Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Sunrise Inspiration
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The stretch from Gapyeong to Chuncheon was a sacred spot for college students in the capital area, known as the holy land of MTs.
And that was just the beginning.
It was the perfect distance—not too far, not too much hassle—for day trips or a single overnight stay from the suburbs, making it a favorite among families and couples too.
“How was Nami Island?”
The Yeonwoo family had just come from Nami Island, Chuncheon’s premier tourist attraction.
Yeonwoo, entranced by something else entirely, replied.
“It was just okay.”
At that, Jiyeong pointed at him.
“This kid couldn’t care less about islands.”
“Anyone could tell.”
What Yeonwoo was staring at was none other than dakgalbi.
In the restaurant owner’s hands, bright red sauce mingled with chicken and vegetables, dancing across the sizzling hot plate.
Each time, an appetite-stirring aroma bewitched Yeonwoo.
“Alright, go ahead and dig in.”
At the owner’s words, Yeonwoo glanced at his grandmother.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s eat.”
Yeonwoo watched her pick up her chopsticks before finally lifting his own toward the plate.
But it was too far.
“Careful, you’ll burn yourself on the plate. Dad’ll serve you.”
Jihoon stopped him and quickly scooped some dakgalbi onto Yeonwoo’s side plate.
Yeonwoo stared at it for a moment before popping a piece into his mouth.
The sweet-salty sauce paired with crunchy vegetables and tender chicken stimulated his tongue.
“How is it?”
“De-delicious!!”
Yeonwoo shouted in excitement and dove in eagerly.
After devouring a good portion of the dakgalbi?
“Dad, I wanna try mulmakguksu.”
“Wanna share?”
“Yeah, I bet it’s great with the dakgalbi.”
Jihoon quickly ordered some makguksu.
“Wow, there’s something I’ve always wanted to try!”
Seeing the makguksu, Yeonwoo lifted the bowl bigger than his head with both hands.
“Can I drink it like this? I saw it on YouTube—looks super refreshing and tasty.”
“Go ahead. It’s just family eating together, no big deal.”
At his grandmother’s words, Yeonwoo brought the bowl to his lips and gulped down the broth.
“Phew…!!”
The cool dongchimi broth washed down his throat. Yeonwoo let out an involuntary sigh of delight.
“Tasty?”
“Yeah, Aunt. The best.”
Yeonwoo seemed genuinely moved, just like the vibes in those YouTube videos.
He polished off half the makguksu—ordered just for a taste—then, as the dakgalbi dwindled, ordered fried rice and finished it off with gusto.
“Our Yeonwoo sure packs it away. He’s gonna grow huge.”
At Heo Ok’s words, Yeonwoo nodded.
“Yeah, super tall. Taller than Dad!”
Jihoon smiled, though he wondered when that day would come.
Having conquered Chuncheon’s ultimate goal—dakgalbi—the family skipped staying overnight there and headed straight to Ayajin in upper Goseong near Sokcho.
By the time they arrived, it was already 9 p.m.
Despite the late lunch of dakgalbi, hunger struck right on cue, so they ate sashimi at a seafood spot inside Ayajin.
It was late at night in a fishing village, so they figured it’d be empty, but the place was nearly packed.
They’d just picked the nearest open eatery near their lodging, but unbeknownst to them, it was a famous spot for military folks’ gatherings and a local favorite.
The family enjoyed sashimi, spicy fish stew, and the region’s signature white fish porridge simmered with seaweed before heading back to their lodging and crashing hard.
* * *
“Yeonwoo.”
“Mmm…”
“Yeonwoo? We gotta go see the sunrise.”
Yeonwoo’s eyes flew open at that.
Right—he’d forgotten.
Sure, the food was great, but the real reason he’d wanted to come to the East Sea was to catch Korea’s very first sunrise.
He bolted upright as if he’d never been groggy, and Jihoon ruffled his hair.
“What about Grandma and Aunt?”
“Didn’t wake ’em on purpose. You know it’s tough for Grandma to get up. Aunt’s lazy anyway. We’ll be following the East Sea coast straight down, so plenty more chances.”
“Yeah.”
Yeonwoo nodded, neatly combed his hair with his fingers right there in place, then stood.
April was approaching, but with the sun not yet up and the seaside chill, it was pretty cold. They bundled up tight and stepped out with Dad.
“Sea smell…”
Yeonwoo sniffed curiously at the unfamiliar scent.
And sounds reached him too.
“Waves crashing, I think.”
“Dad can barely hear it, but you can from here?”
“Listen close, Dad. It’s not far.”
At Yeonwoo’s urging, Jihoon focused.
Intermittent crashing waves came faintly.
“You’re right. C’mon, let’s hurry—sunrise is any minute.”
“Yeah!”
Father and son scurried toward the beach, practically jogging.
They claimed a spot by the Ayajin breakwater, where Jihoon spread out the small mat he’d grabbed from the car and sat.
“Not too cold?”
“I’m good. Uh, a little?”
“This’ll help.”
Jihoon handed over something he’d packed along with the mat.
Warm honey tea from the convenience store.
Slurp.
Yeonwoo took a sweet sip and gazed ahead.
“Whoa?!”
“Oh!!”
In that instant, the horizon beyond the sea began to glow red, and the sun shyly peeked out.
“The sun seems kinda introverted, Dad.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s late coming out ’cause it’s shy. But it still climbs up to the sky where the whole world can see.”
“Haha, that was surprisingly poetic—not very T of you.”
“T and poetic stuff are different. I can say things like that anytime. I read a ton of books!”
Jihoon proudly ruffled his hair.
Meanwhile, the sun revealed itself more boldly, painting the world red and shoving back the darkness.
Yeonwoo watched, utterly entranced.
It started faint, but the sun eventually triumphed over the dark, soon illuminating the entire world.
It didn’t matter if you were rational or emotional.
“Beautiful…”
It was a moment where nothing else could be said.
“Yeah.”
Jihoon agreed, and the two stared at the sun until their eyes could take no more.
“Oof… getting hungry now. Wanna grab breakfast?”
“Yeah!!”
With that, Yeonwoo pulled something from his pocket.
“No way—you brought that here too?”
“It’s the most important thing. I always carry it.”
None other than Yeonwoo’s handmade map of foods across the country.
He studied it intently before saying.
“Dad, let’s go for seopguk.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”
“But what’s the difference between mussels and seop?”
“Well, far as Dad knows, seop’s the Gangwon dialect for mussels. But then I saw some folks calling big mussels seop too.”
“How’d you know it’s Gangwon dialect?”
At that, Jihoon replied.
“Dad did my military service here. 2X Division, Machajin outpost.”
“Wow, for real?”
“Yeah. It was rough back then, but looking back, it’s a good memory.”
“Cool.”
Yeonwoo found it fascinating that Dad had been a soldier. Would he be one someday too?
It felt impossibly distant to Yeonwoo.
Listening to Dad’s military tales, they headed to a place serving seopguk bright and early.
“Hey!! You shoulda woken me!!”
“You’d actually get up?”
“Ugh, you’re the worst brother ever!!”
“We’re sticking to the East Sea area for the next few days anyway. You’ll see it tomorrow.”
By then, Jiyeong had joined them. They reached the restaurant, placed their order, and soon Grandma showed up too, so the whole family enjoyed breakfast together.
The meal flew by.
Originally, the plan was to head to the northernmost tip of Goseong—Myeongpa-ri, right on the border with North Korea—but Yeonwoo put the brakes on it.
“After that sunrise, I wanna write a song.”
A melody had struck.
Back at the lodging, Yeonwoo set up the laptop and keyboard he’d brought just in case and got to work.
The sun rising victorious over the darkness, lighting up the world.
To Yeonwoo, it felt just like the Red leader of the Power Squadron defeating the evil empire.
He captured the faint start—barely tinting the horizon red—as a whispery murmur, building gradually to a heavy swell that dyed everything red, triumphing over the dark.
Finally, the sun alone in the sky after banishing all shadow, rendered in majestic climax.
In no time, he had a demo track and gave it a listen.
Something was missing.
It needed a big, powerful sound.
“Big drum…!”
Yes—big bass drum.
Not the pedal bass drum in a kit; that didn’t give the grandeur he envisioned.
It had to be struck with a large mallet.
Yeonwoo layered in drum beats like a slow march toward the enemy: step by step, boosting allies’ morale while crushing foes’.
Dung, dung, dung—the resounding tones swelled the heart.
From there, he fragmented it with drums and wove in low strings like violins for solemn depth.
When the sun fully rose, he threw in every instrument for fuller, more dignified solar majesty.
“Huh…?”
Somehow, he’d crafted a full classical piece.
But it felt inevitable—to evoke something as grand as the sun, he needed the rich, resonant power of an orchestra, not puny electronics or weak echoes.
“This was supposed to be for later.”
Yeonwoo scratched his head. But what could he do? It was done.
After some thought, he emailed it to Wakana.
[Wakana sis
Made this on the trip.
Title: Sun.
Upload to YouTube!!
Attachment: Sun.mp4]
Might not see a real orchestra play it, but he hoped his fans would listen, so off it went to Wakana.
“Travel’s the best.”
Great food, stunning sights sparking inspiration for songs.
And come to think of…
“Maybe a dakgalbi piece next.”
His hands flew, envisioning a food symphony rivaling his Japan ramen and sushi ones.
“Dakgalbi complete!!”
The ramen would get a fancy rename like Flowing Stream via Himari’s arrangement, but this one—uploaded directly by Yeonwoo through Wakana—would probably stay Dakgalbi forever.
“Next up, seop…”
Oh, same deal.