Hambaek Flower Restaurant - Chapter 25

As soon as he entered the bathroom, Choi Yoon flinched. His appearance reflected in the mirror was a mess.

It was amazing how Kim Ye Rin had opened the door without changing her expression when a man in this state knocked in the pouring rain.

The gesture that told him to come in quickly without listening to his excuses. The worried look. Asking several times if he was hurt.

Damn it.

Choi Yoon crossed his arms and took off his top. He frowned as the wounds stung. Reflexively, he examined his arm. The neatly applied bandages were straight.

He recalled the pretty side profile, puckering her lips and repeatedly fanning with her hand. The slightly downcast eyes and the slightly furrowed expression from concentration.

“…”

He turned the bathtub faucet forcefully. Water gushed out.

He soaked his body in hot water. Only then did he notice the large window on one side of the bathroom. Sitting in the tub, he reached out and lifted the blinds.

Outside was all black wind and rain. His face was clearly reflected in that black window.

A confused expression, as if it wasn’t me. It blurred instantly with steam.

‘They write a consent form saying they’re willing to die before getting on the operating table.’

Did Kim Ye Rin write one too, a consent form?

‘Have you ever thought about why they disguise their identity even at the risk of their lives?’

Why did she become a disguiser?

There were few clues in hand. Other than currently running a restaurant, there seemed to be no benefit Kim Ye Rin gained from taking on a human identity. Everything else was disadvantageous for survival.

She wouldn’t have disguised herself just to open this measly restaurant.

After finishing his shower, he picked up a top from the shelf. As the fabric fell with a rustle, releasing a fresh laundry scent, Choi Yoon was slightly surprised. It was embarrassing to have lifted it with his fingertips, expecting it to be musty from being in the closet for a long time.

Upon closer inspection, there were clear signs it had been worn, washed, and cared for frequently. Even one of the buttons seemed to have been newly sewn on, with a subtle difference in color and shape.

The bottoms were the same. They were crisp as if they had absorbed sunlight. Even the underwear was brand new, still in its packaging.

Whose clothes are these?

Judging by Kim Ye Rin’s reaction to the question about belongings, there’s no way she had a beloved partner. Then was it someone she dated briefly? However, the amount of neatly folded men’s clothes in the storage room was considerable for the result of a short relationship.

It was bewildering how well they fit when he put them on. It’s rare to find clothes that fit so perfectly at once. While it’s better than sleeves and pant legs being too short, guessing that the owner of the clothes must have been as well-built as himself somehow didn’t sit well with him.

What’s your identity?

He flung open every drawer in the bathroom. He thoroughly scanned every shelf.

If she’s a disguiser, there must be evidence.

However, the bathroom was unremarkably ordinary. As he was about to give up and leave, shaking his wet hair, something caught his eye.

A sky-blue toothbrush stood in a clumsily made ceramic holder. There was a name tag on the toothbrush handle, but only the heart at the end was visible, obscured by the holder’s opening.

Choi Yoon narrowed his eyes, staring at it, then slightly pulled it out with his fingertip. The name tag was fully revealed.

Kim Ye Rin’s husband♥

“…”

He let go. The toothbrush fell into the ceramic holder, making a clear tinkling sound as it rolled around once.

What the hell is this?

He barely suppressed the urge to grab Kim Ye Rin right away, shake her, and demand, “Aren’t you a disguiser?”

He’ll probably find out if he searches more. Living under the same roof, there’s no way he won’t catch some evidence.

He put on the slippers prepared in front of the bathroom and went down the stairs.

Glancing down, he saw Kim Ye Rin busy boiling something in a cast-iron pot in the kitchen.

“Do the clothes fit?”

Kim Ye Rin asked without even looking this way.

Choi Yoon couldn’t answer. Not only could he not answer, but he stopped halfway down the stairs.

Food was steaming on the dining table.

A large hamburger steak was piled high on a white, plump ceramic plate. Large roasted carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, and tomatoes were also visible.

Kim Ye Rin came out of the cooking area carrying a tray with a cup and a small teapot. Again, without looking at Choi Yoon, she asked.

“You haven’t eaten anything all day except for the milk I gave you earlier, right? When was your last meal?”

There was nothing to answer.

Choi Yoon was originally a light eater. Even the rare appetite that arose was suppressed by diet control, so he wasn’t one to actively seek out meals.

He remembered his last snack as a few nuts that Yoo Ji Ho had deliberately opened and poured into his hand at the filming site before leaving Seoul, and the protein shake he had forced himself to drink out of obligation.

Kim Ye Rin put down the cup and teapot on the table and looked up. Their eyes met.

For a moment, Kim Ye Rin flinched. Those pitch-black, firm eyes suddenly widened. It was a familiar reaction he had finally found in the entirely unfamiliar Kim Ye Rin.

Come to think of it, I’ve just washed up.

Feeling somewhat proud, Choi Yoon pulled out a chair and sat down. He looked at the food. It was an impressive plating for a restaurant stuck in the countryside, but not enough to stimulate his non-existent appetite. However, he thought he should pay for the kindness.

“Thank you for the meal at such a late hour. How much is it?”

He put his hand in his back pocket. But of course, there was nothing to grab. Flustered, he said.

“I left my wallet in the car. I’ll pay you tomorrow. I’m a bit out of it.”

“Just eat comfortably while you’re here.”

The hamburger steak, now with its steam slightly subsided, glistened with the generously poured sauce. He couldn’t tell if this effort was due to the habit of always treating customers or if it was a particular consideration for Choi Yoon, but either way, it was courteous to at least taste it. He was about to pick up the neatly placed knife when:

“Ah, wait.”

Kim Ye Rin took the knife from Choi Yoon’s hand. The movement was so smooth that Choi Yoon handed it over without realizing it.

“I’m sorry. This is for our cat customers.”

When Choi Yoon looked puzzled, Kim Ye Rin added.

“There’s a cat yokai living in the neighborhood who, even when transformed into a human, still has cat paws. It’s hard for them to hold a knife, but they always want to cut their food themselves, so I had this custom-made. If you look here, you can see the handle is textured to prevent slipping…”

Kim Ye Rin tilted the knife to show the surface of the handle. It had an anti-slip texture. She said.

“I’ll bring you a human one. Just a moment.”

Then she brought a new knife from the cooking area.

“I’m a bit scattered. I’ve been in the restaurant business for a long time, but I still get confused sometimes.”

Choi Yoon took a fresh look around the restaurant.

Only then did he notice the tables and chairs. They were all different.

There were several small stools at the entrance, and long bench seats attached to the windows.

Some chairs had soft cushions, some chairs and tables were small and low like toys, and some chairs were tall and slender like works of art. They were all different.

When he looked around the restaurant during the day, he just thought the variety of chairs was unique and pretty, but now he saw it differently. As the appearance of the customers coming and going was diverse, the chairs were prepared accordingly. Now that he was looking for it, he could see it.

“You only go to no-monster zones, right, Choi Yoon?”

“It’s not so much choosing as having no choice. Actually, these days, many areas are moving to designate not just individual shops but entire alleys as no-monster zones.”

“Then is this the first restaurant you’ve been to that’s not a no-monster zone?”

Choi Yoon blinked and then nodded.

“I guess so. It’s my first time.”

“In a way, this is also…”

Kim Ye Rin’s voice trailed off as if hesitating, then she continued.

“Thanks to you, Choi Yoon.”

Choi Yoon had no idea what she meant. Kim Ye Rin said.

“Usually, when signing a lease agreement, building owners include a clause asking to operate as a no-monster zone. Because if yokai come and go, humans are reluctant to visit. But this restaurant doesn’t have such a clause.”

“In this neighborhood, if you block yokai customers, that’s just saying you’re not going to do business… No, more than that, I didn’t even know such clauses existed.”

“That’s how it is these days. Even in Yomilji, some shops set such conditions. They only want to deal with humans. Don’t you own many buildings?”

“I do, but I don’t manage them directly.”

Choi Yoon looked at the entrance.

The small glass window in the wooden door was clean, without a no-monster zone sticker.

“Well then, please eat. I’ll bring more if it’s not enough.”

Kim Ye Rin returned to the kitchen.

Choi Yoon cut off a small piece from the edge of the hamburger steak. He tried to pick it up with his fork but dropped it. He picked up the piece again and put it in his mouth. He had no particular expectations. It’s just ground meat shaped and grilled, it should be similar…

Ha, he inadvertently exhaled due to the heat. Even before the heat subsided, the sweet and rich sauce had already spread throughout his mouth.

As he bit down, juice burst from the meat. The onions, sautéed for a long time, provided an occasional different texture. It was savory, sweet, appropriately tangy, soft, and warm.

When he came to his senses, it had already gone down his throat.

The hunger that had been dulled by long habit suddenly swept over him.

He swallowed hard and looked up.

Kim Ye Rin in the kitchen had her back turned.

With one hand opening the lid of the pot and the other holding a ladle, she was looking into something simmering softly.

The line falling from her neck to her shoulder was particularly smooth under the light directly above.

‘But hyung.’

Kim Ye Rin stirred the pot with the ladle. Hands tempered by wounds. Slowly, she turned around.

‘That tenant. What was the vibe like?’

Her profile, slightly turned, was objectively delicate with her expression washed away. Kim Ye Rin raised her hand to open the cupboard and swept over the neatly arranged colorful dishes.

Her slender arm revealed below the wet sleeve, extending into long fingers, was sparsely marred with burns and cuts. Kim Ye Rin, who had been carefully touching the dishes with fingertips reddened from cold water, closed the cupboard and then bent her waist deeply.

When she straightened up again, her hands held a warm-colored, concave bowl. Her delicate fingers readjusted their grip on the ladle and skillfully scooped something up.

A yellowish, glossy soup, as if brewed from a slice of the full moon, fell into the bowl.

She placed the now heavier bowl on the tray, and reached for the utensil holder at the far end of the counter, leaning over.

Her upper body lay flat on the counter, and her loosely tied luscious hair flowed softly over her shoulders, around her ears, and onto her cheeks.

Between those strands, her sparkling, almost artificially firm eyes and the thick eyelashes shading those circles. Above them, the softly curved, smooth forehead.

The sound of rain that had been filling his ears faded away.

‘She seems quite charming. Seeing how you’re stirring things up like this.’

In Choi Yoon’s silence, Kim Ye Rin straightened up. She placed a small, shiny spoon on the tray. Clank, a modest sound was heard.

She lifted the tray. She approached this way as if walking through water. Slowly.

He quickly lowered his gaze. He didn’t want to be caught staring desirously. He keenly gauged the sound of approaching footsteps.

She rested the edge of the tray on Choi Yoon’s table, then used both hands to place the bowl on the table. She pushed it with her fingertips, stopping right next to Choi Yoon’s right hand. Then she neatly placed the uniquely crafted spoon as well.

When Kim Ye Rin returned to the kitchen. Choi Yoon picked up the spoon and stirred the soup. Amidst the heavy weight, soft pumpkin pieces gently caught on the spoon. He scooped up a large spoonful and blew on it to cool. He took a big mouthful. Chewed and swallowed carefully.

The warmth lingered. With just one spoonful, it warmed up to the very bottom of his stomach.

‘But what does that restaurant sell? Have you tried it?’

Choi Yoon stared down at the dish.

Over the hamburger steak with one bite taken out, sliced shiitake mushrooms slowly slid along with the sauce.

*

Save yourself from story hunger — the novel below will blow your mind!

[su_service title=”When the Male Beauty Encounters Avoidance (Female-dominant)” icon=”icon: star-o” size=”16″][/su_service]

He first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she really disliked him

Short intro:

What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.

Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.

Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!

She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.

*

At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.

This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!

***

Synopsis:

Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…

A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead

vs.

An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead

[su_heading] You’re bound to regret it if you skip this novel. Read the review & spoiler to find out what you might be missing!

Link to read the review & spoiler

Link to read the novel

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