08.
08.
Sihu got an earful from Hayun.
"Hey! You brag about being directionally challenged? Man, if you join the army, you're really gonna get it from your seniors."
"Hyung. I probably won't be going to the army, though?"
"What?"
Hayun's eyes widened in surprise.
'Ah. That's right. He said he lost both parents in an accident when he was a minor, suffered various external injuries at the time, and submitted a diagnosis confirming psychological trauma to the Military Manpower Administration.'
After mulling it over, Hayun asked Sihu,
"You haven't gotten your draft notice yet?"
"Not yet."
The two chatted about this and that as they headed toward the restaurant run by Master Yun Sukhui.
"Wow—a tiled-roof house."
Hayun exclaimed in admiration at the tiled-roof house.
A tiled-roof house situated deep in the alleyway.
Perhaps because it was a cold day, not a soul was passing through the alley.
Beyond the wooden gate, a small garden revealed itself.
"Whoa—"
Every time Hayun and Sihu made their way deeper into the establishment, admiration burst from them unbidden.
After passing through a gate and garden straight out of a folk village, another small wooden gate appeared.
Creak—
When they opened the door, the subtle fragrances of orchids and ink tickled their noses.
An employee dressed in a stylish modern hanbok approached and asked,
"Welcome. What is the name under the reservation?"
Sihu and Hayun exchanged glances.
A reservation?
Momentarily flustered, Sihu held out the invitation ticket to the employee.
The employee checked the invitation ticket Sihu had presented and looked at the two with a slightly surprised expression.
"Ah! You are guests of Master Yun. Please allow me to guide you this way."
The employee guided Sihu and Hayun to a room with polite gestures.
Upon entering the room, Sihu and Hayun couldn't help but let out exclamations of admiration.
A large table occupied the entire space, and thick cushions were laid on the floor.
Hanji wallpaper subtly exuded a Korean charm.
As they were looking around the room in silent awe, the employee came back and placed water cups before Sihu and Hayun.
They were ceramic cups with a faint blue sheen.
And the teapot pouring the water was a ceramic teapot with a blue sheen as well.
When Sihu took hold of the cup, he felt warmth.
Huu—
What spread throughout his mouth with a savory depth was Solomon's seal tea.
The employee, who had been watching them, smiled brightly and left the room. Hayun turned to Sihu and asked,
"If even a cup of water holds such savory depth... how much would it have cost if we'd come with a reservation?"
After thinking briefly, Sihu answered,
"It'd probably start from at least two hundred thousand won."
"What? What's so expensive?"
Sihu had reacted the same way as Hayun when he first heard it from his school teacher while learning Korean cuisine.
Sihu smirked and opened his mouth.
"Hyung. The futurist Alvin Toffler said that the future is heading toward the third flavor. The first flavor is salt, the second is seasoning, and the third is fermentation. He said the world is slowly entering the era of the third flavor."
Sihu took another sip of the Solomon's seal tea and continued.
"And Korean cuisine is the essence of the third flavor—jang, Hyung. You've heard of it before, right? That's why it has to be expensive."
At Sihu's question, Hayun nodded.
"The root of Korean cuisine's taste is jang. The taste of jang is the taste of fermentation, and fermentation begins in earthenware jars formed from clay."
Every time Sihu spoke, Hayun felt like he was a different person.
'Did this guy always have such affection for Korean cuisine? Unexpected... I thought he was just skilled...'
Sihu continued his explanation about fermentation.
"Earthenware jars fired at high temperatures have breathing holes. Just as people breathe, these clay jars inhale air through those holes and exhale moisture."
Just as Sihu paused, a weighty female voice was heard from somewhere.
"Only when the jang tastes good can the best flavor be achieved, and the taste of Korean cuisine is completed with a profound umami from jang that has been given time."
She entered the room with elegant movements, wearing a modern hanbok comfortable for moving about.
One could infer her age from a voice brimming with experience.
When Master Yun Sukhui entered the room, Sihu rose from his seat and bowed his head.
"Hello, Teacher."
Yun Sukhui looked at Sihu with a gaze mixed with many emotions.
"Yes. It's been a while, Sihu."
Hearing this, Sihu's pupils dilated slightly.
When Sihu stood, Hayun had risen alongside him.
"Everyone, sit."
At Yun Sukhui's words, the two sat back down.
Yun Sukhui, dressed in an elegant modern hanbok, seated herself and opened her mouth.
"You must have had a hard time getting here, Sihu. And?"
When Yun Sukhui's gaze shifted to Hayun, he bowed his head and introduced himself.
"Ah. My name is Ju Hayun, Teacher."
Yun Sukhui nodded upon hearing Hayun's name.
"Yes. Hayun."
After briefly looking at Hayun, Yun Sukhui turned her gaze to Sihu.
"Sihu? I've heard much about you."
"Excuse me?"
Seeing the curiosity seeping into Sihu's face, Yun Sukhui displayed only a benevolent smile.
"First, you must be hungry, so I shall bring out the food. Please wait."
Yun Sukhui exited the room with neat yet graceful movements.
Haa—
At Hayun's sigh, Sihu asked,
"What's wrong? Hyung?"
"Huh? No... I'm nervous."
Hayun ran his hand through his hair to ease his tension.
The tension that had persisted since laying eyes on Yun Sukhui finally eased.
"Will I even be able to eat properly?"
"Please eat comfortably. I'm looking forward to the teacher's cooking."
Hayun tilted his head.
"Looking forward to it?"
Sihu nodded and said,
"Master Yun Sukhui's dishes aren't ones that even Korean chefs can eat just because they want to."
"What? Then?"
"They say her cooking contains consideration for the recipient in every single bowl, as well as the heart she wishes to convey. That's why I'm looking forward to the food."
As soon as Sihu finished speaking, the door opened and dishes began to be laid out on the table in a line.
Sihu's eyes sparkled.
'This is... a Surasang.'
The appearance of the food served on brassware bowls and plates was truly a beautiful picture in itself.
Once all the food was placed on the table, the employee spoke.
"When you have finished everything, Master Yun will personally bring out the dessert. Please enjoy your meal slowly."
Click—
When the door closed, Hayun stared at the table with wide eyes.
"What is all this? None of it looks like ordinary food, right? Sihu, do you know something?"
"Hyung. This is a 'Surasang.'"
"Surasang? Isn't that the Joseon Dynasty king's table?"
"That's right. Hmm... Calling it the king's table isn't wrong. You could also call it royal court cuisine."
After explaining the food to Hayun, Sihu began to take in each dish with his eyes.
Sihu looked down at the brassware spoons on the table.
There were two spoons.
One was a rice spoon, and one was a porridge spoon.
There are many theories about why two types of spoons are prepared in Korean cuisine, but the majority opinion is that it shows consideration for the guest.
Sihu looked down at the brassware bowl set before him.
'It's pine nut porridge.'
When Sihu picked up the brassware porridge spoon, Hayun, who had been watching him quietly, began to follow his lead.
'Ugh—I've been to cheap rice joints before, but this is my first time at such high-end Korean food. For now, I should just follow Sihu's lead.'
Sihu scooped the porridge with the porridge spoon.
When he tilted the spoon slightly, the porridge flowed down smoothly.
As soon as he took a bite, the fragrance of pine nuts filled his mouth, and he could taste a slight saltiness as well.
'She ground high-quality solar salt with a mortar.'
Sihu savored the pine nut porridge and swallowed.
"Hooah—I've never had porridge this delicious before."
Just as Hayun's exclamation burst out, Sihu nodded as well.
After the pine nut porridge, the next brassware bowl contained dumplings.
The dumpling skins were so thin that the filling seemed to show through transparently.
Sihu picked up a dumpling with brassware chopsticks and put it straight into his mouth.
A chewy texture washed over him like a wave, together with the softness of the fish flesh.
'Royal court eomandu. Was this the texture? Dumpling skin made from a blend of potato and wheat. Is the fish in the filling sea bream?'
Sihu slowly savored each of the dishes on the table—the gujeolpan, sinseollo, as well as yukhoe, sukhoe, and grilled dishes—one by one.
Hayun found Sihu eating slowly to be a different sight altogether.
'He's tasting each dish one by one? Analyzing them? And what's that notebook for?'
After eating all the food on the table, Sihu began writing something in the notebook he had brought.
He even began examining the brassware (bangjja) spoons, chopsticks, and bowls.
Once he had examined them to a certain extent, an employee came in and cleared away all the brassware bowls.
The table was left empty.
Knock—
The hanji door slid open, and Yun Sukhui entered carrying a long wooden tray.
Thud—
Yun Sukhui placed before Hayun and Sihu plates of persimmons, pears, and yugwa, along with sujeonggwa, and spoke.
"Did the food suit your palate?"
Hayun bowed his head and answered that it had been truly delicious.
Yun Sukhui nodded as if satisfied and looked at Sihu.
"Student Sihu. Now that you have experienced this royal court Surasang, what did you think?"
Sihu felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back.
Seeing Sihu's nervous expression, Yun Sukhui's lips curved up slightly.
Sihu's straight-line lips parted.
"I felt that the heart you put into the Surasang is your philosophy of Korean cuisine, Teacher."
"My philosophy of Korean cuisine... May I hear your reasoning?"
Sihu could not easily answer Yun Sukhui's question.
Because he could not tell whether Master Yun Sukhui had treated him as an ordinary customer,
or as a special guest.
After a long deliberation, Sihu opened his mouth.
"I still don't quite know."
At Sihu's answer, Yun Sukhui gave a faint smile.
"How honest. Being able to say, 'I don't know what I don't know,' is also a necessary skill."
Yun Sukhui stared at Sihu for a moment, then looked at the notebook placed beside him.
'A notebook? I wonder what's written in it.'
Sihu followed Yun Sukhui's gaze and saw it resting on his notebook.
Feeling embarrassed, Sihu quietly hid the notebook.
"Huhuhu. Shall I guess what is written in the notebook you're hiding, Student Sihu?"
At Yun Sukhui's words, Sihu's eyes wavered.
"Is it not written there—based on the flavors you felt from this Surasang—how to compose a Korean cuisine menu and how to approach the customer?"
At her words, Sihu felt his hair stand on end.
Sihu closed his eyes once, then opened them and spoke honestly.
Opening his eyes, Sihu answered,
"It is exactly as you said, Teacher."
Sihu admitted it.
And then he held out the notebook to Yun Sukhui.
Receiving the notebook, Yun Sukhui flipped through it.
Shrrk—
Reading the contents of Sihu's notebook, Yun Sukhui was inwardly surprised.
Thank you for reading.
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