episode_0167

“It’s done!”

The car wash, whether long or short, was finally over. After wiping off the last bit of water and applying a coat of polish all over, my car was now in a state no different from a brand new car fresh off the lot, gleaming under the sunlight.

“Wow, I didn’t realize it while doing it, but I feel proud now that it’s done.”

“Like our project?”

“Yes, like our project. Hehe.”

“That’s how work is, isn’t it? Sometimes you wonder if it’s worth it while doing it, but once it’s finished, you just feel proud and satisfied.”

“Hmm… Is that so? No… I guess so.”

Kim Tae-hyun glanced at my car as if lost in thought, then stood up from his seat.

“Aren’t you thirsty? Shall I go get a drink for you?”

I also stood up, brushing off my backside, and replied, “I’ll be eating soon anyway, so why not try some sweet water. I’ll change my clothes and be back, so can you wait for me?”

Due to the foam flying around earlier, my shirt was still a bit damp in places. I didn’t have a hobby of intentionally showing off my underwear, so I felt the need to change.

“Oh, sure. Please go quickly.”

I took out a spare shirt from the trunk and headed to the bathroom. Since my t-shirt was damp, I didn’t put on the new shirt right away, just draped it over my shoulders.

After quickly changing, I wiped my body with a towel and put on the new t-shirt. It was slightly thicker than the damp shirt, giving a warm sensation to my cool skin.

“Silly me. I should have brought a new bra too.”

It was obvious, but it didn’t make sense that the thin t-shirt was wet while the bra underneath remained dry. Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought to bring a spare bra. I decided to wear what I had on.

Kim Tae-hyun and I planned to have a meal together before I dropped him off and headed to my hometown with the kids. I intended to carry my luggage for the kids and load it into my car. If I had known, I would have loaded it earlier and changed clothes later.

Anyway, I changed my clothes, put the wet ones in a plastic bag, and headed straight to the bathroom. Then I joined Kim Tae-hyun, who was waiting, and drove him to the car.

“So, what would you like to eat? I’m fine with anything.”

“Well, I do have a few options in mind.”

Today’s lunch was my choice, as Kim Tae-hyun was treating me. I had thought long and hard about what menu to choose.

“How about rice soup?”

“Eh, that’s too common.”

Oh, I didn’t expect to be rejected. Of course, I was concerned about Kim Tae-hyun’s wallet, but I also genuinely liked rice soup. Maybe he thought I chose that menu out of consideration for him. Well, it’s not entirely untrue, but why? It’s fine. Rice soup. It’s good. It’s cost-effective and tasty. If he wants to splurge, he can just order a plate of boiled pork…

I felt a bit disheartened by the rejection.

“Oh, were you serious about that? I heard you like rice soup, but I thought since I’m treating you, something a bit more upscale might be better…”

“Oh, no. It’s just… um… yeah. Maybe I’m a bit disappointed?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. Let’s just go eat some soup.”

“No, if Taehyun doesn’t like it, I won’t say a word. Fine, let’s eat something expensive. If you really want it, I’ll cover your food expenses for a week. Let’s go! Let’s try a family restaurant or somewhere else!”

“No, let’s just go to a soup restaurant! I like soup! Haha, as expected, Manager!”

“Why, you were all excited just a moment ago, now you’re scared to go?”

“No, it’s not that… Alright, let’s go. Family restaurant.”

Reluctantly nodding his head, Kim Taehyun accepted my sudden outburst and teasing.

I quickly searched for a nearby family restaurant and drove there.

– Chuseok holiday closure notice. –

Oh, it was a holiday, right. The problem wasn’t deciding on a menu we wanted to eat, but finding a place that was open.

“Oh, right. Today is the start of the Chuseok holiday…”

“Haha!”

“Haha, hahaha!”

We ended up laughing at ourselves for getting all worked up for no reason and engaging in a pointless staring contest, which unexpectedly ended in laughter.

“Haha, that’s funny. Too bad. I should’ve covered Taehyun’s wallet for once.”

“No way, that’s impossible. I had already anticipated this.”

“Wow, scary. You?”

“I’m prepared for anything.”

After exchanging jokes for a while, we got back on the road, heading to the soup restaurant we had originally planned to go to, but…

– Chuseok holiday closure notice. Sorry. –

This place was closed too.

“What? Are all the restaurants closed?”

“It seems so. We should check before moving.”

“So… what should we eat?”

“Soup…”

“Are you fixated on that?”

“No, it’s just… there are a lot of soup restaurants around.”

“Ugh…”

“We have a few empty bowls from the new products we made.”

I had been ordering and eating spicy soup for lunch for a few months now, but it was starting to get boring. Not for me, though.

“Well, I’m in the mood for something spicy…”

“Oh! I know just the place.”

Suddenly, Kim Taehyun clapped his hands loudly and said with a bright expression, “There’s a restaurant where we can get both spicy food and soup.”

He then immediately took out his phone and made a call, seemingly receiving confirmation that they were open, and entered the location into the navigation.

I followed the navigation to the destination Kim Taehyun had entered, and when we arrived, it was a soup restaurant.

“It’s a soup restaurant.”

“Yes, it’s quite famous here.”

“It looks ordinary though?”

“The kimchi here is famous for being extremely spicy. The soup is also known to be delicious.”

“I’ve never heard of that before.”

It might sound old-fashioned to say this, but I was genuinely passionate about soup. I probably spilled more soup than Taehyun had eaten in his life. So, for me, soup was a serious matter. But this place I had never heard of before? Maybe it existed, but I had explored almost every famous soup restaurant in this neighborhood in the four years since I moved here.

Moreover, it looked like a newly opened place, so how could it be so famous?

“In fact, it’s famous on social media, so I wanted to come and see it once.”

Ah, if it’s on social media, then I can understand why I missed it. But a social media famous restaurant? Hmm… can it be trusted?

“Let’s go in first. Even if the reviews are good, there might not be many people here. Let’s eat and then decide.”

Hmm, I wonder how spicy the kimchi really is.

…There was a time when I thought like that.

Yes.

“Heak, heak! Ahh! Spicy!”

It felt like my tongue was going to burn. I wouldn’t say I’m great at eating spicy food, but I can handle it. However, this kimchi was so spicy that it was too much even for me.

“Is it really that spicy?”

-Crunch!

Kim Tae-hyun was eating this spicy kimchi so effortlessly, not even breaking a sweat.

That monster-like guy. His calm expression made me wonder if he brought me here on purpose.

“Ugh, heak, heak. Spicy….”

Just when I thought I had calmed down a bit by drinking water and swallowing, my whole mouth, including my tongue, turned into a fiery hell. In that situation, who could even think about eating hot rice soup?

I had no choice but to keep drinking water until my mouth calmed down, and as a result, my stomach was filled with water instead of rice.

“Why are you forcing yourself to eat it?”

“No, heak. But it’s not tasteless, ugh!”

The kimchi had a strange addictive taste, so I kept eating it, not stopping.

But the spiciness was something else. Some foods hit you with spiciness right away, while others build up slowly in your mouth. This kimchi was the latter.

At first, I didn’t realize how spicy it was, but as the heat built up and exploded, it gave me unbearable pain.

“Ugh, agh!”

“Sir, I understand it’s spicy, but can you stop groaning like that?”

“Ugh! It’s spicy, heak. What can I do?!”

Already irritated by the spiciness, his unreasonable demand only made me more annoyed.

“Oh, um….”

Suddenly, a stranger approached and handed me a 500mL pack of milk.

Turning my head, I saw a man in his 20s offering me the milk. Not knowing who he was, I decided to take the milk and drink it right away.

-Gulp, gulp.

As I drank the milk for a while, he spoke up.

“Hello. I’m Mamang, a fan. Could I get just one autograph….”

-Phew!

Startled by his sudden revelation, I accidentally spit out the milk I was drinking.

And then.

“Um…Mamang, milk on your chest…oh my….”

From his tone, it seemed like he was definitely a fanboy.