episode_0073

… … … … …

After that strange night with Miss Seo-ah and Mr. Ghost.

When they woke up in the morning and met again, they didn’t argue like they did before they went to sleep. Instead, they looked somewhat awkward.

Seo-ah and Yoo-ryung, who had been strangely watching me, quickly left the house, and although I was truly sorry that I couldn’t treat them to breakfast, I was strangely tired, so I just sent them away.

After parting ways with them, a few more days passed. Time really flies, and the date of the social gathering that the president had just told us last time is already tomorrow.

That evening, as soon as I got home from work, I got a call from the association president.

[I have an urgent request to make regarding preparations for tomorrow’s social gathering.]

“Huh? What should I do?”

Let me answer right away. I could hear a smile in the president’s subtle voice.

[I just need you to cook some simple food. It would be nice if you could come in the morning and prepare it for me.]

“Huh!? I’ll cook?

But I’m not good at cooking… … .”

He said in surprise. He couldn’t hide his embarrassment at the sudden request from the president of the association.

I was worried just thinking about preparing food for an important social gathering with my inexperienced cooking skills.

“I, I can’t possibly prepare food suitable for the people attending the social gathering――”

He immediately expressed his intention to refuse, but the president of the association responded with a smile.

[Don’t worry. They’ll be more pleased with the simple food you prepared than any other banquet dish.]

“They are… …?”

[Yes. Again, simple home cooking will suffice. Most of the dishes will be special orders, so feel free to help me out. Your sincerity is what counts.]

“Ugh, umm… … .”

I felt hesitant. Could I really avoid embarrassing myself with my cooking skills?

But I was swayed by the president’s assurance that they would like it.

‘Is it really okay? But they like it… ‘

Many thoughts crossed my mind. I was worried, but at the same time, I was also excited.

Starting with Sister Seoyeon, Teacher Wolhee, President Haneul, Miss Seoah, Mr. Ghost, and even Mr. Taeyang.

Among the six acquaintances who will be attending this gathering, some are people I have recently met, while others are people I have not seen in several days.

Maybe it was their first opportunity to cook a homemade meal in a long time, or for some, their first.

“Okay, Mr. Chairman. I will do my best.”

The president’s voice brightened significantly at my answer.

[Thank you. Please come to the Awakening Association headquarters building around 9:00 tomorrow morning. I will prepare the materials in advance, so don’t worry.

And if you ever need anything, just let me know.]

“Okay. Then see you tomorrow morning.”

After hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath. I wondered what would happen tomorrow, and my heart raced at the thought of meeting them all together again in one place.

… … … … …

It took me longer than usual to wake up early in the morning and choose my clothes. Today was a special day. I consoled myself as I adjusted my clothes in front of the mirror.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s just a normal social gathering. But I still have to do my best to cook for you.”

When I arrived at the Awakening Association headquarters, my heart was pounding. While I pressed the elevator button and waited, I thought about the people I would meet today.

It may be a good thing to see them all in one place, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Welcome. You’re early.”

As soon as I got off the elevator, I heard the president’s voice. He was dressed in a suit as usual, and he greeted me with a face as unchanging as his clothes.

“Yes, hello, President.”

“Then I will guide you to the kitchen.”

The kitchen of the Awakened Association, which I was guided to by the Association President, was spacious and clean, and various ingredients were neatly prepared. Everything looked perfect, including the fresh-looking vegetables, meat, and seafood.

“On weekdays, this is the kitchen used for cooking in the cafeteria. You can cook here. Everything you need will be there.”

“Bo, it’s getting serious… … .”

I nodded and looked around. The cooking utensils were also state-of-the-art. I never thought I would be able to cook in this kind of environment after living this long. Should I say that this is also thanks to my ability to get along well with people?

While looking at the cooking utensils and ingredients, the association president, who seemed to be hesitating for a moment, opened his mouth.

“And you, there’s one thing I want to ask you.”

“… … Yes? What are you saying?”

“You may have forgotten because you are so close to each other. The women who will be having a social gathering with you today are the most important beings among all the Awakened, both domestically and internationally.

Of course, this includes immigrants from outside the realm who are not Awakened… … In any case, it would be desirable to incorporate them well and make them a force for this land. For the future, that is.

So, I hope you can do a good job of being a bridge between them today.

It would be best to remain neutral and… … well, avoid being too intimate with anyone in particular.

This is also advice for your safety, so please follow it carefully.”

I tilted my head at the president’s long speech. I didn’t understand exactly what he was saying, but I could guess that today’s gathering was a very important event.

“Okay, I’ll be careful.”

“Okay. Then do your best. I have other preparations, so I’ll go first.”

As soon as the president left the kitchen, I started preparing the food in earnest.

At first, I wanted to try my hand at banquet cooking by looking up recipes online, but I thought it would be better to cook at home, which I am most confident in, rather than trying something I might fail at.

First, as I started baking French toast, the smell of butter filled the kitchen. Next, as I made an omelet, the sight of the cheese melting whetted my appetite. I also made the scrambled eggs with care. When I made mapo tofu, the smell of spicy spices stung my eyes and it was a little difficult.

As I started to finish each dish, the kitchen was filled with various scents. But at the same time, my anxiety grew.

Would this random mix of Chinese, Korean, and Western food really be appropriate for a formal setting? Even I, who made it myself, thought it looked a bit odd to see French toast, mapo tofu, and an omelet all in one place.

“Is this right… … ?”

I hesitated for a moment, but soon pulled myself together and shook my head.

Yes. These are the dishes I made with all my heart. Although the combinations may be a bit unusual and unsuitable for formality, my sincerity will definitely be conveyed.

… … And honestly, it’s okay because the president of the association will order a special dish. Even if the people coming to the gathering today don’t eat my food, I don’t think they’ll say that the entire dish is tasteless.

Finally, I took a deep breath as I inspected all the dishes. Now it was time to move the food to the conference room where the social gathering would be held.

“Okay, let’s go.”

I loaded the dishes onto the cart and left the kitchen. I headed to the conference room on the third floor as the president had instructed.

And as soon as I got off the elevator and opened the conference room door, I froze in place.

“What the heck is this… … ?”

The seating arrangement inside the conference room was completely different from what I had expected. It was like something out of a TV… how should I put it? A place for interviews or hearings.

There was a single desk and chair at the very front, and other seats were arranged in a crescent shape surrounding it.

Whose seat is the one in the middle? Could it be the president of the association? And why are the other seats arranged like this?

As I was panicking and holding onto the cart, someone approached me. It was the president of the association.

“How about it? This is a seat specially prepared for you.”

“For me… …?

But no matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like a seating arrangement for a normal meeting. ”

“Yeah. At first glance, you can’t help but think that way. But I couldn’t help it. A regular square table would never work.”

“I don’t really know what you mean… … .”

In response to my question, he smiled with a strangely pleased look.

“Well, if we had arranged the seats at a regular rectangular table, they probably would never have agreed.

There was bound to be conflict.”

The president’s words, far from resolving my doubts, only made me more confused. He looked at my expression and continued his explanation in more detail.

“So this is how they arranged it. Their seats are in a crescent shape, and your seats are inside the crescent.

This way, we can keep a fair distance between you and them.”

“That… …I see.”

I wondered if it was really necessary to go that far with just the seating arrangement, but I also thought that since it was done by the president of the association, there must be a reason.

“So, are you ready now?”

“Yes, everything is ready. The dishes that the president ordered… …Ah, they’ve already arrived.”

The association president nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Okay. Then shall we set up the food together?”