Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Ch. 103 .｡.:✧ Seaweed Fulvescens Soup - 1 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Would it be too negative to say, “It’s always the same pattern”?
The storm of chaotic events has ceased, and I have quickly settled back into my daily routine.
A routine of waking up in the morning, exercising, reading until lunch, and then exercising again in the evening.
Two months have passed since the day I rushed to the emergency room.
The autumn rain, which occasionally fell, signaling the end of summer, no longer falls.
It must be a sign that the cold, dry winter is coming.
The surrounding scenery has changed a lot, and the temperature has changed too.
My jogging attire in the morning has become much thicker than before.
I personally don’t like tight-fitting clothes, especially in my current physical condition, as my body feels uncomfortable.
I was forced to wear them because Ga-ram said that exercising in the cold could be dangerous as it narrows blood vessels.
If it’s that dangerous, why not just skip the morning jog…
Anyway, thanks to Ga-ram’s relentless management, my weight, which had hit a plateau, has once again dropped sharply.
My weight is now a precarious two-digit number. I’m satisfied with barely avoiding three digits.
Since last week, I’ve been working out at the gym again.
The remodeling of Ga-ram Fitness is complete. It just hasn’t opened yet.
“But hyung-nim, you haven’t had any problems lately, have you?”
While waiting for our ordered food, Ho-chul strikes up a conversation.
I had been so busy with Ga-ram’s recent issues that I hadn’t been able to focus on my main job.
Ho-chul suggested we meet up and get some work done.
I had left most of the work to Ho-chul, so I thought I wouldn’t have anything to do, but there were still things for me to do.
So, early in the morning, I took care of the piled-up work at my house and came out for lunch like this.
When I told Ga-ram I would be skipping a day of exercise because of Ho-chul’s visit, she seemed quite displeased…
“What problem?”
“Ah, you know. Ga-ram-ssi. She’s gotten a lot better, right?”
“Ah…”
The money was well spent. The shabby-looking gym had been transformed into a clean and neat space.
Perhaps because she liked this change, Ga-ram, who had been showing anxious behavior, also brightened up noticeably.
Except for the times when she noticed I was ordering delivery food, she showed her bright side like before.
She seemed to have overcome the previous incident well, and she was the one who first brought up wanting to stream again.
I was the one who suggested we be more cautious.
So, as a compromise, we agreed to operate the YouTube channel again.
“Yeah, she’s much better. She said she wants to stream again.”
I took a sip of the water Ho-chul had poured for me.
“That’s a relief. I haven’t seen anyone with such problems around me… I thought it would be difficult to recover.”
“I guess it varies from person to person.”
I picked up a piece of kimchi with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.
The fresh cabbage kimchi was very crispy.
“And what about that…”
“What now?”
“Hana, isn’t it about time for her to make a comeback?”
“Right? It’s been almost two months. Don’t you think she’ll be back soon? YouTube is okay for up to six months, but on OceaniaTV, if you’re completely out of the rankings, you get a penalty on your settlement ratio.”
Comeback or not, I picked up another piece of kimchi and put it in my mouth.
Wow, this is really delicious. I haven’t been able to eat salty things lately, so it really hits the spot.
“If she comes back, I can just release another call recording. So, it’ll be a long time before she can stream normally.”
“Wow…”
“Why?”
“Hyung-nim, I’ve been thinking lately, you’re cruel.”
“What’s cruel? What’s wrong with screwing over someone who screwed me over?”
“Haha…”
While Ho-chul let out a hollow laugh at my words, the food we ordered arrived.
I ordered kimchi stew.
The kimchi stew, served in an earthenware pot, was topped with finely chopped green onions and neatly cut square tofu.
“What did you order again?”
“I ordered seaweed fulvescens soup.”
Ho-chul replied, placing the green soup, similar to seaweed soup, in front of him.
“Hey, your taste in food is older than mine.”
“What’s wrong with seaweed fulvescens soup? My grandma used to make it for me all the time.”
Are you going to pull the Tal-lulah card, you cheapskate?
“Just eat your food.”
As I was stirring the kimchi stew with my spoon, Ho-chul’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something.
“What now?”
I asked, licking the soup off my spoon.
“Hyung-nim, do you know?”
“I don’t know, you punk.”
“Ah, come on, play along. They say seaweed fulvescens soup is a dish served to unwelcome guests.”
“Isn’t that the one? Because you can’t see the steam, you eat it thinking it’s not hot and burn yourself.”
“Oh, you know? As expected of your age.”
Ho-chul laughed, giving me a thumbs-up.
“Just eat your food.”
Talking nonsense.
I scooped up a piece of tofu, placed it on my rice, and took a big bite.
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After the meal, Ho-chul suggested we play a game of bowling to aid digestion.
I wondered if we were the type to go bowling together, but since I had no memory of it anyway, it was useless to ask.
I silently got into the car Ho-chul was driving and nodded.
Whether by coincidence or fate… the bowling alley Ho-chul took me to was the same one I had gone to with Ga-ram.
I wasn’t keen on going to the place where I had been humiliated, but I thought, surely the club wouldn’t be there today.
Yeah, I guess ‘surely not’ can get you in trouble.
In the quiet bowling alley, just like last time, the club members were gathered in a corner.
Fortunately, the man who had yelled at me was not there.
Praying to the heavens that they wouldn’t recognize me, I chose a ball near them.
“Seung-deok-ajusshi hasn’t been discharged yet, has he?”
A chatty-looking woman said.
“No, his injuries have healed, but the mental trauma is severe. When I went to visit him in the hospital, he couldn’t even make eye contact.”
“Aigoo, how could such a terrible thing happen to him…”
“The world is so scary these days, I’m afraid to even walk around at night.”
“Have they found out who did it?”
“They say it was a woman… but it’s absurd to think a woman could pull out a man’s teeth with her bare hands… The police think his memory is confused because of the shock.”
“Right, how could a woman do that. Anyway, we should be careful too.”
Listening to the club members’ conversation, I picked up a bowling ball and returned to my seat.
“Strike!”
Even as Ho-chul, who had just gotten a strike, high-fived me, I felt a strange sense of unease.
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After bowling, we headed to my usual cafe.
It was at Ho-chul’s suggestion that we should quench our thirst after moving around so much.
And at the same time, we had to discuss our future plans (investments).
Since I had paid for lunch and the game, I ignored Ho-chul’s offer to pay for coffee and headed to the counter to order.
“What would you like to order?”
A new employee greeted me.
“Two large iced Americanos, please. Here’s my coupon card.”
As I handed over my card and coupon, the employee fumbled around looking for the stamp and then awkwardly stamped the coupon.
“Are you new here?”
I asked casually, confirming the two stamps on my coupon.
“Ah yes, I just started.”
“The person who used to work here…?”
“I believe she quit.”
“By any chance… do you know why she quit?”
Feeling like I had to ask for some reason, the employee gave me a strange look but answered kindly.
“I think I heard it was a car accident? She was hospitalized.”
“Ah…”
I took the vibrating pager and returned to my seat.
“Hyung-nim, is something wrong?”
“Huh? Why?”
“No, your expression seemed a little stiff.”
“Ah… it’s nothing.”
Looking at Ho-chul’s face, who was studying mine, the image of the seaweed fulvescens soup he had been blowing on to cool down suddenly flashed before my eyes.
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