Chapter 13 …..

“A-ah, I’ve prepared the exact same vegetables that went into the bibimbap yesterday.”

When the innkeeper added that, Choa hurriedly nodded.

“Please begin.”

Kim Chun-ja, who was standing closest with her arms folded, gave the signal, and Choa rolled up her tiny sleeves with her small hands.

‘Choa, you can—do—this!’

Choa gave herself a silent pep talk as she narrowed her eyes with determination.

Then she began scanning her surroundings in earnest.

‘Hmm, so first I need to…’

Tightening the apron strings around her waist with her small hands, Choa’s eyes sparkled as she examined the ingredients laid out before her.

“We must start with the rice!”

She turned toward the kettle where the water was already boiling.

“Don’t worry, little miss! I’ll take care of the rice!”

The innkeeper stepped forward with barley in hand, reassuringly. Choa, who’d already seen her skill, nodded.

“Then we’ll assist with the ingredients!”

While the innkeeper handled the rice, Bok-hee and Unnyeon stepped up.

Choa began giving instructions rapidly.

“We have to season the meat first! So… a little soy sauce, chopped green onions, and a bit of garlic!”

As Choa wiggled her fingers to explain, Bok-hee and Unnyeon quickly brought over the items.

They chopped the green onions and finely minced the garlic just as Choa instructed.

“Thiiis much! Mm!”

Choa was cautious, but she measured the soy sauce with strict precision, ensuring it matched exactly what she wanted.

She poured the completed marinade over the meat.

It was hard to believe such neat, confident work was coming from a six-year-old.

“Hmm…?”

Choa stared at the marinated meat, head slightly tilted.

Bok-hee quickly asked,

“Should we start grilling it?”

“…Mm!”

Her answer came a beat late. Something nagged at her, but she didn’t know what.

While Bok-hee grilled the meat, Choa moved on to the next step.

The seasoned vegetables!

This time, Unnyeon acted as her assistant.

“We need salt! And this nutty oil… ah! Sesame oil! We need sesame oil!”

Choa raised a tiny finger insistently.

Unnyeon and Bok-hee exchanged a strange look without realizing it.

“Little miss, this is sesame oil. And this is salt. Don’t eat it! It’s salty!”

They had been the ones teaching Choa the names and characteristics of these ingredients.

‘Our little miss… you’ve grown so much already.’

Feeling oddly emotional, the two worked quickly.

“Just a pinch of salt! Like this—tap tap tap~!”

Unnyeon sprinkled the salt over the sautéed vegetables.

The white grains glittered as they scattered across the greens.

“Done! Now Choa will make the sauce!”

“Yes! Then I’ll slice the vegetables in the meantime!”

This was the real test.

Choa had to prove she truly was the one who made the seasoning sauce.

All eyes were on her. A strangely tense atmosphere surrounded the kitchen.

“Hup-ha!”

After inhaling and exhaling a few times, Choa brought over a small bowl.

Holding the prepared ingredients with both hands, she poured them in one by one.

It looked careless at a glance, but Choa was instinctively measuring the amounts with incredible precision.

Not too much, not too little—just right. Her little tongue peeked out as she concentrated.

Once all the seasonings were added, she still wasn’t finished.

Bok-hee, having finished cooking the meat, returned to Choa’s side.

“Please cut this herb, Bok-hee!”

It was the ingredient Choa had asked the innkeeper to bring. And it was…

“Wild chives?”

The aromatic spring herb available only during that season.

It was also the ingredient Choa had discovered in the tavern kitchen and added to her sauce before.

“Yep! Chop just a little bit of this fragrant herb, then mix in soy sauce, sesame oil, and a drizzle of rice syrup! Then it’s done!”

“Alright! Here we go!”

Chop chop chop chop—!

Following Choa’s instructions, the wild chives were finely sliced and added to the sauce.

As she stirred, the faint fragrance of wild chives spread from the bowl.

The savory soy sauce and subtle sweetness of the rice syrup blended into a beautiful color.

Choa lifted the bowl high with her tiny hands.

“Ta-da! This is Choa’s secret sauce!”

She poured the sauce over the rice, and among the savory aroma of meat and vegetables, the sharp, refreshing scent of wild chives filled the courtyard.

With the special addition of extra meat topping, the bibimbap looked—and smelled—incredible.

A warm sense of accomplishment filled her.

The innkeeper, Bok-hee, and Unnyeon exchanged smiles.

Even the servants watching burst into cheers and applause.

Before pouring the sauce, Choa quietly pressed her hands together.

‘Please be delicious and make everyone happy!’

She scooped the sauce with a spoon and drizzled it over the ingredients.

Colorful vegetables, savory meat, the steaming rice—combined with Choa’s sauce, it looked like a perfectly respectable bibimbap.

“Little miss, is it done now?”

When Bok-hee asked, Choa’s eyes gleamed as she shook her head.

“No! Not yet!”

She rushed to the stove, carefully scooped out some scorched rice, crushed it, and mixed it with rice syrup to turn it into scorched-rice candy.

Placing a small dish beside the bibimbap, she added a few pieces of the candy.

Then she smiled brightly.

“Cooking—complete!”

“I’m eating first!”

“What? No way! I’m first!”

The first ones to step forward to taste Choa’s bibimbap were the children of the Left Minister’s household.

Gulp.

They acted like they wanted to test it for their mother’s sake, but the truth was…

‘I want to taste that heavenly flavor again!’

The bibimbap they’d eaten yesterday still lingered vividly on their tongues. They couldn’t wait any longer.

“Hurry! Quick! I go first—!”

While the two exchanged subtle glares, swallowing repeatedly—

Choa scooped a portion for each and held out the bowls simultaneously.

She held her breath as they lifted their spoons.

“Haaaap!”

Finally, the bibimbap entered their mouths. Then—

“…Huh?!”

Go Hae-chan and Go Se-rin suddenly grimaced and shot to their feet.

“Ugh, something’s… weird about the taste.”

“Water! Give me water!”

They grabbed the bowl of water and rinsed their mouths frantically before spitting it onto the ground.

“Mother, don’t eat this! Something’s wrong!”

Both children—known even in the capital as having the most refined palates—spoke in unison.

Choa’s face paled. She trembled as she clutched her hands together.

Lady Im Hye-sook looked down at the bibimbap Choa had made.

Steaming rice, neatly arranged vegetables and meat, and the special sauce.

At a glance, nothing looked wrong. But…

‘Hae-chan and Se-rin are known as the biggest gourmets in the capital. If they say something is off, there must be a reason.’

She lifted the bowl to her nose.

Sniff, sniff.

At first, it carried only the pleasant bitterness and fragrance of the sauce.

But as she inhaled more carefully…

Beneath the good aroma, a faint sour, ominous smell drifted up.

Her stomach churned, as if morning sickness was returning. She couldn’t even lift her spoon.

Just then, Okdan-eomeom approached and bravely took a bite.

Her face hardened.

“The meat seems to have spoiled.”

At those words, the courtyard erupted into chaos.