Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Vacations Don't Go My Way (2)
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After a hearty breakfast, we head out to the restaurant.
I’ve never once gone in on a day off, though.
Is this the mindset of office workers gearing up for weekend overtime?
I’m not exactly going to work, but my mood is all unsettled anyway.
It’s polite to arrive a bit early for an appointment, so I plan to get there by 11:50 at the latest.
August is almost here.
The breeze from pedaling the bike cools my cheeks a little, but the sunlight stings my skin.
I slathered sunscreen on Yoon-seul thoroughly, so her skin should be safe.
But I’m struggling.
“Oppa, it’s too hot...”
“Hot?”
“The sun’s super pissed off. It’s attacking Yoon-seul like crazy.”
Her creative way of saying the day is scorching.
There’s nothing I can do about it right now.
Our only option is to hurry to the restaurant and bask in the air conditioning.
The sunscreen might be making my skin feel even stickier and hotter.
Then, along the road to the shop, I spot something nice.
An old man has parked a cart piled with odds and ends. Looks like he’s selling them—handwritten price tags on everything.
What catches my eye is a straw hat.
I stop the bike for a moment and head over to the cart.
“Grandpa, how much for that hat?”
- Five thousand won.
“This is for my little sister here—got anything in a small size?”
- Hmm... for a kid? This one’s the smallest. Try it on.
“She’s not a baby, she’s Yoon-seul...”
Yoon-seul clings to me like she’s shy, but she insists on her name loud and clear.
The grandpa roughly plops the hat on her head.
Whoosh—
Her head’s so tiny it slips right into the deep hollow of the straw hat.
A gust of wind might send it flying right off.
Still, the oversized look is kinda cute. Five thousand won isn’t bad, so maybe I should buy it.
- Hmm, what a pretty little thing. Makes even a big melon head look good. She’ll be perfect for TV someday.
“Um... big melon head.”
Yoon-seul repeats the memorable phrase. The grandpa gives a wry smile and takes the hat back.
He pulls out a string from inside the cart and ties it to the hat. Pretty skilled hands.
A few snips with scissors, a quick rub, and he’s attached a rubber band to go under the chin.
- Try it again now.
He hands me the hat.
I put it on Yoon-seul’s head and stretch the band under her chin.
It might tip back a bit in the wind, but it won’t fall off.
Her tiny frame looks nice and cool in the shade the hat provides.
“Yoon-seul, the sun won’t attack as much like this, right?”
“Yeah! The sun’s not mad anymore!”
A five-year-old who could read the moods of nature itself.
Of course, she means the blazing ball way out in space, not our little sibling sun from the O-nu-i duo.
The straw hat look is so adorable she might’ve talked herself into calming down a bit.
I pay the grandpa, and we’re back on the bike.
Zzzing—
The chain whirs as I pedal lightly, stirring up nostalgia.
Zzoor—zzoor—
Yoon-seul mimics the sound, and just like that, we’re at the shop.
[11:47]
Right on schedule, but the landlord, Min-gu, is already there.
- You’re here. Sorry for calling you in on your day off.
“No, no, it’s fine. Thanks to you, I even got Yoon-seul this cute hat. It’s hot out—let’s head in and enjoy the AC.”
- Good idea. Honestly, I’ve only been out here five minutes. Whew... brutal.
Late July heat is no joke.
We unlock the shop and step inside—my hand goes straight for the AC remote.
Beep!
Our savior hums to life, blasting icy air that chases away the swelter.
The cool hits my nose sharp and crisp.
Saved.
While the AC kicks in, Yoon-seul greets Min-gu.
He’s stopped by a few times since his first visit not long ago, and they’ve gotten close.
She’s even given him a weird nickname.
“Long time no see, Mingoo-ssi.”
- Yeah? Yoon-seul been good?
“Yeah! Yoon-seul’s always good.”
- Oppa make you lots of yummy stuff?
“Oppa makes everything delicious.”
- That’s right. Oppa’s a great cook. That’s Yoon-seul’s good fortune.
Mingoo-ssi.
They’re at least thirty years apart, but that’s what she calls him.
I tried stopping her at first.
It seemed disrespectful, and Min-gu might not like it. But his reaction was the opposite.
He said it felt affectionate and asked her to keep calling him “Mingoo-ssi.”
At that point, I couldn’t interfere.
The real culprit behind all this? Kwon Su-young.
The Kwon siblings came for an early lunch one day, and Min-gu happened to be there too.
- There’s a kid named Min-gu in my class, and everyone calls him Mingoo-ssi. Does the building owner uncle have a nickname like that?
- Su-young... what kind of question is that?
Su-an’s utterly baffled face next to her was priceless. His little sister’s social skills had crossed into weird-question territory.
Su-young and Min-gu had just met then.
Min-gu smoothly kept the chat going and eased the mood. He’s definitely a good guy.
Yoon-seul overheard it all and started calling him Mingoo-ssi. And here we are.
Our restaurant landlord’s official title: Mingoo-ssi.
Run a place like this, and regulars start bonding like this all the time.
- If it weren’t a day off, I’d be whining for Joo-hyun to cook me something. Too bad.
“I’d love to, but no ingredients left.”
- Yeah, makes sense. Stock runs out daily—no leftovers on a day off. Shame.
“Come by whenever you’ve got time instead.”
- Will do. Here, eat this. With Yoon-seul.
“Me too, Yoon-seul?”
Min-gu pulls a box of chocolates from his bag.
Imported—Belgian, I think. Fancy packaging with sea creatures like seahorses and shells molded in chocolate.
- Figured I’d bring something since I dragged you out on a holiday. Yoon-seul’ll eat ’em, right?
“Mingoo-ssi brought them, so no choice! Everything Yoon-seul doesn’t eat rots away.”
“Miss, wipe your drool first?”
*Slurp—*
Yoon-seul licks her lips.
The upscale box really amps up that sweet chocolate scent.
Min-gu hands her one, and she chomps half of it.
She rests her hand lightly on her cheek and munches away, totally content.
I take a bite too, and Min-gu speaks up.
- Eat while we talk. It’s not bad news, so don’t worry.
“What’s going on?”
- Ever thought about closing the shop for a bit? Like a three-week summer vacation.
“Suddenly?”
- Yeah, I get it—sounds abrupt. Thing is, I want to do some renovations on your space.
“Didn’t notice any issues. Gas and water lines are fine.”
Landlords usually bring this up for internal plumbing or equipment problems.
Never had any in my time here. Bathroom’s a bit worn, but works fine.
- Not a problem cropping up. A good opportunity came up. I talked to the city office.
“City office?”
- Want to expand outward. See how your restaurant’s height drops to the street asphalt? I made it with little steps up.
“Yeah.”
- Thinking of tearing those out, making a wooden balcony floor for a veranda vibe. Expand the first floor a touch.
“That’s where the city office comes in.”
- Yeah, they approved it, surprisingly. Street here has road and sidewalk combined, so legal limits on work. But our building’s front has extra space— they said it’s fine.
What luck.
A balcony means outdoor tables. No idea the size yet, but three weeks of work means it’s substantial.
[Sun Lord: I know. Oppa and I worked so hard. But it’s a secret. A surprise gift!]
Sun Lord mentioned a surprise gift. Guess the siblings pulled some strings behind the scenes.
Grateful pals.
“So you’re suggesting we close during construction for ease?”
- Exactly. If they touched inside, you’d wanna oversee. But contractor says no—won’t happen. Sorry, but it’s not bad for you. Take it as a vacation? What do you think?
Three weeks off is a lot, but long-term, pure win.
We were planning Gangneung with Yoon-seul this summer anyway. Extend the trip a bit—no harm.
We’ve earned it.
“But if it starts today or tomorrow, that’d be tough. Other regulars might show up; sudden closure would inconvenience them.”
- Of course. We’ll sync with your schedule.
“That works for us. Actually thankful—you expanding the space.”
- Balcony’s yours to use freely. That’s the point of it.”
All good so far, but one issue lingers.
Expansion means rent.
Current space-to-rent ratio is cheap. Now they’re expanding it, even footing the bill.
Even a raise, I couldn’t complain.
It’d sting, but gotta accept.
- Joo-hyun, you’re worried about rent going up, right?
“Honestly, yeah. Self-employed life, you nickel-and-dime everything.”
- Smart move. Young as you are, calculating like that makes you look sharper.”
“Haha, been in food biz since I was a kid. Brain’s wired for it now.”
Min-gu beams and gets straight to it.
- Cutting to the chase: rent won’t jump much. Just thirty thousand won more.
“Thirty thousand?”
Why’s he so good to me?
I could cry.