The Old Lady’s Testy Side
“I heard that the site manager is excellent at making jang, jeotgal, and kimchi,” said Hwigyeom. “I’ve contacted her several times, but I can’t get through.”
At these words the site manager nodded as if she understood. “Oh, I see, halmeoni. She has a bit of a sharp personality, but she accepts guests. Let me give her a call.”
The site manager, who had been holding her phone for a long time, finally received permission after a long wait.
The place they found was an old hanok that looked like it had stood for decades. As they stepped through the creaky gate into the house, countless jangdok jars crowded the wide courtyard.
Instead of the owner’s grandmother, her daughter-in-law came out to greet them. Her eldest son was the only one left at home; the other three had married off.
“Are the guests here?” she asked. “Of course. Foreign visitors come occasionally. Only regular customers or when my mother isn’t feeling well do they get turned away.”
She led them to a room and they sat facing each other across a large jojeon table. The daughter-in-law soon filled it with dishes in a flurry.
The moment they started eating, Yeong-a let out a sigh of admiration. Even Hwigyeom, who never touched chopsticks at fancy restaurants, nodded enthusiastically.
Fish stew and jeotgal made with three-year-aged cheonggukjang, all kinds of mountain vegetables, and kimchi—there wasn’t a single dish that fell short.
Yeong-a kept staring at her bowl with wide eyes, thinking an old woman like this deserved to be proud. Just as she lifted her head, Hwigyeom straightened up as well.
“Manager-nim, here…” he began.
Hwigyeom nodded. They didn’t need words to understand each other perfectly.
“How the flavors all harmonize, don’t they? And every side dish is perfectly balanced.”
“Indeed. It’s wonderful. The seasonal ingredients are top-tier, but the taste is beyond even the best hands and palates.”
“How did the manager find a place like this?” her boss asked. Yeong-a’s superior was surprisingly capable despite lacking a salary.
“Through my mother’s connections. There must be hidden masters everywhere. I want to set up a restaurant with people like that.”
Yeong-a gave him a sincere thumbs-up. She never held back on praise when she approved of something.
“The manager has such great sense! Way better than a Michelin chef, right?”
It fit the theme of “connection” that linked space, time, and flavor inside the old hanok as well.
After the meal Hwigyeom asked the daughter-in-law to let him meet the owner.
“You want to meet my mother? About the resort meal?” the woman asked, surprised. “She’s so blunt that she’d be terrified if I told her you’re working under her.”
“Still, I’ll have to speak with her myself.” The daughter-in-law left the room.
Yeong-a stared hard at Hwigyeom. He smiled crookedly and stroked his smooth jaw.
“Now you’re trying to enjoy male convenience without even trying.”
“Exactly, Manager-nim.” Yeong-a flicked her fingers as if she’d made a great discovery.
“What?”
“Most grandmothers like young men. And handsome ones?”The bizarre thing was that Hwigyeom immediately furrowed his brows. “You’re saying I should wag my tail like a dog?”
Yeong-a shook her head calmly. “Nuna, that’s all you need.”
The ghastly title coming from Yeong-a’s lips made Hwigyeom twist his face roughly. “Where did you learn such a rotten word?”
“Park-sssi said that. It works every time. Under a hundred years old you’re nuna, over a hundred you’re halmeoni!”
Ha, look at that. Hwigyeom had said he’d open the career path if this project succeeded, but the woman was bluntly calling it the “cuckoo trick.”
“You’re overthinking it. You said you’d use pretty words. It’s just the natural extension of that, right? Just call each other something that makes you feel good.”
“Miss Yu Yeong-a, I’m sorry, but ‘each other’ doesn’t apply here.”
“Just think differently and…” Yeong-a started to say more, but Hwigyeom ignored her and stood up, heading straight for the courtyard.
The old man stood staring at one of the jangdok jars. The sour smell of jeotgal rose thickly.
“Excuse me, grandfather. I have a proposal I wanted to make, but could we speak for a moment…” Hwigyeom hadn’t even finished when the old man slammed the heavy lid shut and lifted his neck like a pressed string.
“I have nothing to say. You’ve eaten, so please leave.” The old man showed no regret and moved to the next jar. His stubborn nature was clear from the neat white hair.
At that moment Yeong-a slipped between them. “Halmeoni, is this kimchi you pulled out? We’d be happy to help.”
She pointed to the pile of fresh radish and wild vegetables that looked like a mountain. The old man narrowed his wrinkled eyes and scanned Hwigyeom from head to toe.
A man wearing a neat navy double-breasted suit, white dress shirt, and tie. He sat cross-legged on the floor eating rice earlier, but the suit had not a single wrinkle.
“What’s all this flashy dressing for? Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“No, halmeoni. Our manager is really good at this kind of work. Isn’t that right, manager?” Yeong-a smiled sweetly at the old man. She winked hard and fast at Hwigyeom so he wouldn’t notice.
Hwigyeom was so stunned he couldn’t even speak. The big daughter-in-law walked over with a hopeful face. She had been eavesdropping behind a pillar since earlier.
“We were already preparing food for the guests who were supposed to come today. If you’re okay with this…”
Hwigyeom looked at the colorful fabric scraps and closed his eyes tightly. Fashion sense? Yeong-a didn’t have any, but he had selected every single piece of clothing with obsessive care—fabric, design, color, scent. Even underwear and socks.
But this young woman was asking him to wear pants with a flower pattern so hideous that even the eyes would sting? Yeong-a was smiling as she held the clothes up to Hwigyeom, and he twitched his eyebrows.
Yeong-a and the big daughter-in-law looked blissfully happy, thinking he had no idea.
“I was worried about what to do with all this food since the ladies suddenly canceled. Thank goodness you showed up.”
“Wow, really? We finished our work early too!” It was no exaggeration. The Sokcho site was progressing better than expected, so they didn’t even need to check it in the afternoon. Instead they were going to spend more time in Yanggu.
“What an amazing coincidence. This must be fate.”
Hearing Yeong-a’s forced line, Hwigyeom’s pupils shot straight up.
Ha… He tilted his stiff neck back. His soft lips suddenly pressed against his ear.
“Manager-nim, this is the perfect opportunity, right? If I just help with this…”
“I’ll do even more work. Just close your eyes for me once…”
The plump flesh breathed warm air against his earlobe while she nuzzled him. Hwigyeom bit down hard on his own lower lip and snatched the clothes from Yeong-a’s hand.
“Where… where can I change?” he asked, staring at the bright-red flower-patterned pants.
The big daughter-in-law smiled warmly and pointed to the end of the house. “The room we ate in earlier, with the table cleared. You can use that. Miss, come with me. Gee, though, he doesn’t look like he does this kind of work. I hope it’s okay…”
“Our manager is exactly like this. How many jobs…”
The two voices quickly faded. Hwigyeom had walked away at a brisk pace.
He locked the door and spat out a curse. “Fucking Yong-yong.”
How long would the effects of this substance that turned a person into a horny dog last? It was unbearably dog-like.