Chapter 12 …
The head maid’s words were suddenly cut off, and the air around them seemed to freeze in an instant.
“Just now… who?!”
At the unbelievable report, the head maid stared blankly and asked again with a dumbfounded face.
“M-Madam Go, the wife of Left Minister Go Heon-do. She is at the front gate right now!”
When the maid repeated her answer—
“W-What?!”
The head maid’s jaw dropped open!
** * * * **
At the entrance of Kang Jae-seung’s estate, Im Hyesuk stepped quietly into the yard.
Even with her belly full in the late stage of pregnancy, her steps were elegant—like a noble crane, without a single sign of disorder.
Her very presence felt enough to change the air itself.
“M-Madam, I greet you!”
The head maid rushed out in a panic and bowed low.
She lowered herself so deeply her forehead nearly touched the ground as she spoke in a trembling voice.
“I shall bring the master to you at once. Please wait for just a moment.”
But Im Hyesuk spoke calmly, without lifting even a finger.
“That will not be necessary. I heard the Master is unwell with a strange contagion and allows only a few close relations to visit. I will not trouble him needlessly.”
Then her quiet eyes shifted toward the inner quarters, and she added softly:
“And I did not come today for the Master. I came to meet a child named Cho-a.”
“What?”
The head maid’s face stiffened instantly.
While she stood there blank and speechless, Im Hyesuk’s gaze reached Cho-a, who was standing in the distance.
“That must be the child.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Im Hyesuk strode forward with large steps straight toward Cho-a.
Ssshh.
The child’s small, fragile body stood frozen, eyes round and wide, as Im Hyesuk met her gaze.
“You… Are you the child who made that bibimbap seasoning at the tavern below last night?”
“Y-Yes?!”
Cho-a’s eyes widened even more.
Her heart pounded—she wondered if she had done something wrong.
“I do not come to scold you.”
Im Hyesuk’s voice turned gentle, almost like comforting a child.
“In truth, I have never tasted such delicious bibimbap before in my life. If it is truly your doing, then I came to express my gratitude.”
“……!”
“So I will ask once more. Did you really make the sauce for that bibimbap?”
Everyone around them held their breath at once.
The servants passing by the kitchen, the maids loitering at the gate—all turned their ears silently toward them.
Feeling all eyes on her, Cho-a’s face flushed red with embarrassment.
She wanted to run, but she forced herself to stay still.
‘Lying is bad.’
Cho-a was not a liar, just as the head maid claimed she was.
So Cho-a lifted her head and answered in a clear voice.
“Yes. It’s true. I made it and made it tastier.”
A quiet uproar rippled around them.
“That is impossible!”
The head maid shouted, her face turning red.
“Madam, the child is only six years old. Such a thing is impossible. I beg your pardon, but… perhaps you are mistaken?”
Im Hyesuk narrowed her eyes, studying the head maid and the child in turn.
Indeed, by common sense, there was no way such a small child could create such a clever recipe.
But still…
“Impossible? It may not be. The child very well might have made it.”
Strangely, for no logical reason, Im Hyesuk wanted to believe this little girl.
“I really did make it!”
Cho-a put her hands on her hips, stuck her belly out, and shouted with all her might.
“I can make it for you again! Not just the sauce— the bibimbap too!”
Like with the scorched-rice candy before, being denied her achievement right in front of her face made Cho-a clench her small fists and shake them furiously in protest.
Im Hyesuk’s eyes widened.
“You can make the entire dish alone? But… are you not too young for such a thing?”
Cho-a had originally made only the sauce.
So just recreating the seasoning would have been enough.
But Cho-a turned to glance at the head maid and Chun-ja.
‘The head maid and Chun-ja keep saying I can’t cook…! And they tried to steal what I made! I want to show them I wasn’t lying!’
With a sudden burst of resolve, Cho-a’s eyes blazed.
“I can do it! I’ve watched Bok-hee and Eon-nyeon cook for a really long time. If someone helps a little… I can make it just the same!”
“You must not lie like this, young miss!”
Chun-ja jumped in, taking the head maid’s side— but Im Hyesuk raised her hand and stopped her.
“Whether it is a lie or not, we will learn by seeing it with our own eyes. Let her be.”
At her firm tone, the head maid and Chun-ja shut their mouths and glanced nervously around.
“Very well. If that is your wish, it would be good to show everyone the bibimbap I tasted, so they may believe it.”
Then she turned around.
Behind her stood the tavern mistress.
“I will help, little miss.”
When the tavern mistress stepped forward, Cho-a nodded with a face full of relief— as if she had gained ten thousand allies at once.
“Can you truly do it?”
For the final time, Im Hyesuk looked directly into Cho-a’s eyes and asked quietly.
‘Can I really do it?’
Fear suddenly crawled up inside Cho-a’s mind.
She had boasted she could, but… she had never actually made an entire dish all by herself before.
She had no real certainty.
But—
‘I want to try.’
She pictured Im Hyesuk’s smiling face last night as she ate the food she had made with her own hands.
She remembered her ill father, Kang Jae-seung, happily eating the scorched-rice candy she gave him.
Those memories strengthened her resolve.
Cho-a clenched her tiny fist.
“I’ll try!”
She shouted loudly, full of courage.
** * * * **
Time passed, and preparations to let Cho-a cook began.
“I heard little Miss Cho-a will make bibimbap in front of everyone!”
“But she’s only six! Is that even possible?”
“They say she made that delicious sauce the Madam ate at Goo’s tavern!”
“No way, that’s just a rumor!”
“The tavern mistress will help, but still…”
Villagers gathered outside the walls, whispering and craning to peek inside the yard.
Curiosity and worry filled every face.
“I’ll handle the vegetables!”
The tavern mistress hurried to her tavern, gathered fresh produce from the field, and returned.
Meat was borrowed from Kang Jae-seung’s kitchen.
When Eon-nyeon and Bok-hee returned and heard the news, they were alarmed.
“Young Miss Cho-a is going to cook in front of everyone?!”
In the courtyard, with Im Hyesuk and many others watching, preparations for a cooking demonstration were underway.
A fire was lit in the center of the yard, cooking tools were brought out, and a small platform was arranged so that Cho-a’s tiny height could reach the work area.
Servants from the Minister’s household gathered, along with Im Hyesuk and her children.
“Is that the girl who made the bibimbap?”
Go Hae-chan and Go Se-rin stared at Cho-a, surprised.
The head maid arranged seats for them, and the two watched the little girl standing alone in the center of the courtyard.
“I can’t believe it’s come to this…”
Bok-hee muttered anxiously as she tied a small kitchen apron around Cho-a’s waist.
“Are you truly alright, young miss?”
“Yes!”
The tavern mistress leaned down and said gently:
“Miss, stay as far from the fire and sharp objects as you can. Be careful—very, very careful.”
“Okay! Don’t worry!”
Cho-a flashed a big grin, showing all her teeth.
