The Difference Between Seolleongtang and Gomtang.
These days, hardly anyone knows the difference, and even fewer care.
But Yuseong knew the difference.
Seolleongtang is made by boiling beef leg bones and miscellaneous bones for a long time.
Since the essence of the bones melts straight into the soup, the broth is rich, milky, and thick—this is its defining characteristic.
In contrast, gomtang doesn’t use bones when making the broth.
Gomtang uses cuts like brisket or shank, and after hours of simmering, its hallmark is a clear, delicate broth.
So then, what about Oxtail Gomtang?
At least as far as Yuseong knew, it could be called a midpoint between seolleongtang and gomtang.
When Yuseong made the broth, he used beef shank, miscellaneous bones, and the tail of Jauros.
With this, the clear taste of gomtang and the deep richness of seolleongtang could both be captured at once.
To achieve this, he had started draining the blood from the meat yesterday, and had barely slept while keeping the broth simmering all day.
That was why the cooking took a little longer than originally promised.
He wanted to extract the broth to the perfect concentration and season it flawlessly.
And the result was a resounding success.
“Let’s try the broth first…”
Chairman Han Jungmoon scooped up a spoonful of broth with his old silver spoon.
A beautiful broth.
Just enough savory beef fat floated atop, and the broth was subtly translucent, simmered into a mellow ivory shade.
From the finely sliced green onions came a fresh, aromatic scent.
Slurp.
When he tasted the steaming broth.
Han Jungmoon saw a fantasy of Korean native cattle dancing atop his tongue.
In the grasslands, a golden brown bull bellowed out “Mooo!” in pure happiness.
And beside it, a giant crocodile played along.
“Wha-!”
Han Jungmoon wasn’t the only one who saw such an absurd vision.
When he lifted his head, Lee Woo Do and Park Gyeongjae wore the same expressions.
“Wh-what is this?!”
Forgetting his earlier calm composure, Han Jungmoon raised his spoon again for another sip of broth.
As expected, the signature deep beef flavor was unmistakable.
And then came a peculiar aroma.
“It’s unmistakably from the tail of that ‘Jauros’ monster.”
“It clings to my mouth…”
The clear-looking broth was surprisingly viscous.
It was as if the taste buds on his tongue were wrapped in silk—such tenderness.
It even finished like a hearty pork bone soup, but without any unpleasant aftertaste, just clean and smooth.
Chairman Park Gyeongjae stammered in disbelief.
“Th-this broth was made with monster meat?”
Yuseong spoke up at just the right moment.
“Jauros are a bit different from crocodiles on land. Just like cows swat insects with their tails, Jauros whip their tails as weapons. That’s why the tail meat is exceptionally elastic. And packed with collagen.”
That ingredient—gelatin, or collagen—had melted generously into the broth.
That’s why, despite being a clear soup, it had the rich, mouth-coating body of pork bone stock.
“Try dipping the oxtail meat in mustard sauce.”
Even Yuseong’s usual blunt tone sounded extraordinarily kind in that moment.
Inside the earthenware bowl were generous pieces of oxtail.
Sliced this way, there was nothing about it that suggested it was from a “monster.”
Han Jungmoon carefully picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.
It was cooked so perfectly that it fell right off the bone at the slightest touch.
A plump chunk of collagen-rich meat dipped into the mustard sauce, then placed into his mouth.
“S-so tender… How can meat have this texture!”
Lee Woo Do exclaimed in awe.
Normally, Jauros meat was quite firm, but after hours of simmering, it became this tender.
The pungent, tangy flavor of the mustard sauce whetted their appetites even more.
They’d now tasted everything there was to taste.
The real meal was about to begin.
The three elders’ eyes met.
“Let’s mix in the rice!”
With Lee Woo Do’s cry as the signal, the three elders, as one, upended bowls of rice into their hot earthenware.
Whether it’s sundae soup, gomtang, or seolleongtang—
They are all called “gukbap” for one reason.
Because only when you mix rice into the broth does the ultimate synergy reveal itself.
Han Jungmoon ladled some broth and rice onto his spoon, and for the first bite, added a piece of meat.
And lastly, a tart, crunchy piece of radish kimchi.
He loaded that generous spoonful into his mouth.
“Tsuum… hoo…”
Even as he panted from the heat, he shovelled down the gukbap, his face brimming with unrestrained happiness.
He was so absorbed that he let the hot broth dribble onto the table, not even thinking to wipe it with his handkerchief.
Normally so fastidious, both Han Jungmoon and Lee Woo Do were now devouring their food with wild passion.
Even the Council members who had dined with them for years had never seen such a sight.
They simply watched in a daze as the three leaders ate as if entranced.
***
When Yuseong finished eating, everyone except those three turned their eyes to him.
“Please eat before it gets cold. If you’re not eating, I’ll clear the table.”
A thunderbolt out of the blue.
The members, who had only moments ago been reluctant, now scrambled to dump rice into their bowls.
“Damn! Even if I die, I’ll eat and die happy—what a way to go!”
Just a minute ago, some were grumbling about eating food made from monsters.
But before long, all twenty-two had their noses buried in their bowls, devouring gukbap with gusto.
Being wealthy, even chaebols, doesn’t mean they never eat commoners’ food like gukbap.
They simply ate more expensive, finer foods than most; before the Cataclysm, even they often had gukbap.
“Ha! This is the taste! This is it!”
“Damn it! Even at my banquets, I’d rather have gukbap. Next time, it’ll be sundae soup!”
The next banquet host even went so far as to declare this.
Perhaps because banquets were rare, they’d always sought only lavish or special dishes.
But faced with this gukbap, its straightforward deliciousness won them over.
It didn’t take long before every Council member had emptied their bowls clean.
[You have evoked Taste Nostalgia in many people.]
[Your Strength Boost has greatly increased.]
[Your Strength Boost has reached the threshold.]
Indeed, when many are satisfied, the effect of Aestheticism is immense.
[You have gained the strength to uproot even boulders.]
[You have gained the special effect ‘Giant’s Strength.’]
Back then, it took quite some time to get the Strength special effect, ‘Giant’s Strength.’
Now, Yuseong’s strength was close to what Jang Dojin had when they first met.
However, Yuseong didn’t have the leisure to rejoice.
“Thank goodness.”
Yuseong let out a long sigh so quietly that no one noticed.
Nobody realized it, but he’d been incredibly tense.
He never imagined they would enjoy the gukbap this much; his heart swelled with pride.
“Even if I don’t get into the Council… it’ll be okay.”
He’d prepared all of this in order to join the Council.
To reap various benefits.
But now, after serving gukbap to elders around the age of his late grandfather, and seeing them eat so happily, he felt a strange emotion.
Even more of a thrill than when he had slain the Serpent.
When the meal ended, everyone patted their stomachs in satisfaction.
At the head of the table, Chairman Han Jungmoon smiled warmly.
“My apologies.”
Then, he suddenly offered an apology to Yuseong.
“For looking at you with prejudice.”
After listening to the words of his cherished granddaughter, Han Seoryeon, he’d taken a very poor view of Yuseong.
He had seen him as a scoundrel trying to seduce his innocent granddaughter with chocolate.
And with Yuseong’s flashy appearance, his prejudice had only hardened.
“…My wife and I used to often go to that gomtang restaurant in Jongno. If she were still alive, she would’ve scolded me—told me not to judge people carelessly.”
Recalling his late wife, Han Jungmoon’s eyes grew wistful.
“You said you wanted to join the Council, didn’t you? If the other conditions are met, I’d like to agree.”
With that, he made the declaration.
Lee Woo Do’s face showed surprise.
Of all the members, Han Jungmoon was the most stubborn and cold; they thought he’d be the hardest to convince.
“I can’t make the decision alone. Does anyone else…? No, let’s just have a simple vote by a show of hands.”
So saying, Han Jungmoon looked around the room.
“Anyone who agrees to Yuseong joining the Council, please raise your hand. Oh, and Yuseong, you’ll keep cooking for us from time to time, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Good, then. Please raise your hands in favor.”
The atmosphere felt pleasant.
Only five recommendations were needed, and already three had supported Yuseong, so just two more would suffice.
Cautiously, members began to raise their hands.
“Oho…”
“……….!”
Han Jungmoon let out a cry of admiration, and Yuseong’s eyes gleamed.
“Unanimous. That’s rare. I don’t think we’ve ever had a unanimous vote for a new member.”
All twenty-two raised their hands.
Unanimity—something no one had expected.
“Welcome to the Council. You’re the youngest to join as an outsider.”
Excluding Council members’ relatives, Yuseong was the youngest new member.
And, it was a seat as a General Member, qualified to receive the special International Auction invitation.
It was a glorious position, incomparable to that of the Regular Members not present.
As the brief banquet drew to a close, the general mood began to turn to winding down.
Before anyone could stand up, Yuseong gave a warning.
“Ah, there’s one thing I forgot to mention. My dishes come with additional effects.”
There were still many here who didn’t know about Yuseong’s Aestheticism.
Han Jungmoon’s eyes widened in curiosity.
“Oh? What effect?”
“You all know that oxtail gomtang is good for back pain and joint disease.”
“That’s right. Haha, everyone knows oxtail gomtang is good for you. Perfect timing—I’ve been having some back trouble myself.”
Han Jungmoon and the other members assumed Yuseong was talking about the general health benefits of food.
So they just laughed it off.
Rather than explain in words, Yuseong decided to show them.
He opened the power of Aestheticism.
Today, rather than using it to increase his own abilities, he wanted to demonstrate it to them.
[The effect of Artisan Cooking wraps around your weary bodies.]
[Your Temporary Healing Power Boost has greatly increased.]
He’d discovered it when grilling skewers.
As difficult as Jauros was to capture, it had astounding effects even when cooked.
Enough to heal these elders’ chronic joint pain.
As their joints healed, sharp noises echoed around the room.
Crrrack.
Snap, snap.
Crack!
Most of the twenty-two elders had physical discomforts.
“Oh dear, I’m dying here!”
Suddenly being cured of old ailments came with a sharp, electric pain.
Watching the members twist and writhe, it almost looked like they were doing the twist dance.
From the top floor of the Phoebus Hotel came an unexpected chorus of groans.
***
The fact that Yuseong became the Council’s youngest General Member.
It was a surprising fact, but very few in the world heard of it.
Only the Council members’ families or those who were Regular Members on the roster barely heard the news.
Han Seoryeon was one of the few who could have heard.
But in truth, she hadn’t heard any news about Yuseong at all.
Because she was constantly at the frontlines of the Abyss.
[You have succeeded in the Decisive Battle against the Floor Boss “Desert King Turtle.”]
[The achievements of the explorers will be permanently recorded on the Achievement Monument.]
[Restrictions on the environment of Floors 16–18 will be somewhat alleviated.]
A Field Message rang out across the entirety of Floor 18.
At last, even in Korea, Floor 18 had been cleared.
Of the three East Asian countries, Korea was the last to ring the bell.
Although the King Turtle that emerged in Korea’s Abyss was much weaker after the U.S. first cleared Floor 18—
It was still a historic achievement.
Neither China nor Japan managed it with so few casualties.
Of the explorers who participated in the raid, there were 8 deaths and 32 injuries.
Though a significant number, compared to nearly a hundred deaths in China, it was a remarkable outcome.
Korean explorers had worked hard and learned from the results of other countries’ hunts.
But for those who participated in the raid, the credit went to one person.
The young Guild Master of White Star.
Lang Ah Ju, Seong Ryuha.
A prodigy who commanded White Star’s pillars with a wave of her hand.
She stood on the scarred earth, marked by the fierce battle.
Seong Ryuha gazed at the outcome she had wrought.
Some reveled in victory, cheering.
Others, mourning fallen comrades, wept.
And apart from them all, stood one woman, alone.
She ranked in the top ten in Contribution among hundreds who had joined the raid.
No less gifted than Seong Ryuha—Han Seoryeon.