The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 97

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Yeo Joo Saves the World – Episode 97

Jang Su Ho caught sight of Kang Han’s rare smile before turning his head toward a small commotion in the distance.
“Oh my, you rascals!”
It was the voice of the old man who had bid us farewell earlier and returned to his home.
Not long after, the source of the commotion made their appearance.
“Woof! Woof!”
Four puppies with brush-like tails wagging adorably bounded toward us.
They had caught the scent of meat and came running, now gazing up at Kang Han and Jang Su Ho with joyful expressions.
“Oh, I’m sorry for the disturbance.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
Kang Han replied before asking a question.
“They still look quite young—is it alright if they eat meat?”
“My wife and I do grill some for them occasionally…”
“Would it be acceptable if we gave them a little as well?”
“I’d feel terrible imposing on our guests like this… haha.”
Kang Han selected the leanest portion of meat that hadn’t yet been seasoned with salt and pepper, transferred it to a disposable plate, and began cutting it.
With each snip of the scissors, his massive muscles flexed visibly, yet his hands moved with meticulous care—almost mincing the meat into tiny pieces.
Finally, he blew gently on the meat to cool it, then set the plate on the ground as he spoke.
“Eat plenty. You need to grow big and strong.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Not at all.”
Kang Han shook his head while keeping his eyes fixed on the puppies.
He had always been weak to harmless, small creatures.
The puppies, well-fed by their owners with plump bellies, seemed delighted by the taste of meat—their tails wagging ceaselessly in a way that reminded me of someone.
After burying their noses in the plate for quite some time and finishing every scrap, the puppies quickly returned to their owner.
Reluctant to see them go, Kang Han watched their retreating forms until they disappeared from view, then turned his head and noticed Jang Su Ho standing at a distance.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m frightened.”
“Since when are you afraid of animals?”
Jang Su Ho lived alongside the Guild’s beasts so closely that “inseparable” would be the perfect description.
Yet he was afraid of these young puppies?
Aware of Kang Han’s puzzled gaze, Jang Su Ho wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and explained.
“Small animals like that scare me the most.”
“Why?”
“If I’m even slightly careless, they might get crushed. Sigh.”
It was quintessentially Jang Su Ho.
Kang Han let out a soft chuckle and reached for the tongs he’d set down moments before.
“Right, dependable Jang Su Ho. Go grab another pack of meat.”

* * *

“Does anyone know how to make curry?”
At Yeo Joo’s question, the three high school students simply blinked.
“Our grandparents hate curry, so we’ve never eaten it at home.”
“I know how to heat up instant curry though.”
“…Think you can manage it?”
At Yeo Joo’s skeptical words, Lee Yu Chan grabbed a large curry packet and spoke with confidence.
“You just follow the instructions on the back, right?”
“Well, yes…”
“Just follow the instructions and it’ll be fine. Yeo Joo, come sit on the couch with me for a bit and rest.”
Han Ji Sung smiled and gently pushed Yeo Joo’s shoulder from behind.
He was suggesting they make their exit.
“But oppa, about the food…”
“It’s fine. Besides, Chung Soo will…”
Han Ji Sung whispered something softly and led Yeo Joo out of the kitchen.
I thought he’d at least help a little.
The three left behind exchanged uncertain glances for a moment before reality set in.
Im Chung Soo was the first to snap back to attention.
He’d spent enough time in the kitchen back in the rural area, preparing side dishes and such, so he figured they could manage somehow.
“Cooking is all about having the right equipment first.”
With that, he pulled out a cutting board, a single knife, several stainless steel bowls, and a frying pan with decent depth.
But there was one problem.
“The knife is really dull.”
It was because he’d grabbed whatever knife was available while shopping.
People feared sharp knives, but a dull blade like this was dangerous too.
The ingredients wouldn’t cut properly, forcing you to apply more pressure and risking injury to your hands.
“Let me see. Oh, there’s a whetstone.”
Im Chung Soo found a whetstone in the cabinet and immediately got to work.
He placed the water-soaked whetstone on a flat counter and carefully ran the blade across it with smooth, deliberate strokes.
Lee Yu Eul, watching him work, spoke up.
“Chung Soo, you look like some kind of craftsman.”
“He basically is a craftsman.”
“Yeah, I guess he is.”
The twins chatted quietly beside him, but Im Chung Soo didn’t hear them.
Just as Lee Yu Chan had said, the spirit of a true craftsman had awakened within him.
For curry vegetables, sharpening to a level where they’d be easy to cut would suffice, but Chung Soo didn’t understand the concept of “moderation.”
Swish, swish, swish.
Lost in his own world, his hands moved without hesitation as he meticulously honed the blade from tip to handle with unwavering precision.
Faced with such earnestness, even the twins fell silent and began watching Chung Soo like spectators at a performance.
How much time had passed?
It was just as Yeo Joo, puzzled by the prolonged silence, stepped into the kitchen that it happened.
“Done!”
Finally satisfied with his work, Chung Soo rinsed the knife in water.
The blade gleamed brilliantly, a testament to the effort he’d poured into it.
It wasn’t a figure of speech.
The knife was genuinely emitting light.
“Huh?”
Bewildered, Chung Soo washed the knife again and again, but the subtle luminescence that had suddenly appeared refused to fade.
That’s when Lee Yu Eul suddenly recalled something from the past.
“Oh! My jungle did exactly this when it became an item!”
“An… item?”
Chung Soo hastily activated the skill Dungeon Compendium, but couldn’t retrieve any information.
It was because the knife’s materials weren’t dungeon-sourced.
But Yeo Joo could.

[ Kitchen Knife ( C )
: Preserves the freshness of ingredients. ]

“…Chung Soo.”
“Yes?”
“Make sure you bring that knife when you head home.”
So this is how S-rank hunters create items.
I shook my head in disbelief and returned to the sofa where Ji Sung was sitting.

* * *

At last, the full-fledged outdoor barbecue party had begun.
Midway through, Chung Soo transformed a kitchen knife into an item, and Lee Yu Eul, who wielded it, sliced vegetables and meat with the same skill she used to cleave monsters—flawlessly. Lee Yu Chan displayed remarkable concentration, perfecting the exact temperature and consistency of the curry, which was… honestly, incredibly delicious.
But the grilled meat that Kang Han and Jang Su Ho prepared was no less impressive.
Charred over charcoal with that unmistakable smoky flavor, the meat retained its abundant juices.
As a result, the guild members with hearty appetites were practically shoveling food into their mouths.
“Ah, this is perfect.”
After eating a piece of meat and gulping down some refreshing beer, the summer heat seemed to vanish entirely.
I was indulging in the culinary delights for a while when I noticed one seat at the table was empty.
It was Kang Han’s seat.
“He’s quite busy over there.”
Seven people who already had good appetites, but today they were eating even more voraciously.
The pile of meat, which had been stacked like a small mountain, was rapidly dwindling.
So Kang Han had quietly risen from his seat, gripping a bottle of beer in hand, and was grilling meat by himself.
“Hmm.”
I paused to think, then assembled a large wrap with lettuce and perilla leaves, three pieces of meat, and a spicy red chili dipped in sauce.
And I approached Kang Han.
“Chef, you should eat while you grill.”
Kang Han seemed surprised.
As if someone caring for him was a first.
His dark green eyes, backlit by the bright light spilling from the pension, gazed down at me intently.
‘Is it too much to feed him the wrap directly?’
It might be unhygienic, and I belatedly realized that Kang Han’s favorability toward me wasn’t quite high enough for him to accept food from my hand.
So I was searching for an empty plate to set the wrap on.
When Kang Han slowly bent his large frame down.
Honestly, with a teasing spirit, I had deliberately made the wrap quite large, and it slipped smoothly into his mouth.
But I was slightly startled and released it a moment too late, feeling his closed lips brush against my fingertips.
“It’s delicious.”
Kang Han smiled widely, his lips stretching long as he spoke.
…This feeling was strange.
He was surely just saying the wrap was delicious.
“Just leave the meat on the grill and come eat quickly.”
I said this, turned around, and headed back to the table.
For some reason, with each step, my fingertips where his lips had touched tingled.
…Even thinking about it again, it felt strange.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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