The first 떡 shop I visited in my life had a traditional Hanok style.
The framework was made of wood, and the walls were finished with pure white Hanji paper, with gorgeous turquoise tiles adorning the ceiling. The sight of all these tiled houses was stunning.
To my surprise, they rented out one of those houses entirely!
I was horrified by such absurdity and pulled Baek Ahrin’s hand, but she insisted on going inside since we were already there.
According to the smiling employee, this place was quite a famous brand.
Thinking back, it made sense. Not only did they have a spot in the Shio-ram complex, but getting such a large plot really showed their popularity.
“Looks like even 떡 shops have brands,” I thought, marveling at this fact. It might be an old-fashioned view, but to me, a 떡 shop was just a mill.
“The interior is pretty nice,” Baek Ahrin nodded as she inspected the space carefully while walking to our private room.
“The floor is made of good material, so sitting right on it would be comfortable… Of course, using something is always better.”
After saying that, she brought back a luxurious purple cushion that she had set aside and plopped down on it.
“Indeed, no matter how big your butt is, a soft cushion is way better than the hard floor,” she cheerfully chimed.
“Yeah?”
“What?”
“What’s that about?”
I reflexively responded while seating Seo-yul on the cushion and suddenly felt something off.
“Oh? It’s about the butt, the butt!”
Baek Ahrin tilted her head, looking puzzled, and then patted her hips.
“Especially during dungeon expeditions. If the place is well-prepared and has decent food, it’s fine, but during exploration missions or monster hunts, you often end up sitting or lying on hard ground.”
“Right, right?”
“Every time I think I’m lucky to have a big butt. Everyone else is complaining about tailbone pain, but I could manage thanks to the fat acting as a cushion.”
She explained while nodding her fingers.
Despite the perception that she’s been raised delicately as the heir of Chanhwa, Baek Ahrin had actually been going on expeditions since she was little, mingling with the elders of her family.
It made perfect sense to have such experiences.
“Of course, it’s true it’s still uncomfortable compared to a fluffy cushion,” she remarked, leaving a grumble at the end.
Absentmindedly, I observed her lower body.
A tiny waist that looked like an ant contrasted with her wide hips. Without needing to look closely, I could feel the generous flesh through her tracksuit.
“Uh… yeah, you might be right.”
Sitting on the ground didn’t seem painful at all.
“Right?”
Baek Ahrin chuckled.
It sounded a bit indecent, so I hesitated to ask, but thinking twice, it didn’t seem like a bad remark.
I replied slightly awkwardly and sat on the cushion.
Soon, warm 떡 was served in several bowls.
“There are so many types…”
I was a bit surprised by the unexpected variety of 떡.
Dukbbokki, Mankyeongtteok, Mesaktteok… they had cakes with all sorts of interesting names.
The staff explained each 떡’s ingredients and the regions they came from.
“Shall we eat?”
“Yes, let’s eat well!”
There were so many choices that I pondered where to start, but for someone with bad taste and smell like me, it wasn’t a problem at all.
What truly mattered was the texture.
I picked a few types of 떡 for a small plate and cut them into bite-sized pieces with scissors.
This was for Seo-yul.
In my mind, he still seemed like a baby needing a bottle, but in reality, he was adept at using chopsticks and munching on meat all on his own.
After staring at the 떡 on his plate for a moment, Seo-yul finally moved.
He chose the sweet potato 떡.
“Yum.”
His mouth shut tight. Seo-yul’s eyes went wide as he chewed on the 떡.
“How is it? Is it tasty?”
“…Yes, it’s delicious.”
Seo-yul blinked and swallowed, confirming the sweet potato 떡 was to his liking, just like the sweet potato snack I made last time.
Seo-yul didn’t have picky eating habits. He’d devour meat, fruits, and veggies without voicing any dislikes.
Well, except for one thing.
Eggs… he loathed anything that came from an egg.
There was a time when I tried to feed him boiled eggs when he was starting baby food, just the yolk.
– “Nooooo!”
– “Seo-yul…?”
– “I don’t want eggs! I won’t eat it!”
That was when I witnessed a legendary temper tantrum from Seo-yul.
The boy who was gentle enough to make angels seem mean threw himself on the ground, thrashing his limbs in protest, and I was utterly shocked.
How could a kid who ate vegetables without hesitation suddenly act like that just at the sight of an egg?
I even tried showing him quail eggs thinking maybe he’d like those, but he went into a fit over those too.
Curiously, though, he loved chicken…
It was the greatest mystery of his extreme aversion to eggs.
Did he forget that he was supposedly ‘born from an egg’ like a legendary figure in creation mythology?
“Well, still…”
“Yeah?”
“Dad’s cooking is way tastier!”
While I was reminiscing, Seo-yul, busy chewing on his 떡, suddenly looked up to say that.
“Ahaha!”
“I’m so happy to hear you say that!”
I felt a warm surge of emotion.
Whether he actually loved my cooking didn’t matter.
What truly counted was the kindheartedness behind Seo-yul’s words.
“Who told you to say such sweet things? Huh?”
“Hehe! Dad taught me!”
I quickly scooped Seo-yul into a big hug as he giggled and rubbed his cheek against mine.
After filling our bellies, we roamed around the commercial district.
The main purpose of this outing was to buy ingredients, and I wanted to show Seo-yul the sights while keeping his hand firmly in mine.
I glanced around to observe the surroundings.
“Wow, it seems like a lot of students came out today.”
Suddenly, I felt that remark spill from my pendant.
It wasn’t strange that many people visited the commerciales district, but what was unusual was the high percentage of students among the visitors today.
“They probably all dashed out to blow off steam since the entrance exams just ended yesterday,” Baek Ahrin explained.
“Oh.”
After listening to her and checking the observations, it was clear that most students were freshmen and sophomores.
I had been dismissed on Thursday, not thinking much about it, but everyone else must have left on Friday night.
Having wrapped up significant events, they would be out to play and have some fun with their friends
Now that I mentioned it, I wondered if Hong Yeon-hwa and Elia, who said they had something to do, were playing with their friends too.
“…Is it really okay for you to be with me?”
“Uh? Out of the blue?”
“You’re helping me and letting me waste your time instead of enjoying and hanging out with your friends…”
While all the other students relaxed and enjoyed themselves, Baek Ahrin was dragged around with Seo-yul and me.
“Pfft, I’m actually having a great time right now!”
“Really?”
“Eating together, holding hands, and walking like this… This is resting and playing, isn’t it?”
When that thought popped in my head and I asked, Baek Ahrin shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “What do you mean?” and waved our entwined hands.
“Uh… okay…”
“Thank you for saying that.”
With a smile that lit up her face, I averted my gaze slightly.
It felt like my heart was fluttering.
“Now, let’s head to buy some ingredients,” I said, squeezing Seo-yul’s hand tightly and leading the way toward our destination.
I ignored the giggles of Baek Ahrin behind me.
The commercial district had plenty of convenience and entertainment facilities, but it also had many shops where you could buy materials for alchemy and metallurgy.
Though I had never stepped foot in such a place until now, today, I was ready.
“Hmm…”
I stroked my chin and observed the items on the nearby shelves.
I was on the second floor, a space stocked with metallurgy materials.
Thanks to that, most items on the shelves were ingots.
There were tools, including hammers, and a variety of potions used as catalysts were also neatly arranged.
“Wow, they have everything,” Baek Ahrin commented while glancing around.
As she said, they really had everything.
And the quality was impeccable.
No issues at all, as expected from a store certified by Shio-ram; they didn’t mess around with the products.
Seo-yul, still clutching my hand, was peering around with curiosity.
We passed the ingots. These primary materials were already taken care of and could be sourced elsewhere.
What I really needed was the secondary materials, including potions.
As I approached the shelf stocked with those, a staff member who had silently followed us since we entered spoke up.
The wall was filled with all sorts of secondary materials.
There were herbs in their raw form, shining power finely ground, and small glass bottles filled with liquids.
I checked the price tags on the shelves.
One tiny vial of potion cost a staggering amount, with a seven upfront and countless zeros trailing behind…
Having become somewhat accustomed to the world’s prices thanks to various rewards and earnings, I still found myself slightly disgusted at the amounts.
It was insane to see that sort of product completely covering one wall.
I pulled out a calculator for a moment.
I took into account the tasks I had to perform, the necessary materials, and gave a moment’s thought to additional items…
“Excuse me, staff?”
After finishing my calculations, I called over the attendant who had been standing behind me.
“Yes, what do you need?”
The attendant answered with a welcoming smile.
“I never expected to actually do this in real life.”
With a sheepish smile, I raised my hand and pointed to the leftmost shelf.
[Starting here…]
Then, I dragged my hand across to the rightmost shelf.
[And all the way to here, please give me everything.]
“Huh?”
A question mark popped over the staff’s head.
It wasn’t surprising that they reacted that way.
Just one potion carried such a price tag; for most people, purchasing that many would be a considerable financial burden.
But I was requesting not just a few but enough to fill a whole side of the building, which was a ridiculous amount!
Even with the rewards from defeating Siphna and the incident in the China case, plus my other incomes, I still felt the burden of that total.
But…
‘As a special admission student of Shio-ram, I’m invincible…’
I pulled the card the vice principal had given me from my pouch.
That day, I received a 30% discount plus an additional 65% off on these products.
My wallet felt a pinch as I made that purchase.
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