Chapter 57
Early the next morning.
Edward Kang's shiny black SUV stopped in front of Full Moon Restaurant.
"You're here?"
Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han happily welcomed him.
Edward Kang stepped out of the car with an awkward smile, then let Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han get inside.
A short while later, Master Lee Seon-young joined them as well.
And with that, their slightly unusual camping trip began.
The car left the crowded city and traveled along a quiet national road.
As green mountains and clear valleys spread beyond the windows, the intense tension they had felt inside the studio had long since melted away.
The awkward atmosphere inside the car quickly became friendly as they shared the fragrant plum tea and savory scorched-rice snacks Master Lee Seon-young had brought.
After driving for some time,
the car finally arrived at a small, cozy campground surrounded by a thick pine forest.
It was hard to believe such clear and refreshing air existed so close to Seoul.
The chirping of birds and the gentle sound of flowing valley water tickled their ears.
As the phytoncide-rich scent of the forest filled their lungs, relaxed smiles naturally appeared on all four faces.
"Wow! This place is really nice."
Lee Yu-han exclaimed as he got out of the car.
"Heh, the air practically tastes sweet. Oh my! Aren't those wild herbs over there? To think they're growing everywhere in a place like this... If I'd known, I would've brought a bigger basket."
Master Lee Seon-young also looked around with satisfaction.
Edward Kang proudly opened the trunk of his SUV.
Click.
The moment the trunk opened, Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han could only stare with their mouths open.
The trunk was packed so tightly with the latest high-end camping equipment that it looked as though an entire professional camping store had been moved inside.
There were ultralight titanium tables and chairs, a professional grilling set, and even a portable espresso machine.
His camping style was just as flashy and dependent on equipment as his cooking style.
"All right, shall we start building our cozy home?"
Edward Kang confidently pulled out the biggest and most expensive-looking tent bag and spread it across the ground.
But that confidence ended there.
Faced with complicated instructions, dozens of poles, and countless mysterious straps, he quickly began fumbling like a lost child.
"Huh? This... I put this pole through that hole... Wait, no, is it this side? Damn it, why are these instructions so complicated?!"
He inserted poles incorrectly, struggled with them, and nearly hit his own foot while trying to hammer in a peg.
All traces of the cold, arrogant charisma he had shown in the studio were gone.
"Pfft."
Lee Yu-han was the first to laugh.
Soon, Hong Man-gi and Master Lee Seon-young also burst out laughing.
Edward Kang's face turned bright red as he shouted.
"Don't laugh! Everyone is clumsy the first time they do something!"
At that moment, Lee Yu-han carefully approached.
"Um, Chef. Would you like me to try?"
"You? You know how to do this?"
Edward Kang asked suspiciously.
Instead of answering, Lee Yu-han skillfully assembled the scattered poles and began covering them with the tent fabric.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
His hands moved with surprising speed and familiarity.
As though he had done it countless times before, he built the tent without hesitation.
Less than ten minutes later,
the enormous tent that Edward Kang had struggled with for more than an hour stood proudly in the forest.
"Wow! Yu-han, that's incredible. Where did you learn how to do all this?"
Master Lee Seon-young asked in admiration.
Lee Yu-han awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Ah, I was an F-rank Hunter, so... I had to camp inside dungeons pretty often. I had to be good at things like this just to survive. I guess you could say I worked hard at life in my own way."
A brief silence followed his words.
That single sentence carried the hardships of his days as an F-rank Hunter.
Yet Lee Yu-han looked more proud than bitter, happy that his experience could finally help someone.
Edward Kang silently stared at the tent Lee Yu-han had built.
"Impressive...."
Once the tent was ready, everyone split up and began preparing dinner.
Edward Kang started preparing premium Korean beef sirloin.
Lee Yu-han handled the hard work, lighting the charcoal and washing vegetables.
Master Lee Seon-young picked up her herb basket and headed into the forest.
Like greeting old friends, she skillfully found chamnamul, chwinamul, wild chives, and other fragrant mountain greens among the weeds.
"Heh, tonight we'll enjoy a precious meal gifted by nature itself. I'll make a fragrant seasoned wild-herb dish with these."
A warm, motherly smile filled her face.
Meanwhile, Hong Man-gi carefully took something out of an icebox.
Inside a transparent container was a soft, translucent lump of blue liquid.
It was the slime from the low-level monster Bagi they had killed inside the BX-0 Dungeon.
"Hunter, you're really going to cook with that?"
Lee Yu-han asked with fascination.
"Of course. This is going to become a very special dessert."
Hong Man-gi poured the slime liquid into a pot, added a little sugar and lemon juice, then slowly heated it over low heat.
The soft slime gradually thickened like jelly, releasing a sweet and refreshing fragrance.
He poured the finished jelly into small bowls and placed them in the cold valley water to chill.
* * *
When evening came, the four gathered around the campfire.
The table was covered with the generous dishes they had prepared together.
Edward Kang's perfectly grilled medium-rare Korean beef steak.
Master Lee Seon-young's fragrant freshly picked wild-herb salad and savory doenjang stew.
And Hong Man-gi's mysterious blue Monster Slime Jelly.
These were dishes made not for competition, but purely for sharing.
It was a warmer and richer feast than food from any Michelin restaurant.
"All right, everyone worked hard, so let's have a drink!"
Edward Kang said as he poured Master Lee Seon-young's medicinal rice wine instead of wine.
The four clinked their glasses and praised one another's efforts.
"Wow! This steak is seriously a work of art!"
Lee Yu-han exclaimed.
"Master, the fragrance of your seasoned wild herbs is incredible."
Hong Man-gi also praised her without hesitation.
"But Chef Hong, what exactly is this blue jelly? I've never seen food like this in my life."
Edward Kang pointed at the Monster Slime Jelly with curious eyes.
"Try it first. It's a special dessert you can only taste from dungeon ingredients."
"D, dungeon? You mean the dungeon I'm thinking of?"
"Yes, of course. My main job is being a Hunter, after all."
"Oh... interesting."
The three hesitantly took spoonfuls of the jelly.
The moment they placed it in their mouths,
a springy texture and sweet-and-sour flavor spread refreshingly across their tongues.
At the same time, both Edward Kang and Master Lee Seon-young felt a mysterious burst of refreshing vitality spread throughout their bodies.
"Oh! Oho!"
Master Lee Seon-young's eyes widened.
"What a fascinating food! My body feels so light, almost as if I've become younger!"
"Impossible! This is really made from a monster? It feels like all my fatigue disappeared!"
Edward Kang could not hide his surprise either.
"Chef Hong, is there any way I can become a Hunter too? If I could cook with ingredients like these, I'd change careers right now!"
Everyone burst out laughing at his joke.
With delicious food, drinks, and beautiful nature around them, the awkward boundaries between them completely disappeared.
They were no longer competitors from the studio.
They were becoming good companions who could laugh and talk together.
* * *
The night deepened, and the flames of the campfire burned even warmer.
Under the full moon in the night sky, their small campfire became more than simple rest.
It was creating new bonds, understanding, and positive energy for the final ahead.
After laughing and talking for quite some time, Edward Kang, now somewhat drunk, was the first to open his heart.
He stared at the cup of medicinal rice wine in his hand, then looked at Hong Man-gi with an expression far more serious than before.
"Chef Hong, no, Mr. Hong Man-gi."
"Yes."
"To be honest, at first, I couldn't acknowledge you. I thought you were some amateur who came out of nowhere and got through Round 1 because you were lucky. So when I was teamed with you in Round 2, I honestly felt despair. I thought you would drag me down."
"Ah...."
He smiled bitterly at himself and continued.
"But in the end, I was the one who dragged everyone down. My arrogance and hasty judgment almost ruined everything. I know very well that without you at that desperate moment, we would've been finished."
Edward Kang, affected by the alcohol, rose from his seat and bowed deeply to Hong Man-gi.
"I was truly sorry back then. And I'm genuinely grateful. Watching you made me realize how arrogant I had been, and how much I had forgotten the true essence of cooking. I learned from you that cooking isn't about flashy techniques or expensive ingredients. It's about the wisdom to overcome a crisis and the heart to trust your companions."
Master Lee Seon-young, who had been watching, filled her glass and spoke gently.
"I also learned a great deal from young Hong."
She looked warmly at Hong Man-gi.
"I've spent my entire life under the weight of Korean cuisine's traditions and rules. To be honest, I was afraid of stepping away from the established path and established methods. So when I first saw your Spicy Cream Jeyuk Rice Bowl, I did look down on it as a dish without roots."
After saying that, she smiled faintly.
"But after tasting your food and spending time with you today, I realized something. Protecting tradition is important, but having the courage to face new challenges is just as important. Your cooking has an amazing power. You don't throw away the old, yet you still create something new. That is instinctive talent. And that talent taught this old woman something important."
At Master Lee Seon-young's encouragement, Hong Man-gi lowered his head shyly.
He had never imagined he would hear praise like this from one of Korea's greatest culinary masters.
"Thank you. It's an incredible honor to hear you say that."
When Hong Man-gi bowed, Lee Yu-han's eyes grew wet as if he could no longer contain his emotions.
He also opened his heart.
"If I hadn't come here, if I hadn't met Hunter Hong Man-gi... I would probably still be an F-rank Hunter wandering around dungeon entrances in despair. Even sitting here with incredible people like Chef Edward and Master Lee Seon-young feels like a dream to me."
Hong Man-gi silently placed a hand on Lee Yu-han's shoulder and gave it a calm squeeze.
