Chapter 182

Hwang Minsung pushed Kang Jin aside and glared at him as he spoke sharply:

“What did you just say to Miss Kim?”

His voice was harsh because Kang Jin had touched on his most painful wound. As soon as Hwang Minsung heard Kang Jin address Kim Sohee, he hastily grabbed Kang Jin’s hand.

Grab!

“What’s wrong?”

“Miss Kim has a unique personality; she dislikes anyone touching her.”

“But still…”

“Cool! Hmm… I’m not a kid!” While speaking, Hwang Minsung glanced over at Kim Sohee. He noticed that despite having her head resting on the table, she was softly mumbling something.

“What? Is she asleep already?”

Hwang Minsung let out a sigh at the sight of Kim Sohee snoring loudly with her head on the table, completely oblivious to their conversation. Kang Jin glanced at him and chimed in.

“What’s there to talk about when she’s drunk? Oh! Noodles! Hang tight, hyung.”

“Hwanggu… Taewon…”

Kang Jin peeked back at Kim Sohee as he entered the kitchen. Seeing tears streaming down her face, he pursed his lips.

I’ll just pretend I didn’t see that.

Muttering to himself, Kang Jin quickly retrieved noodles and other dishes from the kitchen.

“Luckily, the noodles cooked just right.”

At Kang Jin’s remark, Hwang Minsung stared intently at Kim Sohee before asking:

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She had too much to drink. Here, please enjoy your food.”

To change the subject, Kang Jin poured Hwang Minsung some beer, who took a swig with a frown on his face.

Gulp, gulp!

He glanced nervously at Kim Sohee once more before sighing and taking a big bite of noodles.

Slosh, slosh!

As he ate, Hwang Minsung narrowed his eyes again while looking at her.

“What’s up with that woman?” Her words continued to bother him.

“She’s just a regular customer here.”

“That’s weird.”

Hwang Minsung’s remark made Kang Jin chuckle as she refilled his glass with beer.

“It’s probably because she had too much to drink. She consumed four bottles by herself.”

Surprised, Hwang Minsung looked down at the table. As Kang Jin mentioned, there were indeed four empty soju bottles.

“Four bottles of soju?!”

“He usually drinks one or two bottles…but he just attended the funeral for a friend he’s known for a long time. That might be why he drank more than usual today.”

“Oh?” Hwang Minsung paused and smacked his lips as he picked up his beer glass again. “Did you hear what that woman said earlier?”

“What did she say?” Kang Jin feigned ignorance.

Hwang Minsung eyed him before taking another sip of beer.

“She called me a sinner.”

“A sinner?”

As if to give Hwang Minsung some time to gather his thoughts, Kang Jin refilled his glass.

Shhhf! Fwssshh!

Watching the foam rise in his beer, Hwang Minsung continued. “At first, I didn’t know what she meant, but now it feels like she was speaking directly to me.”

“You should just consider it drunken ramblings.”

“But…it hurts.” Hwang Minsung placed his hand on his chest and sighed deeply. “There’s some truth to those words.”

He glanced at Kim Sohee biting her lip.

No matter where you lie down, there is no comfort; no matter what you eat, your hunger never fades; even if you find someone, they will not be yours.

It resonated with him. He could never truly relax or feel fulfilled despite eating well. And as for companionship…he couldn’t give his heart fully to his wife. It wasn’t that he was uncaring or unkind; rather, he simply couldn’t bring himself to love her. All he felt toward her was guilt.

Hwang Minsung observed Kim Sohee briefly before speaking again.

“Haah…”

Hwang Minsung let out a long sigh and popped a piece of chewing gum into his mouth. Normally, he would chew it gently, but this time, he crunched down on it immediately.

“And…I hope you’re wrong about that last part.”

“Why’s that?” Kang Jin asked.

Hwang Minsung bit his lip as he looked at the noodles. During their conversation, they had become mushy.

If my mother’s tears could lessen even just a little because of me…

With those thoughts, Hwang Minsung took another big bite of noodles.

Slosh, slosh.

“They’re overcooked now… Should I reheat them for you?”

Kang Jin’s question made Hwang Minsung smile.

“No need. They taste great.”

He continued to eat the noodles vigorously while sipping beer.

As Hwang Minsung slurped his noodles, Kang Jin peeled a hard-boiled egg and placed it in front of him. Hwang Minsung popped it into his mouth before speaking.

“When I was young, my mom often peeled eggs for me.”

“Oh, really?”

“I mentioned that she used to work at a street food stall, right?”

“Yes.”

“In dishes like chjjolmyeonguksu, bibim-guksu, or naengmyeon, there’s usually a boiled egg included. So whenever Mom boiled eggs for breakfast, I’d eat one before heading off to school.”

“I see.” Hearing this, Hwang Minsung finished eating the remaining egg.

“My mother…has dementia,” revealed Hwang Minsung.

Kang Jin nodded, as he had already suspected as much.

“She lives in a nursing home in Gangwon Province.”

That came as a surprise.

I thought she had passed away.

Upon reflection, though, Hwang Minsung was only thirty-nine years old. Unless there had been another tragedy, it made sense that his parents would still be alive.

Otherwise, his parents would likely still be alive at their age.

“When I was younger, my brother caused many troubles.”

“Well, causing trouble and being rebellious is part of growing up.”

“Yeah…it was quite severe. He ran away from home several times…and got expelled from school too.”

“Ah…”

Hwang Minsung chuckled at Kang Jin’s sympathetic sigh.

“In hindsight, getting expelled might have been for the best. I was a real troublemaker back then. If I had continued attending school, I probably would’ve bullied more kids.”

Kang Jin silently refilled Hwang Minsung’s beer glass, and after taking a sip, Minsung continued.

“After getting expelled, he also ran away from home.”

“Oh…”

“He lived like a wild animal, even ending up in prison… While incarcerated, my mother developed dementia.”

“She had dementia.”

“Oh…”

“I wondered why she visited me so often in prison.”

“Because you were going through a tough time…?”

“No matter how many times I told her not to come or that I wouldn’t see her if she did…she kept showing up.” Hwang Minsung pursed his lips and bit them gently for a moment before continuing.

“On the day of my release from prison…my mom was waiting there for me.” As Hwang Minsung’s voice started to tremble, Kang Jin quietly observed him and refilled his beer glass.

Hwang Minsung sighed as he watched the beer rise in his glass.

“That day, she brought me lunch saying it was for me, but…” He let out a small laugh, his lips quivering slightly. “…it was empty.”

“It was empty?”

“Yes, despite being completely empty, she lovingly carried it with her just for me.” With a sigh, Hwang Minsung finished his thought.

Kang Jin bit his lip, sensing the emotion behind this story.

“The empty lunch box…” Kang Jin muttered quietly as Hwang Minsung rubbed his eyes discreetly.

“That day…was the first time I cried since birth. I just bawled my eyes out.” Hearing this, Kang Jin pursed her lips and picked up the glass in front of him to take a sip.

Gulp! Gulp!

After quickly finishing it, she reached for another beer, but Hwang Minsung shook his head.

“Let’s switch to soju instead.”

Kang Jin brought over a bottle of soju and fresh glasses. As he poured himself a drink, Hwang Minsung glanced at her.

“You… Are you okay with serving alcohol here?”

“No one comes around this late anyway. Let’s enjoy some together.”

With that, Hwang Minsung filled Kang Jin’s glass as well.

“I washed my hands that day.”

“Well done.”

“But…it was too late. If only I had done it sooner…”

Kang Jin sighed as he looked at Hwang Minsung’s suggestion.

“Well, you seem to be doing well now.”

“Doing well…” Hwang Minsung shook his head with a wry smile. “I’m not…doing so great.”

As Hwang Minsung bitterly chuckled and took another sip of beer, a sudden noise came from beside them.

Clunk!

Hearing the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, they turned their heads to see Kim Sohee abruptly standing up. She stood there dazed for a moment before adjusting her hanbok clothes and stumbling away.

“Shall we go?” Kang Jin asked Kim Sohee, who nodded in response.

“My head feels…dizzy.”

“Would you like some cold water?”

“That would help.”

Just as Kim Sohee was about to leave the establishment, Hwang Minsung approached her.

“Miss Kim.” At his call, she turned to look at him.

“You called me?”

“What did you mean by what you said earlier?”

Kim Sohee looked at Hwang Minsung and gently shook her head.

“Hug your mother and tell her that you love her.”

“Excuse me?”

“That is what your mother desires.”

“How…do you know that?”

Kim Sohee’s gaze seemed unfocused as she replied to him.

“All mothers may be different, but their hearts are one. They wish for their child’s happiness and smile when they hear words of affection from them.”

Hwang Minsung couldn’t respond, just staring at her. As he gaped, Kim Sohee took a step back.

“You…who exactly are you?”

“You’ll find out one day since our fates are intertwined. But…not today.”

Swish!

As Hwang Minsung pondered what she meant, Kim Sohee stumbled toward the door and exited the shop.

“Wait!” Confused, he hastily followed her outside only to discover that she had vanished without a trace. As he scanned his surroundings, Kang Jin spoke up:

“It’s cold out there.”

Hwang Minsung looked at Kang Jin.

“Hey…she disappeared.”

Of course she did. The moment Kim Sohee stepped outside the store, she transformed back into a ghost invisible to human eyes.

Suddenly, Kim Sohee appeared with her usual expression, holding a sword and staring at Hwang Minsung.

Kang Jin observed this scene and reassured him, “Ah…she probably left quickly.”

“But she was stumbling drunk just now! How could she leave so fast?”

Smiling, Kang Jin grabbed Hwang Minsung’s hand and led him back inside the store.

“Give me a moment, hyung.”

Once they were inside, Kang Jin turned to Kim Sohee.

“Miss Kim.”

Kim Sohee looked directly at him.

“What did you mean by saying I have a connection with your brother?”

“Hmm…I may have revealed too much.”

Kim Sohee licked her lips lightly and shook her head. “One of her past lives had a connection with me.”

“Past life?”

“It was an unfortunate encounter…but merely a product of that era’s circumstances.”

Shhhk!

Suddenly, Kim Sohee began stroking her sword.

Hwoooom! Hwooom!

A strange sound started emanating from the blade. With the sword still humming under her hand, she looked at Kang Jin.

“You should drink less alcohol from now on.”

“As long as you don’t get mad…”

Nodding at Kang Jin’s words, Kim Sohee glanced around the store before speaking.

“Please come inside.”

Swoosh!

Kang Jin watched as Kim Sohee turned and walked ahead.

A connection from a previous life? Did they know each other during the Joseon Dynasty?

With that thought, Kang Jin entered the store. Hwang Minsung stood by the door, lost in his own thoughts. When he saw Kang Jin approach, he blurted out:

“Who is she exactly?”

“She’s quite unique.”

“Unique…but too unique, don’t you think?” Hwang Minsung suddenly glanced at Kang Jin again and asked, “By any chance…”

Kang Jin swallowed nervously under Hwang Minsung’s gaze.

“By any chance…what?”

Hwang Minsung briefly looked towards the door before continuing, “Do you think she might be a shaman?”

“A shaman?”

“Yeah. Her attire suggests it…and did you hear what she was saying earlier?”

“I…I heard some of it.”

“What kind of crazy person tells strangers such things on first meeting?”

“That’s…” Kang Jin stole a glance at the door while responding.

‘She carries a sword, Miss Kim.’

Hwang Minsung muttered under his breath while glancing at the door again.

“You don’t know anything about her even though she’s a regular customer here?”

“She’s just another customer… Maybe she has a fondness for hanboks?”

“No… The way she spoke to me earlier… It wasn’t ordinary.” Hwang Minsung looked directly at Kang Jin.

“When she comes back next time, give me a call.”

“What if I hear more strange things?”

“That… That means I need to listen to more of her stories.”

Kang Jin observed Hwang Minsung and nodded understandingly.

“Understood.”

“And…” Hwang Minsung licked his lips hesitantly.

“I feel like getting drunk tonight. Is it okay if I stay over here?”

Kang Jin chuckled and nodded affirmatively.

“Of course.”