Ian first poured soju into Okjeong and Soyeon’s glasses. When he tried to pour into his own glass as well, Okjeong snatched the bottle from Ian’s hand.
“A young guy shouldn’t pour for himself already, that won’t do.”
“Thank you.”
Giggling, Ian quickly held out his glass to Okjeong. After toasting, he turned his head to cover his mouth as he drank. Soyeon laughed, saying he was cute for politely observing etiquette.
Even though he only drank one glass, his insides heated up hotly. One bottle of soju disappeared quickly. Since both Okjeong and Soyeon could hold their liquor well when talking, one bottle of soju didn’t even reach their livers.
By the time the earthenware pot showed its bottom, three empty soju bottles stood in a row on the table.
“That was delicious. What time are you opening the shop tomorrow? Are you really okay by yourself? Should I come help you a bit?”
“I’m going to open at 8 like when Grandfather ran it. Noona, you have to take care of customers at the beauty salon. It’s okay. Grandfather did it alone too.”
Ian just accepted Soyeon’s sentiment to help. There was no way he couldn’t do what Grandfather had done. His body might be tired and exhausted, but it was okay.
While making soup all day today, he realized many times how precious this current peace was. Ordinary daily life was more amazing than he thought.
Having hit rock bottom once, he could understand. Every time he used the kitchen utensils with Grandfather’s handprints, emotions surged up, but he was as proud and grateful as he was sad.
“Should I give you one more bowl?”
“No. I’m on a diet these days.”
When Ian pointed to Soyeon’s bowl that she had licked clean of even the broth and asked, Soyeon shook her head.
“I’m done eating too.”
Okjeong also put down her utensils. The two looked at the clock on the wall and got up from their seats. Before they knew it, the short hand of the clock was pointing at the number 7.
Ian saw the two off to the shop door while still wearing his apron. He bowed his head in gratitude for coming to taste the food.
“Goodbye. Grandmother and noona can come anytime. I’ll give you free meals.”
“As expected of old man Yeon’s grandson, already talking about giving things away. Stop it, you said you need to make lots of money. We ate well. This is for the meal.”
“This is too much…”
When Ian hesitated at the yellow bill held out before his eyes, Soyeon urged him.
“Hurry and take it. I’m paying for the lady’s portion too.”
“Thank you.”
Ian preciously grasped the bill with both hands. Then he put it deep into his apron pocket and waved his hand earnestly until the two’s backs completely disappeared far away.
The bill that filled his pocket was just one, but his heart felt as full as if he had received hundreds.
ლ
“Mm.”
After taking a spoonful of the broth, Ganghyuk was lost in thought for a moment. Actually, when Ian said he would run the soup restaurant, he had expected Ian would quit before long.
Since it was a shabby shop in a remote location, no matter how cheap the soup was, if it didn’t taste good, customers’ feet would stop coming completely.
He had guessed that because he thought Ian would never be able to catch up to Cheolho’s touch. It wasn’t an incredibly special taste, but you could feel the sincerity in the soup Cheolho made. That wasn’t something that came out just from following a recipe.
Should he say it was a taste that could melt even a frozen heart? Yet Ian had reproduced that taste. Strength entered the hand holding the spoon at the taste that reminded him of the time in his childhood when he had nearly starved to death.
“…Is it that bad? Executive Director, your spoon is bent.”
The sullen voice pulled him from his thoughts. Ganghyuk silently dissolved the seasoning paste and cheongyang chili peppers into the broth. The much spicier taste swept down his esophagus.
It felt like his insides were becoming full. There was no gamey smell from the meat at all, the broth was rich, and the ingredients were plentiful too.
“No, it’s delicious. Pretty good.”
“Really? Is it really good?”
“Yeah.”
When Ganghyuk praised him following Okjeong and Soyeon, Ian’s mood soared as if he could fly to the sky. It was even more meaningful because, given Ganghyuk’s personality, if it wasn’t good he would definitely say it wasn’t.
Moreover, Ganghyuk was, in a way, the soup restaurant’s investor. If it wasn’t tasty, he could have said he’d recover his investment.
“Thank goodness. Actually, I was really worried. Even though I learned by watching, this was the first time I actually made it myself, so I was worried about what I’d do if it wasn’t tasty. I bragged to you about it, Executive Director, so it would be embarrassing if the soup wasn’t good. I’d only be doing wrong to the customers who came looking for it remembering Grandfather’s soup.”
Ganghyuk listened carefully to the chattering voice, now that the tension had eased, and took a big spoonful of rice.
The bent spoon didn’t hinder eating the rice at all. While eating the soup, he realized something. That he had missed this taste all along.
But why had he never thought to come visit even once? Why had he only vaguely thought they must be living well?
Even if day-to-day living had been fierce, after he’d gained the director title, he’d had more than enough leisure to spare.
‘Child, eat more. There’s plenty of rice, so come find me anytime you’re hungry from now on. You can pay for the meal later when you’re an adult and have the means. Don’t worry about it. Children shouldn’t worry about such things.’
He should have remembered without forgetting that voice that had been as warm as the broth going down his insides. If he had, there would be two people chattering across from him right now.
“Executive Director, you really eat well. You must like Korean food. I’ll bring you more rice and broth.”
There was the sound of a chair being pulled, and then the kid wearing an apron disappeared into the kitchen. His eyes, where emotions rippled, surveyed the inside of the restaurant.
Some parts were the same as in his memory, and some parts had changed a lot. The chair he had thought was big when he was young had now become so small that the wooden legs wobbled.
Like the flow of time felt from the menu board, the scruffy child had become a full-grown adult before he knew it. Enough to buy the soup restaurant building filled with memories and show kindness to his benefactor’s grandchild.
“Here you go. Would you like some soju too by any chance? Soju is the best with soup.”
A steaming earthenware pot and rice bowl came up onto the table. The heaping mound of rice piled like a hill reminded him of Cheolho, and Ganghyuk’s eyes relaxed loosely.
“Alright.”
“I’ll drink with you too. Actually, I only had one glass earlier and held back. I had to wait until you came, Executive Director, so I couldn’t get drunk and be all woozy.”
Ian, excited by Ganghyuk’s consent, quickly returned with a bottle of soju and soju glasses. The motion of swirling the soju bottle with water droplets beaded on its surface was quite skilled.
“Who taught you to do that?”
“From a YouTube video. This is my first time trying it.”
The face smiling as if shy didn’t match the soju bottle. Looking at the face with its downy peach fuzz, it somehow felt like drinking with a minor. No matter how he looked at it, it was a face that would suit wearing a school uniform better.
“Are you really twenty years old?”
“What do you mean by that?”
The face tilting its head in puzzlement was so innocent that Ganghyuk silently raised his glass. Well, at twenty he was still a kid, that’s for sure. Before, he had been so small he couldn’t even sit in this chair.
The little kid who used to lift his heels with all his might to barely peek his eyes over the table as if he’d become an adult had now grown enough to sit in the chair across from him and have a drinking session.
“Pour me a glass.”
“Yes.”
Ian opened the soju bottle cap and held the bottle with both hands. At the extremely polite posture as if facing an elder, the smile in Ganghyuk’s eyes deepened even more.
“Pour one for me too.”
After pouring until the soju reached the surface of the glass, he quickly lifted and held out his glass. Excluding Sucheol, this was the first person to treat him comfortably like this, so the more he looked, the more fascinating it was.
