Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Hong Man-gi stood and headed toward the kitchen.

Then he carefully took a pale bone fragment from his inventory.

It was the "Silent Snow Bone" he had obtained from the BX-0 Dungeon.

Lee Yu-han saw it and asked in surprise,

"H, Hunter Hong Man-gi! Isn't that the Silent Snow Bone? The rare ingredient that turns memories into taste! You're going to use it now? But that woman hasn't really done anything for us, and honestly, she acted pretty unpleasantly when she first came here. Do we really need to go this far for her friend...?"

Lee Yu-han had a point.

During her previous visit, Reporter Park Seon-ju had acted rather arrogant and suspicious.

But Hong Man-gi shook his head.

"Yu-han. We don't do this because we're expecting something in return. And right now, what she wants more desperately than anything is for her friend to recover her memories. If we have a way to help, then we should."

Hong Man-gi's gaze was serious.

Holding the Silent Snow Bone, he approached Park Seon-ju again.

"Reporter Park. This is a very special ingredient I recently obtained from a dungeon. It's called the Silent Snow Bone. Apparently, if it's used in cooking, it can create a special taste capable of helping someone recover lost memories. It's an extremely valuable ingredient that can only be used once. If you're willing, may I use it to make a lunchbox for your friend?"

Park Seon-ju looked back and forth between Hong Man-gi and the bone fragment in disbelief.

"I, is something like that really possible? I know the Hunter world has things ordinary people don't understand, but I've never heard of something like that...."

"There's nothing to lose by trying, right? Trust me."

"Ah...."

A taste capable of stimulating memories even the person herself had forgotten.

It sounded like something from a fantasy novel.

But perhaps Hong Man-gi's serious gaze and sincere expression moved her heart.

She asked again.

"Um... really... could it actually work?"

Her voice trembled.

"I can't promise anything. But I think it's worth trying. Like I said, there's nothing to lose."

Hong Man-gi smiled gently.

"I'll prepare the lunchbox with everything I have. Please give it to your friend. And let's hope together that something good happens."

Park Seon-ju could no longer speak.

She simply cried endlessly and bowed to Hong Man-gi several times.

A single ray of hope found at the edge of despair.

Even if it sounded impossible, she clearly wanted to believe Hong Man-gi's sincerity.

Hong Man-gi turned toward Lee Yu-han and Poming.

"All right. We have one final job at the food cart. Maybe that's a good thing."

Poming bounced excitedly.

"A perfect ending to the first chapter! Poming is happy too! So, what should we make?"

"The food cart's final lunchbox!"

Hong Man-gi headed toward the cooking area.

* * *

Leaving Park Seon-ju behind, Hong Man-gi headed into the kitchen with Lee Yu-han and Poming.

The pale Silent Snow Bone rested in his hand.

One chance.

A special ingredient that might restore lost memories.

Failure was not acceptable.

"Chef! You're really going to cook with this? I still can't quite believe it."

"Yeah. We can do it. We've already done plenty of strange things."

"Wow... so something like this really is possible."

Lee Yu-han still looked dazed.

His eyes showed curiosity toward the Snow Bone, along with doubt about whether such a small fragment could really create a miracle.

"Since it's for Reporter Park's friend, we can't just make anything. What would be good...?"

Hong Man-gi carefully placed the Snow Bone on the counter.

"She's a patient, so something easy to digest and nutritious would be best. What do you think, Poming?"

Poming rested a tiny paw against her chin and thought.

Then her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Abalone porridge! Abalone porridge is perfect, Chef!"

"Abalone porridge?"

"Yes! Abalone is called the 'ginseng of the sea' because it's good for restoring energy! It's soft, easy to digest, and delicious! There isn't a better nourishing meal for a patient. And porridge should be perfect for holding the mysterious power of the Snow Bone too. All the flavors and energy of the ingredients blend smoothly together!"

Poming's explanation was quite convincing.

'Abalone porridge... Yeah, that really does fit.'

Hong Man-gi nodded.

For a patient in the hospital, especially someone who needed to recover memories, there did not seem to be a more suitable dish.

"Good. Let's make abalone porridge. Poming, you know the recipe, right?"

"Of course, Chef! Just trust Poming! Now presenting Poming's ultimate abalone porridge recipe!"

Poming moved her front paws like a tiny conductor as she began explaining the process.

Lee Yu-han listened as seriously as though he might take notes.

"First, the most important part, preparing the abalone! Scrub carefully between the shell and flesh so it doesn't smell earthy. Then use a spoon to separate the meat from the shell. After that, carefully remove the innards from the pointed end without breaking them! The innards are the key to the flavor of abalone porridge, so never throw them away!"

"Right. I've done this before when making grilled abalone."

Following Poming's instructions, Hong Man-gi skillfully prepared the fresh abalone.

His knife movements were quick and precise.

"Oh, right! Keep the innards separate. Slice the abalone meat thinly. Too thick and it'll be tough, too thin and you'll lose the texture. The right thickness is important! Yes, exactly like that!"

Hong Man-gi's cutting became even more delicate.

"And soak the glutinous rice in water beforehand!"

"I'll do that!"

Lee Yu-han quickly placed the glutinous rice in water.

Hong Man-gi drained the soaked rice in a strainer, then added sesame oil to a pot.

"Now add sesame oil to the pan and stir-fry the chopped abalone innards! Keep going until that rich smell rises. Then add the soaked glutinous rice and stir-fry it until the grains become slightly translucent...."

"It'd be good if every grain of rice could absorb the flavor of the innards."

"Oh! Exactly!"

[Sizzle]

The rich aroma of abalone innards cooking in sesame oil began spreading through the food cart.

Lee Yu-han swallowed without realizing it.

"Once the rice is nicely fried, add water and start cooking the porridge properly! About... seven times the amount of rice should work. If you think seven times, you'll probably pour around five or six times anyway, so be generous!"

"Okay. Then what?"

"Start over high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat and keep stirring! Otherwise it'll stick to the bottom and ruin the entire porridge!"

"Okay!"

Hong Man-gi silently stirred the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Before long, small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"The porridge is starting to soften. Add the sliced abalone meat now and keep cooking! Then season with soup soy sauce or salt. Hmm, let's use salt today! Don't make it too salty. The natural flavor of the abalone needs to remain strong!"

With Poming's passionate instructions and Hong Man-gi's careful hands, the abalone porridge became increasingly appetizing.

Tender pieces of abalone floated over the pale porridge.

Its savory aroma tickled their noses.

"Finally! Today's highlight!"

Poming pointed toward the Silent Snow Bone in Hong Man-gi's hand.

"Put the Snow Bone in now! If you add it when the porridge is almost finished, its mysterious power should melt into everything properly!"

"Right. The description said its special taste that stimulates memories appears when it's exposed to high heat."

Hong Man-gi took a deep breath.

Then he carefully dropped the Silent Snow Bone into the boiling abalone porridge.

The moment it sank into the porridge, a faint blue light flashed inside the pot.

At the same time, a mysterious fragrance unlike anything from before began rising.

It smelled almost like forgotten memories.

"It's done!"

Hong Man-gi stirred the porridge one final time and turned off the heat.

He covered the pot and let it rest.

Expectation and tension filled the food cart.

* * *

A short while later, Hong Man-gi placed the final dish of the food cart, "Abalone Porridge of Memory," into a neat lunchbox container.

Thin slices of abalone decorated the glossy pale porridge.

He carefully sprinkled seaweed flakes and sesame seeds over the top.

Just looking at it seemed comforting.

"All right. It's finished."

Hong Man-gi closed the lunchbox and handed it to Park Seon-ju.

She still looked as though she could not believe any of this.

But the warm and mysterious fragrance coming from the lunchbox seemed to pull her toward it.

"Can I really give this to Na-jin?"

Her voice trembled.

"Yes. And when you give her this lunchbox, give her your feelings too. Let her know how much you love and worry about her. Maybe those feelings will make the special power of this food even stronger."

Hong Man-gi smiled gently.

"Mm...."

Park Seon-ju could not say anything else.

She carefully accepted the lunchbox with both hands and repeatedly bowed to Hong Man-gi, Lee Yu-han, and Poming.

Instead of despair, the faintest trace of hope was beginning to appear in her eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

With those final words, Park Seon-ju hugged the lunchbox full of hope and left the food cart.

Her steps looked much lighter and quicker than before.

[Jingle]

The sound of the bell lingered in the food cart.

Hong Man-gi, Lee Yu-han, and Poming silently looked at one another.

Their faces showed exhaustion, but also pride from completing something meaningful.

"Chef, you're really amazing."

Lee Yu-han sincerely said.

"What's so amazing? We did it together."

Hong Man-gi replied with a smile.

"Poming is really curious about what happens next too!"

Poming flew onto Hong Man-gi's shoulder and rubbed her tiny body against his cheek.

"And today's final night at the food cart was a huge success! Poming is so, so happy to be with Chef!"

Hong Man-gi gently stroked Poming's head.

The final night of the food cart.

There was sadness, but something even greater was filling his heart.

Hope and anticipation for a new beginning.

A new dream called Full Moon Restaurant.