Chapter 27: Yongsaeng’s First Cooking (4)
by fnovelpia
Her brow subtly furrowed.
The woman smiled softly once again.
Before long,
With the very tip of her tongue,
She slowly, delicately licked her finger while gazing at me.
‘…Here we go again.’
It was a bad habit.
Even though I had decided to let go,
Whenever curiosity arose, I found myself digging through memories without realizing it.
I told myself I wouldn’t judge,
But my mind had already reacted before I knew it.
Wondering if the me in this timeline was the same,
I lowered my gaze slowly, lost in thought.
“…Is that the hint?”
“Mhm.”
“I have no idea what it means.”
The woman smirked, curling the corners of her lips even higher.
Without a word, she brought her finger to my lips,
Then gently, with slight pressure, parted them naturally.
Before long,
She leaned in.
Close enough to feel her breath.
“What are you doing?”
“…Ngh.”
At that moment—
My vision blurred,
And something tugged at my sleeve, as if pulling me.
A small, cautious force.
As though trying to hold onto me,
To call me back to this side.
The fading clarity of my sight sharpened again,
And a familiar warmth returned me to reality.
It was the child.
“Ah….”
“……!”
The lock of time had fully closed.
Before my eyes,
Was a child staring up at me with damp, glistening eyes.
A tiny hand clutched tightly at my sleeve.
Her pupils trembled uneasily,
And though her lips still uttered no words,
That expression alone
Conveyed everything in her heart.
“…Sorry.”
I reached out and gently stroked the child’s head.
Slowly,
Gently.
“I was… Lost in thought for a moment.”
No other words were added.
There was no need.
Because it was the truth.
The child quietly looked up at me.
Small hands clutched the hem of my clothes even tighter.
Reflected in the child’s eyes were—
Worry,
Anxiety,
And…
Even the relief of having me back.
“It’s alright now.”
“……”
The child gave a very slight nod.
The uneasy light in her eyes faded,
And a short, slow breath brushed against my ear.
Only then did I
Begin to feel the sensations of reality again— ones I had forgotten.
The heat from the stove,
The faintly acrid smoke,
The burnt smell rising from the stew.
“…Wait.”
“?”
Thanks to that, my mind fully returned.
When I lifted the pot lid,
Instead of steam, a thick, bitter smoke billowed up.
Waving my hand to disperse the haze,
I saw the completely scorched pot.
The vegetables were stuck to the bottom,
And the broth had evaporated without a trace, leaving only a blackened burn.
“…It’s ruined.”
“……”
“There’s no way we can eat this.”
The smell of burnt food filled the kitchen.
The murky smoke only grew worse after opening the pot.
The acrid stench
Made the child cough repeatedly.
“Reverse.”
Time rewound.
The charred vegetables revived,
And the blackened broth returned to its original vibrant color.
The burnt smell,
The bitter smoke,
Even the child’s coughing—
All vanished as if she had never existed.
“…Ugh.”
Just a moment ago,
Perhaps because my memories had been stirred up once more,
I felt as though my mind was sinking deep into the water, unable to offer even the slightest resistance.
As my blurred senses returned and I opened my eyes again—
There stood my old friend.
Though he had altered his appearance to avoid being noticed by humans,
There was no way I, who had spent so much time with him, wouldn’t recognize his presence.
“…Rakis.”
“You…”
He—
For a moment, he stood there speechless, then furrowed his brows.
Confusion,
Bewilderment,
Suspicion.
Yet, his reaction also carried a hint of surprise.
When he remained silent for a while,
I quietly steadied my throbbing head and looked around.
Familiar grasslands,
The cabin where I now lived.
The season…
Judging by the thin layer of snow piled on the firewood stacked by the cabin, it seemed to be early winter.
‘Is this the future? Or…’
As I briefly pondered,
Rakis, pressing a hand to his forehead, pointed at me accusingly.
“Rowe.”
“Hm?”
“…What’s that in your arms?”
I tilted my head and looked down.
In my arms,
A child squirmed restlessly, staring up at me.
“Ah.”
Only then did I realize.
The reason for my friend’s shock.
I glanced
At the child.
The child looked exactly as I remembered.
Height,
Face,
Body… though perhaps a little plumper than before.
‘The child looks good.’
The moment that brief thought crossed my mind,
My vision began to blur again.
“Ugh…”
A discomforting sensation, as if my mind were tangled, quickly flashed by.
“…?”
“Ah…”
The child was looking at me with a bewildered expression.
This time,
It seemed I had returned faster than before.
With a smile, I took a step closer,
Bending down to meet the child’s eye level.
“Sorry. I brought good news.”
“?”
“My old friend might be coming to see us soon.”
“???”
It was a story from when I was a possibility.
But still,
After considering everything, it was highly likely that those memories were of my future.
The appearance of the cabin,
The child’s appearance—everything was the same.
And now,
The season was late autumn.
In the memory, it was early winter.
That meant
The events in the memory would soon become reality.
“You’re free, Rakis.”
“?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll probably get to know more about you soon.”
I smiled and stroked the child’s head as she tilted it repeatedly in confusion.
Without understanding what I meant,
The child’s eyes sparkled before giving a small nod.
I caught a scent.
The familiar aroma of stew.
The rich fragrance of butter, garlic, and vegetables.
Beside me, the child also cautiously sniffed the air.
“It’s the first time i’ve come back like this.”
“……”
“This time… I’ll keep a close eye on things.”
“?”
“…Hmm, it seems dinner will be ready soon. Is that okay?”
The child stared up at me before eventually nodding.
A small hand gently grasped my sleeve.
Carefully,
As if to say it was alright.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“……”
Without a word, still clutching my clothes tightly,
The child pressed her cheek lightly against my arm, burying her face against me.
I wonder why.
The sight I saw just now—
I secretly thought it might be a memory from another possibility…
But no.
It was clearly different.
The gaze,
The personality,
The timid behavior—
Everything was so,
So distinctly unlike you…
So why—
Why did it suddenly cross my mind that it might be my future?
“…It’s not, right?”
“?”
“No way.”
“???”
“You can’t even speak or walk.”
I tried to brush off the absurd thought,
But something felt off, rooting me in place.
What I had taken for granted—
Now that I noticed it, it felt strange.
I looked at the child still clutching my sleeve.
“Why can’t you speak or walk?”
“……?”
The words spilled out faster than my thoughts.
It wasn’t quite suspicion—
More like something that had slowly piled up until it overflowed.
“Hubert said you’re around six or seven. At that age, kids usually talk and run around… I read it in a parenting book.”
“…….”
“…What’s going on?”
The child didn’t answer.
Of course not.
The child never had before.
But this time, the silence felt unnaturally heavy.
“…Hmm.”
“…….”
“Well, it’s fine. It’s not wrong or anything.”
The child’s eyes widened slightly.
Then, slowly—
Very, very slowly—
The child nodded.
I smiled faintly and gently wrapped my hand around hers.
“It’s okay if you stay like this. But…”
“……?”
“If you ever want to walk… or speak… let me know anytime.”
The child still said nothing.
But—
The hand in mine trembled slightly.
As if holding back something with all her might.
That trembling soon turned into a small,
Yet unmistakable nod.
“Alright. When the time comes, I’ll help you.”
“…….”
“Just in case, I should ask Hubert or Rakys. Is that okay?”
The child nodded again.
Somehow, I felt her small hand gripping mine tightly.
A faint but unmistakable warmth reached me.
“There’s no need to rush.”
“…….”
“I have… All the time in the world.”
That’s right.
I have all the time in the world.
So—
Someday,
When you’re ready on your own.
I’ll be there for your first moments.
Your first voice,
Your first steps.
“For now… Let’s focus on what we need to do.”
“?”
“I’ll finish the stew, and you’ll eat it.”
I stepped back to the pot and picked up the ladle.
The stew had just begun to simmer.
‘Time… Let’s not rush it.’
Slowly,
Carefully.
I stirred, making sure nothing stuck to the bottom.
As the vegetables absorbed the broth’s color,
And the liquid thickened,
A rich, appetizing aroma filled the air— far more inviting than before.
A small gaze lingered in front of me.
Glancing up,
I saw the child mimicking my movements, swaying slightly as if trying to copy me.
The sight was so endearing that a soft laugh escaped me.
“This is actually pretty tough.”
“!”
“Just kidding. It’s manageable.”
Did I really make five of these back then?
Suddenly, I remembered them proudly holding up the ladle,
Showing off the meal she’d prepared.
‘…The child polished her skills just to make this for me. How amusing.’
Lost in thought, I kept stirring,
Until the stew had deepened into a rich, inviting hue.
Rolling my stiff shoulders, I tasted it with a spoon.
“…Hmm.”
It was hot, but the flavor it held was undeniable.
Sweet onions,
Mellow, spreading potatoes,
And tomatoes with a slight tang.
“Yeah. This time it turned out well.”
“!”
I took out a small ceramic bowl and ladled in the stew.
Handing it over carefully,
The child alternated her gaze between the stew and me.
“Sorry for making you wait so long.”
“……”
The child shook her head as if to say it was okay.
‘Ah, right.’
Hubert had said it.
For the first time, make something the two of you can eat together.
That way, the memories will last longer and stay with you.
To me, it had been meaningless words.
Dragons do not forget.
‘But…’
I scooped a very small portion of the stew into the bowl.
Even though it felt like it would only clutter my memories further,
Since I had prepared this late-night meal, it seemed right to do at least this much.
Turns out, I was right after all.
As we sat facing each other with the bowl of stew between us,
The child’s lips curled up ever so slightly when she looked at me.
“Try it. It suited my taste.”
“……”
The child gave a small nod.
Then, carefully scooping a spoonful, she brought it to her mouth.
“……”
In that moment,
Her small shoulders flinched lightly.
Wondering if it was too hot—
The child pressed her lips together, chewing thoroughly,
And then her eyes sparkled as she widened in delight.
Then, looking at me, the child smiled brightly.
“……!”
“Good?”
The child nodded vigorously.
Pfft.
A relieved laugh escaped me.
“…That’s a relief.”
“!”
Muttering softly, I also took a spoonful of my own serving.
‘…Yeah, it’s good.’
The stew was,
Far better than I had expected.
“…….”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I heard a sniffle and jerked my head up.
The child,
Was silently shedding tears while eating the stew.
Her small shoulders trembled slightly.
Though the child kept shoving spoonfuls of stew into her mouth,
It seemed hard to swallow between the quiet sobs.
Flustered by the sight, I quickly rose from my seat.
“…Why, why are you crying?”
“…….”
The child still didn’t say a word.
Instead, with her head hung low,
The child kept struggling to eat the stew.
Slowly, I reached out and stroked her hair.
“…I’m sorry. You must’ve been really hungry.”
“…….”
“Next time, I’ll make it faster.”
The child shook her head stubbornly.
As if to say no,
As if to say that wasn’t it at all.
Then, the child set the spoon down.
And then,
Clutching my hand— the one stroking her hair— with both of her,
The child smiled brightly through her tear-streaked face.
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