I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 25
Mujin recalled an old memory. It had been a poor village, but people had still lived there. When autumn passed and winter approached, they would busy themselves preparing kimchi.
They would buy cabbages and salt, pickle them, stuff them with red pepper paste, and pack them tightly in a container. On days like that, there was something else that would always appear, thick slices of pork for boiling1. After preparing the kimchi, like a ritual, all the families would boil the meat and eat it with kimchi.
Mujin shook his head suddenly. He hated to remember his childhood, but there were times when he couldn’t help but think of it, even now.
Before this, Mujin was never someone to obsess over food, or to care about what he was eating. Food was something necessary to fill his stomach and fuel his body, that was all. That was his only criteria. But when he was lying in that small house on top of the hill, he had focused on the food there. No, even now that he was no longer there, he was still thinking about it.
‘Shall I visit there?’
Mujin hadn’t known Jaewoo for long, but he felt like he understood his personality. And knowing Jaewoo, he wouldn’t have finished making kimchi in a single day. He was convinced that Jaewoo would follow through with cooking the pork as well.
Mujin felt strangely hungry. He stretched in his chair and out of habit took out a cigarette, holding it up for a light. Dongsoo quickly took out a lighter, but before he could light the cigarette, Mujin waved him off.
“It’s fine. No smoking for now.”
“Yes?”
Dongsoo looked flustered, but Mujin continued on without hesitation. The darkness hidden in the seedy underbelly they lived in was terrifying, but Mujin remained unconcerned.
“Is someone talking about me?”
Jaewoo tapped his ear as he got the table ready. He put a pot stand in the center and placed a wide, slightly burnt pot on top of it. Inside, the freshly cooked spicy braised chicken was steaming gently. From the lightly-cooked potatoes and carrots to the chicken soaked in seasoning, everything looked absolutely delicious. Jaewoo’s mouth was watering.
The children quickly sat down and raised their spoons, their eyes twinkling.
“Can you guys eat spicy food?”
Jaewoo hadn’t made it too spicy just in case, but he was still worried. When he asked the boys, however, Hyeonu answered politely.
“I like eating spicy rice cakes2!”
Beside him, Woohee also nodded and said.
“Even if it’s spicy, I can finish it all!”
Jaewoo had thought about watering it down just in case, but it sounded like that wouldn’t be necessary. He spooned some braised chicken, potatoes, and carrots with a little bit of sauce onto a plate and handed it to the children.
“Thank you for the food!”
How can these kids be so kind? Their voices chiming out every time they ate was just too cute.
“Thank you for the food.”
Hyunjin said that too, as he ladled the braised chicken onto a plate. Then he handed the plate to Jaewoo instead. Jaewoo accepted it clumsily, and only then did Hyunjin prepare his own. Things really had changed a lot. Jaewoo smiled and thanked Hyunjin.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
With those words, the real meal began. The four of them opened their mouths wide and bit into the properly seasoned chicken.
The first thing they tasted was the spiciness. But it wasn’t just spicy – the seasoning, which was slightly sweet for the sake of the children, went well with the light and savory taste of the chicken. Jaewoo chewed it firmly and swallowed, then followed it with a piece of well-cooked potato. It melted gently in Jaewoo’s mouth. The carrots were also cooked perfectly, with no weird smells or textures.
‘Maybe I should have added some glass noodles3 as well.’
Jaewoo hadn’t added glass noodles to make it easier to reheat the leftovers later, but he was a bit disappointed by the lack. He wondered how the kids were handling the spiciness, but when he looked over he saw them both with a glass of water next to them. They’d eat a piece of meat, followed by a piece of potato, and then, just like Hyunjin had taught them, they’d take a spoonful of broth, mix it with rice, and then follow it all with a big gulp of water. Jaewoo couldn’t help but laugh; they reminded him of baby chickens pecking at their feed.
“You boys seem to like it.”
“It’s delicious!”
At Jaewoo’s words, the children grinned with bright red lips.
“If it’s too spicy, you should eat something else as well.”
He’d even made steamed eggs4 on purpose, but no one had touched them because they were too busy eating the braised chicken. Only after Jaewoo pushed the eggs closer to them did the boys take a bite.
“Ugh, I’m full, but I don’t want to stop.”
Hyeonu grumbled as he scooped up a large spoonful of steamed egg and ate it.
“I want to eat more!”
Woohee also agreed with him. Hyunjin had long since cleared his plate without saying a word. Since everyone was eating well like this, the amount of food was rapidly decreasing, but Jaewoo was just happy to see them enjoying it.
“Still, don’t give yourself a stomach ache. Tomorrow, we’ll finish making the kimchi and we’ll have boiled pork.”
“Boiled pork!”
“What? I’ve never had that before!”
Woohee continued his brother’s words in an excited manner. Hyunjin had been busy working after their parents abandoned them, so it was only natural that he hadn’t tried it before. At least Hyeonu seemed to be familiar with it, even if Woohee wasn’t.
“Then you can try it tomorrow.”
Jaewoo wiped the children’s mouths and smiled.
“I’ll help you make kimchi too!”
“Me too!”
“Oh my. How many helping hands will there be?”
When Jaewoo made an exaggeratedly surprised expression, the children squealed.
“I’ll help tomorrow too.”
Hyunjin’s voice came through them. Originally, he was planning to go to work at Sanghun’s bar this weekend, but he canceled. Even if Jaewoo had only gotten enough cabbage for the four of them, he didn’t think it would be easy to make all that kimchi by himself.
‘Actually, I shouldn’t take a day off like this.’
The interest rate had risen so steeply, Hyunjin really couldn’t afford to miss a day of work. But he wanted to help Jaewoo out, so he had decided to take a break. He was anxious about this decision, and his heart was racing, but when Jaewoo looked at him and rolled his eyes, he felt a bit calmer.
“Okay, then let’s have a boiled pork party tomorrow!”
“Boiled pork party!”
“Party!”
His younger brothers were happy and Jaewoo was there, so what could he do? It was only a day. Hyunjin laughed quietly.
After a pleasant meal, the children washed up in the bathroom attached to Jaewoo’s room. It was fun to wash up with hot water for once, even though they got scolded by Hyunjin for playing with the soap bubbles. Still, the excitement didn’t die down.
After washing up, putting on their pajamas, and drying their hair, the children rolled around on Jaewoo’s spread blanket. Then they quietly closed their eyes.
“We should go to our room and sleep.”
Hyunjin watched the children as he spoke. A small snoring sound could be hard, but he’d been taking care of them for how many years now? He could tell right away that they were faking it.
“Hyeonu, Woohee.”
“Hmm…”
Perhaps because of his conscience, Hyeonu pretended to wake up first. Woohee, on the other hand, refused to open his eyes. He liked Jaewoo’s room much better than their original cold room. This room was warmer, larger, and Jaewoo was here.
“Woohee.”
Hyunjin, who had called his name several more times, sighed softly and hugged Woohee. Woohee tried to hold on somehow, but he soon began to waver.
“It’s okay for you to sleep here.”
Jaewoo said while looking at them.
“What if it becomes a habit?”
“Well, so what if it does? I have more than enough room. And anyway, that side room needs some work done to it. There’s no heat, so it’s always freezing in there. There’s a limit to what heating pads can do. Why don’t you three stay here while we get it fixed up?”
Hyunjin slowly blinked at those words. His heart, which had been calm this whole time, was pounding like a ship caught in a storm.
“It’s winter now. You guys are going to catch a cold if you stay there.”
Jaewoo, who may or may not have been aware of Hyunjin’s feelings, took out an extra blanket and spread it on the floor, turning it into the perfect bed for the four of them to sleep in.
“The bed’s ready, I’m going to go wash up.”
Jaewoo pushed Hyunjin back down onto the blanket and then left to go get ready. Meanwhile, Woohee slowly opened his eyes and asked.
“Brother, are you angry?”
“Why would I be angry?”
“Because I didn’t listen to you.”
Hyunjin stroked Woohee’s head as he answered in frustration. As Hyunjin’s large hand stroked his head, Woohee gently closed his eyes, savoring the feeling.
“I’m not angry.”
“Oh. But brother…”
“What is it?”
“That uncle, he’s a good person, isn’t he?”
Woohee’s question left Hyunjin momentarily speechless. That’s the opposite of what he had told the boys back when they first met Jaewoo. Hyeonu had also opened his eyes and was looking at Hyunjin worriedly. Yes, it was time to let the kids know that things had changed. Jaewoo was no longer the bad person that he used to be.
“Yes, he is a good person.”
“Aha!”
When Hyunjin answered that way, Woohee smiled brightly.
“I thought so.”
Then, he rubbed his face against the pillow and slowly closed his eyes. It was still a little early for Woohee to go to bed, but he seemed to be getting drowsy.
“Uh, are you guys sleeping already?”
Jaewoo came out of the bathroom, shaking off his wet hair.
“Yes.”
Before they knew it, Hyunwoo and Woohee were both snoring loudly.
“I thought we’d play together.”
Jaewoo shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the floor. Water droplets were dripping from his still-wet hair.
“You have to dry your hair properly.”
At those words, Jaewoo picked up a towel and started drying off his head. There was a hair dryer, but he was reluctant to turn it on, since the kids were sleeping so soundly.
“Let me do it for you.”
Hyunjin got up from his seat and sat behind Jaewoo. Then he picked up the towel and began to dry his hair carefully. The small head swayed under his large hand.
‘Jaewoo’s head is so small…’
Hyunjin was once again surprised at his thoughts, and compensated by rubbing the towel harder.
“You’re good at this?”
“I have two younger brothers.”
“Ah. You’re a good older brother.”
Was he a good brother?
“I don’t know.”
Hyunjin wanted to be a good older brother, but had he been that way until now? If he really thought about it, he wasn’t sure. He was so busy with work that he felt like he’d practically abandoned the two of them. He’d tried his best when it came to everything else, but after seeing all the things that Jaewoo did for the boys and how they had blossomed under his care, Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he had been succeeding.
“Why don’t you know?”
“I’m not sure. Why don’t I know?”
Hyunjin couldn’t even bring himself to say what he was thinking, so he simply lowered the towel. As soon as he put down the towel, Jaewoo quickly turned his head.
Footnotes
수육 – suyuk. Boiled meat, in this case, boiled pork. It’s often served with fresh kimchi. Namu wiki, Recipe
떡볶이 – tteokbokki. A popular food made from small cylinders of rice simmered in a spicy gochujang-based sauce. Wikipedia, Recipe
당면도 – cellophane noodles, glass noodles. A type of transparent noodle made from various starches, like mung bean. It’s good at soaking up sauces. Wikipedia
계란찜 – steamed eggs. A sort of custard-y side dish. Wikipedia
