Chapter 25 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: First Company Dinner
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Does the martial world have dog days?
In conclusion, yes, it does.
When the hot, humid summer arrived, they ate meat or highly nutritious foods to beat the heat and stave off loss of appetite.
So, had the Heavenly Demon ever marked the dog days?
Jang Chaewon posed this question, and the Heavenly Demon gave a clear answer.
"Never."
The Heavenly Demon, who had been diligently sorting materials piled up in the store's warehouse, turned around with a proud expression.
"This Seat attained immunity to cold and heat long ago. Things like chill or swelter can't touch me."
Jang Chaewon stared at the Heavenly Demon, sweat pouring down like rain, and a twitch pulled at the corner of her mouth.
"I-is that so?"
"Ah, right now my inner energy is depleted, so a bit of sweat is flowing."
The Heavenly Demon wiped his forehead with the towel draped around his neck and continued.
"In this world, every place has those machines that pleasantly regulate the temperature, don't they? And with food so abundant, there's no need to fuss over special meals."
She had to admit, he had a point.
Jang Chaewon glanced at the calendar in the corner of the warehouse, marked with "Initial Bok Day."
"Well, sure, but still. When the time comes, people just want to eat something special. I don't know if it's marketing or what, but folks really make a big deal out of dog days."
"Is that right."
"Yeah. I even gave the spirit tree some spirit water packed full of energy on bok day."
"I see."
The Heavenly Demon turned back around, hoisting a large mat onto his shoulder, his face showing no interest.
"Well, maybe some tonic food is in order. Women tend to have frail constitutions..."
His eyes suddenly lit up with realization as he turned back.
"Ah, but that doesn't apply to the shopkeeper."
"Shut it."
Jang Chaewon smacked her lips and checked the time on her phone.
"Anyway, that's why we're having a company dinner tonight."
"Company dinner?"
[It means gathering with coworkers to eat.]
Nameless, who had been in the warehouse side room's charging station, rolled its round body over to the Heavenly Demon.
[Which means I, Nameless, am obligated to attend as well.]
"You're coming too?"
At Jang Chaewon's question, Nameless's white eyes flashed.
[Of course. It's the first company dinner since hiring a human—no, Heavenly Demon—as an employee. I can't miss it.]
"Well... I don't mind. But you can't eat food anyway."
[A company dinner is more about building camaraderie among colleagues than eating. I'll find meaning just in attending.]
"Camaraderie. Something This Seat has no need for."
As the Heavenly Demon refused, Jang Chaewon shook her head.
"It's not necessarily that. We're just eating something tasty for dog days. We've been due for a dinner anyway."
"This Seat is fine. You go ahead, shopkeeper."
"No refusals. Think anyone wants to go?"
"What do you mean."
"Making a fuss over dog days is the fate of anyone running an interior shop."
Jang Chaewon looked at the materials stacked in the warehouse.
"No conscientious boss skips tonics for workers doing heavy labor. It's an unwritten rule in the interior design industry."
"Hmm."
It was an utterly incomprehensible sense of duty.
But seeing the look in Jang Chaewon's eyes—like she'd nag until he relented—he couldn't refuse.
"Fine."
* * *
In a bustling alley's food street tucked away from the main drag.
The restaurant with the sign "Hometown House" was packed with customers.
Every table inside was a tin can setup for charcoal grilling, with exhaust fans whirring chaotically overhead.
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon sat with arms crossed, staring down at the grill with a stiff face.
"So this is the tonic food of this world."
On the charcoal-heated plate sat chicken feet and chopped conger eels, slathered in spicy sauce.
For any Korean, it was the perfect chaser that demanded a shot of soju, but the Heavenly Demon gazed at it like he was peering into a ghost photo, his expression eerie.
"I can't comprehend it at all."
"Don't like chicken feet or conger eel?"
"It's not about liking or disliking."
"What are you talking about? This stuff is delicious."
Jang Chaewon swallowed hard, beaming with excitement.
"Chicken feet are loaded with collagen, and spicy helps relieve stress. Conger eel's chewy. It's the kind of bar snack you can't get enough of."
"Hmm."
"Try it. It's good."
"I can't."
"Are you a picky eater?"
"No, I literally can't eat this."
The Heavenly Demon picked up a bright red chicken foot and shook his head.
"This Seat once saw chicken feet afflicted with bumblefoot. It's a kind of skin disease."
"Huh?"
"Blood vessels around the chicken foot swell up thick like flesh, red like burns or black with rot. Pus-filled too."
The Heavenly Demon used his fingers to mimic a chicken foot on the tin grill.
"If this is a chicken's foot, it's always stepping in excrement. Meaning it can absorb fecal toxins."
"..."
Jang Chaewon dropped her chopsticks, the chicken foot still dangling from them.
Not just her—the folks around grilling chicken feet froze like statues.
But the Heavenly Demon ignored the mood and spoke firmly.
"After seeing that rotted flesh, This Seat never eats chicken feet. Doesn't even count as eating."
"Rotting flesh..."
Jang Chaewon staggered to her feet and shuffled weakly to the counter.
"Where are you going?"
"You're kidding? How can I eat after that!"
"It was merely This Seat's personal anecdote. No need to take it to heart."
"Forget it!"
Outside, Jang Chaewon snapped irritably.
"Now you pick what you want to eat."
"This Seat picks?"
"Yeah. If I choose again, you'll say it doesn't suit your taste."
"Very well."
The Heavenly Demon scanned around and pointed to a shop at the alley's end.
"That one looks good."
It was a pork belly joint with a big pig on the sign.
Surprisingly, the Heavenly Demon from another world nailed the undisputed number one company dinner menu, the most beloved dish among Koreans.
"Well, that works."
Jang Chaewon nodded and headed into the pork belly place.
It had the same tin table setups as the chicken feet spot, packed with customers.
"Five portions of pork belly, one bottle of soju."
No sooner had she ordered than charcoal, side dishes, and meat arrived at the table.
The server grabbed tongs and laid the pink pork belly on the grill. Sizzle—smoke rose, savory aromas wafting everywhere.
Once the outside browned a bit, the server sliced it into bite-sized pieces.
"Looks tasty."
Jang Chaewon stared at the grill, swallowing.
Having skipped even a bite of chicken feet or eel, her stomach felt like it had a hole, hunger surging.
"Hmm."
But the Heavenly Demon stared blankly at the meat, then reached with his chopsticks.
"H-hey, it's not fully cooked yet."
The startled server widened her eyes, but the Heavenly Demon waved her off.
"This is plenty done."
He picked up the bloody pork belly and popped it in his mouth.
"Not bad meat."
"You think this is beef? Wait till it's fully cooked."
"Does it matter? This Seat has enjoyed rare pork for ages."
"What?"
Jang Chaewon said firmly.
"That's not just a taste issue."
"What do you mean."
"Pork has to be fully cooked. Parasites."
"Parasites?"
"You don't know?"
The Heavenly Demon pondered briefly, then nodded.
"I do. It means corrupt officials sucking the people's blood."
"Hah, you really don't know."
Out for revenge?
Jang Chaewon pulled out her phone, grinning darkly.
"Pork has pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) and cysticercus (Cysticercus cellulosae). See?"
Her phone screen showed a creepy parasite photo.
"If humans eat these in pig muscle, they live in the intestines."
"Hmph, This Seat is immune to all poisons..."
"See? Cysticercus can burrow into human brains and spines. This guy thought it was a tumor, went to the hospital, and they found his brain full of worm larvae cysts."
Jang Chaewon showed another image.
"Look. Undercooked pork can cause epilepsy, headaches, vision loss, partial paralysis... even death in bad cases."
The Heavenly Demon, nonchalantly chewing pork belly, asked Nameless on his shoulder.
"Is this true?"
[Not wrong. But modern pig farms don't use human waste or sewer water...]
Before Nameless finished.
"..."
The Heavenly Demon slowly set down his chopsticks with the pork belly. He quietly lifted the trash bin from the floor. Then he swiftly pressed his Zhongwan acupoint with a finger.
"Urk!"
He vomited up every bit of pork belly he'd eaten, screams erupting from all around.
* * *
[What kind of company dinner is this?]
Nameless alternated glances between the Heavenly Demon and Jang Chaewon as they fled the pork belly joint.
[Why do you two take turns criticizing each other's tastes, despising and insulting to inflict humiliation?]
"You started it."
"That was merely This Seat's casual chit-chat."
"I was just advising for your health."
"By showing a diseased wretch infested with mystery bugs meeting their end?"
"Then it's fine for you to call my favorite chicken feet 'rotten pus'?"
As the Heavenly Demon and Jang Chaewon bickered fiercely, Nameless's voice grew louder.
[Understood. Stop the mutual recriminations! Please.]
"..."
"..."
[I, Nameless, have a solution to salvage this disastrous dinner and make it harmonious again.]
"What is it."
"What're you talking about?"
The Heavenly Demon and Jang Chaewon looked down, where Nameless spoke confidently.
[I've searched and found the highest-rated bar and food spot nearby. Excluding suspicious viral reviews, it has over 1,200 rave reviews—trustworthy.]
Nameless sprouted skinny arms from its round body and crossed them.
[I've already reserved and ordered. The atmosphere's great too, so you'll surely be satisfied.]
Bar Elise.
A small bar in a quiet commercial alley off the main street.
With no windows, the interior was hidden, and a subtle metal sign clung to the heavy steel door.
"Huh?"
Jang Chaewon blinked at the sign by the door. She'd been here a few times with acquaintances.
"I know this place. It's a super famous bar."
[Glad you know it.]
Inside, dim lighting illuminated a thick wooden counter.
Faint, sweet jazz played, making it feel less like a bar and more like a cozy hideout.
"But this is a legit classic bar, right? Cocktails sure, but no real food."
Classic bars don't sell filling snacks.
As Jang Chaewon sat at a corner table, Nameless on the Heavenly Demon's shoulder spoke.
[Worry not. I've ordered delivery from the top-rated bar snack spot nearby.]
"Isn't that rude? Eating delivery in a bar?"
[Worry not. I got permission over the phone while it was coming.]
"Oh?"
Regulars at bars often bring cakes or light bites with approval.
Jang Chaewon patted Nameless's meticulously prepared round head.
"Good job."
"What's this place."
The Heavenly Demon looked around as Nameless explained.
[It's a bar. A certified bartender sells various drinks. I recommend Campari Orange as the aperitif for your first.]
He downed the orange cocktail in a tumbler packed with ice—faint alcohol with a tangy freshness swept his mouth.
The Heavenly Demon smacked his lips after chugging it.
"Impressive. Not bad."
"But what food did you order? I'm getting hungry."
As Jang Chaewon spoke, the bar's dark door opened. A delivery guy in baggy tracksuit scanned the room.
"Delivery for..."
[Over here.]
Jang Chaewon's face twisted grotesquely as the delivery guy approached.
With each step, an indescribable stench assaulted them.
"Here you go."
He set down a large plastic container wrapped in white vinyl.
The Heavenly Demon peeled it open, and the faint odor exploded fully.
That moment,
"This is..."
Jang Chaewon's face froze like she'd opened a forbidden box.
Inside the white container: gray, thoroughly fermented skate and aged kimchi.
[The highest-rated fermented skate trio from the local hongeo house. Paired with this bar's drinks, it's the perfect combo...]
* * *
Jang Chaewon trudged toward the taxi stand, letting out a deep sigh.
"Sigh. Why is nothing normal or sane around me."
She glanced at the Heavenly Demon and Nameless perched on his shoulder, then slumped her shoulders again.
Looking up, her eyes full of gloom fixed on the stars in the night sky.
"My first company dinner ever. Fermented skate trio in a classic bar..."
"It's fine."
"What?"
The Heavenly Demon walking beside her murmured softly.
"First times are always tough and confusing. Takes quite a while to get used to. Like martial arts or interior work."
"What? Talking like an old-timer to a pup?"
"No need for that face. Failure is just one step closer to success."
"That's why I don't want to fail at something lame like a company dinner."
[Too early to call it a failure.]
As Jang Chaewon went to scold, Nameless pointed to the street vendors lined up by the taxi stand.
[There, you can get meat, seafood, noodles—solid meals. Variety minimizes food disputes.]
"Yeah, should've thought of that."
[You like it?]
"Not bad."
[But why head to the taxi stand?]
Jang Chaewon smiled slyly, stroking Nameless's round head.
"Budget overrun."
Her crescent-moon smile hid thick veins bulging on her forehead.
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