Chapter 21

Gwak Yeol-ho’s rampage was finally brought to an end thanks to the heroic efforts of Dusik, Seoksam, and Neoguri, along with the elders’ quick response.

Worak Oriental Medicine Clinic, the only medical facility in Worak Township, was packed as if it were the middle of the day, despite the fact that its business hours had long since ended.

“I’m dying! I’m dying here! I swear, they’ve bitten a chunk right out of my butt!”

Gwak Yeol-ho had been brought in on a handcart, wailing with tears and snot streaming down his face. He claimed the Grim Reaper was pacing back and forth outside the window, but the elderly villagers, who had taken turns pulling the cart down the mountain slope, merely scoffed.

“Are you sure a dog bit you? I can’t even see a mosquito bite, let alone a tooth mark…”

“I swear it hurts! What if my bones are crushed? And, um… what’s it called? If you’ve got a rabies shot, give me one of those, too!”

Director Jang adjusted his magnifying glasses and clicked his tongue. Compared to the patient’s complaints, the injuries were laughably minor. The dogs had deliberately nipped at the thickest parts of his clothing, where there was plenty of padding. There weren’t even any tooth marks, much less bruises.

“Rabies, my ass! Those dogs are cleaner than you are!”

Village Chief Gwak barked at him as he handed cups of job’s tears tea to the elders who’d helped with the ordeal. Hwang Deok-ho, who was wiping the sweat from his face, spoke to Yeol-ho as though soothing a child.

“Since we’re here anyway, let’s get you some acupuncture. What else can we do? The accident happened at my place, so I ought to take responsibility.”

“Oh, come on, Grandpa! If we’re going to talk about responsibility, I still owe you for the pottery and the warehouse pillars… Even if I sold every cow I own, I couldn’t cover the bill. So please don’t say things like that.”

“Still, there’s a proper way to handle these things…”

“Good grief! Enough already. I’ll pay for everyone’s acupuncture today, in gratitude for bringing Yeol-ho all the way here. Now, everyone, go lie down!”

Director Jang, still dressed in his pajamas, rubbed his face wearily as he watched the crowd of elderly villagers and the whining Yeol-ho swarm into his clinic.

“Does my opinion not count for anything here? It’s almost dinner time, and I still can’t go home! What kind of disaster is this?!”

Despite his complaints, Director Jang was already opening his acupuncture needle case. With practiced ease, he inserted a long needle into the philtrum of the melodramatic Yeol-ho.

“Argh! My injury is on my butt! Why are you sticking a needle in my upper lip?!”

“Because you’re so noisy I wanted to shut you up. Stop mumbling and stay still!”

Yeol-ho’s screams and the elders’ laughter filled the clinic’s waiting room. One way or another, the unexpected commotion on Mount Worak had finally come to an end.

Meanwhile, back at the now-quiet Cheongso-yo, all that remained of the chaos brought by three dogs and one hefty man was the clattering of dishes from the kitchenette.

Perhaps she’d worked up an appetite after crying her heart out. Ja-yeong had been sitting there in a daze, exhausted from sobbing, when a savory aroma tickled her nose and drew her gaze toward the kitchen.

“Give this a try.”

Eden set a steaming bowl in front of her.

He’d made the soup with cherry tomatoes picked from her grandfather’s vegetable garden, the leftover heavy cream from the steak sauce, and onions sautéed slowly until they’d developed a deep sweetness. Three little green peas sat adorably in the middle of the smooth, pale-orange soup.

“…”

Ja-yeong stared blankly at the bowl with her swollen eyes. She’d been crying her heart out just moments ago, yet the food in front of her looked so pretty that, embarrassingly enough, her mouth began to water.

“Go on. Tomatoes are good for a hangover.”

Eden handed her a spoon. After a moment’s hesitation, Ja-yeong scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The moment the warm, creamy liquid touched her tongue, a pleasant savory flavor spread throughout her mouth.

The acidity of the tomatoes cut through the richness of the cream, while the onions added a gentle sweetness. The warmth seemed to loosen the tight knot in her throat left by all that crying.

It was the kind of taste that gently comforted an empty stomach. Ja-yeong’s eyes widened before she even realized it.

“…”

“What is it? Don’t you like it?”

“No, I just didn’t realize you could eat tomato soup warm… Isn’t this supposed to be served cold?”

Eden had been pouring a portion of the soup into a separate container for Hwang Deok-ho and closing the lid, but he stopped at her remark. A knowing smile spread across his lips.

“The more I see of you, the more impressed I am by your knowledge of Western cuisine, CEO Hwang Ja-yeong.”

“Oh, I-I wouldn’t say that…”

“You do know it. What percentage of people in Korea do you think have even heard of gazpacho?”

Realizing she’d let something slip, Ja-yeong decided it would be better to pretend she hadn’t heard him. She lowered her head, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and continued eating her soup.

Eden pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. Resting his elbows on the table, he leaned toward her. The fading sunlight cast a shadow across his profile.

“Gazpacho is nice, but I wanted to give you something warm.”
“…Why?”
“I told you. I don’t know any other way to comfort you.”

Ja-yeong stopped moving her spoon and raised her head. Bathed in the slanting early-evening light, the man’s eyes glimmered red. His gaze was so direct that she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

He didn’t know how to comfort someone? That hardly sounded like something a chef who was always so smooth and playful would say. Yet his simple, unvarnished confession unexpectedly struck a chord in her heart.

Maybe it was his words. Maybe it was the tomato soup, its silky texture gently coating her tongue. Either way, something deep inside her seemed to soften and melt away. The man’s body heat, which had felt so stifling in the sweltering weather that it made her back sweat, now seemed intent on filling her from the inside with a comforting warmth.

If it was a coincidence, it was remarkable. If he’d done it on purpose, he was nothing short of a genius.

Because the walls around Hwang Ja-yeong’s heart, frozen solid and bristling with sharp defenses, had crumbled just a little.

And so Ja-yeong became a little… impulsive.

“Since I have to remake the broken pottery anyway…”
“…”
“I could start by preparing the clay…”

Eden’s eyes wavered. He waited for her to continue without even daring to breathe.

“If I have some time to spare…”
“If you have time?”
“It’s not like I’m promising I’ll definitely give you a bowl or anything…”

After mumbling her final words, Ja-yeong ducked her head and took another spoonful of soup. Her heart was pounding so wildly that she couldn’t even taste it anymore. After a brief silence, she heard Eden’s low chuckle.

“Understood.”

His reaction was more subdued than she’d expected, so Ja-yeong stole a glance at him. Eden got up and opened the rear door of his car.

“Then I’ll take that as an agreement. I’ll be moving in starting today.”

“What? Moving in? How did you jump to that conclusion?”

Ja-yeong cried out in shock, but Eden acted as though he hadn’t heard her.

“You said we’d have to start over with the clay. Rather than waste time driving back and forth, I should put that time toward helping you work. Your grandfather has already given his approval.”

“What kind of ridiculous logic is that?!”

“Ridiculous? It’s an extremely efficient plan.”

Eden effortlessly lifted his luggage and espresso machine from the back seat. Flustered, Ja-yeong hurried after him. Regardless of her protests, the man strode through the gate with the confidence of someone who’d been born and raised there.

“I can use that room, right?”

Eden asked as he set the espresso machine down on the wooden floor of the main hall. He was pointing toward the small room Ja-yeong’s father had once used as a study. Ever since its owner had left long ago, it had served as little more than a storage room.

“No! The heating barely works in there, and there’s so much dust because nobody’s cleaned it!”

“It’s almost summer, so I won’t need the heating. And dust is easy enough to deal with.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Eden opened the door to the small room.

“Just give me some bedding. And a high pillow, please. As you can see, I’ve got fairly broad shoulders.”

“Han Eden!”

“I look forward to living with you, my landlady.”

As though to shut down any further objections, he slipped into the small room and disappeared from sight.

Ja-yeong was utterly bewildered. The tomato soup had clearly done nothing to cure her hangover. If anything, it must have made her even drunker.

Thump.

She dropped onto the floor and covered her face with both hands. Her cheeks were burning as though she’d been scalded.

What on earth had happened to her today? Dogs had bitten someone, she’d slapped a man, she’d cried her eyes out… and now she was going to be living under the same roof as that arrogant chef.

“He’s really putting me through the wringer. I can’t think straight anymore…”

And yet, the clattering sounds of Eden unpacking on the other side of the closed bedroom door weren’t entirely unwelcome.

That realization only left Ja-yeong even more confused.