Early in the morning, Karsiel was the first to wake up and walk into the living room. Although dragons were mostly unaffected by the weather, she wore a pink polka-dot pajama set that matched Yoon-Hee’s. Stifling a small yawn, she nodded in greeting to Do-Jun, who was reading the newspaper. “Good morning, Master.” “You’re up early today,” Do-Jun commented with a smile as he sipped his coffee. The clock on the wall showed it was just ten minutes past six. Walking into the kitchen, Do-Jun fried some sliced ham and eggs, preparing a simple breakfast for the two of them. After he finished assembling two sandwiches, he set them on the table with glasses of milk. “I-I should have made us breakfast...” Karsiel stammered, looking flustered. However, as soon as she took a bite of the sandwich Do-Jun had made, she began to eat with an expression of pure joy, as if she were the happiest person in the world. Do-Jun chuckled and wiped away a bit of apple jam from Karsiel’s lips with a wet tissue. “Is it good?” he asked. Do-Jun returned to reading his newspaper while eating his sandwich and sipping coffee. While stuffing her mouth with the sandwich, Karsiel found herself unconsciously staring at Do-Jun’s face. Noticing that, Do-Jun asked, “Are you still hungry?” “N-no!” Karsiel stammered. “Let me know if you want more.” It had already been eight months since Karsiel followed Yong-Yong and settled on Earth. Living in Korea and observing countless humans, Karsiel found herself increasingly fascinated by Do-Jun, and there were several reasons for this. The first was undoubtedly his power. Karsiel was convinced that Do-Jun was the strongest being across all dimensions. Many challengers had tested his strength, but each time, Do-Jun effortlessly overpowered them. In the Core’s ecosystem, humans were seen as one of the lowest-ranking species, which made Do-Jun’s incredible strength even more paradoxical. The second reason was that, despite his strength, Do-Jun seemed entirely free of greed. Most powerful individuals naturally sought to display their strength and earn recognition from others. Yet Do-Jun seldom intervened unless it was absolutely necessary, and he never flaunted his power. The third reason was his demeanor. Do-Jun hardly ever showed emotion, radiating a calmness reminiscent of a sage who had transcended worldly concerns. Whether in anger, sorrow, or joy, he never reacted strongly. “Ah.” Before she realized it, Karsiel had finished her sandwich. Although Do-Jun’s cooking wasn’t necessarily exceptional, his food always had a simple, comforting flavor. More importantly, eating his meals brought a sense of calm and stability. “Um, Master,” Karsiel said cautiously. “Have you ever been scared?” She finally asked a question she had long kept to herself. It was a broad question, since fear could take many forms. Still, Karsiel assumed that even Do-Jun must have faced some type of fear at least once. “I’m sure I have,” Do-Jun answered. Do-Jun reflected on his past self—his life before being transported to the Central Plains. He barely remembered those days, but he imagined that his former, weaker self must have often felt fear. “I-I’m surprised,” Karsiel said. “I thought you wouldn’t feel those emotions...” Do-Jun chuckled at Karsiel’s astonished expression. “If a scary enough situation ever arises, I’m sure I’ll feel fear just like anyone else.” No one was completely free from fear. While such a state might be ideal, Do-Jun knew he was only human. How could anyone, short of being a god, remain unaffected in the face of true fear? That said, he doubted he would ever encounter such a situation again. Today’s lunch was a pre-packed lunchbox. Do-Jun, Cheol-Soo, and Hyuk-Soo gathered in the staff lounge to eat. On the large screen TV in the lounge, a program titled That Man’s Table was playing. It was a rerun of a cooking show, as its name suggested. “That show’s really popular,” Cheol-Soo remarked, eating a piece of pork cutlet. Though it aired on cable, the show boasted an impressive eight percent viewership rating. Hyuk-Soo nodded in agreement. “I also tune in regularly.” “Yes. Sometimes I even try making the recipes.” “Right, I forgot that you live alone.” ⌜Once the kimchi ferments, add green onions and red pepper powder.⌟ As the others chatted, Do-Jun watched the screen, where the chef was making kimchijjigae. The sight suddenly brought back memories of when Yong-Yong tried to make kimchi jjigae. Its shockingly awful taste was still stuck in his mind, making him sigh. ⌜Thank you for watching this week’s That Man’s Table, and see you next week!⌟ As the show ended, Yong-Yong felt a surge of excitement welling up inside him. The chef’s smooth commentary and skillful cooking reignited a dormant passion within him. He turned off the TV with the remote, displaying a resolute expression. Normally, he wouldn’t have felt this way, but today was different, and that was because this week’s featured dish was kimchi jjigae. “Lord Izaas...?” Karsiel said nervously. She had been folding laundry, but now she silently prayed that it wasn’t what she feared. Yong-Yong’s cooking, especially his kimchi jjigae, was notoriously dreadful. It was baffling how he managed to make something so bad using the same ingredients as everyone else. “You’re not thinking of making kimchi jjigae again, are you?” Karsiel’s trembling voice revealed her dread. The sight amused Yong-Yong, who chuckled softly. He was well aware of how terrible his last kimchi jjigae had been. Even someone as oblivious as him wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. “Don’t worry. I’ll follow the recipe to a tee this time,” he said and gave a thumbs-up. “I’m not an idiot, you know.” Yong-Yong’s answer somewhat relieved Karsiel. “I’m going to the store to get ingredients.” Following the recipe from That Man’s Table meant there wouldn’t be a disaster this time. The jjigae on the show had been a textbook example of a simple yet effective recipe, one even a novice could replicate. “See you later then, Lord Izaas.” Karsiel returned to folding laundry in peace. A short while later, Yong-Yong returned from the store, unpacking the groceries: pork collar, tofu, chili peppers, and green onions. Karsiel, who had been quietly studying Hangul, stood up and moved closer to inspect the contents. “Looks fine,” she said, relieved. “Haha, I told you not to worry about it,” Yong-Yong said. “Let me help, Lord Izaas.” “It’s okay, you go rest.” Karsiel returned to her seat, and Yong-Yong started preparing to make kimchi jjigae. He took out aged kimchi from the fridge and beef broth seasoning from the pantry. Watching from afar, Karsiel checked to make sure no unusual ingredients were added. Fortunately, everything appeared normal. “Lalalala♪” Yong-Yong hummed a cheerful tune as he started washing rice. Having learned how to cook rice properly from Anne last time, he found it easy. After placing the rice in the cooker, he filled a pot with rice water, tossed in the pork collar, and set it to boil. Yong-Yong bounced around the kitchen, full of energy, humming nonstop as if he was having the time of his life. Now that Karsiel thought about it, Yong-Yong seemed to really enjoy cooking. Maybe he had fully adapted to life on Earth. She glanced at the clock, realizing it was 6:30 PM and that it was about time for Do-Jun to return. The automatic lock beeped, and the front door opened. Karsiel stood up from her studies and went to greet Do-Jun at the entrance, bowing politely. Do-Jun smiled, patting Karsiel on the head before stepping inside. Then, he paused. As he walked into the living room, his steps faltered but then resumed as if nothing had happened, heading straight to the kitchen. There, he saw Yong-Yong, fully absorbed in making kimchi jjigae, humming as he worked. Pork collar and aged kimchi floated in the fiery red broth in the pot. “Huff! Master, welcome back!” Yong-Yong wagged his tail energetically, grinning at Do-Jun. Do-Jun nodded briefly, then went to the bedroom to change out of his suit before heading to the bathroom. After finishing his shower, Do-Jun sat on the sofa, quietly reading a newspaper. From time to time, he folded the newspaper and set it on the table, lost in thought. His calm demeanor returned as he briefly closed his eyes before starting to read again. This entire cycle took just a minute. Yong-Yong added tofu to the boiling stew with a loud plop. The kitchen was so quiet that the sound of the tofu hitting the broth sounded particularly loud. Do-Jun lowered his newspaper slightly to glance toward the kitchen. Karsiel, still studying, noticed something different about Do-Jun. Though his expression was as composed as ever, his actions seemed subtly off. “Hmm, is this right...?” Yong-Yong tilted his head, flipping through the recipe. He then chopped chili peppers and tossed them into the pot, adding a generous amount of red pepper powder until the broth turned a deep red. Do-Jun’s gaze remained fixed on the kitchen. His eyes briefly met Karsiel’s before he returned to his newspaper as if nothing had happened. Yong-Yong took a spoonful of the stew to taste. “Hmm... It’s not quite the flavor I imagined.” Do-Jun, who was in the middle of turning a page, froze momentarily. Then he heard Yong-Yong say, “Master, try this and tell me what you think!” Yong-Yong rushed toward Do-Jun with a spoonful of his kimchi jjigae. Karsiel noticed Do-Jun’s eyes twitching in a very faint, almost imperceptible way. “Sure.” Do-Jun took the spoon and tasted the stew. He held the broth in his mouth for a moment before swallowing it slowly. “Tastes good,” he said. Do-Jun nodded, handing the spoon back. Yong-Yong cheered, shouting, “Yes!” and went back to finish cooking while Do-Jun picked up his newspaper again. Karsiel observed him, realizing that Do-Jun had returned to his usual calm state. Content originally comes from novel✦fire.net The kimchi jjigae must have been... normal.