Seia's Clock Lesson
“Hiss… haa… Huh? You’ve already paid?”
The tteokbokki was delicious as always, and though she wasn’t sure if the various pancakes paired well with it, they had tasted wonderful too. Perhaps because the tteokbokki had been made much spicier than usual at her request, Choi Su-yeon was still hissing softly to soothe the heat.
“Yes. If you happen to see him again later, please tell him thank you.”
“Is he a regular at the restaurant?”
“Yes, he comes quite often.”
Choi Su-yeon was the daughter of a well-known family. There was no way someone like her wouldn’t recognize Park Geon-su or Seong Ye-eun. And she certainly knew Yuhyeon’s face—the man who had returned alive from a gate after ten years. That wasn’t all. Though it was an old story now, he had once appeared frequently on television and elsewhere thanks to his ability to converse with animals. To think all these people had gathered in one place. Each of them was someone difficult to encounter even separately.
Choi Su-yeon had been startled even before entering the restaurant. It was fortunate she had asked her friends in advance not to acknowledge her. Otherwise, chaos would have erupted the moment she stepped inside.
“I’ll be sure to thank him properly the next time I see him. Thank you for the meal, ma’am!”
“Of course. Take care on your way, and good luck with your exam.”
“Yes!”
After bowing politely, Choi Su-yeon turned toward Seia, who was wiping down a table.
“Seia, hi!”
“Unnie, hi!”
“Cleaning the table?”
“Yeees. I have to wipe it squeaky clean. This is Seia’s favorite spot!”
Because it was her favorite seat, Seia’s hands moved with extra care as she wiped the table.
“Unnie has to go now, but I’ll come again next time, Seia.”
“Unnie… you’re leaving?”
The question was simple, yet Choi Su-yeon found herself unable to walk away.
“Should I… not go?!”
The words slipped out before she could stop them. If Seia said yes, she would truly have to stay.
“No, Unnie’s friends are waiting for you.”
“S-Seia…”
How could a child be so kind? Choi Su-yeon wanted to hug her tightly, but settled for gently patting her head instead.
“You’re so sweet, our Seia. Unnie will be going now.”
“Okay! Bye-bye, Unnie—”
Choi Su-yeon left, but someone else was still waiting for Seia.
“Oh, do you want to say goodbye too?”
“Bye-bye, Unnie!”
Lee Chae-yeon clutched her chest with both hands as if she had no more regrets, then walked away with an expression that clearly showed she didn’t want to leave.
After serving the customers, evening had arrived before they knew it. Though they had broken the record for the most guests, these visitors were different from ordinary customers. Thanks to them, Seia didn’t seem tired at all and was now watching television.
“Now then, our Seia. What time is it?”
At those words, Seia’s gaze shifted from the TV to the clock. The first goal was learning to read the time from the clock, and the second was remembering what needed to be done at that hour.
First, the initial goal. The short hand pointed to seven, and the long hand to three.
“Time… clock…”
“Want a hint?”
“No! Seia can do it!”
Her confident, spirited reply came quickly, and the answer followed just as fast.
“It’s exactly 7:15 right now!”
“Oh! That’s right!”
“Hehe.”
There was something almost haughty in her tone, like a wicked witch satisfied with a perfectly executed plan according to her own standards.
“Our daughter can read the clock now, huh?”
“Daddy!”
“Hm?”
“From now on, if you want to know the time, just ask Seia!”
“Haha, should I?”
“Yes!”
Seia was so delighted to be able to read the clock that she insisted Jungwoo ask her whenever he needed the time. Eyes were the windows to the soul, and Seia’s seemed to be the largest and clearest of all. Judging by her expression now, Jungwoo figured he would have to ask her the time at least three more times in the near future.
‘There aren’t actually that many occasions to check the clock…’
After all, the time appeared clearly in numbers on a phone. Still, it wouldn’t do to live without knowing how to read a clock.
“Alright, next question. What did we say we have to do at this time?”
“Umm…”
It might have been a difficult question for Seia. She knew they had to return to the food stall they had visited around lunchtime at eight o’clock, but that was at eight. Right now, it was just past seven.
As Seia pondered, countless thoughts flickered through her eyes. Whenever she was deep in thought like this, her unique contemplative expression appeared, reflected in both her gaze and her face. Her favorite brown dress matched the color of her eyes, and her deep black hair framed that brown. Seia, who gave off the feeling of a pastel-toned fairy-tale illustration, sat at her favorite window seat lost in thought. Of course, her feet didn’t reach the floor.
“I got it!”
“Yeah? What is it?”
Seia soon found the answer and proudly presented the result of her deep contemplation.
“Wesht!”
“Wesht…?”
For a moment, Jungwoo wondered what “wesht” could mean. It wasn’t a homonym, and it didn’t sound like a good thing either. But he quickly realized it wasn’t “wesht” at all—it was “rest.”
Rest. Meaning to take a break, plain and simple.
“Was Seia tired?”
“Because we have to sell lunchboxes later, so now we have to wesht.”
“Hmm… I see.”
It wasn’t wrong. There were no customers at the moment, and they had already finished cleaning up.
“Half right, half wrong!”
“Eh, why!”
“Seia knows we have to sell lunchboxes at eight, right?”
“Yes! We’re selling delicious lunchboxes.”
“That’s right. But we also have to think about the time it takes to get there and the time to move everything.”
“Aha! So that’s why we went early?”
“Exactly. So what do we do now?”
“Let’s go!”
Correct, our Seia! That was the exact answer Jungwoo had wanted. If they went and prepared in advance, time would pass quickly. The rental car had already been delivered on time, so all that remained was loading the leftover lunchboxes and heading out to check today’s results.
They loaded the lunchboxes into the car together with Seia and set off once more toward the shopping district. Driving through the evening air at this hour wasn’t so bad.
‘More importantly, tomorrow’s a day off.’
The drive wasn’t long, but this time of day was quiet and peaceful. Just as Seia would sink into contemplation whenever she was deep in thought, Jungwoo often found himself reflecting during these tranquil moments.
“Daddy, open the window please.”
“Ah, sure. Okay.”
Following Seia’s request—she always liked resting her hands on the window and looking outside—Jungwoo opened it, and the quiet stillness soon disappeared. But this was nice in its own way. The wind might have been chilly, but thanks to the slow traffic in the city, the coolness had turned into a pleasant breeze. By the time they arrived at the street, just as a light drizzle might dampen clothes, that breeze was beginning to turn cooler.
There were far more people strolling about than at lunchtime. It was fortunate the street was wide; if it had been any narrower, there wouldn’t have been room for the car.
“Wow, that kind of car is still running around.”
“Looking at the license plate, it’s a rental. So people even rent cars like that.”
The people who had been eyeing the car with mild disdain changed their tune the moment they saw Seia leaning on the window, happily looking outside.
“…Cute car.”
“…Yeah. So cute.”
Yes, everyone was equal in front of Seia. Jungwoo smiled in satisfaction and parked the car in the same spot as before.
Twenty-five lunchboxes remained. How long would they take to sell this time?
As they carried the lunchboxes toward the stall, a familiar face approached them with quick, clicking steps.
“Good evening.”
“Oh? Hello. It’s been a while.”
“…You remember me.”
“Yes. I remember all our early customers.”
“Ah! Unnie’s here! Unnie!”
The secretary looked somewhat flustered at Seia’s cheerful greeting. She had only seen her briefly last time, yet here Seia was, smiling brightly and saying hello.
“Uh, yeah. Hi.”
“Did Unnie come to eat lunchboxes too?”
“Huh? No, I…”
“Daddy ate lunchboxes. Unnie last time…”
What had the secretary unnie eaten last time? Since Seia had taken the order herself, she closed her eyes and tried to recall the memory.
‘Ugh…!’
The memory hovered just out of reach. Something like a clue seemed about to surface but wouldn’t quite come. It felt as if something was teasing her, appearing and disappearing. She wanted to ask Daddy or the unnie in front of her, but for some reason, she wanted to figure it out on her own this time.
Then her eyes landed on the clothes the secretary unnie was wearing. A neatly tailored black outfit.
“Seaweed soup!”
“Uh, yeah. Why seaweed soup…?”
“Was it not tasty…?”
“Ah, no. It was delicious.”
“Then the lunchboxes will be tasty too.”
The logic was full of gaps, but the secretary acknowledged the taste anyway.
“Could I have three first?”
“Ah, of course.”
Buying three at once was a bit unexpected. Was she a big eater?
“Thank you. Enjoy your meal.”
“…Yes. I’ll be going then.”
The secretary, who had appeared like the wind, disappeared just as swiftly. Not a metaphor—she truly vanished like the wind.
They had brought twenty-five lunchboxes, and three had already sold before they even started. Two more portions remained. The mukbang video from lunchtime had been enough promotion.
“Here, Seia, carry this much.”
“Okay!”
Seia, the diligent little worker of the next generation. Jungwoo placed two lunchboxes in the hands of energetic Seia, who ate well and brimmed with strength. Though it was one more than she had carried earlier—twice the weight—it still wasn’t enough to stop her. He briefly wondered if he could add one more, but that would no longer be a matter of weight. Seeing how she held them close to her body, one more on top would probably block her view entirely.
Seia followed closely behind her father. Jungwoo slowed his pace to match hers, but fortunately, they weren’t late. At lunchtime, the merchants’ association members had been visible, but in the evening, everyone seemed busy with their own stalls and weren’t around.
‘I’m a little worried.’
Just because sales had gone well earlier didn’t guarantee success now. All he could be certain of was that there were no problems with the food, since it had sold well and received good reviews.
“Magic stones that can be processed…”
“The orc meat doesn’t taste great… but it’s edible…”
As they listened to the vendors’ calls, lunchboxes began stacking up neatly on the stall. Watching everyone else hawking their goods, Jungwoo felt he should do the same.
“C-come try our delicious lunchboxes!”
It sounded terribly awkward. He had never done anything like this before. Maybe that was why there was no energy in his voice—it sounded like it was trying to crawl into a hole somewhere.
But then a voice came to his aid.
“We have delicious lunchboxes—!”