Chapter 44
The place known as ‘Breathing Sea’ was, quite literally, a world submerged in water.
There was no one there aside from Gio. Water filled the world to such a height that even the Sun appeared trapped beneath it, while traces of humanity—brick-built houses and fences—remained submerged exactly as they had been.
Among them, Gio sat at the edge of a precipice.
“Because I’m completely underwater, I have no idea how I’m supposed to fish.”
“Kkuuuuuurung.”
“Honey, stop drinking the seawater. Your body is growing so large that you’re scaring the fish away.”
Aquatic creatures were visible everywhere.
Creatures resembling enormous hermit crabs clattered awkwardly along as they crossed a red roof with their companions. A gentle-looking snake, apparently a sea snake, repeatedly popped out of the sand and hid again.
There were also pods of enormous whales drifting through the watery sky far above, colorful seahorses moving in pairs as though dancing to a song, and fish hiding among seaweed growing between the bricks….
“Could I be untalented at fishing?”
“ ”
“Then again, a fishing rod does seem utterly useless under these circumstances.”
“ ”
“A scoop net? That wouldn’t be bad.”
He was admiring a dreamlike view, yet had caught not a single fish.
“It isn’t as though I’m an especially strong swimmer either.”
Because ‘Giovanni’s’ world had been intimately connected to the sea, ninety percent of humanity there were skilled swimmers. ‘Giovanni’ belonged to the five percent who were unusually poor at swimming.
“My connection with Aria began because she threw me into the sea when we first met. From what I learned of her personally, I cannot call Aria a good child, but she was nevertheless a diligent student.”
“ ”
“It eases my heart that you do not resent Aria, Father.”
Gio wore his characteristic benevolent smile, then soon looked troubled.
“But… how am I supposed to catch fish?”
Giovanni was not skilled at swimming, while Seo Gio, though a capable swimmer, had never tried catching fish this way.
Whichever one’s strengths he used, he did not think he could seize fish that looked agile at a glance.
“……”
“ ”
“Pardon?”
When the Sun God pointed to none other than Honey, Gio turned toward the bright-yellow waterfowl. Bathed in the Sun God’s spotlight like an actor onstage, Honey glittered brilliantly. It was nothing short of divine revelation.
“Honey?”
“……”
“Honey, can you catch them?”
“…Kkung….”
“Why are you avoiding Dad’s gaze?”
Honey clearly wore an expression that said, ‘I can, but I don’t particularly want to.’ Gio tilted his head. If Honey simply did not want to work, Gio would not force him, but the reaction did not suggest a dislike of labor itself and was difficult to interpret.
“Why does he dislike the idea?”
“Kkungkkungkkung….”
“…?”
Watching father and son fail to communicate, the Sun God discreetly revealed the truth.
“ ”
“……”
“ ”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Gio remember anew that his waterfowl was no ordinary creature.
Of course, living water shaped like a bird could never be ordinary, but in any case, Honey possessed far more potent potential than Gio had anticipated.
“My child can evolve?”
“……”
“O Sun.”
Honey was exceptionally capable.
“You need to evolve to catch the fish, but you dislike that form, so you’ve been acting coy…? Truly? Oh, my. That’s remarkably magnificent and absurd. As expected, you hold a conviction that you must preserve your cute appearance.”
His son clearly suffered from a prince complex.
“I believe I told you thirty minutes ago that no matter how cute and charming you act, the only one you can conquer is your father. What do you expect me to do when you’re this helplessly adorable?”
“ ”
“My apologies. I became somewhat carried away. But don’t you find your grandson very cute too, Father?”
The Sun God merely laughed. He said the warmth between the family members was a pleasant sight.
Though he did not receive a clear explanation, Gio decided to be satisfied with that. Nothing was more important now than everyone joining forces to overcome this hopeless situation, obtain fish, and prepare a meal.
“…Mm….”
Because he did not particularly wish to force Honey to work, Gio merely explained the reality they faced.
“Honey.”
“Kkung.”
“Dad cannot swim.”
“…Kkung?”
“So I cannot catch fish either.”
“……”
“If you truly hate the idea, it can’t be helped. But if you refuse to catch the fish, all of us will have to starve. If you still refuse, then for lunch today I will have no choice but to grill the sausages left over from last time.”
At those words, Honey’s pupils shook. Gio did not know where pupils existed in those water-formed eyes, but it was clear that Honey trembled all over in shock at the reality they faced.
Gio nodded solemnly like a judge delivering a verdict.
“Yes. We have been placed in a situation where we must eat the same menu twice in a row.”
It was a miserable reality that they, both gourmets and great eaters, found difficult to accept.
“If you still refuse, Dad will try his best to prepare today’s lunch with stir-fried sausage, sausage fried rice, and sausage soup.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
The strange standoff horrified the Sun God. Even in his view, stir-fried sausage, sausage fried rice, and sausage soup were excessive.
Recently spoiled by the meals Gio prepared, the Sun God watched the situation anxiously.
“…Kku….”
Gio was the victor.
“Kkururuk.”
There was, however, a condition.
“You want me to close my eyes?”
“Kkuk.”
“Dad can love you no matter what form you take. Why?”
“Kkuk.”
“As expected, adolescence has arrived.”
Then again, everyone had secrets they wished to hide, even from their parents. Gio had never had a child, married, or even dated, but he at least understood the importance of respecting a child’s private space.
Gio nodded with his eyes closed.
“Do you dislike your evolved form so much that you refuse to show me? Dad is truly, extremely, very curious, but if doing this puts your heart at ease, I can certainly keep my eyes closed….”
“Kkururuk.”
“Adolescent children truly are difficult.”
He heard something like an enormous mass of water surging once, followed by the sound of seawater being torn apart. It had not been long since he began listening carefully when….
“Kkungkkururuk.”
“…?”
Already?
“May I open my eyes, Son?”
“Kkururuk.”
“All right.”
And Gio saw it.
“Oh.”
Roughly thirty fish were trapped inside Honey’s body, which had grown round and fat after drinking seawater.
“That’s remarkable.”
“Kkurukkukuruk.”
“You resemble a splendid pig.”
“……”
“That was a compliment.”
Honey had remained this large ever since they entered ‘Breathing Sea,’ so this could not be his ‘evolved’ form.
‘He must have swallowed the fish in his evolved form, then returned to his original appearance.’
In any case, it was funny and excellent.
“A pig….”
“Kkung.”
“A pig filled with fish….”
“Kkungkkungkkung.”
“Excellent.”
Giovanni beamed with his characteristic cheerful smile.
“What could be more reassuring?”
Gio was generous with portions.
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Upon returning to the cabin, Gio immediately began preparing the fish.
“Exactly thirty-three.”
It was a number that meant Gio’s hands would be utterly destroyed today, but he decided not to concern himself.
Showing weakness before a mere thirty-three salmon-sized fish would have been a tremendous disgrace for someone Grandmother had recognized as a pig.
“Fortunately, they’re all edible, so I can prepare them without worry.”
“Kkururururuk.”
“Honey, spit one out.”
“Kkuk.”
Ptooey.
Still enormous, Honey spat out one fish.
“……”
Gio staggered as he caught it and felt his mind grow momentarily faint.
‘What challenge have I gotten myself into?’
In any case, it was time to prepare seafood, for which freshness was life itself.
Even if food did not rot in this painted world, Gio did not know whether that would prevent dead fish from growing fishier with time.
He sharply drove an awl into the first fish’s forehead and sent it off to the Dragon King’s Palace.
“Mm.”
He prided himself on a technique as swift as an assassin’s from a martial-arts novel.
“My experience cutting fish has paid off.”
“Kkuruk?”
“There is a special pleasure in slicing and eating fish freshly caught aboard a boat.”
Recalling the cherished past, Gio’s hands moved quickly.
He cut off the fins and scraped the scales away in crisp strokes. Then, taking care not to rupture the organs, he inserted the knife to the proper depth and cut straight down to the vent.
“Even the organs barely smell fishy, so it must be remarkably fresh. Now, once the organs have been removed like this, the next step is….”
“Kkurungrungrungrung.”
“Honey, if you eat nothing but organs, one day you’ll smell as fishy as they do.”
Where had his son acquired the impudent habit of snatching only the organs while Dad cooked?
‘…More importantly, the way he selectively dissolves objects is fascinating every time I see it.’
The waterfowl enjoyed decorating themselves while holding things inside their bodies.
Honey, who loved jewels, was no different. But food, rather than something used for decoration, rapidly dissolved within Honey’s body.
More precisely, rather than dissolving, it seemed that the nutrients entering his body were converted into water as well. The swallowed food gradually grew transparent and undulated before disappearing from sight.
“……”
Whose son had been born this entertaining?
‘Fascinating.’
The fact that even watching Honey eat amused him proved Honey truly was Gio’s son. Even the mere act of breathing made the fellow into magnificent entertainment.
“Mmm….”
“Kkung?”
“I was estimating when I might finish preparing all of these.”
If these had been fish already cleaned at a supermarket, he could have bought them recklessly without concern. Preparing live fish personally, however, required considerable labor.
“Let us continue.”
After removing the organs and emptying the belly, he needed to scrape out all the blood pooled beneath the ribs, so to speak. Gio diligently washed the inside of the belly clean, then continued dismantling the fish.
“……”
“……”
Then he learned a remarkable fact.
“…Was it actually a salmon?”
“Kkuruk?”
“No, it certainly isn’t a salmon.”
Yet the flesh inside was extremely peculiar.
“The texture of a white-fleshed fish, yet the orange color of salmon or trout.”
Once separated like fish intended for sashimi, the flesh appeared as soft as salmon and mashed beneath even slight pressure.
Yet, like white-fleshed fish such as flounder or sea bream, its grain separated into round, resilient sections.
“……”
Munch.
“……”
It tasted similar to salmon too. Its refreshing watermelon flavor, cool enough to feel crisp, also made him think it might be closer to trout.
‘Though its texture is much springier and chewier….’
It felt exceedingly strange.
Even in a fantasy world, was it not subtly amusing to see familiar elements overlap with something else this way?
“Uh….”
“Kkung?”
“…It’s delicious, so it’s fine.”
The soft flesh also made preparation quick.
“I’ll slice several for sashimi and clean several more so I can deep-fry them whole.”
“Kkuruk?”
“It’s more delicious than you might expect. Food fried in oil could never taste bad in the first place. Honey, you needn’t worry. Simply wait comfortably for the fried fish.”
“Kkurururu….”
“It’s even better with spicy sauce.”
“Kkungkkungkkung…!!!”
“Must you reject it with such solemn determination? We have plenty of fish left. Would you not consider letting Dad make just one spicy fried fish for himself, Son?”
By the time Gio finished every dish, he had half lost consciousness.
“……”
“Kkururung.”
“It was a record-breaking day.”
He concluded that thirty-three large fish were too many.
Emphasized and repeated labor exhausted Gio.
(To be continued)