I dressed Byeol’s wound with ointment. The boy wearing Suho’s green undershirt was cuter than I expected.
“Hehe–!”
He seemed so happy, grinning from ear to ear like he was truly delighted.
I held Byeol and stepped into the kitchen.
“Byeol, Suho’s playing outside, alright? Did you hug him?”
“Byeol!”
Suho nodded vigorously, smiling brightly as if to say Byeol was adorable.
“Byeol is so cute! Let’s make a robot together, with eyes that light up!”
ilom.
(Spirit Name 1): This is indeed an event full of cuteness.
(Spirit of the Sunlight Rain): To think that’s a Spirit King. I wish there were one like that in my hometown too.
(Spirit Name 1): Back home, the Spirit King shattered the territory of the local lord.
(Father of Agriculture): I think the spirits maintained the land’s fertility. You have to work with the agricultural spirits or the harvest won’t come. That’s why Jinwoo should also manage the farming well.
(Spirit of Happiness): Descendants, live as you wish. Don’t get nagged endlessly.
(Father of Agriculture): Who’s nagging whom here?
I quietly smiled at the spirits’ banter. If you looked closely, everyone had their own charming side.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, is there anything you want me to prepare?”
“Of course, of course. Can you make some dishes for the noble guests?”
“Is that so, young master? We were just about to bring over that precious pufferfish; how would you like it cooked?”
“Hehe, I love cooking. Grandfather, Grandmother, I’ll just stand next to you and learn your touch.”
“Hehe, you’re a good kid.”
The older generation who had lived long on the Mountainside had unmatched culinary skills. When fresh farm products met their expert hands, a flavor that could only be tasted here was born.
As I helped with the cooking and listened to their stories, I realized someday these lessons would come in handy.
I prepared the red meat my grandparents had requested for grilling.
“Did you learn to cook somewhere? You seem quite skilled.”
After melting butter in the pan, I placed the meat down and covered it to sear.
Unlike the usual method where the meat is flipped frequently, I seared it carefully on one side first.
Seeing this, Grandfather asked me a question.
“Was cooking your dream?”
“It was, actually. Though now I work as an office clerk, I’ve always loved cooking. I haven’t trained professionally, but I’ve studied many recipes.”
“I see, so you’re passionate.”
“Grandfather, Grandmother, does it smell good?”
I nodded confidently and glanced at the heat.
With meat, timing and temperature are most important, so I focused hard.
The rich aroma of the spicy fermented soybean paste, simmering with spring herbs, made it hard to concentrate.
The scent of strong doenjang stew boiling with various wild greens naturally whetted my appetite.
(Spirit Name 1): Wow, this little one is definitely going to grow up strong.
(Spirit of Happiness): I believe in the descendants.
(Father of Agriculture): If you don’t offer tributes, there will be trouble.
(Spirit of the Sunlight Rain): … Won’t you give us some first?
I continued cooking. Balancing duties between pockets too?
(Spirit Name 1): People are going crazy here.
(Father of Agriculture): … Can’t this be done with agricultural produce?
(Spirit of the Sunlight Rain): Damn it… time to look for the emergency funds.
(Spirit of Happiness): …
*****
Kim Byeol.
She was born on Earth but rapidly absorbed and adapted to this world’s mana.
The mysterious energy she possessed was incredible. Even dragons wouldn’t be surprised by such power.
The tremendous energy gained from Earth was almost unusable in this world, as only a few could master it within one minute of activation.
Yet thanks to Jinwoo’s spiritual cultivation, she was able to harness this nearly impossible power and absorb various elemental energies, which allowed Byeol to be born.
As the Spirit King, Byeol naturally began gathering the natural energy of the mountain as soon as she was born, and thanks to that, she could slowly grow over time.
“Pak! Oh… Buh!”
The boy quickly learned words from Suho as they played, and Suho seemed to enjoy it, showing off a few expressions he had picked up from home.
“This is the best!”
“Really?”
Byeol nodded as if she understood perfectly.
Since she was a curious infant, Suho brought a piece of melon left in the kitchen.
“Want to eat?”
“Eat, eat–!”
Though she couldn’t eat much yet, Byeol nodded energetically.
Suho placed a piece of melon in her mouth.
Byeol looked like a toddler of about two or three years old. Though she was less than an hour old, as a Spirit King who used a human spirit body, she naturally appeared like a normal child.
Because of that, her teeth were strong, allowing her to chew the melon slowly.
Her face scrunched up in surprise at the melon’s unique texture.
Crunch!
As soon as it entered her mouth, the crisp texture broke, and the juicy inside burst with a sweet flavor.
“Wow! Wow–!!”
Eating melon for the first time was an amazing experience.
Byeol clapped her small hands joyfully.
“More! More!”
“See? Tasty, right?”
“Delicious! Yes!”
Byeol carefully enunciated each new word, looking adorable.
Suho, not knowing why, picked up another piece of melon and fed her.
Just as Byeol finished her melon lesson, Jinwoo’s grandparents and Suho called out from inside, announcing dinner was ready with a table filled to bursting.
“Everyone, come eat!”
“Come on, time to eat, hurry up.”
Byeol toddled over and settled into Jinwoo’s arms.
Jinwoo couldn’t help but smile, and even the spirits watching silently smiled like proud fathers.
(Spirit Name 1): Byeol is heaven-sent.
(Spirit of the Sunlight Rain): Byeol will save Nari.
(Spirit of Happiness): Byeol will save Goguryeo.
(Father of Agriculture): Byeol will save the Mountainside.
“More! More!”
Byeol proudly shouted her new word learned from eating melon.
“Byeol, you’re amazing! Isn’t that right?”
Jinwoo cuddled Byeol and proudly presented her to Suho’s family. It seemed Byeol’s vocabulary was expanding quickly.
“Hehe, so cute.”
“Byeol is amazing.”
After hearing compliments from Grandfather and Grandmother, Byeol’s small tail wagged happily.
Jinwoo wondered if it was alright for Byeol to eat such solid food yet, but the spirits’ chat reassured him.
(Spirit Name 1): Even so, she is a Spirit King. It’s fine for her to eat.
(Spirit of the Sunlight Rain): Usually, Spirit Kings eat plowing grains or only drink spiritual liquids, but eating normal food shouldn’t be a problem.
Phew, she’s growing fast.
Jinwoo served the meal in front of the table.
The rich smell of the spicy doenjang stew mixed with wild greens immediately whetted the appetite. The doenjang was salty enough, and even just mixing the broth with rice soaked the grains with flavor.
With a little water parsley, tofu, pork, and zucchini simmered in the stew, I mixed half of it with rice and piled the nicely grilled beef on top.
“Byeol, eat a little bit.”
“Yummy–!”
Byeol opened her mouth wide, and I fed her a generous spoonful of the stew.
“Uhhmm…”
Her normally big eyes widened even more.
The rich, savory flavor of the doenjang, the delicate sweetness of tofu and zucchini, and the slowly melting flavor of the beef filled her mouth.
For a newly born Spirit King like Byeol, this was an overwhelmingly stimulating flavor.
From head to toe, it felt like dopamine was rushing through her veins — a thrilling taste experience!
The delighted child clapped her hands again.
“Delicious!”
Jinwoo’s rice-feeding was fantastic. The unique sweetness spreading from the meat combined with the hearty, savory flavor of the doenjang made the dish unforgettable.
The sweet vegetables and tender beef kept coming in bite after bite, making Byeol’s smile unceasing.
She thought to herself:
This is what heaven must taste like.
“Wow, Jinwoo hyung! This is really delicious!”
“… I thought the pufferfish was good, but I never dreamed it would taste this amazing.”
“Hehe, thanks to Jinwoo, Byeol gets to see cute little things and eat delicious red meat — she’s living the high life.”
“It’s rare these days to see such a cute child on the Mountainside. It’s really something to spoil her like this, right? Hoho.”
Suho’s grandparents smiled warmly.
Byeol was cute, and the pufferfish and red meat were delicious.
“Here…! Here!”
“Want some more?”
“Yes!”
Byeol eagerly showed interest in the highly praised pufferfish meat.
(Spirit Name 1): This kid knows what to eat.
Jinwoo wrapped some rice mixed with the doenjang in seasoned seaweed and placed the pufferfish meat on top.
The savory flavor was a perfect combination for kids.
As expected, it worked on Byeol too.
The well-seasoned doenjang and seaweed’s addictive taste enhanced the umami, while the delicate, nutty flavor of the red pufferfish meat perfectly complemented the rice.
“Woah… Jinwoo, it’s delicious…”
This was the moment Byeol’s appetite skyrocketed to new heights.
*****
“I’ll clean up.”
“What? Are you sure? You don’t have to.”
“You’ve already let me have a delicious meal and tried the doenjang stew. I want to help clean up.”
“Okay… if you insist, but just a little. We’ll keep an eye on Byeol, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you. Is it okay if I take some leftovers with me?”
“Of course! No, we’ll make fresh side dishes next time.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll just pack a little of what’s left.”
“Alright, take as much as you want.”
I nodded and went to help Grandfather and Grandmother clean up.
(Spirit Name 1): Is it time now?
I nodded at the spirits’ chat.
[Spirit Name 1 has donated 100 coins!]
[Father of Agriculture has sponsored with rare herbs!]
[Spirit of the Sunlight Rain has donated 100 coins!]
[Spirit of Happiness has donated 100 coins!]
There was plenty of leftover meat and side dishes.
The spirits’ chatter overflowed with praise, and I smiled quietly, satisfied.