# Enhanced Translation
Before carrying out the mission with Elizabeta's implicit permission, Ivan had to handle the second most important part of his daily routine: Isabel's dinner. (The first most important task was grooming time.)
Since the previous evening, Isabel had been conducting a weekly "kimchi festa." It went something like this:
"This week, it's pasta dressed with stir-fried kimchi!"
"Oh..."
Or:
"This week, we'll have beef sirloin boeuf bourguignon with wine-marinated kimchi!"
"Kimchi stew...!!"
Or even:
"This week, I plan to serve the kimchi risotto we had before, accompanied by bacon rolls!"
"Uncle, are you crying right now?"
"Hmm."
It was truly a festival of homeland cuisine (not really). Though it no longer resembled the kimchi he remembered in form, cooking method, or ingredients. But isn't that what kimchi is all about?
Come to think of it, even on Earth, kimchi was generally treated as similar as long as it was made with vegetables and fermented. Whether made with carrots or cabbage, it was considered the same category.
So Isabel's kimchi, despite its pristine white color closely resembling white kimchi, and its primitive form seasoned only with salt and fermented fish sauce, could still be called kimchi.
Most kimchi, no matter how undercooked, becomes delicious once stir-fried or steamed. This has been proven numerous times by frozen pork belly restaurant owners on Earth.
Therefore, at this point, Ivan naturally had this thought. He wanted to implement the forbidden vision that contained the aspirations of all Koreans.
'Couldn't we wrap kimchi around spam?'
There was kimchi, and there was spam, wasn't there? Spam is actually a type of pressed ham, which is ground meat mixed with flour and compressed as military rations.
And Ivan had something manufactured with a very similar design philosophy.
'Nutrition bars...!'
This perfect product of nutritional design: ground meat mixed with grain, solidified in pork fat, then compressed to increase preservation.
This advanced food, which encapsulates modern civilization's technology, can be considered a type of pressed ham. The manufacturing method and the result aren't that different.
So what would happen if you stir-fried or steamed it with kimchi?
"Bleeeeurgh—"
"Un-Uncle... Uncle is trying to... kill me! Kill us all!!"
"Do humans eat dog food? Or is dog food originally meant for humans? If so, then it's not dog food but human food? Why didn't I stop that person back then? Couldn't we have been happy together in the dungeon?"
Ivan ignored the students who had fallen into delirium. He was an excellent agent, and agents should seek countermeasures before lamenting in the face of failure.
In operational situations, minor failures and the resulting breakdown of colleagues are constants. It means it can happen anytime.
So, the countermeasure Ivan found was this:
"You want me to... make this edible?"
"Hmm."
"Do I look like an alchemist to you?"
"You look like a hero."
"!!!"
In this moment, you are greater than your father.
With that sentiment in mind, adding a spoonful of the reverence people feel when facing a hero who stands before the Demon King.
To the pioneer of K-food (a person from Tilles), who first established the concept of "edible kimchi dishes" in this world.
"Fine, let's give it a try!"
Isabel resolved to mix Ivan's "spam (not really)" and "kimchi (not really)" to create "kimchi spam stir-fry (not really)."
That was last week.
And today, they would be able to taste the results.
"I haven't felt this way in ten years."
Ivan muttered, looking down at his slightly trembling hands.
Today's "Survival Skills" class concluded successfully with only 13 dropouts out of a total of 42 students.
The class becoming somewhat harmful was unavoidable. When unable to exercise full concentration, this type of class could seriously threaten students' safety.
"Ah, hyung!"
As the staggering students dispersed after class, Yu-jin popped out. He approached with a grin and whispered quietly.
"Going again today? Isabel's dinner banquet?"
"Hmm."
"Hey, I wonder if I could join in?"
"Hmm?"
As someone from Earth, he shouldn't miss this opportunity.
Ivan quietly sighed. It seems he hasn't been transmigrated long enough to miss homeland food.
That's unfortunate. If about 30 years passed, he would be begging for it himself.
"Well, we're not the people Isabel wants to feed, are we? We can just ask her to pack some leftovers later."
"Food tastes best when it's warm."
"But you usually eat things like wooden blocks, so what are you saying... Isabel likes you. We're just intruders."
"...?"
Ivan couldn't help but chuckle at Yu-jin's words.
As he once reflected, he is the embodiment of self-objectification. It means he's unbiased, rational, and reasonable. Among the few flaws he's identified in himself, self-consciousness is not included.
How could he be the protagonist of situations like "My dad's friend keeps hitting on me" or "My professor asked me out for a meal, what should I do?"
The age gap between Isabel and him is 15 years, and within the average sample, humans don't easily feel attraction to someone more than 10 years older.
Moreover, he served in the military for a long time. Soldiers always tend to look older than they are. Just like how master sergeants might look like they're in their 60s when they're actually in their 40s.
Even though he enhanced his charm with a long, full beard, the absolute age difference itself is a huge barrier.
Ignoring these conditions and seriously thinking "Does this person like me?" based on a small kindness—he's been through too much for that.
Even if the other person's affection was genuine, it would be the same. The people who liked him, and the people he liked, are all dead, and he has no desire to go through such a situation again.
Aren't they all people he must eventually leave behind?
"Don't say unnecessary things. You should consider Isabel's feelings too."
"Huh...? Huh?"
After comforting this foolish transmigrator with mature advice, Ivan finished organizing the classroom.
"Hmm..."
Generally, the records of others displayed in the status window include [Name], [Age], [Race], and [Level]. That's about it.
Other information is gradually unlocked according to [Intimacy] and [Understanding]. As is typical in status window systems.
So, from Yu-jin's perspective, it meant he could view information about characters he had "become sufficiently close to."
[Isabel de Etoile]
[Hero]
[lv.37]
[Magic Detection lv.3
Survival Instinct lv.2
Sword Master lv.1
Sword Style: Hero lv.7
Tilles-style Cooking lv.9]
In this way, if he's familiar with a person, he can roughly check their skill window. If [Understanding] increases a bit more...
"Isabel likes hyung."
-Ding!
[Your understanding of the character has increased.]
[Character: Affection for Ivan Petrovich Yeremorov]
[91 (Extremely Favorable)]
"Seems like I'm right..."
Yu-jin scratched his head and moved on.
Well, there's no particular reason to help Isabel.
And with hyung's personality, things wouldn't work out even if he helped.
"Does hyung like Isabel?"
[Ivan Petrovich Yeremorov]
[Character: Affection for Isabel de Etoile]
[27 (Neutral)]
"I see."
Yu-jin chuckled as he packed his bag. Just before leaving the empty classroom, he paused and stared into space.
"Status window, what does hyung think of us?"
[Character: Affection for Yevgeny Novikov Karamzin]
[21 (Neutral)]
[Character: Affection for Oswald Eastvelpen]
[20 (Neutral)]
[Character: Affection for Yuri Franck]
[20 (Neutral)]
"Wow."
That's quite bland.
Yu-jin chuckled and shook his head. Neither gender issues nor coming from the same world seemed to be significant factors.
"Does hyung like anyone? Someone with an affection level above 50?"
Without much expectation, the status window immediately flashed blue in response to his casual question.
[Character: Affection for Ivan Sergeyevich Krasilov]
[99 (Absolute)]
[Due to the subject's death, this value no longer has variability.]
[Character: Affection for Laela Cherenovika]
[87 (Very Favorable)]
[Due to the subject's death, this value no longer has variability.]
[Character: Affection for Alexei Berkhsky]
[83 (Very Favorable)]
[Due to the subject's death, this value no longer has variability.]
Yu-jin stared blankly at the blue light filling his vision, his mouth slightly open.
He carefully reached out to scroll down. The list, sorted in descending order by affection value, continued to scroll down.
Due to the subject's death. Due to the subject's death. Due to the subject's death.
The names and levels of favorability varied widely among the diverse characters, but that sentence was always attached at the end.
After scrolling for a long time, Yu-jin finally turned off the status window and quietly bowed his head.
"Well, it'll be fine if we get to know each other better from now on, right?"
Yu-jin nodded cheerfully and picked up his bag. Starting from tonight, he'd try to help Isabel a bit. Maybe things would change somehow.