Chapter 18

Chapter 18

18. Always Check the Country of Origin!

“Where am··· ugh!”

Sullivan sat up in bed, clutching his splitting head as he looked around.

It was a luxurious bedroom facing Waikiki Beach.

Not his own hotel room.

‘What happened yesterday?’

He clearly remembered seeing Eve and her manager off.

After that,

‘Running low on alcohol? I still have more snacks.’

‘You can really drink.’

He couldn't even guess how many of those mixed drinks he'd had.

All he vaguely remembered was that the canned peaches and dried fish Woo-jin brought out for the second round had tasted so good that the liquor went down like water.

And at the end of that memory was Woo-jin pushing him into the bedroom when he'd insisted he should return to his hotel.

He didn't have to ask where Woo-jin had slept after giving up his own bedroom.

That shabby room he called the rooftop room.

Barely large enough for one person to lie down.

‘Do people in the East normally give their own bedroom to guests like this?’

That would be unthinkable in the America he'd lived in his entire life.

Suddenly curious, Sullivan immediately asked an AI on his phone.

『Traditional Korean houses already had designated spaces for guests. The sarangchae, or men's quarters, was the outer space where the master received visitors, while the anchae and main bedroom were private spaces reserved for the family.

···

In other words, inviting a guest into the main bedroom meant breaking down the boundary that treated them as an “outsider” and accepting them as family.』

Thinking he'd searched incorrectly, Sullivan tried asking several different AIs, but the answers were similar.

‘My God! Family?’

To Sullivan, Woo-jin had simply been a client and friend he got along with fairly well.

He never excessively flaunted the fortune he'd gained overnight,

and unlike many people who suddenly came into money, he never acted vulgar or uncultured.

That was why they'd become comfortable friends.

But Woo-jin thought differently.

He'd called him to Hawaii, personally cooked for him, and even given up his own bedroom.

That was consideration you only showed family.

In that moment, Sullivan's shallow assumption that all they shared was casual small talk completely collapsed.

‘Family······.’

Sullivan sat silently on the bed for a long time.

A little later,

- Scribble. Rip.

The brief sound of a notebook page being torn.

Then a hurriedly written note was placed on the nightstand.

‘I should personally review all the ongoing documents again. Family asked me to handle them. I can't just leave everything in other people's hands.’

Sullivan neatly made the bed he'd slept in, then left.

***

“Sullivan, are you still sleeping? Wake up already and teach me how to surf toda··· huh?”

Sullivan's gone.

I definitely shoved him in here last night!

Instead of Sullivan, a single note sat in the empty bedroom.

『Something urgent came up, so I'm leaving first. Thanks for everything today. -little brother-』

That bastard ran away!

Is it because he's a lawyer?

He's practically an artist when it comes to escaping annoying situations.

If I'd known this would happen, I would've just made him sleep with me in the rooftop room.

Well, nothing I can do.

I picked up the surfboard I'd left standing near the entrance as decoration and headed straight for the beach.

If you're in Hawaii, you have to surf.

They don't call Hawaii a surfer's paradise for nothing.

Of course, that's not really why I'm surfing.

It's for my health.

I have a trillion won in the bank and then die young because my health falls apart?

I'd be so bitter I wouldn't even be able to close my eyes.

When I reached the beach carrying nothing but the board, it was already packed with surfers.

Good. I'm a beginner, so I'll start as far off to the side as possible.

First I just paddle and stand up!

- Splash.

Just stand up!

- Splash.

This is hard.

Is it truly possible to stand on this wooden plank and ride waves?

Whew, if I'd known it'd be like this, I would've bought a paddleboard instead of a longboard.

No, you have to stand on a paddleboard too, so maybe that's just as hard?

But this time, a different problem appeared.

“Wheeeet!”

A whistle sounded from somewhere.

When I turned, I saw a white guy and girl who looked about twenty.

“Hey, nice board.”

The blond guy who'd whistled raised his thumb.

“Thanks.”

“Where'd you buy it?”

“That shop back there.”

“Thaat shop back theeere~”

He copied my pronunciation and mocked me.

The girl beside him giggled at the same time.

Ah, so that's what this is?

It was my first time since coming to Hawaii.

This kind of childish racism.

I'd spent so much time holed up in hotel lounge cafés that I simply hadn't had many chances to meet trash like this.

How much would the settlement cost if I smashed the edge of my surfboard into their skulls?

Tsk, no. Think about how much money I need to spend every day.

I ignored the pair and climbed back onto the board.

“But are you planning to paddle all the way back to China on that?”

“Jack, you're so mean! He's already a loser who came alone without a girlfriend. Poor thing.”

“Oh, really? Sorry, sorry. Just kidding!”

That was when it happened.

“Woo-jin! What's going on?”

Huh?

The person who placed a hand on my shoulder and greeted me warmly was none other than Eve.

With actual bodyguards in tow.

“Eve? Holy shit! It really is Eve! Eve! I'm a fan! Can we take a picture?”

The girl who'd been mocking me just moments ago practically jumped for joy as she approached us.

But Eve calmly shook her head at the approaching woman.

“No. You're not my fans. My fans don't do disgusting racist crap. Especially not to a dear friend of mine. Please leave.”

An utterly cold dismissal.

“Wait, that's!”

“Back off.”

And with the bodyguards stepping in, they didn't even get a chance to make excuses.

The two bastards turned bright red and awkwardly backed far away.

Serves you right.

Should've behaved like decent people.

But what was Eve doing here?

“Pfft, why are you staring at me like that? It's not like this is our first meeting.”

“Ah, sorry. Thank you for helping me.”

“It's nothing. A princess on a white horse has to save the prince in distress. By the way, you surf too?”

“I've had enough. I was just about to head in.”

“Hmm. Too bad. I was just getting started. Oh! Is that rooftop restaurant available again tonight?”

“Of course.”

“Really? I'll look forward to it!”

Of course it is.

She came with bodyguards and chased off those irritating bastards for me.

When you receive something, you return something.

Tonight's rooftop dinner would be prepared properly.

***

I tossed the surfboard into my room and headed straight to the Korean supermarket.

Eight hours until dinner.

More than enough time to prepare a great meal if I moved quickly.

But what should I make?

Other than kimchi stew, I haven't really cooked anything······.

Then I suddenly remembered the conversation Eve and her manager had.

‘Tteokbokki, jajangmyeon··· what else did I watch all the time?’

‘Grilled fish and soft tofu stew.’

‘Right!’

That was basically every hint I needed.

Four options.

And among them, there was exactly one whose taste I could guarantee.

Tteokbokki.

As long as I somehow made the sauce, everything else was basically ‘throw it all in and boil it.’

Couldn't get much simpler than that.

I didn't hesitate long.

Let's see··· rice cakes, fish cakes, green onions. Right! I need dumplings and sundae too!

In the blink of an eye, my cart was filled with enough ingredients for an actual snack bar.

“Ready to check out?”

“Yes.”

Huh? The person behind me has almost the same stuff.

Are they having tteokbokki for dinner too?

***

Waikiki Sun Beach chairman's office.

“Chairman! We got them!”

“Come in!”

“Yes!”

At the urgent voice outside, Victor shot up from his chair.

“Just as you said, Chairman, the owner of that hotel personally came grocery shopping!”

“Kuhahaha! Of course! He couldn't risk the recipe leaking, so he had no choice but to move himself. This is the ultimate recipe that Eve Callaway herself praised!”

Eve Callaway.

A global star who had never once missed number one on the Billboard chart!

When merely mentioning something could turn it into a trend,

what would the value be of a dish she'd praised to the skies?

It was impossible to even imagine.

But stealing the recipe was absurdly simple.

All they had to do was station employees around nearby Korean supermarkets.

No need to risk being discovered through amateur tailing.

“You're absolutely sure?”

“We bought the exact same products Hale Makani's owner selected.”

At the employee's confident answer, the chairman nodded with satisfaction.

“Elena, what about the Korean chef we hired?”

“Waiting in the kitchen.”

“Good! Let's go.”

The chairman strode toward the kitchen with impossibly light steps.

‘Now Hale Makani's kimchi stew recipe belongs to our hotel.’

Waiting in the kitchen was an Asian woman in hanbok whose cooking skill looked extraordinary at a glance.

“So this is her?”

“Yes. She's the chef of Hawaii's most famous Korean restaurant.”

“Nice to meet you. I'm Lin Zhaoming.”

Victor smiled in satisfaction at the imposing presence of the Korean-cuisine master.

***

At the same time, inside Hale Makani's suite.

Eve Callaway was bickering with her manager while waiting for dinner.

“What do you think tonight's menu is?”

“No idea.”

“Don't answer like you don't care. Think!”

“I really don't know.”

“Hmm, I'm guessing bulgogi! I looked it up, and apparently that's what Koreans serve foreigners most often! Or maybe doenjang stew? We had kimchi stew yesterday.”

“Eve.”

“What? Did you figure it out?”

“No. All the reservations for this hotel's suite are closed.”

“Huh?”

The hotel's reservation page on her manager's phone was covered in unavailable notices.

“Why? We promoted them, so they must've gotten tons of inquiries.”

“When we first booked, we asked if extending our stay would be possible. Maybe because of that······.”

- Click. Click.

But no matter how many months ahead they checked, Hale Makani's booking page never lost the unavailable marks.

“Don't tell me they blocked all these reservations because of us? My God! I've never stayed at a hotel like this in my life! Going this far just for us··· The owner here really is amazing, isn't he?”

Eve Callaway's eyes sparkled with emotion.

© Kim Mangcho#1ond5