"Noel has really grown a lot" - Indifferent
Is this the same Noel who used to eat just one cup of ramen a day?
Two meals a day? My heart swells with pride...
- Shocked: True, usually even with two meals a day, you'd wonder if that's enough... but since it's Noel, I'm deeply moved
- TacticalNuke: Did Noel really eat that little before? Wow
└ Gloryday: Yeah, she had a tough time before
└ WannaGoHome: But your username...
└ TacticalNuke: What's wrong with my username? Don't you know Ghost Nuke?
└ MidorAFK: Ghost is definitely a tactical nuke, for real
[But the downstairs lady is quite the social butterfly lol] - IntrovertSir
Usually when people hear they're going to be on a livestream, don't they feel uncomfortable and avoid the camera?
Of course her face wasn't shown, but I thought she'd be awkward in front of the camera, but she actually took control of the broadcast lol
- QueenLexia: That's impossible unless you're quite the extrovert
└ Greymine: For real, that requires natural talent... she probably would've been great at broadcasting back in the day
- ToTheCloud: At least it's fortunate that the viewers are just kids, gamers, and casual players lol. If it were another type of broadcast, yikes
└ PolarBear: There are mukbangs too though
└ BecomeBillionaire: Quite a lot of people don't understand how mukbangs themselves can be content
└ BusinessTeleportation: Yeah, mukbangs are trendy, but many people think it's because the streamer is pretty or has good speaking skills
└ Cockle: Or they're total gluttons who eat 10-20 servings at once
[Ugh, Noel, is that how you eat jajangmyeon?] - EatProperlyPlease
Even though it's filmed on a phone camera, I can count how many noodles you pick up with each chopstick movement—is that right?
Shouldn't you grab a big bunch of noodles, stuff them in your mouth, bite them off, and chew heartily? Isn't that how you eat jajangmyeon?
I know you're pretty, but instead of trying to look pretty while eating, couldn't you eat more properly?
Watching you nibble like that makes me frustrated...
- Shocked: That's her making an effort as a streamer lol
└ EatProperlyPlease: I know, but that's too much
- WheneverIAm: Dude, you'd have a heart attack watching her eat cup ramen
└ EatProperlyPlease: I started watching because of that, hoping to see her eat something and gain weight
└ TrapTree: Lol if you walked into the swamp yourself, you have to deal with the consequences
- SoyoungFan: But even though she eats slowly, she eats with such enjoyment that it's not unpleasant to watch
└ EatProperlyPlease: Yeah, she does enjoy it, which makes it more frustrating! Why does someone who knows how to eat!!! nibble like that!!!
└ EatProperlyPlease: Noodles should be slurped up with a "slurp slurp" sound, not cut off like that!!!
└ ReadThisComment: Considering Noel's family background, I think she was probably strictly taught to eat politely at home
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I'm not a food connoisseur.
I do have food preferences, but most commercially available foods taste good anyway. After all, restaurants with bad food would have gone out of business. So I've never experienced food that was so difficult to eat or so bad that I had to throw it away.
That's why I don't really know which foods taste better in which ways. With delivery food, I don't mind if fried items get a bit soggy because they're easier to chew, and I'll happily eat pizza even if it's cooled down to lukewarm. It still tastes good to me.
Perhaps that's because of my memory of surviving on cup ramen for a month. Compared to that, everything tastes delicious.
But I do understand intellectually that most foods taste best when freshly made. So I've come to accept that food might change a bit in quality during delivery. I compromise by thinking, "This place is still tasty enough."
"Slurp! Wow. This Chinese restaurant really puts in generous portions of meat, and you can taste that wok flavor."
"Right? And most importantly, the noodles don't get soggy during delivery. Other places, if the delivery is even slightly delayed, the noodles turn to mush, but not here."
"Ah, you're right. That's so true. I've broken many wooden chopsticks trying to mix overly soggy noodles. But wait, is it really okay for them to include such big chunks of meat? Did they see our broadcast and put in extra ingredients when they got our order?"
"Hohoho, looks like you and the student are quite famous. But this jajangmyeon always comes this generous. The owner is actually the landlord of this building."
"Ah, that explains it. Oh, by the way, ma'am, please speak comfortably with me too. Noel told me how well you take care of her, saying you're just like a mother to her. So I should treat you like my mother too!"
"Is that really okay? Won't viewers complain about me speaking informally to you?"
"It's fine, I can handle it! If anyone wants to complain about you speaking informally to me, they'll have to beat me in League of Champions first."
Now that I was paying attention, I realized Jaemin was right. Mixing the jajangmyeon wasn't difficult at all. The glossy noodles weren't mushy, nor were they bloated from excess moisture.
That made them easy to mix. The dark sauce and ingredients blended together quickly. And when I put the noodles in my mouth—I'm not sure what "wok flavor" means exactly—but the meat coated with that smoky aroma released its juices and sauce with each bite. The onions, which maintained their texture despite being stir-fried, had a pleasant crunch and sweetness.
Maybe it was because I only sucked up as many noodles as I could fit in my mouth, cutting them off with my front teeth. Or because I picked up the chunks of meat and vegetables separately like side dishes to savor them together. Whatever the reason, viewers seemed quite heated about it.
Well, what can I do if it looks like I'm nibbling? My mouth isn't that big, so I can't gobble it up the way everyone wants me to.
I wish I could stuff my mouth full and chew heartily like when I was a man. But this body has shrunk in proportion to my reduced height. Naturally, my oral structure has changed too, making it impossible to accommodate large amounts.
While that's somewhat disappointing, I don't entirely dislike it. In exchange for reduced capacity, I think my taste buds and sense of smell have become more refined.
When I was younger, I enjoyed jajangmyeon simply because it was salty and sweet. The intense flavors were appealing enough. But now I can appreciate the chewy texture of the meat, the crispness of the vegetables, the smoky aroma, and the sweet-salty flavor of the black bean sauce. I can enjoy food in a more diverse way.
Actually, this might not be because I became a woman. It might simply be because I've grown older.
But I definitely taste things more clearly now. When eating sweet and sour pork, there's not much to experience beyond the greasy, crispy deliciousness—the sauce is just sweet and sticky.
But when I put the complimentary fried dumpling in my mouth, I immediately sensed all the flavors of the filling. The meat was just responsible for texture and richness. The key was the vegetables: the chives that generously filled the dumpling, the minced onions, and the subtle ginger flavor. And then the dumpling wrapper, fried crispy in oil.
With a bit of exaggeration, I thought this must be what people mean when they say a taste is moving.
Of course, it couldn't compare to home cooking, like what my mother used to make or what the downstairs lady so kindly prepared. But finding such richness in delivery food—couldn't that be called a happy taste?
And a rich flavor that makes people happy tends to show on their faces. I was aware that my face had relaxed, but perhaps it was more obvious to others than I realized. Jaemin looked at my face and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, by the way, Noel. Did you want jajangmyeon that badly? I've never seen you with such a warm expression before."
I'm aware that my usual expression can be a bit fierce. Didn't my father say I had an unpleasant gaze?
If I'm just expressionless, others might feel like I'm glaring at them. Even I thought my empty eyes looked a bit creepy when I looked in the mirror before.
When someone who usually has such a face suddenly softens their expression over food, I briefly thought about how ridiculous that might seem.
"Mmm. Really? Maybe it's because I haven't had jajangmyeon in so long? And maybe that's why it tastes better. It seems much more delicious than what I used to eat."
I've become someone who can see myself as a clown. Of course, people who do internet broadcasts naturally become entertainers for their viewers.
But I'm the type who doesn't mind damaging my image somewhat if it makes people laugh. That's why I consistently joke about my disability. I want people to take it lightly.
"...Ah. S-sorry. I forgot."
But for some reason, Jaemin apologized with a flinch. Where did this apology come from?
Surely she's not apologizing because she didn't know I might not have been able to eat jajangmyeon while living with Gabi. Internet broadcasters need to be perceptive, but seeing Jaemin suddenly become so submissive made it impossible for me to grasp the situation. I rolled my eyes around, trying to read Jaemin and the downstairs lady's expressions.
"Noel is eating jajangmyeon thanks to Jaemin moving in. There's no need to feel so sorry. Right, Noel?"
"Huh? Yes, that's right. If it weren't for Jaemin, I wouldn't have even thought about eating jajangmyeon. Of course, Gabi might have suggested it someday, but anyway, I'm eating it now thanks to Jaemin."
The downstairs lady seemed to understand something, but she wasn't explaining it, just offering some kind of consolation. From my perspective, I couldn't figure it out at all.
What could it be? Had I ever expressed disappointment about Chinese food? No matter how much I searched my memories, there was nothing like that.
If I had to guess, maybe it was because most of the gift certificates I'd received were for hamburgers, pizza, and chicken. Naturally, there were no Chinese food gift certificates. Could it be related to that?
As I was tilting my head in confusion, Jaemin's doorbell rang cheerfully.
[Jaemin, Noel. I'm here.]
It was Gabi's voice.