Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Vacations Don't Go My Way (3)
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Song Joo-hyun looked shocked at the offer to raise the rent by just 30,000 won.
It wasn't unreasonable.
The restaurant was gaining several more pyeong of usable space, and settling for a mere 30,000-won rent increase meant the landlord was coming out way ahead.
There was only one reason Jeong Min-gu had made this choice.
It stemmed from a conversation he'd had with Jin Ho-yeon over drinks not long ago.
As relatives living nearby, the two of them sharing a drink a few times a year was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Hyung-nim, I heard you went back to your hometown recently?"
"Yeah. Had some things to look into."
"Not to visit the family home?"
"I did stop by there too. But I had other places to go as well."
"Like where?"
"The cemetery. Paying respects at the graves."
Jeong Min-gu couldn't easily wrap his head around going all the way to his hometown just for grave visits.
Jin Ho-yeon rarely went back home except for holidays, citing busyness. He never missed his grandparents' ancestral rites, but he wasn't the type to carve out extra time for something like that.
So, the chances of it being a family grave visit were slim.
As Jeong Min-gu tilted his head in confusion, Jin Ho-yeon let out a hearty laugh and spoke up.
"You remember the grandma who owned that rooftop room we used to live in together? I went to pay respects at her grave."
"Oh... her? That's random. She was from our neighborhood, huh."
"Yeah. Totally out of the blue."
Jin Ho-yeon tossed back a shot of soju roughly and confessed what had happened that day. He explained clearly how the landlady grandma had helped him when he was backed into a corner mentally.
Until now, Jin Ho-yeon had kept the briquette incident from Jeong Min-gu—no, from the whole family.
It was in the past, and he didn't want to worry them unnecessarily or hear a lecture. Sometimes, the closer you are, the harder it is to open up.
Only now did he finally tell Jeong Min-gu. The miraculous experience on the way to the graves last time had finally loosened the knot in his heart.
The landlady grandma's voice from that day still rang vividly in his ears.
"I don't even know what to say. I had no idea you were going through that back then, and you ended up living with me."
"No, you starting to live with me in that rooftop room was way after that. It doesn't matter."
The two chuckled awkwardly and clinked their glasses.
Clink—
The crisp sound of glasses cleared the awkward air.
"But from what I remember, you and that grandma didn't seem that close."
"If anything, we were distant."
"Even so, you knew where she was buried, down to the exact spot. Were you in touch the whole time?"
"Nah. I only found out recently by sheer luck. I'd been searching for a long time, though. It's not easy finding out where some elderly stranger is laid to rest."
"Right? That's what's kinda amazing about it."
"You know what's even more amazing?"
"What?"
"It was Joo-hyun who told me the grave's location. That young guy working on the first floor of your commercial building."
"Joo-hyun-ssi told you? How'd he manage that?"
Jeong Min-gu had every reason to be surprised.
Knowing the grave's location meant he at least knew about whatever had gone down between Jin Ho-yeon and that grandma. He'd confided in him before his own family.
Whatever their connection, it was clear Jin Ho-yeon had a deep level of trust in him.
"Who knows! That's what I wanna ask. But he told me out of kindness, so I didn't wanna pry. Just gonna let it be."
"Hmm..."
Jin Ho-yeon was right.
How Song Joo-hyun had found the grandma's grave wasn't really important.
What mattered was that he'd stepped up and tracked it down for him, even though it wasn't his business.
Grateful for that.
"So, I learned something when I went down to the hometown. That grandma lived alone, right?"
"Yeah, just her on the first floor."
"But apparently, she used to have family. Back when she lived in the hometown. The village head told me. They were neighbors."
"Oh, I see. So she ended up living apart from them somehow?"
"They passed away. Everyone except her."
"..."
"It was a briquette fire accident in the dead of winter."
It was a headache-inducing story.
Not too long ago, such accidents happened all too often. Back then, boilers weren't common, so families relied on briquettes for heat.
Plenty ended in tragedy due to carelessness or bad luck.
She was the sole survivor of her family in one such accident.
So, that day.
The day Jin Ho-yeon had lit the briquettes in his room, resolved to leave the world behind.
Few people on this earth could fathom what that grandma must have felt witnessing it firsthand.
What emotions drove her to drag the young Jin Ho-yeon out of that chaos, scold him, and take him to the butcher shop before even the hospital.
Even claiming to understand that sentiment felt irreverent.
Jeong Min-gu and Jin Ho-yeon clinked glasses again and downed their soju.
"Kkh... Min-gu-ya."
"Yeah."
"Take good care of Joo-hyun. No matter what you think, I've benefited from him in so many ways. I can't tell you what to do, but whatever you give that guy comes back tenfold, in ways you never expect."
"Joo-hyun-ssi's a good guy. Cooks great food. Good personality too."
"He's solid. So, Min-gu-ya, if there's anything you can do to help him out, please do. Even if it's for me.
Lately, the shop's been so busy I can't drop by often, even though I wanna check on him. Wanted to treat him to something nice, but no time."
"I'll do that when I get the chance."
"Thanks."
And that chance came sooner than expected.
**
Jeong Min-gu calmly recounted the conversation from that drinking session.
He'd sung my praises so much that my face heated up. Why did that Hyung-nim talk me up so glowingly even when I wasn't there?
He was incorrigible.
- Anyway, so we agreed to a small rent increase. Practically nominal. Whatever shortfall I have... I'll just hit up Ho-yeon Hyung-nim for some pocket money or whatever.
"Haha, I didn't track down that address calculating this far ahead. Lucky break."
- Lucky? Nah, it's because Joo-hyun-ssi treats people well. Good karma coming back around.
"You think?"
I smiled sheepishly to hide my embarrassment, but Yoon-seul grabbed at my short sleeve, poking it.
Looking down, I saw my little sister had already scarfed down over five chocolates, grinning innocently.
She shoved one toward my mouth.
A sweet aroma tickled my nose.
"Oppa treats Yoon-seul nice, so Yoon-seul gives this to Oppa too."
"Yoon-seul's feeding Oppa?"
"Only feeding Oppa. Not other people."
A five-year-old hand-feeding chocolate seemed like a rare event. I took it quick.
Sweet.
A new kind of sweetness.
The chocolate was sweet, but this moment felt even sweeter because it was so heartwarming.
Not just simple kindness—it was reciprocation for the goodwill I'd shown first.
A wholesome give-and-take.
Moments like this made me think that even in this cutthroat, harsh world, life was still worth living.
- So, we can take that as agreement on the store expansion work?
"Yes. Actually, I'd appreciate it."
- Great.
Jeong Min-gu offered a light handshake, which I accepted.
Yoon-seul, maybe jealous or feeling left out, slapped her chocolate-covered hand right on top.
Chocolate smeared stickily onto Jeong Min-gu's hand.
- Ugh.
"Ahh... sorry, Ming-gu-ssi..."
Realizing her mistake, Yoon-seul apologized fast.
She rubbed her index fingers together in the middle.
Peeking at him sidelong, she looked just like a guilty puppy.
- No, it's fine! Wanna smear it again?
Yoon-seul was so cute that Ming-gu-ssi malfunctioned. He held out his other hand, free of chocolate, and made weird noises.
In the end, we agreed on a start date for the work.
We'd have to account for the contractor's schedule, but the landlord assured us it wouldn't differ much.
Jeong Min-gu left, leaving me and Yoon-seul behind.
To post one announcement.
[Onui Restaurant will be closed for building renovations until .... We'll return with even tastier food and warmer service. See you again in August.]
"This should do it?"
Specifying the period should get the point across.
I wrote the notice on the A-frame chalkboard we always kept out front. Leaving it by the door inside should make it visible from outside without being hard to read.
Anyone showing up then would see the construction anyway, so the reason for closure would be obvious.
"Hmm... too empty."
Yoon-seul started drawing a picture next to my notice. She wanted to fill the blank space.
Gripping the marker like a crayon, she drew an animal.
Hard to identify the species clearly, but drawing on my sixth sense as her Oppa, I guessed.
"You're drawing Rui right now, huh?"
"Ooh...! Oppa guessed right away! Smart Oppa."
If Rui had a solidified sense of self, I wondered what he'd think of this.
The lines were crooked, twisting the face all out of shape.
But that's pretty much how five-year-old drawings go.
"Store closes next week, so we gotta see Rui once before then, right?"
"Yeah. Rui needs to come quick, or we won't see him for too long. Then Yoon-seul will get upset."
A flat five-year-old would be trouble.
I'd call the Kwon siblings over beforehand.
They might show up anyway, but Su-an-ssi was more cautious than Su-young-i.
Better to invite them—they'd probably appreciate it.
"Wanna fill a bit more of this blank corner with Oppa, then go home and eat something yummy?"
"Yeah! That's good. Yoon-seul will draw Oppa."
"Then Oppa will draw Yoon-seul."
....
Time passed.
The siblings' mutual portraits were complete.
I compared the two drawings.
Both were hopelessly bad.
With none of each other's features captured, placed side by side filling the space, they almost looked like hyperrealism or modern art.
In a generous light, anyway—harshly put, they were doodles.
"Oppa and Yoon-seul drawings are the same. So Yoon-seul likes it!"
"Yoon-seul's happy with it?"
"Yeah! See, you can tell!"
Luckily, the five-year-old seemed fully satisfied.