Chapter Sixty-Three: Yet Another Bowl of Kelp Soup.

January 1, 2017.
Kim Minjeong's sixteenth birthday.

Following the exact same routine his niece had practiced on his own birthday, Myeong Yan quietly climbed out of bed at the crack of dawn.
To be honest, his cooking skills were barely any better than Kim Minjeong's. Before this little one came to live with him, he rarely ever stepped foot in the kitchen to cook a real meal, save for the occasional bowl of instant ramen.
In that regard, uncle and niece really were cut from the same cloth.
Now, let's see... how do you make seaweed soup again?
......

Kim Minjeong's sleep had been restless.
The little girl didn't even quite know what she was anticipating, but the moment she vaguely caught the sound of movement outside her bedroom door, she sprang right up from the bed.
She pressed her ear gently against the door, moving with utmost caution as if afraid of disturbing the person on the other side.
That must be her young uncle moving about, secretly trying to prepare something.
Perhaps because she had attempted it herself before, Kim Minjeong could vividly picture Myeong Yan's step-by-step process in her mind: first, standing in a daze for a moment trying to remember what ingredients were needed, and only then stumbling into action.
Turning on the stove, realizing the oil hadn't been poured yet, noticing the seaweed was soaking a bit too long...
To a beginner, everything is a potential disaster.

The fact that her young uncle remembered her birthday sent a warm, inexplicable current coursing through Kim Minjeong's heart.
Though it wasn't a particularly difficult date to remember, Myeong Yan had been constantly busy with filming and year-end award shows lately, so it would have been entirely understandable if he had simply forgotten.
Deep down, the little girl harbored a faint hope, yet she was too shy to voice it aloud.
Listening to the muffled noises outside, punctuated by Myeong Yan's occasional soft cursing under his breath, a wave of drowsiness unexpectedly washed over her, making the various sounds feel like a soothing lullaby.
"Hah—"
Kim Minjeong let out a huge yawn.
She rubbed her eyes, intending to listen a little longer, but a second subsequent yawn made the little girl give up the fight.
Fine, she would just nap for a tiny minute. After all, she didn't have school today.
Just for a second.
......

"Minjeong, Minjeong."
When Kim Minjeong opened her eyes again, the clock on the wall already pointed past nine in the morning.
Her quick catnap had stretched out to nearly three hours.

"Young uncle, what is it?" the little girl mumbled sleepily, her brain not yet fully booted up.
Myeong Yan's voice drifted in: "Time to get up and eat. No sleeping in today."
"Okay, I'm getting up right now."
Kim Minjeong's cheeks flushed crimson.
After today, she would be a sixteen-year-old young lady; being called out for sleeping in by her young uncle was hardly a good look.
Damn it, she had clearly only meant to sleep for a fleeting moment—how on earth had time slipped by so fast?

When Kim Minjeong finally emerged, fully dressed, she was greeted by a rich, savory aroma that left her slightly bewildered.
A single pot of seaweed soup... shouldn't smell *that* intense, right?
"Minjeong, you've got to drink seaweed soup on your birthday. Come and try it." Myeong Yan maintained a nonchalant expression, acting as though nothing unusual had occurred.
An exceptional actor must be able to get into character at a moment's notice.
Kim Minjeong pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised her head to stare straight at him: "Young uncle, you didn't order delivery, did you?"
"Uh..." Myeong Yan had actually been bracing himself for his niece's reaction, but he certainly hadn't expected her to ask *that*. "Of course not! I made this with my own two hands."
What he left unsaid was that this particular pot of seaweed soup hadn't been made on the first try.
Determined to present Kim Minjeong with the absolute perfection of seaweed soup, Myeong Yan had strived for excellence: the first batch was far too salty, the second batch lacked salt entirely and tasted rather strange, while the third batch—after wasting two rounds of ingredients—turned out passable.
Myeong Yan had truly done his absolute best.

"Thank you, young uncle~" Kim Minjeong was only teasing anyway, especially since she actually *had* heard him fumbling around in the kitchen earlier.
Neither of them brought up the incident from before. Taking Kim Jisoo's advice to heart, Kim Minjeong understood that her young uncle must be harboring certain painful past events he preferred not to share.
Since Myeong Yan chose not to speak of it, she would simply pretend it never happened.
Besides, the scarf she had knitted him was something her young uncle wore every single day without fail.
"Hurry and sit down. Tell me how it tastes."
Myeong Yan rubbed his hands together nervously.
While he was quite capable in other areas, cooking was genuinely terra incognita for him, and lately, Kim Minjeong had mostly been surviving on takeout as well.
Kim Minjeong nodded: "Mm."
In her heart, the little girl briefly compared the seaweed soup she had made previously with Myeong Yan's finished product, concluding that her own version had looked far more appealing—a sentiment Kim Jisoo had also praised endlessly at the time.
The sincere affection poured into their respective dishes by both of them... should be roughly the same.
Kim Minjeong scooped up a spoonful of the broth and tasted it, smacking her lips thoughtfully.
"Minjeong?" Myeong Yan kneaded his fingertips together—a nervous habit he couldn't control whenever anxiety struck.

Having grown up largely alone, apart from two close friends, Kim Minjeong was the very first family member Myeong Yan had ever lived with.
In the beginning, he had deeply doubted his own ability to take proper care of the little one, yet he had clumsily pushed forward, trying his best.
Now, three months had flown by, and everything seemed to be going remarkably well.
Perhaps accepting another person into your life wasn't nearly as difficult as he had once imagined.
"Hmm..." Kim Minjeong prolonged the suspense on purpose, observing the subtle shift in Myeong Yan's expression before breaking into a triumphant, mischievous smile: "Young uncle, it actually tastes pretty good~"
"Really?"
"It's a bit worse than what Mom makes, but it's about on par with the one I made the other day."
Kim Minjeong offered a fair and objective evaluation.
Both she and Myeong Yan were absolute novices in the kitchen, just as they were rookies cautiously figuring out how to navigate life together.
After this birthday, perhaps many things would begin to change for the better.
"Minjeong, when you were making yours, did you ever think about adding some ramen seasoning packet into the mix?" Myeong Yan began discussing culinary theories on seaweed soup with his niece.
The girl wrinkled her nose in utter disgust: "Ew~"
Adding ramen seasoning to seaweed soup? What kind of heresy was that?
Dissatisfied with her reaction, Myeong Yan argued his case vigorously: "I don't remember which variety show said it, but the ramen seasoning packet is supposedly the ultimate universal spice."
"Young uncle, variety shows are just for entertainment. Home-cooked food still requires a bit of genuine sincerity."
Kim Minjeong lectured him with the airs of a seasoned culinary master.

After exchanging tips on the principles of making seaweed soup, the two of them happily concluded the little girl's birthday breakfast.
"Minjeong-ah, when are your friends getting here?" Myeong Yan had mentioned earlier that she should invite her friends over; kids at this age always loved a lively house.
"They should be here soon," Kim Minjeong checked the time. "Chaeyhun, Chaewon, and Ning-jyo."
"That Chinese friend of yours, right?"
Kim Minjeong nodded: "Yup. Young uncle, who all did you invite?"
"Jisoo, Nayeon, and..."
"And who else?"
Before the girl could continue pressing for answers, the doorbell rang.
The guests had arrived.