Housekeeper in the dungeon

EPISODE 118

Hee-Na smirked.

Not only because she had changed the subject to ‘research’ so quickly, but also because Yu Yun-yi looked like a child who’d been robbed of candy, and she felt like a nosy little brother.

“You don’t realize how fulfilling it is. You and I just have different things we like to do.”

“……Because we like different things, yes.”

Yu looked down at the floor for a long moment.

Then he spoke in a calmer voice.

“……So what you’re saying is that we should center around the spinach application, right?”

“That’s right. I know we can’t delivee into every single one of them like you want to, but how about we do a more thorough applied research course instead?”

Hee-Na offered a compromise.

It was strange, not to say cathartic, to see Yu Yun- Yi acting like a spoiled little monkey.

“Since you’re the expert, you should know better, so let’s make another plan. But this time, you’ll have to explain things to me, your ‘co-researcher’, step by step without hiding anything from me. Last time, you wasted so much because you let yourself get carried away.”

Yu Yun-yi’s shoulders, which had sunk beneath T’Nage’s gentle praise, slid upward.

“Well, that’s true. I know this stuff better than you do, so an expert like me should be the one to……!”

With that, Yu Yun-yi put his disappointment behind him and began to talk about their plans.

“First of all, the first thing we need to do is…….”

I don’t know why he didn’t seem to hate her.

“Did I hear something hateful?

Hee-Na shrugged to herself.

* * *

“I’m home!”

Yun Yi burst through the office door without knocking.

It had been two days since he’d visited, but his cool disregard for greetings felt as natural as if they’d just met.

Hee-Na, who had gotten used to Yu’s demeanor by now, immediately asked for the results.

“How’s the research going?”

“There’s nothing this body can’t do, look at this!”

Yu Yun-yi proudly pulled out a light green liquid and a dark green powder from his inventory.

“One was extracted from the liquid essence through a liquid extractor, and the other was made into a powder through a freeze-drying process.”

He continued to explain.

It was hard to understand all the jargon, but I got the gist.

“So they both retain the benefits of spinach?” I asked.

“Yeah. At first, I approached it like a potion, but it turns out it doesn’t have to be. It’s just a simple processing process, and the effects remain the same. The yield is much higher and the process is simpler. Ah, but it’s not as simple as it sounds, some parts need to be handled delicately by a master alchemist like me…….”

Yu Yun-yi’s voice rose with excitement.

“Regardless, research is life or death.

With a sigh, Hee-na swept her hand to cut him off.

“Okay. Anyway, you’re saying that you’ve succeeded in processing spinach with your extraordinary abilities, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then which do you think is easier to make, spinach essence or spinach powder?”

The answer came coolly.

“Spinach powder is much easier to make. It yields more. Oh, of course, more isn’t necessarily better. The effect per unit gram is much higher with essence.”

“The essence is that good?”

“Yes, but the amount that comes out is so small……. Considering that, the total effect is comparable to spinach powder.”

Yu yun- Yi replied, flipping through his lab notebook.

He showed her some handwritten tables and graphs, but the handwriting was too bad to read.

Hee-Na hummed and stroked her chin in thought.

“Then I think it would be better to freeze-dry the powder, what do you think?”

It was much easier to make powdered spinach, she said, and it sounded less intimidating.

‘Liquids are harder to weigh than solids, and…….’

Moreover, it was a thick essence, so I was worried that the slightest mistake in measuring would result in a large error.

‘To be precise, I’m sure Yun- Yi will be freaking out about it, right?

I swallowed hard and explained my reasoning, and Yu Yun-yi nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s said that you can recite the Fengyue in three years, so I guess you’re starting to think scientifically now, right? The person next to you is a great genius like me…….”

At the same time, I glanced over to launch into a glazed-over self-promotion.

“What did you just say to your precious co-researcher?”

Yu Yun-yi then stammered.

“Oh, no. I mean…… you’re pretty good at it too!”

“Really?”

“……Of course, not as much as me!”

Hee-Na finally had to make a face of annoyance as he poked at the sky.

“Whatever, Yu Yun-yi. You have a big mouth!”

“I’m not!”

The decision was made quickly.

They decided to try to come up with a suitable item with the freeze-dried spinach powder.

“Do you have anything in mind? Cooking is your specialty.”

Yu yun- Yi scribbled on a piece of paper and nodded toward Hee Na.

He’d learned a lot from Hee-Na’s tastes and the threat to his research, but he’d never quite gotten rid of his cocky attitude.

“Mmm.”

Hee-Na pulled out her notebook and flipped through it.

She hadn’t been playing around in the two days that Yu had been gone.

Her mind was racing with ideas and searches.

“I have a few ideas,” she says, “but when I looked it up, spinach powder or spinach juice is often used as a natural color.”

As she looked up recipes that used natural colors, she got a better idea of what to make.

I thought, “I want something as effective as a liquid potion but in a smaller volume and easier to consume.

As she narrowed down the options, she was left with few options.

“How about a light sweet rice cake, candy, or sweets…… such as yanggang? I like yanggang the best.”

“Yanggang?”

Yu yun-Yi raised his eyebrows as if this was a suggestion he hadn’t even considered.

Hee-Na chuckled and explained one by one.

“Yep. My first thought was bite-sized rice cakes, but now that I think about it, they might be a little dangerous to eat in the middle of a battle. So instead, I thought of something that could melt in your mouth, and I thought it would be best if it was something like Korean food, so I thought of yanggang. It’s soft and fluffy and melts in your mouth, so it would be perfect, don’t you think?”

Hee-na finished by slapping her palm on the desk.

Yu yunyi quickly gave the okay sign to show that he agreed with her.

“Hmm……. Yanggang. Not bad, and it’s sweet, so the Hunters will like it. They’re always whining about potions, heh.”

I jumped to my feet in excitement at the simple answer.

“That’s great, I’ve been practicing making yogurt with that in mind!”

I remembered the yanggang yesterday and was so proud of myself that I made a colorful yanggang for practice.

I bought a bunch of small, pretty molds, thinking that what’s pretty was good to eat.

“If I make them, I think I’ll make them like this.”

Hee-na took out the yanggang she had stored in the refrigerator.

There were bite-sized pieces of white and black yanggang piled on top of each other. They were fluffy and colorful.

“……oh.”

Without realizing it, Yu Yun-yi reached out and picked up one of the yanggangs. It was shaped like a small flower.

It was a waste of a pretty shape, but Yu Yun-yi took a bite and swallowed it whole.

“……!”

Yu Yun-yi’s eyes widened.

The yanggang, still cold from the refrigerator, melted in his mouth. He didn’t even have to chew it with his teeth.

With her saliva, the hard-looking yanggang instantly softened, and when she pressed it with the tip of her tongue, it spread in her mouth like a cloud.

The small pieces of yanggang melted in his mouth and disappeared in an instant.

Yun- Yi was surprised as he tasted it again in disappointment.

“What is it? Can something taste so sweet?

Judging from the thick saliva that pooled under his tongue, it was sweet. But it wasn’t like the usual ‘sweetness’ that Yu yun-Yi knew.

It wasn’t overwhelming, as if it would burn his tongue, and it was a harmonious combination of bitter and savory red bean flavors that led straight to a faint aftertaste.

Yu Yun-yi’s stomach grumbled as he had skipped breakfast the previous evening and morning because he had been immersed in his research.

Yu yun-Yi instinctively reached for the pile of yanggang.

But Hee-Na beat him to it, pulling back the barrel of yokan.

Yu yun-Yi cried out in frustration.

“Aah! Why!”

“You can’t eat more! I’m giving the rest to you.”

“That’s not fair!”

“You ate one for a sample, what more do you want?”

Hee-Na snapped the lid of the jar shut.

She could have given him a few more, but then she thought of the others in the guild, and her heart sank.

“They’ll be so much happier than she is!

There were plenty of people who would be jumping for joy at his little act of kindness.

“Maybe I’m not as susceptible to flattery as I thought?

She scratched her cheek, lost in thought.

Now that she thought about it, it seemed that since her awakening as a housekeeper, Hee-na had only met people who were kind and straightforward.

Of course, there were some Hunters like Yu , who would blurt out half-truths at first.

But they were furry, pleasant people, just with harsh words.

They didn’t hesitate to express their crush on Hee-Na!

‘Maybe that’s why Yu Yun-yi’s first impression of her was so bad.