Korean Entertainment: My Reborn Self Shorts the Korean Peninsula

Chapter 12 | Spaghetti vs. Kimchi

On the way back to Busan, Cao Yisen didn't think much about the interview.

The KTX drove through the suburbs, the scenery outside the window receding in segments. He leaned back in his seat, his phone face down on the table, but his mind was strangely blank.

What he didn't know was that he had only given a few casual answers, and even deliberately tried to sound "Buddhist" and "non-competitive," yet people were still able to analyze them in so many ways.

If he knew that PLEDIS was already discussing terms like "position," "observation point," and "lateral space," he would probably just laugh.

—You're overthinking it.

The only thing he cares about right now is what to eat when he gets home.

As soon as the door opened, Cao Yisen kicked his shoes aside, casually hung up his coat, and sank into the sofa.

"I'm so hungry..."

He said something in a low voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, the sofa next to him sank down.

Cao Rouli had already sat down at some point.

"You're back?"

Her voice was very close, so close that he could smell a faint fragrance before he could even see her. It wasn't strong, like the faint scent of shampoo carried on the breeze from someone who had just washed their hair.

"Um."

He responded, but hadn't even had time to sit up straight.

"How did it go?" she asked. "I had my interview today."

She leaned in so naturally. Her shoulder was almost touching his, her hair hanging down, a few strands brushing lightly against his wrist, tickling him a little.

Cao Yisen subconsciously moved slightly, but did not immediately create distance.

"It was alright," he said. "Just a regular interview."

Is it normal?

Cao Rouli clearly didn't believe him, turning her head to look at him, "Your 'ordinary' is usually not so ordinary, is it?"

He almost laughed when she looked at him like that.

"Really," he said. "I'm just answering questions as they come."

She moved a little closer, as if to check his expression.

"Weren't you given any difficulties?"

"no."

"So that means it's over?"

Her tone was slightly relaxed.

"Probably."

She finally relaxed and leaned back on the sofa, but still didn't create any distance between them.

Shoulder to shoulder.

For a moment, Cao Yisen's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't a strong one, but more like a sudden realization that the other person was a "girl".

He quickly realized what was happening, gently adjusted his posture, and suppressed the inappropriate thought.

This is her older sister, though not her biological sister. But she's the one who's always taken care of this body.

You look very tired.

Cao Rouli didn't notice his subtle change. "Let me get you something to eat."

"Sure," he said. "As long as it fills my stomach."

She stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Then let's have ramen and some side dishes."

She turned to look at him, "Don't you dare complain."

No, it won't.

"Anything you do is fine."

She smiled, and soon the sound of water came from the kitchen.

Cao Yisen leaned back on the sofa and rubbed his temples. The strange feeling he had just experienced wasn't because of anything she had done.

Rather, it's because—

He hasn't felt cared for so naturally in a long time.

When the water in the pot boiled, Cao Rouli called out to him.

Go wash your hands.

"immediately."

Cao Yisen got up and headed to the restroom. He shook his head, not wanting to think about anything else. At least tonight, all he wanted was to have a proper meal.

After washing his hands, he was still trying to put those inappropriate emotions back in their place.

As he drew this conclusion to himself, he slowly walked towards the living room.

Then, a strange smell suddenly filled the air.

It's not fragrant.

But -

A burnt smell?

It's very faint, but very distinct; it's not the aroma of normal food.

Cao Yisen stopped walking and twitched his nose.

"...?"

The next second, a very soft sound came from the direction of the kitchen—

"hiss."

It sounded like something was sticking to the bottom of a pot.

Immediately following was a noticeable pause from Cao Rouli.

"...Ah. C."

The "Ah" was delivered with such a calm tone that it was almost suspicious.

Cao Yisen's heart sank.

A bad feeling formed instantly.

"Nuna?"

He called out tentatively.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Cao Rouli's voice came immediately, almost deliberately fast, "It's really nothing. It was just a small accident."

at the same time--

The burnt smell suddenly intensified. It wasn't just "possibly" burnt.

It's to the point where sovereignty has already been declared in the air.

Without saying a word, Cao Yisen rushed into the kitchen. The result was very clear.

The pot is still on the fire, and the water has mostly evaporated.

The ramen noodles were stuck to the bottom of the pot; half of them were the normal color, while the other half had entered the "second stage of raw noodles."

Cao Rouli stood in front of the stove, chopsticks still in her hand, completely frozen.

She turned to look at Cao Yisen. The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

Then, she said very calmly:

"...I was just thinking about something."

Cao Yisen: "...I can see that."

He reached out and turned off the stove, moving the pot away. The burning smell lessened slightly, but it was too late to completely salvage the situation.

He glanced down at the ramen in the pot, then looked up at her.

"What are you thinking, to think of ramen like that?"

Cao Rouli remained silent for two seconds.

Then, answer very honestly:

"house."

"A house in Seoul?"

"Um."

She nodded, glanced at the pot again, and said, "That's it."

Cao Yisen tried to hold back, but couldn't help laughing out loud.

"So when you said 'Don't complain,' you already anticipated this?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed immediately, dissatisfied. "This was an accident."

"And didn't you just say 'anything you make will do'?"

"I mean—under normal circumstances."

He corrected him seriously, "The carbonized state doesn't count."

Cao Rouli clicked her tongue, reached for her chopsticks, and tried to salvage the part that could still be identified as "noodles".

"It's still edible," she said. "At least half."

"What about your other half?"

"Treat your partner as a life experience."

Cao Yisen laughed even harder and simply leaned against the door to watch her.

"Are you sure you want me to eat this?"

"If you won't eat it, I will."

She was perfectly justified.

"That won't do," he said. "Active idols shouldn't consume such risky foods."

Upon hearing this, Cao Rouli was taken aback.

The next second, the chopsticks came crashing down on his head.

"ah!"

She feigned anger, "Are you implying something about me?"

No, no.

While dodging, Cao Yisen raised his hands in surrender, saying, "I was worried about your schedule."

"I'm doing this for your career's sake."

"Come on."

She sneered, "You were just mocking me."

The two of them were busy in the kitchen, and the smell of burning food became the background noise.

Finally, Cao Rouli looked at the pot, then at him, and sighed.

"Never mind," she said. "I'll just order takeout."

"bingo, a wise choice."

He nodded.

She took out her phone, ordering while muttering to herself:

"I really can't think about serious things while cooking."

"Were those thoughts you were just having really anything serious?"

He asked casually.

She paused, without looking up.

"Yes, for me."

He couldn't speak, so he had to shut up obediently as the notification sound for the successful food delivery order rang.

The kitchen fell silent. Cao Rouli submerged the pot in water and turned to look at Cao Yisen.

"I'll just eat when the takeout arrives."

she says.

"Then I'll be in charge of praising them?"

"You'd better be."

Cao Rouli rolled her eyes at him, but still smiled.

After ordering takeout, Cao Rouli casually placed her phone on the coffee table. Cao Yisen glanced down at the screen, and when he saw the words "kimchi soup," his expression clearly paused for a moment. Then, he rolled his eyes without any attempt to hide it and muttered under his breath, "Kimchi... not even as good as a cheeseburger."

Before he could finish speaking, he was tapped on the forehead.

"Oh," Cao Rouli glared at him, "So what if you've been to America? I like this, so what?"

"No, no." Cao Yisen immediately covered his head, his mind racing. "I was just expressing my personal opinion. Don't get agitated."

"That's not an opinion, that's disdain, okay?" she snorted.

"Then I apologize," he said in a serious tone.

"Okay, okay, you're a kimchi girl." Then she complained in a voice only she could hear.

Cao Rouli gave a cold laugh, clearly too lazy to pursue the matter further. Cao Yisen glanced at the estimated delivery time, then swept his gaze across the kitchen, suddenly feeling restless. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Should I cook something else?"

She looked him up and down, her tone tinged with suspicion: "You?"

"Me," he nodded, "not some fancy cuisine, just the edible kind."

"How much better can you be than me?" she retorted.

"Of course," he said. "And this counts as a survival skill for international students."

She thought for a moment, shrugged, and said:

"Whatever you want, we've already ordered the kimchi soup anyway."

The kitchen light came on quickly. Cao Yisen rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and stood in front of the stove, looking quite professional. Cao Rouli leaned against the door watching and couldn't help but ask him what he was doing.

"Spaghetti," he said.

"...spaghetti?" Her tone clearly betrayed disbelief.

"Spaghetti No. 6." He opened the cupboard and rummaged through it, and actually found it. "I bought it on a whim before."

He boiled the water and cooked the noodles; his movements weren't exactly professional, but they were practiced. After watching for a while, she commented that it looked quite decent.

He smiled and said, "That's called a survival skill."

Meanwhile, she heated oil in a wok, added the minced beef, and with a sizzle, the aroma filled the air. She straightened up a bit and said that this tasted much better than the ramen from before.

"Yo, it looks pretty good!"

"Have your standards already fallen this low?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"I was annoyed by your 'cheeseburger' comment," she replied, rolling her eyes as she did so.

The beef is stir-fried until it's loose, then garlic is added, followed by tomato sauce. The red color slowly spreads, and the aroma gradually unfolds. Cao Yisen says this is spaghetti bolognese, very basic.

Cao Rouli took a closer look and said, "Isn't this the standard equipment for international students? What kind of show is this?" Cao Yisen nodded and said that he dared to do it precisely because it was the standard equipment.

After cooking the noodles and mixing them with sauce, he placed the plate on the table and let Cao Rouli try it first. Cao Rouli glanced down at it; the presentation wasn't exactly appealing, but at least it was intact. She picked up a bite, chewed a few times, and didn't speak immediately. Cao Yisen, standing to the side, was actually a little nervous and couldn't help but ask her how it tasted.

"A little bit better than me," she said, looking up.

"How much is 'a little bit'?"

She thought for a moment and then gestured a very small distance with her finger.

"...You better not be talking about something else," Cao Yisen rolled his eyes.

"Oh no...?"

However, Cao Yisen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I won."

She immediately objected, saying, "That was just an accident, okay?"

Cao Yisen retorted, "Then let's have another competition next time."

"Hmph, let's compete then," she said, unable to suppress a laugh. She then lowered her head, took another bite, and said:

"This definitely feels more like a proper dinner than kimchi soup."

"When will I be able to come home from get off work and have a normal meal?"

"Hey! Do you think I'm your babysitter?!" Cao Rouli was about to launch a sneak attack on Cao Yisen again, but he nimbly dodged it.

Just then, the doorbell rang; the kimchi soup had arrived. The two exchanged a glance, and Cao Rouli said:

Okay, eat it up!

The kimchi soup was left aside, slowly steaming. Suddenly, no one paid any attention to it.