慈禧太后的秘密

Chapter 659

The couple in their thirties left. They put the money inside a blue plastic basket. They put the money in there before the owner said to put it there. It seemed that there were a few unwritten rules in this small pojang-macha. It was something cozy and not uncomfortable. It was one of those ‘oh, there’s something like that’ elements that people could smile at.

Maru downed his udon and gave back the bowl. Can I have another bowl? - The owner said yes before putting some broth and noodles in the bowl. The quantity didn’t decrease from before. In fact, Maru felt like there was more. There was a lot of topping as well. Although it was only some fish cakes, the amount provoked Maru’s gratitude in his heart.

The owner told the students eating outside to come in, but the two students refused, saying that they liked eating standing up better. It seemed that right below the street light, where the light from the pojang-macha could barely reach, was their secret hideout of sorts. Maru could hear the conversation the two had through the opening of the plastic curtain. They were talking about how it was the summer holidays and yet they had to go to school or something, about teachers, and about cram schools.

“Thanks for the food.”

The two salarymen in their forties paid before leaving. They each had a bottle of soju, some soondae, and a bowl of udon. There were warm smiles on their faces as they left. The smiles seemed to be due to a combination of the warmth of the udon and the alcohol.

As though it was a relay race, the next set of customers entered the pojang-macha as soon as they left. A woman, who was carrying a drunk man on her shoulders, took seats on the left. The man, who was balding, kept heaving out heavy breaths as though he was a humidifier, and the woman next to him kept stroking his back in worry. Were they married? The man loudly ordered a bottle of soju.

“You drank enough already. Don’t get yourself into trouble tomorrow. Drink some of this.”

What the owner gave him was some fish cake broth. The woman, who seemed to be the wife, accepted the bowl instead of the man, who seemed like he couldn’t move properly.

“Sorry, this man just has to visit this place whenever he’s drunk. Yoonji’s dad, drink some of this.”

The man, who had his face against the table, abruptly opened his eyes and snapped out, but when his wife narrowed her eyes and glared at him, he accepted the bowl without saying anything. It seemed that a wife’s glare is something undefiable even when one was drunk.

“Oh, you’re open today.”

The right seat was soon filled as well. It was a man in his mid twenties with a neat haircut. He was also wearing a suit.

“I took a break yesterday. You said you were going to an interview?”

“Yeah. Today, I think it really went well. I got the feels. The interviewers asked me my name one more time when I left, so I’m sure of it this time.”

“Didn’t you say that last time as well?”

“It’s for real this time. Oh, one udon and a portion of soondae.”

“What about dumplings?”

“No thanks.”

“They’re good though.”

It seemed that the dumplings here were an unpopular menu item. The owner made a disappointed expression before putting down a bowl of udon and soondae in front of him. The man placed his phone next to the bowls before he started eating. He ate a mouthful of the noodles then the soondae. While he was eating, his gaze did not move away from his phone. The phone must have been a symbol of faith for him.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” Jayeon said.

She said that this pojang-macha was a theme park. She smiled in satisfaction, saying that it was possible to see many different types of people here as long as they bought the ticket known as a bowl of udon. Maru had a look at the drunk man, his wife, the students eating while chatting outside, and the man who said that he did a good interview before nodding. It was indeed a theme park. Instead of rides though, it was filled with people.

“Uhm.”

Yuna, who had been sitting quietly for a while, quietly called out to the owner. In her hands was a bowl. The owner wordlessly gave her another bowl. When everyone looked at her, she smiled and picked up her chopsticks again.

“Owner, please let me shoot here. I don’t think I’ll ever get this feeling even if I make this into a set.”

“Just recreate it to make it look similar. I’m sure you have a lot of money since you’re working for the TV station.”

“This kind of scenery isn’t something you can make. Look here, this oil stain. Then there’s this dented iron griddle as well as the steamer that makes you doubt the hygiene of this place. All of this is what makes this atmosphere.”

“Why don’t you swear at my face instead?”

Despite Jayeon’s wooing, the owner did not budge. The students eating outside returned the bowls before leaving. The owner took off the vinyl wrap around the bowl and put it in the trash before starting to clean up. The way he exchanged words with the customers looked very affectionate. Usually, pojang-machas were filled with loud noises, but this place looked rather calm like an ordinary house. Maru felt like anyone would be energized even if they were tired due to all the work and life things they had to do as long as they had a bowl of this warm udon. It was a safe haven located in the corner of the traditional market. It was a place where life dramas happened.

Maru looked at Jayeon. She was looking at the owner as well as the other customers with a smile on her face. Her eyes looked like she was wondering how to bring all this into the world of the screen.

The wife left the pojang-macha, carrying her drunk husband with her. The man, who came from an interview, also left after saying thanks. This place didn’t look like a place where one could make themselves at home; it looked more like a temporary shelter. A place where people with shallow pockets could come and eat lightly before leaving pleasantly. If they were lucky, they would be able to get a free boiled egg as well.

“This place is good.”

Maru remembered the jeyuk-bokkeum restaurant in the shanty towns of Seoul. Like that place, this pojang-macha was also a refuge where people could console their tired bodies.

“It’s only a pojang-macha no matter how good it is,” said the owner.

Unlike his cold-sounding words, he was smiling.

“I’m also going to clean up and go home. You should go home as well, miss producer.”

“Are you not going to give me an answer today?”

“I said I’m not doing it. Look for somewhere else.”

“I said this has to be the place. Why do you think I, the producer, came all the way here to beg you? I really don’t act like this usually, but I really want to use this place even if it means begging you for it. Please? Please allow me to. It’ll be good promotion for the store.”

“Like I said, I don’t need any promotion.”

“I know you don’t. It’s just, the only thing I can give you is some compensatory money and promotion, so I can only keep mentioning it.”

“Use that money to make that set or whatever it is. Don’t waste it on me.”

“Are you really not letting me borrow this place?”

“I’m really not letting you borrow this place.”

“Even if I beg you like this?”

“No.”

“How about if I cry? Can I?”

“I’m going to report you to the police.”

The owner reached his hand out. Maru cleaned up his bowls and gave it back to him. Yuna was still eating.

“Take your time,” the owner said to Yuna.

It seemed that he noticed her starting to eat quickly after he said ‘clean up’. The owner was watching the customers even while talking.

“Yuna, eat as slowly as possible. We’ll stay the night up here.”

“What a great thing you’re teaching to a kid even though you’re supposed to be a TV producer.”

The owner clicked his tongue. Jayeon did not feel dejected due to the cold reaction and stared back at the owner. Her face seemed to be saying ‘I won’t give up until you give me permission’.

Maru smiled faintly as he looked between the stubborn Jayeon and the uncaring owner. A firm-willed owner and a producer who’s trying to persuade him no matter what the cost. Since there was a conflict between two extreme characters, it was enough foundation for a drama. The only thing left was to see if it had a happy ending or a bad ending like the current trends. From the look of things, there seemed to be almost no chance of the owner giving permission. He looked far from a person who wanted money and he didn’t look like he wanted any fame. Maru didn’t think that someone who could give students boiled eggs without boasting would be persuaded by the producer’s words when the only thing she could offer was money.

“Thanks for the food,” Yuna said as she gave back the bowl.

She seemed full and looked very satisfied. Her smile was really good to look at. People who had their fill would often smile defenselessly.

“Thanks,” said the owner.

Maru felt curious now. 100 won for a boiled egg, 1,000 won for a bowl of udon. Plus a bowl of soondae was 1,500 won, and it was filled to the brim. Moreover, he often gave the customers some extra. While he said that worrying about merchants like him was useless, if it was like this, it seemed like he would hardly be able to recoup any labor costs. Why was the owner running a pojang-macha in this place? If it was for his livelihood, the prices were questionable. If he lived alone, it might not be entirely impossible but….

“Hello? Oh, yeah. I’ll go back soon. Where’s Jooyoung and Jooin? They went to watch a movie? They have good stamina. Well done driving them to places like that. Go get washed and have a rest. You must be tired. Okay, see you later.”

The owner put down his phone, which he had placed between his shoulder and his ear. From the call, it was clear that he was a father of two. Would he be able to feed his family with this pojang-macha which was no different from charity? Simply speaking, he was probably continuing this job because he wasn’t short on money, but no matter how hard Maru thought about it, he couldn’t calculate things properly.

“It’d be great if you bought your kids some presents with the compensation.”

“Even without something like that, I’m capable of giving my kids some gifts. Rather than that, why do you sound like you’re drunk even though you didn’t drink anything?”

“It’s my strategy for the day.”

“What a good thing you’re doing next to some kids. You two must be having a hard time since the one that calls herself producer is like this.”

Maru laughed before hurriedly sealing his mouth when he noticed Jayeon glaring at him. She was a scary woman.

“Ahjussi, you have a family, right?” Yuna suddenly said.

“I do. They’ll be going to college next year, and my words are the last thing they will ever listen to.”

“Then wouldn’t it be good to get the money from the producer?”

After saying that, Yuna looked at the steamer before continuing to speak.

“I had a look at the household account book that my mom wrote when I was young. I was really surprised. I didn’t know that so much money went into me. Don’t you need a lot of money when your kids go to college? I hope you can earn a lot of money, ahjussi. The udon here is delicious and it’s calming. It must all be thanks to you. I believe that good things should happen to the people who do good deeds. Whether it’s money or anything else.”

Yuna’s eyes looked resolute as she uttered her dogma. However, that expression did not last long. She soon scrunched up and made an awkward smile. It seemed that she thought she was overstepping her bounds.

“I wish my kids could grow to be a resolute person like you, lady,” the owner said.

His eyes were drawing a curve. Perhaps he felt that Yuna’s words weren’t just out of formality, but that they stemmed from her heart.

“But you don’t need to worry about me. The reason this ahjussi is running this pojang-macha is simple. I like kids coming over and having a laugh, and it’s also fun to see drunk people doing drunk things here. If I act generous to people who are short on money, that’s also somewhat fulfilling. In the end, I do this for my own self-satisfaction. I’m not doing this to feed my kids.”

Just then, a car approached from the left of the pojang-macha with its headlights on. The car approached slowly and was turned off right in front of it. It was a high-class foreign car. The door opened and a woman wearing light clothing got out. She entered the pojang-macha and stood next to the owner.

“Honey, you still haven’t finished yet?”

“I was just about to. Get inside the car. It’ll take a bit of time to clean things up.”

“Then I’ll come back after parking. Let’s do it together.”

The woman, who brought a foreign-made car, bowed towards Jayeon before driving off. Maru looked at the car becoming distant before turning his head around to the owner.

“Generosity stems from possession. If I was short on money, I wouldn’t be doing this in the first place.”

Aha - Maru nodded in acceptance. At the same time, he understood why Jayeon was acting like that. She was asking for his generosity since he wasn’t a man who could be shaken with money.

“Owner, please give me permission. Think of it as earning some pocket money.”

Suddenly, the word ‘owner’ sounded a lot heavier now. Who knew what he ‘owned’?

“I said no.”

The owner didn’t seem like he would give in. Maru gave a glance at Yuna while peeling a boiled egg. Yuna looked at the owner with a shocked expression before laughing. So you weren’t worried - she seemed purely happy for him.