Chapter 77: The Mantra Computer
"How many wins do you guys have right now?"
"Wow!! You startled me. Who are you, mister!?"
I wanted to give them a piece of my mind, but with Yuki watching from behind, I restrained my anger and opened my mouth.
"Your mom sent me. Get home quickly. This brat."
"Really!? What time is it now?"
"It's already nighttime."
"I'm in big trouble with my mom."
Young Junhyuk, upon hearing it was nighttime, quickly jumped up.
Seeing the disheartened expression on Yongmin, who was with them, it seemed like these kids were so engrossed in their game that they didn't realize the time passing.
"Yongmin, let's go home quickly!"
Junhyuk grabbed his friend's hand and rushed out of the arcade.
Yuki and I followed them out of the arcade.
"Hey, kid! Wait for a moment!"
Junhyuk, who was about to run out with Yongmin, stopped in his tracks upon hearing my words.
"Why are you stopping?"
"Take this money and buy some meat at the butcher's on the way home."
"Who are you, mister? My mom said not to accept things from people she doesn't know..."
"It's okay to accept it. Just make sure you only use it to buy meat for your family. You know the butcher shop near your house, right? Go there and get 50,000 won worth of beef for grilling and soup."
"Beef... for grilling and soup... 50,000 won..."
Junhyuk repeated my words several times as if trying to remember them.
I handed the same amount of money to Yongmin, who was looking at Junhyuk with envious eyes, and gave him the errand as well.
"If you run the errand well, I'll give you a present tomorrow. Promise to keep it?"
"A present?"
"Yeah. I'll come visit you near your house tomorrow afternoon at 5 o'clock. We'll meet at Yeongnam Supermarket."
Junhyuk gave me a suspicious look but nodded slowly when I mentioned meeting at the supermarket right in front of his house.
"Okay, both of you hurry home. Your mom must be worried."
"Yes!"
The two troublemakers, holding hands tightly, began to run home. Yuki, who had been observing the situation, approached me and asked.
"Do you know those kids? What were you talking about?"
"No... I just told them not to play games until late at night and to go home early. It reminded me of my childhood for some reason."
"Was Junhyuk like that when he was young?"
"He was even worse."
I watched the kids running away, and a small smile escaped me.
Grrrr...
Huh? What's that sound? I turned my head in surprise, and Yuki, avoiding my gaze, mumbled.
"Actually, I haven't eaten anything except the in-flight meal in the morning... I'm really hungry..."
Oh, I was so focused on my own matters that I forgot to eat properly.
Because I was so tense until I found the house, I didn't even realize I was hungry. Now, hunger was starting to hit me hard.
"I'm sorry. I got too caught up in my own thoughts and didn't pay attention. If you're hungry, you should have said something."
"Well... it's not like I'm going to die from missing one meal, but... my legs hurt a little... hehe..."
Feeling guilty, I tried to make amends for my oversight. Yuki's smile, as she stuck out her tongue, was a source of comfort to me.
"We're done with everything we needed to do today, so let's have dinner and then move to the hotel."
"Sure! But what should we eat?"
"Well... do you have any favorites around here?"
"If it's around here, Junhyuk would know, right?"
"Um... I haven't been here in a long time, so I don't really know what's available."
"Then how about something Junhyuk used to like when he was young?"
"Something I used to like?"
Well, it's true that I'd like that, but...
Wouldn't it be too petty to ask Yuki, who had gone through so much trouble, for something like that?
"Here, the rice cake skewers are ready."
"Thank you."
Five red-sauce-coated rice cake skewers were placed on a green plastic plate with small white speckles.
Each skewer was 200 won, so that made a total of 1,000 won.
These were the monsters of snacks that had appeared in my childhood, causing a significant shift in the snack hierarchy – rice cake skewers.
Yuki, although extremely hungry, took out her camera and started snapping photos of the freshly served rice cake skewers.
"What's the name of this dish?"
"It's rice cake skewers. Rice cakes are skewered, fried in oil, and then coated with seasoning."
"Oh... is it spicy?"
"It's not too spicy, just a bit spicy."
"I see..."
With a tense look at the bright red sauce, Yuki picked up one rice cake from the skewer and took a small bite, her expression showing amazement shortly after.
"Wow... it's... delicious! It's crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and the seasoning isn't too spicy!"
"Is that so?"
But was her reaction to a 200-won rice cake skewer a bit too much? The aunt from the snack shop came with a tray filled with various dishes.
"Here are mini gimbap, tteokbokki, and this is a complimentary odeng soup."
The table quickly filled up with various dishes, but the total cost for everything was around 3,000 won. It felt like too little to treat Yuki, who had gone through a lot in Korea all day.
It does taste good, though...
"Junhyuk, this tteokbokki looks like it might be very spicy."
"Even so, it's my favorite dish. If it's too spicy, you can dip it in the odeng soup."
"I see."
After some hesitation, Yuki picked up a piece of tteokbokki with a fork and tasted it.
"It's quite spicy, but it's delicious."
With a fork in her hand, Yuki seemed satisfied with her meal.
I watched the back of the aunt, who was continuously stirring the tteokbokki sauce so it wouldn't stick, and reminisced about the past for a moment.
&
"Thank you. Please come again."
After settling the bill, I called the aunt who was smiling at me and Yuki.
"Is there a problem with the bill?"
"No, it's not that..."
"Then?"
"Aunt, this might sound a bit strange, but I think you should visit a hospital."
"A hospital? Why? I'm perfectly healthy."
"Well, the thing is, I graduated from a medical school, and when I saw your complexion, you seemed a bit unwell."
"Me?"
"I know you're probably busy with your business, but please don't ignore what I'm saying. Make sure to go to the hospital."
"Oh... alright, I'll do that."
"Thank you. You enjoyed the tteokbokki..."
As I watched the aunt who had run the snack shop I frequented in my childhood and who had suddenly collapsed in front of my young eyes in 1991, I felt a deep sense of loss. She was moved to a hospital quickly and regained consciousness, but she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and passed away shortly after. Her death left a deep impact on me during my childhood, and that's why, coming to Korea this time, I wanted to meet her and convey this message.
Luckily, it's 1988 now, so if she goes for an early check-up at the hospital, she should be able to get treatment...
Leaving the snack shop, I walked towards Yuki, who was shivering in the evening chill.
&
The Next Day...
Waking up in the hotel bed, I opened my eyes and turned my head to the sunlight streaming in.
Yuki, too, seemed quite tired as she was fast asleep beside me.
There was nothing between Yuki and me that could be misunderstood, though. We hadn't had any interaction like that yesterday.
Yesterday evening, I did want to rest in the hotel after a long day of walking, but Yuki's curious and eager expression, drawn to the bright lights of Myeongdong's nightlife, had captivated me.
She found fish-shaped buns, a winter delicacy in the streetside stalls, and loved them, calling them "taiyaki," just like in Japan. After exploring Myeongdong's streets late into the night, we returned to the hotel, and she promptly took a shower and fell asleep.
I left the room to make sure Yuki wouldn't wake up and then called her.
"Junhyuk, are you on the terrace?"
"Oh, did you finish taking a shower?"
"Just a moment! I'm going to change my clothes, so it might be cold, but please wait there."
...I should have pretended not to notice and just gone inside.
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