“Hmm.”

Kang Tae-han was looking at the smartphone in his hand and making an interesting expression. Chae Eun-bi’s KakaoTalk was displayed on the screen.

[Oppa, I passed the preliminaries! 1st place in the group. he]

[I came out to regain the feeling of the competition, but it felt good, so I went all the way to the finals!

Beneath the message was a picture of Eunbi Chae holding a golf club and smiling brightly.

The bright expression was nice to see, but it was nice to see it because the white sun cap, hair tied back, and the vast lawn in the background matched her image quite well.

It feels like going back to where you were originally.

“I knew you were good at it.”

I’m not very well versed in golf, but I knew from the first time I saw Chae Eun-bi that she was quite talented. It was only seen that he was unable to freely show off his skills due to back pain.

Because of that in the first place, it was also the reason he spoke to her separately and took her to remote places to look after her condition. It seemed like a rather wasteful talent to let it rot over such a small problem.

“But I didn’t expect to get results this quickly.”

Since the back pain, which was a small problem, was resolved, I thought that I would be able to show my original skills again soon.

But still, it would be like this. Kang Tae-han showed a small expression of admiration but kept a proud expression on his face. It was a moment when the person who went through his hands produced some results, which in itself felt quite rewarding as a masseuse.

‘If it’s the preliminaries, is it the final round?’

I don’t know what the structure of the golf pro world is, but since they said they passed the preliminary round, it must be the structure of the final round.

If so, I might be able to help you there as well. Kang Tae-han sent a KakaoTalk message saying, “Come and get a massage before going to the finals,” and put down his smartphone beside him.

“then… I guess it will be soon.”

Then he glanced at the pot on the stove. A pot that has been boiled once over medium heat and then slowly cooked over low heat.

In the pot, the rice he was going to eat for dinner was being cooked in an ongoing manner.

The so-called pot rice method.

One of the charms and drawbacks of pot rice is that you cannot be sure whether the rice is cooked until you open the lid, but to Kang Tae-han, who has had quite a bit of experience cooking over an open fire in the wild, this much was nothing.

“Looks like it’s done.”

Kang Tae-han turned off the pot and brought out a plastic container from the refrigerator. Inside it was marinated deodeok mixed with red seasoning.

The important thing in pot rice is to steam it sufficiently.

Kang Tae-han’s calculation was that the time would be just right if he grilled the seasoning deodeok to eat together during the moxibustion time.

Read at noblemtl. com

Lightly oil a frying pan and place the deodeok on a sufficiently heated frying pan. And if you cook it slowly over low heat so that the heat reaches the inside, that’s it.

After placing the roasted deodeok on the pot stand on the table, Kang Tae-han returned to the stove and stood in front of the pot. Now it’s time to check the result.

So carefully open the lid.

“… As expected, autumn pine mushrooms smell really good.”

The thick scent of pine mushrooms, along with white seaweed, came out through the slightly open gap. The fragrance of matsutake spreads along with the fragrant aroma of freshly cooked pot rice. I feel like I have already tasted a spoonful of pine mushroom rice just by smelling it.

When I finally opened the lid, I saw matsutake mushrooms torn along the grain between the white rice. Kang Tae-han mixed the top and bottom with a spatula, then transferred it to a rice bowl and brought it to the table along with the seasoning soy sauce he had made.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

In the meantime, while walking around the mountain, Kang Tae-han had seen several places where matsutake mushrooms were growing. Then, I thought it was the right time, so I picked a few bunches of things that had grown quite large.

The environment in which pine mushrooms themselves grow is a bit tricky, so there wasn’t that much of it, but it was enough to share with my father and eat for myself.

“Then where shall we eat?”

Matsutake rice with steam rising from freshly cooked rice.

For the first drink, nothing else, put a piece of pine mushroom on top of the sticky rice and taste it first.

Well.

The rich scent of mushrooms that spreads out the moment you put it in your mouth.

The savory rice grains harmonize with the bitter yet fragrant aroma, and the umami of the kelp broth used as the rice water subtly reveals its presence.

“As expected, good.”

The scent of Songi has different likes and dislikes, but there is nothing like this for those who like it. In particular, autumn matsutake is a delicacy among delicacies. A great special meal is completed just by serving it when cooking rice like this, without adding anything else.

And the deep aura that permeates here.

Since the pine tree itself grows from the roots and soil of pine trees, it naturally retains its energy. This pine mushroom picked from Yeongsan naturally contains spiritual energy.

‘This is the elixir.’

Even the taste was good and the scent was excellent, so it could be called the icing on the cake. Kang Tae-han scooped a little soy sauce, rubbed it on the top, and brought the second spoon to his mouth.

A satisfied smile appeared on Kang Tae-han’s face as he took a bite of grilled deodeok, which he had baked himself.

* * *

A few days after Cho Chan-hyeok went to the shop.

There weren’t that many customers in the store at the time, but the aftermath was happening much faster and bigger than expected.

[This is a massage restaurant recommended by an acquaintance last week, and I saw Jo Chan-hyuk go out after receiving a massage yesterday. It was a legend. #Massage Restaurant #I saw a celebrity #I made a reservation right away]

[The artisanal course is expensive and reservations have to be made at least two weeks in advance, so I wanted to, but I made a reservation right away after seeing Mr. Cho Chan-hyeok come out. Lol lol #Massage restaurant… … .]

[The shop itself is fine, but teacher Kang Tae-han is especially crazy. Healing is not like this. Perfectly recommended for those who work overtime every day like me.]

Originally, it was occasionally mentioned on social media, but with the keyword Jo Chan-hyuk added, the level of topicality was different.

When other people’s experiences were added as if testifying, the number of mentions suddenly multiplied several times.

Is it because of that? The number of customers who come to the massage shop has jumped to about double. Originally, there were a lot of customers for a sauna in a jjimjilbang, but now the lobby was becoming noisy.

“This shop doesn’t have a lot of beds… … .”

Seonghyeon Choi, who was sneakily examining the lobby, tilted his head and murmured.

In the meantime, except for weekends or when customers are crowded after work, there has never been a situation in which guests are not received due to lack of beds.

But now… 4 pm. It was a time when there was no particular reason for guests to flock, but there were no beds, so they were sending them back.

“Teacher Kang Tae-han said I had to make a reservation to receive it?”

“Yes, reservations are standard for artisanal courses.”

“I can’t help it. Then I’ll get you a regular massage.”

“Well, there are no seats for general massage right now, so I guess I have to wait for 30 minutes.”

“Yes, it is a massage shop. Artisan Course Teacher Kang Tae-han Reservation? that is… We are fully booked until 3 weeks from now. What’s the weekend? You have to see the weekend until next month.”

There are many customers, and reservation inquiries are flooding.

Thanks to this, two people were standing at the counter where one person usually stood, serving customers.

“It’s this much even if you stay still, how much more would you have come if you had even put the autograph of actor Cho Chan-hyeok on it.”

This is still the case even now when rumors spread through social media.

“The reaction is more intense than I thought.”

“Because spreading through SNS these days has a big impact.”

In particular, it was more effective because they were not publicity posts posted for advertisements or events, but were posted voluntarily by people. Because that kind of thing would be obvious if you just look at it.

“Now that this has happened, you should move more busily?”

“I can’t move any busier here.”

Kang Tae-han shrugged and said. What he said was true. The only time he had been resting because he had no customers was the first two weeks or so since he had been here.

“So you have to improve your skills quickly.”

“I?”

“okay.”

Kang Tae-han said with a smile and turned his head forward. There were still many customers sitting in the lobby waiting for their turn or standing in line at the counter to make a reservation.

So far, it was still at a level that could be digested, but massage shops attached to jjimjilbangs eventually have limitations. It was natural, and Kang Tae-han himself knew it.

‘Is it time to start thinking about the next step?’

As Director Hwang was concerned about, there were many scouting proposals that came to Kang Tae-han. They said they would give more conditions, that they would take care of the guaranteed salary.

However, the place where the proposal was made was necessarily restricted. 2 to 3 years, at least 1 year or more, like you have to work only here.

Being tied down to someone else in search of better conditions.

I didn’t like that very much. If the time comes when Kang Tae-han moves to another place… I thought it was time for me to open up my own shop and become independent.

‘It would be helpful if Seonghyeon followed me at that time.’

I have nothing more to say if he says he won’t follow me, but I know that Choi Seong-hyun, whom I have known so far, will definitely follow.

Kang Tae-han taught him the techniques and tricks of massage not just out of goodwill, but with such an afterlife in mind.

“What?”

Then, I glanced at Seonghyeon Choi, and as soon as our eyes met, I asked in a displeased tone.

“what?”

“Just now, the look in my eyes felt a bit scheming… Like looking at a slightly diligent employee?”

Choi Seong-hyun has good premonitions on the strange side from before.

However, Kang Tae-han shrugged his shoulders lightly and replied in a calm voice.

“It must be because of my mood.”

“I don’t think so.”

Kang Tae-han went back into the waiting room, leaving Seong-hyeon Choi staring at him. Just then, Kang Tae-han’s smartphone vibrated.

‘… Director Park Ho-yeon?’

He was the person who had been with Uncle Jo Won-ho for the first time in the past, and also the director of the hospital where Shin Jun-ho was hospitalized.

I haven’t had any contact since that day… The fact that such a person contacted me meant that there was something important.

Originally, he was Kang Tae-han, who would not talk on KakaoTalk during business hours, but he decided to go outside and answer the phone.

“hello?”

[Ah, Mr. Taehan. I’m at work, I’m sorry. Do you remember who I am?]

“Of course, Director Park.”

[haha. I’m glad you remember.]

Park Ho-yeon let out a small laugh, but there was no energy in that laugh.

[By the way, do you have any plans to come down to Daejeon?]

“It’s Daejeon… I am going down tomorrow.”

Today is Tuesday. I didn’t have any appointments in Daejeon tomorrow, but I was planning to go down to Daejeon this week to bring my father back to Daejeon.

[Well, maybe… I know it’s a sorry request, but I’m asking just in case.]

“Yes, you can.”

[Perhaps, could you come to our hospital for a while this evening? I will definitely, definitely do it.]

Kang Tae-han was lost in thought for a moment.

can you come in the evening That itself is an apologetic request, but more important than that is the business behind it. Just because it doesn’t mean anything in and of itself.

“May I ask why?”

That’s why Kang Tae-han asked a question before saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Then Park Ho-yeon paused for a moment before opening his mouth.

[…] I have a favor to ask of my two parents. Of course, this may be an impossible request even for you, but as a child… I just want to grant my mother’s last wish somehow.]