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chapter 20
From Now On, We’re Starting Dinner Service!
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll come again next time.”
“Really? You’ll come again?”
“Of course. If I want to eat food this good, I have to. Just save my seat for me. Haha.”
Kim Hajun smiled brightly with a gentle face.
Hearing him, Mom looked proud.
“The stir-fried pork, the soybean paste stew, even the rice—everything was so good. This skinny kid ate three bowls of rice! That’s a guaranteed good restaurant.”
Kim Hajun pointed to the woman standing beside him.
She was extremely thin—his personal stylist—and according to him, even half a bowl was usually her limit.
But at our restaurant, she ate three full bowls of rice.
When she ordered more rice, Kim Hajun had been completely shocked.
In ten years of working together, he had never once seen her get a refill.
“Ah, Mr. Kim Hajun. Please come visit again around summer.”
“This summer? Is there a reason?”
“When spring comes, we’ll start growing vegetables in our garden again. We’ll make side dishes with vegetables grown here, so I’m confident the side dishes will taste even better.”
I answered confidently.
So far, most side dishes had been made with ingredients delivered early in the morning from the wholesale market.
For dishes that required little or no water, Banguli’s influence was limited.
But spring would be different.
Dumdeomi would till the garden into rich soil, and Banguli would carefully water the vegetables growing in it.
“Oh, you’re growing your own vegetables too? I hate to say this about myself, but my channel has quite an impact. Once the video goes up, customers might flood in—can you manage the garden too? It looks like it’s just the two of you running the place.”
“We’re planning to hire staff before that.”
“That’s a good idea. Health comes first. I wouldn’t want a good restaurant to close because of me, so please take care of yourselves.”
“Thank you.”
“Then close up early and get some rest. We’ll head out now.”
It was already late at night.
Almost midnight.
The restaurant normally closed at 10 p.m., but today we stayed open until 11 just for them.
We couldn’t go any later.
We had to open again tomorrow.
With that, Kim Hajun left.
On one wall of the now-empty restaurant, we hung the autograph Kim Hajun had written himself.
“Son, it feels like it’s starting now, doesn’t it?”
“It really does.”
Before the remodeling, the walls of Haengbok Restaurant were covered with autographs from famous celebrities.
They were proof of how famous the restaurant once was—like medals.
But during the remodeling, Mom removed all of them and stored them in an album.
She didn’t put a single one back up.
It was her way of saying she didn’t want to rely on past glory, but start anew.
And today—
The first autograph went up on an empty wall.
Now, all that remained was to fill it up again, just like before.
A few days passed after Kim Hajun’s visit.
There was no dramatic change yet.
The video hadn’t been uploaded to YouTube.
Still, his manager contacted us yesterday.
They were editing the video, and it would be uploaded to Kim Hajun’s “I’m Gonna Eat!” channel in two weeks.
“Mom. The video’s going up in two weeks!”
“Really? Then what should we do? Should we hire staff?”
Right now, Haengbok Restaurant was run by just Mom and me.
Mom came in early to prepare side dishes while I cleaned the restaurant.
During lunch service, Mom worked the kitchen and I handled the counter and hall.
Dinner service was the same.
So far, the system worked fine.
But in two weeks, a storm was coming.
Whether it would last a week, a month, or longer depended on our food.
And it was obvious customers would keep coming.
Restaurants that had appeared on “I’m Gonna Eat!” before often got so many outside visitors that regulars couldn’t even eat.
“How many people are you thinking of hiring?”
“One woman for dishwashing in the kitchen, and one to help you in the hall. At least two.”
Since this was deep countryside, finding workers was hard.
Even if we found someone good, we’d have to pay more than usual.
The workload would be heavy.
That meant labor costs—previously almost zero—would increase significantly.
But there was no choice.
“I’ll ask around and see if I know anyone suitable.”
“Okay.”
“Tomorrow’s our day off, you know? You can rest at home or go out for some fresh air.”
“I’ll think about it slowly.”
Haengbok Restaurant closed on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
This was my first day off since starting to help Mom.
I hadn’t decided what to do.
Part of me just wanted to turn on the electric mat, crawl under the blanket, and sleep all day.
‘I’ll decide tomorrow.’
The next day.
Even though the restaurant was closed, I woke up early out of habit.
Birds chirped outside the window.
One of the best parts of living in the countryside.
I thought about sleeping more, but got up anyway.
Mom wasn’t anywhere in the house.
The restaurant lights were off too.
‘Huh? Where did she go?’
I scratched my head and went to the backyard.
The stray cats, including Jeomsuni’s family, each had their own territory.
There were still small tensions, but not as hostile as before.
It felt like they were respecting each other’s space.
I filled the empty food bowls one by one.
Meow.
The cats gathered.
It felt like I was some kind of golden carriage.
‘Banguli, can you fill the water?’
[Yes! I’ll help right away!]
Banguli filled the bowls with spirit water.
Only then did the cats start lapping at it.
They must’ve been waiting.
As I filmed the scene—
Something rubbed against my calf.
I looked down.
It was Samsek.
“Samsek.”
Among the stray cats, Samsek was especially friendly with me.
Every time I came back here, it rubbed against me.
After petting it a few times, Samsek lifted its hips.
Even without Hoya’s help, I could clearly feel its affection.
While I was petting Samsek—
“Song Minwoo! You were here?”
Mom appeared in the backyard.
But her clothes were suspicious.
Hiking gear.
Where had she gone so early?
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
That sent chills down my spine.
The atmosphere was serious.
It felt like I was being interrogated.
Back in my room, Mom took out a thermos from her bag and handed it to me.
“This is water from Bonghwa Mountain spring. Drink it.”
Uh-oh.
I knew something was wrong.
The water tasted bland.
Completely different from the spirit water we used.
“You said this was Bonghwa spring water. Then what is this? What’s going on?”
“……”
There was no escaping.
I decided to tell the truth.
I explained everything—hearing voices as a child, thinking they were ghosts, moving away, realizing they were spirits, and gaining their power.
Mom stammered in shock.
“You… you’re hearing the same things your grandmother did? Really?”
Since Grandma was also a spirit master, she must’ve heard them too.
When I nodded, Mom sank into a chair.
“When you said you were scared because you heard ghost voices, Grandma told me something. She said they weren’t ghosts, but tiny, cute fairies, and there was nothing to be afraid of. But back then, I didn’t believe in fairies, so I couldn’t tell you. After we moved to Incheon, you became calmer too.”
So Grandma knew.
She knew I had potential.
“Can Mom see them too?”
“No. Only I can.”
Banguli, Hoya, Dumdeomi, and Eoreumi.
Only I could see them.
Because I was the only spirit master of this era.
Mom looked disappointed, then asked for a miracle instead.
“Then can you fill this with water?”
She handed me the empty thermos.
‘Banguli, can you fill it?’
[Of course. As much as you want.]
Water suddenly filled the thermos.
It shook.
Mom’s hands trembled.
She had just witnessed magic.
“Son, listen carefully. Never reveal this anywhere.”
“Of course. I never will.”
“Remember—no one else can know. Got it?”
I nodded.
Then Mom changed the subject.
“About this water… can we connect it as groundwater? Using bottles is inconvenient.”
“It’s possible. There’s no cleaner water than spirit water. It’ll pass any test.”
There was already Grandma’s old well in the backyard.
So we didn’t need to dig a new one.
We opened the shed and lifted the well cover.
The dried-up well—
Filled instantly with spirit water.
That same day, we applied for inspection.
A week later, the results came back.
The water was approved for drinking.
About two weeks later, the video of Kim Hajun visiting Haengbok Restaurant was uploaded.
The reaction was explosive.
His intense reactions.
Even his stylist eating three bowls of rice.
Everything became a hot topic.
And that evening—
As Mom and I prepared for dinner service—
People were already lined up all the way to the village entrance.
“Do you hear that noise outside?”
“This is insane. Can we really handle this?”
“Yes. We can. Trust me. You tested it earlier today.”
“Right. Banguli, was it? I trust that kid.”
I peeked outside.
People lined up in full winter gear.
Some were even setting up tents.
It was unbelievable.
Just weeks ago, the place was empty.
Now, in the dead of winter, people were lining up.
At 5 p.m., I opened the door and shouted loudly:
“Haengbok Restaurant—starting dinner service now!”
