episode_0223

Just like the beauty salon owner said, I went to replenish the nutrients my hair had lost.

After that was over and I was starting to feel a little sleepy, Minhee took me somewhere.

“… Since we can’t live off of only eating healthy, let’s eat something simple and delicious today. Is that okay?”

After hearing Minhee’s words, I tilted my head for a moment, not understanding what he meant.

Then, there was me who groaned and said, “Ah,” as I recalled all the food I had eaten so far.

So far, we’ve seen her simply eating her meals, or eating at fancy restaurants that sell food that isn’t too salty or sweet, and having it delivered.

Of course, before I got properly better, I was basically just on patient food, so there was nothing much to talk about.

But even if you say that, I, who doesn’t know what is simple and delicious, am at a loss for what to say.

I nodded as the thought that there was nothing wrong with Minhee choosing and buying it for me grew stronger.

“Yeah.”

After that answer, I encountered and tried fast food for the first time.

I imagined someone eating this beyond the screen, or through a glass window in a distant memory. Maybe that’s why, but when I took a bite, tears welled up in my eyes, so I just dropped my hands and lowered my head.

Ugh. I swallowed. It sounded like I was hiccupping.

Minhee didn’t say anything, and I was just grateful for that.

*

After I got home, I just slept.

I took a nap to relieve the fatigue from the beauty salon, and when I woke up, it was past five in the afternoon.

I don’t know if it’s because my body is still weak, but I felt like I was sleeping a lot.

As I was spending time with a blank expression and it was dinner time, she seemed to be thinking about eating, so she walked around the house doing some cleaning and laundry, then came back next to me and took out her smartphone.

I yawned as I leaned against the back of the bed. Minhee glanced at me and groaned.

When I turned my head, she was looking at me with narrowed eyes. Then she looked away and tapped the screen of her smartphone again.

I wanted to ask what was going on, but it didn’t seem like he was going to answer, so I just left him alone without saying anything.

I guess you have other thoughts.

“… Jimin.”

“Huh?”

“Do you have any allergies?”

I thought, “What the heck, an allergy?” but then I thought about it and realized it didn’t make sense since I was choosing dinner.

But I made a subtle expression as I thought to myself, “But I’ve never asked about allergies when choosing food until now.”

Anyway, I have to answer the question that was asked, but honestly, I don’t know if I have a food allergy because I don’t eat that many different things, so I couldn’t easily open my mouth.

I ate hospital food without any problems, and when I was sick, I only ate porridge, so there was no such thing as an allergy. Even when I ate delicious food recently, I never felt any allergies.

“… Hmm, I don’t know.”

“Oh, just seafood?”

“Seafood… I don’t think I’ve ever had it… ”

Thanks to Minhee, I’ve eaten a lot of pork and beef. I’ve even eaten chicken, but strangely enough, when I think back, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten seafood.

I tilted my head and answered that it seemed like he was talking about something like fish or octopus, and Minhee muttered, “I see…” and chose the last menu.

“Now that I think about it, what should I eat to know if I have an allergy or not… ”

I nodded to Minhee’s words. No one would say they have an allergy to something they’ve never put in their mouth or touched with their hands.

However, since it is not possible to put this and that in your mouth to find allergies, it is easiest to just leave it as is, if it is there, then it is there, and if it is not there, then it is not there.

“… But what are you going to buy?”

“I’ve already placed the delivery order. It’s a surprise, so come check it out later.”

“Sister, you really like surprises too.”

I always think about it, but Minhee definitely likes surprises.

I glanced at her with my axe down, thinking that maybe she was the type of person who enjoyed surprising someone and seeing their reaction.

“Why? You don’t like surprises?”

“No. My sister is doing it for me. What could be wrong with it?”

I answered like that and waited for the delivery to arrive.

*

The intercom rang, and then the delivery arrived.

I saw a plastic container in a large bag, and its size and dimensions felt unusual.

As I was staring at it with a blank expression, Minhee came in with it as if nothing had happened and placed it on the table in the kitchen.

There are only two bundles. I wondered what they were going to do with this much for only two people.

So, rather than wondering if I could eat it all, I had the thought that there would definitely be some left, so only a troubled expression remained on my face.

I opened the envelope and lined up the plastic containers.

My expression changed subtly as the line filled the table that I had thought was wide.

Dal-gak, Dal-gak. Min-hee was removing the lids of the containers and revealing their contents one by one.

They looked delicious, but I didn’t really know the names of the foods, so I just stared at them.

As she put them one by one, I couldn’t help but look at all the delicious foods in the containers, so I ended up pointing to them with my finger and asking their names.

“What is this?”

“Oh, that’s grilled eel.”

“Then what about this?”

“That’s grilled eel with seasoning.”

“… The appearance seems a bit different.”

“That’s because the cooking method is different.”

It looked like fish, but it had the appearance of being grilled like meat.

There was also a thin layer of meat, grilled with a brown sauce.

“Then what is this?”

“I think that’s oyster stew? Honestly, I think it’s a matter of taste, so if you don’t like it, just don’t eat it.”

“Isn’t that too rough…?”

“There’s nothing I can do. If I order just one of each and they don’t taste good, I’ll just feel bad for no reason.”

I think he ordered one because he thought it was his taste, but he thought that if he just watched me blankly eat it because he didn’t like it, it might make both of us feel bad.

When you say it like that, I feel good because I think it’s a bit considerate, but I still think it’s a huge waste.

My eyes, which were dripping with sweat, followed her hand and looked at the courage that was revealing its contents, and there I saw something I knew well.

I had never eaten it before, but I remember seeing it often on the screen, so I was able to guess it right away.

“Is this octopus?”

“No, it’s an octopus. The legs are really thick, right?”

It wasn’t an octopus… .

I used to think that if the legs were long and the head was round, it was an octopus, and if it was long, it was a squid, but I realized that wasn’t the case and slumped my shoulders.

“Wait, you ordered steak too… ?”

“Yeah, I thought you might hate seafood, so I ordered steak too. By the way, this is a garnish.”

She took out the container next to her and took a peek inside.

When I tilted my head wondering what the garnish was, Minhee smiled and answered.

“Asparagus and mushrooms, and… cherry tomatoes and garlic too.”

“Oh, that’s called asparagus.”

“Yeah. Oh, there’s abalone and shrimp here too. Today is a seafood party! If you don’t like it, you can eat the steak first.”

Looking at it this way, it felt like there were already six or seven main menu items.

There are grilled eel, seasoned grilled eel, oyster pancakes, boiled octopus, steak, butter-grilled abalone, and stir-fried shrimp with garlic, so it would be right to count it as seven dishes.

The rest was filled with side dishes like lettuce, ssamjang, and raw garlic, but even if you skip those and just eat the main dish, there was enough leftover.

Still, since it was something Minhee bought for me, I thought I should at least taste a bite and evaluate it even if I couldn’t eat it all, so I carefully picked up the fork.

Although I was a little healthier, I was still recovering my strength, and I was still lacking in dexterity and grip strength, so the day I could use chopsticks was still far away. So, it felt a little funny to hold a fork.

He smiled wryly and quietly watched me, then reached out and placed his hand towards the shrimp in front of me.

Then Minhee groaned, “Ah,” and got up from the chair across from me and moved to sit next to me.

“Just a minute.”

As she said that, she quickly brought it to her plate and snatched the shrimp I was trying to pick at with my fork.

As I stared blankly at the sight, the shrimp began to separate from Minhee’s hand on its own.

“This is hard to peel with chopsticks or a fork.”

“… Then I’ll do it.”

“No, I should be comfortable at least when eating.”

“… … Only when eating?”

Well, I furrowed my brows, thinking that I was about to feel uncomfortable, but Minhee remained silent after that and just focused on peeling shrimp.

The neck was torn off, and the transparent carapace fell off along with the legs, leaving behind soft, red-tinged flesh.

Minhee looked at it, dipped it in the sauce that was inside the container, and held it out to my mouth.

“Aaang, try it. You shouldn’t eat the shell, so you have to bite it here.”

“… … .”

“Come on.”

“Ah, aah.”

“Right.”

It didn’t feel good at all, as it felt like I was treating a baby, but that didn’t last long and my eyes widened when I saw shrimp covered in a delicious sauce entering my mouth.

“How is it? Is it delicious?”

“Ugh, yeah! Yummy… Yummy… ”

It was a moment where everything felt new and new to me.

As I was eating shrimp, I looked around.

I also wanted to eat shrimp, but I couldn’t eat just shrimp, so I picked up the fork in my right hand and brought it to the grilled eel.

After picking up the grilled eel, I tried to season it with the delicious-looking sauce on the side and put it in my mouth.

But Minhee stopped her hand when she remembered peeling the shrimp, which was difficult to eat, and putting it in my mouth.

“… … .”

“Why?”

Minhee’s question arose as he stopped his hand and saw something strange.

I turned my head at the voice, glanced at Minhee, and then moved my hand toward her mouth.

“Ah, ahh… Try it.”

And after I did the same thing to Minhee, Minhee looked at me and chuckled.

“Eat a lot, Jimin. Because Jimin ordered this today.”

“Oh, no. I think it would be good for you to eat it too… ”

“Then, shall we feed each other today?”

“ in?”

“Mmm, it’s delicious. Okay, Jimin, are you going to eat the same thing?”

I didn’t want this, but I didn’t hate it either, so I nodded cautiously to Minhee’s voice, which was making a fool of me.

“Ugh, uh.”