It’s already been two years. Do you not want to see me…?
Since the day Minho left, Kasia had every morning gazed wistfully at the door connecting to the underground passage where the Portal lay, before setting out to learn the duties of the Chieftain.
I want to eat beef, too. A slice plain, no seasoning. One dipped in salt. One wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang.
Though two years had passed, Kasia often imagined the life she shared with Minho while going about her work.
I’ve made up with Goldie and we get along well. But that chicken-brained guy—he wouldn’t forget me, right? That would be disappointing.
And then, her thoughts spiraled into everything connected to him.
I hope he took good care of the Forti Seed? I feel uneasy not being able to check before he left.
The Guards looked at Kasia’s muttering with pity, but there was nothing to be done.
It was the Chieftain’s decision.
Besides, the other elves weren’t fond of the idea of the next Chieftain being accompanied by a human.
Surely no other woman has taken my place, right? Hmph…
She clenched her fists tightly and sighed, speaking words no one could understand.
Kasia had long since been stricken with lovesickness.
The Chieftain, watching Kasia’s heartbreaking state, decided to help her slowly calm her emotions.
“You like that human that much? If he had the courage to come to Eliya and bring you back, I might think positively about it.”
Knowing full well the human would never come, the Chieftain’s words were meant to give Kasia some strength while she waited.
If she gave up, that would be even better.
“Hey, Minjun. Where did you get the beef from last time?”
On the way to the Market after collecting auction proceeds.
“Driver, please take us to Hoengseong Market.”
No wonder it tasted so good.
The beef Minjun had bought the first time he visited the Chilcheon-ri house wasn’t from a nearby market.
It was from Hoengseong, renowned for its high-quality Hanwoo.
‘Now’s the time to keep my promise to Kasia.’
He had promised that once he earned enough money, he’d buy plenty of beef and treat the other elves, too.
Luckily, Hoengseong was just south of Hongcheon, so it was convenient to stop by.
With plenty of money earned, he was ready to flex by buying beef in bulk.
He had sent Minjun the exact address via text, and just as they arrived at the Market, a message came through.
[Enter the first alley, turn right, then in the next alley, turn left. Go straight once, and you’ll find a shop with the words ‘King,’ ‘Hoengseong,’ and ‘Hanwoo.’ The shopkeeper is an auntie with curly hair and glasses—just look for her. You’ll know instantly.]
Entering the Market, he followed Minjun’s directions.
The guy seemed clumsy but, like him, had an excellent memory.
Minjun carefully remembered the alleys in order.
They arrived at the last alley but ran into a problem.
The auntie with curly hair and glasses who was supposed to be running the shop—every shopkeeper in this alley had curly hair and glasses.
Even the shop names were confusing.
To the left: ‘King’s Hoengseong Hanwoo.’
In front: ‘Hoengseong King’s Hanwoo.’
To the right: ‘Hoengseong Hanwoo King’s.’
And then there were others like ‘Hoengseong His Majesty Hanwoo’ or ‘His Majesty Hoengseong Hanwoo’—all with similar names lined up.
He tried contacting Minjun again, but there was no reply.
After much deliberation, he decided to pick the shop with the best-looking meat display.
Choosing delicious-looking beef isn’t hard.
Just find the cut that makes anyone’s mouth water.
Bright crimson meat, just the right amount of glossy fat.
‘And marbling is the most important.’
As expected from Hoengseong, a Hanwoo specialty region, most shops met these standards.
He narrowed it down to three shops—all containing the words ‘King,’ ‘Hoengseong,’ and ‘Hanwoo.’
‘About 1,000 people…? If one geun is three servings… roughly 1,500 servings?’
“Ma’am, please give me 30 geun each of sirloin, tenderloin, striploin, outside skirt, chuck flap tail, and ribeye.”
“Excuse me? 30 geun? Three geun each?”
“I said 30 geun.”
The owner’s incredulous expression almost made him laugh.
Who orders 30 geun of beef in a Market?
And with six cuts, that was 180 geun in total.
He placed the same order at the other two shops.
They all reacted with shocked disbelief, as if they’d misheard.
‘From now on, call me the big spender of Hoengseong. Haha! Who knew I’d buy this much beef?’
The shop owners were busy making calls, apparently low on stock.
But they would handle the quantity.
Total weight of beef was 324kg.
Heavier than an entire slaughtered cow.
A staggering weight no one could carry alone.
‘Even though I’ve been building strength and boosting my Force with Eggs preparing for Hunter work, there’s no way I could lift that. Maybe a combat-class superhuman could…’
If you earn a lot of money, you have to spend it to keep the economy moving.
A flex beyond anything he had imagined until now.
Having lived a poor life after becoming a Farmer of Eliya, the rewarding and fulfilling feeling made something inside him suddenly clear.
He arranged for the delivery so all three shops’ beef would arrive together.
Since all he had to do was be present, he took a taxi.
“A freezer…”
Though he’d thought about it before, he hadn’t taken action.
But now it was truly necessary.
Receiving over 300kg of beef meant he needed a refrigerator or freezer for storage.
Though the weather wasn’t hot yet, raw meat could spoil easily.
His home fridge wouldn’t be nearly enough—he needed a large storage warehouse.
He’d also needed a refrigerated warehouse for storing harvested Eggs.
‘Might as well get a large, high-performance one.’
Fortunately, there was a place that promised same-day delivery and installation for full payment.
Cash was what he had left, so paying in full was no problem.
Heh heh.
Still, there was a concern.
‘It’s great to flex, but what if they hate it like last time?’
Most of the beef, except for a small portion, would be taken to the elves’ world and shared with them.
But as lifelong vegetarians, the elves might strongly reject meat.
‘Kasia ate it fine, but not everyone will.’
He had to make a good impression on the elves and persuade them.
Only by convincing them could he bring Kasia back.
He was making plans for what to do after going to Eliya when the delivery notice arrived.
The refrigerated warehouse was already here?
That was fast.
He hadn’t even arrived yet.
‘Good thing it arrived before the meat.’
The delivery truck approached from afar.
“Welcome.”
“Hello. We’re here to install the refrigerated warehouse. Where should we set it up?”
Three delivery workers got off the truck.
After choosing the spot, they busily began installation.
Expected completion time was four in the afternoon.
That matched roughly with the meat’s delivery time.
Since he had nothing to do besides indicating the place, he planned to handle other tasks until then.
Though he wasn’t going through the Portal immediately, he intended to depart the next day and wanted to finish any tasks requiring his attention beforehand.
First, he found Goldie.
“I’m planning to bring Kasia back tomorrow. Live as usual, but if danger arises, work together with Goldie and the others. You know there are two Guardians in that field, right?”
(I know, chick. Will it take long?)
“My goal is to return tomorrow… but I don’t know what will happen there. I’ll come back as soon as possible.”
(Okay, chick. I’ll protect everything safely, so have a good trip.)
Goldie was reliable as ever.
Next, he found Little Pepper.
His message was mostly the same, with just one extra line.
“Don’t fight with Ddakkongi while I’m gone. Stay well. I’ll check when I get back.”
(Owner! Take me with you! Don’t leave me behind! I’ll protect you!)
Little Pepper tugged hard at his pants, desperate to go.
Though small and thin, the strength was so great his body swayed.
“No. I’m going alone. So keep everything safe.”
(It’s dangerous to go to another world. My duty is to protect you! I can’t let you go alone!)
As expected, Ddakkongi and Little Pepper acted like true Guardians.
Though the farm and coop were isolated, making surprise attacks or theft unlikely, you never know.
Wild animals could descend from the mountains to attack chickens or dig up the fields.
“Little Pepper, I trust you, so I can leave everything in your care and go with peace of mind. Right?”
Little Pepper’s expression was touched.
As before, he seemed like a rather simple child.
(Leave it to me! I’ll take full responsibility for protecting this place!)
It seemed he had found a way to handle him easily.
He had grown a bit closer, but with Heuknyang and Hindungi not quite family yet, he only gave them canned tuna and Churu treats before returning to the refrigerated warehouse site.
Installation seemed complete, and they were testing whether the temperature was dropping properly.
“Looks good. It’s set perfectly at the temperature I specified.”
Though he didn’t know much, he inspected inside and out, confirming the clean, neat installation before paying in full.
“Now, I’ll explain how to use it.”
When ordering, he had requested a small freezing chamber inside the refrigerated warehouse.
True to the order, there was a separate door for the freezer room inside, set below zero.
They went over detailed instructions on preventing damage.
Just then, a large truck carrying the refrigerated warehouse parked nearby.
“Delivery has arrived! Mr. Do Minho, who are you?”
“Oh! Yes, that’s me.”
The beef had arrived.
Because he’d ordered a large amount and requested it trimmed for grilling, it took extra time, which was actually a good thing.
With the refrigerated warehouse installed beforehand, he sent the delivery workers off quickly.
“Would you like to check it?”
The delivery worker offered before unloading.
It was his first time climbing onto a truck, so awkwardly grabbing the worker’s hand, he climbed up.
A cool breeze greeted him.
At the truck’s entrance was a cart, inside which boxes were neatly stacked without gaps.
The worker expertly sliced the tape sealing one box to show the contents.
“The meat looks good. I want to check the rest too… but I’ll unload everything first.”
He didn’t distrust market merchants entirely, but the meat in visible boxes might be good while the hidden ones inside might not be.
Though a hassle, he preferred to see with his own eyes to avoid trouble.
The worker unloaded the cart and stacked boxes on top carefully.
It looked like it would take a long time, and though he offered to help, he was told not to risk injury, so he just watched.
As a professional, the worker stacked and moved everything quickly and efficiently.
‘Moving all this alone must be incredibly tough… I should prepare some snacks.’
Hard farm work makes you hungry, and eating restores your strength.
Loading and unloading was the same.
After requesting he fill the inside of the refrigerated warehouse first, he brought boiled Eggs and cold drinks.
Had he moved half the meat boxes?
The delivery worker wiped sweat from his brow and took a bite of a boiled Egg.
“Hmm. It’s a soft-boiled Egg… Oh? This tastes better than other soft-boiled ones I’ve had.”
The worker was a soft-boiled Egg enthusiast who bought them often.
He asked for cooking tips since it was so delicious.
But the secret wasn’t special—the Eggs themselves were exceptional.
“No special method. I just boil them for exactly seven minutes with salt and vinegar.”
“I see…”
He answered vaguely, and the worker sipped his drink, nodding thoughtfully and muttering, ‘Must be good Eggs.’
Though he asked about a special method, the worker recognized the quality of the Eggs.
As he said, he really liked soft-boiled Eggs.
“I owe it to the Eggs. Haha.”
Whether because of the Egg Stat or just the taste, the worker moved faster unloading the meat.
Though the beef alone weighed over 300kg, the worker took no breaks aside from when eating the soft-boiled Egg and finished quickly.
“That’s impressive. I thought it’d take a long time with such heavy and large amounts.”
“Ha ha, it’s hard but I’m used to it.”
While the worker rested briefly, he quickly entered the refrigerated warehouse and inspected each box’s contents.
The vivid crimson beef was tempting enough to eat immediately.
With perfect marbling, it made his mouth water—but since it was a gift purchase, he resisted touching it.
“All checked. Thanks for your hard work.”
“No problem. Take care.”
After the worker left, he checked the refrigerated warehouse’s temperature once more.
He had been running around all day, and since he’d be busy going to Eliya tomorrow, he needed to rest well even now.
He fell asleep without even thinking about dinner.
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