Dressed Like a Princess, Devoured by Mala Tang
The mala tang flashback rewinds to just before I met Seoyeon.
Has she not arrived yet?
I headed to the park near the department store, our meeting spot, but Seoyeon still wasn't there.
Did I come too early? I'd left with a 30-minute buffer just in case, so I sat on a nearby bench and waited.
A cool breeze rustled my hair, carrying snippets of other people's conversations past my ears.
"Oppa, do I look different today?"
"Hey, Kim Si-hyun! Don't you dare stand there!?"
"Oh my, oh my... so what happened with that cheating Kim Seo-bang?"
The nice weather had definitely drawn a crowd for outdoor activities. Voices blended together, filling the park with lively chatter.
Right around then...
"Oh my... out for a solo stroll?"
An elderly woman with snow-white hair suddenly spoke to me.
"I'm waiting for a friend—we made plans."
"I see... Hohoho. Leaving such a cute kid waiting like this? Your friend must have some guts."
She gently patted my head and pulled a red ginseng candy from her pocket.
Does she think I'm elementary school age? My appearance was close enough, but tricking an elder felt a bit guilty.
"I'm actually in high school, so it's fine, Grandma."
She looked a little surprised but handed me the candy anyway.
"Oh dear... my apologies. But since it's a rare treat, please take it."
Hmm. Refusing now would be rude too.
"Thank you then. I'll enjoy it."
Crumple.
I unwrapped the candy and popped it in my mouth. The distinctive red ginseng smell filled my palate.
...It tasted awful.
I used to enjoy these back in the day.
"Hohoho... Doesn't taste good, huh?"
"N-no, it's fine."
I forced down the rest of the candy just as Seoyeon entered my view. She hadn't spotted me yet and was looking around.
"Ah, my friend's here, so I should get going. The candy was delicious, Grandma."
I stood, gave a polite bow, and left.
"Alright, take care... stay healthy."
Leaving the waving grandma behind, I approached Seoyeon and greeted her.
"Hey."
"Oh, you're here? I was a bit late..."
Then her face stiffened as she looked me over.
Did I do something wrong?
I glanced down at my clothes—a plain T-shirt. Nothing special, no patterns. Pretty ordinary, right—
"I can't allow that outfit! We're buying clothes right now!"
Ah.
I thought it was pretty casual myself and tried to protest.
"Isn't this casual enough?"
"With such a cute look, you need to dress it up more! Casual ruins it!"
Hmm.
High school girls these days really splurge on fashion, huh.
In the end, she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the department store.
"Kyaa!! So cute!!!!"
I stepped out of the fitting room in the outfit she'd handed me, and she was making a huge fuss—
"Would you ever consider modeling for our store!?"
—while the employee failed to hide her excitement, practically snorting steam from her nostrils.
I found a mirror nearby and checked myself out.
The pure white dress like blank canvas paper, paired with little shoes... I looked just like
"a princess."
Definitely princess-like. If Pronesis was the tomboy princess, this was Sleeping Beauty.
Not bad at all.
"Right!?"
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The pile of clothes in her hands made me a little queasy.
"Here, try this one too...!"
And it wasn't just one person—two of them now.
Unable to resist their urging, I headed back into the fitting room.
This won't end in an hour or two... right? Just my imagination...?
.
.
.
"Thank you!"
Three hours later, I finally escaped the clothing store.
We'd bought a ton of clothes too. Money wasn't an issue, but some felt like ones I'd never actually wear—a bit wasteful.
"Ah... that was fun! Where next? Karaoke? Or there's a game center nearby—wanna go there?"
...What is this stamina monster?
Physically, I should be younger...
"...? Something on my face?"
I stared at her with a puzzled look, but she seemed oblivious to her own endurance.
"...Nah, nothing."
I checked the time on my smartphone—it was already 1 PM.
"How about we eat first?"
"Huh? Already time for that!?"
Figured as much.
They say department stores don't have clocks so shoppers lose track of time. Seems true.
Gurgle.
"Ah."
Right on cue, Seoyeon's stomach growled loudly.
"Q-quick, let's eat and keep playing! Where's the elevator..."
Her face turned beet red as she bolted off in search of the elevator without looking back.
And so we arrived at a mala tang place.
First time here. Inside was a huge display of ingredients.
People crowded around with tongs, grabbing stuff from bins and shaking it off vigorously.
Curious, I asked Seoyeon.
"What's that about?"
"Oh right, you lived abroad so you wouldn't know. The price depends on the weight after you pick."
Aha.
Handy system. No suspicion even if I don't know high school girl customs.
"How many?"
"Two."
After being seated, she set down our shopping bags and headed to the display.
Not knowing the drill, I did the same and followed.
She handed me a big bowl and tongs.
"Grab a bowl and pick what you wanna eat. Want some recommendations?"
"Yeah."
Best to follow advice when clueless.
"Hmm... Start with lotus root, Shanghai greens, tofu puffs, dried tofu—veggies don't make you gain much weight overall..."
One minute later.
"And last, cilantro—it's love it or hate it, but I like it."
Ah. Finally done.
Mostly veggies after the first ones. She must worry about gaining weight—plenty of tasty-looking stuff skipped.
"Thanks for the recs."
I added the first four as suggested. Tofu puffs and dried tofu were new, but I grabbed a bit anyway.
"Just a little? No flavor without 'em."
...Knew it felt off, but I added more per her advice.
Her bowl had double mine of those—shocking.
That good, huh? First time, so lightly, then on.
Lotus root and greens—familiar, decent portions.
Then whatever I wanted: cheese cakes, bacon, sausage, wood ear mushrooms, potatoes, bean sprouts, corn noodles, glass noodles, aburaage, fish balls, etc.
Bowl got heavier than expected.
Done picking, we went to checkout with waiting Seoyeon.
"Little miss~ Put the bowl on the scale~"
'518g'
"Quite a lot~ Can you finish it? Wanna remove some?"
Seoyeon looked worried too.
"You okay? Might gain weight."
"Fine."
Eat freely while young—no worries.
"Alright~ Total for little miss: 12,432 won~"
"Got it."
Paid with card, back to seats.
"Now just wait—it'll come out ready."
Whew.
Exhausted for no reason. Ordering this hard?
"Thanks for showing me."
"No biggie~"
Without her, I'd have struggled. Or not come at all.
Honestly, not that into mala tang.
Four years ago? Heard it boomed then, but busy with work, no need.
Realized I was too old for trends.
No big expectations now either. Body changed, but reviews say "meh" or "tastes like cosmetics"—bracing myself.
...Though tasty-looking stuff made me overfill a bit.
Anyway, waited for the mala tang.
"Sorry for the wait!"
And so I received my first mala tang.
Bright red broth with floating oil globs—greasy worries first.
But try before judging, I took the first bite.
Slurp.
The taste of mala tang I finally tried was
"Oh, you finished already?"
"Urk."
Huh.
Where'd my mala tang go?