On a day like today when winter rain pours down,
Warm food is undoubtedly the best choice.
For example, kal-guksu, or maybe kal-guksu, or even kal-guksu.
For that reason, today’s menu at Dok’s Family Restaurant Restaurant was kal-guksu.
Along with it, a savory and fantastic combination of garlic chive pancakes is served as a side dish, just like kimchi.
“Table for 3 at number 4, and the big boss will be dining as well.”
Since it’s a single menu, there’s no need to choose. As soon as you’re seated, the staff rushes to the kitchen to place the order. That was the system even now.
“A table for 3? Who did you come with, bro?”
The waiter taking orders smirked.
“Why now? Because the lady who came to find her daughter that time is here.”
“Oh. Why her all of a sudden?”
“Please sit with her. Looks like you met while waiting in line. Since there happened to be a vacant table for 4, you’re sharing.”
“Really? So she came with her daughter?”
“Yes. They came together. When I saw her daughter, she looked cheerful and didn’t seem to have any injuries.”
“Phew. That’s a relief. Really, it’s such a relief. Haha.”
Jong-pal reacted strongly to the waiter’s words.
How much he must have been concerned all this time, hearing from his brother that the middle-aged woman who came to his store ended up missing.
– Jong-pal, you remember the lady who came to the store that time. Her daughter safely returned home. So don’t worry unnecessarily. You’ve been tossing and turning in your sleep lately.
Fortunately, he could hear the news of the rescue from his brother, but still, his heart had been heavy.
It’s like having a thorn in one’s throat.
Anyway, considering that Dok’s Family Restaurant would remain a bad memory for those women.
So, hearing that they visited Dok’s Family Restaurant made him react.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t want to come back again. It’s really a relief.”
While Jong-pal was thinking such thoughts,
The waiter spoke up.
“Oh, um. Boss, I’ll take my leave now. I need to quickly clean up the tables and attend to the guests….”
“Oh, alright. And I’ll personally take the food to table 4.”
“Yes, understood.”
How much time had passed?
Just as they were busy cooking, Jong-pal came to the kitchen.
“Jong-pal.”
“Oh, Hyung! I just heard. Did that lady and her daughter really come?”
“Oh. Actually, it’s because of that daughter that I want to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor?”
Jong-pal poured out the reason why Jong-pal had come to his younger brother, Jong-pal. Jong-pal replied without hesitation.
“Of course. Thanks for telling me.”
“Oh, and one more thing. Don’t forget, mine is double the amount.”
“Do you think I don’t know you, Hyung? I’ll make sure to bring plenty of pancakes.”
“Thanks.”
Having finished his business, Jong-pal went back out to the hall.
***
The time waiting for the food.
Hye-mi’s mother placed the paper bag she brought on the table.
“This is all we can offer right now to the person who saved our daughter. It’s really humble, but we couldn’t come empty-handed….”
Inside the paper bag was a finely wrapped gray scarf. It was a fitting gift for the season.
It didn’t seem to be a ready-made item; it looked like it was hand-woven. Seeing it, memories from a distant past came flooding back.
It was ten years ago.
There was a time when someone bragged in front of me about the scarf my mother had knitted and I slapped him across the face.
– You think you’ll never get it in your life? You don’t even have a mother. Pfft. Want it, don’t you?
– No. I don’t want something like that even if you give it to me.
I said that, but I wanted it. The more he said I’d never get it in my life, the more it made me furious.
– Lies. I saw you touching my scarf earlier. You want it but pretend you don’t!
– …….
– Ugh, I’ve done my good deed. I’ll donate this year only to your orphanage. If they ask for more, they can come to me again. My mom always listens to me. Oh, you wouldn’t know since you don’t have a mom.
– Donations, huh? Use that to block your nose.
– What?
Pwack!
– Owww!
He was such an annoying guy, even now in hindsight.
‘Never gonna get it in my life. But I got it like this.’
Jong-pali smirked at the memory that suddenly came to mind.
But it seems Jong-pali’s laughter was interpreted differently by the mother and daughter.
“Oh, well, I guess it’s a bit like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard from my daughter. You’re a famous hunter, right? You must usually use only luxury items, so I brought something like this….”
Jong-pali cut off her words.
“I don’t have any luxury items. And I laughed because I really liked the scarf.”
“Really? Do you really like it?”
“Yes, I mean it. Actually, I was thinking of buying a scarf anyway. And the color is my favorite.”
“Oh wow! You like this color. I was debating whether to go with red or gray, but I’m glad I chose gray.”
“Whatever, gray is better than red. Oh, shouldn’t we try it on now?”
It felt like they were mother and daughter.
Simultaneously, “Yes!” came the reply.
Before long, the gray scarf was wrapped around Jong-pali’s neck.
“How does it look? Does it suit me?”
Not just suit, it fits perfectly. In fact, he could pull off a trash bag and still make it look luxurious.
“It looks perfect.”
“Oh my, if our daughter says it suits you so well, then it really does. She never says empty words. Even to me, it looks stylish.”
Nods all around.
“I really mean it. It’s not just because it’s a scarf you gave. It really suits you. You’re a true fashion icon, Mr. Jong.”
Hye-mi unknowingly raised her thumbs up. Because of that, her hand, hidden under the table, was revealed.
Hye-mi’s fingertips were still trembling sweetly. It was a withdrawal symptom from the drugs.
It wasn’t drugs taken for pleasure. It was a side effect of handling drugs without safety equipment.
As a result, her hands trembled several times a day. Still, compared to others, it was a minor side effect. Some people suffered from hallucinations or auditory hallucinations, she heard.
Anyway.
‘It’s time for it to calm down. Ugh. Today, of all days, it’s taking too long. Mom would be upset if she sees me like this…’
Hye-mi clenched her fist hastily, knowing her mother might see. Then she quickly lowered her hand under the table.
Luckily, her mother didn’t seem to notice. Her mother’s gaze was still fixed on Mr. Jong.
But not for Jong. No, he pretended to be clueless.
“Oh yeah? You’ll be able to stay warm this winter. Thank you so much. I’ll make good use of it.”
“Haha. I’m glad you like it. From now on, I’ll take responsibility for the scarves Mr. Jong wears every winter.”
At that moment.
“Your order is ready.”
Jong-pali served the dishes himself.
The middle-aged woman pretended to know.
“Oh my! Mr. Owner! Hye-mi, say hello. This is the owner of Dok’s Family Restaurant.”
“Hello.”
“You’re Hye-mi, right? You came at the perfect time. Today’s menu is kal-guksu, do you like noodles?”
“I can’t eat it if there’s no noodles! I’m a complete noodle killer.”
“Haha. That’s a relief. Enjoy your meal.”
The kal-guksu was served on the table.
The mother and daughter exclaimed in admiration.
“Mmm, it smells so good.”
“Wow, amazing!”
The steaming hot kal-guksu, with its creamy white broth, emitted a tantalizing aroma. There were hints of tender chicken floating on top. Along with it came a savory scent that tickled the nose.
Even though they hadn’t tasted it, the familiar flavor was hauntingly vivid.
“If it’s not enough, you can call the staff for a refill, even though it’s already generously served.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
“I’m more grateful that you visited our restaurant. Have a good meal, sir.”
Jong-pal checked the bright mother and daughter’s happy faces with his eyes. He smiled warmly and left his seat.
Immediately, the three of them hurriedly picked up their chopsticks. kal-guksu is best enjoyed when piping hot.
A moment later.
“Oh my!”
Hye-mi’s mother exclaimed in a higher pitch. Since it was a familiar dish, she didn’t have high expectations. However, the taste was surprisingly impressive.
The savory flavor extracted from the chicken wrapped around the tongue and went down the throat.
Then came the warm feeling inside. This wasn’t just food; it was a remedy.
Now she understood why her daughter had come all the way here to eat.
She turned her head to look at her daughter. However, her expression suddenly darkened.
“Oh, well. This isn’t working out.”
Unlike herself, her daughter hadn’t taken a single bite yet.
This was due to the drug withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms that came several times a day. It seemed like it was happening now.
“It’s okay. You can eat with a spoon. Or you can eat it later. It’ll get better with time. It’s better this way, isn’t it? You don’t like hot food anyway. Hehe.”
She tried to hide it, but she got caught. Hye-mi awkwardly smiled and put down her chopsticks. Her hands were still trembling even as she put down the chopsticks.
Seeing her like this, her mother’s heart ached. It felt like it was all her fault.
“If only I could afford the expensive detox potion…”
Poverty makes people endlessly miserable. In an instant, tears welled up in her mother’s eyes. She shouldn’t be showing such a spectacle in front of a benefactor…
But as she entertained such thoughts,
“Instead of the kal-guksu, try the buchimgae first. Then you can naturally have the kal-guksu.”
Words she didn’t understand reached her ears. Eating buchimgae would lead to eating kal-guksu. What kind of nonsense was that? Surely he wasn’t joking.
But Jong-pal’s expression was too serious for that.
Both mother and daughter looked at Jong-pal with puzzled eyes.
Jong-pal skillfully tore the well-cooked buchimgae into bite-sized pieces and handed it to Hye-mi.
“Such dishes are best eaten with your hands to fully enjoy the taste. Oh, by the way, I washed my hands clean.”
Caught off guard, Hye-mi ended up receiving the buchimgae.
“Oops!”
She hurriedly put the buchimgae into her mouth.
In that moment, she felt a sensation she couldn’t describe.
“How is it?”
“M-My body feels strange.”
Having grown up in less-than-ideal conditions, she had never tasted a potion before.
In other words, this rapid feeling of recovery was something she experienced for the first time.
Moreover, the buchimgae she ate was a dish with a large amount of sacred power, thanks to Jong-pal’s request.
It was incomparable to ordinary potions.
“Huh, huh?”
Even as she blinked her eyes rapidly, her body continued to purify toxins.
Experiencing this mystery for the first time, Hye-mi made continuous astonished sounds. Yet her expression was ecstatic.
If anyone saw her, they might think she was inhaling drugs.
“Oh my! Your body feels strange? Hye-mi! Look at me. H-Hye-mi! Look at me!”
Her mother, startled, dropped the chopsticks and began feeling her daughter’s body.
It seemed like her daughter was frightened that something might go wrong. If left as it was, misunderstandings would firmly take root.
“Tell me what’s wrong with your body. You’ll scare Mom half to death. Oh, have one more bite.”
It was only then that Hye-mi realized the meaning behind Jong-pal’s words.
Eating the buchimgae would allow her to eat the kal-guksu.
With regained composure, she spoke up.
“Oh, Mom. I’m fine, really. Look at this. Actually, my hands have been shaking since earlier. But now I’m okay. I think I can use chopsticks properly.”
“Oh dear. Why is she like this? Hye-mi, are you really okay? Could it be the effect of the medicine…”
“It’s not that. I’m really fine. Look.”
Hye-mi confidently raised her chopsticks. Then, she scooped up some white noodles and put them in her mouth with a gulp.
“It’s delicious, Mom. Really delicious.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. It was the best chicken kal-guksu she had ever tasted in her life.
