There was a proverb among Koreans. "The faster the punishment, the better."
However, I thought it was better to correct this proverb.
...It was better to receive the punishment all at once. This was my short impression when I saw the four Meatb.a.l.l.s of the Sun left. Then I started to boldly carry it out.
"No!"
"Elder!"
"Father!"
The three people in front of me were astonished to see the fork pierce four meatb.a.l.l.s. I instantly realized I made a mistake. Ah... it was coming. It was pus.h.i.+ng in. Burning flames. I was shaking. My body was hot. The magmlike meatb.a.l.l.s flowed through my esophagus and touched my stomach. Soon, a great pain burst in my mouth.
"Kuaaaaaaah!!!!"
If there were sprinklers in here, water would come pouring down! At the same time, messages of pain appeared in front of me.
[You have eaten a Meatball of the Sun.]
[You can feel a burning pain from your chest.]
[You have suffered 50 damage.]
[Remaining Meatb.a.l.l.s of the Sun 3/6]
[Remaining Meatb.a.l.l.s of the Sun 2/6]
[Remaining Meatb.a.l.l.s of the Sun 1/6]
[Remaining Meatb.a.l.l.s of the Sun 0/6]
["Hidden Quest - Chef Zalmergus" Request" has been completed.]
[Your health has reached zero.]
[Your pure courage in the face of death has created a miracle.]
[There is no death penalty.]
[One health point will remain as you fall unconscious.]
[You can access the game after 12 hours.]
[The screen will turn off after five seconds.]
[Thank you for using Arcstar.]
I felt the lavlike pain in my chest but smiled with satisfaction when I saw the message about the quest completion. I left some final words for Zalmergus before collapsing.
"Zalmergus... I ate we... ll."
Flop. Beeeep!
* * *
"Uhhhh!"
I woke up screaming. It was a really vivid feeling. I felt my chest and checked again to see if there was any pain.
"Phew, those were really great meatb.a.l.l.s."
My back was wet with sweat and the sweat on my forehead added to the vividness. I wiped the sweat with the back of my hand and shook my head. Then someone opened the door and came in. "Father!"
"..."
"..."
It was my daughter-in-law who broke the silence. "Are you... okay?"
"Sigh. Child."
"Huh...?"
"Is there any ice water?"
Five minutes later...
"Kyaaah!"
I uttered a refres.h.i.+ng exclamation like I just drank a beer before putting down the cup. It was already my fifth cup of ice water. Then I cried out in an exhilarated voice, "Kuhaha! I think I can live now!"
"Father, what happened?"
"Kuhaha! I experienced something big!" I threw my head back and laughed coolly.
"Something big?"
"Yes. It was huge. Haha."
I couldn"t stop laughing. I was like an insane person. I laughed like a real madman. My daughter-in-law was looking at me with strange eyes and I suddenly asked her, "Are you curious?"
"Yes!"
Her eyes were s.h.i.+ning like lanterns. I spoke to her, "Child."
"Yes, Father."
"Have you ever tasted the sun?"
"Huh???"
I burst out laughing as my daughter-in-law looked bewildered by my words. I hit the table while laughing and really was like a madman.
"Kuhahahaha!"
My daughter-in-law stared blankly at me. She was probably thinking this now—"Does he have dementia?"
I emptied the sixth and final cup of ice water and stood up from my seat. Then the sound of my phone rang through the room. I didn"t know the number. "h.e.l.lo."
-Father, it"s me!
"Ah, Sujeong?"
I couldn"t help smiling. I thought the unknown number was an insurance call but it was Sujeong. Come to think of it, we had exchanged numbers previously.
-How is your body? Are you okay?
She inquired gently with real concern. She seemed to have many worries.
"I"m okay. I couldn"t help drinking some ice water. Hahaha."
-Phew, I"m glad. You don"t know how surprised I was when you suddenly logged out.
"Why are you worrying about dying in a game?"
-Yes. I couldn"t help being surprised when I saw you shooting fire from your mouth.
...Indeed, it was true. I had nothing to say. If Sujeong had shot out fire from her mouth then I would"ve called out of worry. "Did you exited straight away?"
-Yes, I logged out the moment Father left.
"Why didn"t you enjoy it a bit more?"
-I think it would be a bit boring without Father. Hoho.
We talked for an hour before hanging up, promising to meet tomorrow. She said she was on vacation so the time would be fine.
"Then I"ll see you tomorrow."
-Yes, I"ll be there tomorrow. Father!
I hung up and my daughter-in-law immediately walked over.
"Father, who were you talking with for so long?"
"Sujeong."
"Sujeong? Perhaps...?"
"Yes." I lightly nodded. Her thoughts were correct.
"Oh my, you met Sujeong?"
"We didn"t meet in person. I met her while playing the game. It was by chance."
"Oh my, it is a strange fate."
"I agree. Keke."
* * *
The next day, I went to exercise at dawn. I would feel itchy if I didn"t do it for even a day so it became a habit. It was a peaceful morning as time pa.s.sed. The time of my appointment with Sujeong approached. I was sent off at the door by my daughter-in-law.
"Then I"m going."
"Be careful, Father."
The moment I left the house, I climbed into White. Then my phone rang.
"h.e.l.lo."
-Father, it"s me!
"Oh, yes. I was just leaving."
-I"m on my way now. Father, do you know the place?
"Yes, I know it. It is a place I used to go often."
-Then I"ll see you in a little bit!
"Yes."
The moment the phone disconnected, I put on my seatbelt and slowly set off. I drove for 30 minutes. Then I looked up and saw the sky. Today, the sun seemed to be exceptionally clear. The clouds pa.s.sed by and the brilliant sun blazed. The wide expanse of the sky looked even bluer.
"The weather is good."
I wore the sungla.s.ses that were on the dashboard.
"Today, let"s run hot."
* * *
In the heart of Seoul, there was an old car that seemed like it would fall apart at any moment. Rattle rattle. The body of White shook as I drove. The car was probably too old. I got straight off White and called Sujeong. She picked up the moment I called.
-Father, have you arrived?
"Yes. I"m in front of the capsule room."
-Yes. I"m coming now!
That"s right. I was here to go to the capsule room that I had heard about from my daughter-in-law. The name of the store in front of me was "New World Capsule Room." It was rumored to be the most famous place in the vicinity. After a while, Kim Sujeong discovered me and waved from the distance. I waved back at her.
...It had been a really long time. Was it one year?
"Father. Are you healthy?"
"Yes. I"m really healthy. Haven"t you seen it? Hahaha."
"Of course. I can trust Father even if I haven"t seen it."
"Keke. Yes. Let"s enter first."
Rattle. "Welcome~"
A middle-aged man who appeared to be in his 40s greeted us. He spoke to us in a familiar manner.
"Is it just the two of you?"
I lightly nodded.
* * *
There was the familiar sensation of my body floating. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw a shabby room. It was a familiar place but I couldn"t remember exactly where it was. At this moment, the door opened.
"Elder, are you awake?"
Masis?
"Where is this?"
"It is the second floor of our store. The second floor is our home. Elder fell and I carried you up."
Ah, I see. I remembered it. Yesterday, I fainted with one health point left. Throb. It felt like something was burning. I could naturally guess the ident.i.ty of this bitter dizziness.
...It was a great dish. I shook my head once again and called out my status window.
[Status Window]
[Name: Jackson
Level: 10 [Nameless] Adventurer
Heavenly Star: Lord of Brilliant Promise
t.i.tle: Goblin Slayer, Hero of Mulan
Strength 28 (+20) / Agility 1 (+20)
Fitness 1 (+20) / Knowledge 1 (+20)
Stat Points: 8]
I really managed to survive. One health, it was truly a miracle.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Masis."
"No. We are the ones who owe you. My grandfather asked me to tell him when you woke up."
"Yes. Where is Zalmergus?"
"That..."
"Why? Did something happen?"
I had a hunch that something happened when I saw Masis" frowning expression.
"In fact, my grandfather collapsed that day. He is a bit unwell at this time."
"I"m sorry."
It was sincere. If I had refused Zalmergus" request then he wouldn"t have fallen. I wanted to express my apology to him.
"No. That is absurd. This is what my grandfather wanted."
"I will go and see Zalmergus."
I tried to stand up with my sore body. At this moment, I received a whisper.
-Crystal: Father, where are you?
-Jackson: I"m at Masis" house. Where are you?
-Crystal: I have connected to the town"s square. Where should I meet you?
-Jackson: Um... I"m sorry, can you give me some time?
-Crystal: What are you doing?
-Jackson: Zalmergus is sick. I think I have to go see him.
-Crystal: Oh my, I"ll go over there.
-Jackson: No. It will end soon. You should go hunting first.
-Crystal: I understand. Then please contact me when it"s over!
-Jackson: Haha. Yes. I"ll follow you soon.
-Crystal: Yes! Please contact me when you leave!
-Jackson: Yes. Take care of yourself.
After the conversation, I spoke to Masis, "Where is his room?"
* * *
I was guided by Masis to Zalmergus" room and sat quietly by his side. This reminded me of the old days. It was the days when I held my invalid wife"s hand as I cared for her all day. I couldn"t help holding Zalmergus" hand tighter at the thought.
[The apostle "Fire Thief Looking Ahead" respects your tastes.]
...This guy. I didn"t know why but I felt there was a misunderstanding.
Then a voice was heard. "Jack...son."
Zalmergus had his eyes open and was watching me. I looked at him and smiled. "You woke up, keke."
"Thank… you."
"What thanks?"
Zalmergus woke up so quickly that his voice was hoa.r.s.e. I handed him a cup of water from beside me. He took a sip and greeted me, "Phew... how is your body?"
"I"m fine. I"m more worried about you." I wondered if it was because we went through life and death together. I was unknowingly treating him more comfortably.
"Haha, I"m okay. Masis..."
"I asked him to leave for a while. I wanted us to be alone."
[The apostle "Fire Thief Looking Ahead" is nodding his head.]
...Hey. Don"t misunderstand.
"I see."
I wondered, "Why? Should I call him back?"
"No. Aren"t you going to punish me?"
"Me...? Why should I?"
"Jackson, I almost put you in danger."
Did he feel guilty? I looked into Zalmergus" eyes. "I saw your belief in the dish you gave me. It was an amazing dish. Of course, it was hot but... it was really delicious."
"Rea...lly?" He asked me with a disbelieving expression.
I answered calmly, "Yes. You"re the best chef. It is the first time I"ve eaten such a dish in my life. Thank you for giving me such a great dish."
As someone who walked the same culinary path, I wanted to talk to him sincerely. It was definitely hot but it was deliciously hot. I wasn"t a young chef who would say it was delicious if it was tasteless. Did he feel my heart? Zalmergus blushed. "Kuheok. Thank you, Jackson."
Zalmergus covered his eyes with one hand and started crying. My heart unknowingly became stunned at the sight. It must be because I understood his heart even more.
[The apostle "Fire Thief Looking Ahead" is cheering for the two of you.]
No, it was a misunderstanding...