The Strongest, but the Genre Is Magical Girl

“Noona-!”

As I opened the right rear door and got in, Juwon was already sitting in the middle seat.

After loosening one strap of my bag and hugging it to my chest, I got in, and he reached out to me with a bright smile.

Uncle Dae-han, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at Juwon bouncing around in the back seat, secured by his seatbelt, and muttered a few words.

“Juwon’s excited because the noona’s here.”

“Hello, Juwon~ Hi there.”

As I greeted Uncle Dae-han while getting into the car, I took Juwon’s outstretched hand and shook it gently, like soothing a baby.

He rolled the word “Hi” around his mouth and greeted me back with a smile.

With a thud, Siyeon, who had gone to the left rear seat, also got into the car.

Two in the front, three in the back.

And just like that, the five-seater car was filled to the brim with five people, all buckling their seatbelts with a click, not even knowing the destination.

It was the first time Ji-eun noona had come to pick us up from school.

In a situation I couldn’t have imagined under normal circumstances, I looked toward the passenger seat and spoke up.

“Did you come all the way to school to pick us up?”

“I stopped by on my way to pick up Juwon from kindergarten. Since neither of you have evening classes, I thought it’d be nice to have dinner together.”

“Noona, you’re the best!”

Though she made it sound like no big deal, saying she just stopped by on her way from kindergarten, her words were considerate, not wanting us to feel burdened.

As Siyeon cheered, stretching her arms upward, I was about to express my gratitude for the meal when…

“And Mari, you really need to start answering your phone.”

“Eh?”

Suddenly, noona’s jab flew at me.

Ji-eun’s eyes, visible in the rearview mirror, were clearly directed at me.

Instead of words of gratitude, a single flustered sound escaped my lips.

I couldn’t remember missing any recent calls, so I protested with a hint of unfairness.

“But I’ve been keeping my phone on vibrate lately, so I’ve been answering…”

“You didn’t answer last time.”

Then, as if she’d been waiting for an excuse, Ji-eun noona brought up “last time” to scold me.

She was probably referring to the day I came back from defeating a monster and found three missed calls from her.

“That was…”

The reason I couldn’t answer the phone immediately came to mind, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.

With Uncle Dae-han and Juwon here, I couldn’t just blurt out, “I couldn’t answer because I was fighting a monster.”

I just scratched the bridge of my nose and awkwardly muttered a vague agreement.

“Yeah…”

“Ugh.”

As the short scolding continued, Siyeon belatedly asked about tonight’s dinner menu.

“Noona, what are we eating?”

“Gamjatang!”

Though the question was directed at the passenger seat, the answer came from the back seat.

Tonight’s menu was none other than gamjatang (pork bone soup).

Juwon, who seemed to have been the one to suggest it, was visibly excited.

He kicked the driver’s armrest with his feet, leaving dusty footprints everywhere, and I could feel a fire brewing inside me.

Stop that, you’re hurting your dad’s feelings.

I gently pressed down on Juwon’s legs to calm him, and as we entered the gamjatang restaurant’s parking lot, I clicked the red seatbelt button.

With a whoosh, the seatbelt retracted and stuck to the wall.

Before entering the tight parking space, Uncle Dae-han, still in the driver’s seat, spoke up.

“You guys go ahead, I’ll join you after parking.”

“Go on, go on.”

At the urging of Uncle Dae-han and noona, I left my bag in the car and pulled the door handle to open it.

With the thought of looking after my younger sibling, I didn’t close the door and instead grabbed Juwon, who was squirming to get out, and pulled him outside.

Holding his hand tightly, I made sure no one was left in the back seat before closing the door.

With a vroom, the car drove off to find a parking spot.

Since the restaurant was near the market entrance, all sorts of smells wafted through the air, not just gamjatang.

Passing by the tempting snacks at the market, we made our way to the gamjatang restaurant.

“Welcome!”

As the four of us entered the restaurant, a permed-haired aunty greeted us warmly with a lively voice.

We settled into a reasonably empty spot, and Juwon sat down next to me, still holding my hand.

At his natural action, Ji-eun noona spoke to Juwon in a baby-talk tone.

“Juwon, are you sitting with Mari noona?”

“Yeah.”

Juwon answered without hesitation.

Maybe because we’ve played together often, he follows us around like we’re his close siblings.

As I patted Juwon’s fluffy head, I smiled warmly.

Having known him since he was a baby, he’s just so cute.

Before Uncle Dae-han returned, the three of us girls chatted and decided on the menu.

“Will one large pot be enough?”

“How much do you usually order?”

“Normally, one medium pot and a fried rice are enough.”

I roughly estimated Uncle Dae-han and noona’s appetites while thinking.

Juwon, who’s still in elementary school, probably won’t eat much.

And Siyeon and I aren’t big eaters either.

“Then one large pot and… maybe one or two fried rices should be enough.”

“If it’s not enough, we can always add more bones. Order, please!”

“Yes~!”

“One large gamjatang, please.”

After swiftly placing the order, Uncle Dae-han came in, having just finished parking.

Seeing his son sitting next to me instead of his mom, he raised the corner of his mouth and spoke.

“Oh, Juwon’s sitting with Mari? What did you order?”

“One large pot for now.”

As if it was just a casual remark, Uncle Dae-han asked Ji-eun noona right after mentioning Juwon sitting next to me.

After a brief exchange between the couple, he patted Juwon’s head and asked.

“Juwon, do you like gamjatang?”

“Ah, I almost forgot. Press the button next to you.”

When Uncle Dae-han asked if Juwon liked gamjatang, noona suddenly told me to press the call button on the table.

I didn’t know why, but since she told me to, I pressed it firmly.

The restaurant echoed with the loud, crackling ding-dong sound.

A faint “Yes~” came from the kitchen.

A moment later, the aunty came to our table and asked what we needed, to which noona blurted out an additional order.

“One pork cutlet, please.”

At the sudden additional order, I thought, “Huh?”

Wait, we came here for gamjatang, why are we ordering pork cutlet?

This isn’t a kimbap heaven or something, I thought as I looked at the menu.

“Yes, one pork cutlet, please.”

Gamjatang, bone soup, blood sausage soup, ox knee soup, pork cutlet.

The menu had all sorts of soup dishes, and for some reason, a pork cutlet was included.

Wait, it’s really on the menu?

As I stared at the menu in disbelief, noona continued answering the earlier question.

“Juwon’s here for the pork cutlet, not the gamjatang.”

Apparently, since traditional markets don’t have much for kids to eat, restaurants have started adding kid-friendly menus.

Wait, but he was so excited about the gamjatang…

In the end, it’s all about the pork cutlet? How absurd.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

With the aunty’s warning, a large pot of gamjatang arrived at our table.

Fresh perilla leaves, translucent potato starch noodles, and a heap of meat on top.

Though most of it was just bones, it looked like more than enough for the four of us.

Ji-eun noona and Uncle Dae-han, holding the tongs, immediately started tossing the noodles and perilla leaves into the soup.

It was like they were in sync without even needing to speak.

“The meat’s already cooked, so just scoop it out when it’s warm enough.”

“Okay~”

A little later, as the gamjatang started boiling, I grabbed a large bone and moved it to my plate.

Struggling with my chopsticks, I tore off a piece of meat, dipped it in the mustard sauce, and popped it into my mouth.

The mild flavor of the boiled meat, the sweet and tangy mustard sauce, and the slight spiciness of the mustard blended together, leaving a lingering taste in my mouth.

I hadn’t had this in a while, so maybe that’s why, but the gamjatang meat was more delicious than I remembered.

Even though I clumsily tore the meat with my chopsticks, I ended up eating three pieces by myself.

The potatoes in the soup, softened by the heat, crumbled easily.

The fried rice, saved for the end of the meal.

And as we left the restaurant, the plastic tubs of three-flavored ice cream at the entrance.

Strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla, one scoop of each.

As I took a bite of the three-flavored ice cream, an indescribable sense of satisfaction washed over me.

After finishing dinner and returning home…

“Kyaaaah! Gamjatang! Ice cream! Pork cutlet!”

Gomteng, who had been smelling the food from my pocket all through dinner, rolled around on the floor, complaining in agony.

“This guy’s at it again.”

As I watched him, I crunched on the crispy ice cream cone I’d brought back from the restaurant.

“…Should we order something for him?”

Siyeon, feeling bad about leaving the mascots out of the meal, cautiously asked while glancing at me.

She must’ve thought I’d agree, as she already had her phone in hand.

But before I could answer, I shook my head in refusal.

It was time to teach them that throwing a tantrum like a brat doesn’t always work.

“It’ll spoil him.”