Ch.382382. A Battle of Pride Between Siblings

“Ah, Dad’s jjamppong tastes better!”

At Woocheon’s innocent remark, everyone’s expressions in the kitchen suddenly froze.

I stiffened as I crouched right in front of Woocheon, my sister stiffened too. And Woohee, who was sipping the maratang broth next to my brother-in-law, noticed the atmosphere and kept glancing at us.

Woocheon, I appreciate the compliment… but did you have to say that in front of your aunt? I understand you’re a child and might say these things, but the timing is truly unfortunate.

I should probably step in and smooth things over. I barely managed to suppress a cough that was about to escape, and gently patted Woocheon’s head.

“Really? So our Woocheon thought Dad’s jjamppong was delicious?”

“Yes, Dad’s jjamppong is much tastier than maratang.”

“Hmm, I see. But isn’t the maratang your aunt made quite delicious too?”

I hope Woocheon understands what I’m trying to say. Please just agree with me. Otherwise, I can’t think of anything else to say to salvage this situation.

If he just answers ‘Yes, it’s delicious,’ the situation would be resolved. The atmosphere might be a bit awkward, but we could laugh it off as a small incident and pretend nothing happened.

So I looked at Woocheon with anticipation. But my hopes were cruelly dashed when Woocheon just tilted his head.

He didn’t say anything, but anyone could see this non-verbal gesture meant “It’s not really good enough to call delicious…?”

“…Hmm.”

I wasn’t the only one who understood the implication of Woocheon’s gesture. I could feel my sister’s gaze boring into the back of my head from behind me. It was so intense that it felt like it might drill a hole through my skull.

This is beyond salvaging. I gulped and continued patting Woocheon’s head. Then I slowly stood up, pretending I hadn’t heard anything, and was about to naturally leave with Woocheon when—

“…Han Siwoo, Han Woocheon. Stop right there.”

My sister stopped us with her words.

The inevitable had finally happened.

I really didn’t want to turn around, but I had no choice. My sister, wearing an apron, was staring at us. And she was smiling.

“…”

She’s smiling, but why doesn’t it feel like a smile? It’s the kind of smile that looks like she’s about to devour someone, and I unconsciously took a step back, which made her take a step forward.

“What? It doesn’t taste good?”

“Sis. Wait, this is maratang, right? It’s naturally spicy and salty, so of course people’s preferences will differ…”

“Jjamppong is also spicy and salty. But he said your jjamppong tastes better?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Should I say it’s because I’m better at cooking than my sister? Wouldn’t that be like pouring oil on a fire? Only those who are mentally prepared can accept the cruel reality.

Judging by my sister’s expression, she wasn’t prepared at all. If I said it, she’d get even more upset rather than accepting it.

“You two, father and son with the same face, really…”

“…Jinwoo.”

Just as my smiling sister suddenly turned serious, my brother-in-law, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward.

My sister turned around sharply when my brother-in-law grabbed her shoulder. She had a look that seemed ready to devour even someone trying to stop her, clearly upset about hearing that my cooking was better than hers.

“It’s just something a child said.”

“But still…”

“Calm down. Okay?”

When my brother-in-law smiled and patted her shoulder, my sister, who had been glaring just a moment ago, became docile like a lie.

“…Yes, okay.”

“…”

My usually boisterous sister becoming as meek as a new bride with just one word from my brother-in-law? Am I seeing things?

I was standing there with my mouth open, unable to believe my eyes, when my brother-in-law approached Woocheon and crouched down.

“Woocheon. Is your brother-in-law… I mean, is your dad that good at cooking?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Really? How good is he?”

“Um, very good. The best in the world!”

“Oh, really? Then I bet everything he makes is super delicious, right?”

Woocheon nodded vigorously at my brother-in-law’s question. It was a nod that showed a son’s infinite trust in his father, which made me feel good, but I was also somewhat uneasy.

Because my brother-in-law was smiling like someone about to play a mischievous prank.

“That’s what he says, brother-in-law?”

“No, I’m not that good. I’m only good at certain things, and the rest I just imitate…”

I might stand out among amateurs, but I can’t show off my cooking skills when my brother-in-law is nearly at a professional level.

So I quickly shook my head in denial, and my brother-in-law, who had been crouching, stood up and patted my shoulder.

“Come on, why so modest? If you can satisfy kids’ tastes, that’s definitely good cooking. You know that, right? Cooking to suit kids’ tastes is the trickiest thing.”

Kids’ tastes—what people often call “elementary school palate”—is indeed notoriously difficult to satisfy, as anyone who has cooked knows.

Why? Because people with kids’ tastes generally avoid foods with strong flavors. They typically avoid bland foods, salty foods, and foods with unusual textures, and if they’re picky eaters, they might even refuse vegetables, fruits, or strongly flavored greens.

They push aside all the decent food and only go for sweet, crispy foods like tonkatsu, processed meats, and fried foods, which is why people say it’s difficult to satisfy their tastes…

“Ah, well…”

Anyway, my brother-in-law wouldn’t have said this without reason. He didn’t bring this up just to praise me, so he must have some intention?

I was about to trail off so I could back out if needed, when my brother-in-law turned his attention to Woocheon. Then he crouched down again to meet Woocheon’s eyes and asked with a mischievous smile.

“Woocheon, would you like to eat food made by your dad?”

“Yes, I would!”

“Then let’s ask your dad. Say, ‘Dad, I want to eat food made by you.'”

“Dad! I want to eat food made by you!”

My brother-in-law, carrying Woocheon on his back, looked up at me. It was as if he was asking me with his eyes, ‘Are you still not going to cook?’

Well, I cook for them whenever I have time, so I don’t mind, but right now my sister is here. If one person cooks, it might be fine, but if two people cook, there will naturally be comparisons. What is he planning?

“…”

Wait a minute. Could this have been his goal from the beginning? To build me up as a good cook, then use Woocheon to make me cook so he could compare?

As I stood there without answering, my brother-in-law approached Woohee and whispered something. What is he saying?

“…Dad.”

“Yes, Woohee?”

“I want to eat your cooking too. Can you cook with us?”

“Huh? You want me to cook too?”

“Dad, me too! I want to eat your cooking too!”

The kids come and cling to me as if they’ve planned this. I was inwardly flustered but hugged them first, and before I knew it, I found myself nodding.

“Ah, okay. I’ll cook for you, so go wait quietly in the living room with mom. Okay?”

“Yes, I understand! Let’s go, sis.”

Woocheon energetically answered and took Woohee to the living room. I watched the children’s retreating figures and thought to myself.

What’s going on? I’m a bit dumbfounded. The kids seem to want my cooking, so I agreed to make it, but how did this happen?

“I’m looking forward to it, brother-in-law.”

“Pardon? To what?”

“What else? Your cooking. They say you’re such a good cook. The kids are so excited, I’m curious too.”

My brother-in-law smiled with the corner of his mouth raised, speaking as if joking. He had a refreshingly clean-cut appearance and his smile looked quite pleasant, but there seemed to be a hint of malice beneath that smile.

Actually, it’s closer to playfulness than malice… Anyway, I don’t understand why he’s insisting on making me cook for comparison. Why is he suddenly doing this?

When I questioned with my eyes, my brother-in-law glanced at my sister. Then, going behind her and gently embracing her shoulders, he said:

“Look. Your brother is so good at cooking that our Jinwoo is all sulky.”

“…What?”

“So I’m getting revenge for Jinwoo, and at the same time, we get to try another delicious dish. There’s no other meaning. Understand?”

“…”

Since he can’t take revenge on Woocheon directly, he’s doing it to me instead.

It seems too trivial to call it revenge, and I understand why he’s doing this. But why is he so good with kids? He’s on his first marriage and doesn’t have children of his own.

“My older brother has three kids.”

“…Ah.”

*

“Hmm… it’s a tie.”

“I also think it’s a tie.”

“Me too.”

That was the verdict from Hwa Nabi, Woohee, and Woocheon in order. They declared a tie between the maratang made by my sister and brother-in-law together and the tomato egg fried rice I made.

Hmm, a tie is good. I’m relieved that it turned out as I intended, but then Hwa Nabi tried the fried rice with some maratang broth and added:

“The maratang broth goes really well with the fried rice. Honey, this is really delicious!”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Of course it would, since I made the fried rice with their combination in mind from the start. The tomato and egg balance the spicy kick of the maratang and leave a mild impression. That was the real purpose of my fried rice.

“It’s really delicious…”

“Yes, it’s tasty. They weren’t kidding when they said you’re good at cooking, brother-in-law.”

Those were my sister’s and brother-in-law’s comments respectively. My sister was frantically alternating between the fried rice and her maratang, while my brother-in-law chewed thoughtfully before looking at me.

“This could be served as a set menu at a Chinese restaurant. Where did you learn to cook, brother-in-law?”

“Just, well… I practiced a bit on my own at home.”

“You practiced on your own at home? Wow, brother-in-law. Do you have a natural talent for cooking?”

I don’t understand why he’s praising me so much when all I did was stir-fry with a bit of oil, not some complicated dish.

It feels good but also somewhat embarrassing, so I avoided his gaze. After eating the fried rice for a while, my brother-in-law put down his spoon with a clack.

“Brother-in-law, have you ever thought about changing jobs?”