The Price of a Diamond – Part 4

Daniel left the city behind.

The noise, the memories, the people—he abandoned it all and returned to the only place that felt familiar, even if it had never felt like home.

His grandparents' house stood in the countryside, old and worn from years of neglect. The paint peeled, the wood creaked under his feet, and dust covered every surface. It was a place full of ghosts—of whispered apologies, of lost love, of a boy who once longed for acceptance.

But Daniel didn't return to dwell on the past.

He returned to build something new.

For months, he worked tirelessly. He cleaned, repaired the walls, and even fixed the internet, though he barely used it. He rarely left unless it was absolutely necessary.

The city had taken enough from him.

Now, he just wanted peace.

He had once owned a small game store, a childhood dream he had built with his own money. But he left it behind, just like everything else.

Instead, he turned to something different—ramen.

It started as a simple idea. His mother had been Korean, but his father had been deeply rooted in Japanese traditions, something his grandfather had once been proud of before resentment took over.

Daniel had always enjoyed cooking, but he never considered himself skilled. Yet, when he started his small ramen shop, the locals quickly proved him wrong.

Customers came, drawn by the rich aroma of broth and the warmth of his small, cozy shop. The villagers, who once ignored the lonely boy living in his grandparents' house, now praised him.

"Your ramen is amazing, Daniel!"

"I haven't had anything this good in years!"

"You should enter a national ramen competition!"

Daniel would only smile humbly, shaking his head. He wasn't a chef. He was just a man trying to find meaning in a life that had lost its direction.

What he didn't know was that his grandparents, who had never truly accepted him, had secretly liked his cooking.

Even his strict, unforgiving grandfather had once tasted Daniel's ramen years ago and thought:

"This boy… he has something special."

But pride kept the old man from saying anything.

And now, Daniel was unknowingly following in his footsteps.

If his grandfather had been alive, he might have encouraged Daniel to enter a national ramen competition.

But deep down, he would have been afraid.

Afraid that if Daniel became successful, he might leave again.

And this time… he might never come back.