Chapter 49

* * *

When I suggested donating the remaining money to a good cause, Jo Miwon nodded without hesitation.

We chose an organization where my parents occasionally volunteered.

After parting ways with Jo Miwon, I arrived home and was about to head inside when suddenly.

Creak.

The door next door opened.

“Oh? You’re back? I thought I wouldn’t see you.”

I turned toward the familiar voice.

Gaeul was standing there beyond the doorway.

It had been a long time.

I walked toward her, raising my voice in surprise.

“What? When did you get here?”

“I wanted to surprise you. But they said you weren’t home.”

Gaeul fiddled with her fingers and puffed out her cheeks in a sulky expression.

Her slightly puffed cheeks looked so cute I almost wanted to pinch them.

“Ah… really? I just came back from Miwon’s place.”

“I heard.”

“Are you heading out now?”

At my question, Gaeul glanced at the watch on her wrist and answered calmly.

“I still have a little time.”

“Then wait a minute. I’ll drop my stuff inside and come back out. I’ll walk you to the station.”

We hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and it felt disappointing that we couldn’t spend more time together.

Even just walking beside her and chatting for a little while sounded nice.

“Well… if it’s just for a bit.”

“Alright. Wait here!”

I quickly dropped my things inside and came back out.

Then we walked together through the evening streets, where a cool spring breeze was blowing.

It felt warm somehow.

I had missed Gaeul a lot.

Even though we contacted each other every day and shared our daily lives, it wasn’t the same as meeting in person.

Gaeul looked cheerful as always.

For some reason she seemed especially pretty today.

I glanced at her side profile and asked casually.

“Have you been doing well?”

“Of course. I’ve been good. You’ve still been uploading videos on ShowTube lately, right? Thanks to that, I’ve been cooking for myself sometimes.”

“So you’re not making that ‘kimchi stew from hell’ anymore?”

“Hey!”

Gaeul raised her small fist as if she was about to punch me.

The sight made me chuckle.

Honestly, I had been busy with school and helping at my parents’ shop.

But I never stopped uploading cooking videos to ShowTube.

I wanted to help Gaeul, and the people who supported me, even if it was just a little.

“Alright, alright. I’ll upload another video soon, so try making that one.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Don’t look forward to it too much.”

Gaeul glanced at me like I was hopeless and then asked curiously.

“But do you have something on your mind? You look tired.”

“Ah… maybe it’s because of an assignment.”

“Why?”

“I have to write a report about North Korean cuisine. But you know I’m not good at writing. I can’t think of a topic.”

It was a concern that slipped out without thinking.

But Gaeul didn’t brush it off.

She thought about it seriously, as if it were her own problem.

After a moment of silence, her eyes sparkled.

“At school we always learn about the importance of storytelling. I guess that’s because I’m in the journalism department.”

“…”

“But if you think about it, shouldn’t food also need good storytelling?”

“Storytelling?”

“Yeah.”

Her words made sense.

Suddenly a good idea flashed in my head.

‘Why didn’t I think of this earlier?’

The corner of my mouth lifted slightly.

‘Storytelling…’

Inside food are culture, history, and the lives of the people who made it.

Cooking is ultimately the result of accumulated choices of ingredients, cooking methods, and the memories and experiences of the person who made it.

The methods used in dishes also reveal how people lived, what they ate, and how they endured.

North Korean cuisine was also proof of history that survived through war, separation, and change.

If I only explained it through cooking methods or flavor, the true meaning behind it would be hard to convey.

But if storytelling was added, just like Gaeul suggested, maybe the true essence of North Korean food could be delivered.

While I was thinking, Gaeul added one more comment.

“If you include the stories behind the food, people will relate to it more. Your intention will probably come through better.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Thinking about it, from the past until now.

Gaeul was the one person I could talk to honestly about what was inside my heart.

She had a strange kind of power.

A power that made me show my true self without pretending.

Because of that, the confusion in my head suddenly cleared.

By the time we finished talking, we had already arrived at the station.

I wanted to stay together a little longer, but there was no choice.

Gaeul walked toward the ticket gate, then suddenly stopped.

She turned back and said.

“Oh right. I almost forgot to tell you. I’m going to start working as an intern PD at a broadcasting station soon.”

Intern PD?

Now that she mentioned it, Gaeul had started working at a broadcasting station around this time before.

Thinking back on the past, the timing seemed about right.

Back then I was buried in assignments day and night in France.

The message she had sent gradually faded from my exhausted mind.

She had always said since school that she wanted to work at a broadcasting station.

So I should have been sincerely congratulating her.

But the thought that I would see her even less often made my chest feel strangely bitter.

It was already hard to see her after she started living alone and I became busy with school.

And now she would be an intern PD.

Knowing how broadcasting stations worked better than anyone, I knew seeing her would be like catching a star in the sky.

But it was her dream.

So I quietly decided to support her.

“An intern PD? That’s great! Congratulations.”

But Gaeul immediately narrowed her eyes as she studied my face.

“Why do you look like that?”

As expected, Gaeul was sharp.

I cleared my throat awkwardly.

“It’s just… if you start working there, you’ll probably get even busier.”

“So what if I get busy?”

“What do you mean ‘so what’? It’s already hard to see you, and it’ll probably get harder.”

Gaeul suddenly burst into laughter.

She brushed her long hair back and said casually.

“Why? Do you want to see me that often?”

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“I want to see you often.”

Gaeul’s lips parted slightly.

Her relaxed attitude from before vanished, replaced by obvious embarrassment.

“Seriously… how can you say that so casually…”

“Hm?”

When I shrugged, she fussed with the hem of her clothes like she was brushing off dust.

“Whatever. We’ll see each other when we have time.”

“Is that so?”

“Ahem. I should get going now. You should head home too.”

“Alright. Get home safely. I’ll call you.”

Gaeul glanced at me briefly.

Then she turned around and walked away quickly without another word.

I watched the place where she disappeared for a while.

Seeing Gaeul run passionately toward her dream made her look beautiful.

I smiled slightly and made a quiet promise to myself.

‘I need to become someone who suits Gaeul too.’

* * *

After finishing school, I headed to the shop as usual.

4 PM.

The busiest time of the day.

I had to hurry.

When I stepped inside the shop, it was just as crowded as expected.

Delivery drivers were waiting on one side.

Customers lined up for takeout on the other.

Amid the chaos, my mother was on the phone at the counter.

‘Who is she talking to so seriously?’

As I tied my apron and approached quietly, I heard her voice faintly.

“Oh, you’re a writer from SBC Broadcasting Station? …Excuse me? You’re asking about our Chan?”

SBC Broadcasting Station?

Why would a TV writer call our snack shop?

Just then.

A customer looking at the menu raised his hand and shouted.

“Ma’am! When is the rose tteokbokki coming out?”

At the customer’s voice, my mother quickly wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear and wrote something down.

“Ah yes yes. We’re very busy right now. I’ll talk to Chan about it first.”

After ending the call, she tucked the note into her pocket.

I thought about asking what it was about.

But the shop was even busier than usual today.

So I headed straight into the kitchen.

Orders kept pouring in.

Delivery notifications chimed nonstop.

The dining area was packed with customers.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

Finally things calmed down enough for us to breathe.

Only then did I carefully ask my mother.

“Mom. What was that phone call earlier?”

“Oh right. Look at me forgetting. A writer from a broadcasting station called earlier.”

“A broadcasting station?”

“Yeah. They said they’re making a program called . Apparently they became interested in you after watching Miwon’s stream.”

Spoon Chef?

I had never heard that name before.

No matter how much I tried to remember, nothing came to mind.

Seeing my puzzled expression, my mother clapped her hands as if she remembered something.

“Oh right. They said it’s similar to some foreign program called Glory Chef or something. I’ve never heard of it before. Do you know it?”

At that moment Jang Hanam, who was nearby, spoke excitedly.

“A real man always keeps up with trends. I know that program too. It’s very popular in the US.”

“Oh my. Is it that famous?”

“Of course. If Chan hyung appears on that show, he’ll become famous instantly.”

The program called Spoon Chef sounded unfamiliar.

But I did know Glory Chef.

From Michelin three star chefs to some of the best chefs in the industry.

Glory Chef was a competition program featuring top level chefs.

Occasionally amateurs appeared as contestants.

But even they possessed skills far beyond the typical amateur.

‘It used to be a huge hit overseas.’

But none of that really mattered to me.

“Mom, I don’t really plan on going on TV. I think I should focus more on my studies right now.”

I scratched my head and answered honestly.

I had already appeared in plenty of competitions and TV programs in my past life.

I had no lingering attachment to those things.

I had grown tired of world competitions and cooking shows long ago.

Back then my heart raced just from entering a contest.

But not anymore.

Now there were more important things than competition and success.

My parents and Jang Hanam looked at each other in surprise.

“Hyung! Opportunities like this don’t come often. Someone handsome and talented like you should appear. Who else would they cast?”

I understood their reaction.

For someone dreaming of becoming a chef, it would be an incredible opportunity.

My father looked at me with interest and asked casually.

“Why not try it once? Isn’t it a good opportunity?”

“Yeah, Chan. It’s a famous program. Think about it a little more. Here, I wrote down the writer’s contact number.”

My mother pulled out the note she had written earlier and handed it to me.

I accepted it without thinking and looked at it for a moment.

But no matter how much I thought about it, my decision didn’t change.

I was already satisfied with my current life.

Thinking I would politely decline later, I folded the note and slipped it into my pocket.