The dining hall was filled with a cozy warmth. At a table connected to the kitchen, Geon-woo, Woo-jin, Hyeon-ju, and Joe sat gathered together.
"Hang on, make some room here."
Geon-woo grunted, maneuvering a large dish as he searched for a spot on the table. The surface was already crowded with an array of side dishes prepared by his mother, So-yeon.
"Here, put it down here."
Woo-jin hurriedly pushed a few bowls aside to clear a space. Geon-woo lowered the bowl with a sigh of relief.
"Ah, there we go!"
At that moment, So-yeon emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate piled high with golden rolled omelets.
"Here's more."
"Yes! One more round!" Woo-jin cheered like a kid. Geon-woo grinned, nodding in approval.
"Whoa, these look incredible."
So-yeon laughed at their enthusiasm. Woo-jin clasped his hands together and shouted, "Thank you for the meal!"
Geon-woo gave a small, respectful bow. "Thanks for the food, Mom."
Across the table, Hyeon-ju softly added her thanks, and Joe followed suit with a brief, "Thanks for the food."
"Please, everyone, eat up."
The words had barely left So-yeon's mouth before Geon-woo already had an entire egg roll stuffed in his mouth. So-yeon smiled warmly and placed a few pieces on Hyeon-ju's plate.
"Here you go, Hyeon-ju. Try some of this."
"Oh, thank you."
Hyeon-ju took a bite and her eyes went wide. "Oh!"
"Mm?" Geon-woo looked up, still chewing.
Hyeon-ju turned to So-yeon. "Did you use our kimchi to make this?"
So-yeon nodded with a smile. "I did."
"Whoa. It tastes completely different from when I make it."
So-yeon chuckled. "It's not that hard. I can teach you sometime."
"Really? That would be cool!" Hyeon-ju smiled brightly.
As they ate, So-yeon seemed to remember something. "Oh, I wanted to ask... about the orphanage. Does Mr. Choi run the whole place?"
Hyeon-ju nodded. "Yes. According to Grandpa, he grew up very poor, so his dream was always to help people in need once he made enough money."
"I see. So... are you Mr. Choi's granddaughter?"
The question made Hyeon-ju's expression turn slightly awkward. "Oh... uh, no. I was placed in the orphanage after my parents passed away."
So-yeon's face tightened with instant regret. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."
Hyeon-ju offered a reassuring smile. "No, it's fine. Really."
"I'm sorry," So-yeon whispered, before trying to shift the mood. "So, tell me, what kind of foods do you like, Hyeon-ju?"
Hyeon-ju thought for a second. "Well, I really love rolled omelets!"
Right then, Geon-woo let out a muffled grunt as he swallowed a whole omelet in one go. So-yeon reached for the plate to give some to Hyeon-ju, only to find it empty.
"Hey! Where did all the omelets go?"
Geon-woo was still desperately chewing, his cheeks bulging, while the very last piece was gripped between Woo-jin's chopsticks, already halfway eaten. Woo-jin froze with the egg roll inches from his mouth. He looked at Hyeon-ju, hesitated, and then sheepishly pushed his plate toward her.
"Uh... here."
Geon-woo finally swallowed. "Oh," he muttered, looking embarrassed.
Hyeon-ju looked at the half-eaten omelet, rolled her eyes, and couldn't help but laugh. So-yeon let out a long sigh.
"My goodness, you two. You should have left some for Hyeon-ju!"
Hyeon-ju added mischievously, "That's right. I really wanted some of those."
So-yeon stood up. "I'll make more. Don't worry."
"Oh, no, it's fine!" Hyeon-ju tried to stop her, but So-yeon shook her head.
"No, no. It won't take long. You just sit tight."
Suddenly, Joe, who had been eating quietly at the end of the table, slid a small plate forward. On it were two perfectly intact rolled omelets.
"Take these. I set them aside the moment I saw these two idiots start inhaling them like vacuum cleaners."
Hyeon-ju chuckled at his comment, but started to decline the plate, but seeing the sincere look in Joe's eyes, she accepted them gratefully.
In the kitchen, the sound of the stove clicking on echoed through the room. Geon-woo called out, "Make them big, Mom! Really thick!"
"I hear you," So-yeon called back.
"And make a lot!" Geon-woo added.
"Okay, okay! I'll make them huge."
A few minutes later, a fresh, steaming batch of rolled omelets was brought to the table. "Hurry up and eat."
As the laughter and conversation resumed, a sharp vibration came from Hyeon-ju's pocket. She pulled out her phone and checked the screen.
[THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, AT DAWN. GO TO THE BOOKSTORE AND RETRIEVE ALL THE CASH.]
Hyeon-ju's eyes turned cold as the warmth of the dinner faded. The time for war was coming.
As the atmosphere at the table mellowed once more, So-yeon's gaze lingered on Joe, who was eating in quiet contemplation. She had been curious about his unique name and his subtly exotic aura for some time. Finally, she spoke up hesitantly.
"Excuse me... would you mind if I asked you something?"
Joe paused, his chopsticks hovering as he looked at her with an indifferent gaze.
"Go ahead."
"Your name is just a bit unique, and... well, I was wondering if you were from abroad."
Joe paused for a heartbeat before giving a short answer.
"I came from Japan."
"Ah, I see. I thought your presence felt a bit different."
So-yeon nodded and scooped a generous portion of fresh side dishes onto Joe's plate.
"I heard you've been looking after our Geon-woo and Woo-jin. These boys are so immature, I'm sure they're quite a handful, aren't they? Thank you, truly."
At So-yeon's sincere expression of gratitude, Joe's eyes flickered ever so slightly. He looked down at the mountain of food on his plate and replied in a voice much softer than usual.
"It's nothing. The boys have been following my lead well enough."
Woo-jin snickered, chiming in from the side. "Mom, do you have any idea how scary this guy is? He's not 'looking after' us, he's basically hunting us."
Geon-woo nudged Woo-jin in the ribs to shut him up, but Joe didn't offer a retort. Instead, he took a bite of the food So-yeon had given him.
'...It's warm.'
Joe chewed and swallowed in silence. For a man who had spent his life drifting between the cold canvas of the ring and the dark shadows of back alleys, a home-cooked meal and someone's genuine concern were foreign comforts he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Unaware of the stirrings in Joe's mind, So-yeon simply maintained her kind smile, keeping a watchful eye on his plate to make sure he was well-fed.
It was a harmonious dinner, but outside the window, the darkness was only growing deeper.