0% 1.
Kimchi Stew.
It was Siwoo’s all-ti favorite dish and a staple beloved by nearly every Korean.
Siwoo had a certain confidence in the dish, especially since even Sharon, a witch, and Odette and Odile, apprentice witches, had given it high praise.
Moreover, unlike most kimchi stew that use inexpensive cuts like pork leg, this place actually rolled up the pork belly.
The sight of those succulent pork belly slices, wrapped tightly in spicy, simred kimchi, was enough to awaken even the dullest appetite.
Even the ride on the side was perfectly cooked, with each grain fluffy and light.
“I’ll serve you so.”
“No, I can do it...”
“This is your first ti, isn’t it?”
Siwoo divided the at and cooked the kimchi into bite-sized pieces, adding a little broth, and placed it in front of Alia.
He figured it would be hard for her to tear the kimchi with a fork.
“Try eating the at and kimchi together.”
“Alright.”
Alia, holding the fork she had requested when ordering, stared at the plate Siwoo handed over.
So, this is Siwoo’s hotown cuisine.
There was a reason Alia hadn’t been able to replicate it before.
While getting authentic ingredients had been a challenge, even if she managed to, making the dish itself would be beyond her.
After all, she had never even imagined that food this flavorful existed.
“Thank you for the food.”
“Let’s dig in.”
The two took a bite at the sa ti.
Imdiately, Alia felt it.
Salty.
Sour.
Stimulating.
Greasy.
And most of all...
So spicy...!
Alia was the kind of witch who rarely ate outside of tea-ti snacks.
When she did, it was usually delicate desserts like cakes and scones or simple als like lightly seasoned bread and salad.
To Alia whose idea of indulgence was the occasional slice of bacon, kimchi stew was the equivalent of a full-on assault.
With her tolerance for spiciness only reaching as far as black pepper, the broth containing red pepper flakes, garlic, chili pepper paste, and green chili felt like fiery lava poured from a bubbling cauldron of hell.
Each of her breath felt like she was exhaling flas.
Her tongue was numb, the tip tingling painfully.
For Alia, known for her low spice tolerance, this stew was practically dancing on the edge of triggering her autonomous defense.
Yet, even as she trembled, she sipped her water calmly, keeping her usual composed look.
Trivia of the day.
The stuff responsible for spiciness was oil-based, aning water won’t help the heat go away.
Just when she thought it was getting better, the tingling sensation returned, and her tongue tingled even more.
“Does it suit your taste?”
In contrast to Siwoo, who was struggling, Siwoo was enjoying his hotown food with a happy expression.
Watching him casually spoon up the bright red broth, Alia thought he resembled a circus perforr swallowing fire.
Nod nod.
In truth, it didn’t suit her taste at all.
She was half-tempted to ask whether this was food or so kind of truth serum.
However, she didn’t want to show any distaste or sign of discomfort in front of him, especially when he looked so happy eating the kimchi stew.
Considering that she was the one who had suggested this, it was even more so.
There was also the fact that he had always cleared his plate, even when the als she cooked didn’t suit his taste.
“My mom used to make this a lot when she was alive.”
“...Oh.”
“It’s kind of a nostalgic dish for .”
“...”
As Siwoo continued, Alia sighed in relief.
Thank goodness.
I didn’t let my discomfort show.
“It’s not too spicy for you, right?”
Nod nod.
Alia nodded, but when she heard his next words and saw what he did next...
“That’s a relief. Please eat more.”
Siwoo said as he added more bite-sized pieces of pork and kimchi to her plate.
Alia didn’t even have ti to protest with a, ‘Stop, stop! That’s enough’, when Siwoo continued.
“Gehenna’s ingredients are top-notch and the food is great, but the als are usually so fancy, they feel like sothing royalties would eat. Sotis, I crave for sothing simpler like this. I’m glad Ms. Alia seems to enjoy it too.”
Alia could only feel the weight of the spicy, sauce-soaked at on her plate growing heavier with every addition.
Anything...! I-Is there anything else on the nu...?
M-Maybe I could order sothing less spicy and say, ‘This one is good too!’ while avoiding this....!
Desperate to escape, Alia scanned the nu.
Kimchi Pork Belly Stew
(Large) W 45,000
(dium) W 35,000
(Small) W 25,000
There were no other dishes below that, only rice, drinks, and other beverages.
Alia barely moved her tongue, which felt like it was burning.
“Siwoo... I-Is this all they serve here?”
“Looks like it.”
“B-But isn’t this a restaurant...? How can they only have one dish...?”
“That just shows how confident they are. It’s like the chef’s signature dish, filled with their passion and pride. Usually, places like this have the best food.”
Alia silently cursed the long-standing traditions of these historic eateries and their stubborn chefs.
“Right... I see...”
Resigned to her fate, Alia reluctantly picked up her fork and spoon.
I really don’t want to eat this.
“Ugh...”
And as soon as she took another bite, her mouth erupted in fiery chaos.
The spiciness was so intense she couldn’t even taste the flavors anymore.
If she were still a child, she might’ve jumped up, scread, and made a scene, but now, she couldn’t even think of acting that undignified.
With tears welling in her eyes, Alia forced another spoonful past her trembling lips.
“Sniff... Hic...”
At that mont, Siwoo looked up, and imdiately noticed sothing was off with Alia.
There she was, face flushed, tears streaming down as she was eating the kimchi stew.
“Ms. Alia... .”
Seeing this, a thought crossed Siwoo’s mind.
It’s a good restaurant, yeah, but...
Is it really that good that she’d cry like this?
Once again, Siwoo’s thoughts drifted to his age regression, now a distant mory.
Back when he casually ntioned wanting to try kimchi stew, and Alia had gone out of her way to cook it for him.
But when he was enjoying the authentic flavor of the dish from his holand, she probably realized that his praise of ‘tasty’ back then was a white lie, and she was moved by it.
Seeing how Alia took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears made Siwoo feel a pang in his heart.
He even thought he might start tearing up himself.
This stew...is all I can offer her right now.
Trying to lighten the mood, he used his chopsticks to shred so at and kimchi and added more to her plate.
“Here, Ms. Alia... Have a bit more.”
“I’m stuffed! I can’t eat another bite!”
“Really?”
That was, without a doubt, the loudest Siwoo had ever heard Alia’s voice.
2.
After their al, they followed a classic date routine.
First, they grabbed so ice cream at a nearby shop, then headed straight for the amusent park.
To be more exact, it was a massive complex with an amusent park, a departnt store, an aquarium, and even a water park in it; a place too big to cover in a single day.
So, they decided to stick to the indoor the park and aquarium for now.
The huge glass do let in natural sunlight, and various attractions were scattered throughout the space.
This was the sa amusent park that Siwoo had visited a couple of tis with his parents back when he was a grade schooler and hadn’t visited since. Sohow, it was much smaller than he rembered.
But of course, it wasn’t the park that was actually small.
With its oval-shaped central area featuring an ice rink, it was actually one of the largest indoor amusent parks in the world.
It just seed much bigger when he was a kid, almost like stepping into another world.
Thanks to the off-peak timing on a weekday morning, they got their tickets without waiting in any lines.
Siwoo stepped closer to Alia.
Earlier, the al seed to have drained her, but now, she was looking around at the vibrant park with wide-eyed wonder.
Seeing her reaction, Siwoo felt relieved that he had brought her here.
A world of dreams and joy, sparking childlike excitent in people of all ages and deepening the love of couples.
There couldn’t be a better place to show Alia the soul of Seoul—
-Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!
Suddenly, as he was smiling contentedly, a scream rang out.
“S-Siwoo... T-That...”
Alia opened her mouth wide and pointed toward the source of the scream with her fingertips.
From her eyes, it seed like she was asking him to explain what was going on.
At the end of her finger was a roller coaster, zipping along its tracks with passengers screaming loudly, clearly enjoying the ride.
It was one of the park’s signature attractions; a roller coaster that wove through the indoor space.
This was supposedly a joyful sight, but for Alia, it wasn’t the case at all.
“T-Those people on the train... Shouldn’t we rescue them...?”
“Oh, that’s just how the ride works. Look closer, they’re all having fun.”
Alia turned to Siwoo in shock, as if she had just encountered a psychopath who couldn’t tell joy from pain.
Siwoo hurried to explain further.
“Y-You see, it’s a roller coaster, a ride designed to move quickly along those tracks so people could experience the thrill of riding it. Rides like this are called thrill rides, and roller coasters are one of the most popular ones. Want to give it a try?”
Alia shook her head firmly, making it clear she wanted nothing to do with it.
-Kyaaaaaaah!!!
This ti, another scream echoed from a different direction. Alia hurriedly turned to look.
There, a ship, carrying people, swinging back and forth, lifting the bow to the sky, was visible.
“Siwoo... That thing... Shouldn’t we stop that...?”
“That one’s called the Viking. It swings back and forth to give people a sense of freefall. It’s another thrill ride.”
Despite his explanation, Alia’s face was filled with disbelief.
Her expression grew even more incredulous when she spotted a small boat floating gently along a waterway.
“Do people in the Modern World really enjoy this kind of thing?”
She muttered.
“You too?”
“I used to like them a lot when I was a kid.”
Hearing his answer, Alia nodded.
He specifically added ‘when I was a kid’ because he wasn’t sure if he’d still find them fun now.
After all, rides were ant to give people a rush by throwing their bodies around at unnatural speeds, simulating drops and rises.
But now, Siwoo could easily move at nearly supersonic speeds on his own.
Alia probably could do the sa too.
“I think it’d be worth trying at least one, just for the experience. See anything that interests you?”
“Let’s see...”
Alia pointed with a slender finger at a ride.
It was one of the park’s oldest attractions, situated right in the center and known as its most popular photo spot.
The carousel.
A rry music accompanied it as it slowly rotated like an organ.
The gently bobbing horses and carriages were probably the most familiar things to her in this unfamiliar place..
“Shall we ride it together?”
“...Okay.”
And so, they boarded the carousel.
The ride was spacious to begin with, and today, as if heaven was helping them, there were fewer people than before, so they were able to get on right away without waiting in line.
It wasn’t exactly exciting, but for Siwoo, the simple act of riding it stirred fond mories of his childhood.
At first, Alia was all tense, but as the ride began to spin her wide eyes sparkled with delight.
Even though she was a witch, she wasn’t so different from any ordinary person.
As she spun around and around, tightly gripping the bar, her eyes sparkled with the sa excitent he had seen in her childhood mories.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alia
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