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# Chapter 28 – Jeju Island: Paradise Arc
Source:
[Untitled 2]
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People were continuously leaving comments on the second video that was steadily gaining views in real time.
* Wow, your guitar playing sounds incredibly refreshing.
* Look at those clean finger movements. There's no way you're an amateur.
* The melody seems similar to the previous video, so how does it feel completely different?
At this point, I understood that people's interest in the creep1234 channel was much greater than I had expected.
...But why?
I honestly didn't get it.
It's not like I uploaded anything extraordinary.
I had only posted two short guitar videos.
Just as I was tilting my head over the mysterious attention and enthusiasm from strangers—
"Little brother, we're here."
Apparently we'd arrived.
Hansu hyung parked the Porter truck and pointed ahead.
"That's our guest house."
"Wooow!"
The moment I saw it, I lowered my phone in surprise.
The guest house was far nicer than I had imagined.
Surrounded by trees like a vacation villa hidden deep within a forest, it had a charming atmosphere.
It looked like a modern home remodeled from a traditional tiled-roof house, and seemed large enough to accommodate ten
people.
Most importantly, there were no neighboring houses nearby, and the sea was close.
Crash. Crash.
Standing in front of the guest house, I could faintly hear waves breaking in the distance.
It was close enough that I could run there on foot and go swimming if I wanted.
"What do you think? Pretty amazing, right?"
"Yeah, hyung. It's incredible."
While admiring the exterior, I noticed a sign that looked hand-painted.
[Haenyeo's Guest House]
"...Haenyeo's Guest House?"
"That's the name. The owner is a haenyeo with a really nasty temper."
The moment he said the owner was a haenyeo, a familiar image appeared in my mind.
An elderly grandmother with a warm smile, wearing a black diving suit and goggles while freely diving beneath the sea to
gather abalone and sea snails.
'The owner of this place is a haenyeo?'
Having never seen a haenyeo in my life, I opened the door with anticipation.
But the person who greeted me inside was...
"Who are you?"
Not the kindly grandmother I had expected.
"You don't have a reservation. Looking for a room?"
"Ah... um..."
The woman sitting behind the counter was what anyone would call a cold beauty.
She appeared gorgeous enough that most people would think she was beautiful at first glance.
I assumed she was an employee like Hansu hyung.
But there was something terrifying about her expression.
The moment I met her fierce gaze, I immediately shrank back.
Fortunately, Hansu hyung entered behind me and saved me from freezing up.
"Boss, I picked up a guest. This guy wants to stay here."
"Y-Yes! I'd like to stay here tonight— Wait. Boss?"
Hadn't he said earlier that the owner was a haenyeo?
Seeing my confusion, Hansu hyung burst out laughing.
"What? Did you think all haenyeo had to be grandmas? This noona is a haenyeo too. She's both a haenyeo and the owner of
the guest house."
"Ah..."
I had unconsciously assumed a haenyeo would naturally be elderly.
Seeing such a young one felt strangely refreshing.
"She's a youthful thirty-one years old. Just call her noona. Her name's Okja. Choi Okja."
"Hey, Lee Hansu. Didn't I tell you not to call me by my name?"
"Come on, why not? I have to explain things to our little brother here."
"You little punk. Always acting slick and trying to stand on equal footing with your boss."
Her way of speaking was a little rough, but she and Hansu hyung seemed extremely close.
After shooting Hansu hyung a sharp glare, Okja noona turned to me.
"How many nights?"
"Huh?"
"How long are you staying? One night? Two?"
"Ah... I haven't decided yet."
"Really? Then it's thirty thousand won per night. Just pay when you leave."
"Thirty thousand won per night? Wow...!"
This guest house had the best facilities of any place I'd stayed during my journey around the country.
Yet it was also the cheapest.
But...
'Huh? Why don't I hear anyone else?'
Despite the incredible value, there wasn't a single sign of other guests inside.
'Are they all resting in their rooms?'
As I looked around for other people—
"How old are you?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Your age. How old?"
"I'm twenty-six. Is that important?"
At my confusion, Okja noona pointed toward a sign hanging on the wall.
[Guests Must Be 25 Years Old or Older]
"Our guest house only allows people twenty-five and older."
"...What?"
What kind of accommodation had an age restriction?
As I stood there dumbfounded, Hansu hyung explained.
"We didn't have one originally. Then two years ago, Okja noona created the rule."
"Why? Doesn't restricting customers hurt business?"
"We made it specifically to filter people out."
"...What?"
This time, Okja noona answered.
Grinding her teeth as though remembering a nightmare, she spoke.
"Back then we accepted anyone over twenty. Then all these newly-turned-adult brats started showing up and causing chaos.
They'd get drunk, scream all night, throw up in the living room, get into fights, break furniture, have sex in the
bedrooms... Damn it. Just thinking about it pisses me off."
"..."
"So I kicked them all out and created the age restriction."
I always believed people shouldn't judge others solely by appearances.
But Okja noona's exterior and interior matched perfectly.
"Seriously... I should've beaten those bastards before throwing them out."
"..."
As I trembled under her overwhelming aura, Hansu hyung whispered in my ear.
"She lost her temper and cursed at guests, so they review-bombed the place. Search us on Google and our rating's
practically half a star."
"..."
"But if you follow the house rules, she's actually nice. Don't worry."
So Okja noona was basically like a character from one of those bizarre internet horror stories.
An owner who argued with customers and kicked them out.
A truly rare business owner these days.
"...So am I the only guest tonight?"
"Yep. Just you. Hahaha. In this huge guest house, you're the only customer. Nice, right?"
"...Yeah. Really..."
Actually, it was terrifying.
Being the sole guest in such a large guest house felt like the opening scene of a horror movie.
Just then Hansu hyung shouted excitedly.
"Noona! Since we finally have a guest, let's have a party tonight!"
"Sure. I'll go buy supplies. Give me the truck keys. Show the guest his room while I'm gone."
"Okay!"
Hansu hyung grabbed my luggage and led me upstairs.
"Come on, little brother. Since there are no other guests, I'll give you the biggest room."
"H-Haha. Thank you."
Following behind him, I noticed several rules posted on the walls that guests absolutely had to follow.
'Was coming here really the right decision...?'
Filled with uncertainty, I continued after him.
Still, the room he showed me was incredible.
Honestly, it looked like it should cost three hundred thousand won per night instead of thirty thousand.
---
Later, Okja noona returned from town with a truck full of groceries.
The moment Hansu hyung accepted the bags, he immediately pulled out a grill.
"Normally Jeju locals don't even eat black pork. I prepared this specially for you."
"Stop talking nonsense. Did you pay for it? I did."
Tonight's menu consisted of Jeju black pork belly and five-layer pork.
"Wooow! Thank you!"
"Just wait a bit. It'll be ready soon."
I thanked them while staring at the beautiful cuts of meat.
Okja noona casually waved a hand while Hansu hyung placed the pork on the grill.
While the meat cooked, Okja noona brought out bottles of Hallasan soju.
"You drink?"
"Yes. Thank you. Also, please speak casually."
"Sure. Then you can call me noona."
While we prepared the table together, the meat finished grilling.
Following Hansu hyung and Okja noona's example, I dipped pork belly into simmered meljeot with garlic and chili peppers.
And the taste...
"...Wow. This is insane."
Pure perfection.
Maybe it was psychological, but it tasted far better than ordinary pork.
More than anything, it had been a long time since I'd eaten barbecue like this.
I devoured the meat.
Watching me eat, Hansu hyung and Okja noona smiled.
"Black pork tastes the same as normal pork. But people from Seoul lose their minds whenever they hear the words black
pork."
"You're from Seoul too, idiot."
After that, the drinking party continued pleasantly.
"Ahhh! This tastes great!"
"Try this."
Once we'd eaten enough meat and filled our stomachs with alcohol, Okja noona emerged from the kitchen carrying
something.
"...Huh? What's this?"
"Meat alone feels incomplete. So I brought rice. I also added egg yolk and uni."
It was a fresh sea urchin rice bowl.
The bowl she placed before me was overflowing with sea urchin roe.
"Wait, isn't uni expensive? I'm only paying thirty thousand won for a room..."
"It's fine. Just eat."
As she casually placed the bowl in front of me, Hansu hyung burst out laughing.
"Our stingy boss must be excited to finally have a guest. She's even serving expensive uni."
"Shut up."
"Little brother, our boss caught it herself. The taste is unbelievable. Let me try some too—"
"Get lost. You're not eating any."
"Come on. You brought plenty."
While they bickered, I picked up the bowl.
The golden sea urchin roe looked beautiful.
"Wow... It's summer, but this uni is incredibly fresh."
"Purple sea urchins are in season during summer. Here, try it like this."
Carefully, Okja noona mixed the egg yolk and rice first so the uni wouldn't fall apart.
Then she placed creamy sea urchin roe and perfectly grilled black pork on top.
The combination sounded bizarre.
Pork and uni?
I accepted the spoon and took a bite.
"...!"
The moment it entered my mouth, my eyes widened.
The rich fat of the black pork exploded first.
Then the ocean fragrance of the sea urchin cut through the richness.
Finally, the pork's juices and the creamy uni combined into a magnificent orchestra of flavor.
Rice.
Egg yolk.
Black pork.
Uni.
Together, they created pure paradise.
"..."
I was so overwhelmed by the taste that I couldn't even speak.
Hansu hyung smiled knowingly.
"Good, right? People in Seoul have no idea this flavor exists. Here, have another drink."
Pour.
After swallowing everything and finishing with a shot of Hallasan soju—
"...Wow."
"Noona, look at his face! He's completely gone!"
The exhaustion from my long journey melted away like a lie.
I'd eaten many delicious foods in Jeolla Province.
But this...
This was easily among the best meals of my life.
"...This is unbelievably good."
"We're sick of eating sea urchins. You eat as much as you want."
Contrary to her intimidating first impression, Okja noona was genuinely kind.
Crash. Crash.
Maybe it was because I was surrounded by such good people in such a beautiful place while listening to the waves.
'Ah... This is nice.'
The alcohol tasted wonderful with the food.
The first soju I'd ever had at a military dinner when I was twenty-one had tasted terrible.
But the Hallasan I was sharing with Hansu hyung and Okja noona tonight was unbelievably sweet.
Right then, as our pleasant buzz settled in—
"By the way, little brother. I noticed a guitar in your luggage earlier. Are you a singer?"
"No. I just enjoy singing."
"Oh? Then since the atmosphere's so good, how about performing a song for us?"
"Hehe. Sure."
My stomach was full and my mood was at its peak.
I immediately stood up to grab my guitar.
"Hm? Hansu hyung."
Something suddenly caught my eye.
Unlike before, he wasn't filming his vlog.
"Aren't you recording a vlog right now?"
"Phone battery's low. Besides, I don't record all the time. Only when I feel like it."
"Hmm..."
During my cross-country journey, I'd often wondered how I should preserve these memories.
'Maybe I should start filming vlogs whenever I feel like it, just like Hansu hyung.'
Meanwhile, Okja noona had gone outside and started a campfire in the yard.
Sitting around that fire together, singing songs and enjoying the evening, seemed like a perfect picture.
So I grabbed my guitar and my phone.
Then I turned to Hansu hyung.
"Hansu hyung, could you teach me how to make vlogs?"