How many people remember their favorite character’s food preferences?
Back when I was obsessed, I at least remembered their birthdays. Tons of high-quality images celebrating character birthdays filled my social media feeds. But food preferences? How many actually remember those?
Sure, if a character constantly expresses their food likes and dislikes, it’s easy to catch on. Like that pilot who can’t stand carrots or the troublemaker who hates bell peppers. If you like a character enough, you’d probably learn that as common sense. But what if that’s not the case?
What if their favorite food is just a single line in the character sheet? How many people actually remember that?
Of course, I know there’s no end to being a fan. Some even prepare a birthday feast for their favorite character, going all out like a fancy ancestral ceremony.
There are indeed fans who do that, but how many remember the food preferences of a villain they don’t really care about?
I’m the same way. I skim the character sheets for my favorites, glance at what they like to eat, and barely think about it afterward.
But amusingly enough, I vividly remembered Heavenly Killing Star’s favorite food.
Why?
Because I got so mad after seeing it that I had to write it down in my feedback.
Heavenly Killing Star’s favorite food?
An item not found in any martial arts novels.
That’s right.
“Rosa Tteokbokki is served!”
Rosa Tteokbokki.
“Eat it while it’s warm. It’s delicious!”
Jum So-yi laid down a steaming plate of Rosa Tteokbokki on our table.
Seriously, it’s really here. Rosa Tteokbokki!
I had to remind myself to keep my sanity seeing this absurd food. I genuinely wrote in the feedback, but did it really have to be like this?
There are plenty of delicious foods in martial arts novels, right? Why did they have to throw in something like this? There are great dishes like Jianbing, Yuxiang Shredded Pork, and Kung Pao Chicken.
If you want something basic, even a dish like Nanzhen Jiutui could fit right into the main storyline.
If that’s too common, at least add something like Pajeon or Gukbap from Korean cuisine.
Rosa Tteokbokki!
Heavenly Killing Star’s favorite food is Rosa Tteokbokki!
It was food I couldn’t bear to leave unmentioned in the feedback.
“Hey, oh, I mean, Oak-Bun, eat well.”
“What’s this?”
Heavenly Killing Star glanced at the Rosa Tteokbokki curiously and asked me.
“Huh? It’s Rosa Tteokbokki.”
Of course, she knows what it is. It clearly stated in her favorite food section that she liked Rosa Tteokbokki.
“It’s my first time trying it.”
First time? So this means it’s not something Heavenly Killing Star usually enjoys and she only happened to taste it somewhere and ended up liking it.
You know, some foods are loved since childhood, while others are loved after just one bite.
“That can’t be! You used to come over to our place and eat this!”
I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
“I ate this?”
“Yeah! When we used to play together and you came over, this is what I first served you! You loved it so much that whenever you played at my house, you secretly hinted that you wanted more. Of course, I enjoyed seeing you happy, so I let you eat some.”
She looked like she was recalling fond memories.
Rosa Tteokbokki, a traditional dish of Joseon! Tomato sauce, a spoonful of curry, a bit of cream, and tteokbokki. Where on earth do they even get that here?
“I don’t remember.”
“You will, slowly. No need to rush. And, Oak-Bun.”
If I really recall, it would be a big deal.
“Huh?”
“You haven’t forgotten our Joseon language, have you?”
Joseon language flowed from my mouth after a long time.
“I haven’t forgotten.”
Joseon language came out naturally from Heavenly Killing Star. Thank goodness.
“Then, how about we converse in our Joseon language?”
“Joseon language? Why?”
“Because I want to call So-hee as Oak-Bun, and I keep worrying I’ll accidentally call her So-hee instead. Just now, I almost made that mistake. If we speak in Joseon, people here won’t understand us, so there’s no need to worry about mistakes.”
As I spoke, I glanced at the other guests in the tavern who were eyeing our conversation.
With so many people around, it’s easy to make a mistake. I emphasized that. Heavenly Killing Star would find it a reasonable explanation.
But the truth was for a different reason.
The name Oak-Bun was a pseudonym Heavenly Killing Star used when she joined the acrobat troupe.
They’d probably catch on that the name Oak-Bun itself was a pseudonym for an assassin, but there was no need to cause trouble by calling her that unnecessarily.
‘Even if trouble arose, it’s not like I can’t handle it.’
There are solutions to that extent, so I just needed to keep in mind the possibility of trouble.
More importantly, the name Oak-Bun is a fake name.
A pseudonym. A false identity. Ultimately, calling her by a fake name creates a psychological barrier. Given my situation, that wouldn’t be a good move.
The more I refer to her as So-hee, the more I can slowly melt that psychological barrier in Heavenly Killing Star’s mind. Then, she’d feel closer to me.
On top of that, we’re speaking in Joseon language.
A language from my hometown that can’t be used here. Sharing that connects us.
Calling her by Heavenly Killing Star’s name, sharing secrets that only the two of us know. The weight of being her childhood friend would feel heavier.
“Alright then.”
“Let’s use Central Plains language when we need to be discreet. So, So-hee, let’s eat.”
“Okay.”
Heavenly So-hee picked up a piece of Tteokbokki with her chopsticks and stared at it without eating. Maybe she’s pondering whether she can find a clue about her past in the Tteokbokki?
“So-hee?”
Staring at it won’t bring back memories. How could memories that should not exist suddenly appear?
“I’ll eat it.”
Heavenly So-hee popped the Rosa Tteokbokki into her mouth. Chewing carefully, she looked like she was examining for poison. Shouldn’t that be done with litmus paper?
The moment Heavenly So-hee swallowed the Rosa Tteokbokki, her eyes widened slightly. She covered her mouth with her palm and stared wide-eyed at the Rosa Tteokbokki.
“So-hee, how is it? Does it taste like the old days?”
Surprised, right? Isn’t it delicious? It’s a flavor from your hometown! It’s totally your style!
“I don’t remember.”
Of course not. Still, it’s important to imply that she at least once enjoyed it.
Heavenly So-hee’s hands started moving quickly. She took a fast bite, looked at the Rosa Tteokbokki again, then took another bite, repeating the process. Is she eating happily while trying to remember old memories?
“So-hee, try the funmosa too. I’ve heard it’s another dish that’s uniquely found here in the Central Plains and it’s supposed to be good.”
I took some funmosa with my chopsticks and placed it on Heavenly So-hee’s plate. Funmosa is all the rage with high school girls these days.
“……”
Heavenly So-hee glanced back and forth between the funmosa on her plate and me. Why? Have you not touched the food yet? You haven’t even put in a single drop of drool. Did I go a bit overboard?
She looked at me for a moment, then took a bite of the funmosa and was slightly surprised. Unique texture, right? I heard that’s what kids these days like.
It seemed Heavenly So-hee liked the funmosa, as she took a piece of funmosa from inside the Rosa Tteokbokki and started eating it.
Whoa, the Rosa Tteokbokki was disappearing fast. Is she really eating that much?
I hadn’t even taken a single bite yet.
“Should I try a bite too?”
What would Rosa Tteokbokki taste like in a martial arts dating sim? Watching it vanish in front of me, I moved my chopsticks.
—
In the end, I barely got to eat any.
For Heavenly So-hee, it must have felt like she discovered the food of her life. At first, she pretended to remember by eating a few bites, but later she switched to full vacuum cleaner mode.
“So-hee, how was it to eat after so long? Was it good?”
“It was delicious.”
Just yesterday, she negated everything I said, but now she quickly agreed. People become honest in front of food, huh? If she had said it was bad after devouring it all, I would’ve had quite the things to say about Heavenly Killing Star.
Heavenly So-hee looked at the empty Rosa Tteokbokki bowl in front of her with a hint of disappointment. Oh, looks like she’s totally hooked.
Rosa Tteokbokki is undoubtedly Heavenly Killing Star’s style. Just knowing her food preferences is proof that I’m the childhood friend older brother of Heavenly Killing Star.
Originally, I intended to say that Rosa Tteokbokki was a food she liked back in the day.
If I were a scammer, there’s no way I’d know about Heavenly Killing Star’s food preferences. That would bolster my credibility. But now, the situation has turned to my advantage.
The older brother, Kang Yoon-ho, who knows the food she liked back then. Even though she claims to be trying it for the first time, how could something she ate once become her life’s food?
The weight of being an older brother would feel heavier in Heavenly Killing Star’s heart.
What was initially a strategy to form a common bond has turned out to be a full-on jackpot.
“So-hee, let me see your head for a moment.”
I gestured for Heavenly Killing Star to lean toward me.
“Huh?”
She complied, curious about what I wanted. Wow, she’s really following my words after just eating tasty food. From now on, it’ll be Rosa Tteokbokki every time something feels off.
“If you’ve eaten Tteokbokki, you need to clean your mouth.”
I casually wiped the corner of Heavenly Killing Star’s mouth with my sleeve.
Thankfully, Heavenly Killing Star didn’t swat my hand away in shock or give me a look like, “Why is this trash touching my lips?” Maybe she was just more relaxed after eating something good, and now we were reminiscing.
“Hey, So-hee, I once wiped your mouth and took you home, seeing you smile happily. I miss that.”
When I knew the girl next door was home alone, I invited her over to eat, and we even watched cartoons together.
I always played the husband while she played my childhood friend or wife during those play sessions. Back when I was still someone’s husband, before I hit a growth spurt and my features got wrecked. The more I think about it, the more I long for those memories.
With that nostalgia packed, I gazed at Heavenly Killing Star.
“Enough.”
Heavenly Killing Star must have found it hard to tolerate my overly sentimental gaze, as she swatted my hand away.
“Ouch!”
“Sorry. I guess I was being oblivious. You’re grown up now, so I shouldn’t have to wipe your mouth like that anymore.”
I chuckled, feeling bittersweet as Heavenly Killing Star rejected my gesture.
Heavenly Killing Star waved her hand, not taking it too seriously, but I faked a pained expression. I then intentionally cast my gaze at my sleeve, stained with Tteokbokki sauce, making her aware of it.
Hey, do you know how much this costs?
It was a hand-me-down from Mr. Wang, received for free!
Can you imagine how hard it would be to get that sauce stain out?
As if she’d be the one to wash it anyway, and yet she swats it away like that.
“I’m sorry.”
Huh?
What did you just say?
What did Heavenly Killing Star just say to me?
“So-hee, what did you just—”
Getting an apology from Heavenly Killing Star?
BANG!!
Just as I was about to refocus, the tavern door swung open harshly.
“Here!! This is the place!”
In strode a bunch of martial artists, led by a pudgy bald man who clearly had no connection to martial arts.
What’s going on here?
Five sword-wielding warriors, and a cowardly-looking man was scanning the tavern.
“Surely it must be here.”
The leader, looking like a martial artist, spoke to the fat man.
“I swear it is! I saw it with my own two eyes yesterday!”
“Though it smells like alcohol.”
“Pfft! I’ve hardly drunk anything! If I was drunk, would I confuse that guy with the one you read about yesterday?”
Things are taking a tense turn. I could feel the scent of a martial arts tavern event in the air.
“You could have mistaken it if you were drunk.”
“No way! I can definitely point them out!”
The pudgy bald man stepped further into the tavern, searching until he spotted us in the corner, his eyes going wide.
Oh no, could it be…
He pointed dramatically at us, shouting.
“There! The murderer of the leader of the Gapsu Gang is over there!”
Just as I thought.
