READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 256
“What are you looking at?”
Seeing a payment message for 50,000 won, Siyeon crawls towards me, bouncing her body towards my side as I fiddle with my smartphone.
With a movement like a seal, I twist my wrist to show the smartphone screen and say, “Mascot payment message.”
“How much is it? 49,800 won…”
“Seriously, they used up exactly 50,000 won. Those cheeky bastards.”
While Siyeon counts the price out loud, I snatch the smartphone back and bring it in front of me.
I thought giving them a generous 50,000 won would be enough, but I never imagined they’d use it all up so tightly.
‘Where did the 50 won even come from?’
Anyway, it seems the mascots are ordering something to eat at home.
Indirectly confirming that these guys eat on time, I rub my slightly hungry stomach with my palm.
If I say I’m hungry alone, it might seem like I’m just craving food, so I subtly spread this hunger to Siyeon.
“Are you hungry?”
“Hmm, a little?”
With Siyeon saying she’s a little hungry, I now have a reason to get up.
I rise from the towel I was lying on and head towards the outdoor shower area where water is constantly pouring.
After washing off the sand-covered slippers and seawater, I return to the mat and dry my damp hands with a towel.
“Then, I’ll go buy something.”
“Okay.”
Since there’s no pocket in the swimsuit, I take out just one card from my wallet and leave the rest.
Hearing Siyeon’s reply, I drag my slippers and head outside the beach.
Tents of vendors targeting the wallets of tourists who have gained some weight during the vacation season.
Jajangmyeon for 10,000 won, tonkatsu for 11,000 won, a plate of market tteokbokki the size of a palm for 6,000 won.
It seemed to prove that the illegal valley vendors’ claim of making a year’s living from summer business wasn’t an exaggeration.
No matter how dirty and cheap it is, ‘a thirsty person digs a well,’ so since I’m hungry, I need to buy something to eat.
“Two hot bars, one hot dog, and two mild chicken skewers, please.”
“Okay~”
I buy simple snacks like hot bars, hot dogs, and chicken skewers in equal numbers from the aunties with greedy faces.
After finishing the payment, I hold the card between my lips, the chicken skewers in my left hand, and the hot bars and hot dog between my fingers as I return to the mat.
“Take out five paper cups from the bag.”
As I spit out the card with a ‘ptui’ and speak, Siyeon quickly reaches into the bag and places the paper cups on the mat.
I stick the end of the skewer into the paper cup and release my hand, which had been uncomfortable all the way back.
I shake my stiff fingers and grab a hot bar to bring to my mouth.
Meanwhile, Siyeon also grabs a chicken skewer without hesitation and satisfies her hungry stomach.
“Let me have a bite of the chicken skewer.”
“Then let’s share a bite each.”
We exchange snacks warmly.
Perhaps because we’re eating in the shade, which is hot yet cool, the hot bars and chicken skewers taste especially delicious.
After satisfying our hunger for a while, Ji-eun’s sister and her husband, along with Juwon, return to the mat with splashing water sounds.
“Huh? What’s this! You’re eating without us!”
Seeing what we’re eating, my sister immediately jokingly gets angry.
Regardless. I hand them paper cups with hot dogs, chicken skewers, and hot bars, and they accept them without question.
“Eat before it gets cold.”
As soon as they take the paper cups, they start biting the ends of the skewers.
We’ll have lunch soon anyway, so this much should be fine.
My sister, who is chewing a hot dog with gusto, asks me, “Where did you buy this?”
“Over there, outside the beach.”
“Wow, it must have been expensive then?”
Looking towards the outside of the beach and roughly pointing in that direction, the uncle replies this time.
It must have been expensive…
“Where in a tourist spot isn’t expensive?”
Though it was just a casual remark, I retorted while speaking the truth of South Korea.
No wonder people say they go abroad because they can’t afford it here.
Why don’t the ghosts take these rip-off vendors away?
“Haha, that’s true.”
Hearing the truth about South Korean tourist spots, the uncle laughs agreeably and replies.
Seems like he’s quite tired from playing with Juwon, as he lets out a weary sigh and sits down in the center of the mat.
Once seated, the uncle starts chewing on a chicken skewer and says, “Let’s rest a bit and then go for lunch.”
“What do you want to eat?”
At the mention of lunch, my eyes light up. Menu selection is as important as the eating time itself.
When I ask what they plan to eat, the uncle looks around and mutters casually, “Well, what restaurants are around here?”
Belatedly sticking the skewer into the paper cup, the uncle fiddles with his smartphone with his free hand.
Seems like they didn’t come with a detailed plan.
“How about the sashimi place up ahead?”
“What about Juwon?”
Near the beach, there’s almost always a sashimi place.
The closer to tourist spots, the lower the quality of service and food.
The sashimi place option is lightly dismissed as my sister brings Juwon along.
With the sashimi place out of the question near the beach, there aren’t many options left.
Eventually, it’s decided to walk around and look for a decent restaurant.
“How about here? We can order stir-fried pork for Juwon.”
“Seafood kalguksu, what about Mari and Siyeon?”
“Sounds good~”
“Great!”
And so, while walking around, we decide on the restaurant for today’s lunch.
I have no complaints, and Siyeon isn’t too picky about food either.
Even if there are foods she doesn’t like, they’re mostly ‘uncle foods’ like spicy fish stew or red cod stew.
For a place we drove far to reach, it’s a modest restaurant, which is why there are empty seats here and there.
We sit at a table covered with plastic, and my sister places the order.
“Four servings of seafood kalguksu and one stir-fried pork, please.”
“Okay~”
The cool breeze from the restaurant’s air conditioner mixes with the sweet aroma of hot seafood broth.
The joyful sound of a knife hitting a wooden cutting board reaches my ears.
Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I had kalguksu.
About 7-8 side dishes fill the table one by one, followed by the seafood kalguksu.
The opaque white broth with flat noodles.
Sliced zucchini and carrots add color to what could be a monotonous dish, and the large clams with their shells are impressive.
Wow, my mouth is watering.
“Let’s eat~”
I quickly dip the chopsticks into the broth.
A full bite of flat noodles goes straight into my mouth.
Slurp, the cool noodles and sliced vegetables are chewed with a satisfying crunch.
The richness and satisfaction from a bowl of noodles.
“Juwon, do you want to try?”
I think Juwon will eat well, so I scoop a full chopstick onto his plate and quietly pass it over.
“Ugh!”
“It’s tasty, just try one bite.”
At first, Juwon reflexively shakes his head, but when I push the plate towards him, he reluctantly puts it in front of himself.
Perhaps feeling left out seeing everyone else eating kalguksu, Juwon clumsily uses his chopsticks to bring his face close to the plate and eats as if drinking.
Seeing him eat because his sister told him to, I feel oddly proud and encourage him.
“Wow, Juwon eats so well~”
“He wouldn’t eat even when his mom and dad told him to…”
My sister adds a few words while watching this.
Since Juwon would shake his head when his sister or uncle told him to eat, the betrayal seems even greater.
Maybe it’s because they’ve been tricking him with tasty lies.
Usually, relatives who coax with tasty lies are more trusted than parents who force healthy foods with lies.
“Sister, if it’s tasty, you say it’s tasty, right?”
“Yup.”
I wipe Juwon’s mouth, smeared with broth from the kalguksu, with a few tissues and leave the rest to my sister and uncle.
Before long, the stir-fried pork and rice ordered for Juwon are left unnoticed.
With Juwon’s stomach filled with kalguksu, those with space left in their stomachs finish off the rest.
And so, the first day of the trip seemed to end smoothly, but…
“Have you ever tried clam digging?”
After lunch, the conversation suddenly shifts to clam digging.
I’ve seen videos, but of course, I’ve never done it myself.
Shaking my head, I tell the truth since lying won’t benefit me.
“No? I’ve seen videos on YouTube though.”
“Juwon wants to do it, so if it’s okay, let’s try it together.”
“Sure, why not.”
And so, the ordeal of first-time clam digging at the sea began.