Chapter 3: I came to look for a restaurant.

After finishing the meal, I stopped by Olek’s blacksmith shop.

The smell of metal and the furnace, the heat, were familiar after a long time.

The rhythmic sound of clanging also brought back old memories.

‘Nothing has changed here.’

Just like Olek’s house, this blacksmith shop hasn’t changed much since I worked as an assistant here.

Familiar things and familiar people.

The blacksmiths, who were still on break since lunchtime, recognized me and greeted me.

“Hey, Kyle! You’re back!”

“Did you finally decide to marry Selly and take over the blacksmith shop?”

“Hurry up and take over so we can retire Olek! I’m dying here!”

I chuckled at their banter.

It would have been nice to talk more, but the way everyone kept looking at my leg made me feel uncomfortable.

‘I’ll have to get used to it.’

I’ll be living like this for the rest of my life.

I shook off the wave of loss and headed deeper into the blacksmith shop.

To Olek’s spot.

Olek was holding a tape measure, a piece of metal, and what seemed to be a pre-made prosthetic leg.

“You’re here.”

“Did you already make one? Is it for sale?”

“It goes out sometimes. But this one wasn’t made to sell.”

Saying this, Olek handed me the smallest prosthetic leg.

“Take off the one you’re wearing and try these one by one. Making a new one will take some time.”

At his gesture, I took off my prosthetic leg.

Olek examined it and frowned.

“Why are you wearing such cheap junk? Did you waste all your money on alcohol?”

“No, this one was pretty expensive when I bought it near the capital.”

“You got ripped off. From the socket to the locking mechanism, it’s all lousy. Someone who helped out at a blacksmith shop getting scammed. Tch.”

I figured it was just because Olek had high standards.

He kept clicking his tongue while fiddling with the prosthetic leg.

After a while, he finally stopped and came to a conclusion.

“We’ll have to make a new socket.”

“Don’t you have any spare ones?”

“That’s all custom-made. The leg parts are just leftover practice ones.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Anyway, try on the ones we have. Pick the one that fits best in length and weight.”

I was confident in this.

I tried on several prosthetic legs and chose the one that seemed to fit best.

As expected, it was a perfect fit.

“Wow, this is good. The length is right, and it’s lighter than the wooden ones, even though it’s made of metal.”

“Try walking in it. …Hmm, it still looks like the prosthetic is heavier than the leg.”

“True, but it can’t be perfectly matched.”

“There’s no such thing as impossible. Try another one.”

I tried several prosthetic legs as Olek suggested, and after finding the right measurements, he nodded.

“Alright, this will work. Now you can go look for a shop.”

“Thanks a lot.”

At my thanks, Olek waved his hand as if telling me to hurry and then unfolded a blueprint.

As I left the blacksmith shop, Selly was waiting for me.

“Selly? What’s up?”

“What’s the matter? We need to find a shop, right? Come with me.”

At Selly’s words, I shook my head.

“You should help Olek. I can do it alone.”

“You just changed your prosthetic leg. What if you fall by mistake?”

“It’s fine. The prosthetic Olek made is good, so that won’t happen…”

“And do you even know where to go? Do you know any real estate agents your dad knows?”

Thinking about it, I realized I didn’t know that.

As if I had given up, I raised both hands, and Selly confidently stood by my side.

I teased her playfully.

“Alright, I guess I’ll have to go on a date with Selly after a long time.”

“Date…”

At my words, Selly’s face turned red.

In the past, whenever I teased her like this, Selly would get angry and shout that it wasn’t a date.

But unlike my memories, Selly nodded quietly.

“Sure. Let’s go on a date.”

“Huh? You’re not saying it’s not a date?”

“I’m an adult now. I can go on dates too.”

“…”

I was shocked by Selly’s words, as if I had been struck by a hammer.

It felt like hearing a kind daughter shout, “Don’t wash my clothes and dad’s clothes together!”

I’ve never had a daughter, but I can kind of understand how shocking it would be if someone I saw as a younger sister said something like that.

I couldn’t shake off the shock as Selly said, “Well, since it’s a date…” and linked her arm through mine as we headed to the real estate office.

‘Is Selly already an adult?’

It felt like cognitive dissonance.

It’s been at least 10 years since I left this place, so it makes sense that Selly is an adult now.

But… her?

The little girl who barely reached my waist is already an adult?

She’s at the age where she can go on dates with men and even get married?

My cognitive dissonance only worsened as we arrived at the real estate office.

“Daphne, are you here?”

“Selly? Are you here to run an errand for Mr. Oll?”

“No, we came to look for a house.”

“A house? What kind of house all of a sudden?”

The real estate agent, Daphne, who greeted Selly and me, paused when she saw me, then looked at my arm and gasped.

Excitedly, she rushed over to Selly.

“What’s this? You kicked all the young men in the neighborhood and brought this tall, handsome guy with you! Are you looking for a newlywed home? Already planned the wedding?”

“The wedding isn’t planned yet.”

“I see. Well, I haven’t heard about any weddings recently. All the young men are being sent off to war… Anyway, the fact that you’re looking for a house means you’re planning to get married soon, right? Have you told your bride?”

By this time, I finally snapped back to reality and managed to speak up.

“No, no. We’re not looking for a newlywed house. We’re looking for a shop. I’m planning to open a restaurant.”

“A restaurant? Ah, if you’re from out of town, a restaurant’s the best choice. There’s always demand for food from other regions in the city. So, is it just a restaurant?”

“Two rooms… no, just one would be fine. A slightly bigger room.”

“Why would you need rooms for a restaurant? I’m not planning to turn it into an inn.”

At my urgent protest, Selly answered nonchalantly.

“It’s better to stay there rather than get a separate house.”

“Well, I can do that, but you still need to go home.”

“Do you even know where the building is? If we stay at the restaurant, there’s no need to deal with the hassle of commuting.”

“No… So, why just one room? Should I get a separate house?”

“You’ll be spending a lot of money to open the business, so we need to save where we can. I’m fine with sharing a room.”

As Selly said this, she flexed her arms, which caused me to feel lightheaded for a moment.

Then, I remembered something Selly had said before we came here.

“I’m an adult now.”

She was right.

Selly had already grown up.

I could physically feel that truth.

But for some reason, the more I thought about Selly’s words, the clearer the image of the younger Selly appeared in my mind.

The little girl who was always grumbling but actually kind-hearted.

Since I didn’t have a younger sister, I often thought that if I did, she would feel like Selly.

“Yeah, Selly’s like a younger sister.”

Regaining my senses, I lightly pushed Selly away.

“Tch.”

For some reason, Selly clicked her tongue with a look on her face as if she almost fell, but that was probably just in my imagination.

Daphne, who had been watching with interest, casually spoke up.

“That won’t take long.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Ho ho. As for the restaurant, there’s actually one available, but I’m not sure if it will work for you.”

Not sure if it will work?

I tilted my head at her words.

“Has someone else already shown interest in buying it?”

“No, there were a few before, but not anymore.”

“Is it a price issue?”

“No, not at all. It’s actually quite affordable.”

So, what’s the problem then?

Daphne explained the situation.

“The owner said they would only sell it after meeting the person who will take over, and they’re quite a picky person…”

“Interviewing someone to sell a restaurant?”

“Yes. I heard they’ve held high positions in the past, so maybe that’s why. I’m not sure about the exact reason either.”

An interview to buy a restaurant…

It sounded absurd, but at the same time, my curiosity was piqued.

Is the owner eccentric? Or is there some story behind it?

I nodded toward Daphne, as if asking if it was alright.

“It’s fine. Can we see it now?”

“If it’s the right time, it should be fine. They just finished their walk.”

“Walk?”

“They’re someone who sticks to a strict schedule. You can tell the time just by knowing where they are, even without a clock.”

‘An eccentric person.’

I nodded at Daphne’s explanation.

An old man who had reached a high position and is known for being strict.

Someone you’d often see in dramas, but hard to meet in real life.

With that image of the owner in my head, I headed toward the restaurant, only to be immediately rejected when I mentioned taking over the store.

“Do you want to take over my shop? That’s not happening. Leave.”

…It doesn’t seem like this is going to be easy.

While I was wondering how I could change the old man’s mind, Selly stepped forward.

“Why?”

And the air froze.