It felt as if the longing and joy that had been suppressed for decades were bursting out all at once.
As I buried my face in my friend’s shoulder, feeling his sturdy frame, my heart pounded so violently it felt like it might explode.
Ji-hoon was surprised by the sudden hug, his shoulders flinching at first, but he soon realized the situation. He let out a hearty laugh and patted Sang-woong on the back.
“Hey, Sang-woong Park! Isn’t this welcome a bit much? Did you really miss me that much, huh?”
“I did miss you, you punk! How long has it been!”
Ji-hoon couldn’t have guessed, but for Sang-woong, it was a reunion after thirty years.
Only a few hours ago, the image of his friend dying covered in blood in a dream had been vivid, making his heart ache. Now, he was facing his living friend with his own two eyes. Everything felt like a miracle.
Ji-hoon Kim.
He was Sang-woong’s irreplaceable best friend and the savior who had rescued Sang-woong in a moment of life and death in the past. He was also the biggest reason Sang-woong had desperately clung to the dangerous work of a Hunter before his regression.
The reunion after decades was so natural, as if they had just seen each other yesterday.
Ji-hoon simply thought the moisture in Sang-woong’s eyes was a sign of joy at seeing an old friend, not knowing the deep story behind it.
Before the regression, Sang-woong and Ji-hoon were the only partners who could trust each other with their backs, closer than blood brothers.
Around this time before the regression, they had been deployed to a Dungeon Closure Operation that was known to have a relatively low difficulty level.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly at first. However, an unexpected variable occurred.
The solid ground suddenly gave way like a giant trap, and they fell helplessly into a dark, deep underground cave. It was an unknown space not recorded anywhere in the dungeon information, the territory of Hobgoblins — highly intelligent and aggressive monsters.
In the pitch-black darkness, unfamiliar environment, and the appearance of unexpected enemies, even experienced Hunters panicked.
The cunning Hobgoblins didn’t miss this chance and began their hunt. While desperately moving through the maze-like cave to find an exit, a group of ambushing Hobgoblins ambushed them.
In the chaotic mess, Sang-woong was exposed to fatal danger, unable to dodge in time. At that moment, Ji-hoon Kim instinctively pushed Sang-woong away and blocked his front.
He took the brunt of the Hobgoblins’ sharp attacks with his entire body.
Sang-woong barely survived, but Ji-hoon Kim died from his deep wounds.
After that day, Sang-woong’s life changed completely. The wretched guilt of surviving and the piercing sorrow of losing his best friend.
As a survivor, he became obsessed with the idea that he had to do Ji-hoon’s share as well, and he clung to his work as a Hunter even more desperately than before.
He had no doubt that if Ji-hoon — a much more talented and outstanding Hunter — had survived, he would have achieved much greater things and saved more people.
His own survival was entirely thanks to Ji-hoon’s sacrifice, and he thought that to repay that noble sacrifice, he had to carry the dreams Ji-hoon couldn’t fulfill.
He always lived with a piercing longing for his friend and an apology that would never be enough. To meet such a friend again, a friend who had died… it really felt like a dream.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I should have visited sooner, but I was so busy that I finally made it. Here, this. It’s late, but it’s a gift for the restaurant opening.”
Ji-hoon smiled awkwardly and handed over a shopping bag. Inside was a potted doll with sunflower petals that danced frantically in response to sound.
“Puhaha! This is totally your style! Thanks, friend. I’ll put it in a nice spot where the customers can see it.”
Sang-woong laughed as he took the pot and placed it on one side of the bar table.
“Anyway, you must have been doing really well! Your face looks so relaxed, you’ve become a total country middle-aged man! It looks comfortable, so it’s good.”
Ji-hoon playfully poked Sang-woong’s belly. The gap in time was irrelevant; the reunion after decades was as comfortable and natural as if they had met yesterday.
Sang-woong led Ji-hoon to the bar table. Seated, Ji-hoon slowly looked around the restaurant with curious eyes.
“Wow, Sang-woong Park. You’re really something! The restaurant is a huge hit! Seeing it filled with customers even in this remote place, you’re no ordinary guy.”
His gaze turned to the children playing and laughing on the playground outside the window.
“Haha, look at those kids laughing. Their voices are filling the whole playground. You even built a playground… I never imagined you’d live so wonderfully. Do you know how worried I was when you suddenly said you were retiring as a Hunter and going down to the countryside? To think you’d succeed like this… Should I just quit being a Hunter and open a restaurant here with you?”
Ji-hoon spoke jokingly.
“If you come, I’ll welcome you with open arms! I’ll even build a house right next to mine in your name!”
“Forget it, man. Why are you taking a joke so seriously?”
Ji-hoon lightly tapped Sang-woong’s shoulder, looking embarrassed. However, he felt a corner of his heart warm up at his friend’s sincere offer.
As the awkward tension melted away through their jokes, Sang-woong finally saw Ji-hoon’s face clearly. His face, which must have been a struggle for life and death while frequenting dangerous dungeons as if they were daily meals, showed clear traces of deep fatigue that had not yet faded.
And at a glance, he seemed quite hungry.
“You’re really hungry, aren’t you? Just wait a moment. I heard you were coming and prepared something very special and delicious today.”
Sang-woong stood up with a determined expression and went back into the kitchen.
“Oho, I’m starting to look forward to this. Just how good is the food here that it’s so crowded with customers?”
Ji-hoon’s eyes sparkled with playfulness. Seeing the restaurant in the remote countryside so bustling, his expectations for the food naturally swelled.
A confident smile appeared on Sang-woong’s lips.
“You can look forward to it. I guarantee you’ll see food in a whole new light today.”
Sang-woong’s words were by no means a bluff or a joke. Only for Ji-hoon, he generously brought out the highest quality ingredients he had painstakingly grown from the earth.
The main dish was the favorite of Ji-hoon: ribs made from the most tender meat of the Mud-Pit Pig, which had been aged.
The Mud-Pit Pigs raised with sincerity by the Kahuka Tribe were meat with a level of taste and efficacy that was incomparable.
Added to that were the side dishes neatly prepared with vegetables grown by the Ahoa Tribe, still holding the morning dew, and the brilliant Elf Liquor brewed by the Elves themselves, containing the energy of the forest.
All of this was not just food. The ecstatic taste that melted in the mouth was basic; it could be called the best medicine that restored a tired Hunter’s vitality and brought out latent abilities.
Soon, a small brazier was placed on the table, and glowing charcoal was settled inside. When Sang-woong placed the bright red Thunder Ribs, which he had personally prepared, onto the grill—
*Sizzle!*
Along with a cheerful sound, the savory meat aroma that stimulated the nose instantly filled the restaurant. Transparent meat juices beaded on the surface of the well-cooked meat as it turned an appetizing brown.
Sang-woong carefully picked up the first piece, cooked to perfection, and placed it on Ji-hoon’s personal plate.
“Here, try it. I guarantee you won’t be able to eat a taste like this anywhere else in the world.”
Ji-hoon put the piece of meat into his mouth with a skeptical expression. Then, in the next moment, his eyes grew as wide as saucers at the ecstasy of a taste he had never experienced in his life.
The tender meat melted on his tongue without even needing to chew, and the rich symphony of juices exploded like fireworks in his mouth!
A deep and rich umami that couldn’t even be compared to ordinary pork, along with a warm energy that seemed to wake every single cell in his body, made him let out an exclamation.
“Whoa. Hey, Sang-woong! What kind of meat is this? It’s not just delicious; it’s on a completely different level of taste!”
Ji-hoon’s voice was full of hidden surprise and excitement.
Sang-woong just smiled contentedly and tilted the bottle of Elf Liquor to fill his glass. A faint stream of light swirled mysteriously within the brilliant, transparent liquid.
“Try this too. It’s a liquor I’ve been saving specifically for you.”
Ji-hoon took the glass and brought it to his nose to enjoy the scent. Beyond the fragrant fruit aroma, he felt a mysterious and refreshing energy that was hard to describe.
When he took a sip, a refreshing sensation spread through his mouth, and it went down his throat so smoothly he didn’t even know if he had drunk it.
Simultaneously, he felt the flow of Mana in his body become noticeably active, as if blocked blood vessels were being cleared. It was a refreshing feeling, as if accumulated fatigue was melting away and his mind was clearing like fog lifting.
“Whoa! What is this liquor! This taste is incredible! Plus, strangely, my body feels so light, and it feels like the old fatigue from staying up for several nights is blown away in one shot!”
Ji-hoon’s voice rose a tone. He stared intently at the glass in his hand as if he couldn’t believe it.
Sang-woong only kept his satisfied smile. He then pointed to the various side dishes made with special crops grown with the energy of the earth.
“All the herbs and vegetables here are also made from crops I grew myself. Not only is the taste great, but the nutrients are excellent. There’s no better medicine than this.”
Following Sang-woong’s words, Ji-hoon tasted the side dishes one by one. The crisp, fresh texture, the fragrant aroma that tickled his nose, and the deep umami that clung to his tongue. None of it was ordinary.
Strangely, the more he ate, the more vitality overflowed in his body, and he felt his heavy body become light as if it could fly.
For a moment, he even forgot to speak and began to devour the Thunder Ribs and side dishes frantically, like someone eating food for the first time.
Despite sweating in front of the grill, Sang-woong constantly grilled the meat and placed it on Ji-hoon’s plate, looking at his friend eating with the happiest expression in the world.
“Wow, Sang-woong. Seriously, seriously! Nothing you said was wrong. Today, I’ve truly seen food in a new light!”
Ji-hoon genuinely admired it, wiping the grease from his mouth with the back of his hand. Across his face, a sense of satisfaction with the food and awe for his friend’s amazing transformation passed by.