Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Can You Lend the Kitchen?

Commercial building construction site.

“Ah, Mr. Kang! Why so slow! Come to your senses a bit, yes?!”

The work foreman wearing a safety helmet poured nagging toward the middle-aged construction worker, Mr. Kang.

Mr. Kang who covered his whole body with cement dust put down the heavy materials gasping for breath.

“...Sorry.”

Mr. Kang in a sweat-soaked appearance answered with difficulty, then reached his hand toward the heavy materials again.

The gazes of surrounding team members watching that appearance were not kind.

“Tsk, anyway···.”

“Why did the foreman bring such a newbie? Can’t even work dirty.”

“Right. Just looking seems a gentleman doing construction labor for the first time. Only we get tired, really.”

People murmuring openly as if to be heard.

Even so Mr. Kang only silently carried the materials.

Soon lunch time.

Site workers who finished morning work moved their steps to nearby restaurants in groups of threes and fives.

“Aigo, body. Today work is double harder.”

“Because one person can’t do his share we’re straining.”

“My words. What’s carrying materials a big deal dragging it all day?”

Blatant pinzan poured.

At those words Mr. Kang’s shoulders walking behind flinched and shrank.

“Ahyu, dying from heat and trying to cover others’ share seems like collapsing.”

“Foreman, progress isn’t properly going. Can work be done like this?!”

“Ah, stop that!”

The foreman clicked his tongue tsk irritably.

“Quickly eat and rest a bit.”

“Let’s go to a place that comes out quickly whatever. Afternoon work will be tight too so have to earn even rest time.”

At that time the foreman suddenly looked back and shouted.

“Hey, Mr. Kang! Don’t dawdle there and follow quickly a bit! Trying to make insides burst until eating?”

At the foreman’s pinzan Mr. Kang who was walking dazedly flinched.

“...Ah, yes. Going.”

Mr. Kang answered quickly and hurriedly changed his steps to quick steps.

Just around when everyone was passing the alley near Jin Myeong Gak.

The restaurant door opened and a group of young women wearing deeply pressed cap hats and large sunglasses came out.

Even seeing from afar the aura pouring from the unusually small face and different proportions stood out.

The workers stopped their steps.

“Eh? Are those people celebrities by any chance?”

“Seems idols. Amazing seeing celebrities even in such a neighborhood.”

“Wow, certainly proportions are different, different.”

“Heuheu, look at the body. No joke.”

“Hey, others will hear. What kind of world these days.”

“What did I?”

“...Tsk.”

When people standing in the waiting line approached the women, they give autographs.

“...Fan!”

“Unnie, pretty!”

“Thank you!”

Soon a black large van that was waiting approached and stopped, and they waved hands brightly toward people and got on the car.

And the receding van.

At that appearance the workers opened their mouths wide and looked.

“Wow, people appearing on TV are certainly different, different. Seems light shines around.”

“Right.”

“But what matter even to such a provincial neighborhood? Is there filming nearby?”

“Because of that restaurant. Jin Myeong Gak.”

“Why there? Famous restaurant?”

“Of course. Recently celebrities seem coming and going quite a bit.”

“How delicious for celebrities to come?”

“This neighborhood, foreign tourists are quite visible. They say that’s all because of that Jin Myeong Gak.”

“What? To that extent?”

“Shall we eat lunch there too?”

“Aei, stop, stop. So many people. Waiting the lunch time will all pass.”

At that time, Mr. Kang who was blankly looking up at Jin Myeong Gak’s sign from behind opened his mouth.

“I’ll eat there and go.”

“Yes? To eat there you have to wait a long time?”

“It’s fine.”

At those words the foreman clicked his tongue as if displeased.

“Tsk, do as you please. Instead don’t be late for work time.”

“...Yes.”

The foreman and workers began turning their steps first and receding.

Mr. Kang stood still at the very end of the waiting line in front of the restaurant.

Murmuring mixed with dissatisfaction was heard among the workers receding far.

“No, can’t do site work at all and saying famous restaurant with good fate.”

“Leave him. Seems picky taste.”

“Ahyu, tired to death working together, really.”

Mr. Kang only blankly looked at the floor.

“...”

But whether luck followed a seat arose soon and he could enter inside the restaurant faster than thought.

“Will you order?”

“One jajangmyeon.”

Not long after one bowl of jajangmyeon was placed on his table.

“Enjoy your meal!”

“...!”

Smell that strangely stimulates appetite.

Mr. Kang looked down at the jajangmyeon as if entranced.

He hurriedly mixed the sauce and noodles with seuk seuk, then largely picked up and shoved into his mouth.

Umul umul.

“······!!”

At that moment, his two pupils began shaking like crazy as if an earthquake occurred.

The moment the sauce touched the tongue, a feeling of the mind turning white.

Without the unique greasiness of chunjang only pleasant savoriness and fire taste balanced and wrapped in the mouth.

“······.”

He stuffed the noodles into his mouth again as if entranced.

Ujeok, ujeok.

Taste that deepens the more chewed.

Many things that happened recently passed through his mind.

And thick tear drops fell along Mr. Kang’s wrinkled cheeks.

“...”

Mr. Kang with head deeply lowered began heaving his shoulders silently and pouring tears.

With a face covered in tears he continuously pushed jajangmyeon into his mouth.

It was jajangmyeon of tears mixed with deep regret and emotion, and complex emotions that couldn’t be fully said in words.

Customers at surrounding tables watching that bizarre scene began glancing and murmuring small.

“Hey, that uncle seems crying?”

“Wow··· how moved by the taste to cry like that?”

“Well, I also almost cried when first ate...”

“Still really crying is a bit.”

People looked at Mr. Kang as if curious.

Dalgeurak.

Mr. Kang who emptied the bowl sniffling for a long time finally put down the chopsticks.

“Huu···.”

Perfect.

Harmony of sweet and salty, even amazingly perfect fire taste.

But.

‘The noodles are regrettable.’

Mr. Kang’s eyes narrowed.

The sauce was clearly amazing taste.

But the noodles supporting it were just a level moderately pulled by machine.

Of course for the majority of people’s taste the difference in fine texture wouldn’t be minded much because of the strong taste of the sauce.

“······.”

He stared at Jin Myeong’s appearance cooking with an indifferent face in the kitchen.

Dalgeurak, dalgeurak.

Young yet considerable skill chef.

Understanding celebrities coming all the way here to eat.

Mr. Kang who looked at the chef like that for a moment stood up from his seat.

Then he went to the counter and paid and exited the restaurant.

“...Ate well.”

“Thank you! Goodbye!”

*

Late afternoon.

“Okay, everyone good work! Today up to here!”

When the foreman shouted, the workers finished the day’s hard routine taking their tools.

Mr. Kang also wiped the sweat on his forehead and was organizing the work tools one by one.

At that time, the foreman approached him.

An expression of something not pleasing.

“Hey, Mr. Kang.”

“Ah, yes. Foreman.”

“Mr. Kang··· work only until today and from tomorrow no need to come.”

“······!”

At those words Mr. Kang paused.

“Worked hard until now. Today’s daily wage I’ll shoot to the account right now so confirm.”

“...”

“Well, as you know site work has to match hands and feet to roll, Mr. Kang seems no talent for this side work at all.”

“...”

There were no words to make excuses.

Because he himself knew best how big a burden he was becoming here.

But hearing such words right in front of the eyes the stuffiness couldn’t be helped.

“...Received a lot of favor until now.”

*

Late night.

In front of the convenience store at the alley entrance where people were cut.

Mr. Kang was plopped down on the old plastic chair placed outside.

Shoulders drooped powerlessly.

Blank face.

In front of him one bottle of soju with the cap not even opened was placed alone.

He was staring only at the air with blank eyes for several hours.

Then suddenly, his gaze headed toward the restaurant sign submerged in darkness across the street.

Jin Myeong Gak.

Whether today’s business ended the restaurant was all lights off.

“...”

The smell and taste of the jajangmyeon eaten there daytime were still circling in the mouth.

‘Really amazing cooking···’

He let out a deep sigh envious of the young chef’s talent creating such amazing cooking endlessly, and lamenting his own situation.

Just when he was blankly looking toward the restaurant side.

Jin Myeong Gak’s door opened, and one young man wearing loose pants and white T-shirt walked out.

The silhouette of the man crossing the crosswalk with slow steps as if heading to the convenience store.

Mr. Kang’s pupils widened for a moment.

Young face, characteristic blank and languidly sunk eyes.

‘Jin Myeong Gak chef···?’

Mr. Kang followed Jin Myeong’s back entering the convenience store with his eyes as if entranced.

“...”

A moment later, Jin Myeong opened the convenience store door and came out.

In one hand bright yellow jar-shaped banana milk was held, and in the other hand a sweet chocolate bar was gripped.

Just when Jin Myeong stuck the straw deeply into the milk cap with an indifferent expression and was about to pass in front of the convenience store.

Mr. Kang’s lips who was staring at him blankly sitting on the plastic chair opened without realizing.

“Jajangmyeon···”

“······?”

Jin Myeong’s steps stopped dead.

Then he turned his head and looked down at the middle-aged man.

“······.”

Mr. Kang continued speaking looking at Jin Myeong.

“In my life such delicious jajangmyeon was the first.”

“...”

There was no change in Jin Myeong’s expression.

Most delicious.

Shocking taste.

Good cooking skill at young age.

Etc...

Words he heard countless times.

But the man’s words didn’t end there.

“Certainly the jajang sauce was the best. But...”

“...?”

Mr. Kang’s eyes shone sharply for a moment.

“Compared to such sauce the noodles were too terrible.”

“······!”

Jin Myeong narrowed his brow.

“Ordinary ready-made noodles roughly pulled by machine. No matter how perfectly the sauce coats, gluten isn’t properly activated so stickiness is lacking. When first put in the mouth might be deceived by the intensity of the sauce, but chewing the limit of the noodles is revealed in the end.”

“······.”

In fact Jin Myeong himself was always dissatisfied with the crude texture of the noodles, but it was a part he was compromising unavoidably due to the current restaurant conditions.

But he didn’t know he would suddenly hear such words on the street.

Jin Myeong slowly lowered the banana milk he was holding and asked in an indifferent voice.

“So, what do you want to say to me?”

Mr. Kang was submerged in thought for a moment then opened his mouth.

“That kitchen of yours··· can you lend it to me for a moment?”

“...Kitchen?”

“Yes.”

At the sudden absurd demand Jin Myeong’s eyes narrowed.

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