Min Ha-ru, who had achieved success at a young age, was quite the gourmet.
This was only natural, as she had traveled the world and sampled all kinds of delicious foods.
Yet, this was the first time she had ever felt this way.
‘It’s just ordinary young radish noodles.’
The feeling hit her from the very first bite.
The noodles felt as if they were alive, dancing inside her mouth.
The cold broth instantly lowered her midsummer body temperature.
What followed was the fragrant, fermented scent unique to young radish kimchi.
It wasn’t heavy; instead, the refreshing aroma lingered and cleared her head all the way to the tip of her nose.
‘Come to think of it, my rhinitis is gone.’
Min Ha-ru sniffed like a rabbit.
Even though they were submerged in liquid, the radishes were surprisingly crunchy.
In fact, every time she took a bite, they actually made a “crunch!” sound.
Far from being soggy, they possessed a freshness that felt as if they had just been pulled from the field.
‘The broth is even better.’
It was salty but not too salty, sour but not overwhelming.
The true value of the broth stood out more when she swallowed it than when it was just on her tongue.
A refreshing sensation that swept away the suffocating heat in a single blow.
Beyond simply being delicious, it was a mouthful that felt like it washed away her very mood.
That one sip, that one bowl, which seemed to extract the hidden heat from within her body, made her entire being feel ‘alive.’
“Mmmgh!”
Soon, Min Ha-ru let out a shiver of delight, her face full of happiness.
“Sis!”
“You want another bowl too?”
“Of course…! No, wait, that Chef Baek person. Is he a Michelin three-star chef by any chance?”
“As far as I know, he’s not someone who cooks for a living.”
“Then… is he a businessman in the food industry? If it’s a Mr. Baek I know, then Baek Jong—”
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Shin Hye-seo raised her hand and covered that meddlesome mouth.
“Anyway, I’m glad it suits your palate.”
“Huh…?”
“I was worried. I wondered if this unfamiliar environment might have a negative impact on you, Ha-ru.”
“…”
Min Ha-ru stared blankly at Shin Hye-seo.
Then.
Flump!
“…Oh my?”
She dove straight into Shin Hye-seo’s arms and hugged her.
“Sis.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks, always.”
“…For what? Between us.”
Shin Hye-seo chuckled and gently patted Min Ha-ru.
“You know, I think I’m really starting to like this place.”
“You’ve only been here for a few hours.”
“Think back to your first love. How long did it take for you to fall for him?”
“I’m not a hopeless romantic who falls at the drop of a hat like you. Usually, a man needs to be observed steadily for a long time—”
“Ah, there goes your nagging again! It was all my fault.”
Min Ha-ru quickly backed away.
“More importantly, where is the chef?”
“Hmm?”
Immediately after, the corners of Min Ha-ru’s mouth curved into a bright smile.
“I’ve been treated to such heavenly food; I have to offer my thanks!”
“What should I make for tomorrow’s menu?”
Lately, I’ve been finding cooking quite fun.
If there was a problem—or rather, a non-problem—in that process…
Flutter! Flutter!
“…What are you guys trying to do this time?”
Whenever I even attempted to do something.
The snowflakes would perform tricks(?) in front of my eyes, as if showing off.
“Eh? What’s this?”
However, their behavior today was a bit more special.
Suddenly, at least dozens of snowflakes began to clump together.
And after a moment.
“!?”
A very familiar shape was formed before my eyes.
“Ola-X…?”
Yes.
It was that snowman that looked like he belonged in the Kingdom of Ice.
— Hehe! Ehehehehe!
They even laughed, seemingly delighted that I recognized it.
“…You certainly have many talents.”
Pitter-patter!
It was right then.
Something small and pitch-black burst through the gap in the open kitchen door.
“!?”
With a startled expression, I looked at the uninvited guest.
“…Huh?”
As if it considered the snowman to be a cool bamboo shoot.
The identity of this creature, which was repeatedly rubbing its body against the snowman, was, as far as I knew…
“An… otter?”
A bundle of fur that looked quite soft even at a glance.
A pair of black, button-like eyes set above it.
— Get off!
— This wasn’t made for you!
— Smelly weasel, move!
…A weasel?
With its two paws gathered together like that, it looked like an otter no matter how I looked at it.
“Squeak! Squee-eek!”
Anyway, the sight was so cute that I just watched the otter nuzzle against it for a long while.
Honestly, when else would I get to see a sight like this?
A little chocolate-colored plush-doll-like otter and spirits reacting like falling snow.
Those unrealistic beings were creating the most peaceful scene in the world in this cramped kitchen.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“!”
Instantly, the otter’s fur stood on end.
The problem was the loud noise that suddenly came from the direction of the door.
“I’ve never seen an otter before!”
“M-Me neither…”
It was two women who looked like they had stepped right out of a TV.
No, they actually were.
“Hye-seo? And even Min Ha-ru…?”
I had already heard that Min Ha-ru had arrived.
However, I had no intention of purposely showing myself to her.
She was a celebrity after all, and since I had already received payment, I was merely the owner of a lodging establishment(?).
“M-May I touch it?”
Gulping, Min Ha-ru asked me.
Her eyes twinkled as she looked back and forth between me and the otter.
“Even if you ask me…”
Scuttle!
“Ah!”
Just as expected.
As soon as Min Ha-ru showed signs of creeping closer, the otter immediately darted past her and fled.
“Noooooo!”
Min Ha-ru slumped onto the floor with a look of despair.
“Come back, Bonobono…!”
…Isn’t that a sea otter?
“I-I’m sorry!”
Realizing her mistake late, Shin Hye-seo bowed her head quickly.
“We came to say thank you for the delicious food, but we didn’t know you were having such a good time with your pet.”
…The look on Hye-seo’s face that seemed somewhat resentful must be my imagination, right?
“The food was really, really delicious, Master Cook Baek!”
Min Ha-ru, who had recovered her usual complexion before I knew it, suddenly grabbed my hand.
“It tasted just like my grandmother’s cooking, but I never dreamed the identity of Master Cook Baek would be someone so young!”
“I’m glad it was to your liking.”
“Totally! Two hundred points out of a hundred! Thanks to you, my rhinitis has completely vanished!?”
Wait.
Her rhinitis disappeared?
“I was surprised to hear that, too. Actually, after coming here, my insomnia also completely vanished.”
Witness number two.
Since even Shin Hye-seo was saying this.
“Hmm…”
Soon, my expression became quite serious.
The chronic pain in my wrist and that terrible insomnia that prevented me from falling asleep before 3 AM had also completely disappeared since I came to my family home.
‘Not just one person, but all three of us?’
If some special power was at work here…
Flutter! Flutter!
‘…Could it be that the talents of those little guys even affect recovery?’
Intuitively, I felt that it might not be unrelated to the snowflakes that only I could see.
‘It’s like actual healing.’
I suppose I really do need to test this out.
*****
Every Monday morning was the day for the staff meeting at the Goseong Police Station.
A gathering where not only the heads of each department but even the chiefs of the local precincts attended.
However.
“…Pardon?”
At that meeting, the Chief of the Gildong Precinct delivered an untimely report.
“You’re saying the prosecutor who was the first to ever indict a police officer for the crime of divulging facts of a suspected crime is currently in our jurisdiction?”
“Yes, Chief.”
“But why? I heard it was a Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office case.”
“Upon looking into it, it seems the prosecutor’s family home is located here.”
The face of the Goseong Police Chief, which had been hardening, relaxed again.
‘If his family home is here, it’s perfectly normal for him to come.’
Since there was a high possibility he came on vacation to see his parents.
“Ah! I think I know who he is. Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun. Right?”
At that moment, the Chief of the Sang-i Precinct spoke up, even clapping his hands.
“You know him too, Chief?”
“Yes. The countryside is so small, after all. When that neighborhood produced a prosecutor son, they even threw a village feast. That was about ten years ago.”
“A true rags-to-riches story.”
The Goseong Police Chief nodded.
This was a story that made sense up to this point.
Back in the day, passing the bar exam alone was enough to get banners hung all over town, wasn’t it?
“He must be gifted.”
“He’s a genius. Seoul National University, passed the bar, and a country boy with no backing made it all the way to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”
“Right. Anyway, let’s make sure no one goes over there and gets on his nerves for no reason.”
It was a well-known fact to everyone that the psychological warfare between the police and the prosecution had been accelerating lately.
In the battlefield of investigative power adjustment, the bullet of an indictment for divulging facts of a suspected crime had even been fired.
But that was something for the main headquarters to worry about.
‘Please, you people, don’t go looking for trouble.’
The Goseong Police Chief desperately hoped and prayed in his heart.
“That’s… I’m sorry, Chief.”
However, the Gildong Precinct Chief ruthlessly shattered that expectation.
Soon, the Goseong Police Chief, who had heard the whole story of what had happened, slapped his forehead.
‘I begged and pleaded to be sent to the countryside just to get some rest, so why do you keep stirring up trouble!’
The Goseong Police Chief screamed silently.
He was a graduate of the Police Academy.
And, like any of his peers, he had lived his whole life obsessed with promotions.
Perhaps because of that, he had developed an illness a few years ago that hadn’t been there before.
— It seems to be an illness of the heart rather than the body. How about receiving official counseling at a psychiatric clinic?
— T-That’s not possible.
— Yes? Why not?
— A psychiatric history… could have a negative impact on the personnel evaluation of high-ranking officials like me.
Right.
It wasn’t that he had given up on promotion because things were hard.
He had simply volunteered for the countryside to rest for a while as a form of recuperation.
“…You said Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun visited the precinct personally?”
“That… yes. I’m sorry, Chief. I stepped forward and made things worse for no reason…”
“Where is that house?”
Seeing the Goseong Police Chief stand up immediately, the staff members’ eyes widened.
“Are you… going yourself?”
The Goseong Police Chief nodded.
“I must apologize properly. So that no unnecessary misunderstandings arise.”
*****
I was faced with an unexpected situation.
“You are the Chief of the Goseong Police Station?”
“Yes, Prosecutor.”
It was a guest who had come all the way to my house, even buying Hanwoo beef.
Setting aside his status, he was quite young.
At most, in his 40s?
‘A Senior Superintendent already at that age…’
He was a man with a bright future.
To the point where he could sufficiently aim for the position of Commissioner General in the not-too-distant future.
“I heard my staff member committed a discourtesy, so I have come to see you personally.”
Furthermore, the young Chief’s attitude was quite polite.
Even though my age was clearly much younger than his.
Even now, seniority cannot be ignored in South Korea.
Moreover, it wasn’t like the old days when the police would bow down to prosecutors, calling them “Sir.”
The prosecutor’s right to direct investigations had long since been abolished, and politicians were threatening daily to abolish the prosecution’s investigative power altogether.
Anyway…
“I’m not sure if this is something for the Chief to come and apologize for personally, but…”
Against someone who goes this far, I couldn’t be rude either.
“If you haven’t eaten yet, would you like to have a meal together?”
“!”
I purposely gestured toward the Hanwoo beef in his hand.
The Chief’s face brightened up instantly.
“That would be great! I know a good restaurant; I’ll take you there.”
“No. I’ll provide the meal. I’ve received a gift of good meat, and things like this should be grilled and eaten immediately while they’re fresh.”
“This is just for you to eat with your parents later…”
“That looks like it costs more than 30,000 won?”
“…Aha.”
As expected.
Between people who know how things work, saying just this much is enough to understand everything.
“I’ll be providing all the side dishes too. For your information, the food at our house is expensive. You’ll know once you try it.”
“Haha. Yes, yes. Then I’ll be in your debt.”
“You’re not in my debt, Chief. Let’s just say we’re splitting the cost for what we each eat.”
“Sounds good. But I wonder if the cook of this house is really that skilled?”
“Just make sure you don’t faint from the taste.”