Chapter 117: Having a Meal with Verdia-chan!

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The place I came to with Verdia—no, Linne-chan—is a restaurant recommended by Ra-hee unnie.

Originally, I thought about taking her to the kind of place the CEO would take us, like… what was it again?

Ah, right. Fine dining.

I considered taking her there, but I decided to save that for dinner.

So, I ended up choosing this place.

It’s a restaurant that serves approachable Korean dishes like tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) and bulgogi, which even foreigners can enjoy. The food is served neatly in individual portions, and I heard it’s fun to swap dishes if we order different things. That’s why I asked unnie for the recommendation.

“Ah, hello. We have a reservation for 1:30 PM.”

“Yes, are you Jeong Da-jeong? Please feel free to sit anywhere.”

Despite it being lunchtime, the restaurant was quite quiet.

Maybe it’s because, as Ra-hee unnie said, it’s a reservation-only place.

But if you’re wondering if it’s expensive, it’s not overly so.

Of course, for the old me, it would’ve been a price that made my eyes pop but for most people, it’s a reasonable amount for a meal.

Honestly, when Ra-hee unnie said she’d recommend a good restaurant, I thought she’d suggest the kind of place the CEO would take us.

But this was a bit unexpected.

【This is a nice place. The interior really gives off a Korean vibe.】

【Yeah, I like this kind of atmosphere too.】

As soon as we entered the restaurant, Linne-chan looked around and took a deep breath.

Like someone breathing in fresh air while hiking.

When I asked why she did that, she said it was because the restaurant had a strangely pleasant scent.

Ah, I think I know what she means.

It’s like the smell of wood in an old restaurant, right?

There are places that have that kind of soothing scent.

【Linne-chan, what do you want to eat? They have bulgogi here, which you like.】

【Oh, bulgogi! I love bulgogi. But since it’s a special occasion, I want to try something a little adventurous.】

【Linne-chan, you’ve got a strong spirit of adventure.】

【Of course! Life isn’t fun without challenges.】

Wow, that’s a great saying.

It’s true.

Though it’s not something I, who used to just edit videos in my room, should be saying, I agree that life is more fun with challenges.

【What do you recommend, Da-jeong?】

【I’m not too familiar with this place since it’s my first time here too, but… I think a lot of people order this dish called tteokgalbi. It’s like a patty made of finely minced meat, similar to a hamburger steak. It’s slightly sweet and delicious.】

【Like bulgogi?】

【Yeah, kind of like that.】

I guess Linne-chan really enjoyed bulgogi.

It feels like every food comparison leads back to bulgogi.

Not that it’s wrong, though.

【Okay, I’ll try that. But is the main dish just tteokgalbi?】

【Hmm, there’s a variety of side dishes too. By the way, Linne-chan, can you handle spicy food?】

【I can handle it pretty well. I even tried Korean fire noodles on stream not too long ago.】

Wha, what? She ate fire noodles?

That spicy stuff…?!

I once tried fire noodles with Yuna, and I almost died.

【Gasp, really…?! Was it… edible?】

【Yeah, it was okay. Though Anise, who was eating with me, couldn’t handle it and ran away.】

She thought it was edible?

Somehow, Linne-chan seems more Korean than me.

I should look up that video on her channel later.

【Wow, that’s impressive. I can’t handle fire noodles at all…】

【Well, Da-jeong, you do look like you’d cry if you ate something spicy.】

【Th-that’s rude…! It’s not that bad!】

Well, okay, I did shed a few tears!

And I had to blow my nose for a while!

And I had to take stomach medicine the next day!

But still, I’m not as weak to spicy food as Linne-chan thinks!

Ding-

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“Ah, yes. We…”

After fumbling through the ordering process and waiting for our food, a woman with a very secretive aura entered.

It’s winter, so wearing a coat, scarf, and mask is understandable, but she even had sunglasses on, completely hiding her identity.

Wow, is she a celebrity?

Maybe an actor or something?

If she is, it’s better not to stare and just pretend not to notice.

This place must really be good if even celebrities come here.

Well, it was recommended by Ra-hee unnie, after all.

Rustle rustle

【A lot of people are coming in. This place must be pretty famous.】

Following her, three people entered in a line and took a seat.

Then, more people started coming in one by one.

Linne-chan looked around curiously and commented.

【Yeah, one of our members said it’s a famous restaurant around here.】

【I see. That makes sense.】

As we chatted happily, it seemed like our food was finally ready.

“Here are your tteokgalbi set and meat vegetable set.”

“Thank youuu.”

“Th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Enjoy your meal.”

When I thanked the staff member who brought our food, Linne-chan also thanked them in slightly awkward Korean.

The staff member seemed pleased to see a foreigner trying to express gratitude in Korean, as a smile spread across their face.

The food looks delicious.

Especially the bean sprouts piled under the meat.

Of course, the meat is good too, but meat always tastes better with vegetables.

【Da-jeong, let’s eat.】

【Yeah, enjoy your meal.】

And so, our meal began.

Linne-chan tilted her head slightly at the unfamiliar tteokgalbi, but she quickly figured out how to eat it and tore off a small piece to put in her mouth.

I did the same, picking up some bean sprouts and meat together before popping them into my mouth.

“Hehe…”

The subtle smoky flavor of the meat and the crunchy texture of the bean sprouts created a perfect harmony, making me smile naturally.

【Wow…! Da-jeong, this is really delicious.】

【The tteokgalbi?】

【Yeah. I’ve had hamburger steak in Japan, but this is more to my taste. It’s slightly sweet—what’s the secret to this sauce?】

Luckily, the tteokgalbi seemed to suit Linne-chan’s taste, as she quickly started devouring it along with the rice and salad.

Mhm, tteokgalbi is definitely delicious.

I used to only eat tteokgalbi when it was on sale at the supermarket, but the first time I had real tteokgalbi at a restaurant the CEO took us to, I was amazed.

It’s chewy yet tender.

And as Linne-chan said, the sauce on the outside is exceptional.

It’s the perfect rice thief.

【Linne-chan, should we swap and try each other’s dishes?】

【Oh, good idea! I was curious about what you were eating too.】

We happily continued our meal, swapping bites of each other’s dishes.

【Mmm…! This is delicious too. The vegetables are seasoned with a slightly spicy flavor.】

【Yeah, I think it’s better to pair it with the meat.】

The dish I ordered also seemed to suit Linne-chan’s taste, as she kept exclaiming how delicious it was.

I’m glad she’s enjoying it.

Swish swish

Ugh, my hair keeps getting in the way.

This won’t do. I’ll just tie it up.

There were various rubber hair ties at the counter for customers to use.

I grabbed one, pulled my hair back, and tied it into a ponytail.

I used to struggle with tying my hair by myself, but after doing it a few times while cleaning at home, I’ve gotten better at it.

Okay.

Now I can really focus on eating.

“Munch munch…”

I thought I should eat a bit more politely since Linne-chan is here, but once the food started going in, that thought disappeared.

But it’s just so delicious.

【Pfft…】

【Linne-chan, what’s wrong?】

While I was busy eating, Linne-chan suddenly burst out laughing, so I tilted my head and asked.

Did she see something funny?

But she wasn’t holding her phone or anything.

【Ah, sorry. You just look so cute eating that I couldn’t help but laugh.】

【Huh? Me?】

Since my mouth was still full of food, I answered while mumbling, feeling confused.

I thought I was just eating normally.

Is this Linne-chan’s way of teasing me with compliments?

But she seems genuinely amused.

I was about to happily continue eating when…

【Da-jeong, can you look over here for a second?】

【Huh? What’s wro…】

Click-

Suddenly, Linne-chan asked me to look her way, and I thought something was wrong with the food.

But in that moment, a small shutter sound rang out.

Linne-chan had taken a photo of me with her smartphone the moment I turned my head.

【L-Linne-chan?! Why did you take a photo…?!】

【Hehe, sorry. But you were just too cute, and I couldn’t resist. I really wanted to keep at least one photo. If you don’t like it, I’ll delete it right away.】

【Ugh, it’s not that I mind…】

It’s not like I think Linne-chan would leak the photo or anything.

But it’s still a bit embarrassing.

It’s not like I’m as pretty as the members or Linne-chan and why did it have to be a photo of me eating?

【Don’t worry, Da-jeong. You look really cute in it. Want to see?】

【Uh, okay.】

As if sensing my worries, Linne-chan held out her phone to show me the photo.

Honestly, I didn’t really want to see it.

But since Linne-chan went through the trouble of taking it, I decided to take a look….

 

Translator Note

Hi hi, your translator here!! In case you are are wondering yes that is indeed how the chapter ends… I was confused too, I thought I had only done half or something but alas… anyways!!! You probably saw Verdia’s image in the last chapter and perhaps are hoping we will be getting more illustrations, if you are you are in luck. More are in the upcoming chapters! However there is a berth where we have none after that…