IMPRINT 52

Living as a mental-type S-class psychic, I tend to remember every single scene of the things I’ve experienced, much like a movie.

On the other hand, it wasn’t like that for memories prior to my awakening. At that time, I was no different from ordinary people, so I was not free from oblivion.

The childhood memories I still cherished until then were kept in my head for a long time as if they had undergone a preservation process, but I couldn’t recover the things that had evaporated before that.

When I first received the test result sheet stating that I had awakened as a mental-type psychic, I thought all of that would be possible. No matter how much of a psychic one is—often called a superpower—there was a limit to defying all natural providence.

Just as there is not a single reported case in the entire world of an Esper who can defy or stop time, even if there are Espers who can move through space.

“…Do I just roughly put water in the rice and boil it?”

I don’t cook my own meals, but I did have rice. It was one of the things the center sent as gifts every holiday.

Since it was a hassle to deal with every time, I usually ended up dumping it on Director Shin or Juyoung, but even so, one sack always remained like this.

Even though it was the kitchen of my own home, I didn’t know what was in the cabinets, so I opened and closed them for a long while before finally managing to find one pot and a frying pan.

Since it’s porridge, it shouldn’t matter if I only have a pot, right?

Still, I had at least the knowledge that I needed to wash the rice, so after washing it diligently in water, I poured it into the pot. Then, I added a bucketful of water and turned on the heat.

Looking at the murky water and the submerged rice, I contemplated for a moment if this was the right way to do it. Still, porridge isn’t a food with a very difficult recipe, so I figured it would turn out okay somehow…

“Why is it like this?”

The rice visible on top showed no sign of cooking at all, but strangely, the rice at the bottom had burned and taken on a brownish hue. How could this happen when I put in a whole bucket of water? Is this physically possible?

“…Is this what they call scorched rice?”

There’s no way, right?

For now, as an emergency measure, I stirred it around with a spoon. However, the more I mixed it, the more the pale water turned a light brown.

By the time I realized something had gone seriously wrong, it had already reached an irreparable state.

As luck would have it, at that moment, the sound of water coming from the bathroom stopped abruptly, so I hurriedly scooped up a spoonful of porridge. Then, I blew on it whew-whew and barely put it in my mouth.

…Wait a minute, what kind of taste is this?

“Salt…, where is the salt.”

I thought I should at least try to season it. But it wasn’t a taste that could be solved by salt at all, so I also added some pepper that was nearby. I also opened and added one of those things Juyoung gave me as a gift a while ago, saying it’s good to put something like chicken stock in soup dishes.

Oh, the smell is somewhat plausible.

The taste is…

“Mmm… hmm?”

It began with a savor and ended with a question.

This piece of trash is… porridge?

“Ah, right. Sesame oil!”

I remembered that whenever my mom made porridge, she always added sesame oil at the end. She said it had to be this way to be savory and delicious. This was also one of the things the center had sent as a holiday gift.

I didn’t know how much to put in, but I figured more was better than less, so I poured a generous amount. Surely enough, whether it was the power of the sesame oil, a savory aroma drifted up.

“What are you doing?”

Right on time, with a click sound, Kang Juha appeared after finishing his shower.

“I made some porridge.”

“Porridge? Why?”

“I know, right. I wonder why I made it.”

I felt unnecessarily awkward. It’s not like I like cooking or am good at it. It was belatedly embarrassing that I had stepped forward so gallantly despite never having made anything for anyone in my life.

If Director Shin or Park Juyoung found out about this, they would flip out and tease me for three days and nights. To think that I actually cooked because I was worried about someone’s meal.

“…I thought Mr. Kang Juha seemed a bit unwell, so I tried to make some porridge, but it seems I’ve failed.”

Before I could even finish speaking, Kang Juha strode over and took the spoon from my hand as if snatching it.

Soon, a hot spoonful of porridge went into his mouth.

“It must be hot.”

I suppose it might be better if it’s too hot, since then the taste wouldn’t be properly felt.

“Mmm.”

Kang Juha’s reaction was short. But that alone was enough. No matter how much an Esper’s sense of taste is dulled compared to ordinary people, what’s inedible is inedible. Even to my palate, it tasted more bizarre than the tteokbokki they used to sell at the center’s cafeteria.

Leaving Kang Juha behind in the kitchen, I immediately called Juyoung.

—Yes, Team Leader.

“Have you had lunch?”

—…Wow.

“Why?”

—Team Leader, did you just ask me if I’ve had lunch? Wow, wow… amazing. I have to tell Director Shin about this right away.

“…Why?”

—Because you’ve finally become human!

Then what on earth did they think of me until now…? It’s not like I’m some Bear Woman. I felt strange because he was talking as if I were a being who had finally become human after eating mugwort and garlic for 100 days.

But then again, the voice over the phone was filled with 100% pure surprise and wonder, so I had nothing to say. If he had said it just to tease me, I would have given him a good cursing out. Because he seemed to have no such intention at all, my stomach felt even more sour.

“Fine, go ahead and hold a grand party to celebrate my becoming human later or whatever.”

—The fact that you ate with the team members before was like that too, but this is really…!

“Forget it, I’m asking if you ate.”

—I have. I ate blood sausage soup with the Director in the Director’s office. I’ve just returned to the office. And as soon as I hang up with you, Team Leader, I’m planning to call the Director’s office…

Juyoung reported his situation and status one after another—things I hadn’t asked for and wasn’t curious about.

“If you’re done eating, order some porridge for me.”

—I must report this fact to the Director immediately… Huh? Yes? Porridge?

“Yeah. You might have eaten, but we haven’t yet, so order some porridge for delivery. I’ll take care of going to pick it up.”

—Ah, there are separate staff members who manage items coming in from outside, but… don’t go yourself, Team Leader, I’ll bring it to you. Should I bring it to the residence?

Only then did Juyoung seem to realize that I had called to order him around. I could hear the sound of bustling movement from beyond the receiver.

“I’m counting on you.”

—Yes. I’ll bring it right away. The type doesn’t matter, right?

“Yeah. Oh, right. And there’s one more favor. Could you possibly buy a piece of candy on your way?”

—What kind of candy?

“Green grape flavored candy.”

—Understood. I’ll bring it with the porridge.

The call ended, and I intended to tell Kang Juha to wait just a bit longer for lunch, but he was nowhere to be seen.

With a sense of “surely not,” I went to the kitchen and saw him standing like a stone statue in the spot where I had been earlier—that is, the place with the stove and the pot.

“Mr. Kang Juha?”

As I approached with quick steps, sure enough, Kang Juha was standing right there, shoveling the porridge into his mouth with a spoon.

I hurriedly snatched the spoon away from him and spoke.

“Why are you eating this!”

“Didn’t Teacher make this for me to eat?”

At my scolding, Kang Juha instead asked back as if he found it puzzling.

“No, I did, but even so, don’t people usually not think of eating this kind of food?”

It was a bit sad that I had to say such things while evaluating my own food, but this time it really was a failure with no room for doubt.

I admit it. I don’t think I have the slightest talent for cooking. Until now, I could make the excuse that I didn’t know because I hadn’t tried, but now I won’t even be able to make that excuse.

“It’s delicious.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Yes. To be honest, I’m not really sure about the taste. But when I think about how Teacher made it for me, I don’t feel the taste and I just like it.”

Could it be… that I usually starved Kang Juha?

“Was the food usually not good?”

“I’ve never cared about whether it was good or not.”

“Then was there not enough food?”

“No.”

It seemed he just ate whatever I gave him. And it appeared there was no exception even for this ruined food.

Only now did I understand the whole situation. It was clear that a command like ‘Eat all the food Teacher gives’ had been entered into Kang Juha’s head like coding.

“You don’t have to eat things you dislike. Not just now, but usually as well.”

“I don’t dislike it. Because Teacher gave it to me.”

“No, I’m saying that’s not good.”

Where on earth did he throw away his own sense of self? He says everything is good if I’m the one who gave it, so I didn’t know where to start correcting him. And Kang Juha seemed to truly not know what was wrong with himself.

“If I were to give Mr. Kang Juha poison and tell you to eat it, would you eat it?”

“Why?”

Oh, is he being persuaded this way?

“The reason is…”

Of course, I don’t know. In the first place, that’s a crime, and I had no intention of doing such a thing.

But since Kang Juha asked, it felt like I should give some kind of answer… When do ordinary people usually feed someone poison? No, ordinary people don’t feed people poison. What on earth is this thought process?

While I was falling into an odd state of confusion, Kang Juha asked.

“If you feed me poison and I disappear, are you going to bring in another Esper besides me to raise?”

“Yes? No, yes? What is that? Yes?”

I was clearly speaking Korean, but the combination of words was so incomprehensible that my mind went blank.