Chapter 40

Chapter 39

Morning came.

I had spent the night drinking and talking with the innkeeper, and now a new morning had arrived.

Of course, if someone was spying on us, the kind of thing that would happen after a man and a woman spent the night together—

didn’t happen.

"Are you up? Do you want to eat chicken?"

"Chicken in the morning?"

"Originally, it’s a national rule that you should eat cold seasoned chicken in the morning."

"Alright. Just boil some ramen."

"You’re really modest. Eating just ramen on a Sunday morning?"

"Then, can you make me some warm tteokbokki soup?"

"I can do that."

The innkeeper took out two retort tteokbokki soup packs from the refrigerator.

"Oh, I found it."

"Found what?"

"The news about the water overflowing in Eden District."

It didn’t appear in the news, but on social media where people post about their daily lives, there was a rumor that seawater had briefly flowed back into the sewers of Eden District last night.

"It seems everyone has already forgotten about it since it was resolved early in the morning."

"Then, how does it end up? No one will know? Forever?"

"Maybe. They might send someone in a diving suit to check the internal situation of the building, or they could use a superhuman to divert the seawater and explore the underground area."

There are countless possibilities.

Human imagination is infinite, and humans will always find a solution when faced with obstacles.

"Here."

A bowl of tteokbokki soup was placed in front of me.

"During the Japanese colonial era, many innkeepers actually helped hide independence activists or gave them a meal without getting caught. I’m saying, I’m like one of those innkeepers now."

"An outsider saying that."

"That’s too much. If I live in Korea, speak Korean, and have Korean citizenship, am I not Korean?"

"Your appearance is not Korean, so it feels a bit strange."

Every time I see a foreigner who feels proud of being in Korea, I always feel like this world is really another world—a world from a light novel.

A foreigner with red hair not only boils tteokbokki soup in a bowl but also pickles kimchi and even has a bowl of perilla powder on the table?

'I don’t know.'

If it’s good, it’s good.

I poured the perilla powder into the tteokbokki soup and had breakfast with the meal the innkeeper prepared.

* * *

The work was finished faster than expected.

Since what I thought would take a whole day was completed in just one night, I now have a true weekend to enjoy my freedom.

'Maybe I should feel a bit guilty towards Yumir?'

If I had known the work would be done so quickly, I would have made a plan to have a meal with her over the weekend.

Of course, if I had made a plan, I might not have been able to focus on my mission, but now that everything went smoothly, I feel a bit regretful.

There are still many restaurants I haven’t visited.

Especially those that offer a variety of cuisines from around the world.

'Even on Sejong Island, there are Japanese, Chinese, and Indian restaurants.'

As South Korea became one of the top countries in the world, many Korean restaurants spread across the globe.

The problem is that Korean restaurants not only spread worldwide but also throughout Korea.

-Oh, a Korean pasta shop! It looks great! But we’re here to eat tteokbokki soup.

-Is this a place where you can enjoy Korean cuisine anywhere in the world, like Kimcheon Tteokbokki? Amazing. To be able to eat such a variety of Korean dishes for less than 10 dollars.

-Why would anyone eat pizza and pasta when they come to Korea? They should go to a street stall and eat bulgogi with lettuce and a hot mix coffee for dessert.

Foreign tourists started to visit Korea in droves, traveling all over the country.

In reality, many of them were secretly looking for a place to settle down, stay illegally, or marry a Korean to immigrate and live in Korea.

-Regardless of their purpose, business owners don’t discriminate against customers!

-Ah, everyone. Let’s not overcharge foreigners. Instead of making a quick buck, let’s leave them with good memories so they’ll come back in 10 or 20 years. We are the dignified and top-notch country, South Korea, right?

-What?! Not only dipping octopus in chili sauce, but also eating kodari jelly? You, a nose picker, have already become a Korean in taste!

No matter their purpose, most Korean restaurant owners welcomed foreigners with a broad smile.

Most of them.

-I went to France for my studies...

-Instead of steak, wouldn’t you prefer pork belly with soju? No, I get it! I know, but I want to sell steak!

-Is it true that there are more bibimbap burger shops than Burger Queen?

The Western and Japanese food industries suffered a catastrophic blow.

To survive, they tried various strategies, but after a story spread about a specific bibimbap restaurant where foreigners frequently visited and achieved a daily revenue of 50 million won for three consecutive months, everyone started opening Korean restaurants.

As a result, I had to go through a somewhat sad experience over the past six months.

"There are more rice cake shops than bread shops."

Where London Baguette and Dallous Les Jours should be, rice cake shops and traditional Korean confectionery stores have taken over.

During my villainous life over the past six months, whenever I had to entertain people, I had to eat Korean set meals instead of Chinese or Japanese food.

The most memorable experience was a trip with six people, including the leaders and the CEO of the organization.

-Let’s try ginseng chicken soup!

-Excuse me? Chairman, are you serious?

-Ginseng chicken soup! Raise your hand if you agree!

-It seems Director Go doesn’t like chicken.

-What? Are you dissing me?

-Director, do you not like ginseng chicken soup? What should we do, Chairman?

-Oh, no. I’ll eat it.

...I never imagined I would go on a workshop with five women and end up eating ginseng chicken soup in a valley.

'Korean food is fine, but if you eat it every day, you might want to try something else.'

It’s not possible to always eat kimchi, vegetables, and meat.

Finding the remaining non-Korean restaurants in this peninsula is really difficult.

But here, Sejong Island, is different.

'Is this the street of globalization?'

In one area of Sejong Island’s restaurant district, which was formed to cater to foreign visitors, the flags of various countries fluttered outside each restaurant.

It felt like seeing the flags of all nations.

Looking at the flags of the world, I naturally wondered which restaurant to enter and what to eat.

It’s like deciding which classic novel to read first when you have several.

Since all the restaurant owners are at least top-tier or star chefs in their respective countries, the quality of the food is guaranteed.

'After eating kimchi and bibimbap for a week, I can go out for a meal on the weekend.'

A literal "outing."

Just as I was pondering where to go, someone was approaching me from a distance.

"......?"

"What are you doing here, sir?"

"...Yiseon, the student?"

The pink-haired girl, Yoon Yiseon, was dressed casually for a light outing.

"Are you here for lunch? ...By yourself?"

Oh.

"Hmm. Then...would you like to have lunch with me?"

Yoon Yiseon extended her hand with a playful look on her face.

"Buy me a meal, oppa."

"......A teacher can’t refuse a student’s request."

Absolutely not.

It’s not because I like being called oppa.