Chapter 9: Drawing the Line, One Bowl at a Time

No matter how much I thought about it, he was a guest I didn’t recognize.

However, judging by his appearance alone…

‘……He couldn’t be someone from the underworld I put behind bars in the past, could he?’

Retaliatory crimes against the investigating officer were common.

His tall stature.

Broad shoulders.

Even a face that would make neighborhood thugs bow and call him “Boss.”

Looking at him again, he was far from a typical civilian.

Just then.

“M-Manager Cha…?”

Min Ha-ru, standing beside me, muttered with a look of disbelief.

‘It seems he’s a guest for this side, not me.’

The important thing was the fact that the complexions of the other two women had turned pale in an instant.

“What brings Manager Cha here…?”

“Of all times, when Jin-su isn’t here either…!”

Shin Hye-seo bit her lip and stepped in front of Min Ha-ru.

“……A secret royal inspector? You’ll be impersonating a prosecutor next at this rate, Manager Cha.”

“Heh heh heh. Doesn’t it suit me quite well?”

“I won’t make this long. Go back.”

“It’s the CEO’s order.”

“I’m a CEO too.”

“You’re not my CEO, Representative Shin.”

Shin Hye-seo glared at the man who wouldn’t back down an inch.

“Sister… I’m okay.”

“Ha-ru?”

At that moment, Min Ha-ru stepped forward.

“I don’t want to cause trouble for others. Not for you, and not for Chef Baek, who provided me with this wonderful sanctuary.”

“W-Wait, Ha-ru!”

“Let’s go, Manager Cha.”

Manager Cha smirked and immediately made way.

However, even as Min Ha-ru walked past him, he remained standing still.

“I also had orders to bring Representative Shin along.”

“!”

Immediately after, Shin Hye-seo glared at him.

“He said if you don’t listen, I should bring you by force if necessary.”

“Manager Cha!”

“Why did you cause trouble and then go into hiding without cleaning it up?”

“I clearly said I would settle that matter!”

“And what about the losses the company will suffer in the process?”

“So! You’re insisting on repeating a precedent like Ji-hun’s? I can’t stand to see that happen again even if I die! People are what matter!”

“Actor Ji-hun was unfortunate. But for me, the company is a more important workplace.”

Watching this made my chest feel tight, so I couldn’t just stand by anymore.

“?”

As soon as I moved, the man called Manager Cha looked straight at me.

“Hey. What the hell are you doing to someone else’s car right now?”

He used informal speech upon our first meeting as if it were natural.

He had been kicking someone’s front gate.

And now, a crime was unfolding right before my eyes.

Well, I’m still a prosecutor; I can’t just let this slide.

‘Then again, there are particularly many thugs like that in the entertainment industry.’

It probably started with former President Roh Tae-woo’s “War on Crime.”

Thugs who used to run businesses like nightclubs started crawling out into the light under the plausible banner of “Entertainment Business.”

“To a bystander, it looks like it’s your car. Isn’t this Min Ha-ru’s manager’s vehicle?”

Kind words bring kind echoes, as they say.

“What did you just say?”

“As I thought, there’s a GPS attached here.”

“!”

I crawled under the car and pulled off an object smaller than the palm of my hand.

Actually, this kind of thing was common for me.

‘When you do search and seizures, you often have to scour the bottom of vehicles.’

When a vehicle is the subject of a search warrant.

Not to mention the interior or the trunk, you have to meticulously check inside the engine cover, behind the wheel rims, and under the chassis.

Especially when junkies hide drugs, they always use tape to fix them in places like that.

“I’m asking what you’re doing, you bastard!”

The man shouted intimidatingly.

Of course, I’m not the type to be intimidated by a thug like that.

“Judging by the reactions, it seems the parties involved were unaware of the GPS attachment. This is a violation of the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information. It’s a crime punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“If you kicked someone’s gate and damaged its utility, that’s property damage under criminal law. Entering someone’s yard without the owner’s permission is illegal trespassing. And attempting to take someone away by force through tangible or intangible influence when they don’t want to could constitute intimidation or coercion.”

“Listen to this guy. A mere guesthouse owner has quite a lot to say.”

Immediately after, the man burst into a hollow laugh and pulled out his wallet.

Then.

Flutter!

He scattered a bundle of 50,000 won bills from his wallet onto the ground.

“Hey. Don’t be a busybody. Pick this up and get lost.”

“……”

“Not leaving? You look young; don’t lose your mind just because you saw a celebrity and become a cripple. I won’t tell your mom, so take this as pocket money and vanish.”

……Exactly how should I handle this so that word gets around that I crushed him properly?

However.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Excuse me.”

Right on time, familiar faces appeared one after another through the open gate.

“P-Police?”

The thug was startled instantly.

The new guests were Officer Noh, whom I knew, and a young constable.

Seeing the familiar box of Bacchus energy drinks in their hands, I could easily guess why they had come.

“I-I didn’t see this punk report anything…?”

Ignoring the flustered man, I stepped forward.

“Did the Chief send you?”

“Ah, yes. Prosecutor. But I didn’t expect to see so many guests here.”

Before I knew it, Shin Hye-seo and Min Ha-ru had quickly covered their faces with masks.

It was a swift movement that surprised even me.

Thanks to that, things didn’t get any noisier.

“What is this young punk that even the police are coming for him…”

“Watch your mouth. He is a prosecutor.”

As if she couldn’t tolerate any more rudeness, Shin Hye-seo belatedly introduced me.

“……What? A prosecutor?”

Only then did the man’s mouth hang open blankly.

“T-That’s impossible…”

“A-A real prosecutor…?”

Min Ha-ru’s eyes also went wide like a startled rabbit’s.

I don’t particularly cling to my status, but it’s very convenient at times like this.

“Um, Officer. I’m sorry to give you work as soon as you arrive.”

“Yes? Ah! Please say the word, Prosecutor.”

“It’s just that, as you can see, there’s a criminal caught in the act at my house. Some trash came into someone’s home without permission and is causing a scene.”

The eyes of the police officers changed instantly.

I pointed my finger at the thug.

“If you’re on duty, could you arrest him immediately?”

*****

“Let go! I said let go!”

The man, who struggled for a long while, was hauled away by the hands of our hardworking police officers.

‘They seem quite shaken…’

I had already sent the two women inside the room.

Of course, the manager, who had returned late, was guarding the door like a steel wall.

“I should probably prepare a special meal.”

I immediately rolled up my sleeves.

“What would be good to make at a time like this?”

Did they perhaps understand my monologue?

Swish! Swish!

The snowflakes that had been huddled together and playing on my shoulders.

Those cute little things quickly flew off somewhere.

And then,

Boing, boing!

They began to hop around energetically in a corner of the vast field.

“That is…?”

I looked at the snowflakes with surprised eyes.

“That’s truly brilliant.”

A secret ingredient that I knew well, which could “up” a downcast mood, was right there.

“Sweet pumpkin… that’s good, very good.”

Snap!

I quickly picked a sweet pumpkin that the snowflakes had chosen.

Then, I headed straight for the kitchen.

Crack!

First, I cut a piece with a knife.

The yellow flesh spread out warmly.

At the same time, a savory aroma wafted out.

Crush!

I carefully mashed it.

Then, I began to mix it little by little into the handmade noodle dough I had kneaded myself.

Instead of the smell of flour, it was a dough that gave off a subtle sweetness.

For the broth, I boiled radish, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, kelp, and freshly ground perilla seeds to create a rich flavor.

Soon, the color of the soup turned into a milky, soft cream color.

Plop!

Into the pot that had begun to boil, I added the thinly torn noodles.

The dough lightly floated to the surface before sinking back down.

Finally, I finely chopped some freshly picked chives to place on top and added a drop of perilla oil.

“Good. It’s finished with this.”

After finishing the table setting, I headed toward the room.

*****

“Representative. What about Ha-ru?”

At manager Kim Jin-su’s question, Shin Hye-seo shook her head with a bitter expression.

“I think it’s better to just leave her alone for now.”

“Ugh. That crazy bastard Manager Cha!”

Her face was just starting to brighten up.

But because of that thug-like guy, things had become completely tangled.

Sniff, sniff.

At that moment, Kim Jin-su suddenly twitched his nose.

“……But, Representative. Don’t you smell something delicious?”

“Huh…?”

A moment later, Shin Hye-seo’s eyes also went round.

“You’re right. What is this smell…?”

It was an aroma that could make even her, who had no appetite, feel her stomach growl.

“I’ve brought the meal.”

Right on cue, Baek Seo-jun appeared.

“I-I’m grateful every time, Prosecutor.”

“It’s nothing. I’m being paid for this.”

“Honestly, I feel like I should pay more for the lodging.”

“It’s already enough.”

Baek Seo-jun shook his head and gestured toward the room door with his chin.

“Could you call Ha-ru as well? She probably hasn’t eaten anything today.”

“Ah, yes!”

Shin Hye-seo cautiously knocked on the door with a much brighter face.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Ha-ru. Let’s eat together.”

“……She’s in there, right?”

It was quite a while later that an answer came from inside.

“……Sister. I don’t really feel like eating right now.”

It was a very subdued voice.

In fact, it had been a long time since Min Ha-ru had stayed away from food.

After finishing a bowl of cold noodles when she first arrived here, she had only eaten enough to keep herself from dying.

Of course, there was a reason for this as well.

[ Min Ha-ru’s senseless work ethic. Sudden disappearance causes massive losses to the company… ]

[ Penalties already incurred amount to at least hundreds of millions of won. Where did the Min Ha-ru we loved go? ]

[ Suspected victim of a crime? Min Ha-ru has not even responded to contact from the company for the past week. ]

This was because articles related to Min Ha-ru were pouring out even at this very moment.

Of course, Shin Hye-seo was monitoring those articles in real-time.

Naturally, she knew why such articles were being published.

‘Bang Ki-cheol! Do you really have to go this far!’

In any case, the legal liability lies with Min Ha-ru.

Shin Hye-seo wasn’t denying that.

That’s why she had already contacted the advertisers separately to apologize and promised to compensate for all the incurred penalties with her own private funds.

‘Nothing is more precious than a person’s life…’

To emphasize again, Shin Hye-seo did not want to repeat the same mistake.

Min Ha-ru had already reached her mental limit.

However, knowing that and neglecting it, if another incident like Ji-hun’s were to happen…

‘……Then I wouldn’t be able to endure it myself.’

Just as Shin Hye-seo was about to knock on the door again.

“Ha-ru. For your information, those who skip meals at my house cannot stay for an extended period.”

“!”

Shin Hye-seo’s eyes went wide.

Soon, there was the sound of rustling inside the room.

Slide.

The sliding door opened smoothly, and Min Ha-ru peeked her head out.

“W-Where is there such a rule…?”

“If you don’t like the temple, the monk should leave. If you don’t like it, you can leave. I’ll refund the lodging fee you paid.”

Shin Hye-seo looked anxious.

Wasn’t that a bit too harsh?

“More than anything, the other two can’t even touch their food because they’re worried about you, Ha-ru.”

“……”

Only then did Min Ha-ru look back and forth at the other two with wide eyes.

“O-Okay. I’ll eat. I’ll eat, okay?”

Sliding…

Fortunately, the door soon opened wide.

“I only have to eat one bite, right? M-My stomach is small!”

“Yes. You only have to eat one bite.”

If you can manage to stop at that, that is.

“But… what is that?”

At the same time, only then did Min Ha-ru show interest in the food.

Baek Seo-jun immediately opened the lid of the steamer.

Then.

Whoosh!

White steam spread into the surroundings.

Through it, a golden radiance billowed.

“Is this perhaps sweet pumpkin porridge?”

“Sweet pumpkin hand-torn noodle soup.”

Glancing at Min Ha-ru, Shin Hye-seo immediately picked up a spoon.

‘Even if it doesn’t taste good, I have to eat it as if it’s the most delicious thing in the world.’

That way, Ha-ru, who was still hesitating, might show a bit more interest.

“Thank you for the meal!”

Shin Hye-seo took a deep scoop of the sweet pumpkin soup.

A moment later, the golden radiance disappeared into her mouth.

“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Immediately after, Shin Hye-seo’s eyes flew wide open.

The savory flavor of perilla seeds and the sweetness of the pumpkin filled her mouth, combined with the chewiness of the noodles.

That perfect harmony even made her mood feel ecstatic.

“It’s delicious!”

Shin Hye-seo even made “Mmm!” sounds with a happy expression.

“I-It’s really delicious. This is no joke!”

Before long, Kim Jin-su also began to “inhale” the food frantically.

“Ha-ru! You try it quickly, too!”

“……Ah…?”

Min Ha-ru, who had been staring blankly at the scene, finally picked up her utensils reluctantly.

And.

“……”

Min Ha-ru, who finally put a piece of noodle in her mouth, savored the taste.

Munch, munch.

Min Ha-ru’s chewing speed gradually increased.

It was a taste that warmed her chest before her tongue.

A nostalgic taste that her late grandmother used to make for her by hand.

It felt as if… she were tucking herself into an old, familiar blanket.

Drip, drip.

Soon, transparent drops began to fall one by one onto the food.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The other three tried their best to pretend they didn’t see it.

“It’s… it’s delicious…”

And then came the sound of a sniffing nose.

Gulp.

With every deep scoop she ate, a “hic!” sound of suppressed sobbing followed like a shadow.

‘……I’ll have to thank the Prosecutor once more later.’

Shin Hye-seo lowered her head with her eyes bloodshot.

She didn’t know how many times she had received his grace already.

“Hic… hic…”

Between them, like the melody of some sad music, the sound of sobbing echoed quietly.

Very quietly.