episode_0054

We decided to meet up with Davin at Dongnae Station and headed back down to Bongsudae, then towards the parking lot. Since I had seen the way here, I knew it was unlikely to catch a taxi, so we decided to just hop into any taxi that dropped off passengers and head back up.

Fortunately, as soon as we arrived at the parking lot, we saw a couple getting out of a taxi right in front of us. I hurried over, grabbed the taxi door, leaned in, and asked.

“Driver, can you take us to Dongnae Station?”

The taxi driver readily nodded.

It must have been a better deal for him to take passengers down rather than going empty. Maybe because I had rushed too quickly to catch a taxi, I barely managed to push Dayoung into the taxi when it was empty, and I also sat in the seat next to her.

“Please start driving.”

The car started downhill along the road. While we had come up from Namcheon on the way up, going down meant heading towards Yeonsan, so there was a difference in the views going up and down.

Inside the car heading to Dongnae Station, I asked the driver.

“Driver, there’s a famous green onion pancake place in Dongnae, right? Is it Grandma’s Green Onion Pancakes?”

The driver seemed pleased as if he knew the place.

“Oh, that place? Nah, not worth it. They charge 40,000 won for just one pancake. Who would pay that much? Outsiders might go there thinking it’s a local gem, but locals prefer the Dongnae Green Onion Pancake place near the hot springs. It’s better there.”

I already knew this information from various sources, but I was curious about the opinions of the locals, so I asked. Besides, taxi drivers usually know the best local eateries.

“The portions are similar, but the price is only 15,000 won there, so everyone goes there. Yeah. Should I take you there instead?”

“Um… Can you pick up one person at Dongnae Station and go straight there?”

“Sure! Tell the person to wait in front of exit 4.”

Upon the driver’s words, I immediately called Davin and relayed the information.

“Yes, I’ll be waiting there.”

The time it took to get to Dongnae Station was really short. The distance was close, and, especially with Busan taxis, they were very fast, but also rough, which made Dayoung, who wasn’t used to it, look pale and hold onto my shoulder.

Anyway, despite arriving earlier than expected, I could see Davin and his friend waiting in front of exit 4.

He looked around 20 years old, slightly older than Dayoung. I asked the driver for permission and got out of the car for a moment.

“Oh, Mom!”

Davin waved happily when he saw me.

Maybe because I was in a different city, seeing my son after just a day made me extremely happy. So, without realizing it, I reached out and pulled Davin, who was approaching me, into a tight hug.

-Thunk!

Naturally, Davin’s head buried into my chest, and I continued to stroke his head, asking.

“Did you have fun?”

Davin, taken aback, flailed his arms and pushed me away, scolding me.

“What are you doing, seriously!”

Seemingly shocked by the scene, the young man standing next to Davin widened his eyes and watched the whole interaction.

“So what? We’re family.”

Of course, there was a somewhat unpleasant incident yesterday, but I was more disappointed that I couldn’t share all the enjoyable experiences with Davin that I had with Dayoung while visiting tourist attractions. That’s what being a parent is like, isn’t it? Whenever there’s something delicious, you think of your children first, and even in fun moments, you end up worrying about your children.

“Well, still… I’m not a kid anymore, so please restrain yourself a bit around other people.”

Actually, when I heard these words, I felt a bit hurt, but when I turned around and thought about it, I realized I might have said the same things to my parents, so I just nodded my head.

“Okay, okay. Oh, a friend? Was he an acquaintance?”

“Yes. He’s someone I met while playing games. His name is Baek Taeseop. Taeseop, this is my mom.”

Naturally, as Davin called me mom, thoughts arose that I should tell Davin separately later the story I told Dayoung in the morning. How would Davin take it? I don’t really know.

Anyway, after exchanging greetings including a brief handshake with the young man named Taeseop, we headed to the pancake house with Davin.

“You came here for a family outing? No, wait… are you the kids’ mom?”

“Yes. Haha.”

The driver, who had just heard us greeting outside, looked at us with surprised eyes and alternated between looking at the kids reflected in the rearview mirror.

“Wow… looks like you got married early.”

“Well, there’s that. Haha.”

“Yeah. Well, it’s better to get married quickly when you don’t know anything, raise your kids quickly, and enjoy your old age. Look at me. I’m almost 60 next year, my eldest daughter is still in her third year of college, and my youngest son is currently a senior in high school. If you want your son to be independent, you have to start earning a lot now.”

The driver, who seemed to have married late compared to the old days, complained about his family until we reached our destination. Nowadays, his daughter seems to ignore him, his son uses different words, making communication difficult, and his wife talks about money problems, and so on.

Well, I understand the weight of being a parent well enough, so I felt a sense of camaraderie somewhere and eagerly chatted with him.

Fortunately, we arrived at the restaurant within 10 minutes after taking Davin, otherwise, if it took another 10 minutes, I would have lost my mind.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the restaurant, I hurriedly got out of the car, greeted the driver, and quickly moved my feet. Watching this, Dayoung burst into laughter and asked me.

“Seriously, cut it off, why do you listen to everything? Besides, Mom says you talk too much.”

I also wanted to say the same thing, but considering how close we were to our destination and not knowing that the driver was such a talkative person, I held back. Although I’ve taken five taxis in Busan alone, I think this driver might be the most talkative.

“Parents are naturally lonely. So just having someone who listens to them like that makes them excited to chatter.”

Saying that, I looked around the restaurant.

The savory smell emanating from the entrance already seemed to stimulate my appetite. At the entrance of the restaurant, an elderly grandmother was diligently flipping pancakes, and her hand movements were not ordinary. Holding a wide spatula and a knife on the iron plate, she skillfully pressed and flipped the pancakes repeatedly.

“Wow. It’s amazing.”

Dayoung unexpectedly approached that area first and spoke to the grandmother who seemed to be the owner.

“Excuse me, can I take a picture of you flipping the pancakes?”

In response, the grandmother, with a kind smile, replied to Dayoung.

“Oh, my. What’s there to see in an old lady flipping pancakes? Just go ahead.”

I worried that I might be bothering her for no reason, but looking at the grandmother’s expression, it didn’t seem like she felt that way.

When Da-bin tried to lead the way into the restaurant, the owner asked us,

“Are there three of you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my, it’s an old place for young people to come. I’m not sure if it’s okay.”

Certainly, the exterior looked old, and at first glance, it felt more like a bar than a restaurant. It even had the atmosphere of a tavern located under a mountain.

“Oh~ I heard this place is famous for its delicious food, right?”

“Haha, oh my, no. I’m not up-to-date. Nowadays, with everything being spread through the internet and all, old folks like me don’t know much about that. Haha. By the way, your accent doesn’t sound like Busan dialect. Did you come from far away?”

“Yes, so I came to tour around and check out some places known for good food.”

“Normally, to enjoy this stew properly, you should climb Geumjeongsan Mountain and then come down.”

“Haha, it’s not Geumjeongsan, but I went to Hwangnyeongsan on the way back.”

“Oh, is that so? Then you must have enjoyed the spicy octopus dish. Anyway, come in, let me quickly serve you a delicious pancake.”

“Okay.”

After a somewhat endearing conversation, we entered the restaurant and took our seats.

The restaurant was already bustling with elderly people who seemed to have descended from Geumjeongsan since morning, looking like a mountaineering club.

As we settled in, the male owner inside, who seemed to be the husband of the person outside, approached us to take our order.

“Well… I’m thinking of having one pancake and cold noodles. How about you guys?”

“Me too. After sweating since morning, something refreshing sounds good, right?”

“Well… I’ll just have bibimbap.”

With our orders placed, we waited for our food for a while.

“Da-bin, did you have fun with your friends? Did you eat something delicious?”

I asked Da-bin what he did last night.

“Yes, we met in Seomyeon, had pork soup, watched some busking performances, and then went to a PC bang to play games together. We played games until late at night, and then Taeseop’s brother from Gaegeum suggested we go eat milmyeon in the morning.”

“Hmm, you managed to make the most of less than a day, I see. Well, milmyeon is one of the foods you must try when you come to Busan, so it was tasty, but I’m not sure if it was better than the tonkatsu we had symbolically.”

“So, after eating milmyeon, did you head straight to Dongnae Station?”

“Oh, after eating milmyeon, we also went to a public bathhouse. According to Taeseop’s brother, there’s nothing that brings men closer than getting naked and going to a bathhouse together.”

“Yeah, that’s true for women too.”

Dayoung responded to Da-bin’s story.

“I heard from Jinhee ajumma that she made a mistake with our mom at first, got scolded badly, and then they built intimacy by showering together at the gym.”

Huh? So Choi Jin-hee was thinking that about me.

“Come to think of it, I find it a bit difficult with strangers, but Jinhee ajumma felt comfortable from the beginning, maybe because they undressed immediately upon meeting. Hmm…”

“Sister, you don’t have to be so explicit.”

Da-bin blushed as Dayoung’s words were too straightforward.

I see. So even women increase their intimacy by undressing each other like men do.

It may or may not be helpful, but I decided to keep this fact in mind while waiting for the food to arrive.