27 – Daily Nursing Log (2)
The mobile command vehicle of the strategic crisis response team was currently in utter chaos.
[Cooking…?]
[Do they mean preparing food?]
[Luina is cooking?]
[Why does he suddenly want to cook?]
Questions flowed from all the agents on the scene, pouring into the command vehicle.
“Each puppy is to maintain radio silence. I repeat, each puppy is to maintain radio silence. That’s all.”
The operator of the command vehicle urgently spoke into the microphone that sprang up over the electronic desk, suppressing their confusion.
“Luina is requesting someone who can cook.”
The operator let out a deep sigh and turned his head backwards.
In the dim interior of the command vehicle, arms folded.
There was team leader Lee Taesuk, intensely staring at a close-up of villain Luina on the screen.
“Team leader?”
“I’m listening.”
“What shall we do?”
With a poker face, Taeseok approached the operator and grabbed the mic he had been speaking into.
“Pass this message to Puppy-3, who made contact with Louina. Ask the purpose for her request.”
[Puppy-3, confirmed.]
Immediately following was a close-up screen of Louina.
From the bodycam nestled in Puppy-3’s grasp, a voice could be heard.
“May I ask the reason you are seeking someone to cook…?”
“That’s right. My darling is running a high fever right now…I wanted to feed her some homemade porridge, but as you know, I can’t cook. So, I thought I’d ask for your help.”
“The Handler has a fever…?”
Taeseok paused, deep in thought.
When he brought them from Gangwon Province yesterday, he clearly remembered the Handler occasionally sniffling.
“It’s an error…”
Taeseok nibbled on his lower lip, shaking his head in regret.
It was autumn weather where one needs to wear long sleeves, but they acted as if it was the height of summer, swimming and frolicking in water.
Even if Louina did not know, the Handler was no different from an ordinary person, a purely superficial hero excluding her neutralization ability.
He had never anticipated that the Handler would catch a cold in just a single night.
“Relay this to all Puppies excluding Puppy-3. Urgently prepare cooking ingredients and tools. The division of parts will be left up to each field.”
[[[Confirmation received from Puppy-Actual.]]]
As soon as Taeseok gave instructions to each agent, the red dots representing the agents’ locations began to scatter on the digital map.
“Aren’t you supposed to find someone who knows how to cook?”
The operator pierced Taeseok, who had just given an order, with a puzzled look.
Taeseok, once again crossing his arms, exhaled briefly through his nose and asked in response,
“Do you know how to cook home meals?”
“…No.”
“I thought so.”
How truly frustrating.
In the Strategic Crisis Response Team led by Team Leader Taeseok, not a single person knew how to cook.
At most, their competence was limited to producing survival food mainly for subsisting in hostile or war-torn areas.
It was fairly safe to say that no one could make a warm medicinal dish for the sick.
Well, it was them who underwent grueling physical training to stand against high-risk villains and harsh mental training to hold firm in any situation, rather than spending time learning to cook in the kitchen.
“Then I’ll go out for a while.”
“Understood. Where are you going?”
“Pass this on to Puppy-3. The actual will head for the field. Ask Ruina to wait for a bit until then.”
Boom!
After leaving those words, Taeseok opened the door of the command vehicle and headed straight out.
Because he was the only one in his team who could cook.
* * *
“So. When. Are. You. Going. To. Keep. Me. Waiting?”
“We apologize. Please wait a moment.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Ruina’s heels impatiently hit the ground.
The agent had kept her waiting for over five minutes already.
Seunghoon was upstairs in the house, eagerly waiting.
Ruina’s minimal patience was ever rapidly draining.
“Ah~ If it were like the old days, I would have broken an arm or leg by now.”
“………”
At Ruina’s muttered words spoken for the agent to hear, the agent flinched just enough to be noticeable.
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“Did you get scared? Ahahahaha. Just kidding, just kidding.”
It was the moment when Ruina reached out to pat his shoulder.
Both the agent and Ruina flinched and stiffened.
“Ah… Sorry. I almost touched you without realizing. I forgot that the nullification isn’t active right now.”
“……Whew.”
It was a close call.
It was the same thought that filled both Ruina’s and the agent’s minds.
“Speaking of which, does the team leader’s puppet also sigh when it gets surprised? hehehe.”
“………”
Unknowingly letting out a sigh of relief, the agent slowly turned his head.
A faint pink hue brushed past his cheek.
“So, how long are you really going to keep me waiting?”
“…Please wait.”
“Mr. Woo. Is that all you can really say?”
“You no longer have to wait.”
A new voice suddenly inserted itself into their conversation.
Both Luina and the agent turned their heads toward the source of the sound at the same time.
“You’ve waited long, Luina.”
“Team leader?”
There stood Team Leader Lee Tae-seok, always in his suit and sunglasses.
“What on earth is that look…?”
However, his hands were full with plastic bags of various food ingredients.
Around his suit, a pastel pink apron was tied.
Truly the epitome of imbalance.
Luina was so taken aback that her mouth slightly opened, more so than when she was about to burst into laughter.
“You were looking for someone who can cook, so I came in person.”
“Huh, ah? Eh. Oh. So is team leader here to cook?”
“Yes.”
“But why with that get-up…..”
“Because cooking requires dedication and cleanliness. Now, let’s go in.”
“Ah, umm…..”
It seemed like the team leader’s statement was quite plausible…?
With a tilted head, Luina walked into the main entrance alongside the team leader.
Then, after that.
Seeing the reliable back of the team leader who had sacrificed himself, Agent Puppy-3 saluted in a dignified manner.
“I wonder if I could secretly peek on the door lock password?”
Upon returning in front of room 402, Luina blocked Tae-seok’s view with her body.
Even though it was a meaningless action, Tae-seok just nodded his head without saying a word.
Beep!
Eventually, the front door opened.
“Come in quietly. Our darling is sleeping in the room now.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Following Luina, who slipped in like a thief, Tae-seok walked casually into the living room.
However, just as Luina had warned.
Remarkably, no sound came from his footsteps.
“By the way, team leader. What’s inside that?”
“Ingredients and tools.”
Heading towards the kitchen sink, Tae-seok began to carefully take out items one by one.
Not only ordinary meat and vegetables.
But also various medicinal herbs that Luina had not even thought of came out one by one, one at a time, in his hands and were meticulously set aside.
“And Luina, may I use the fridge?”
“Ah, yeah. If it’s for him.”
Having gotten the owner’s permission, Tae-seok turned his steps, silently opening the refrigerator door.
“Your handler seems to be very health-conscious. I can see all the foods are well-managed.”
Tae-seok did not skimp on praise as he scanned inside the refrigerator.
“Right? Right? Our darling here is very domestic. hehehe.”
Louina was reminiscing about Seong-hoon who was proficient in everything from cooking to laundry and cleaning.
The one thing Tae-seok picked up towards that melting expression was an egg.
“Then I will use it gratefully.”
“Like I said, for this time, I’m entrusting it entirely to the team leader. Don’t ask every little thing, do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
Louina plopped down in a dining chair, intently watching the back of Tae-seok as he started cooking.
Despite being considerably bigger and tougher compared to Seong-hoon, his way of cooking didn’t seem very different.
“Pfft.”
But certainly, that pink apron was the problem.
Louina knew it was rude to laugh at a kind person who came to help her.
But every time she saw that sight, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Team leader, do you cook in that getup usually?”
“Yes. It was a style my wife liked.”
“Oh. You’re married then, team leader?”
“…Yes.”
“That must be nice~ I wish I could do that with my darling too.”
“If you don’t cause any major problems from now on, if the two of you maintain your relationship as it is now, you certainly can.”
“You think I wouldn’t?”
“Thankfully.”
Tae-Seok, careful not to show to Ruina,
barely let a small smile cross his lips.