novelaction Chapter 453: Do you remember this place now?
Chapter 453: Do you remember this place now?
Chapter 453: Do you remember this place now? As we walked in, I saw an old lady. She had grey hair and matching brows, standing behind the counter.
The place was practically empty, but it didn’t look like business was bad; otherwise, she’d have closed the shop. And the decor looked like it had been renewed too.
She lifted her head, and as soon as she saw us, her eyes lit up.
"Oh my, is this who I think it is?" She asked, suddenly coming out from behind the counter, cleaning her hands on her apron. "Look how much you’ve grown,"
It looked like she knew Ki-hoon.
"Both of you, it’s been so long."
I paused, hearing her refer to both of us.
"Ahjumma, it’s been so long, too," Ki-hoon said, and she chuckled.
"Oh, but it feels like it was just yesterday when you two would walk in here hand in hand," she said and looked at me. "I’m so glad you’re still together."
I watched them as they talked and then a distant memory flashed through my mind.
Ki-hoon was calling out to this old lady whose hair was not as grey as it was now, and she was giving us extra side dishes with dumplings because we needed to grow a lot.
It was... A rather soft and warm memory.
It wasn’t as clear as I wanted it to be, but one thing was for sure, we made memories here.
I suddenly laughed happily and they both looked at me.
"Jo-Pil?"
"I’d like two pork ribs in my soup, please." I suddenly said and Ki-hoon’s eyes widened.
"Oh, you really did enjoy the pork," the old lady said and happily turned. "You boys sit down first, I’ll get your order right away."
I went to sit and Ki-hoon followed.
Ever since I made my order, he had been looking at me with a speculating gaze.
I knew why he was looking at me like that. I wouldn’t have been able to make that order without my memories, so he was curious if I had gotten them back.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Do you remember this place now?" He asked but I looked around and said,
"It’s not clear, but I get a faint sense of familiarity," I said.
"But just now..."
"It was instincts," I said. "For some reason, I just knew what I wanted to have. And I feel like I’ll enjoy it too."
Ki-hoon sighed, letting go of his obsession to make me remember, and said softly,
"Yeah, you will definitely enjoy it."
I appreciate that he wants to relive the memories from our past by going to places like this, but I would appreciate it more if he tried to make new memories of the present, and no longer dwelt on the heavy memories of the past.
It would only end up weighing his heart down.
Sometimes, letting go is the best thing you can ever do for yourself and the one you love.
"Here are your orders," she came back with a tray of two bowls of soup, rich with pork ribs.
It was more than it should’ve been but she winked, saying,
"Oh, my boys came back to my shop after a while, the least I can do is treat them this much." She said. "And you don’t have to worry, I’ll charge you for the same price."
Ah, she was always like that. She’d gladly give you extras, but never let you leave without paying for the initial meal.
It was funny at the time, and even now it is.
How could she be so kind and still prioritize her shop’s welfare?
"The place looks like it has been furnished recently," I said, trying to strike up a conversation with her. "Business must be going great."
"Oh, yes. I’ve had an anonymous investor for a while now." She said. "It’s been helping with business and I don’t have to break my back trying to secure other jobs to make it boom," she laughed. "I decided to use the money to touch up the place a bit. What do you think? Nice, right? Even though I renewed the paint, I wanted the place to still feel like how it was at the start when I just opened up."
I saw the longing in her eyes as she said this. Her passion for this shop made her such a hardworking and endearing woman.
"Haha, the kids always love to make a mess so I’m thinking of making policies. Kids these days." She said and I laughed.
"Yeah, you should. The kids these days are all brats,"
"But I’m certain this one over here will always be the bigger brat," she said, pointing at Ki-hoon, who looked away shyly.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about." He said and we both laughed.
"Are you trying to deny it now? You were such a troublemaker," she claimed. "Now that you’re all big and mature, you think you can just erase your past? As if. It’ll stay right here with this old bag of bones,"
I laughed again and then she sighed.
She smiled, having had a hearty talk after a long time.
"I’ll leave you two to your meal now, so carry on. If you need extra, just let me know." She said and we nodded.
I watched her leave and then turned to Ki-hoon.
"So, mister troublemaker," I said and he cleared his throat.
"Ahjumma must be mistaking me with someone else, I would never." He said, though he couldn’t hide the blush on his ears.
I laughed.
If I was someone who didn’t know the past Ki-hoon, the one who confessed to me in a classroom, I wouldn’t believe that he had such a past.
Right now, he seems so mature and elegant, calm and filled with precision... But in the past, he had been such a reckless fool who leaped before he thought.
A handsome fool, nonetheless, haha.
I chuckled.
"Don’t tell me you’re still thinking of what she said," he said and I shrugged my shoulders.
"Not telling."
I looked at the steaming soup and then picked up the spoon, scooping the soup and blowing it a bit before drinking.
That warm, nostalgic feeling hit me along with the taste, and for some reason, my chest tightened. I got teary-eyed before I even realized it.
"What’s the matter?" Ki-hoon asked but I shook my head.
"It’s just... so delicious."
Ki-hoon smiled at me and said,
"I’m glad you like it."