Chapter 14
Stir-Fried Potatoes (2)
My ears were ringing.
“Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!”
With a dazed expression, I plugged my ears with my index fingers.
At this rate, things were going to get out of control.
‘It’s crying because it thinks the food will be late…’
People always say children notice things faster than adults.
“Stop!”
I shouted loudly at the crying starving ghost.
“Hungry…?”
It seemed to hear me because it gradually quieted down.
“Stop!”
I shouted once more.
“Stop… stop… stop.”
The starving ghost closed its mouth and copied what I had said.
I removed my fingers from my ears and patiently explained again.
“Listen carefully, Starving Ghost. When I said it might be late…”
“Stop stop stop?”
“I meant that the stir-fried potatoes might be delayed because I haven’t found many S-Rank potatoes yet.”
“Stop…!”
If you explain things carefully, children usually understand.
“Do you understand now?”
“Understand! Understand!”
“Then cheer me on so more potatoes will appear.”
“Cheer! Cheer!”
Phew.
At least the child had calmed down.
“You’re pretty good at calming kids down, nya.”
“Kids understand when you explain things.”
Looking over the potato field, I had a bad feeling that reaching today’s potato quota was going to be difficult.
After repeating the harvesting process over and over, I gathered a huge amount of potatoes and other ingredients.
Especially…
One potato rolling across the basket immediately stood out.
[Golden Potato Blessed with the Breath of the Earth (S)]
As I brushed the dirt from its skin, golden veins shimmered across its surface.
When I held it in my hand, a gentle warm breeze spread across my palm.
“Stem! Stem! Stem! Stem! Stem! Stem?”
The starving ghost ran around the field shouting for me to pull more potato vines.
“You’re too noisy, nya!”
Haetae bared his sharp yellow fangs as if he were about to bite it.
“Noisy?”
“I’ll bite you, nya.”
“Bite? Bite? Bite? Bite?”
Now the starving ghost opened its mouth even wider as if it were going to swallow Haetae instead.
Glancing at the two of them, I picked up the heavy basket of potatoes.
“Let’s go make the stir-fried pota—”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
“You’re not supposed to eat my head, nya!”
The starving ghost had suddenly leaned over and taken a big bite out of Haetae’s head as if it were chewing a tasty potato stem.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“Why are you thanking me while eating me, nya?!”
Haetae shouted furiously.
Even his tail trembled with anger.
The sight was so cute that I couldn’t help laughing.
“Why are you laughing, nya?!”
“Alright~ Let’s go make some stir-fried potatoes~”
Pretending not to hear him, I hummed happily.
We left the Divine Garden and returned to the kitchen.
As I set the ingredients on the floor, Haetae and the starving ghost carried the remaining baskets inside one by one.
“Thanks.”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
Smiling brightly, the starving ghost handed me another basket.
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
“It’s telling you to hurry, nya.”
“Oh…”
So that was why it had helped.
“Potatoes! Potatoes!”
“I’ll make it as fast as I can.”
I picked ten large, high-quality potatoes, washed them, and peeled them with a slicer.
Then I cut them into thin strips, like French fries.
I soaked the sliced potatoes in salted water for a while.
Meanwhile, I sliced onions, carrots, and Spam into thick strips.
“Speedrun, nya?”
Haetae teased me while watching my hands fly.
“I have to be quick.”
I rinsed the soaked potatoes and checked one to make sure it had softened.
Then I heated a Chinese wok, poured in plenty of olive oil, and added the potatoes.
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
Hearing the sizzling sound, the starving ghost became excited.
“Look.”
When I showed it the potatoes frying, it stared without blinking while drooling.
It couldn’t wait to eat.
Once the potatoes became slightly translucent, I added the onions, carrots, and Spam.
Then I seasoned everything with salt and pepper before sprinkling sesame seeds over the top.
“Done!”
Warm, savory stir-fried potatoes.
Finished.
I brought out a huge serving bowl and piled in enough for nearly twenty people.
“Starving Ghost, sit over there. I’ll bring the potatoes.”
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
The starving ghost excitedly ran to the chair.
Carrying the bowl and a fork, I walked over to the table.
Both Haetae and the starving ghost stared hungrily at the dish.
“Here.”
“Aren’t you going to explain the food, nya?”
I had planned to skip the explanation because I was tired.
But I got caught.
“The thinly sliced potatoes were fried until golden, so the outside should be slightly crispy while the inside stays soft. The roasted pieces of Spam are mixed throughout, giving the mild potatoes a delicious salty flavor.”
“Really, nya?”
I scooped some onto another plate and handed it to Haetae.
“Thanks for the meal, nya.”
“You enjoy it too.”
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
Holding the fork, the starving ghost called out to me.
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
Why?
Was there not enough?
“It’s telling you to sit across from it, nya.”
“Me?”
“That’s right, nya.”
Confused, I sat opposite it.
The starving ghost pushed its fork toward me.
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
“Hm?”
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
It gestured for me to eat.
“You want me to taste it first?”
“Potatoes! Potatoes!”
“Alright.”
I accepted the fork and took a bite.
As if it had been waiting for that moment, the starving ghost suddenly produced several hands and began clapping.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The applause was surprisingly loud.
Without realizing it, I smiled proudly.
It felt like the child was thanking me.
‘By the way…’
The potatoes turned out really well.
The sweetness of the onions and carrots blended perfectly with the salty richness of the Spam.
The seasoning was exactly right.
It was as if these potatoes had been made for this dish.
“Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes! Potatoes!”
After confirming that I liked it, the starving ghost opened its mouth unbelievably wide.
Then…
It grabbed the entire bowl of stir-fried potatoes and threw everything into the huge black hole inside its mouth.
‘Ah… that’s why it wanted me to taste it first.’
Because it planned to eat all of it.
I stared blankly as twenty servings of stir-fried potatoes disappeared into the darkness.
Twenty servings.
Gone in a single meal.
Just as it swallowed the final bite…
“Huh?”
Its appearance began to change.
The strange layers covering its body slowly peeled away like onion skins.
A completely different figure emerged beneath them.
“…It really was a child?”
When all the layers disappeared, a young boy stood there.
The black shadows and monstrous form were gone.
He now looked exactly like an ordinary little boy.
I carefully asked,
“Was this… your real appearance?”
The boy quietly nodded.
“Why did you become a starving ghost?”
“…Dad.”
“Dad?”
With great effort, he slowly spoke.
“I… waited… at home.”
“You waited?”
“Yes… Dad… made… my favorite… stir-fried potatoes… for me.”
“I waited… for Dad… but… he never came.”
“I don’t know… why… he didn’t come.”
“Did… he… abandon… me?”
The confusion and fear of a child left behind filled his voice.
“Why? Why? I waited! I waited!”
“Why didn’t your dad come back?”
“I don’t know… I don’t know.”
He truly didn’t know the reason.
“Do you trust your dad?”
“…Trust?”
“Yes. Do you trust him?”
“…I do.”
Children don’t wait endlessly unless they truly believe someone will return.
“Then…”
“Let’s believe in him.”
“…Believe?”
I nodded.
“My parents died when I was little.”
“So I don’t really know what parents are like.”
“What… are they like?”
“But watching my grandmother taught me something.”
“At the very least…”
“If your father cooked your favorite stir-fried potatoes for you…”
“…Cooked… for me?”
“…Doesn’t that prove he loved you?”
“People don’t cook for someone they don’t love.”
Who would make food for someone they didn’t care about?
Maybe such people existed.
But I’d never met one.
“…Don’t you think so?”
The boy quietly looked at the plate.
Only the carrot pieces remained.
“…Dad.”
Using his fork, he pushed the carrots together and arranged them into words.
==========
Thank You
==========
It was only two words.
“…Thank you.”
“Hm?”
“That’s… what… I wanted… to hear.”
“People… never… said… those… words.”
“They never did?”
“…No.”
Looking straight at me, he spoke with eyes that finally seemed at peace.
“Everyone…”
“…only… pitied… me.”
“They… said… Dad… wasn’t… coming back.”
“…”
“Today…”
“…I was happy.”
A bright smile bloomed across the child’s face.
It was pure.
Gentle.
Filled with relief.
At that very moment…
Snap.
I heard fingers snap beside my ear.
The entire kitchen rippled as though space itself had become water.
The lights flickered.
Before I could react…
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the glass door.
“Excuse me! Boss!”
Startled, I turned.
A middle-aged man stood outside.
His necktie was loosened as though he had just finished work.
He looked exhausted.
“Oh… hello?”
I hurried to open the door.
The man bowed deeply.
“I’m… I’m sorry…”
“The lights were on, so I thought you were still open.”
“It’s… an urgent matter.”
“An urgent matter?”
“It may sound strange…”
“I fell asleep while working overtime earlier…”
“In my dream…”
“…my dead son…”
“…walked into this shop.”
His face looked ready to break into tears.
“So… I came just in case…”
“I thought…”
“…maybe…”
“…my son…”
“…had come here…”
His voice fell apart before he collapsed to his knees.
His shoulders shook as he cried.
“I’m sorry…”
“Years ago…”
“I was hit in a serious hit-and-run accident on my way home from work.”
“I was unconscious for a long time.”
“During that time…”
“…my son…”
“…was left home alone.”
“He kept waiting for me to come home…”
“…and…”
“…he passed away.”
“I’ve never been able to escape that guilt…”
At that moment, I saw the starving ghost slowly stand up.
He no longer cried that he was hungry.
He no longer threw childish tantrums.
The little boy quietly walked over to the sobbing man.
Then he gently reached out…
…and softly patted the man’s bent shoulders.
“…Ah…”
The middle-aged man slowly lifted his tear-filled face.
His eyes widened.
It was as if he could feel an invisible hand touching him.
“…!”
The boy looked at me.
The hunger and darkness had completely disappeared from his face.
“Please.”
His voice was quiet.
Short.
Yet it carried everything he wanted to say.
I smiled gently and said to the man,
“Please come here every day.”
“…What?”
“I think your son wants to visit you.”
His eyes immediately filled with tears.
Unable to speak, he nodded over and over.
The little boy smiled at me.
It was the purest smile.
Then…
His body slowly dissolved into a soft light.
“Boss!”
“I had so much fun today!”
“…!”
He shouted brightly.
The hand resting on his father’s shoulder disappeared.
Silently, I whispered to myself,
‘Goodbye.’
“…I’ll come back to buy side dishes for my son… and my wife.”
“You’re welcome anytime.”
“Thank you.”
The boy’s father turned around and walked away.
The tiny light that had disappeared gently settled onto his shoulder.
“…It’s bittersweet.”
“But I guess it’s a happy ending.”
A gentle breeze drifted through the shop.
It floated over to the praise sticker board.
A tiny transparent hand placed one Stir-Fried Potatoes sticker onto it.
Then a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
[You have earned Virtue Points. Detailed Shop Information has been unlocked.]
Han Jigu
Local Reputation: 50
(Grandma’s old regular customers have begun talking about “Han Jigu’s cooking.”)Divine Realm Reputation: 25
(The gods have started paying attention to Han Jigu.)Virtue Points: 5
(Reward unlock conditions not yet met.)
Business Status
Today’s Customers: 60 / 40
Regular Customers: 10
My number of regular customers had increased.
And even Grandma’s old customers had started hearing about me.
Everything seemed to be moving in a very good direction.
I stared quietly at the empty plate the starving ghost had left behind.
“I wonder if he made it.”
“He did, nya.”
Haetae answered while grooming his fur.
“He looked happy.”
“That’s thanks to you, nya.”
“Thanks to me, huh?”
I looked around the now-empty table.
“I really am amazing, aren’t I?”
I puffed out my chest proudly, copying Haetae’s usual pose.
The chubby cat snorted and simply shook his head.
