Chapter 14

Chapter 14

One spoonful.

Then another.

Seo Jia brought the healing vegetable soup Mangi had given her to her lips.

The restaurant was quiet. Only the sound of the rain could be heard, like soft background music.

“How is it? Is it good?”

When Mangi asked gently, Seo Jia gave a small nod.

“Yes. It’s really delicious.”

She meant it.

It was an ordinary soup, yet it tasted warm and deep.

It almost felt as if the soup itself was embracing the loneliness she had carried for so long—the loneliness of having no one understand how she truly felt.

Poming wagged her tail beside Seo Jia and whispered,

“Jia-nim, the food Chef makes has a special power for people whose hearts are hurting!”

Mangi looked a little embarrassed.

“Why are you exaggerating again, Poming?”

But Poming only became even more enthusiastic.

“It’s true! Chef might not realize it, but Poming can feel it! Chef’s food is filled with warmth! It’s healing! Healing, I tell you!”

Seo Jia quietly smiled at their cute exchange.

For the first time since entering the restaurant, some of the tension in her body seemed to fade.

After a brief silence, Mangi carefully spoke.

“Working as a Hunter was hard, wasn’t it?”

Seo Jia flinched.

The hand holding her spoon trembled slightly.

“What?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

Mangi looked directly into Seo Jia’s eyes as he continued.

“Like I told you, I’m a Hunter too. An F-rank Hunter. You said you were a B-rank Hunter, so… maybe because I’ve always been looking upward from the bottom, I can kind of imagine how difficult and painful things must have been for you.”

Seo Jia suddenly felt as though she had forgotten how to breathe.

Mangi’s gaze was so calm that it somehow felt as if he could see straight through to the deepest part of her heart.

She hesitated for a moment.

Then, after biting her lip and releasing it, she quietly spoke.

“Honestly… I’ve never once thought that being a Hunter suited me.”

Mangi silently waited for her to continue.

“Hunters are supposed to be strong, capable, and a great help to their teams. But… I wasn’t that kind of Hunter.”

Seo Jia’s voice gradually became quieter.

Poming gently patted her arm and looked at her with comforting eyes.

“I was only a healer, and I practically had no attack power. I always felt like I was nothing but a burden to everyone else. And whenever my teammates got badly injured and had to be evacuated… I felt like it was all my fault. I honestly thought I was almost a failure as a Hunter.”

Mangi quietly nodded.

“And then?”

Seo Jia took a small breath.

Then she slowly continued in a trembling voice.

“But I always smiled in front of people. I only posted bright and happy pictures on social media too. I wanted everyone to think I was living a good life. I showed them the cool side of myself, the pretty side, the kind and warm image of a healer… But…”

She lowered her head.

There was something in her voice that sounded like sadness she had kept buried for a very long time.

“The truth was completely different. Every night before I fell asleep, I blamed myself. ‘Why am I so lacking?’ ‘Why am I so weak?’ I became so tired of myself.”

Mangi calmly listened to everything she said before slowly letting out a breath.

Then, with a gentle and compassionate expression, he said,

“It’s okay.”

Seo Jia slowly raised her head.

Mangi was still looking at her with the same calm expression.

“Everyone is like that. Not everyone can be special and strong. Most people just pretend they are. I think what you did was natural. It doesn’t mean you were being fake.”

Tears began gathering around Seo Jia’s eyes.

“It was hard. If I wasn’t strong enough, my teammates could end up in danger. I was officially a B-rank healer, but if I judged myself honestly, my abilities were C-rank or lower. The pressure was overwhelming… But the world expected things from me, so I kept trying to show everyone only the happy and impressive version of myself.”

Mangi gave a small smile.

“It might sound strange coming from an F-rank like me, but isn’t that just how support-type Hunters are? Because Hunter Jia was there, the other Hunters were able to become stronger. I’m sure you were already a great Hunter. You just couldn’t acknowledge that yourself.”

Seo Jia gently bit her lip.

Something stirred deep inside her heart.

The self-hatred and guilt she had suppressed for so long were slowly beginning to shake under the weight of Mangi’s words.

Poming quietly whispered beside Seo Jia.

“Jia-nim is a really precious person. I’m sure your teammates knew that too.”

At those words, Seo Jia could no longer hold back her tears.

She began to quietly sob.

The bright mask she had worn for so long slowly began to fall away.

And even the darkness she had hidden beneath that mask began to wash away with her tears.

Mangi silently watched her cry.

The restaurant filled with nothing but the sound of the rain and Seo Jia’s soft sobs.

A little while later,

Seo Jia wiped away her tears and spoke in a small voice.

“I’m sorry. I suddenly cried so much, didn’t I?”

Mangi gently shook his head.

“It’s okay to cry here.”

Seo Jia smiled weakly.

“Even when I died, I thought no one would ever comfort me. I wondered if that was why I couldn’t leave this world and ended up wandering around like this. Because… I was never that important to anyone.”

Mangi smiled softly.

“You were important enough. And in your next life, I’m sure you’ll become someone even more important.”

Hearing those words, Seo Jia’s eyes filled with tears once again.

But this time, they came from the warmth of being comforted.

The restaurant’s small candle flickered softly, casting warm light across the table.

Poming stayed close beside Seo Jia, gently rubbing the back of her hand.

“It’s been such a long time… since someone accepted me exactly as I am. Thank you. Really.”

At those words, Mangi and Poming quietly smiled.

Even with the cold rain falling outside, this small restaurant overflowed with warmth and comfort.

The rain gradually began to weaken.

While Seo Jia gathered herself inside the restaurant, Poming paced between the kitchen and the table with an unusually serious expression.

Her little tail kept swaying behind her.

It looked adorable, yet somehow very serious at the same time.

Mangi silently watched Poming for a while before asking,

“What’s wrong, Poming? Got something on your mind?”

Poming stopped and turned toward Mangi.

“Chef! Poming is currently thinking about something extremely important!”

Mangi slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Something important? What kind of important thing?”

Poming gave a small nod with a serious expression.

“Yes! I was thinking we should prepare a special prescription for Jia-nim!”

Mangi chuckled.

“A special prescription?”

“Yep! Jia-nim is a patient with a wounded heart! Ordinary soup alone isn’t enough!”

“Hmm… you might be right. I was feeling like something was still missing too.”

Poming clenched both tiny fists with determination.

Then she hurried over to Seo Jia.

“Today, Poming would like to personally give Chef a prescription for Jia-nim!”

Seo Jia wiped the redness around her eyes from crying and asked curiously,

“Chef? A prescription?”

“Oops! You’re not the chef, Jia-nim! My mistake! I’ll just give the prescription!”

Poming hopped onto the table in front of her and bounced excitedly.

“Jia-nim! As you can see, Poming is an extremely adorable summoned beast, but every once in a while—only very, very occasionally—I also become a famous doctor! Would you like to trust me?”

Seo Jia struggled to hold back her laughter.

Poming looked far too cute while acting so serious.

“I’ll take that as a yes! In that case, I’ll prescribe something extremely powerful so Jia-nim can quickly get her smile back! And what could that prescription possibly beee?”

Seo Jia carefully shook her head.

“I’m not sure…”

Poming shouted loudly,

“We add ‘Poison Heart Grass’ to Chef’s special healing vegetable soup!”

Mangi flinched.

Poison Heart Grass.

It was a precious medicinal herb he had obtained from the dungeon and stored in one corner of the restaurant’s ingredient storage.

He had gotten it not long ago in the dungeon.

It could cure poisoning and increase mental strength.

It was also said to have the special effect of healing wounds of the heart and restoring mental strength.

That’s right. I still had some.

Seeing Mangi’s surprised expression seemed to make Poming even more confident, and she bounced excitedly.

“It’s an extremely precious herb that melts away the pain and suffering hidden deep inside someone’s heart!”

Mangi hesitated for a moment.

Poison Heart Grass wasn’t something that could be obtained easily.

He had only gotten it after defeating a powerful demonic beast called Grullak, so he couldn’t help feeling that it was a little wasteful to use it.

Still, he also knew Poming wasn’t wrong.

Someone with a wounded heart like Seo Jia clearly needed something like this.

That way, once she went to the afterlife, perhaps she could live a little more happily.

Seo Jia quietly watched Mangi.

She lightly bit her lip before murmuring,

“Aren’t you using something too precious because of me?”

Mangi smiled lightly at her.

“No. We give our guests everything we can give them. That’s what this restaurant is for.”

Seo Jia felt another surge of emotion at Mangi’s sincere smile.

Mangi stopped hesitating and returned to the kitchen.

He lit the stove beneath the pot.

Excitedly, Poming circled around Mangi while taking out the ingredients.

Carrots.

Onions.

Celery.

And most importantly, the Poison Heart Grass was carefully placed beside them.

“All riiight~! Just do exactly what Poming tells you, Chef! First, chop the vegetables very small and pretty~!”

Mangi held back his laughter and followed Poming’s instructions.

The knife moved rhythmically across the cutting board.

As the finely chopped vegetables went into the pot, a soft fragrance began spreading through the kitchen.

Poming continued giving instructions almost as if she were singing.

“Next, add just a tiny bit of Poison Heart Grass! When it comes to healing someone’s heart, it isn’t the amount that matters—it’s the heart behind it!”

Following Poming’s instructions, Mangi added only a tiny amount of Poison Heart Grass.

A warm fragrance rose from the pot and gently spread throughout the kitchen.

A little while later, Poming smiled proudly at Mangi.

“Perfect, Chef! Now it’s ready for Jia-nim!”

Mangi carefully poured the finished soup into a bowl.

When he placed it on the table, there was a mixture of anticipation and nervousness in Seo Jia’s eyes.

Poming once again shouted energetically toward her.

“Jia-nim! This is Poming’s special prescription! The moment you take one bite, your heart will become warm and all those painful memories will start melting away!”

Seo Jia slowly picked up her spoon.

She scooped up some soup and brought it to her mouth.

Warmth spread throughout her mouth.

And then—

Oh… Ooh!

Something that had been buried deep inside her heart for a very long time slowly began to melt away.

Seo Jia looked at Mangi with emotion filling her face.

This time, it wasn’t because she was hurting.

It was because she was finally feeling genuine comfort after such a long time.

Mangi gently whispered,

“Do you feel a little better now?”

Seo Jia wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled.

“Yes. Really… strangely enough, I think I actually am starting to feel better.”

Poming jumped happily at the success of her prescription.

“Chef! Jia-nim smiled brightly! Poming’s prescription really is the best! Oh, right! Though I guess we only got the Poison Heart Grass because Chef defeated that powerful demonic beast. Our Chef is ridiculously strong too!”

Mangi chuckled and stroked Poming’s small head.

Poming happily wagged her tail and enjoyed his touch.

Seo Jia watched the two of them and, for the first time, felt completely at peace.

Her life may have already ended.

But now, she could finally believe that at least in the afterlife, she might truly be able to live happily.

With that thought in her heart, Seo Jia smiled as brightly as she could.