“Unnie-!”
As I opened the right backseat door and got in, Juwon was already seated in the middle.
I loosened one strap of my bag and embraced it as I entered, and he smiled brightly, reaching out his hand toward me.
Dae Han, who was seated in the driver’s seat, left a few short remarks while watching Juwon bouncing up and down in the backseat, secured by the seatbelt.
“Juwon is excited that his unnie came.”
“Hello, Juwon, hi!”
As I greeted Dae Han upon entering the car, I held Juwon’s outstretched hand and gently swayed it sideways, as if cradling a baby.
Responding with a cheerful “hi,” he playfully rolled his voice and greeted me back.
Suddenly, Shiyeon, who went back to the left backseat, entered the car.
Two in the front seat, three in the back.
With five of us packed into the five-seat passenger car, we pulled our seatbelts tightly until they clicked without knowing our destination.
This was the first time Senior Jiun had come to pick us up in front of the school.
Facing an unusual situation that wouldn’t be thought of on a regular day, I looked toward the passenger seat and spoke up.
“Did you come all the way to the school to take us?”
“I stopped by while picking Juwon up from kindergarten; since neither of you are doing late study sessions, I thought it would be nice to go have dinner together.”
“You’re the best, unnie!”
Although Jiun downplayed it, saying she came while picking up Juwon from kindergarten, her words were considerate enough not to make me feel burdened.
As Shiyeon, genuinely happy, stretched her arms up to cheer, I was just about to express my gratitude for receiving a meal…
“And, Mary needs to answer her phone.”
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, Jiun’s remark flew toward me.
In the front seat, Jiun’s eyes, visible in the rearview mirror, were clearly directed at me.
Instead of expressing my gratitude, a flustered sound escaped my lips.
I couldn’t recall any recent missed calls, but I felt an inexplicable sense of grievance.
“But lately, I’ve had my phone on vibrate, so I’m able to answer it well…”
“You didn’t answer the last time.”
At that, Jiun, as if waiting for an excuse, mentioned ‘last time’ and poked fun at me.
It seemed she was referring to the day I returned home after fighting with a monster and saw three missed calls from her.
“That was….”
I thought of the reason why I couldn’t pick up the phone, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth, closing my mouth tight.
If it were just me and Jiun, it wouldn’t matter, but with Dae Han and Juwon present, I couldn’t openly say, “I couldn’t answer because I was fighting a monster.”
I merely scratched the bridge of my nose, awkwardly muttering a reply.
“Right?”
“Oh my.”
And so, a short scolding of three words continued.
Shiyeon belatedly asked about tonight’s dinner menu.
“Unnie, what are we going to eat?”
“Gamjatang!”
Though the question was directed to the passenger seat, for some reason, that answer came from the same backseat.
Tonight’s dinner menu was, indeed, gamjatang.
Juwon, looking particularly excited, must have mentioned he wanted it.
He kicked the armrest of the driver’s seat with both legs, and I could see dust collecting wherever his feet landed; it felt like a fire was boiling inside me.
“Don’t do that, it makes your dad sad.”
I gently pressed Juwon’s kicking legs to calm him down, and only after I saw we were entering the gamjatang restaurant’s parking lot did I click the red button of the seatbelt.
With a whoosh, the seatbelt clung to the wall as if sucked in.
Before entering the narrow-looking parking space, Dae Han spoke from the driver’s seat.
“Get out first, I’ll park and then come.”
“Get out, get out.”
At the urging of Dae Han and Jiun, I left the bag in the car and pulled the door handle to open it.
Keeping an eye on Juwon, who was fidgeting from the inside and trying to come out, I pulled him outside before closing the door.
I held his hand tightly, checked that no one remained in the backseat, and closed the door.
Vroom, as the car made engine sounds, we departed to find a parking spot.
Since it was a restaurant near the market entrance, an array of different aromas wafted through the air, not just from gamjatang.
We passed by the tempting snacks that showcased themselves in the market and stepped into the gamjatang house.
“Welcome!”
As the four of us entered the store, a friendly lady with permed hair greeted us energetically.
We settled into a moderately empty seat, and Juwon, still holding my hand, scampered over to sit beside me.
In response to his natural behavior, Jiun spoke to Juwon in a higher pitch, as if to a baby.
“Are you going to sit with Unnie Mary, Juwon?”
“Yeah.”
Juwon replied immediately, without hesitation.
Since she often played with him, he followed us like a good little brother.
Gently stroking Juwon’s fluffy hair, I smiled happily.
Having watched him since he was a baby, he was simply adorable.
Until Dae Han returned, the three of us women began to discuss the menu.
“Would one large be enough?”
“How much do people usually order?”
“Typically, one medium-sized and one fried rice is enough.”
Gauging the meal quantities of Dae Han and Jiun, I rolled the numbers in my head.
Since Juwon hadn’t even hit elementary school yet, he wouldn’t eat much.
Moreover, neither Shiyeon nor I ate that much either.
“Then one large and… maybe one or two fried rices should be enough.”
“If it’s not enough, we can always order more bones, let’s order!”
“Yes-!”
“One large gamjatang, please.”
Having completed the order efficiently, Dae Han, who must have just finished parking, entered the store.
Seeing his son sitting next to me instead of his mother, he raised his mouth as if finding it amusing.
“Oh, Juwon is sitting with Mary? What did you order?”
“One large for now.”
Jiun responded right after mentioning Juwon, as if it were a casual remark.
After a short exchange between the couple, they proceeded to ruffle Juwon’s head who was playing with his smartphone.
“Does Juwon eat gamjatang well?”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Press the button next to you.”
When asked if Juwon eats gamjatang well, Jiun unexpectedly told him to press the call button attached to the table.
Not knowing the reason, I pressed the call button firmly.
The restaurant echoed with a loud, poorly-tuned ding-dong sound.
A faint voice from the kitchen replied, “Yes-.”
A moment later, the lady who came to our table asked what was needed, and Jiun shot out the additional order.
“One donkatsu.”
Surprised by the unexpected additional order, I thought to myself, “Huh?”
Wait, what do you mean donkatsu while we came to eat gamjatang?
This isn’t Gimbap Cheonguk, I thought while looking at the menu…
“Yes, one donkatsu extra.”
Gamjatang, bone soup, sundae soup, dogani soup, and donkatsu.
Among all those varieties, why is there a lone donkatsu?
Is that on the menu for real?
While staring at the menu in bewilderment…
Jiun continued her answer to the question I hadn’t responded to earlier.
“Juwon came here to eat donkatsu, not gamjatang.”
Apparently, there’s a trend in traditional markets where restaurants prepare special kids’ menus since there aren’t many food options for children.
Wait, he loved gamjatang so much…
In the end, he circles back to donkatsu, which was quite amusing.
“Be careful; it’s hot.”
With the lady’s warning as the big pot filled with gamjatang arrived at our table.
Fresh perilla leaves, translucent glass noodles, and a generous amount of meat piled on top.
In fact, most of it was just bone pieces, but overall, it looked like a hearty amount for four people.
Jiun and Dae Han held the tongs placed next to the container for the leftover bones.
Without anyone asking them, as if they were one body, they quickly tossed the glass noodles and perilla leaves into the broth.
Is this what they mean by a couple being in sync without needing words?
“The meat is fully cooked, so when it warms up enough, just take it out and eat it.”
“Yes-.”
A moment later, when the gamjatang started to boil, I grabbed a large bone and moved it to my plate.
Struggling with chopsticks, I pried the meat off the bone, dipped it generously into the yellow mustard sauce, and popped it into my mouth.
The tenderness of the simmered meat mixed with the unique sweetness of the mustard sauce, coupled with the slight spiciness of the mustard, lingered in my mouth.
Perhaps it was because I hadn’t eaten it in a long while, but the gamjatang meat was surprisingly delicious.
Though I awkwardly tore the meat with chopsticks, I ended up eating three pieces by myself.
The potatoes, heated thoroughly in the gamjatang broth, crumbled apart softly.
As a final touch to the meal, we decided on fried rice.
When we exited the restaurant, there was a freezer by the entrance with plastic containers filled with tri-colored ice cream.
One layer each of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream stacked together.
Completing a three-layer ice cream mound and giving it a bite as we stepped outside, an indescribable satisfaction washed over me.
Having finished our dinner and returned home…
“Ahhh! Gamjatang! Ice cream! Donkatsu!”
The gomtaengi, who had been sniffing the food scent from my pocket all throughout the meal, rolled around on the floor in agony.
“That kid is acting up again.”
Seeing him, I chuckled.
I bit into one of the crunchy ice cream cones that I had taken an extra two of when leaving the gamjatang house.
“Should I get him something?”
I wondered if Shiyeon was concerned because we had eaten without the mascots, glancing at the gomtaengi and timidly asking.
Thinking I would surely allow it, she was already holding her smartphone.
However, before I could answer, I saw her shaking her head to refuse.
I felt it was once again time to teach her that not everything works out just because you throw a tantrum like a toddler.
“You’re spoiling the kid.”
