Chapter 5

Chapter 4

After work, as soon as Shihu returned home, he went down to the basement of the master bedroom.

He wanted to check if there were any crops other than potatoes and sweet potatoes.

He needed ingredients because he planned to sell Korean dishes on the weekends starting next week.

The vegetable garden in the basement.

The web novels he read at Hyun's suggestion after entering college.

In those novels, the world different from reality was called 'this world.'

Shihu wondered if the basement of the master bedroom might be 'this world.'

The vegetable garden of this world.

He thought it might be an attractive place where he could grow ingredients to make food.

Shihu stepped into the vegetable garden in the basement and slowly walked around to see what crops were there.

"There are eggplants too?"

The shape of the eggplants was a bit different from the usual ones.

They looked like water droplets.

"What variety is this?"

Shihu tilted his head as he looked at the eggplants for a moment, then looked around more.

"Cucumbers, peppers, oh? What's that... beans?"

Shihu saw that there were also beans planted next to the crops in the garden.

There were several types of beans planted.

Shihu peeled open a few bean pods to check what was inside.

Edamame, peas, white soybeans (mujugong), and black soybeans (soritae).

"Seeing so many varieties of beans planted... "

Shihu narrowed his eyes as he looked around.

"It feels like someone is cultivating them? Oh? Those are chives and shepherd's purse?"

While checking the crops, he also found chives and shepherd's purse.

As he continued to look around, he saw that there were also cabbages, radishes, and carrots planted.

"With this, I should be able to get most of the ingredients for Korean dishes."

Shihu walked around the garden and discovered various things.

"Oh? A water pump?"

Shihu approached the pump and saw a well behind it.

There was even a bucket to draw water.

"No matter how I look around, it feels like someone lives here..."

Shihu approached the pump and pressed the handle, hearing the sound of air escaping as he moved closer to the well.

Swish— Plunk—

He pulled the rope when the bucket was full of water.

Creak— Creak—

He poured the water from the well into the water pump and started pressing the handle.

Gurgle— Gurgle—

Clear water gushed out.

Shihu took a sip of the water and his eyes widened.

It was refreshing and sweet.

"Wow? This... the taste of the water is amazing?"

He thought about using this water to make food next time as he moved on.

After passing the well and looking around a bit more, Shihu saw a row of low trees.

The trees were laden with fruit he had never seen in reality.

Snap—

Out of curiosity, he picked one and ate it.

"What is this?"

Shihu picked another fruit, bit into it, and looked at the cross-section.

If he had to compare the taste, it was a mix of the texture of high-quality grapes and apples.

There were no seeds.

Moreover, it was crunchy and sweet, with a slightly sour taste at the end.

Crunch— Crunch—

After trying a few, Shihu liked it so much that he picked a whole bunch.

He ate the fruits one by one while holding them in his hand and looked around.

He seemed to have come quite far from the basement of the master bedroom.

Hmm—

After checking the crops and fruit trees, Shihu sighed lightly.

"The crops and fruit trees in this world's garden..."

Shihu thought about the Korean menu in his head and headed back to the basement of the master bedroom.

* * *

When the weekend came, Shihu was busy from morning.

He was preparing to visit his parents.

"Is this enough?"

He packed the dishes and food his parents used to love into containers and placed them in a thermal container.

"I put in the carbonated makgeolli Father liked, the jeon, and the things Mother liked..."

After confirming that he had everything, Shihu called a taxi using his phone app.

Beep—

He picked up his bag and went out the front door.

A taxi was waiting on the mountain road above Shihu's house.

"Hello."

The taxi driver asked, seeing Shihu's luggage.

"Would you like to put your luggage in the trunk?"

"No, I'll just carry it. It's food."

"I see. Then let's get going."

The taxi driver started the car smoothly.

After driving for a while, Shihu arrived at a memorial park in Gyeonggi Province.

Click—

After getting out all his luggage, Shihu thanked the driver.

"Thank you. Drive safely~"

The driver wished him a good trip and drove away, leaving the exhaust fumes behind.

The area around where the taxi had left was quiet and peaceful.

"Is it because it's morning?"

Shihu approached the place where his parents were resting.

Looking around, he saw trees planted.

Under the trees were small plaques marking where the deceased were buried.

Seeing his parents' names, Shihu felt a lump in his throat.

"I'm here, Mom. Dad."

Shihu took out the food he brought and set up a simple memorial table.

"Father, have a drink of the carbonated makgeolli you liked."

After a brief memorial service,

Shihu looked up at the sky and reported his recent news to his parents.

"Mom, Dad, do you remember the dresser in the master bedroom? Did you know about the crack behind it?"

Shihu told them about the basement in the master bedroom and the garden he found there.

"Ah, I decided to take over Hyun's store. I still need a bit more money, but I'll talk to Hyun and plan to sell Korean dishes on weekends to raise the funds."

He continued talking, stroking the plaques with his parents' names engraved on them.

"I received your letter. The comfort I got from the kimchi stew Mom made... I hope the food I make can also bring comfort to others."

Shihu smiled faintly and clenched his fist.

"I will sell Korean dishes made from the garden's ingredients, dishes that bring comfort. Please watch over me."

He poured makgeolli under the tree where his parents were resting and sipped the remaining alcohol while looking at the sky.

The sky was incredibly blue.

His eyes stung from the blue sky.

Shihu closed his eyes for a moment.

"Next time, I'll bring stories from my store."

After clearing the simple memorial table, Shihu bowed twice.

"Mom, Dad, I'll come again."

Leaving his longing behind, Shihu left the [Starry Memory Forest].

* * *

A few days later.

An unknown sound came from Shihu's kitchen.

Grind— Grind—

He had taken out a small mill from the storage and was trying it out.

After washing the mill and confirming it worked, Shihu wiped his hands in satisfaction.

The most harvested crop was beans.

He had harvested white soybeans (mujugong).

Rattle— Rattle—

He peeled the beans from their pods and put them in a stainless steel bowl.

Rattle—

Rattle—

Thud— Thud—

Shihu's hands were busy.

After picking out the round, well-shaped beans for a while, Shihu soaked them in water from the garden's water pump.

He soaked the beans, put them in the mill, ground them finely, and then boiled them in a pot.

When the mixture started to boil, he added brine and scooped out the curdled tofu to taste it.

Phew—

"Soft, nutty, and mild... but, it's stronger than regular soft tofu? This is... "

Shihu's lips curled up slightly.

When Shihu came to work on the weekend, Gangho smiled.

"You're starting the Korean menu today? Can you work without getting in my way?"

"Yes."

Gangho's eyes changed slightly at Shihu's confident answer.

"So? Have you thought about the menu?"

"It's a three-course set meal. I'll serve a grilled dish, three to four side dishes, a soup, and rice on a tray."

"Got it? On the first day, there won't be many orders, right? But, did you bring this?"

Gangho's eyes widened a bit as he saw the ingredients Shihu brought.

He didn't know where Shihu got them, but they were fresh vegetables.

Something caught Gangho's eye.

"What's this?"

Gangho picked up a piece of tofu.

"Ah! It's tofu I made at home."

"Tofu you made at home?"

Shihu nodded, and Gangho, who seemed to be thinking for a moment, snapped his fingers.

"Let's try making it once."

Gangho quickly took a piece of tofu and started working.

Shihu was mentally coordinating to avoid bumping into Gangho as he watched his movements.

Sizzle— Sizzle—

A savory aroma filled the air as the iron plate tofu steak came out.

Gangho placed the iron plate, decorated with grilled vegetables, on the kitchen table.

Gangho offered Shihu a taste of the tofu steak.

Shihu cut the tofu steak with his cutlery.

It cut smoothly.

Munch—

A wave of flavor flooded his mouth along with the heat.

Phew—

The first thing he felt when the hot piece of tofu entered his mouth was its sweetness.

The mild and nutty flavors followed, stimulating his taste buds pleasantly.

"Delicious."

As Shihu savored the taste with his eyes closed, Gangho asked,

"How is it?"

"Very nutty and mild, and it even tastes like meat?"

At the comment about the meat-like taste, Gangho smiled and said,

"That's because you made the tofu well. Soybeans are often called 'meat of the field,' you know."

Shihu nodded at that.

"I think we can keep selling this."

"I'll teach you the recipe. Try making and selling it."

At Gangho's words, Shihu smiled brightly like a child.

"Yes!"

That day, Shihu learned how to make the iron plate tofu steak from Gangho.

Learning something new was always exciting for Shihu.

It felt like the thrill of exploring an unknown territory.

* * *

"Huff—"

Yun Songi sighed deeply.

Height 154cm, weight 99kg.

Shocked by the sudden weight gain, Songi was hit hard by the test results at the hospital.

After being diagnosed with the risk of vascular disease, one of the metabolic syndromes, she started exercising and following a diet.

'There was no better combination than chicken and beer after work...'

She sighed as she looked at the lunch box on the break room table.

Huff—

Kimchi, seaweed, egg roll, and four spoonfuls of rice.

Songi, who always ate with her colleagues, had brought a lunch box knowing they had an external schedule.

'Maybe I'll buy a salad and eat it at home tonight?'

Yun Songi chewed her lunch box slowly while pondering.

For lunch, she followed a Korean cuisine-based diet or brought a lunch box.

For dinner, she focused on light salads and soy-based dishes.

Reducing carbohydrates and focusing on vegetables and protein made her feel like she was dying.

After a month, Songi, who had lost about 4kg, saw chicken and steak floating in front of her eyes.

"Thank you. I'll go home first."

The most painful thing for Songi after work was one thing.

She felt frustrated every time she passed the always bustling Western-style restaurant on her way home.

The expressions of people enjoying their food were so annoying.

'I want to eat too... Ugh!'

The envy made her feel frustrated.

Today, as she had to pass the Western-style restaurant again, she felt her frustration rising.

"Huh?"

Songi's head tilted slightly as she saw a new menu posted in front of the Western-style restaurant.

'Iron plate tofu steak?'

Without realizing it, Songi pushed the door of the Western-style restaurant.

Ding—

"Welcome! Are you dining alone?"

Songi's eyes widened as the staff greeted her.

"Huh? Ah! Yes."

Songi sat at the seat the staff showed her, took a sip of the water they brought, and ordered.

"I'll have the iron plate tofu steak, please."

"Sure, please wait a moment."

A little later,

In front of Songi was an iron plate tofu steak sizzling on the plate.

'Wow— the smell...'

The smell already made Songi's brain command her hands to pick up the cutlery.

Swoosh—

She put the smoothly cut steak in her mouth.

Munch—

"?!"

The genius chef and the world's garden?!