Chapter 20: Bin Sejin Part 1

(Endless Waiting): National Trekking Expedition? What’s that?

(Anonymous 1): I looked it up in the Constellation community. It seems to mean traveling across the land by ordinary roads, not highways, to reach other regions on Earth.

(God of Rain and Sunlight): How do you know that, Anonymous?

(Anonymous 1): I gathered some Constellations living in dimensions similar to Earth and asked around.

Thanks to the explanation from the community insider, Anonymous 1, I didn’t have to bother explaining it myself.

‘A student named Mulin doing a National Trekking Expedition? Naturally, my curiosity is piqued.’

With that in mind, I parked the camper van. Since I had been exploring around, I planned to rest at a village before heading to Hoengseong today.

I pulled into a parking lot to stretch my back, and right there under the nearby pavilion, I saw some writing on a box that instantly caught my curiosity.

And just then,

[Constellation, Anonymous 1 has added a mission!]
–Mission: Listen to a young man’s troubles.
–Reward: 100 Coins.

Anonymous 1, a Constellation who longs for human stories, posted the mission.

“You’re twenty years old, you say?”

I approached him with a sly smile to show I wasn’t a weirdo.

“Hello, I’m Bin Sejin!”

The young man holding a camera introduced himself by name.

“You’re doing the National Trekking Expedition with just 300,000 won?”

“That’s right.”

“…That’s impressive. Aren’t you hungry?”

“…Haha.”

He laughed sheepishly.

Still carrying the image of a bright-eyed boy, he seemed about to politely say he wasn’t hungry.

Growl

But you can’t fool your stomach clock.

A twenty-year-old doing the National Trekking Expedition on just 300,000 won can’t possibly not be hungry.

“Want to eat together? I was planning to have some late-night food.”

“…! Really?”

“Yes, I’m not a weirdo, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you! Really, thank you!”

He immediately got up from his tent and bowed deeply. Even as he bent over, the rumbling from his stomach grew louder.

“Hehe—”

Byeol smiled brightly beside me.

I guess the rumbling sounds were cute.

“Anything you want to eat?”

“I eat everything well. By the way, is it okay if I film a little with my camera? I’ll mosaic the face.”

“That’s fine. Are you doing YouTube?”

“Yes, I’m doing a short National Trekking Expedition. I want to capture my travels and also have conversations with kind people like you, which I think will help me in life later. So, I’m filming it.”

“That’s a good idea.”

I was no different from this young man named Sejin.

I showed my travel log to the Constellations and recorded it through the system. Maybe because of that kinship, I wanted to talk more and help this young man.

“Eating inside the camper van might be a bit uncomfortable, so shall we eat under the pavilion?”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“Still, just in case. This pavilion seems to allow cooking, so let’s eat simply while watching the night sky.”

These days, the world isn’t always kind. I didn’t want Sejin to feel any unease by coming inside my closed camper van.

(Anonymous 1): 5 points for thoughtfulness.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Look at these generous points, haha.
(Endless Waiting): Yeah, that’s the fun of traveling—meeting people and scenery by chance. That’s what traveling is! Brings back memories.
(Father of Crops): Nostalgia is a fascinating feeling. Seeing a spirited young man like that reminds me too. Did you all ever roam the whole continent just to find a single seed?
(Messenger of Cheongha): I didn’t.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Same here, not really…

I’m feeling this fun of traveling right now. If, really if, I become a Constellation someday, maybe I could talk about memories like that too.

“The puppy and the baby are cute.”

“Haha, right? That’s my daughter and a spirit.”

“…Your daughter?”

“Yes. My daughter and the spirit travel together. Her name is Kim Byeol, and the spirit’s name is Baekgu.”

“Ah, I see. Byeol, Baekgu, hello!”

“Woof!”

Byeol waved her hand, and Baekgu wagged his tail in response.

“You’re playing with the kids. I’ll get some food and be right back.”

“Thank you! Can I call you ‘hyungnim’ (older brother)?”

“Yes, feel free to talk casually too.”

“Great, hyungnim!”

He was spirited and cheerful.

I smiled lightly and headed back to the camper van.

I had bought some ingredients at a mart halfway through coming from Yangpyeong.

I also got some flame peppers and golden apples from Father of Crops.

I received some red wolf meat and still had a little left over.

That alone was enough to make delicious food, but… human greed has no end.

I glanced at the system window with a wistful look. More precisely, I looked at Father of Crops.

(Father of Crops): …What do you want?

‘Do you have any vegetables?’

(Father of Crops): Damn it, I’ll give you golden garlic.

I’m realizing again that Father of Crops really loves gold. He even adds ‘gold’ in all the names.

[You have obtained Golden Garlic (C-Rank Ingredient)!]
[Golden Garlic (C-Rank Ingredient)]
–Description: A buff ingredient imbued with special power.
–Effect: The umami and flavor of garlic are maximized, so adding it to dishes enhances their taste. It also raises sweetness, improves blood circulation, and greatly relieves fatigue when consumed additionally.

“…!”

Golden garlic.

Its effects lived up to its name.

“I’ll cook a generous meal with this and offer tribute to everyone. No need for sponsorships, just please say thank you to Father of Crops.”

(Anonymous 1): Tribute skill only works once a day, right? You already ate earlier.

“When I finish cooking, it’ll be midnight. From midnight is a new day, so it should be fine.”

(Anonymous 1): …!!! I trusted you!
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Peak flex, I admit.
(Messenger of Cheongha): Da Jinwoo.

Haebak from Goguryeo’s founding myth, now a meme on Earth, praised me.

Where else could I have such an experience? I decided to enjoy the Constellations’ way of speaking. Maybe I’d been enjoying it from the start.

Anyway, today I’d make a simple gamjatang.

Gamjatang with red wolf backbones.

I’d keep it really simple since I didn’t have many ingredients.

I put the red wolf backbones and beef bone broth into a huge pot.

Ideally, the beef broth should be made from red wolf bones, but time is more precious than gold to us.

I used store-bought broth.

That’s the beauty of makeshift cooking—you’re not selling food, just making a quick late-night meal, so you can do as you please.

‘Add a little golden garlic to the broth to bring out its flavor, then put in the backbones and dried radish greens.’

I minced the golden garlic and added it, mixed in some doenjang (fermented soybean paste) to make the seasoning sauce, threw in a few potatoes, and let it simmer.

A perfectly simple, makeshift gamjatang.

“Even if the cooking is simple, the ingredients are delicious, so it’ll be fine.”

Just backbones, beef broth, doenjang, and garlic are enough for a rich flavor.

I chatted with the Constellations while waiting for the meat to tenderize.

*****

Sejin watched Byeol and Baekgu running around near the pavilion, wearing a proud uncle’s smile.

He thought of his younger sibling at home and his cousins he met every holiday.

“Oppa! Oh, Oppa!”

“Wow, Byeol talks well, huh?”

“Hehe.”

One ‘Bei!’

Baekgu, who always followed Byeol around, wagged his tail and rubbed his face against Sejin’s leg.

Just seeing these kids being affectionate washed away all the fatigue.

Sejin had walked a lot today and drawn pictures while hungry.

‘I was hungry and sleepy… but now I’m wide awake.’

He secretly envied Jinwoo who spent every day with these kids.

Sejin avoided using Jinwoo’s name out of respect, calling him ‘hyungnim’ repeatedly.

And that ‘hyungnim’ came out carrying a huge pot.

Since the tribute was done, the Constellations watching Jinwoo chatted in the chatroom.

(Anonymous 1): This is first-class, right? The taste is killer.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Whoa, is this deep flavor from the golden garlic or something?
(Father of Crops): The one in the coin shop sells for 100 coins per bag. If you buy from me, it’s 70 coins.
(Messenger of Cheongha): I’ll just support the descendant with 100 coins and get the food.
(Father of Crops): Ah, you clueless people. If you buy from me, you can eat five times as much as what Jinwoo has!
(God of Rain and Sunlight): I’m bad at cooking.
(Endless Waiting): I can cook a bit. Since I got some coins as a Constellation, maybe I’ll buy some.

When you become a Constellation, the system evaluates your rank and gives you coins.

Usually, coins are given based on how much a Constellation’s name is talked about, their fame, and achievements.

Endless Waiting, who has answered the system’s call and kept watch over the hidden stage for a long time, holds quite a few coins.

(Father of Crops): Hehe, guest. If you send coins, I’ll send the items through the Dimensional Exchange.
(Endless Waiting): Sent 70 coins.

Jinwoo admired Father of Crops’ business acumen in his heart, then put the gamjatang on the pavilion table.

“Wow… thank you for the meal! This is the first proper meal I’ve ever had!”

“Haha, eat a lot.”

“Thank you!”

After setting aside some for Baekgu and Byeol, Jinwoo handed Sejin a generous serving of meat, radish greens, and rice.

“Woong! Thank you!”

One ‘Bei!’

Byeol and Baekgu, having said their thanks, eagerly ate the red wolf backbones.

Especially Byeol, who carefully picked the meat from the bones with her tiny hands, was adorably cute.

Watching quietly, Jinwoo, Sejin, and the Constellations all wore proud fatherly smiles.

“Try it.”

“Ah, yes! I was so focused on watching Byeol eat. This looks really delicious, thank you!”

Jinwoo and Sejin simultaneously wiped their hands with wet wipes and grabbed the bones.

They gently tore off the meat and sucked on it, then took a big bite of rice soaked in the broth.

The flavor of golden garlic and the savory richness of doenjang came through perfectly in the broth.

The nutty taste from the red wolf meat burst forth.

Thanks to the sesame seeds added at the end, the appetite was even more stimulated.

As for the red wolf meat itself, there was no need to say more.

It was absolutely the best.

Sejin realized for the first time that meat could have such a deep sweetness.

“Is this pork backbone? It’s so delicious! Thank you so much.”

Sejin bowed again.

Something filling his hungry stomach made him feel alert and energized.

“Actually, I came out with 300,000 won, but I didn’t bring paints. On the way here, my sketchbook got torn… I prefer drawing on paper rather than a pad. So I already spent 200,000 won buying those. Haha, then I bought a bottle of water and some kimbap because I was hungry, and now I have less than 100,000 left.”

“…That’s impressive. Eat a lot.”

Jinwoo didn’t say it was red wolf backbones to avoid making Sejin feel burdened.

Well, when you’re hungry, red wolf or regular pork backbone, both taste equally good.

“Hehe, it’s delicious!”

“Really?”

“Yup!”

Byeol ate a little and kept saying it was tasty, then, as if by agreement with Baekgu, went inside the camper van.

The newborn spirit, unlike expected, sleeps a lot.

Byeol noticed Baekgu was sleepy and went inside the camper van to let him rest comfortably.

“Byeol, do you want to sleep with Dad?”

“No, I’ll just play! I’ll come back later!”

“You’ll come back later?”

“Yup!”

“Haha, okay. I’ll be quick. Play with Baekgu.”

Yup!”

With Byeol and Baekgu leaving the space, Jinwoo and Sejin finished all the backbones and even added ramen noodles.

Now it was time to seriously listen to and look at Sejin’s life and artwork.

Kim Sa.

Jinwoo’s turn to open up about his life honestly had come.