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Chapter 16
“Waa…! Hi, Jjakjjak!”
Yuna climbed on top of Jjakjjak and greeted him.
“Greetings! Jjak.”
On the way home, Jjakjjak had heard many things from Hyunjoon.
That Hyunjoon had a niece, and if he played with her, he could live safely and happily.
And his instinct to see humans as food had been removed through magic.
‘Maybe this is much better!’
The child named Yuna looked very cute to Jjakjjak.
If he could play with her and give her his eggs, and in return live eating delicious food for a long time—wasn’t that a great deal?
There was no need to worry about being captured by hunters either.
He could have felt uneasy about giving his eggs to Hyunjoon. Normally, eggs hatch into offspring.
But at least for Jjakjjak, that wasn’t a concern.
‘Because I’m a male.’
Only eggs from females hatch into chicks.
The eggs Jjakjjak laid were just nutritious and delicious eggs.
So he had no hesitation in giving them.
“Please take care of me from now on, Yuna. Aunt, Uncle. And… Hyunjoon-nim? Jjak.”
“Just call me younger uncle.”
“Yes, younger uncle.”
Black Birds learn quickly.
Thanks to that trait, Jjakjjak began mimicking human speech.
Because of the translation magic, even what he himself said sounded like Korean.
By comparing it to proper Korean he heard in conversations, he gradually adjusted his way of speaking to sound more human.
“Jjakjjak, your room will be here from now on.”
“….”
Hyunjoon showed him the room he had created with magic.
Jjakjjak was so amazed that he couldn’t speak.
“This is amazing!”
He loved it.
It was cool, and the bed looked soft.
“Waa…! It’s so soft!”
It really was incredibly soft, and he liked it a lot.
“Hehe, Jjakjjak! Let’s play!”
“Alright!”
And exactly five minutes later—
“Huff—huff— Yuna, don’t you ever get tired? I feel like I’m going to die.”
“It’s okay! Giddy up, giddy up! Fly! Fly!”
“…You’re like a tyrant.”
Still, she was cute, and maybe because of Hyunjoon’s magic, he didn’t even feel like smacking his forehead in frustration.
‘Do I have to live like this forever?’
It was exhausting.
Were children always this energetic?
“Giddy up, giddy up!”
‘They’re playing well.’
I watched Jjakjjak, who was practically sacrificing his soul to entertain Yuna, with a satisfied smile.
‘Now, should I start cooking?’
Today’s dish was Red Gorilla boiled pork (suyuk).
It’s known for its tender meat—so if you boil it and make it even softer?
The taste becomes truly fantastic.
Not dry at all.
I washed the meat in water to remove the blood and pressed it firmly with my hands.
‘Wash the onion, green onion, and whole garlic.’
Into the pot went the meat, the cleaned vegetables, soybean paste, and coffee.
Add water and boil—that’s it.
‘About 2 hours and 30 minutes. When the water boils, just keep adding a bit more water, and the suyuk is done.’
Now it was time to make spicy shredded radish (musaengchae).
With suyuk, musaengchae isn’t optional—it’s essential.
‘And Jjakjjak needs it too.’
If a monster eats another monster’s meat, its aggression increases.
I reduced his carnivorous instincts, but if he doesn’t eat meat at all, the nutritional value of his eggs drops.
So I planned to give him only normal meat like pork or beef—but this suyuk was made from monster meat.
That’s why Jjakjjak would be eating musaengchae bibimbap.
‘It’s really delicious anyway.’
Musaengchae is simple.
Wash and peel the radish.
‘Slice it evenly.’
Add fish sauce, gochujang, sugar, chili powder, minced garlic, vinegar, and mix—it’s done.
“Whew… it’s already dawn.”
Yuna had fallen asleep on Jjakjjak.
Jjakjjak was fast asleep too, and my brother and sister-in-law were in the bedroom.
I should sleep too.
.
.
“Wow… Uncle! It’s so good! So soft!”
Yuna gave a double thumbs-up as she ate rice topped with suyuk and musaengchae.
“This is amazing! It’s really delicious!”
My sister-in-law liked the suyuk the most.
“It melts in your mouth! And the musaengchae is so crunchy!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The suyuk was indeed light and delicious.
Soft enough even for elderly people, with a slight saltiness that paired well with white rice.
Grrr…
Jjakjjak stared longingly at everyone eating.
“…Wait.”
Hyunjoon filled a bowl with rice and lots of musaengchae, drizzled sesame oil over it, and handed it to Jjakjjak.
“Thank you for the meal!”
With a bright expression, Jjakjjak buried his face in the bowl and devoured it.
“It’s… delicious!!”
More delicious than any meat he had ever eaten.
“Jjakjjak! Eat a lot and then play with me, okay?”
“….”
His expression trembled.
Then he looked like he was about to cry.
‘Stay strong, Jjakjjak.’
It’s only going to get harder.
And Yuna is an awakened one—her stamina is incredible.
At a C-rank gate in Gyeongju, hunters who had finished their hunt looked around.
‘They said on social media there was a vendor here…’
They were looking for a truck.
“Captain! Yuna Food! That’s the one!”
Among hunters, Yuna Food had gained fame as a place run by a powerful healer or buffer.
Rumor had it that eating their food restored mana and healed injuries.
Because of that, many hunters visited and shared their experiences online.
“Red Gorilla suyuk…?”
“We hit the jackpot!”
They immediately ordered ten servings for five people.
It cost 300,000 won per person—but it didn’t matter.
Each member had earned over 1.5 million won that day.
‘It’s even cheaper than market price!’
Delicious, affordable, and gives buffs—how could they not buy it?
“Young master, ten sets please!”
“Yes.”
Hyunjoon reheated the prepared suyuk and sliced it.
Meanwhile, Yuna served rice and musaengchae.
They worked quickly, serving all ten dishes in no time.
“Wow…!”
As Yuna Food bustled with activity, the hunters sat under a parasol and took a bite.
“This is insane.”
“I’ve never had suyuk this good!”
“It melts!”
“This musaengchae is amazing too!”
Then the captain said what everyone was thinking:
“I could really go for a beer.”
With such food, and after a hard day’s work…
A cold beer would be perfect.
Later, a government worker named Jo Hyun sat in his car with suyuk.
He sighed deeply.
He had become a gate management officer to earn money for his parents’ hospital bills.
But the job was dangerous and exhausting.
‘Let’s just eat for now.’
He took a bite.
“It melts…”
“Crazy…”
He was stunned.
He had eaten many fine foods—but this was on another level.
And…
‘I feel better.’
His fatigue disappeared.
His anxiety faded.
“This is unbelievable.”
He devoured the food.
“This is why I work.”
Through Hyunjoon’s cooking, his weary life found a moment of relief.
“Wow… today was really busy.”
My brother collapsed flat on the floor.
“But… tomorrow we can have so much fun! We made a ton today!”
He suddenly cheered.
“Amusement park! We’re getting the special pass, right?”
The special pass—150,000 won per person—lets you skip long lines.
“I hated waiting two hours while others got on in ten minutes! Tomorrow we’re going all out!”
“Hehe, yay!!”
Watching them, my sister-in-law shook her head.
“Is it really that exciting…?”
“I guess it is. Haha.”
Still, seeing them so happy made me feel good.
