Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Onui Restaurant Opening! (1)
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*Snore... snore...*
Little Yoon-seul was snoring softly.
I had no idea what dream she was having, but her sleeping habits seemed especially restless today.
She tossed and turned this way and that.
I poked her soft cheek with my finger.
She flinched.
"Oppa... stop... taking it..."
She mumbled something incomprehensible.
What on earth was she dreaming about me doing?
I wanted to ask her.
I pulled out my smartphone and opened the banking app.
[Song Joo-hyun's current balance]
[5,241,315 won]
"Whew, a ton of money went out. If Ho-yeon Hyung hadn't helped, I would've been in real trouble."
Uncle Kang and Ho-yeon Hyung.
A few weeks had passed since I'd invited the two of them over.
Naturally, in that time, we'd made progress on selecting the location, interior construction, and various other things.
In the end, we rented a spot on the first floor of a slightly rundown commercial building near Seongbuk Stream, not too far from Bomun Station.
Normally, first-floor spots command a hefty premium, but it turned out the building owner was a relative of Ho-yeon Hyung's.
Thanks to that, we got a bit of a discount on the rent.
"Hey! Can't you cut the rent for me, between us?"
"No, Hyung, I'd give you a deal for your own place, but this guy's a stranger to me..."
"What kinda cold talk is that? He's like a little brother to me, so he's like a little brother to you too.
And a stranger? Then get to know him starting today! Expand your network—it's a win-win."
"Heh heh."
Thanks to Ho-yeon Hyung's somewhat bulldozing approach, I'd come out ahead.
The building owner wasn't all that greedy for money anyway.
"If you come by our place, we'll treat you to a meal now and then. Thank you so much."
"Then... let's settle on that. Who knows, it might be fate. Ho-yeon Hyung vouches for you like that."
With that exchange, we agreed to pay 10% less than the standard rent.
Saving that much covers the ingredient costs for at least a few days of sales. Anyone who's run a business knows that's huge.
That alone put me deeply in Ho-yeon Hyung's debt, but he even helped with the interior work.
Remodeling the interior costs a fortune in labor and materials.
We also needed kitchen equipment, tables, chairs—all sorts of stuff.
Ho-yeon Hyung stepped in during procurement too.
"Hey! Who am I? How many years have I been in the business?"
"Twenty years~!"
It was really about eighteen, but rounding up to twenty always made him happy.
"Just follow Hyung and you're golden!"
Coming from a total stranger, it'd sound sketchy.
But Ho-yeon Hyung was trustworthy.
Following his advice, we picked an interior firm and sourced fixtures.
It cost a bundle, but I think we pulled off the clean look I wanted.
"Whew... just one problem left."
The restaurant name.
What should we call it?
Maybe it's immodest to say, but I've got zero talent for naming.
Not sure if it's because I only finished middle school, but my vocabulary's nothing special either.
The books from the used bookstore didn't spark any ideas.
I consulted Ho-yeon Hyung and Uncle Kang, but their responses were like this.
"Joo-hyun, I've thought about it, and the name's gotta come from the boss. That's not something I can do for you."
"Hmm... how about Song Joo-hyun Restaurant?"
Ho-yeon Hyung first, then Uncle Kang.
Neither was much help.
Sorry to Uncle Kang for suggesting it, but slapping my own name on it felt off...
Anyway, kinda lame.
"Ah, if only a great idea would just pop into my head!"
That's what they say about great writers.
But all I know how to do is cook and serve.
"Mmm... hand... Dal-nim..."
Beside me, Yoon-seul, dozing for once, kept sleep-talking.
She scrunched her face like she was mad.
Or chewed her lips while wriggling around.
What kind of dream could make her act like this?
**
The world inside Jang Yoon-seul's dream.
It looked suspicious at first glance.
An empty white void.
With sun and moon.
Two light sources hanging in the sky at once.
"Hmm...?"
Even a five-year-old Jang Yoon-seul could tell that was weird.
Why was she all alone?
And why were the sun and moon both up?
But dreams are hard to question.
Yoon-seul just blinked up at the sky.
"Huh...? Where's Oppa...?"
Things felt off, so first things first—find her big brother.
It was an automatic reaction.
For the past month or so, Song Joo-hyun had been with her no matter what. She hadn't even gone to kindergarten.
Now, without him nearby, her side felt empty.
"With Red Hat Uncle again."
Lately, Song Joo-hyun had been meeting Jin Ho-yeon often for shop prep. He'd brought Yoon-seul along whenever possible, so now Jin Ho-yeon was on her bad side.
Red Hat Uncle Jin Ho-yeon had become, in her mind:
- That annoying kid who kept calling for "Oppa" left and right.
"Hmph..."
Convinced Jin Ho-yeon had dragged her Oppa somewhere weird again, Yoon-seul puffed out her cheeks and set off to find him.
Today, she'd give that Red Hat a piece of her mind for sure.
"Oppa has to play with Yoon-seul. Stop taking him."
She marched off.
Strutting with big, determined steps—how far did she go?
Then she heard children's laughter.
Hahaha—
A long rope descended between the sun and moon.
Two little kids climbed down it with special forces-level skill.
They looked identical—one boy,
one girl.
Both in old-fashioned white robes.
Like something from Joseon era or way earlier.
Of course, Yoon-seul had no clue about that and just thought, *What're they wearing?*
The racing jacket Oppa bought her was 302 times cuter. (302 was the biggest number she'd counted on her fingers when bored.)
"Hello!"
"Uh... hi."
Yoon-seul dragged her foot on the ground and greeted them awkwardly.
If Oppa were there, she'd grab his pants and hide behind him.
But no matter where she looked, she was alone.
They seemed her age, which made it even weirder.
Bad memories from kindergarten, plus she hadn't talked to kids lately.
She couldn't think of what to say next.
Then she remembered something Oppa had said.
- Yoon-seul, if you're gonna hang out at the shop with Oppa, you'll have to talk to customers a lot. Wanna practice chatting with other people, even if it's awkward at first?
It was a tough ask, honestly.
She could only really talk to Oppa, grandma, Uncle Choco, or Red Hat Uncle.
*But... gotta listen to Oppa.*
She knew he said it for her sake. Things usually went well when she followed his advice. She knew from experience.
That gave her courage to speak to these weird white-clothed kids.
"Who're you guys?"
A bit aggressively, though.
"We're the O-nu-i siblings. I'm Dal-nim, and this is my little sister Haet-nim."
"Whoa... pretty names."
"You're pretty too, Yoon-seul."
"Huh? I didn't tell you my name."
"We watch from up there all the time, so we know. Your Oppa's Song Joo-hyun. You're Jang Yoon-seul. Grandma's An Soon-yeon."
"...?!"
Her guard shot up at Dal-nim's words.
They knew her and Oppa's names—that was one thing—but grandma's full name too?
*Grandma's just Grandma... I never knew that.*
Grandma had always just been Grandma, never An Soon-yeon!
"We came because we need a favor, Yoon-seul."
Now Haet-nim, the little sister, spoke up.
"What?"
"Your Oppa's stuck on something he can't figure out, and we were hoping you could help."
"Me?"
"Yeah! Yeah! You can totally do it, Yoon-seul."
"Tell me. I'll see."
She crossed her arms haughtily, listening. The siblings seemed suspicious.
"He can't think of a name for the shop. Wanna recommend one from us? What do you think?"
"...?"
Yoon-seul had no clue why they'd ask her, but she nodded anyway.
"We'll take that as a yes! Then go tell your Oppa to name the restaurant Onui Restaurant?"
"No way."
"?!'
"You're the O-nu-i. Why would Oppa use your names?"
Haet-nim deflated.
Yoon-seul's logic had shut her down.
Dal-nim stepped in.
"That's not it, Yoon-seul."
"Then what?"
"O-nu-i means siblings. Joo-hyun Hyung and you are siblings too, right?
And you're gonna work at the shop together. So it's not about us—it's about you two siblings?"
"Uh...?"
Yoon-seul pondered, scratched her head, and slowly nodded.
Dal-nim seemed right.
Haet-nim was the little sister, Dal-nim the big brother—big brothers really were something else.
Would this guy turn into an "Oppa" type when he grew up?
"I'll... tell him."
"Yeah! Thanks, Yoon-seul."
Dal-nim grabbed her hand. Embarrassed, she yanked it back and hid it behind her.
The siblings exchanged sly grins.
But Yoon-seul was too flustered, twisting around, to notice.
"See ya."
They said their piece and grabbed the rope again, climbing up with squeaky grunts.
*What? I thought we'd be friends...*
Guess not.
Bummer.
Oh well, fine. She had Oppa anyway.
Still, she didn't like them just dumping their message and bolting.
So Jang Yoon-seul yelled after them.
"Who the heck are you guys!!"
"Huh...? It's Song Joo-hyun, though..."
Suddenly, her bewildered Oppa was sitting on the bed in front of her, pupils shaking.
Then it hit her.
It was a dream.
Her shout must've gone to Oppa's ears after waking, not the siblings.
She felt bad.
But she didn't want to apologize straight up.
It was those O-nu-i jerks' fault.
"Oppa... bad dream..."
"Oh dear, did our Yoon-seul have a scary dream? Is that why you yelled? C'mere."
"Yeah... scary..."
She lied to smooth things over and went to him.
Song Joo-hyun had thought her tossing around earlier was a bit much...
A nightmare, huh.
He got it and hugged his sister tight.