“Hmm.”

Standing on a small peak, Kang Tae-han was looking around. I felt it when I saw it on the map, but when I saw it in person like this, I realized that it was a bigger mountain than I thought.

“The next time we come, let’s go up that hill.”

Except for when he was looking for wild ginseng, Kang Tae-han had been gathering medicinal herbs by going around similar plots whenever possible. However, the section was roughly finished with today’s work, and it was necessary to find another place… … .

At least, it seemed that there was no need to worry about ‘where to get herbs’. This is because, from the top of the peak, the area where Kang Tae-han had been digging for herbs was only a small portion.

It was partly because the amount of herbs collected compared to the area was large, but it was possible because the area of the mountain was basically wide.

‘As long as I don’t grab the pieces and dry the seeds, I’ll have room.’

In this wide place, I can eat all the herbs by myself. This was a private property, and it was possible thanks to the relationship with Shin Jun-ho.

Kang Tae-han smiled and began to descend the mountain carrying his backpack, which he had already filled for the fourth time.

* * *

‘maybe… It was like this.’

Kang Tae-han drove into the alley.

A quiet alley lined with residential areas. Each of the houses lined up on the left and right had a fairly spacious yard or garden, giving off a quite secluded yet relaxed atmosphere.

“I’ve felt it before, but it has a bit of an affluent feel to it.”

Of course, it can’t be compared to real wealthy villages near Seoul, but it still feels quite affluent. Well, it was only natural that Shin Jun-ho, who was visiting him now, was a land rich man who owned several mountains.

“Taehan student! Long time no see!”

“Welcome, Taehan-san.”

When he parked his car nearby and entered the gate, Shin Jun-ho and his wife Chae Seo-yoon opened the door and came out to greet him. Kang Tae-han smiled and lightly bowed his head.

“thank you for the invitation. The yard is very pretty.”

“Haha, what? I saw you last time.”

“It’s not a waste no matter how many times I praise this.”

Kang Tae-han looked around and said. The fairly spacious front yard boasted a neat and beautiful view, enough to be called a garden with a little exaggeration.

“Thank you, Taehan.”

“Was it your wife’s skill?”

“Whoops. It’s a pastime at home, well.”

At Kang Tae-han’s praise, Chae Seo-yoon smiled and raised her hand to her mouth. Horses are said to be a pastime, but the yard was decorated with great care, so there was some pride in it.

“And this is a gift.”

“gift? a… Anything like this.”

“You can’t come empty-handed.”

It is also not polite to refuse a gift from a guest. Shin Joon-ho carefully accepted the paper bag that Kang Tae-han held out while shaking his hands.

“To be honest, it might be a bit ambiguous to call it a gift… I brought a few roots of bellflower seeds I made myself and some canned deodeok today.”

Kang Tae-han smiled lightly and said. His words weren’t particularly humble. Actually, bellflower and deodeok were both from Shin Jun-ho’s mountain.

“Heh heh, really… Thank you always.”

However, Shin Jun-ho, who received the gift, was just grateful. It had been a long time since I ate all the bellflower leaves that I had received earlier, so I was feeling sorry for myself.

In the midst of that, I am just grateful that he took care of me like this even if I didn’t have to say anything.

“what. Isn’t that the bellflower branch you brought the other day?”

“Because Taehan has a really good sense. How did you know you were worried because you just ate it all?”

A couple talking while looking inside a paper bag. Kang Tae-han also smiled heartily because he was quite pleased with it.

“Oh, but I’m in the middle of cooking, so I’ll go in first.”

Chae Seo-yoon put her fingertips together with an embarrassed expression as if she had recalled it belatedly, gave Kang Tae-han a light bow before entering the house.

“Your mother is very kind.”

“right? I think I am blessed too.”

Shin Jun-ho smiled happily and nodded.

“It’s not like this, we’re going in too. It’s kind of embarrassing for me to say it, but my wife is pretty good at cooking.”

“I guess so.”

Kang Tae-han pointed towards the inside of the house and nodded. I hadn’t even gone inside yet, but the appetizing aroma was urging my taste buds.

* * *

When describing a well-prepared dining table, there is a cliché that says the table is about to bend. Literally, it means that the table is so grandiose and generous that the legs of the table cannot handle it.

‘That word fits perfectly.’

When he sat down in front of the table prepared by Chae Seo-yoon, that cliché expression immediately came to Kang Tae-han’s head.

Of course, the upper legs weren’t bent, but it was because there were many tables that looked quite wide and were set so that they felt cramped.

Four kinds of kimchi and three kinds of salted seafood.

Freshly seasoned greens tasted fresh even at first glance, and the beef bulgogi with steam was so appetizing that it was enough to empty a bowl of rice in an instant.

However, there was a pot stand that hadn’t been raised yet in the center of the round, empty table.

“Okay, let’s finish with this.”

On top of it, a large hot pot was bubbling over.

Just by looking at it, the white chicken broth comes out deeply.

Green onion and fragrant shiitake mushrooms add a sharp taste.

However, what caught the eye by far was the abundance of seafood, including abalone, octopus, shrimp and scallops, neatly arranged and covering the pot.

“Haesintang? Have you been exerting yourself for the first time in a while?”

“I heard that a special guest is coming, so I have to treat him properly.”

At Shin Jun-ho’s words, Chae Seo-yoon shrugged.

Meanwhile, Kang Tae-han looked at the boiling pot and nodded slowly. It’s sea god soup. Indeed, it is a dish worthy of such a grandiose name.

“Then here… Taehan first.”

As Chae Seo-yoon recalled it with a ladle from the inside, the seafood that had been served in abundance was put in a bowl and came down in front of Kang Tae-han.

Read at noblemtl. com

Large abalone and plump, light pink octopus. Just looking at it, it looks appetizing, and it feels like it is already stimulating your appetite.

“Come on, let’s all eat together.”

After Chae Seo-yoon sat down and finished preparing the meal, the full-fledged meal time began. Kang Tae-han first tasted the soup of Haesintang in front of him.

‘The tastes are exquisitely harmonized more than I thought.’

A soup that is clear and rich in flavor.

The sharp savory taste unique to Haemultang and the deep taste of shiitake mushrooms, combined with the clean yet savory taste unique to chicken broth, was a masterpiece.

“I think you used chicken legs and thighs for the chicken.”

“uh… How did you know?”

Chae Seo-yoon knew that Kang Tae-han had only tasted the soup, as he had been watching the customer’s reaction from before.

And yet, like a ghost, you guessed right?

Surprised, Chae Seo-yoon widened her eyes. On the other hand, Kang Tae-han smiled and expressed his honest impressions.

“It’s difficult to balance the taste with so many different ingredients… As President Shin said, your cooking skills are no joke.”

“Oh my goodness… Starting from the yard earlier, he picks out only the words I want to hear.”

“Haha, I’m not saying I’m blessed for nothing.”

A good story was exchanged between them, and a full-fledged meal began in a warm atmosphere. As time passed, by the time the Haesintang was exposed and the number of empty bowls on the table increased considerably.

“I really enjoyed the meal.”

Kang Tae-han lowered his head lightly as he put down his chopsticks with a satisfied face. Personally, I could say it was the most impressive meal since I first ate my father’s soy sauce after returning to modern times.

“Did you like the meal?”

“ah. You can’t just eat like this and say it doesn’t suit your taste.”

Kang Tae-han smiled and said. At first glance, he seemed to move his hands slowly throughout the meal, but it turns out that Kang Tae-han ate the most out of the three.

“I’m glad you got hit in the mouth.”

“filled… Let’s see, shall we try brewing bellflower tea with the green tea that student Taehan brought today?”

Shin Jun-ho, who was cleaning up empty dishes with Chae Seo-yoon, said.

“I love it. What would you like to drink, Taehan?”

“I will do the same.”

“Then bellflower tea three… Ugh.”

Chae Seo-yoon was carrying an empty bowl to the sink.

In the meantime, he frowned with a short moan, and the bowl he was holding fell to the floor.

The moment she misses the bowl, Chae Seo-yoon steps backwards, closing her eyes tightly. The bowl was made of porcelain and the floor was made of stone, so it was natural for it to break.

But.

“… what?”

The floor was just a bit messy, but luckily none of the dishes were broken and just fell on the floor. Somehow it feels like a small sound.

“These plates must have good spirits. It’s also a place where a cup that a child drops while holding it will break.”

“That, that… thank god.”

“Maybe we got lucky because Taehan came.”

“It can’t be.”

At Shin Jun-ho’s words, Kang Tae-han withdrew his outstretched hand and smiled as if nothing had happened.

Void Substance. It also changes the trajectory of a ball on the other side of the ballpark, and it’s nothing more than slowing down a plate falling right in front of it.

“… by the way.”

But there was something more troubling than that. Kang Tae-han’s eyes turned to Chae Seo-yoon.

“Madam, do you have any discomfort in your body?”

“ah… Yes. I do this sometimes because of joint pain.”

When Chae Seo-yoon said that with an awkward expression, Kang Tae-han slowly nodded and opened his mouth again.

“Actually, I’m doing a massage job.”

“Yes, I know that because I heard it from my husband.”

“In that sense, would it be all right if I could take a look? I think I can give you some help.”

There was something wrong with her physical condition, I was aware of it from the beginning. However, it was strange to say that he would give you a massage for free, and it could be like clumsily messing around, so I just stayed still.

However… The story was different if it was at the level where there were problems in everyday life in this way. It was my honest heart that I wanted to fix the symptoms even if I was a little more active.

‘I do have a relationship with Shin Jun-ho, though.’

Prior to that, I had just been treated to a great meal, so I wanted to give at least this much in return.

“Uh, would you give me a massage now?”

However, Chae Seo-yoon’s reaction was somewhat embarrassing.

Do you want to give me a massage all of a sudden? Of course, I felt that he said it out of sincere concern for himself, but… Isn’t that a phrase you often hear in everyday life?

“Yes, but if you feel burdened, you can decline.”

I could fully understand that part, so Kang Tae-han also shook his hand and answered in a light voice. However, the reaction of Shin Jun-ho, who was standing next to him, was different.

“You, take this opportunity to get a massage from Taehan. that would be nice Don’t you know?”

A voice that has become quite serious. He looked at his wife gently, then turned his head back to Kang Tae-han and said.

“I think I’ve already received a lot from Taehan, and I haven’t even paid it back yet… In fact, I always wanted to do one favor for my wife.”

Chronic joint pain and twisted pelvis.

Chae Seo-yoon was originally a healthy person without minor illnesses before marriage, but after giving birth, she began to suffer from the above chronic diseases.

More precisely, it is an aftereffect that occurred after giving birth and going to a postpartum care center.

After being discharged from the nursing home, she complained of pelvic pain and joint pain periodically, and before long, the name of the postpartum care center in question went up and down in newspaper articles, saying that it was a ‘poor postpartum care center’.

After giving birth, she hoped her body would recover properly, but rather, she only suffered from aftereffects due to poor management and poor manager’s treatment.

I regretted it belatedly, but to no avail. There was conclusive evidence about the lack of management, and although the case was won, it did not cure the wife’s illness.

Even so, I’ve been working hard without saying anything sad… As Shin Joon-ho, he was always grateful to his wife, but also sorry, and had a huge debt to his heart.

“I asked to see you today, in fact, I did it because I wanted to ask for a favor… … . I’m sorry for being rude.”

Shin Jun-ho said with a weak smile.

“You have no shame. It was nothing.”

At those words, Kang Tae-han shook his hand, shrugged his shoulders and spoke in a calm voice.

“I’m just giving back what I’ve received.”

A delicious meal with nice people.

Even if he put aside everything he had received from Shin Jun-ho, it was only natural that he would repay this much with the meal he was served today. At least Kang Tae-han thought so sincerely.