Episode 3
03.
"Haah—."
Sighing, Sihu's steps were unsteady as he climbed the uphill path toward home.
Thump. Thump.
Sihu thought back to Ganghun's words.
"If I explain in a bit more detail, hyung is thinking of learning Japanese cuisine, so I'm planning to go to Japan."
At the words "Japanese cuisine," Hayun asked.
"Hyung! You're really rich. Going all the way to Japan to learn Japanese cuisine. Are you going to be handling sushi later too?"
At Hayun's nagging tone, Ganghun smiled and answered.
"Well, if I start cooking again later, I suppose that could happen?"
Ganghun was avoiding Hayun's eyes that were looking at him, staring off elsewhere.
At the two people's conversation, Sihu clenched his fist tight.
If Ganghun was going to put the shop up for sale in order to go to Japan to learn cooking, Sihu had nothing to say.
If he thought about it the other way around?
Sihu felt he would make the same choice.
Creak—
As the iron gate opened and Sihu entered the house yard, he looked around.
As autumn deepened and winter approached, the napa cabbage and radishes planted in the small garden had grown considerably.
Sihu had planted radishes and napa cabbage in the garden to make kimchi for the family to eat.
"I should pick them soon and make kimchi."
He looked at the napa cabbage and radishes for a moment before heading inside.
An empty house.
As he stepped inside, a warm draft seemed to blow.
Sihu checked that the master bedroom door was open and realized he hadn't closed it when he went out.
The basement below his parents' room came to mind.
Heading toward the master bedroom, he felt warm air.
He glanced briefly at the dresser beside the stairs going down to the basement.
'If I'm going to go down to the basement often, I should move it out of the way, right?'
Screech— Thud—.
"Huh?!"
As he moved the dresser, suddenly one drawer slid—right out.
In an instant, the drawer fell out, and before he could stop it, his parents' clothes and the contents fell to the floor.
After quickly moving the drawer aside, just as he was about to put the fallen items on the floor back into the drawer.
A large square box tied with a pretty ribbon caught Sihu's eye.
"A present?"
Sihu thought his parents had prepared the box to give as a gift to someone.
He discovered a small card envelope tucked on top of the gift box.
Slide—
[To our beloved Gang Sihu.]
The moment Sihu saw the handwriting on the card envelope, his nose stung and his eyes grew moist at the same time.
Rustle—
He opened the envelope and a letter came out.
[To Sihu.]
Sihu slowly began to read the letter.
[Sihu. This is a gift from Mom and Dad to our admirable son.
Watching our son earn his Korean cuisine chef's certification and sweep up awards at Korean cuisine cooking competitions, we thought, 'What could he need?'...
There was something a chef ought to have that our son didn't have. So Mom and Dad discussed it and prepared this.
Sihu. You don't have much left in your practical training, do you?
Mom and Dad felt incredibly at peace when eating the food you made, and it felt like all our worries disappeared.
Thanks to that, we would look forward to coming home after work to the meals you prepared...
Mom and Dad thought it would be nice if people who eat your food in the future could feel the emotions we felt too.
When we imagine guests at a restaurant you open happily eating delicious food, why do we feel so proud?
Maybe it's just Mom and Dad being sentimental?
It's your life, so we're not forcing you. We just wanted to share it because it was so good when we tasted it?
It's nice when you only make it for Mom and Dad, but... we wanted to brag about you.]
Sihu recalled how happy his parents had been eating the food he made.
'They wanted to brag about me...'
His parents seemed to want Sihu to open a restaurant and share that joy with other guests too.
'I also liked seeing you two happy while eating the food.'
Sihu read the rest of the letter that was nearing its end.
[Sihu.
Mom and Dad are always grateful to you.
Most of all, thank you for being born to Mom and Dad and for growing up kind and healthy. We always cheer for you and love you. Our Sihu! Fighting!]
After reading the letter, he untied the gift box.
It was a kitchen knife set.
"Huh?"
Sihu took out one of the chef's knives and was startled.
He discovered Sihu's name engraved on the bolster—the junction between the blade and the handle.
[Gang Sihu❤]
Sihu understood the name part.
But seeing the heart afterward, he let out a light sigh.
It felt like receiving a knife gift from his deceased parents.
He gripped the spine, the heel, and the handle.
Sihu set down the knife, put his hands together, and muttered as if in prayer.
"I'll make delicious food with this. Mom, Dad, thank you."
After quickly organizing the dresser, Sihu wanted to try using the knives.
He started peeling the skin off potatoes he had brought from the garden and placed in the kitchen using the peeler from the knife set.
Shhk. Shhk.
It peeled truly smoothly.
He sliced the fully peeled potatoes using the chef's knife.
Chop chop chop—
"This knife is insane."
He was completely satisfied with the gifted knives.
Checking the clock, Sihu cleaned up the kitchen, then washed up with a slightly restless heart and headed to bed.
***
The next day.
Sihu headed to work carrying a plastic bag with potatoes and sweet potatoes he had dug from the garden.
When he opened the door to [SeeYou], Ganghun welcomed him.
"Oh, Sihu's here."
"Hello."
After greeting him, Sihu went into the kitchen and set the plastic bag down on the shelf.
Rustle—
As if he had been curious about the contents the moment they were set down, Ganghun opened the plastic bag, looked inside, and asked in a surprised voice.
"What is this?"
"Potatoes... wouldn't you say?"
"What? What kind of answer is that?"
"......"
As Sihu stayed silent, Ganghun took out a potato and started sniffing it.
Sniff sniff—
"Is this really a potato? Why is it so big? Is it some kind of GMO?"
"I don't think so."
"Really? But what are you going to do with potatoes?"
Sihu spoke and naturally snatched the potato from Ganghun's hand.
"I'm going to make the staff meal today."
"Using those potatoes?"
"Yes, I'm confident in Korean food, after all."
After answering, Sihu went to the changing room and came out after changing clothes.
Along with a clean white chef's uniform, he wrapped a bandana around his forehead.
With quick movements, he washed the rice and set it to soak.
Then he washed the potatoes and peeled the skin with the peeler.
Shhk. Shhk.
He cut the potatoes into cubes and then quickly julienned some for stir-fried potato strips.
Takatatak—
Sihu first placed the potatoes on top of the rice and set it to cook in the electric pressure rice cooker.
Watching Sihu move in the kitchen, Ganghun's eyes narrowed.
Seeing ingredients being prepped and organized every time Sihu moved, Ganghun clicked his tongue.
'I've watched him all this time, but his movements are really clean without a single wasted step.'
Ganghun realized Sihu moved efficiently.
While observing Sihu's movements, the shop door opened.
The moment Hayun entered, Sihu brought out the prepared food and set it on the table.
"I'm here! Huh? What is that smell? Wow..."
Hayun looked at the table and his mouth fell open.
"What the... Did Sihu make this?"
Sihu nodded and headed to the kitchen to get a few other side dishes he had prepared at home yesterday.
Ganghun urged Hayun.
"Hurry up and change your clothes."
"Yes!"
Ganghun sat at the table looking at Sihu's food.
Hayun too pulled out a chair and asked while looking at Sihu.
"Hey—. What on earth is this..."
Hayun couldn't continue.
On the table was Korean food displaying an elegant demeanor, temptingly inviting them to eat.
Along with silky, glossy stir-fried potato strips, there was potato soup with many cubed potato chunks in it.
The potato rice was flat yet fluffy, harmonizing well with the grains.
Perhaps because it was made with potatoes from the garden, the overall visual looked even better.
Ganghun looked at the food and took out his phone.
"You have to take pictures of something like this..."
Click—
Hayun also took pictures and sent them to his classmates via KakaoTalk.
Seeing the two of them, Sihu opened his mouth.
"Hyung! I've thought it over carefully. Yesterday, the shop takeover we talked about in the evening—I'll do it."
Hayun, chopsticks in hand, looked at Sihu with surprised eyes.
Ganghun nodded at Sihu's statement.
"Okay. Let's talk after we eat first."
Ganghun scooped up a spoonful of the rice in front of him.
The moment it entered his mouth, his pupils began to tremble.
'Wh-what is this? The softness of the potato and the rice grains and potatoes chewing together, savory and mild, yet the flavor...'
Savoring the taste, Ganghun took a spoonful of the potato soup.
Slurp—
The mildness and savoriness of the potato in his mouth.
The umami contained in the broth harmonized together.
The harmony felt on his tongue ignited his appetite.
Hayun, seeming to have felt something similar to Ganghun, lifted some potato from the soup with his spoon and spoke, spittle flying.
"Hey—this is insane. What is this? Is this really a potato? This kind of flavor comes from a potato?"
Ganghun looked at Hayun briefly, then looked at Sihu.
"Sihu, your cooking skills improved a lot after overcoming your aphasia. But today, it seems like they've improved even more than that?"
As if he couldn't believe it, Ganghun pointed at the potato soup and potato rice and asked.
Hayun once again began moving his spoon mindlessly, devouring the rice and side dishes.
"Phew—I'm full. Sihu. It was really delicious."
"Thanks for the meal."
After finishing their meal, Hayun and Ganghun were feeling the lingering emotion from the food Sihu had made.
Ganghun closed his eyes, thought for a moment, then looked at Sihu.
"Sihu, you said you'd take over this shop, right?"
"Yes."
"What exactly is your reason?"
Ganghun's eyes lowered.
"As I told you yesterday, I like this place, and I want to see people happy eating my food from up close. And, I want to serve food that carries the meaning of 'You worked hard today,' if that makes sense?"
The will to do it could be seen in Sihu's eyes.
Seeing those eyes, Ganghun opened his mouth.
"Fine. I'll hand it over to you."
At Ganghun's answer, Sihu hesitated slightly and spoke honestly.
"Hyung. But even combining the money I have with the insurance money, I'm a bit short, so could I sell Korean food menus here over the weekend?"
"Korean food?"
"Yes. Food like today. And I'm thinking of using the sales revenue as funds to acquire the shop."
At Sihu's words, Ganghun nodded and crossed his arms.
'If it's this guy's food...'
Ganghun looked at Sihu as if having made up his mind.
"Okay. Then do it that way, and don't use the insurance money. Don't worry too much about money either. You can pay it back gradually after the takeover. Then, not this weekend but starting next weekend, give it a try. Think about how you'll compose the menu."
"Yes."
Sihu looked at the two people's expressions.
Seeing the expressions of the two people who had satisfyingly eaten the food he made, Sihu felt a ticklish sensation in one side of his chest.
"Thank you for enjoying the meal."
Sihu expressed the gratitude welling up from his heart to the two of them.
Ganghun and Hayun's eyes widened slightly at Sihu's expression.
Thank you for reading.
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