Chapter 10
Spinach Namul (2)
“Is it really finished already?”
“Of course.”
She dropped the spinach into the boiling water. The stiff leaves instantly wilted, turning into a richer shade of green and becoming soft. After blanching it for about thirty seconds, she immediately transferred it into cold water to stop the cooking.
“Now all that’s left is to season it.”
“That… quickly?”
“Yep.”
She gently squeezed the spinach to remove the excess water before placing it into a mixing bowl.
Then she added one spoonful of minced garlic, one spoonful of soup soy sauce, and one spoonful of perilla oil. As she mixed everything together with her hands, the rich, nutty aroma of the perilla oil slowly filled the air.
“Spinach namul is one of the easiest side dishes in the world!”
Finally, she sprinkled roasted sesame seeds over the top. Tiny white specks settled across the bright green spinach.
“It’s done!”
At her words, the Jangseung stared at the mixing bowl.
“Finished?”
“Yes. Would you like to try some?”
Just then, Haetae tapped the counter with his chubby paw.
“Not so fast. I get the first bite!”
“Haetae, open wide.”
She picked up a strand of spinach with her chopsticks and held it in front of him. His eyes sparkled as he opened his mouth wide. The moment the spinach disappeared into his mouth, his tail shot straight up.
“Well?”
“Nyaaaang…! The nutty smell of the perilla oil really makes you hungry!”
Haetae cried out happily with his tail standing straight.
That reaction meant it was delicious!
“You like it?”
“The seasoning is perfect!”
“Nothing you’d change?”
“Nothing! Give me another bite!”
She covered Haetae’s mouth with her palm before he could beg again and turned toward the Jangseung.
“Jangseung, please have a bite too.”
“May I… open my mouth?”
“Huh? Of course!”
The Jangseung hesitated shyly before slowly opening his mouth. Between the cracks in his bark-like face, the inside was clearly visible.
Tree rings…?
Jigu shivered.
Hundreds of years of time were carved inside him.
“If my appearance frightens you, I apologize.”
“Not at all. Here comes the spinach!”
The moment the spinach entered his mouth, the Jangseung’s eyes widened.
“It’s delicious!”
“Really?”
“You should taste it too, Miss Jigu.”
Her heart pounded as she rolled up a bite of spinach and placed it into her mouth.
Because it had only been lightly blanched, the spinach still had a pleasant crunch. It was slightly tough and retained a faint grassy smell, so it wasn’t perfect, but the rich perilla oil wrapped around that roughness with a comforting warmth.
“Wow…!”
Even the sharp taste of the garlic was softened by the perilla oil, leaving behind a deep, rich umami flavor.
This was more than good enough.
“Would this be acceptable, Jangseung?”
“It is more than enough.”
She took out a plastic side-dish container and neatly packed the spinach into it.
Food isn’t complete until it’s plated.
The first taste of food is experienced with the eyes, not the tongue. Presentation mattered far more than most people realized.
She arranged the spinach so the stems lay neatly in one direction before lightly sprinkling sesame seeds on top.
Click.
As the lid snapped shut, she felt the same satisfaction as completing a long quest.
Looking up at the Jangseung, she smiled.
“Jangseung, your order is ready.”
“Please give it to me.”
She placed the container into a paper bag printed with Hyangsuk’s Side Dish Shop and handed it over.
“Your spinach namul is ready!”
The bark on the Jangseung’s face shifted into a gentle smile.
“Thank you… for helping me create one final precious memory. I’m glad I came here.”
Holding the paper bag, he slowly raised his hand. Even that simple gesture carried a quiet weight.
“…Will we meet again someday?”
“Who knows? Even I cannot say. But if fate wills it, we shall surely meet again.”
His calm voice carried a trace of regret.
She watched his back as he stepped out of the shop before bowing politely.
“Please visit again, customer!”
The door clicked shut.
The unique presence that had filled the shop disappeared with him.
“…It feels like a tornado just swept through here.”
She muttered to herself as she walked back toward the kitchen.
Then—
“Haetae!”
Haetae had buried his face inside the mixing bowl and was happily eating the leftover spinach.
…That little glutton.
Jangseung.
Age: 900 years old.
A guardian deity created by humans to protect a village.
For countless years he stood in the same place, quietly watching over the villagers and listening to their voices.
Then one day, a small ripple disturbed his peaceful existence.
“Mom! Mom!”
“Yes, Arin?”
“What’s that huge tree?”
The little girl tilted her head all the way back to look up at the Jangseung.
He looked down at the tiny child.
She was still young and fragile—the last child remaining in the village.
“That’s the guardian spirit who protects our village.”
“A guardian spirit?”
“That’s right. Grandpa Jangseung will protect our little Arin.”
It was only something her mother had casually said to comfort a child.
But Arin believed every word with all her heart.
From that day on, she came to the Jangseung every day to tell him everything.
“Guardian Spirit. Guardian Spirit.”
“…”
“My mommy is sick. Can you make her better?”
“…”
“She won’t even eat the side dishes she likes anymore…”
He should never have grown attached to that child.
He should never have answered such prayers.
“Dad says… Mommy is going to heaven. He told me I should prepare myself. Why do I have to?”
Watching the small child cry her heart out, the Jangseung realized just how powerless he truly was.
A god who couldn’t even offer words of comfort.
To become a god meant never interfering in human affairs.
To develop personal feelings for humans meant abandoning one’s existence as a god.
He knew he should never become attached to Arin.
And yet…
He abandoned his life as a god and spoke to her.
In the form of a human.
“Hello.”
“…Who are you?”
“I’m from the next village.”
“Why do you talk like that?”
“That’s how my parents raised me.”
“…Your way of talking is funny.”
And so they grew close.
Not as a god and a human—
But as two ordinary people.
They talked openly with each other.
Shared their worries.
The wall between god and human slowly disappeared.
Time passed.
One day, the now-grown Arin handed him a wedding invitation.
“Here. It’s my wedding invitation.”
“…Marriage?”
“Yeah. I’m getting married to the person I love. So… I want my most precious friend—you—to come too.”
A guardian spirit could never leave the place where he had been born.
To do so required giving up everything.
Even more than abandoning his life as a god.
So he contacted the Company.
He wished to give her one final gift.
He wished to leave this place.
“All of your divine power may disappear. Are you certain?”
“I am.”
“Why would you throw away your qualification as a god for a mere human?”
“Well… even I do not know.”
He remembered Arin’s bright smile.
He only wished for that smile to continue shining forever.
“Perhaps… while protecting the village, I naturally came to care for a human.”
Carrying the paper bag, he went to fulfill their promise.
She was waiting on the old bench where they had always talked.
A single streetlight softly illuminated her.
“Arin.”
“Oh? When did you get here?”
“This.”
He handed her the paper bag.
“What is it?”
“A side dish.”
“A side dish?”
“You once said it was your favorite—the spinach namul your mother used to make.”
He tried to hand it over as casually as possible.
But the end of his hand trembled slightly.
“Wow…! It’s spinach namul! My favorite! But I’m on a diet because of the wedding, so I can’t eat it right now!”
“You… can eat it later.”
Arin stared at the paper bag for a long moment before looking back up at him.
“But why are you suddenly giving me this?”
“You said you haven’t been able to eat it lately.”
“That’s true… but this is the first time you’ve ever given me something.”
The Jangseung slowly nodded.
“You said you weren’t feeling well… Is something really wrong?”
Her worried eyes searched his face.
He couldn’t bear to meet her gaze.
Looking away, he quietly answered,
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Really? Really nothing?”
“Yes… So… congratulations on your marriage.”
“Still… it makes me happy that my best friend is congratulating me.”
Those words struck something deep inside his heart.
This was the last time.
He would never see her again.
“Arin.”
“Yes?”
“Arin.”
“What? Why do you keep saying my name?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
His voice carried an indescribable sorrow.
“Will you remember me?”
“Of course I will. Why would you even ask that?”
“Of course… of course…”
That answer was enough for him.
“I, too… will always remember you.”
“…Huh?”
“Arin.”
“What do you mean…?”
At that moment—
Before she could finish speaking—
All of the divine power inside the Jangseung began scattering away like grains of sand.
His breathing grew heavy.
The human form he had struggled to maintain crumbled away.
The change began at his fingertips.
Thin flakes like pieces of bark drifted into the wind.
“Arin.”
His voice brushed gently past her ears like the breeze.
“I will remember you for the rest of my existence.”
Without thinking, Arin reached out.
She had to catch him.
If she didn’t hold onto him now, he would disappear forever.
But the Jangseung gently pushed her hand away.
The more transparent he became, the gentler his smile grew.
“Where are you going…?”
Her voice trembled.
He could no longer answer.
With the last of his strength, he simply reached out and softly touched her cheek.
“I wish… I could have continued protecting you. If only I could have remained by your side… I would have had no regrets…”
As Arin’s tear-filled vision blurred—
The Jangseung disappeared into the countless stars filling the night sky.
At the same moment, Arin stood staring blankly into the empty air.
Then she slowly blinked.
Snap.
The sound of fingers snapping.
Her mind went blank for an instant before returning.
She staggered slightly.
“Huh…?”
After collecting herself, she looked down at the paper bag in her hands.
An unfamiliar yet strangely familiar emotion welled up inside her.
“…Why was I here?”
She instinctively looked behind her.
Some distant memory stirred deep within her mind.
“I feel like… there used to be a Jangseung here…”
Her voice trailed off.
Even she couldn’t explain the strange feeling lingering on the tip of her tongue.
Looking at the container inside the paper bag, she murmured,
“…It’s spinach namul?”
The next day.
“It’s so boring…”
Jigu rested her elbows on the table and blankly stared outside.
The quiet afternoon was filled with nothing but the ticking of the clock.
Then—
“Oh.”
A young woman cautiously opened the shop door while looking around.
Her neatly tied hair and calm appearance stood out.
“Welcome to Hyangsuk’s Side Dish Shop!”
“Is this the place…?”
She looked around before meeting Jigu’s eyes.
Then she carefully held out a paper bag.
“Isn’t this the bag your shop uses?”
“Oh, yes. That’s ours!”
For some reason, relief appeared on her face.
“I ate the spinach namul… and it tasted exactly like my mother’s cooking. I’ve missed that flavor so much… Are you selling it again today?”
…So she’s the customer.
The person the Jangseung had wanted to protect more than anyone.
“Yes! We have it today too. I’ll pack some for you right away.”
“I-I see… Then I’ll pay by card.”
“Certainly.”
Even after paying, she remained standing near the entrance, hesitating.
“Um… if you ever make spinach namul again, could you let me know?”
“Of course!”
She gently bit her lower lip, looking as if she were about to cry.
“Why am I getting emotional these days…? Thank you. I’ll come again.”
“You don’t have to wait for my call. Whenever you want spinach namul, just come by. I’ll make it especially for you.”
“Thank you so much, owner.”
A gentle breeze drifted through the shop.
Riding on that breeze, a wooden hand quietly appeared before the praise sticker board.
It firmly pressed a spinach-shaped sticker onto the board.
Then, as if expressing its gratitude, the hand awkwardly formed a heart toward Jigu.
Moments later, it sparkled like grains of sand in the sunlight before disappearing.
Soon, a transparent window appeared before her.
[You have earned Good Deed Points. Detailed shop information has been unlocked.]
Han Jigu
-
Local Reputation: 30
(News of the shop is spreading throughout every corner of the neighborhood.) -
Divine Realm Reputation: 15
(The fame of your side dishes has begun spreading among the gods and ■■.) -
Good Deed Points: 3
(Reward requirements not yet met.)
Business Status
-
Customers Today: 3 / 30
-
Regular Customers: 2
“Wait…”
“Two… regular customers?”
