Side Story 13. The Star Shines Again (1/2)
“Jihu~ I’m he...re?”
Baek Haeju, who entered Paradise after finishing her cafe work, sniffled. The smell of ramen had saturated Seol Jihu’s restaurant.
“Ah?”
Looking around, Baek Haeju found the restaurant in total chaos—tables and chairs toppled over, shattered bowls and plates, and splattered soup and ramen noodles that had dried up on the floor.
Lying in the middle of all this mess was Seol Jihu, looking up at the ceiling blankly.
“J-Jihu?”
“Keuhehehehe….”
Baek Haeju couldn’t tell whether he was laughing or crying.
“Why….”
A pair of shaded eyes glanced at Baek Haeju.
“Are you here… to laugh at my ramen too…?”
Baek Haeju’s eyes widened.
‘Don’t tell me.’
She had never seen Seol Jihu in so much despair and anger. Even his big-sulk state wasn’t this bad.
“Jihu!”
Baek Haeju ran up in a hurry and embraced Seol Jihu.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. I don’t know what happened, but it’s alright now….”
Seol Jihu’s expression loosened gradually.
“Don’t cry….”
Baek Haeju’s eyelids trembled as she repeatedly caressed Seol Jihu’s cheek.
“Keuk…!”
“Jihu, my Jihu….”
Inside the messy restaurant, only the crying voices of the duo rang out.
*
After returning from an expedition, Eun Yuri, Yi Seol-Ah, Chung Chohong, and Phi Sora immediately headed to Luxuria’s temple. It was because they heard from Kim Hannah that Seol Jihu was staying inside the intensive care unit like a cripple.
“Hey, Seol!”
Chung Chohong brushed off a group of Priests trying to stop her and threw the door open.
“What the hell happened!?”
Seol Jihu was lying in bed, not moving an inch like a dead fish. It seemed he hadn’t eaten for days as he looked like a skeleton.
“What…. Just who did this to you…!?”
Chohong couldn’t hide her shock after seeing his state.
Seol Jihu’s head flopped to the side. After looking at the speechless Chohong…
“Ah….”
Transparent tears streamed down his face.
“Cho….”
“Yeah, it’s me! Me! Can you recognize me?”
“Chohong….”
“That’s right! Why are you crying, dude!? Don’t cry!”
“Chohong…!”
In the end, he burst out crying. Unable to hold back his tears, Seol Jihu ran into Chohong’s embrace.
Chohong hugged Seol Jihu in the heat of the moment and patted his back. She was taken aback in the next moment, though, as Seol Jihu dug into her breasts like a drill.
“T-That’s right. A grown-up man shouldn’t be crying.”
Rub, rub~
“Just tell me who did this.”
Rub, rub~
“Come on. Tell me what happened! I’ll grab my Thorn of Steel and….”
Rub, rub~
“...That’s enough, you son of a bitch!”
Chohong kicked Seol Jihu off.
“Ah, what was that for!?”
Seeing Seol Jihu thrown to the bed, Yi Seol-Ah yelled in fright.
“Look at this!”
Chohong pointed at her chest area and yelled. Her shirt was stained with Seol Jihu’s tears and snot.
“Come on! He’s emotionally hurt!”
Yi Seol-Ah glared at Chohong before opening her arms to Seol Jihu.
“Orabeo-nim! Over here!”
“No, come here.”
Eun Yuri also spread her arms out.
Seol Jihu looked back and forth between the two women…
“....”
...before making a very disappointed face.
How should he put it? It was as if they weren’t enough to satisfy him.
Then, seeing Phi Sora, who was dazedly standing in the back, he immediately got up and trudged over.
“Miss Phi Sora….”
“Hmm?”
“Miss Phi Sora…!”
“Eeeh? Why are you targeting me?”
“Is my ramen… bad…?”
Seol Jihu blurted out an abrupt question. Phi Sora flinched while trying to push off the stealthily clinging Seol Jihu.
“...No, it’s delicious.”
“Delicious…?”
“Yes. You know I go crazy for it. Why, did someone say it was bad?”
Seol Jihu’s complexion darkened noticeably. Recalling what happened that day, strength escaped his limbs. It was so bad that he gave up on Phi Sora’s breasts and trudged back to his bed.
“Wait a minute, is that what this is about?”
Phi Sora asked while dusting her clothes.
Seol Jihu dejectedly dropped his head in response.
“Just because of that…!?”
Phi Sora muttered dumbfoundedly before smacking her lips. It was because she remembered the absurd status window Ira showed her not too long ago. No matter what, Seol Jihu’s passion for his ramen was real.
“Come on, hold your head up high! People have different tastes. It’s only natural for some people not to like it!”
It was then.
“I agree as well.”
An aged voice suddenly barged in.
Seol Jihu’s eyes widened.
“Master Ian?”
Ian was standing by the door. Next to him was Seo Yuhui, who was looking at him with worried eyes. Since Seol Jihu wasn’t showing signs of getting better, she had brought Ian to Paradise as a special measure.
“I heard what happened. You suffered a loss, huh?”
Ian walked in with a gentle smile.
“I won’t say it’s not a big deal since you’re a restaurant owner and a chef. But satisfying everyone’s taste is a very, very difficult thing. You might even say that it’s near impossible.”
“Right….”
“All you can do is try your best to satisfy everyone as much as possible. Failure is only natural in that process. Haven’t you heard of the saying, failure is the mother of all success?”
“I have… but….”
Seol Jihu gave a sorrowful, bitter smile.
“I guess… it was only natural for me to fail….”
Right, the opponents he faced were too difficult. Satisfying the palates of Heaven-rank 9 gods wasn’t something a mere human could do.
“I must have dreamed too big.”
A dream that could never come true.
“When there’s nothing you can do… right, that would be when you should give up.”
Seol Jihu dropped his head. It seemed as if he had given up completely.
Seeing this, Ian’s expression sank. He seemed a little angry, as well.
“This reminds me of the past.”
Ian spoke.
“Do you remember when we first met?”
“Pardon…?”
“During the Forest of Denial expedition, I mean. Surely, you remember what I said to you when we first met.”
Ian said while stroking his white beard.
“My friend, do you like titties?”
Seol Jihu doubted his ears. Just what the heck was Ian talking about all of a sudden?
“Master Ian, I’m not sure what you’re….”
“Just answer me. Do you like them?”
“...Yes.”
“I don’t know. I think your answer is too half-hearted.”
Ian chuckled.
“To me, it doesn’t look like you do.”
Seol Jihu blinked.
“You are a fan of big titties. You don’t even glance at small ones. Wouldn’t it be right to say you’re into big titties and not all titties?”
“...Master Ian, excuse me, but I’m not following what you’re trying to say.”
What Ian said wasn’t wrong by any means. It wasn’t as if Seol Jihu disagreed, but he just couldn’t understand how his taste in titties had anything to do with this matter.
“Hmm….”
Ian stared at Seol Jihu. He seemed a little disappointed and regretful.
“I didn’t believe it at first… but it seems the rumors were true.”
“Rumors?”
“Mmm. Rumors that the hero and legend of Paradise, who exterminated even the Parasite Queen, fell into a rut and lost his former glory.”
Seol Jihu furrowed his brows. There was no way he wouldn’t know who Ian was talking about.
“If it were the man I knew….”
If it were the man who risked his life at Arden Valley to lure the Parasites, brought up the incredible Delphinion Duchy Laboratory rescue plan, and led the Spirit Realm expedition to success despite countless hurdles blocking his way…
“Then, at the very least, he would have thought about this matter again and racked his brain to solve the problem.”
Seol Jihu’s eyes slowly narrowed.
“Well, I understand. A long time has gone by since then.”
Ian clicked his tongue.
“Still, I’m disappointed.”
Those words were the final straw.
Seol Jihu’s face contorted.
Clunk!
The bed shook.
Seol Jihu shot up and glared at Ian.
Ian, however, brushed off his piercing gaze.
“J-Jihu!”
“Master Ian!”
A few women stepped between them.
After glaring at Ian for some time…
“Ah, okay, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
Seol Jihu muttered a few words before stomping past him.
Koong!
He slammed the door shut, and his footsteps quickly grew further away.
“Master Ian….”
Not sure what to do, Seo Yuhui sent Ian a resentful look.
“You shouldn’t have been so harsh. He’s already in a great shock….”
Ian closed his eyes and sighed.
“Anybody here wants to be my drinking buddy for today?”
He spoke with a hint of bitterness.
“I don’t feel too good. I’m going to need alcohol to soothe my stomach.”
Smacking his lips at the bitter taste, he turned around.
*
“Hmph!”
Seol Jihu stomped out of the temple in a huff.
‘What? I fell into a rut? He’s disappointed?’
He was dumbstruck, just thinking about it. He felt wronged.
‘He doesn’t know anything.’
I did everything I could. I tried my best!
‘He doesn’t even know who I’m up against…!’
What would Master Ian be able to do against Heaven-rank 9 gods? Seol Jihu grumbled angrily.
Walking while lost in thought, Seol Jihu found himself in front of his restaurant. After glaring at it for a long time, Seol Jihu tore off the ‘Temporarily Closed’ sign and shouted.
“We’re open!”
Because of his loud voice, his surroundings immediately buzzed.
“We’re open for business! We’re open for business!”
After shouting a couple more times, Seol Jihu walked in angrily and prepared to open the shop.
As the restaurant had been closed for a long time, a large crowd quickly gathered and filled up the available seats in the restaurant.
‘This is more like it.’
Every customer couldn’t hide their shock at the flavor of the ramen and left satisfied.
‘This is my ramen. This is normal. Those goddesses were the strange ones.’
It was fine even if people called him out for being complacent. A pine caterpillar should eat pine leaves, not oak leaves.
“Iya~ I can never get enough of this.”
“Exactly! You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to eat this again!”
“Do you want me to teach you a way to make it tastier?”
“How?”
Seeing a couple that was happily enjoying his ramen, Seol Jihu smiled in satisfaction.
‘I wasn’t… wrong.’
It was then.
“Take a closer look. You put this in and then….”
Seol Jihu jumped in a startle. It was because the man took out canned tuna and poured it into the ramen bowl.
“W-Wait!”
When Seol Jihu shouted, the couple looked back at him, confused.
“That….”
“Yes?”
“That isn’t how you eat ramen….”
“Hmm? Is there a set way to eat ramen?”
The woman asked.
“Of course, not. The best way is to eat it how you like it.”
And hearing the man’s reply, Seol Jihu became speechless.
“But… the ramen has its original flavor….”
“What original flavor? Besides, why do you care how we eat it? I know plenty of people who do this!”
The man continued.
“It’s written on the ramen pack too. That you can add green onions and other ingredients to make it better.”
“Exactly.”
The woman pouted.
‘W-What?’
Seol Jihu hurriedly ran to the trash can and looked for a ramen pack. Then, when he read the back…
“!”
His eyes split open.
He gasped. He had a shocked expression as if he was punched in the back of his head.
‘No….’
Seol Jihu’s eyes trembled.
‘No way….’