028. There Are Flavors Like This Too
Kim Seongju.
Thirty-three years old this year.
It had been thirteen years since he left the countryside and moved to Seoul.
That much time had already passed.
Back when he lived in a rural village where the smell of fertilizer filled the air every spring...
He had believed that Seoul would be filled only with comfortable apartments and tall buildings.
He thought he would live a clean and pleasant life there.
He never imagined he would move from one tiny studio apartment to another while constantly worrying about losing his deposit.
Was the independent life he once dreamed of better than the fertilizer-smelling countryside?
No.
A narrow, expensive studio apartment where noise from upstairs and through the walls never stopped, day or night.
Deposit 20 million won, monthly rent 800,000 won, maintenance fee separate, recent ceiling leak discovered, elevator frequently broken.
Brutal living costs.
Subways and buses overflowing with people.
Roads overflowing with cars.
Student loans he wondered whether he could repay within his lifetime.
Even after receiving his salary, his bank account would be empty again the next day.
Sure, Seoul offered more opportunities for culture, concerts, and entertainment than the countryside.
But when would he ever have time to enjoy them?
If he wanted to avoid being pushed out of the job he had barely earned after becoming an Awakened...
He had no choice but to wake earlier than everyone else and leave work later.
So...
Meals were simply something he ate to stay alive.
When was the last time he had truly enjoyed food?
Convenience stores.
Fast food.
It was not that food from those places was bad.
But eating it every day was a different matter.
There was a reason why Kim Seongju, despite being fairly tall, weighed less than seventy kilograms.
If a person could not even find happiness in eating...
Where were they supposed to find happiness?
Because Yang Suho knew how difficult life in Seoul could be, he absolutely refused to send away his guest from Seoul without feeding him properly, no matter how busy things were.
“I didn’t prepare much, but I hope you enjoy it. Please eat.”
It was only natural that Assistant Manager Kim Seongju’s eyes widened when he saw the so-called simple meal Yang Suho had brought.
A huge table was literally covered in seasonal seafood.
The Peekaboo Stone Sea Squirts, filled with the scent of the sea, had been neatly split in half to reveal the edible flesh inside.
The Dragon Palace Rockfish had been grilled.
The Jewel Sea Bream had been sliced into sashimi so beautifully that it looked almost too pretty to eat.
“What? You didn’t prepare... much... Huh?”
And the other seafood casually placed beside the three main dishes was no less impressive.
Gooseneck barnacles, named Turtle Hands because they resembled turtle feet.
Sea hare, a name unfamiliar to many people, lightly steamed or blanched.
Various shellfish from clams to venus clams, common throughout the southern sea, sat open while releasing white steam.
Fresh seaweed and other sea vegetables fluttered on the side.
Kim Seongju’s eyes wandered through the seafood paradise.
Then his gaze stopped on a crustacean he had never seen before.
It was not shrimp.
Not lobster.
Not crab.
“Ah, this is probably your first time seeing it, right? It’s called Ppeongseol Crab.”
Yang Suho noticed what Kim Seongju was looking at and quickly explained.
“Ppeongseol Crab...?”
Yang Suho added that the name came from how it was caught.
You poked a stick into the hole where the crab lived.
Then quickly pulled it out.
The creature jumped out with a ppeong sound.
That was where its name came from.
“A neighbor who raises clams on the nearby tidal flat gave them to me. They’re incredibly good steamed. Oh, and this is raw sea squirt flesh.”
Yang Suho smiled while pointing toward an unfamiliar orange object served in a white bowl.
Raw sea squirt?
The same soft thing that sometimes appeared in soybean paste stew and burst when you bit it?
“You can really only eat it fresh near where it’s harvested. Freshness is extremely important. Come on, please eat.”
Yang Suho encouraged him with a smile.
Daldal, the Spirit Otter who remained beside Yang Suho, joined the meal.
Orlan, the bird of prey who had somehow silently flown inside, also sat nearby and watched Kim Seongju with intense eyes.
Kim Seongju picked up his chopsticks while watching everyone’s reactions.
What should he eat first?
Maybe the raw seafood...
His chopsticks wandered uncertainly for a while.
Then, after brief hesitation, they boldly moved toward the raw sea squirt.
As expected...
The orange flesh was endlessly soft.
It even shook slightly at the tip of his chopsticks.
Kim Seongju prepared himself mentally.
Then he placed it directly into his mouth.
The texture felt exactly like it looked.
Soft, unfamiliar, almost strangely delicate.
But immediately afterward...
!?
What was this incredible fragrance rushing toward him like a storm?
Kim Seongju’s eyes widened.
A bomb of pure ocean fragrance, unlike anything he had experienced before, exploded across his tongue.
An orange wave surged through his mouth.
In an instant, it swept away every other thought in his head.
All he could do was focus on the taste of the raw sea squirt.
A fragrance fresh enough to compare with flowers or herbs.
A surprisingly firm elasticity that pushed back against his teeth.
And more than anything...
The refreshing aroma bursting out with every bite.
His eyes widened and refused to close.
“Delicious, right?”
Yang Suho’s crescent-shaped eyes looked toward Kim Seongju.
“It’s... It’s unbelievably delicious!”
Kim Seongju made a fuss.
Dry and exhausted Seoul man Kim Seongju had forgotten how to exaggerate out of politeness more than ten years ago.
His reaction was completely genuine.
He even forgot there were other people watching and began rapidly eating the raw sea squirt.
Then his eyes landed on the Jewel Sea Bream sashimi that Yang Suho had raised himself.
Forgetting his dignity, his chopsticks advanced.
Good grief, I can feel the elasticity even through the chopsticks.
The sashimi clung to the plate so firmly that it almost felt like it resisted being picked up.
As if enchanted, Kim Seongju placed a slice of fresh Jewel Sea Bream sashimi into his mouth.
~~~~!!
His molars felt like they were bouncing on a sashimi trampoline!
The incredible elasticity struck him first.
Then came the surprising sweetness and savory richness.
The fat stored inside the spring-season Jewel Sea Bream was released by his bite.
It wrapped around his tongue and coated it smoothly.
Kim Seongju closed his eyes without realizing it.
He wanted to enjoy the flavor for as long as possible.
But...
