Chapter 11.2

Chapter 11.2

What did Cheong-seon mean when he mentioned “Geumsang” earlier? Was he referring to Kim Seok-kyung? In historical dramas, they call the king “Geumsang Jeonha,” right? That Geumsang?

If you live for about four hundred years, you probably collect a lot of nicknames. He sure has many: older brother, king, Geumsang, Mr. Kim Seok-kyung…

“I have something to discuss with these people, so go on inside.” Seok-kyung’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Somehow, Seok-kyung had picked up the phone Ara had dropped and handed it to her. He then grabbed Cheong-seon’s hoodie and yanked it.

“Gah, handsome Cheong-seon is dying!”

Cheong-seon flailed exaggeratedly, choking. Hong-seon, standing beside him, looked at Cheong-seon with an exasperated expression.

Ara hesitated for a moment, fiddling with the phone Seok-kyung handed her.

“Aren’t you going to prepare lunch? If we’re late for mealtime, Baek-seol will throw a fit again.”

Seok-kyung urged her once more.

Right. I almost forgot. One of my tasks is to cater to our temperamental Bak-seol.

Ara turned to head back into the house but then paused. Her round eyes blinked slowly as she glanced over her shoulder.

“The two of them, or rather, Mr. Lee Cheong-seon and Mr. Lee Hong-seon will be joining us for the meal, right?”

“Haha, did you hear that? She called me Mr. Lee Cheong-seon. It’s the first time anyone has called me that… Oof!”

Cheong-seon’s complaint was abruptly cut off as Hong-seon’s hand clamped over his mouth. Seok-kyung clicked his tongue and looked at Ara.

“If you serve them, they’ll eat. If not, they’ll starve.”

“What?”

“It’s up to you.”

With that, Seok-kyung started dragging Cheong-seon away. Hong-seon gave Ara a slight bow before following them.

“Ara! I’d like some cold dongchimi noodles… Ow! Why did you hit me! That hurts!” Cheong-seon’s voice, now freed, echoed loudly across the wide yard.

“Good grief. Not a single goblin is normal.” Ara sighed as she headed back to the house. She needed to hurry to make enough food for six people.

***

While Seok-kyung disappeared with the two goblins for a while, Ara quickly filled the large dining table. The bubbling sound of stew cooking accompanied the steam rising from the freshly cooked multigrain rice, creating a symphony.

“Ara, you’re so quick with your hands. Truly befitting of my nanny and chef.”

Baek-seol wagged her tail, drawn by the delicious smells. Despite her refined speech, her white fur around her mouth was already glistening with drool.

“Of course. Believe it or not, I used to be the head chef at a very large Korean restaurant.”

Ara smiled proudly as she ladled out the doenjang jjigae into bowls.

One of the most significant lessons she had learned while working at the restaurant was how to prepare large quantities of food, maintaining a high standard, within a set time frame. Although the rush could be overwhelming at times, getting through a busy meal service brought an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

“Make sure you press down my rice. I’m going to eat three bowls for lunch.”

“Of course. You can eat five bowls if you want. We have plenty of rice since we have a lot of people.”

Baek-seol chuckled, her tail thumping against the floor.

So adorable.

Ara smiled inwardly as she placed six soup bowls on the table, one by one.

“Of course. You can eat five bowls if you want. We have plenty of rice since we have more people.”

Baek-seol chuckled and thumped her tail against the floor.

‘So cute.’

Ara smiled inwardly as she placed six bowls of soup on the table one by one.

“If you serve them, they’ll eat. If not, they’ll starve.” Although Seok-kyung said that, Ara still prepared meals for Cheong-seon and Hong-seon.

Considering how they had scared her, she could have beaten them with the rice paddle, but it still wouldn’t have been enough. Her heart had nearly stopped when she thought they were really hurt.

“Ara, do you know what the most disappointing thing in the world is? It’s making a fuss over food. No matter what, you shouldn’t mistreat people over their meals.”

Ara had inherited this steadfast belief from the wise Madam Jeong Mal-soon, her grandmother, who had lived by it for eighty years. Despite how much she might dislike someone, she wouldn’t discriminate when it came to food.

That principle was Jeong Mal-soon’s life-long loyalty, and Ara had always strived to honor it.

Even though these goblins were all out of their minds. She couldn’t let them starve.

As Ara placed the last bowl of soup on the table, Seol-do entered the dining area and pointed over his shoulder.

“Hey, crazy dog. The lunatic is here.”