The First Bazaar Morning
“That was delicious.”
“Thank you, sir. Please get home safely.”
After settling the bill, the restaurant owner lingered for a moment, gazing at Seia. His eyes brimmed with affection, yet he simply looked at her without saying or doing anything more. For every person who watched over Seia from up close, there had to be someone watching from afar.
Even after the building owner left, Seia remained fast asleep for a long while. She might have woken quickly, but the gentle hand stroking her hair and back coaxed the drowsiness back in. Whether it was because the owner’s words kept echoing in his mind, Jungwoo’s hand never stopped moving over the sleeping child. It was as if his body instinctively knew the most comforting motion.
From tomorrow onward, things would get busy. Regardless of how many customers came, they would be stepping into an entirely new environment—the bazaar stalls. Of course, he planned to bring Seia along. It would be a chance for her to meet far more people than she ever would inside the restaurant.
“Let’s forget what the building owner said for now.”
He might receive the building someday, or he might not. No one could predict how things would turn out. But one thing mattered more than anything else: he refused to let himself grow lazy just because he had been promised the building later. The thought that he no longer needed to work hard because he would become a building owner someday was absolutely forbidden.
Perhaps this was the final test.
A few more customers came and went. When Seia woke up, she was full of energy and cheerful.
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Today they had to head to the market early. He needed to prepare food for everyone. Seona’s Restaurant never had that many customers to begin with, so there was some breathing room. That spare time would now be spent getting the lunchbox side dishes ready. Fortunately, most of the side dishes had already been prepared the day before. Today’s main task was cooking the main dishes.
Fifty portions was a lot, but there was no need to worry. Jungwoo had served as a mess hall cook in the army. The moment he turned twenty, he had enlisted and spent his service cooking in bulk until he was sick of it.
“Six o’clock already.”
Closing the restaurant and falling asleep had taken longer than expected last night. The culprit was Seia, who had slept soundly right beside him. Because she had taken such a long nap, it had taken her quite a while to fall asleep at night. Ironically, the moment he was about to drift off, his phone would ring or strange noises would come from outside.
If it hadn’t been for Jungwoo’s gentle hand, Seia would have needed even more time to fall asleep.
“Sleep well.”
Seia now had two dolls in her arms. One was the rabbit doll she had always owned; the other was the new one she had received on her birthday. She left the rabbit at home. The gift doll came with her to the restaurant and sat in its designated seat.
At first, Jungwoo hadn’t understood why she left the rabbit behind. There was no reason she couldn’t bring both. Seia’s answer had been very much like her.
“The rabbit has to guard the house better!”
Her theory was that because the rabbit was bigger than the new doll, it would do a better job protecting their home.
“Sleep well, Seia. Daddy will be back from the market soon.”
Worried she might wake up and fret, he left a note in the most obvious place—on the pillow he usually slept on. Seia always noticed her father’s absence first when he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
After finishing his simple preparations, Jungwoo was about to step out when a small voice called out.
“Daddy.”
“Huh? Seia, you’re up?”
“Daddy disappeared.”
Clutching her doll tightly, Seia looked at him with eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Did you wake up because of Daddy?”
“I heard water running. Drip drip.”
No matter how quietly he moved, the sound of water was unavoidable. Seia wasn’t usually the type to wake easily, yet somehow she always stirred when Jungwoo wasn’t beside her—as if she could sense her father had vanished.
“Are you still sleepy, Seia?”
“Mmm-hmm…”
The way she rubbed her eyes made it clear that if she lay down now, she would fall asleep in an instant. She desperately wanted to go to the market with her father, but she knew that if she did, she would probably end up being carried back in his arms. Daddy always bought so many things at the market. How tired would he be if he had to carry her on top of everything else?
“Ugh…”
With a reluctant sigh, Seia flopped back onto the bed and hugged her doll tightly.
“Come back quickly…”
“Haha. I will. I’ll be right back.”
Leaving the sleeping Seia behind, Jungwoo stepped outside. The sky had not yet brightened, and the air was more than chilly—it was cold. There was something about the crisp dawn air that seemed to clear the mind.
“Hoo…”
He took a deep breath of the cold air and headed straight for the market. At this hour, the market was just coming to life, and that was when it was busiest. For Jungwoo and the merchants alike, it was the most important moment marking the start of the day.
“Please put it here.”
“Oh, I didn’t order this.”
“Hey, this one’s not fresh enough.”
The lively chatter of people reached his ears. To an outsider, the words might have seemed meaningless, but Jungwoo understood them well. It was the sound of people living their lives—not clinging to small things, but connecting through them. He liked that. Perhaps because he himself was part of that sound.
Fifty portions. He had placed the order in advance, so today he only needed to pick everything up. And pay, of course.
“Good morning, ma’am.”
“You’re here? It’s over there.”
It was the vegetable shop run by the market’s most seasoned vendor. She pointed toward a truck waiting at the entrance.
“Looks like everything’s correct.”
“You didn’t even check?”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Tsk tsk, you’ll get stabbed in the back one day, kid.”
“I can check while I cook.”
“Can you carry all that? Looks like other places ordered too.”
“I’ll manage somehow. The butcher said he’d lend me a cart.”
“Forget it, kid. Mr. Jang, you know Seona’s Restaurant, right? Deliver it there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ah, thank you so much.”
“No need. I packed the other orders together too. Check them when you get back, and if anything’s wrong, come find me.”
“I will.”
After bowing his head in thanks and turning to leave, the shop owner asked casually,
“…Where’s the little one?”
“She’s sleeping. She went to bed late last night, so I don’t think she’ll be up anytime soon.”
“Tsk, how long does it take to see her?”
“Haha. You can always come by for a meal.”
“This kid’s already got the sales talk down.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Whatever, kid.”
Thanks to her, he was spared the trouble of carrying everything himself. The meat and vegetables needed for the main dishes would have taken at least an hour to move with a cart. Unlike other stalls, Jungwoo’s lunchboxes sold only during set hours and sold out quickly. If the food was good, people would simply wait for the next time he opened. He couldn’t extend the hours anyway.
“You’re heading to Seona’s Restaurant, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Haha, that shop owner isn’t usually this nice.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. You know what happened last time?”
“What…?”
“Same kind of bulk order. She told me to charge for delivery. But today she said not to worry about it. Said you’re a hardworking young man, so instead of taking something now, she’d rather give more later.”
“I’m not the type to just take things like that. It’s a little disappointing.”
“Maybe that’s her own way of showing affection?”
“Aigoo—if I get affection twice, I’ll die.”
The distance from the market to Seona’s Restaurant was short, but the driver made the ride pleasant with his chatter.
“Come by for a meal sometime.”
“Sounds good. The owner spoke highly of you.”
Restaurant praise. The shop owner seemed to have more affection than he had realized.
“Where should I drop this off?”
“Inside the restaurant, please.”
With two people carrying, the mountain of goods that had looked so overwhelming was moved in no time. What would have taken at least an hour or an hour and a half was finished in thirty minutes.
“I don’t have anything to give you…”
Fortunately, there was still some fatigue recovery potion left in the fridge.
“At least drink this before you go.”
“Oh my, thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
The driver had even sorted everything by type while unloading. After downing the potion in one go, he gave Jungwoo a thumbs-up and left the restaurant.
“Alright. Time to get started.”
He had no intention of cooking everything right now.
“Hmm… but will I really be able to sell all fifty portions?”
People were strange. Just moments ago he had been wondering what to do if he sold all fifty and whether he should prepare a hundred the next day. Now he was worrying about what would happen if he couldn’t sell them all.
“It’s better to run out than to have leftovers.”
He couldn’t sell the extras again in the evening. Maybe he should split them into twenty-five portions for lunch and twenty-five for dinner. The selling window was only two hours anyway, so there wasn’t much room to spare. If he prepped the ingredients in advance, the actual cooking would go quickly. The side dishes were already done; he only needed to cook the main dishes.
Just as he was about to start prepping the ingredients, he heard a soft rustling sound.
“Kyaa!”
With a soft thud, Seia appeared on the cushion. Hugging her doll, she sat down and looked up at him.
“Hehe. It’s Daddy!”
“Haha. You woke up and came all by yourself?”
She had managed to get up and come downstairs on her own. Everything was perfect except that she was still in her pajamas and hadn’t washed up yet.
“Yep. Seia slept all done.”
“You didn’t wash up, did you?”
“Aah, cold…”
Suddenly hugging her doll tighter, she complained about the cold. Even her excuse for not wanting to wash was adorable.
“Come on, let’s go. You need to change clothes too.”
“Okay.”
Putting the prep work on hold for now, Jungwoo took Seia back upstairs. After helping her wash and change, today’s preparations would finally be complete.
“Today we’re going to sell lunchboxes with Daddy.”
“Seia will sell them all!”
“Hoho. Really? Then how about we have a little competition to see who sells more?”
“A competition…?”
At the word “competition,” Seia’s eyes sparkled with fierce determination. She absolutely would not lose. As expected, Seia’s competitive spirit was just as strong as her mother’s.