The restaurant led by Yoo Seong-woon had all the employees wearing hanbok.

“We made a reservation for two with Yoo Seong-woon.”

“Customer Yoo Seong-woon, I confirmed it. Please take off your shoes so we can take you inside.”

Jio looked at the restaurant from a step away as Yoo Seong-woon was receiving the employee’s service without hesitation.

The restaurant he guided us to was a hanok with a strong antique atmosphere, as if it had been drawn with ink. The pillars had curves that brought out the beauty of the wood itself, and the soft, refreshing scent of cypress and the high ceiling made us feel comfortable.

What we saw was not a noisy crowd of customers gathered together, but a quiet and elegantly organized wooden hallway. Each room visible between the hallways had a particularly strong individualistic aspect.

“…….”

Is this… a restaurant serving rice?

‘It’s clear that the definition of a restaurant I know has changed in the past 31 years.’

Where did my noisy and comfortable restaurant where I used to sit cross-legged on the floor and eat croaker go?

“Geo, let’s go in.”

“Are you eating here?”

“Ah.”

Yoo Seong-woon made excuses, wondering what he was really worried about.

“Ignore the sounds of people. But at this level, I’ve blocked out the sounds and noises pretty well.”

“…….”

“If it’s too uncomfortable, should we move to another restaurant? There’s a place where we can have an entire building all to ourselves.”

Isn’t that him?

‘Are you treating me like a walking nuclear power plant?’

I don’t know how sensitive he is.

“It’s not uncomfortable.”

“Really? That’s fortunate.”

“Are they separated into rooms?”

“Yeah, the rooms aren’t that small, so I think we’ll be able to eat comfortably.”

“I see.”

Geo was not the type of person to refuse a free meal unless it was really something.

‘Anyway, it looks delicious, so that’s fine.’

The world had changed so much in the past 31 years that he felt a bit confused, but with his hungry stomach’s permission, Geo threw away his worries and followed Yoo Seong-woon.

“If you’ve finished choosing your menu, please ring the bell.”

“Yes.”

“Have a good time.”

The waitress, wearing a hanbok with soft colors like flower petals, quietly left the room. Geo, who had been waiting for a moment, felt the presence of people moving away, and asked.

“Is this a restaurant serving rice and side dishes?”

“…Oh, that’s right.”

Although it wasn’t too obvious, Yoo Seong-woon reacted with a “Oh no.”

Geo’s question was simply, “Is this flashy place really a Baekban restaurant?” but Yoo Seong-woon seemed to understand it as, “So what exactly is a Baekban restaurant?”

“Baekban refers to a meal served with rice, soup, and side dishes.”

“…….”

Out of pride as a teacher, Geo wanted to refute him for a moment, but it didn’t seem like the misunderstanding would be resolved, so he decided to just keep his mouth shut and listen to the explanation. He was proud of his mature judgment.

“The rice is always the same, and the soup changes every day, but today… I think it’s seaweed soup.”

Yoo Seong-woon asked with a curious expression after saying that.

“Do you eat seaweed?”

“There’s no food I can’t eat or dislike.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

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Yoo Seong-woon opened the menu that was on the edge of the table.

“The side dishes are all the same, and we’ll choose the main menu. It’s usually divided into meat and fish, but which one do you like more?”

“Right now, I’m more drawn to meat.”

The soft-hearted Geo couldn’t hunt forest animals. Not only did he not know how to hunt them in the first place, but even if he did hunt the cute, round animals, the yield would definitely be low.

Geo, who was happy no matter what he ate, wasn’t picky, but since he was already out, he wanted to eat meat.

‘We should eat when we get out.’

Yoo Seong-woon nodded.

“Then let’s have Gwangyang Bulgogi.”

He pressed the number pad on the edge of the table. It seemed like a system where you input the menu corresponding to the number here and the food was prepared right away in the kitchen.

Finally, Yoo Seong-woon pressed the red bell button and looked at Geo again.

“Out of all the restaurants I’ve been to, this one seems to be the most delicious. They don’t even use monster meat.”

“Do you usually use monster meat?”

“I eat it often, right? But it’s a bit strange to come to a restaurant and eat monster meat.”

“…….”

It seemed like Geo valued the place called ‘restaurant’ more than he knew. Geo, whose ancestor had hibernated for 31 years, wondered how to ask this without making it sound strange.

“Why, do you have something to ask?”

“…Are restaurants different from other facilities?”

“Hmm? Aren’t most of them like that?”

Yoo Seong-woon scratched the back of his neck as if it was an unexpected question.

“You don’t necessarily eat at home and have to borrow someone else’s food. In my case, it’s not that burdensome, but for second-class citizens and above, it’s a bit difficult.”

“Are all restaurants like that?”

“Mostly. In the first place, restaurants are places where you can eat, but more importantly, they’re places where you can receive service. There are many people who visit restaurants to eat like me, but there are more people who come just to be treated.”

It felt a little different from the definition of a restaurant that Geo knew.

‘Compared to what I knew, it seems similar to fine dining or omakase. Does that mean all restaurants have become more upscale…?’

Wait, then what about delivery?

“Don’t you use delivery?”

Yoo Seong-woon looked like he didn’t expect the word ‘delivery’ to come out of Geo’s mouth. He began to doubt just how much he was thinking of me as his ancestor, but Geo closed his mouth because he didn’t want to explain.

“Delivery… is a method that’s often used. It’s more expensive though.”

“Is that so?”

“If you encounter a monster on the way, it’s a big accident. It’s also a hassle to avoid it.”

What kind of monsters are treated like stray cats? The level of damage was definitely not that of a stray cat, which made it even more absurd.

“That’s why I don’t usually order delivery unless I’m having a party. I’m like that too.”

“…….”

If it was a delivery service that could accommodate a party, I wondered if it wasn’t just catering.

“…Then do most people cook their own meals at home?”

“Usually, yes. It costs money to buy groceries, so how can you afford service? Going to a restaurant isn’t that common.”

Did the world just collapse and rebuild?

“But we have a restaurant, right?”

“I told you I’d show you around….”

“Aha.”

It must have meant that he was going to treat you to the ultimate treat. Geo was seriously concerned that even simple communication errors were occurring.

‘… Should I go through social education again? It’s hard to get mandatory education at my age? Should I re-enroll in college now?

The world has changed so much in just 31 years. If things continued like this, Geo would be treated like an alien from Sirius whenever he talked to someone else.

‘Or maybe he’s a cornered person who lives isolated from society.’

Damn gods of heaven and earth, the latter part of the sentence seemed to be true, which made it even creepier.

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‘This is the heart of the elderly who can’t keep up with the changing society…?’

Grandma, I finally understand how you feel. It must be really hard to live in a rapidly developing era.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Geo looked at the meal the waiter was preparing with deep sympathy.

“It’s hot, so step back a little.”

The waiter who said that dropped a spark in the middle of the table.

Then the fire blazed up and took on a shape similar to a gas range, and the waiter placed a grill on top of the circular fire. Then he left the room after putting up a few bulgogi.

“…….”

There was nothing there, but the light came on.

‘It’s a wooden table, but it doesn’t burn.’

Correction. Geo needed to re-enter kindergarten, not college.

Judging from Yoo Seong-woon’s expression, this seemed like a very natural thing to do, but Geo, who had been separated from society for exactly 31 years, was simply surprised.

“Hmm, it seems to be beef.”

“…If it’s not cow, what kind of meat is there?”

“As I said before, it’s probably monster meat, right? They’re cheaper than cows or sheep.”

“Does it taste bad?”

“It’s not like that….”

Chi-ik-.

Yoo Seong-woon continued to speak, stirring the meat.

“It’s just the general social atmosphere. There are many meats that are not averse to eating unless they are special parts that contain poison, but monsters attack people… and most of them are disgusting looking. It’s hard to welcome monster meat that eats people.”

“I understand when you say it like that.”

“But it’s also meat that is commonly used in households. Cheap and large chunks of protein can’t be unpopular. But even in a restaurant like this where people come to be treated, it’s a bit strange to eat monster meat.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Not all monsters have poison in their bodies?”

Yoo Seong-woon chuckled.

“Well, until about 20 years ago, the atmosphere was like, how can you eat something so dangerous? I was young back then, so I don’t know now.”

“It’s not that long ago, but people’s perceptions seem to have changed quickly.”

“I guess it’s because the government and the association have done a lot of work here and there….”

A government that is good enough to change the perception of Koreans about the meat they put in their mouths in 20 years?

‘Why has so much changed in 31 years?’

It was a more surprising story than Geo himself evolving into a portrait in the flames. Yoo Seong-woon’s opinion may be a little different, but Geo himself thought so.

“The government seems competent.”

“Well, if you don’t want to get your throat cut, you have to be competent.”

“…….”

“They’ve already been cut several times, so only the competent ones remain.”

Geo was nervous. Why does his brother talk like that before eating meat?

‘… Well, hunters are living weapons of war, so I wonder if there’s anything politicians can’t touch.’

Geo quickly understood and stirred the meat together.

“Can I eat it?”

“Oh, it seems to be cooked.”

“I’ll eat it.”

“I hope it suits your taste.”

“I think so.”

Korean bulgogi is divided into three representative types.

First, Seoul style. Second, Gwangyang style. Third, Eonyang style. Geo's favorite among them.
This was Gwangyang-style bulgogi.

The bulgogi marinated in broth and sauce that we commonly know is Seoul-style bulgogi, but unlike Seoul-style, which is eaten like a stew, Gwangyang-style bulgogi is grilled dry on a hot plate. It varies slightly from house to house, but most don’t marinate it in seasoning for too long.

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‘That’s why the meat’s flavor is much more alive.’

Beef that has been pounded thinly several times to make the meat soft. If you grill it once on a hot plate, the outside is crispy and the inside is moist, and the juicy meat is complete.

“…….”

A piece of bulgogi taken off the hot plate.

Without sauce or rice, Geo put a whole piece of bulgogi in his mouth.

“…….”

“How is it, it’s good?”

“It’s very good.”

It must have been a private room, but if I were alone, I would have stood up and applauded for its excellent taste.

“It seems like they use good meat. The meat flavor is strong and not bad, and the meat quality is also quite good. It seems like they pounded it a lot during the tenderization process, but since it doesn’t tear at this thickness, I guess it means that the chef is also very skilled.”

“You… you talk a lot when you eat delicious food.”

“Excuse me.”

It’s so delicious that I’ll stop.

“But it really is delicious.”

“It looks like it.”

“It tastes like something I want to try making.”

The outer layer, which was grilled as if it was fried over charcoal, had a bitter taste unique to charred meat for a moment, but it added a variation to the sweetness of the moderately charred meat.

The moderate amount of fat embedded in the meat had a strong flavor like stock, and it was enough to tell the quality of the meat by itself.

“The seasoning was also just right.”

The mellow sweetness mixed deep into the meat seemed to be pear. Did they grind the pear into the meat and tenderize it? The refined bitterness of the alcohol added to it doubled the sophistication of the taste.

“It goes well with garlic. The flavor is just right, not too strong.”

The pungent flavor of garlic was embedded deep in the meat, piercing the inside of the tongue, but the toxicity melted away softly as it was grilled over charcoal. The sesame oil also had a fresh flavor, as if they used good quality.

“…….”

“Huh? Why?”

“I think you make your own soy sauce.”

“Are you a gourmet? How did you know?”

“Is that right?”

“Uh… I heard it from the owner.”

Geo nodded.

“The flavor of the pepper was particularly strong, so I was wondering.”

“You like to eat for a reason. Your tongue is sensitive.”

“The dipping sauce… is delicious.”

The ingredients themselves were probably similar to the seasoning for bulgogi, but this strange sweet and sour flavor. The strong plum flavor permeated the sauce without any awkwardness, adding flavor.

‘It’s not plum extract…’

I thought it might be vinegar made from plums.

“…….”

Dip the meat in the brown sauce with a hint of garlic, not too much, and eat it with steaming, fluffy white rice…

“…….”

“Is it good?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

As expected, rice was delicious when you put it in your mouth and eat it.