Chapter 266

<A Surprise (5)>

If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁

“What?”

Since the news came as a surprise for Jo Min Woo, he spoke in an informal tone without realizing it. So, he quickly apologized.

“I’m so sorry. I spoke informally. I was so surprised.”

“It’s alright. I am rather thankful for your reaction. It must mean that it was a decent dish.”

“A decent dish. I think it was a great dish. I can’t think of any Pyongyang noodle better than this. But why…”

At Jo Min Joon’s disappointed voice, Kim Jin Suk couldn’t say anything. He just bowed his head with a bitter expression. Kaya carefully asked Jo Min Joon.

“What are you talking about? Your expressions don’t seem good.”

“…They say they are closing down.”

“What?”

Kaya couldn’t believe what she just heard. She opened her eyes wide and blankly stared down at the Pyeongyang noodle in front of her. The fragrance of the dish was subtle and cool because of the cold broth, but that subtleness was what made the dish respectable. It was a dish that showed exactly what virtue of temperance was. Kaya asked angrily.

“Why? What happened?”

“[English]: I don’t know. Wait here. [Korean]: Sorry, I just told Kaya the news and she was really surprised. It must have tasted good for her as well.”

“This dish doesn’t usually suit the taste of a foreigner… I am grateful she enjoyed it.”

“Can I ask you … about what happened?

“Is there a reason to ask? It’s obvious. The business has been slow recently…”

“Even though there is a lot of debate over the taste of Pyeongyang noodle. If it is this good, it will spread through word of mouth and you will have a lot of customers… But what happened?”

“There was word of mouth. But only the bad ones.”

Kim Jin Suk muttered in a heavy tone, then stopped talking. Jo Min Joon stopped asking since he knew that it would open up old wounds. Jo Min Joon said.

“…I don’t know what happened, but I feel your loss. Who usually cooks the noodles?”

“Originally our mother cooked it. But she passed away a year ago. Since then my brother and I work to keep the restaurant open since we helped our mother when we were young. But my brother is at the restaurant more than me.”

“Oh…”

Once Jo Min Joon heard that their mother passed away, he understood what had perspired. The taste changed after their mother passed away. That was when criticism and bad rumors started spreading. But it was a flawed story. Jo Min Joon stared at the noodles.

‘…Even though the taste may have been a change, it can’t be any worse than it was before….?’

“Anyways, Mr. Jo, you are an amazing person. You are recognized worldwide even though you are the same age as me. You might perhaps be one of my most successful friends. Oh, when I go somewhere, can I say, “Minjoon is my friend.’”

“Of course, you may. I will also remember you Mr. Kim as someone who makes great Pyeongyan noodles.”

Moved by Jo Minjoon’s words, Kim Min Suk started tearing up. Since he didn’t want to show an unsightly appearance, he turned his head holding his nose. Seeing Kaya make a serious expression, Kim Min Suk muttered in an embarrassing voice.

“Sorry. I showed such an unsightly appearance. But being approved like this… makes me feel relieved.”

Jo Min Joon’s approval meant that much more to Kim Min Suk since he was criticized and discouraged all this time. He then clenched his teeth and balled up his fist. This fist was heavy since it carried the full weight of his pride, stubbornness, regret, memories, and burden that Pyeongyang noodle brought. Releasing his fist, Kim Min Suk said in a subtle voice.

“Please enjoy your meal. And next time… if there is a chance, can we be more informal in our tone?”

“Of Course.”

Jo Min Joon smiled. Although he tried to be as bright as possible, it was a heavy smile. The same went for Kaya. Their expressions didn’t change much after finishing their meal and leaving the restaurant.

“It shouldn’t be like this.”

“What?”

“How can such a good restaurant close down due to lack of customers? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Pyeongyang noodle is usually a very divided dish. Unless the customers are devoted to the noodle, they wouldn’t really understand the meaning behind the taste. Since your taste buds are really developed, you might notice the subtleness, but for ordinary people, it would taste bland.”

“…I thought something like that might be the case. But it’s still a shame. If only people who understood the taste came, then business would thrive.”

“I know, but something doesn’t seem right. Normally Pyeongyang noodle shops are kept open because of the regular customers and customers who understand the taste. You start losing customers once the quality of the noodle drops but…”

As Jo Min Woo trailed off, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Lee Hae Sun, his mother. So, he put the phone on his ear and spoke.

“Hello”

<<How long has it been since you arrived, and you still haven’t even called me!!!>>

“Oh, I forgot.”

<<You will be visiting for dinner, right? Mom’s going to make a lot of food for you>>

Hearing her words, his face tensed up. In a trembling voice, he replied.

“How about having a takeout?”

<<No! How can I serve takeout to my future in-law during our first meeting? I will cook personally>>

“What? NO! Why are you suddenly trying to cook when you are usually uninterested in cooking? Let’s just eat out.”

<<In cases like this, it is proper to cook a meal for someone who will potentially be your family.>>

“… Then don’t touch anything. I will help out.”

<<No, you are still jetlagged. How can I ask you to cook? Just take your time honey.>>

“I think I will be tortured if I take my time. Just wait. I’ll be there shortly.”

<<Fine. I’ll wait.>>

When the conversation ended. Kaya curiously asked Jo Minjoon.

“Was it your mom?”

“How did you know?”

“Did you know that your voice changes when you talk to your mother?”

“…Well, I didn’t know that.”

“So, what did you talk about?”

“Ah…”

Jo Min Joon paused a bit touching his forehead. His expression turned grotesque as if he didn’t even want to imagine what would happen. With a deep sigh, he said.

“Let’s go to a pharmacy and get some anesthetic.”

“Why?”

In a fearful tone, he replied,

“Mom said she’s cooking.”

*****************************

Although it was a reunion after a few months, it was not very impressive. As soon as Jo Min Joon entered the house, he frowned. He grabbed his nose and said.

“What is this smell?”

“I bought the ingredients for braised ribs so I’m boiling them right now.”

“…Did you fill it with enough water. It smells like something is burning.”

“Oh? Was I supposed to do that?”

“I’ll check.”

Jo Min Joon nervously looked at the pot and groaned. The onions, carrots, and the soy sauce that were laid at the bottom of the pot were burning. Lee Hae Sun looked over blankly and said with a quiver.

“What? The recipe from the internet said I didn’t have to put in additional water due to the water from the vegetable.”

“…What kind of recipe did you look at? Of course, you don’t initially have to put in water because of the vegetable. But that water will evaporate quickly, so you have to constantly add water. If not then the vegetables will burn.”

“Still, Isn’t this burned pretty well. I heard nowadays that people burn it on purpose.”

“It’s going to smell like burned food. Thankfully the meat was on top of the vegetable and didn’t burn the meat. But the smoke will make it taste burnt.”

“If you were so good at cooking why did you pick it up only two years ago?”

It was a complicated question, so Jo Min Joo diverted the question.

“Dad should be at work, but where is Ara?”

“She says she is busy prepping for college. I don’t know if she is busy studying or busy spending time with her friend.”

“It should be the former. Did she say she will be back by dinner?”

“I told her so to see her older brother if she didn’t want her allowance to be cut. When are the in-laws coming?”

“They will be here by dinner. They should either be sleeping or having a conversation. Kaya will be here soon. She is at the market getting some basic spices.”

“I am sorry for making you work through jetlag. It is nice having a daughter-in-law who is a chef.”

“Having a daughter-in-law who knows how to cook is a hundred times better than one who cannot, right?”

“…That sounded like something directed at me.”

With a smirk on his face, Jo Minjoon looked away from his mother’s gaze. That was when Kaya came through the door. With a smile on her face, she spoke in broken Korean.

“Have you been well?

“Welcome, Kaya”

This must have been the result of her attending an English tutor class. Jo Minjoon looked at the ingredients that his mother had prepared and calmly opened his mouth.

“This is for Japchae, that’s for bulgogi. You even bought some yellow croaker.”

“How are they? It’s pretty good right. I heard that foreigners really like bulgogi.”

“Just for reference, the seasons for yellow croaker are fall and winter. And we are past their season.”

“…So meticulous.”

Lee Hae Sun grunted. Taking the apron from his mother, Jo Minjoon said.

“I’ll cook mom. You can rest in the living room”

“Do you not need any help from me? I just feel sorry for you two.”

“It’s better if you just rest in the living room. This is for real, not out of courtesy.”

“…Being in America made you much more vulgar.”

With a look of surrender, Lee Hae Soon left for the living room. Kaya stared at Jo Min Joon.

“What are we making?”

“We have the ingredients for Japchae, Bulgogi, and yellow croaker… but it wouldn’t be fun to just cook them as they are. Let’s look at what we have in the refrigerator”

“Nothing is more fun than looking around another person’s refrigerator.”

Kaya said with a smile on her face. Soon after Jo Min Joon opened the refrigerator, he found some broccoli.

“We could make a puree with this and pair it with the yellow croaker.”

“How are we going to cook the croaker? Grill it?”

“No, we should baste it… No. I think it’s better to sear the skin then steam it. Since it is pretty fat, I think it will cook evenly.”

“So that takes care of the fish. How about that noodle?”
“It’s best to make Japchae as it is. But if you want to change something, it’s better to do so at the end.”

“How about this?”

Kaya held up a pack of rice paper. Jo Min Joon nodded in acknowledgment. Just by looking at her in the eye, he understood what Kaya was thinking. She wanted to wrap Japchae in the rice paper or take it one step further by frying it. Either choice was a good method of cooking.

“Do it.”

Their conversation wasn’t very long. Although they don’t work in the same restaurant, they usually cook together at home. Thus, they understand each other as if reading a book. They understand how the other cooked, planned, and even what kind of inclination the other had.

They swapped between knife and pan naturally. Watching the couple cook from a distance, Lee Hae Sun thought that they were a great couple, but when they were cooking together it was to a whole new level.

‘My son has such a lively expression when he cooks.’

Which parent wouldn’t adore their child? But watching her son cook with Kaya, she saw such a lively expression that she had never seen before. It surprised her to see such a new expression from her son who she raised for over twenty years.

Just watching the couple eased her heart. Taking away the fact that Jo Min Joon was her son, there was something mesmerizing about the couple who were cooking together. It was like magic that captivated the viewers. Because of this, Lee Hae Sun couldn’t turn her eye away from them until Jo Ara came home.

“Oppa! Kaya! Long time no see!”

“You look tan.”

Jo Min Joon replied back in English. Since she was thoughtful of Kaya next to him, Jo Ara made a quivering expression. She replied in English that was a bit inferior to Jo Min Joon.

“…Should I speak in English?”

“I would be thankful. Long time no see, Ara.”

“I saw you on Starbook. You went to the Pyeongyang restaurant together and you even said it was good.”

“It seems like you are not studying but goofing off.”

“Is that something that you should be asking? Anyway, the comment that you made is going viral. And the debate about Pyeongyang noodles seems to be quite active in the food-related community right now. Just looking into my friends’ social media all the feed are about Pyeongyang noodles.”

“…We are going viral?”

“You haven’t checked?”

Jo Ara showed them her phone screen. Various social media, search engines, even top news channels were talking about Pyeongyang noodles. Did his remark have such a rippling effect in Korea? While Jo Minjoon looked dazed, Jo Ara opened her mouth.

“Wasn’t that restaurant going to close soon? It seems like you gave it a new life.”