Gihwan wanted to prepare a special dinner for Sophie.
For several days, he searched the internet, looking up Korean foods that foreigners liked.
‘I’ve already trimmed and prepared all the ingredients.’
Gihwan was used to preparing meals for four people—Kang Taeho, Park Suhyeok, Hayul, and himself—but today, he found himself paying even more attention. With more care than usual, he began cooking.
About thirty minutes later, Sophie came into the kitchen.
“Something smells wonderful. Do you need help?”
“No! I’m almost done.”
Gihwan answered hurriedly and lifted the pot of doenjang jjigae. But at that moment—
“Ah!”
The handle was hot, and Gihwan startled, letting go. The pot filled with doenjang jjigae dropped to the floor, and the scalding broth splashed everywhere.
“Oh no!”
Flustered, Gihwan didn’t know what to do. The floor was a mess of soybean paste stew broth, and it had splattered onto his apron and pants as well.
“Kiuwan, are you all right?”
Sophie rushed over and checked Gihwan’s hand. Fortunately, he hadn’t been burned, but his face had turned bright red.
“Oh, no. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I wanted to prepare a special dinner for you…”
Gihwan’s voice was crestfallen. Sophie looked at him and gave him a warm smile.
“Kiuwan, even mistakes like this are very you.”
“What?”
“Don’t try so hard to be perfect. Relax. It was the same in Brest, remember? At first, you made mistakes like that too, but in the end, you created the perfect treatment.”
Gihwan’s heart warmed at Sophie’s words. Back then, she had comforted his anxiety in exactly the same way.
“Then… shall I make it again?”
“No. Let’s make it together. I think that’ll be more fun.”
The two of them cleaned up the floor together and began preparing a new dinner.
Taeho, who had come to check after hearing the loud noise, saw the scene from the kitchen entrance. He thought it would be better not to disturb the two of them as they chatted softly and made food.
‘Mr. Gihwan is the type who subtly stirs women’s protective instincts.’
“Uncle?”
Hayul came running over.
“Hayul, shh~”
When Taeho raised a finger to his lips, Hayul thought it was some kind of game and giggled as she copied him.
“Shh?!”
“Shall we go over there and play blocks with Bear Uncle?”
“Yes!”
Taeho quietly picked Hayul up and returned to the living room.
The evening sun began to color the rooftop terrace of Geumsan Clinic.
The dinner Gihwan had prepared with such care filled the outdoor table. Steam rose from the doenjang jjigae, carrying a rich, savory aroma.
“Wow, what a sight!”
Sophie exclaimed in admiration at the view beyond the terrace railing. The small country village was dyed in the sunset, glittering gold.
“To eat in a place like this… It’s truly wonderful.”
“Ms. Sophie, do you like the countryside more than the city?”
“Yes. My hometown is a place called Saint-Suliac. It’s a really beautiful, quiet country village. Maybe because of that, I prefer the countryside to crowded, noisy cities.”
At Sophie’s answer, a smile naturally appeared on Taeho’s face.
“Hello, Ms. Sophie. Welcome.”
Deputy Director Park Suhyeok, who had come up after finishing work at Geumsan Clinic, greeted her with a warm smile.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Sophie. I heard you did excellent work together in Brest.”
“Ah, you must be Professor Park Suhyeok! I heard you’re someone Kiuwan respects very much.”
“Respects? That’s too much praise. Dr. Seong is far more outstanding than I am. If anything, I’m the one learning from him.”
When Sophie greeted him politely, Park Suhyeok waved both hands and made a humble joke.
“Auntie! Here!”
Hayul patted the chair beside her and called Sophie over. After playing with Sophie, Hayul had opened up to her quickly.
“Thank you, little friend.”
“Hehehe.”
As Sophie sat down beside Hayul, Taeho looked around at everyone and said,
“Now then, shall we make a toast to celebrate Ms. Sophie’s visit to Korea?”
Only Hayul had milk, while everyone else raised glasses filled with makgeolli.
“To Sophie’s visit and our new meeting!”
“Cheers!”
With the clinking of glasses, the cheerful dinner began.
Sophie picked up her chopsticks and tried a piece of kimchi. Her eyes widened at once.
“It tastes different from the kimchi I had in France.”
“Is it strange?”
Gihwan immediately asked with a worried expression.
“It’s spicier! But it’s really delicious!”
“Eat slowly. Once you find out how good Mr. Gihwan is at cooking, you’ll want to settle down here.”
Taeho said with a laugh.
Gihwan’s face turned red, but he was so pleased that his mouth spread into a grin of its own accord.
“Oh, Director. What are you saying…”
When Sophie kept eating the spicy kimchi and then gulped down water, Park Suhyeok chuckled and said,
“Ms. Sophie, if it’s spicy, eat it with rice. I did the same when I first ate spicy kimchi. I’m from Seoul, so when I was young, I didn’t eat kimchi that spicy.”
“Really? Then is kimchi different in each region?”
At Sophie’s question, Gihwan began explaining excitedly.
“Yes! Jeolla-do kimchi uses a lot of salted seafood, so it has a strong savory flavor, and Gyeongsang-do seasons it cleanly with salt instead of salted anchovies. Gangwon-do…”
“Wow, I didn’t know that. So kimchi is different from region to region!”
Sophie looked at Hayul, who was sitting beside her and diligently using her chopsticks, and asked,
“Does Ayur like kimchi?”
“Hayuri likes the kimchi uncles make the best! It’s the most dewicious!”
When Hayul shouted loudly, Taeho, Gihwan, and Park Suhyeok all burst into laughter.
Sophie took a spoonful of doenjang jjigae and tasted it, then let out a deep exclamation of admiration.
“It’s really delicious. How can it taste like this?”
“It’s the power of fermentation.”
Gihwan began to explain.
“Doenjang is made by fermenting soybeans, and during that process, enzymes break down proteins and produce amino acids. That’s what creates this savory flavor.”
“Ah!”
Sophie clapped her hands.
“Then amino acids like glutamic acid are produced during the fermentation process? In France, we have something similar called Miso Français, a fermented paste, but it doesn’t have such a complex flavor.”
“Miso Français?”
When Gihwan showed interest, Sophie explained.
“It’s something French chefs have been making these days, inspired by Japanese miso. But it’s a simpler fermentation, so it doesn’t have this depth.”
“That’s really interesting. Every country’s fermentation culture is different.”
Park Suhyeok listened with interest as he spoke.
As the evening deepened, stars began appearing one by one beyond the sea. The warm bulbs installed on the terrace created a cozy atmosphere.
Sophie was reminded of the dinners she had enjoyed in her childhood hometown. It was a warmth she hadn’t felt even once since leaving her hometown to attend university. Now, with both her parents gone, even when she visited her hometown, she could no longer feel that way…
“It really is a magical evening. To be in a place like this, with such warm people… I’m lucky.”
“We’re the lucky ones. Ms. Sophie, you are a truly special guest to us.”
When Taeho said that, Park Suhyeok chimed in.
“You have no idea how much Dr. Seong bragged about you. In Brest…”
“Professor Park!”
Gihwan, embarrassed, quickly cut him off, and everyone burst into laughter once again.
“Auntie, will you play with me tomorrow too?”
When Hayul asked with eyes full of anticipation, Sophie stroked Hayul’s cheek and said,
“Of course! Will Ayur show me around the village?”
“Yes! We’ll catch shells at the beach, and I’ll pick up pretty pebbles for you too!”
At Hayul’s excited voice, all the adults smiled.
“Tomorrow is Sunday, so shall we go on an outing to the beach?”
When Taeho suggested it, Sophie nodded.
“I’d really like that. I want to properly experience the Korean sea.”
A gentle night breeze blew in.
The five of them each sat comfortably and continued their leisurely conversation.
Just then, a commotion could be heard outside the clinic.
Gihwan went to the window and saw several village elders coming over, carrying baskets of medicinal herbs.
“Ah, it looks like the elders are coming back from the herb market.”
“Herbs?”
When Sophie showed interest, Taeho suggested,
“Would you like to take a look? You can see traditional Korean medicinal ingredients for yourself.”
“I’d love to.”
Sophie went outside and gazed curiously at the baskets the elders were carrying. They were filled with all kinds of medicinal ingredients: ginseng, balloon flower root, deodeok, omija, and more.
“Are all of these medicinal herbs?”
“Yes, most of them are either cultivated or gathered directly in this area.”
Gihwan explained.
An elderly woman noticed Sophie’s interested gaze and smiled.
“Is this young lady curious about licorice?”
“Licorice?”
When Gihwan translated for her, Sophie picked up the licorice, smelled it, and nodded.
“Ah, réglisse! We use licorice in France too! We call it réglisse.”
Sophie carefully examined the licorice root the grandmother handed her and said,
“Wow, so this is real licorice root! In France, I’ve only seen it in processed form.”
“This here’s the real thing. It hasn’t been long since it was dug out of the ground.”
“The smell is different too. It’s stronger than the French kind, and somehow more wild.”
Gihwan explained beside her.
“The variety is probably different. Korean licorice is Glycyrrhiza uralensis, while the European kind is Glycyrrhiza glabra.”
“Exactly! I think the component concentrations would be different too.”
“Huh? They use this sort of thing in France too?”
When the grandmother asked in surprise, Sophie began explaining excitedly.
“Yes! But in France, it’s mainly made into candy and eaten when you have a cough or a sore throat.”
“Goodness! They make candy out of licorice?”
Seeing the French young lady show interest in medicinal herbs, the grandmother spoke with excitement.
“Around here, we steep things like this and use ’em. It’s for when your mouth feels numb and your throat’s all itchy. Even little ones get better right away if they gargle once with water that’s been steeped good with licorice.”
Sophie said in admiration,
“I’ve never heard of gargling with licorice-infused water. Grandmother, you must have built up a lot of experience with this kind of folk medicine over the years. In France, much of that traditional knowledge has disappeared.”
When Gihwan translated for the grandmother, she laughed loudly.
“Listen to how prettily this young lady talks! If you like it, take it!”
“What? Really? Aren’t you selling this?”
“There’s plenty of it all over the place here, so don’t you worry.”
As the grandmother looked fondly at Sophie, Taeho smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
‘Ms. Sophie won over even Grandmother without speaking the language. She’ll adapt quickly.’
***
The next day, the four of them were enjoying a leisurely walk together along the sandy beach of Samcheok. The afternoon sunlight glittered on the gentle waves.
“Hayul, let’s look for seashells!”
Taeho held Hayul’s hand as they searched the sand where the waves had washed in. Excited, Hayul picked up a pretty seashell and showed it to Sophie.
“Auntie! Look at this!”
“Wow, it’s so pretty! I’ve never seen a shell like this in France.”
Sophie walked barefoot along the sand and deeply breathed in the scent of the sea.
“It’s truly beautiful. It has a charm different from the Mediterranean.”
Gihwan looked at her, his heart swelling. Something that had seemed like a dream only yesterday had become reality.
“I’m happy that you like it, Sophie.”
“Uncle, over there!”
Hayul suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted. Gihwan stopped speaking and looked in the direction Hayul was pointing.
From far away, a scream could be heard.
“Aidez-nous! Au secours!” (Help us! Save us!)
Sophie’s face instantly stiffened. It was unmistakably French.