Some time later,
There were figures revealing themselves in the alley where Dok’s restaurant was located. Oh Moon-se and his son, Oh Jaewoo. They were two wealthy men.
And multiple workers were bustling back and forth in front of the house where they stood, moving their belongings.
That’s right.
The wealthy family had moved to the street where Dok’s restaurant was located.
“Dad, is this really the house you and I will live in from now on? Just Jaewoo and Dad?”
“Yeah. From now on, it’ll be just Jaewoo and dad living together. Are you happy with that?”
“…Hehe. Yes. I’m happy to live with just you, Dad.”
A few days ago, Oh Moon-se had a long conversation with his son. It was based on the advice given by Dok Jong-sik, the benefactor who saved Jaewoo.
– Have you asked your child if a mother is necessary? Or if the current mother is the right one?
The answer was, “Jaewoo doesn’t need a mother, I need a father. So, I can live together with Dad.”
It wasn’t just a simple remark from a six-year-old. In the end, Oh Moon-se couldn’t hold back his tears in front of his son.
It was Jaewoo who wiped away his father’s tears with his small hands.
Anyway, Oh Moon-se made up his mind then. He would fill both the mother and father roles for his son.
So he informed his wife of the divorce without looking back, and submitted his resignation to the company.
“I’m so excited to live with Jaewoo alone, as a Dad! I’ll do everything I haven’t been able to do for you. We’ll go to school together, eat together, travel together. How does that sound?”
“…But adults have to go to school alone. If Dad helps me, does that make me a bad adult? …But it’s okay, right?”
Of course, the process wasn’t smooth. His wife shamelessly notified him of her intention to file a lawsuit. But the law was on Oh Moon-se’s side.
Because it was revealed that for a long time, he had been feeding Jaewoo nonsense like, “Since you’re an adult, you have to do it alone.” Adults have to eat alone. Adults have to shower alone. Adults have to go to school alone. Adults shouldn’t talk to Dad.
Damn adults, adults, adults.
Yet, the so-called adults didn’t behave like adults at all!
Rising memories made Oh Moon-se squint.
Then, Jaewoo looked at his dad and asked, “Dad?”
At that, Oh Moon-se snapped back to reality.
“Jaewoo, remember what Dad said? You’re not a bad adult. You’re still a little kid. So, like other kids, you can cry if you want, and you can throw a fit if you want something. Got it? And Dad doesn’t want Jaewoo to become an adult yet. You can become an adult slowly, very slowly.”
“Um, then I don’t want to be an adult!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Jaewoo grabbed Oh Moon-se’s hand and said, “And… can I tell you where I want to go?”
“Of course. My son. Where do you want to go? An amusement park? Stationery store? Or maybe a kids’ cafe?”
“No. I want to go see Sunbae-nim! Dad, is Sunbae-nim’s house over there? Let’s go see Sunbae-nim.”
“Oh my, where do you want to go again? Jaewoo, does he like that girl that much?”
“…Sunbae-nim saved Jaewoo.”
Jaewoo, feeling embarrassed, stomped the ground with his foot. Oh Moon-se chuckled at his son.
‘It feels like this might be his first love.’
What should he do about this? First love is hard to realize. But there’s probably no need to tell him the bitter truth right now. Thinking so, Oh Moon-se suddenly changed the subject.
“Uh… Ouch!”
“If our son wants to see her, we should go. But just going like this isn’t polite. Dad prepared some rice cakes at that rice cake shop over there, remember? Let’s go greet them with that.”
“Hehe. Dad, you’re the best!”
For a moment, Jaewoo sounded surprised. Then he exclaimed excitedly. And thus, the wealthy family became neighbors with Jong-sik’s family.
Jong-sik casually covered Yeona’s gaze and asked. After all, when the atmosphere was a bit awkward, talking about food was the best.
“But is there only one menu? Just toast?”
“There’s only one menu, but there are two types of toast! Ham toast and ham cheese toast. Those are the two.”
A typical high school girl might have shrunk back at the mention of bad memories, but Yeona was different. She confidently answered Jong-sik’s question and passed by the scene of the incident.
“Ham and ham cheese, huh. There’s no need to hesitate.”
“Oh wow. Does Uncle like ham cheese too? No need to hesitate, huh?”
“What. If you eat both, it’s over anyway.”
“Hmm… Yeah, that’s the right answer.”
Yeona chuckled softly. Then, they saw the stall with the blue tent ahead.
“Oh? Uncle! We’re here. That’s the toast restaurant I mentioned. Um… But are they open? I’ll go check it out quickly!”
“Why go check it out quickly? Let’s just go together.”
“But still! You could take a wasted trip. I’ll go check it out first. If they’re open, we can order in advance. Huh!”
With that, Yeona dashed out. Jong-sik could easily have caught up with her in just one step, but he didn’t. He had decided to keep pace with her. He followed her slowly.
A moment later, Yeona arrived at the stall.
“Phew, thank goodness. Hello, Grandpa.”
“Oh my, if it isn’t Yeona the student. But why is it ‘thank goodness’?”
The elderly man with gray hair warmly welcomed Yeona. He was the owner of the stall.
“I was worried that you might have closed.”
“Why would I close? Rain or shine, I’m here 365 days a year. So, if you want toast, anytime… Oh my. I shouldn’t say things like that now.”
As the grandfather spoke, he suddenly changed his tone. The reason was one frightening incident that had occurred a few days ago.
“You can come anytime, but don’t come alone from now on. I’m worried something might happen if you come alone to such a deserted place.”
Yeona replied as if to reassure him not to worry.
“Thank you for your concern. But I didn’t come alone today. I came with Uncle.”
“Oh, really? Huh, I can breathe a sigh of relief now. So, our student guest. What can I get you?”
“Hehe. Please give me two ham cheese and one ham toast!”
The grandfather, wearing sanitary gloves, started melting butter on the griddle with a swift motion. Then, he placed six slices of bread on top.
“Excuse me, sir. Please add three more ham cheese and ham toast.”
Jong-sik, who arrived late, placed an additional order. Yeona shook her head disapprovingly.
“Heheh. Uncle! There’s already a lot here. You can eat some and add more if you’re still hungry.”
“This little one is the boss here. As my niece says, I’ll give you plenty to eat, so try it first and if it’s not enough, we’ll order more. I’m going to fatten you up properly.”
If even the owner is intervening, I should step back for now. Jong-sik responded that he understood.
The owner continued his work. He mixed finely chopped cabbage into the egg mixture and poured it onto the hot griddle.
Sizzle-
The statement about making them fat wasn’t an empty promise; the egg pancake was practically like a brick.
In the center of the griddle, the eggs were sizzling, and next to them, thick ham slices were cooking.
Yeona and Jong-sik watched silently. The savory smell filled the air, making it feel like they were eating it even though they hadn’t tasted it yet. That’s why the taste of familiarity is terrifying.
Then, the old man skillfully flipped the eggs and cautiously said, knowing they were aware but still wanting to be careful.
“Did you two hear about that incident a few days ago over there, where a really bad guy appeared and tried to harass the kids?”
Why wouldn’t they know? They were the ones who experienced it firsthand….
Jong-sik nodded silently, and Yeona gave a composed smile.
“It’s fortunate that there happened to be a hunter passing by that place, so the kids were saved from a big trouble. Oh my. It’s not easy to step forward in a world like this nowadays… It’s truly remarkable, isn’t it?”
“…What’s so remarkable about it? It’s just something that should be done.”
Yeah. I’m remarkable! Can’t let it go like this. So, casually brushing it off, but he didn’t realize that his response would irk the owner.
“Oh my! You shouldn’t say that. Do you know how remarkable that is? Helping others may seem easy in words, but in reality, it requires a lot of courage. Instead of praising the great hunter, you’re being sarcastic! Hmm? Young guest, how cheeky.”
With a bright smile, Yeona sided with the owner-grandpa. Well, if you think about it, was she on Jong-sik’s side after all?
“That’s right, Uncle! You shouldn’t say that. How wonderful that hunter must be. I didn’t see it myself, but I’m sure he’s cool, excellent, and a role model hunter, right?”
“Huh?”
Jong-sik chuckled softly as he looked at his mischievous niece. The old man also chuckled, amused by Yeona’s spirit.
“Haha. Whether he’s great or not. Anyway, Yeona, kid, I feel like I’m looking at my granddaughter, so I’m saying this….”
The grandfather sprinkled sugar and ketchup onto the egg pancake. In summary, he advised them not to take any further steps in this direction for a while because of recent events.
“Or come with your Uncle like today.”
With that, the grandfather handed them two paper bags. Inside were the completed ham cheese toasts.
“Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll come with Uncle from now on! And Grandpa, thank you for the food.”
“Sir, thank you for the meal.”
Yeona and Jong-sik simultaneously took a bite of the toast from their paper bags. A mouthful of toast. The combination of tangy ketchup and fluffy egg was fantastic. The slightly crunchy sugar particles and savory bread were also excellent.
“…It tastes like childhood memories.”
That’s how good it was.
And it took them only a minute to finish the toast. That’s why they needed to order more!
“Oh my. You’ve eaten it with relish.”
“It tastes just like the ones I used to eat on the streets when I was young. It’s delicious. Sir.”
“I’ve been selling toast for thirty years. I’ve been making it the same way since then, so it can only taste like that. How about it, young bachelor. Should I make more for you? You ordered two more earlier, right? If I knew you’d enjoy it this much, I would have made plenty in advance.”
“Haha. That’s true. But after eating, it feels a bit hard to handle two more.”
“Then how about one? What would you like? Ham cheese, or ham toast? Just tell me.”
“Yes. Then, do you have the quantities you prepared today? Please pack all of that.”
At that, the owner-grandpa tilted his head like a malfunctioning machine. But then, he blinked his eyes wide open and clapped his hands.
“Oh my, that’s too much. How can you eat all of that by yourself? And besides, the ones made earlier will get cold and lose their taste.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about that and just make them. And you can leave with us after work.”
The owner’s words were correct. When made in large quantities, the first toasts could cool down, affecting their taste.
But Jong-sik didn’t mind. He wasn’t ordering all of these just to eat.
Jong-sik wanted to reciprocate the kindness shown by the grandfather.
The advice not to take further steps in this direction was spoken out of concern for Yeona.
Jong-sik reciprocated the same kindness shown by the owner. It was his way of returning the favor within his means.
And the experienced owner didn’t misunderstand his intention.
“The days are short these days. It’ll be dark soon. So, sir, please take the last order and start cleaning up slowly.”
“…Thank you. I’ll make it delicious.”
Initially reluctant, the owner eventually accepted Jong-sik’s kindness. But Jong-sik didn’t stop there.
“And sir, the toast is already very delicious, but if it’s okay, why not try adding some lotus flower porridge later? It’ll be even more delicious.”
“Lotus flower porridge? Hmm… He likes that. When you come next time, I’ll make it for you. I don’t have it prepared separately.”
Though he wasn’t skilled in cooking, Jong-sik suggested an ingredient that would complement the grandfather’s toast perfectly.
Of course, whether to listen or not was ultimately the old man’s choice.
And as Yeona looked at the two of them, she gave Jong-sik a thumbs up.
“See that? I told you. He’s a great hunter.”
