Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Lily
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Lily.
The sun had completely set, and darkness blanketed the streets.
Lily pulled her worn hoodie deeper over her head.
Today, too, she had gone hungry.
The money her father had left behind was dwindling fast.
Then, one man's face floated into her mind.
The kind Asian man who handed out lunchboxes at the church.
'If you're really hungry, come there. I'll help you.'
Lily hesitated for a moment.
But the growl from her stomach left her no choice.
She quietly set off.
Downtown Berkeley.
The place where the man's shop was.
How long had she walked?
Familiar Korean letters came into view.
'Babsang'
It was exactly the name on the signboard.
Lily approached the shop, harboring a flicker of hope.
But the shop was dark.
The door was firmly shut, and a large cloth covered the glass windows, hiding the construction materials.
A small notice was posted on the door.
Under construction.
Lily stared blankly at the words.
The tiny spark of hope blooming in her chest was snuffed out like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on it.
She stood motionless in front of the dark shop for a long while.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned and stepped back into the darkness.
Her shoulders were hunched a little more than before.
Back home, Lily closed the front door and slumped to the floor right there.
Darkness. And silence.
She didn't turn on the light.
She had to save electricity.
Sitting on the cold floor, Lily drew her knees up to her chest.
She wrapped her thin arms around them.
She curled her body as small as possible.
As if trying to shield herself from every threat in the world.
That was when it happened.
Growl growl growl.
The sound from her stomach embarrassingly filled the quiet house.
She was hungry.
Lily struggled to her feet.
She headed to the kitchen.
Opening the cupboard revealed only empty shelves greeting her.
She went to the sink and filled an old glass to the brim with tap water.
She gulped it down.
One glass. Then another.
She had some money left in her pocket.
But that was money she absolutely couldn't touch.
The electric and water bills due next week.
If she couldn't pay them, she might get kicked out of even this house.
The only sanctuary her father had left her.
The cold water filled her empty stomach.
The hunger eased for a moment, but the emptiness in her heart only grew.
Lily crawled back into the darkness.
The church front yard was bustling with people today, as always.
I was handing out the lunchboxes I'd prepared with care, just like usual.
Honestly, I'd seriously considered skipping volunteer work today.
The shop was in the middle of construction.
I'd gotten a rare month-long break—did I really need to drag myself out of bed at dawn?
But I couldn't shake it from my mind.
The people waiting for the meal I'd made.
The thought that if I didn't show up, they might go hungry all day.
In the end, the night before, I'd called a friendly restaurant owner I knew well.
Asking if I could borrow his kitchen just for the early morning.
I got up at the crack of dawn and made and packed over a hundred lunchboxes in someone else's kitchen.
An elderly homeless man took a lunchbox and gripped my hand tightly.
"Thank you, young man. Always so grateful."
Hearing that made all the fatigue from the early morning melt away like snow.
I smiled faintly to myself.
'Yeah, good thing I came.'
It was around the time the lunchboxes were almost gone.
At the end of the line, I spotted that small, fully covered figure I'd seen before.
Oh no... this might not be enough.
My gloomy premonition was spot on.
I handed the last lunchbox to the grandma in front of me, revealing the empty bottom of the box.
And the next in line was that girl.
She stared at the empty box and froze in dazed shock.
I gave her an apologetic look.
"What do I do, I'm sorry...? The lunchboxes are all gone."
With her head bowed low, she murmured in a tiny voice.
"......I'm hungry..."
That one phrase made my heart sink.
Should I buy her some food separately?
As I hesitated for a moment, she spoke again.
"......You told me to come... but it was under construction..."
Ah. She'd come right when it was under construction, of all times.
"...Really hungry?"
To my question, she just nodded silently.
"Wait just a sec. I'll finish cleaning up here and get you some food right away."
She lifted her head.
"...No more?"
I didn't respond to her words.
Instead, I started folding up the empty folding table.
First things first, I had to clear this spot.
Once the table was put away, I approached her.
"I'll buy you some food. Wanna go together?"
At my words, she hesitated and stepped back.
"I'm not a bad guy. I'm the owner of that restaurant under construction... If you're worried, want to go with the pastor?"
She shook her head side to side. Then, in a very small voice, she said.
"...You're kind... First time."
Mysterious words.
"Then... shall we go eat?"
She shook her head no again. I asked calmly.
"Don't like eating out?"
She nodded vigorously. She was probably too hungry to even speak.
"Hm... What to do. Only lunchboxes okay?"
Nod nod.
"Hm... Got a favorite food? I'll buy that."
"...The one from before..."
"Huh? From before? Ah! You mean the tteokgalbi?"
"...It was tasty."
"Problem is... nowhere sells it."
I said apologetically.
"No place around here sells it. I'd have to make it myself..."
At my words, she lifted her head. And said.
"...I want to eat it. Can you make it?"
Her expression was hidden under the sunglasses and hat pulled low.
'Must be hot walking around so bundled up?'
The weather today was warm enough to feel it.
"...Hm. I'd need to shop for ingredients, so it'll take some time... That okay?"
At my words, she nodded again.
Hm... nothing else to do anyway. Might as well volunteer.
My food was that good, huh? As the maker, of course I felt proud.
"Alright. Follow me."
I led her to the truck I'd driven.
"What's your name?"
"...Lily."
"Nice, Lily. Gotta stop by the restaurant quick to grab some tools, then shop for ingredients... Wanna go to my place? Or your place?"
"...Can you make a lot?"
She must be really poor. Her huddled posture looked somehow heartbreaking.
"Of course. I'll make plenty, enough for several days."
At my words, Lily thought for a moment, then nodded.
"...To my house... Can you come? I walked... it was too hard."
"Sure. Let's swing by my shop first, then shop on the way."
That was my first real meeting with Lily.
I had no idea back then what a massive turning point it would be in my life.
I stopped by the shop under construction.
From the dusty kitchen, I grabbed a few cooking tools and a jar of my secret sauce.
I also took some of the leftover rice and a bit of the rice cakes for tteokbokki.
Next, I hit my usual butcher shop and ordered a generous amount of ground beef.
Finally, I swung by the mart for some salad veggies.
When I asked Lily for her address, it turned out to be in the notorious south side, known for bad security.
Well... let's go see.
Honestly, it was my first time in that neighborhood too.
We headed to Lily's house and arrived before long.
The exterior of the house was, frankly, clearly a low-income dwelling no matter who looked.
Small and rundown.
Trash littered the surroundings, and homeless folks wandered the streets.
"......This is my house."
Lily led the way, opened the old door.
With a click, the door opened, and I hesitantly followed her inside.
And closed the door.
The inside was silent and dark.
The windows were covered with something like black cloth—no sliver of light got in.
Lily familiarly lit the old lamp on the table.
Orange light dimly illuminated the dark house.
No, was the electricity cut? That's a problem.
I headed down the narrow hallway to what looked like the kitchen.
"Didn't you say your mom was here before?"
At my words, Lily shook her head side to side.
Ah.
She must've lied to get an extra lunchbox.
"Then... your parents aren't around?"
To my question, Lily just nodded silently again.
Ah... somehow, she seemed pitiful.
"Sit at the table and wait a bit."
Nod nod.
I unpacked the tools and ingredients I'd brought and started prepping the tteokgalbi.
First, I put the ground beef on the cutting board and chopped it again thoroughly with the flat of the knife.
For that soft texture.
I finely minced the garlic and onion as well.
In a large bowl, I put the ground meat and veggies, then poured in a generous amount of the secret soy sauce from the shop.
A dash of pepper too.
And the most important step.
I started kneading the dough vigorously by hand.
Until it developed that sticky chewiness.
Once it had enough stickiness, I tore off portions and shaped them into flat rounds in my palm.
Now, just grill them.
Hm, this'll make over twenty pieces easy.
Should last a week, no problem?
I brought rice too... but is there a rice cooker?
"Electricity cut?"
I asked out of curiosity while kneading the tteokgalbi dough.
"...No, electricity's not cut."
"Then why light the lantern?"
"......Got my reasons."
I see.
"Got a rice cooker? I have rice."
At my words, Lily quietly shook her head.
Pot rice it is, then.
While letting the meat dough marinate, I decided to make pot rice.
Good thing I'd grabbed a pot from the shop just in case.
"Lily, I'll teach you how to make rice. Come here."
At my words, Lily got up from the table and came to my side.
"Okay~ Wash the rice clean like this, put it in the pot. Water just one finger knuckle above the rice. Then high heat for 2-3 minutes till boiling hard, then very low for 15 minutes. Turn off and steam 5 minutes. Got it?"
At my explanation, Lily nodded slightly.
"Okay~ Sit back down. Gonna grill now. I'll pack 'em in this Lock&Lock here. Stick in the fridge, reheat when you eat. Got it?"
Lily answered in a very tiny voice, "Yeah..."
I lit the burner under the pot and pulled out the frying pan for grilling the tteokgalbi.
Soon, the sweet, nutty aroma of rice wafted from the gaps in the pot lid.
I turned the heat down low.
Now for the tteokgalbi.
A thin layer of oil in the pan, then carefully placed one shaped patty.
Sizzle—
A lively, appetizing sound broke the silence of the dark house.
The sweet-savory soy seasoning caramelized in the heat, filling the narrow kitchen with its aroma.
Mingling with the savory scent of the cooking meat, it created an irresistible fragrance.
I grilled the tteokgalbi patties one by one with care.
The bright red meat turned to an appetizing brown as it cooked.
I adjusted the heat to keep the sauce from burning, flipping them front and back, until the surfaces glistened.
The edges were slightly charred and crispy-looking.
Finally, the rice had steamed through.
I neatly packed the perfectly grilled tteokgalbi into the large Lock&Lock container.
Freshly cooked pot rice and a plate of glossy tteokgalbi.
I set a lovingly prepared meal in front of Lily.
But Lily was still in that getup.
Even inside the house—hat, mask, and sunglasses.
I couldn't hold back my curiosity and asked.
"Hey, Lily, why are you like that even at home?"
Was she sick or something?
At my question, Lily hesitated for a long time.
Then, in a very small voice, she said.
"......Don't freak out."
With that, she fumbled and removed her hat and sunglasses.
Under the dim lamp light, her bare face was revealed.
And I...
The moment I saw that face, I was utterly shocked.
To the point I forgot to even breathe.