“I think I still prefer being a cruiser rather than the Pequod.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Moby Dick is too big for me to handle. I prefer being a cruiser that waits at the port with shallow waves.”

“Well, the white whale is definitely big,” Joongjin said.

The chef put a bright red piece of meat on the steel pan. The web-like lines of fat were quite eye-catching. The chef said that it was perfectly aged wagyu.

“Have you met the Moby Dick of your life, Mr. Maru?”

“Well, I’m still young, so they can’t be compared to the hardships that you must have met throughout your life.”

“Please tell me anyway. I like talking about myself, but I also like listening to others.”

Joongjin’s eyes urged Maru to speak. Although he was over forty years old, his spirit was not one that sought stability, but freedom.

“If I have to come up with one, maybe my midterm results?”

“Is that it?”

“I told you that there’s nothing much, didn’t I? The degree of hardships that could be met by a high school student in this country just amounts to that.”

“Hm, since you’re bringing up that, I guess I don’t have anything to say. This country is definitely a little boring.”

Joongjin asked the chef for some toothpicks. Maru wondered what he was trying...