Chapter 69: Child Expansion Expert vs. Pig Woo Ping

Park Seok-ji’s house had a warm and homely vibe.

Haven’t you seen houses like this in daily dramas?

A house with a front gate and a yard.

But this one had a touch of sophistication added to it.

I vaguely assumed it would be a luxurious mansion, but it wasn’t quite that.

Of course, it was undoubtedly an expensive home.

A house with a yard in the heart of Seoul—wouldn’t it cost at least a billion won?

The fact that my mind went straight to money proves that I’m undeniably Korean.

On the other hand, JiwooPing’s attention was entirely focused on one thing.

“Woof, woofy doggy…”

It was a white Jindo dog.

She wanted to pet it because it was cute but was also nervous, remembering it might bite.

“This guy was barking so much, but now that you’re inside, he’s all quiet, huh?”

That was exactly the case.

The Jindo dog didn’t bark.

It simply stared at me intently.

Its tail was stiff, moving as if it couldn’t decide whether to wag or not—teasing me.

Its sensitive snout twitched, as though it was trying to figure me out by scent.

“Jinsoon , do you like Jiwoo?”

Hufff hufff.

The dog stuck out its tongue.

Its tail soon began wagging gently.

It definitely wasn’t being wary anymore.

“Jiwoo, Jinsoon  seems to like you. She’s not usually like this with strangers.”

“Does she know I’m a presidential candidate…?”

“Haha! Maybe she does!”

Cautiously, Jiwoo approached Jinsoon .

The dog’s tail wagged like a propeller.

Soon, Jinsoon  flipped over, showing her belly and begging for affection.

“Doggy… warm and… so cute… hehe.”

Jiwoo gently petted Jinsoon .

Her fur was slightly coarse but warm, making it pleasant to touch.

“By the way, how old is Jinsoon ?”

“Hmm, she’s about six years old, I think.”

“Oh, so she’s younger than me!”

There’s barely anyone younger than Jiwoo in her life.

She seemed eager to meet someone she could consider a junior.

Now realizing that Jinsoon  was younger, Jiwoo pet her with growing confidence.

At that moment, Park Seok-ji added a comment.

“In human years, she’d be about thirty.”

“Gasp… so she’s older than me…”

Suddenly, Jiwoo felt a sense of distance.

But Jinsoon  had already opened her heart completely.

She rubbed against Jiwoo, playfully seeking attention.

Jiwoo whispered quietly, ensuring Park Seok-ji couldn’t hear.

“Miss Jinsoon … who will you vote for president? I’m number 5. If you like me, please vote for me. Thank you.”

…!

Jinsoon  tilted her head as if to say, What nonsense is this?

At that moment, the lady of the house appeared.

“Oh my, our presidential candidate has arrived!”

“Hello~”

She exuded an impression that was both homely and refined.

Seeing how beautiful she still was, it was clear that she must have been incredibly popular with men in her youth.

Park Seok-ji…

With a face like a toad, how did he manage to win over such a beauty?

“Oh dear, you’re even cuter in person! No wonder my husband made such a fuss!”

Hearing the compliment, I couldn’t help but smile again.

But then, as she looked me over, she made a remark.

“You’re pretty, but why are you so skinny?”

“…?”

Ah.

Here comes that line.

Is today the day Jiwoo Ping eats until she bursts…?!

“I heard you like soondae soup, so I tried making some. I hope it suits your taste.”

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

Why?

Because it wasn’t just any Sundae soup.

This was premium soondae soup with chunks of meat, paired with fragrant rice…

And that was just the basics.

Braised short ribs, bulgogi, soy-marinated crab, grilled yellow croaker, grilled cutlassfish, grilled abalone, smoked duck…

Plus over ten vibrant side dishes.

“Is this the kind of meal a king eats…?”

“If you become a king, you can eat even better. Go on, try it.” Haha.

Gulp.

My mouth watered.

The aroma of the food and the beautiful presentation were so overwhelming that I could barely think straight.

Carefully, I picked up a spoon and tasted the broth of the Sundae soup.

Surely, it couldn’t be better than the soondae soup from the market…

But that thought was far off the mark.

Ping—!

A beam of light seemed to pierce through my temples.

“Gasp…”

It was nothing short of shocking.

This was completely different from the usual Sundae soup.

If the Sundae soup from the market was the pinnacle of familiar flavors, this was the pinnacle of flavors I had never experienced before.

“Does it taste good? It’s made with beef broth, so it’ll taste a bit different from the ones you buy.”

“Yeah, it’s really delicious…”

It was, quite simply, insane.

I couldn’t tell whether I was in a home kitchen or a high-end traditional Korean restaurant.

I devoured it greedily.

From that point on, I just ate in silence.

It was the first time I’d focused so intently on something since my first meeting with Heochuping.

“Hahaha. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Try some fish, too. I’ll debone it for you.”

“It’s delicious!”

“Have some ribs, too.”

“This is delicious too…!”

“Eat some seasoned bean sprouts. They’ll help you grow taller.”

“Even the bean sprouts are delicious…!!”

Before I knew it, my rice bowl was empty, and I looked around shyly as I chewed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, is the rice unlimited refills?”

Ever since I got TS-ed, I hadn’t eaten home-cooked food.

Not even once.

It wasn’t particularly strange.

Who has time to cook while preparing for a presidential election?

Han Seoyoung wasn’t the type to cook at home either.

“Unlimited refills? Hahaha. Yes, of course. Want some more?”

“Yes…!”

At the mention of unlimited refills, Jiwooping’s excitement soared.

She swung her legs happily, waiting for another bowl of rice.

“Thank you~!”

And so began round two.

“This is sweet and tasty. This one’s savory and tasty. This one smells amazing and tastes great… Grandma, are you a cookingping?”

“Haha. Finish eating first and save the compliments for later.”

Her cooking skills truly were magical.

It wasn’t for nothing that Park Seokji had bragged about her.

“Should I give you another bowl?”

“Yes…!”

I had already emptied two bowls.

And they weren’t even small bowls.

I ate them so fast, it was as if they’d vanished into thin air.

Even Park Seokji started to worry.

“I’m glad you’re eating well, but… aren’t you eating too much? You might get an upset stomach.”

“Oh, come on. A child who could chew through steel won’t get sick. Let her eat. She’s so skinny as it is.”

Grandma’s specialty: exaggerating her grandson.

Honestly, I had eaten quite a lot, but I could still eat more.

“Shall I give you another bowl?”

“You can give me two, chu…!”

I couldn’t stop the impulse to eat.

No, I was becoming consumed by that impulse.

I couldn’t stop eating!

It was all Grandma’s fault for cooking so well!!

“You really eat so well~ Did Grandpa starve you?”

“No… It’s just that if I eat a lot, it costs a lot of money…”

“What? What are you saying? Honey, did you starve this child?!”

Of course, no one had starved me.

“Who would starve her? Everyone’s eager to feed her, but Han Seoyoung must have been managing her diet or something.”

In reality, Han Seoyoung didn’t say much.

I was just too self-conscious to eat.

I always wanted to eat this and that, but I held back.

I was worried about how much money it might cost.

People might think, “How much could a kid’s food bill possibly be?”

But if I decided to eat my fill, I might as well break Han Seoyoung’s wallet.

“Ever since I got TS-ed, I’ve never truly felt full.”

TS changes your body completely.

Naturally, it changes your constitution too.

Maybe that’s why I’d never felt full in Jiwooping’s body.

I always felt like I could keep eating.

It felt like I could devour all the food in the world!

I didn’t even know the limits of my stomach.

After eating three bags of snacks and four bowls of ramen in one sitting, I even started to fear my own stomach.

“Should I test it today? See how much I can eat?”

I’d met an expert in “child exaggeration” today, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test how far my stomach could stretch.

A showdown between the child-exaggerating expert and Piggy Jiwooping!

It was a food fight!

Park Seokji’s wife, Baek Mihye.

Recently, she hadn’t been able to see much of her grandchildren.

She had six of them.

But her children didn’t visit often because her relationship with Park Seokji wasn’t very good.

In the midst of it all, Kang Jiwoo’s visit was a delightful event for her.

“It’s nice to treat someone who’s going to be president someday~,” Kang Jiwoo said, her cheeks puffed up as she stuffed her face with food.

“We need to come up with policies…!”

“Policies? What kind of policies?”

“Policies to let people learn cooking from grandmas…!” Jiwoo answered enthusiastically.

“Hahaha.”

It didn’t seem like she was joking just to make them feel good—her energy was no joke.

She was such an adorably cute child that seeing her for the first time had been a shock, but her hearty appetite was an even bigger surprise.

“Should I give you another bowl?”

“Can I really have more…?”

“Of course!”

By then, she had already finished five bowls of rice.

Still, she showed no signs of being full.

‘A child who eats this well must have always been hungry, hiding her appetite. How pitiful…,’ 

Baek Mi-hye thought. She cast a glare at Park Seokji for no reason.

Park Seokji just shrugged, as if to say, “What did I do?”

However, even Mihye, who doted on children, was starting to sense something unusual.

“Can I have just one more bowl…?”

“Sure.”

“Uh… can I have more again…?”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“I’m not full yet… I still want more….”

“?!”

Sitting in one spot, Kang Jiwoo had inhaled eight bowls of rice.

It wasn’t just the rice—she ate side dishes evenly, and the meat dishes were nearly demolished. 

The portions she devoured were enough for two adults per dish.

‘She must have eaten enough for ten people by herself!’

There are people who are naturally big eaters.

Baek Mihye had seen some of them, like the YouTubers who eat massive amounts of food for their “mukbang” videos.

So, it wasn’t entirely impossible, but witnessing it firsthand was still amazing.

A body that was only half the size of an adult’s—how did all that food fit into her small stomach? 

It was physically astonishing. Was her stomach a black hole?

“You really eat so well….”

She was honestly stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

At first, she thought Jiwoo was just pretty, but now she was fascinating.

Park Seokji felt the same.

“Jiwoo, aren’t you feeling sick?”

“Nooo~ I’m totally fine…,” Jiwoo replied, her tone casual.

“Haha! Even your eating is presidential!”

At this point, calling it a performance wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Jiwoo set down her spoon and wiped her mouth.

“Ah~ Suddenly, I’m full now~,” Jiwoo said, patting her round belly as if to show off.

She got down from her chair and bowed to Baek Mi-hye.

“Thank you for the meal~!”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for eating so well. I’ll make something delicious for breakfast tomorrow too. Look forward to it.”

“Yay!”

As Baek Mihye cleaned up the table, she reflected on just how much Jiwoo had eaten.

‘Even my husband, who eats well, doesn’t come close to this…’

Looking again, the sheer quantity was staggering.

‘At least she’s full now. I’m glad I prepared plenty of food!’

She had made extra food to share with the neighbors, but those plans had clearly fallen through. 

Still, she was happy to have filled Jiwoo’s stomach.

Just then, Jiwoo scurried over and asked, “Grandma, can I eat this?”

She was holding some snacks she found in the house.

“Aren’t you full?”

“I am, but I want to eat these as a snack….”

“Alright, go ahead. Hahaha.”

“…?”

Baek Mihye couldn’t help but laugh.

A president who eats this well—how adorable is that?

“Jiwoo, since you eat so well, you should do mukbangs when you become president. It would be so fun.”

“Mukbang? Is that a type of bread?”

The idea of an elementary school president doing food fights and mukbangs was absurd.

But one thing was certain— it would be highly entertaining.