Chapter 69 – The Housewarming Feast

There was so much food that she thought the large table would collapse. The newly purchased tableware for the housewarming was also neat and to her liking.

Hee-na wiped her wet hands on her apron and smiled with satisfaction.

“It has to be at least this much to be presentable.”

There was something she realized after awakening to the Homemaker rank and her circumstances became generous. Hee-na was very generous with her portions.

Seeing that she had rolled sixty rolls of gimbap even in a small studio room, now that she had a spacious kitchen, she could show off that temperament to her heart’s content.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

Right on cue, the doorbell rang. The guests had arrived.

“I’m coming! Please wait a moment!”

Hee-na dashed to the entrance. To add a bit of exaggeration, because the house was so spacious, it took forever even to get to the front door.

“What a delicious smell!”

As soon as she opened the door, Woo Min-ah exclaimed in admiration. The smell of food wrapping around the tip of her nose was amazing.

“Hello. Thank you for inviting me.”

Kang Jin-hyun, who followed her in, fulfilled his duty as a guest. He politely offered a greeting while handing over the housewarming gift he had brought.

“Oh, you didn’t have to bring this. Thank you.”

Hee-na smiled brightly as she accepted the gift from Kang Jin-hyun. It was a canvas painting about the size of A3.

It was a surprisingly sensible gift. It was a good thing since she happened to need items to decorate the house.

It was an accessory perfect for hanging on the empty wall of the house.

“I prepared it, modest as it is.”

Kang Jin-hyun was modest.

For reference, although Hee-na did not know it yet, it was a very humble attitude considering he had bought and brought an original painting by a famous artist worth billions of won.

“Oh, my gift too.”

Woo Min-ah, who entered the house, also belatedly took out her gift.

What Woo Min-ah handed over was a small fruit knife. The blade was hidden by a sheath, and above all, the wooden handle was cute.

“Wow! Thank you, Unni. I actually needed a fruit knife because the blade of mine was quite worn out.”

“Keep it in your inventory and use it when peeling and eating apples, and if a bad guy approaches, use this to rip! their skin off.”

Woo Min-ah said such bloodcurdling words cheerfully.

Only then did Hee-na realize that this gift was no ordinary fruit knife. As she closely inspected the knife, didn’t the system description window pop up?

It was not a normal fruit knife. It was an item. And a high-grade item of rank B at that!

“Unni! Isn’t this gift too much?”

Hee-na was startled and almost dropped the knife to the floor. However, Woo Min-ah waved her hand indifferently.

“Put it away, put it away.”

“Receiving an item of rank B as a housewarming gift is too much!”

“The great Woo Min-ah has her pride. You expect me to give toilet paper of all things for a housewarming gift?”

“I like daily necessities gifts, though…”

When she muttered timidly, Woo Min-ah patted Hee-na’s shoulders.

“And this is something I don’t need. What would I do with a knife only the size of a palm? You carry it around, Hee-na, and use it for self-defense.”

“Hunter Woo Min-ah is correct.”

Kang Jin-hyun also chimed in from the side.

“……Then I will use it well. Thank you so much.”

Hee-na carefully stored the rank B fruit knife inside her inventory.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. Thank you for looking favorably upon our Hee-na.”

Hee-won also greeted the guests belatedly.

He had only spoken over the phone with Woo Min-ah and it was their first meeting, while he was already acquainted with Kang Jin-hyun. He had received help from him once before.

The siblings finished their brief greetings and guided the guests to the dining table.

“Wow. What kind of feast is this? The table is going to break under the weight.”

Seeing the food piled high like a mountain on the table, Woo Min-ah’s mouth fell wide open.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I couldn’t prepare much.”

Hee-na smiled satisfyingly inside and acted modest for no reason.

“No. Hee-na-ssi is really amazing. I mean it.”

Kang Jin-hyun, who had temporarily lost his words at the overwhelming sight, praised Hee-na’s skill.

“It’s dinner time, so you must be hungry, right? In fact, I was just about to set the table. You can look around the house later, shall we eat first?”

“……Then.”

At Hee-na’s invitation, the remaining three sat in their chairs without a word of complaint. It was because they wanted to taste the food on the dining table right away.

“Hee-na-ssi, I will eat well.”

“I will eat well, Hee-na.”

“Thanks for the hard work making it.”

Kang Jin-hyun and Woo Min-ah, and Hee-won each gave their dinner greetings and picked up their spoons and chopsticks.

Clatter, clatter.

The inside of the house was extremely quiet, so no sound could be heard other than the clattering of spoons and chopsticks.

Only the sound of admiring the taste while eating the food rang out intermittently.

The foods containing plenty of Hee-na’s hand-taste were perfect without exception. Even the fresh kimchi mixed roughly without measuring was sweet and savory.

“Wow.”

As always, the conversation started only after a long time had passed.

“How does everything taste?”

Hee-na, who confirmed that the bowls of rice were almost empty, asked the obvious question.

“It’s really delicious. I knew it, but you’re not just good at grilling meat, are you?”

Woo Min-ah stepped forward first and made a fuss. Beside her, Kang Jin-hyun nodded his head.

“There is no food Hee-na-ssi cannot make. The madeleines you gave me last time were also really delicious.”

Although it was the expected praise, kind words never got old no matter how many times she heard them. Out of shyness, the rims of Hee-na’s ears burned red.

“Thank you. I feel most proud when others enjoy the food I cooked.”

“If one has a mouth and a tongue, they should naturally feel that way.”

She did not know whether it was a serious statement or a joke, but Kang Jin-hyun praised Hee-na to the skies.

Although it was something he said almost every day, it was special because it was praise given in front of her family member, Hee-won. Her shoulders naturally shrugged up.

“See this, Oppa? You need to know how grateful you should be to live off my food normally.”

“You speak as if I’ve ever complained about the side dishes? This is kind of unfair. I eat the food Hee-na makes very gratefully and well, you know.”

Hee-won bantered. Although he might feel uncomfortable since it was a gathering with Hee-na’s acquaintances, he mingled naturally with people.

Woo Min-ah, who had an outgoing personality, naturally retorted.

“Did you say your name is Hee-won-ssi? You probably don’t know how much I envy you. If I had a younger sibling like this, I would have nothing more to wish for.”

“But she is secretly strict. She only pretends to be gentle every time, but you cannot imagine how much she bosses her older brother around at home. She doesn’t tolerate a single speck of dust in the room.”

Originally, in a gathering like this, stories of a commonly known acquaintance were bound to come up as a topic of conversation.

Hee-won and Woo Min-ah talked about various aspects of Hee-na, giving and taking.

Kang Jin-hyun did not join the conversation and silently chewed and swallowed the food, yet he kept his ears perked up. The facets of Hee-na he did not know felt new.

“Oh, Hunter Kang.”

Then, suddenly, Hee-won shot the arrow of conversation toward Kang Jin-hyun. Kang Jin-hyun lightly nodded and replied.

“Yes, please speak.”

“I heard you live in the unit next door to this house. Hee-na told me when she drank alcohol and came home late last time.”

“That is correct.”

“But how did our Hee-na end up visiting someone else’s house…?”

Hee-na screamed inwardly.

‘Ah! Oppa! How could you bring up that story now!’

Hee-won was now subtly giving Kang Jin-hyun a warning look. Asking where he had taken his younger sister after drinking alcohol…

Hee-na kicked her brother’s calf hard.

“Ugh.”

“Oh, seriously. I told you Jin-hyun-ssi safely brought me home because he worried about me. Anyway, since dinner is finished, clear the table.”

Hee-na quickly exercised her right of command. In Hee-na’s house, the person who cooked was the ruler of mealtime.

The remaining people had to obediently listen to that person’s orders.

“Hurry!”

“…See, she is like this. She is not a homemaker, but a tyrant, a tyrant.”

Hee-won grumbled as he cleared the table.

‘Shut your mouth, Oppa!’

Hee-na glared sharply to prevent her brother from speaking any more nonsense.

Woo Min-ah and Kang Jin-hyun also tried to rise from their seats to help clear the table, but because Hee-na strongly discouraged them, saying, ‘Guests shouldn’t do this kind of thing,’ they had to sit awkwardly.

“Hey, you have a secret charisma at the dinner table, huh?”

Woo Min-ah even clapped her hands at Hee-na’s charismatic appearance.

“Originally, guests just sit still and accept what the host gives them. It’s our house rule. That way, my mind is at ease.”

Meanwhile, Kang Jin-hyun was gazing lingeringly at the remaining side dishes that Hee-won’s hands were clearing away.

He ate at least two meals a day cooked by Hee-na on weekdays, so she did not know why he was so regretful.

“Jin-hyun-ssi, I made plenty of food. I will pack some food for you when you leave, so you don’t have to wear such a sad expression.”

“Understood…”

“Please wait a moment. I will bring out dessert. I’ll also peel some fruits to test out the knife Min-ah unni gave me.”

Hee-na quickly set the dessert table. Meanwhile, she subtly checked Kang Jin-hyun’s mood.

With a serious look in his eyes, he was munching on the sandwich Hee-na had prepared in advance.

“By the way, Jin-hyun-ssi.”

“Yes, Hee-na-ssi. Please speak.”

“We aren’t too loud, are we? I’m paying attention because I worry we might be noisy since we are next door.”

Hee-na carved the apple into the shape of a rabbit and brought up the subject that had been constantly bothering her. For reference, the knife cut extremely well, fitting for a rank B item.

“I, I have a skill. A, a skill to prevent noise between floors.”

Lying was more difficult than expected. Because her heart was pounding, Hee-na stuttered twice.

“Ah. No wonder Hee-na-ssi’s house is exceptionally quiet.”

“Is that so?”

“As if absolutely no one lives here.”

The Homemaker of the Dungeon