Seol Hwa returned to the group and said, "We can go now."
Soon, they began their walk, leaving behind the trio.
"Is everything okay?" MJ casually asked Seol Hwa despite her own worries.
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Seol Hwa replied.
Gwen quietly glanced at Seol Hwa.
The jealousy simmering inside her blue eyes was undeniable.
She was also curious about what Seol Hwa and Jean Grey had talked about.
'Why the hell did Jean touch Seol Hwa's hand? Why did she put her filthy hand on Seol?' Gwen thought, tightly clenching her hand and causing her knuckles to whiten.
"Nothing really. You two seemed pretty close," MJ said, faintly shrugging.
"So it looked like that? We aren't close," Seol Hwa said in a flat voice.
Gwen secretly sighed in relief.
MJ observed Gwen's reaction, then looked at Seol Hwa.
'Girl, you're too obvious,' MJ mused.
"So… what are you cooking, miss Chef?" MJ asked enthusiastically.
Peter's ears perked, hands hidden inside his hoodie.
Seol Hwa smiled. "You'll know when we arrive."
"Already salivating?"
"It's too early to boast, lady. But my hope for you is high since Gwen believes in you," MJ playfully scoffed.
"You won't be disappointed, MJ," Gwen chimed in.
Peter's stomach quietly began churning in anticipation.
He had always been a foodie. Well, ever since he became Spider-Man.
Soon, they arrived at Seol Hwa's apartment and went inside.
'The house smells of fresh air and the warmth of a cozy home,' MJ noted.
It was simple and moderately spacious.
Peter removed his shoes and perfectly placed them beside Seol Hwa's.
Aunt May always liked order and instinctively, the habit had become ingrained in him.
"Nice place," Peter commented as he looked around.
With his elevated senses, he could feel there was a massive difference between the outside and inside Seol Hwa's home.
The air quality and the unmistakable serene ambience made one feel peaceful, devoid of earthly burdens.
Peter felt it was weird but in a good kind of way.
'So far it seems anything connected with Seol Hwa cannot be simple,' he concluded.
'I wonder if her food is going to be as sophisticated as her character.' He made himself comfortable on the couch.
MJ sighed and followed suit.
Seol Hwa switched on the television and placed the remote on the coffee table.
"You can watch whatever you want as I make something for you," Seol Hwa said, looking at MJ and Peter.
Gwen was standing close to Seol Hwa, following her the way a chick follows mother hen.
"I'll help," Gwen suddenly offered, anticipation on her beautiful face.
"No. Sit down with the others. The kitchen is a sacred place meant for only one chef," Seol Hwa responded, gently refusing Gwen's help.
She then stepped toward the kitchen, leaving behind Gwen with flushed cheeks.
"That was embarrassing," she murmured, head lowered as she went and sat beside a morbid-looking MJ.
"Peter, what the fuck are we watching right now?" MJ complained, casting Parker a threatening glare.
"Science Discovery Channel," Peter confidently replied, holding onto the remote.
"Change it. Leave the nerdiness at school for once," MJ said as she tried to take the remote from his hand.
Peter effortlessly guarded against her, stretching his arm out of her reach. "Chill, MJ. I'll change it."
Gwen watched them in amusement, a small smile on her face.
At least the two offered some distraction from the thoughts about Seol Hwa and… Jean.
Inside the kitchen, Seol Hwa lightly shook her head and softly sighed. 'Ah, youth. It's really nice to be young.'
She looked at the apron hanging near the fridge and ignored it.
She didn't require it anyway.
The fridge was fully stocked after Min-Seo went shopping on Saturday.
Seol Hwa thinly smiled when she thought of that day.
'She's probably showing off at work. No one stays silent after such changes,' she thought while grabbing the vegetables and the juicy, thick piece of meat.
'Now it's time to extinguish that mortal's heart demons. Love… such a capricious, little thing.' She rapidly cut through the vegetables, her movements as fluid as water.
Seol Hwa had already decided on beef stew, vegetables and rice.
It was a simple combination and… rice was simply the staple Asian food.
A few minutes later, a heavenly aroma spread through the apartment.
The food was ready.
Seol Hwa inhaled the essence of her own culinary skills and nodded in satisfaction.
Then, her brows creased slightly when she picked up the pot.
'Why does it seem like I'm becoming everyone's chef? It's truly ridiculous that I'm getting comfortable with it.'
She had the urge to laugh at herself.
The Bloodborne Devil Empress, the most dangerous existence, was happily cooking for mortals without payment.
Truly atrocious.
But what could she do?
Nothing.
Seol Hwa enjoyed the mundanity of cooking simple meals after all.
There was no sovereignty, no slaughter, no negativity in the kitchen.
There was only the quiet serenity of the Dao of Cooking.
She had made peace with that.
Seol Hwa carried the pots and set them on the dining table.
Just as she was about to call the trio, they beat her to it and impatiently entered the dining room with eager expressions.
Even MJ, who was plagued by a disease called heartbreak, had a ravenous look as she stared at the steaming pots on the table.
The aroma was enough to make her mind as light as a feather, temporarily kicking out the thoughts about her relationship and that bastard, Harry.
Peter was slightly salivating, gulping down with each passing second.
He didn't care about the worms fighting each other inside his stomach.
Since Gwen stood behind him, she happened to hear his stomach angrily grumbling.
Both Peter and MJ were in the same state she had been in the first time she experienced the scent of Seol Hwa's food.
That didn't mean she had suddenly grown immune to Seol Hwa's cooking.
The feeling had only been amplified.
Gwen wanted more of HER.
"When was the last time you dewormed, Pete? It's utter chaos down there," Gwen lightly joked while poking Peter's back.
"I don't remember," Peter replied absentmindedly, not bothering to look behind, even when Gwen stood beside him near the table.
God knows how many tacos he had eaten when patrolling the city. Spider-Man dealt with a lot of things, those insufferable little agents of greed in his stomach were inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
Gwen chuckled softly, and it was then her stomach emitted a more baneful sound.
Peter glanced at her with a mocking yet humorous smile.
"Gwendolyn Stacy, oops. It seems your parasites are more powerful than mine. I bet they're screaming for souls rather than food," he said playfully while chuckling.
MJ whipped her head at the two and laughed at Peter's absurdity. "Are you for real, Pete? You're not nine anymore."
She then looked at Gwen with a mischievous smirk. "Don't forget to deworm, sweetie."
Gwen's lips twitched as she tried to hide her embarrassment by covering her face.
"You two are so mean," she said in a muffled voice.
Seol Hwa silently watched their antics, blinking obliviously.
"Everyone, take a seat," she ordered in a calm voice.
The three quickly and obediently sat as if they had just been waiting for the whistle to be blown.
Seol Hwa then began to serve adequate portions on their plates.
They couldn't help but track her charming movements.
In that moment, the three had a collective thought that Seol Hwa was like a mother and they were her little children.
"The food is served. Bon Appetit," Seol Hwa said with a small smile.
"Okay, Michelin-starred chef," Gwen grinned back at her as she picked up her chopsticks.
"MJ, ever ordered Chinese?" Gwen asked as she looked at MJ who was looking at her plate and the chopsticks beside her.
Maybe contemplating her life choices?
"Jeez, Gwen. We're in a Korean household," Peter muttered as he skillfully picked up the chopsticks and began eating voraciously.
The taste was just as divine as the scent. It was easily the best food he had ever eaten in his entire life.
It easily melted in his mouth, making his Spider Physiology quickly begin metabolizing.
Strangely, it was slightly faster than normal. Maybe accelerated?
Both Gwen and MJ's mouths hung wide as they witnessed Peter moving like he was half-Asian.
"Pete, are you secretly Asian?" Gwen wondered aloud while eating her rice.
MJ nodded, also wanting to know.
"My great, great—" Peter smugly began with food in his mouth; however, he didn't get to finish his words.
"Swallow your food first," Seol Hwa calmly interjected before gracefully eating a piece of beef.
"O-Oh, I… I'm sorry. My bad." Peter gulped down his food before stammering an apology.
He rubbed his neck in embarrassment.
The food was already great enough to shut his mouth.
He was also afraid of displeasing Seol Hwa since he just couldn't decipher what went on inside her beautiful mind.
On the table, Seol Hwa was just as terrifying as Aunt May.
Peter suddenly felt like a scolded child.
"Gwen, teach MJ how to use the chopsticks like I taught you," Seol Hwa suggested, subtle amusement in her eyes.
The mortal was being comedic using the chopsticks on both hands and failing miserably.
'How cute,' Seol Hwa thought.
MJ chuckled at her own clumsiness with the chopsticks.
She then pitifully looked at Gwen with pleading eyes.
"I'll save you, girl. Don't worry. Here's how you hold it…" Gwen giggled before she began instructing MJ.
By the time MJ had a solid idea of using them, Peter was already on his second plate.
Seol Hwa ate in silence watching the two girls threaten Peter to slow down, fearing he would leave them with nothing after he was done.
There was some bickering here and there.
Some laughter.
It was…
'It seems I've begun slowly enjoying their company,' Seol Hwa thought as she sipped water from her glass.
'They really don't fear me because they don't know. In their ignorance, there's peace and carefreeness. But that's not what matters.'
'This moment is already enough.'
All of a sudden, her spiritual senses felt pricked.
Annoyance momentarily flashed in her dark amber eyes before she placed down her glass.
Peter paused his chopsticks mid-action, his spidey senses flaring.
'Something bad's about to happen. But where?' he continued eating.
In that moment, the tenderness of the meat sidelined every distractive thought.
'Sorry Aunt May. You're no longer the greatest chef in the world,' he thought, savoring the meal.
Peter couldn't deny that the urge to web away and look for that danger tempted him.
However, the current situation didn't allow it.
It was like he had been spellbound by the flavorful cooking.
MJ was in the same boat as she wantonly filled her stomach.
She had never known food to be this… therapeutic.
It almost felt like… witchcraft.
"Seol Hwa, you're hands down the greatest chef in the whole universe," MJ exclaimed while wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
She felt more alive than she'd ever been in her entire life. Refreshed.
"Told you so," Gwen stated.
"I agree," Peter said, sighing in contentment.
"Thank you, Seol Hwa. I… I feel better right now. Thanks to all of you," MJ suddenly spoke in a sentimental voice.
"Aaww, MJ. Do you need such words for us?" Gwen's face mellowed as she placed her hand over MJ's on the table and caressed her.
Peter lightly smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. Is there something you aren't good at?" he asked Seol Hwa.
Seol Hwa thoughtfully touched her chin for a few moments.
"That's a very difficult question, boy," she answered in a mild tone.
"I thought so too," Peter awkwardly smiled.
Before long, they cleared the table and both MJ and Gwen insisted on washing the utensils.
Seol Hwa relented and allowed them to do as they wished.
After that, they stayed in the living room and watched random things on the TV while sharing stories.
Sensing that they might stay cooped up in Seol Hwa's house if they weren't mindful of time, the three decided to say their goodbyes.
Seol Hwa was finally left alone in the silence of a room that had been quite lively a few moments ago.
She slowly walked to her room and slowly opened the curtains, looking down at the city.
A foul city infested with all sorts of pests.
Her eyes flickered as she looked at the encroaching darkness.
"These pests surely work fast," she murmured, looking in a certain direction, several blocks away from her apartment.
'Brazenly dealing with illegal weapons in broad daylight, not fearing gods or demons,' she thought, deeply amused by the situation.
It just came to show the laws were basically useless, malleable under the hands of men living in the shadows.
It was just like in the Murim.
A corrupt society.
A blind eye could be turned to anything.
'Your end will be postponed… for now,' she scoffed before closing the curtains.
She would wait for those men to be in their full numbers before "cleansing" them in one fell swoop.
It was difficult to ignore those crooks even if she wanted to.
For the safety of Min-Seo, their erasure was already written in stone.
Seol Hwa sat in a lotus position and began cultivating.
The next realm was nigh.
It was only a matter of time.
The changes it promised made her more diligent.
~~~<>~~~
Yu_ner's Corner:
I SUDDENLY WENT MIA FOR PERSONAL REASONS. EVEN AS A YAPPER, this time I don't feel inclined to share what happened.
Sorry guys though (bows slightly with an apologetic expression).
You can read 20+ chapters on my p a treon: a t r e o n.com/Yu_ner (remove the spaces)
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