Chapter 11
Kimchi Pancake (1)
Today, for some reason, I suddenly remembered something Grandma had once asked me.
“Jigu, Grandma’s just curious. How was it working at the restaurant? Did you have many regular customers?”
I wonder, Grandma. Back then, I never managed to answer that question.
At the restaurant, all the credit belonged to the head chef. I was just an anonymous pair of hands—a shadow-like sous chef. There was no way anyone would become a regular customer because of me.
So…
Having regular customers…
This is what it feels like.
I sat down on a chair outside the convenience store and cracked open a can of beer.
Psssh—
The sound of the carbonation fizzing faded into the cool night air.
When I looked up, the night sky felt even more refreshing than I had expected.
“Tonight… feels nice.”
Smiling brightly, I took a sip of beer.
Just as the cold drink slid down my throat—
“S-Sis…!”
Hearing a familiar voice, I turned around.
Standing under the convenience store’s lights was Hera.
“Oh, Hera?”
By now, we had seen each other often enough that calling her by name no longer felt awkward.
“Sis… I went to buy side dishes today and stopped by the convenience store… and I ran into you here!”
“What were you planning to buy?”
“Umm… what was it? I-I forgot…”
She rolled her eyes apologetically.
I lifted my beer can and waved it.
“If you’ve got time… want to have a beer with me?”
“Y-Yes!”
The moment I finished speaking, Hera rushed into the convenience store.
A short while later she came back carrying several cans of beer and bags of snacks, setting them neatly on the table.
“You shouldn’t drink… on an empty stomach. You need snacks too… Sis.”
“…You’re the only one who looks after me.”
“Huh? T-That’s not true…”
Chuckling, I raised my can and gently clinked it against hers.
Clink.
The refreshing metallic sound rang out as we both took a drink.
“Ahhh… I feel alive.”
“Did something good happen today, Sis?”
I grinned.
“As a matter of fact…”
“A-As a matter of fact?”
“I got two regular customers.”
“Wooooow! C-Congratulations, Sis!”
“Pretty amazing, right?”
“Yes! That’s incredible!”
Hera clapped enthusiastically with both hands before opening another can and drinking it in one go.
“You seem to have quite a high alcohol tolerance.”
“Ah, I…”
Avoiding my gaze for a moment, she hesitated before quietly adding,
“I-I can drink… about two bottles of soju.”
“…What? I get tipsy after one can of beer.”
I turned red after just a single can.
Meanwhile, this tiny woman sitting in front of me could casually finish two bottles of soju.
The contrast left me speechless.
“So why did you come out tonight? Something bothering you?”
“…”
Her long hair fell over her shoulders.
Curling up slightly, she rubbed the beer can between both hands. The way her fingertips traced the aluminum surface made her seem strangely anxious.
“My parents found out… that I quit my job… and we had a bit of an argument.”
“…Why?”
“The company I worked for… was pretty famous. M-My parents always bragged about it… so when I quit… I guess it disappointed them.”
She let out a bitter laugh.
I quietly took another sip of beer.
I thought she just wanted to quit.
I had no idea there was a story behind it.
“So… how does it feel after quitting?”
“…It feels good.”
“Then isn’t that enough?”
Hearing that, Hera smiled softly.
Her flushed cheeks revealed how much she’d already drunk.
Her long hair partly covered her face.
“…You’re right. That should be enough. Every morning I woke up… it felt hard to breathe. Every time I looked at the company building… I felt sick. At first I thought if I just endured it… it’d get better. But no matter how long I endured… nothing changed.”
I silently continued drinking.
“So I realized… if I stayed even one more day… I wouldn’t be myself anymore…”
She wrapped both hands around her can and lowered her head.
As the alcohol settled in, her voice actually became clearer.
“Hera.”
“Yes!”
I leaned forward slightly and looked her in the eyes.
“You made the right choice quitting! Staying somewhere that makes you feel like you can’t breathe isn’t always the right thing to do.”
I had endured it too.
I kept enduring until I finally walked away.
But once I did, all the worries that had weighed me down suddenly felt meaningless.
Hera stared at me with wide eyes before biting her lower lip.
“I… didn’t expect you to say that…”
“Huh? Did I look like some terrible boss?”
Startled, she quickly shook both hands.
“N-No! That’s not it! I wanted to comfort you… but somehow… you ended up comforting me instead. That’s why.”
“Well… then that’s good.”
As we kept chatting, the mountain of snacks gradually disappeared.
In their place, a row of empty beer cans lined the table.
“Hmm. Shall we head back to the shop?”
“Huh? To the shop?”
I held up two fingers in front of her.
“For round two. If we keep drinking here, the convenience store clerk is going to scold us.”
“Ohhh!”
Like lightning, Hera began cleaning up the table.
Her hands moved quickly and neatly.
She looked surprisingly experienced.
She’s… really good at cleaning.
“S-Sis?”
Hera called out to me after noticing I had zoned out.
“You’re already done?”
“Y-Yes! I wanted to get going quickly!”
“Haha. Then let’s go.”
Shaking my head with a smile, I helped her finish cleaning up before we headed back to the side dish shop together.
As soon as we entered the shop, the familiar aroma of side dishes filled the air.
I gestured toward a chair.
“Sit here. I’ll get the glasses.”
“Okay!”
I took two chilled glasses out of the refrigerator.
They were already covered with a thin layer of frost.
“Do you drink often, Sis?”
“Sometimes after closing the shop, I have a can of beer. Only once in a while.”
But something very important was missing.
Snacks.
The refrigerator only contained ingredients for side dishes.
There wasn’t anything suitable to eat with alcohol.
Hmm…
“Sis?”
Looking at Hera, I asked,
“What should we have as a snack?”
“I’m fine with just beer!”
“Huh? Just beer?”
I frowned.
“Weren’t you just scolding me earlier for drinking without food?”
“That’s because you’re tired!”
Watching her wave both hands in panic, I couldn’t help smiling.
“I’m not tired, so it’s okay. Then… how about kimchi pancakes?”
“Kimchi pancakes?”
“A summer night is perfect for kimchi pancakes, isn’t it?”
I had already taken out a mixing bowl and a pair of plastic gloves.
“Huh?! Sis! Where are you going?”
Pretending not to hear, I headed out the back door.
There stood the large earthenware kimchi jar Grandma had carefully prepared.
The moment I lifted the lid, the sharp aroma of well-fermented kimchi filled the air.
“Mmm! This is it.”
I took out a whole head of fully aged kimchi and placed it in the mixing bowl.
There’s not much left.
Pushing aside my disappointment, I returned to the shop.
Hera was fidgeting nervously.
“Hera, could you set out the chopsticks and spoons?”
“Y-Yes!”
Happy to finally have something to do, she quickly stood up.
Her small hands busily arranged the utensils one by one.
“Just wait a little.”
I rinsed the sour kimchi once under water.
If it was too sour, it would overpower the pancake.
Next I added pancake mix, kimchi juice, and cooking oil before using kitchen scissors to cut the kimchi into small pieces.
It was my own little trick to reduce the amount of dishes afterward.
After stirring the batter a few times with a spoon, I poured it into a well-oiled hot frying pan.
Sizzle—
The sound of the pancake frying was even more appetizing than the summer night itself.
The oil crackled as the edges slowly turned golden brown.
Sitting at the counter, Hera watched me without blinking, holding her glass tightly with both hands.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Don’t you want to eat it?”
Teasing her, I smiled.
Hera answered clearly,
“Sis, your hands move incredibly fast! Has it even been ten minutes? I don’t think it’s even been five!”
Her adorable voice sounded somewhere between amazement and disbelief.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
Smiling, I flipped the pancake.
The beautifully browned surface appeared, and the tangy aroma of kimchi blended with the rich scent of hot oil, making my stomach growl.
“Done.”
I transferred the kimchi pancake onto a plate.
Steam rose from it in thick wisps.
When I gently pressed the edge with my chopsticks—
Crunch.
A wonderfully crisp sound echoed through the room.
“…W-Wow!”
Without realizing it, Hera set down her glass and leaned forward.
“Try a piece first.”
“Really!?”
“Of course.”
She blew gently on the hot pancake before taking a bite.
“Ah, it’s hot! The kimchi is so delicious!”
“Right? When you bite into the crispy golden edge first, it’s wonderfully crunchy. Then the soft, moist inside follows. The tangy flavor of the well-aged kimchi mixes perfectly with the richness of the oil.”
“Y-Yes! Exactly!”
I took a bite as well.
Then I washed it down with a sip of beer.
The beer cut through the richness instantly, leaving behind nothing but a refreshing aftertaste.
“Sis… eating this kimchi pancake… reminded me of something…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“…I think… you’re going to get a lot more customers.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeees… My mom owned a barbecue restaurant… At first there weren’t many customers… but suddenly people started pouring in… It feels just like this…”
As she continued speaking, Hera’s words became slower and her pronunciation slurred.
Apparently, it took around seven cans of beer before her face finally turned red.
She really can drink…
“Eating the kimchi pancake made you think that?”
Resting my chin on my hand, I asked calmly.
“Sis… customers… don’t become regulars… after eating just once…?”
Despite her slightly unfocused eyes, her voice remained serious.
“They have to come back… several times… before they become real regulars…”
“I-I see.”
I barely managed to hold back a laugh.
But what she said next made my smile freeze.
“…That’s why… I’ll be your regular customer forever… so don’t worry…”
As Hera started to collapse face-first onto the table, I quickly caught her.
I quietly placed a box of tissues beside her head.
“‘A regular customer forever.’ I like the sound of that.”
I gently lifted my glass and tapped it against one of Hera’s empty cans.
Clink.
The soft echo spread through the shop.
Along with it, the air inside no longer felt lonely.
After quietly savoring that strange feeling for a moment, I struggled upstairs and laid the completely drunk Hera down in one of the second-floor rooms.
The next morning, something incredible happened.
Less than an hour after opening, the shop was already packed with customers.
“Hey, Side Dish Lady! That seasoned bean sprouts I bought the other day are driving my taste buds crazy!”
“Save me some too! Those bean sprouts! The moment my chopsticks touched them, the aroma of sesame oil just burst out!”
Customers crowded toward the display shelves, eagerly placing one order after another.
