?”

Startled, Lee Nakyeong looked at him wide-eyed.

Everyone else, curious now, each took a spoonful, and they too were shocked by the seaweed soup’s delicious, savory depth.

It was rich with umami, yet clean on the palate, without any artificial flavor or heaviness.

Their eyes widened in astonishment.

Seeing their reactions, Seonghyun smiled sheepishly.

“I just followed a recipe.”

“Oh my~ Well, for a recipe, it’s too good!”

“...It’s seriously amazing.”

“Our son could’ve been a chef, I swear.”

Lee Nakyeong and Yoo Mina both made a fuss while spooning down the seaweed soup enthusiastically.

Even his usually reserved father, Yoo Gwangjin, joined in the praise, proof enough of how good it was.

Unlike most family meals where they chatted as they ate,

This time, they were so absorbed and full of admiration that they focused entirely on the food.

Before long, everyone had cleaned their bowls, feeling pleasantly full.

“Wow, that was great.”

“Should’ve let him cook sooner, honestly~”

“Exactly what I’m saying.”

“Haha, everyone seems to enjoy it, so I’m happy.”

“No, seriously, it’s really delicious.”

Yoo Mina said, laughing as if she found it unbelievable.

It was a relief that everyone enjoyed the meal more than expected.

After finishing the meal, Seonghyun presented the birthday gift he had bought yesterday to his mother.

Yoo Mina also brought a gift, and upon seeing them, Lee Nakyeong genuinely thanked them with a warm smile, looking at her daughter and son contentedly.

While she liked the gifts, what moved her more was the thoughtfulness behind them.

That her grown children still cared for her so well made her feel truly grateful.

Thinking how well her mother Lee Nakyeong had lived, tears welled up in her eyes again.

“Mom, are you crying again?”

“Yeah. The tears won’t stop flowing.”

“It’s because you’re happy, right? Because you’re happy.”

“If this keeps up, your eyes will swell and you won’t be able to go out tonight.”

“Hahaha.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“Hehehe.”

The family shared a warm and harmonious moment.

Seonghyun’s father, Yoo Gwangjin, took the day off to celebrate Lee Nakyeong’s birthday together with the family all day long.

They went shopping and spent the day out like a trip.

Everyone felt happiness that had been missing for a long time.

Lee Nakyeong even changed her messenger profile picture.

She uploaded the photo of the birthday meal Seonghyun prepared.

Her status message read:

[My son’s birthday meal♥]

She showed off without fail, yet no one scolded her for it.

If it had been anyone else, Seonghyun might have told her to stop being so proud.

But perhaps because he saw how much she liked it, he just let her enjoy it.

Having spent such a wonderful day, Lee Nakyeong went to bed happily.

She talked about spending time like this again for her husband’s birthday.

And so her perfect day came to an end.