This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 468

“Why did you suddenly ask to come to this neighborhood?”

“Why? Is it no good?”

“No, it’s not that… It’s just that it’s been a really long time since I’ve been here.”

This place, which we’re talking about and is just up the stairs in front of us, is the Chinese restaurant named Cheonghai. It was a place that both Yoonseo and I had depended on immensely back in the day.

Not just us, but anyone from Seheon Middle School over there on the hill would probably feel the same.

It can’t be helped since the lunch menu isn’t always filled with tasty options.

Of course, the lunch quality at Seheon Middle School, which we attended shortly after it opened, was among the higher ranks compared to other nearby schools, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its fair share of subpar meals.

Besides, how can a person live on just rice?

Sometimes you need to grease your throat and belly with something delicious, like chicken or meat, because that’s just human nature.

By the same logic, middle schoolers whose taste buds are going wild can’t just survive on school lunches every single day.

Especially when the state of the lunch menu is clearly unappetizing… It’s only natural to crave something else, like something tastier.

To accommodate those students, the school set up a separate snack shop in addition to the cafeteria… But just like there are always those who don’t settle for what’s given, there were always some who weren’t satisfied with what the snack shop offered.

Like me.

While the menu at the snack shop did evoke some nostalgia, everything felt more like snacks than actual meals. So, while buying something occasionally was fine, planning to fill up on it didn’t sit well with me.

‘And the cost-effectiveness isn’t that great either…’

Anyone who hasn’t seen it with their own eyes would never know.

That the bellies of middle school girls in their prime know no limits.

Honestly, the money spent to fill up to a satisfactory level would be much better spent eating out.

School rules?

As a “second-time around in life” middle schooler holding the title of Hero Candidate, I was practically untouchable in the school, so there was no way I would be restricted by such things.

Of course, I couldn’t completely ignore the teachers’ watchful eyes, so I did exercise some restraint, but I still remember going out to grab food quite often.

And the places I usually went to during lunch were either here at Cheonghai or the snack shop right in front of the school.

“I heard from Myungwook that the snack shop by the school closed down.”

“I heard that too. They say it turned into a cosmetics store.”

“That place was pretty tasty… It’s a shame.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s been three years.”

“Yeah… The owner lady there was getting on in years.”

As I dug up these long-forgotten memories from the past, the familiar yet delectable aroma wafted up to my nose.

You know that unique smell of stir-frying onions typical of Chinese restaurants?

That smell densely filled the stairwell.

Considering I had been rushing around all morning preparing to go out and was on an empty stomach, that smell was undoubtedly lethal.

Maybe that’s why.

Both Yoonseo and I couldn’t help but have our stomachs grumble audibly.

Thanks to that, without anyone doing it first, we both paused in place, feeling a bit awkward, but soon enough, we shared a laugh and started climbing the stairs again.

“By the way… Do you think they remember us?”

“Well… Who knows?”

Maybe it’s because this place is one of those spots where the memories of three years in middle school piled up in full.

Even though I said that, it felt like Yoonseo secretly hoped the owner lady would remember both of us.

Maybe that’s why, as her hand carefully pushed open the door marked “Cheonghai” in the same font as the sign, there was a sense of anticipation in her gesture.

“Welcome!”

The moment we walked in and heard the lively voice, any expectations that had spread across Yoonseo’s face were shattered instantly.

“Are there just two of you?”

Had the owner changed in the three years?

Gone was the older woman who used to warmly greet us as if we were her grandchildren whenever we visited; instead, a woman who didn’t seem much older than Yoonseo and me welcomed us.

“Oh, um… Are you serving food right now?”

In that moment, both Yoonseo, who had been brimming with hope, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointment creeping in.

“Uh? Customers have come?”

A voice that felt both familiar and longed for echoed from the kitchen, and out appeared a lady slightly older than the one in our memories, wiping her hands on the apron she wore.

She then spotted Yoonseo and me, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Uh… Do you… remember us?”

“So, it’s… Yoonseo and… Dogun! Is that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my goodness… What is going on here…?”

From the lady’s perspective, this must have been an unexpected reunion, and understandably, she was taken aback.

With her hands tightly clasped around Yoonseo’s, she blinked rapidly for a while, then shifted her gaze between Yoonseo and me before she spoke.

“I remember you two coming in with your parents to eat Jajangmyeon when you just started middle school like it was just yesterday… How did both of you grow up so much… Especially you, Yoonseo, you could get married now.”

“Hehe…”

In that blissful moment, the lady radiated warmth as she led us to a table by the window with a clear view of the outside, and we eagerly awaited our ordered meals.

The woman who first greeted us approached with a water pitcher and cups in hand.

“Here’s the water.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“So… You were regulars here?”

“Uh, yeah…”

I was a regular in my own way.

Since I hadn’t been back here after graduating middle school, I naturally stopped visiting, but until then, I came here almost every two weeks to eat.

So, why did she suddenly ask that?

I was probably wondering that when I heard her cautiously continue, as if all her previous words had only been a buildup for this one.

“But… um… Is it really… you?”

While a lot of things were left unsaid there, I understood exactly what she meant… because her gaze was obviously fixed on one direction.

What’s the point in saying anything?

After successfully placing the water pitcher and cups on the table, her gaze had remained glued to Yoonseo.

Which meant… she recognized who Yoonseo was.

“Ah, yes…”

“Wow…!”

So, turns out she was a fan of Yoonseo.

The look on Yoonseo’s face slowly turned awkward as she came face to face with a fan in the most unexpected place.

With a loud thud, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoed through the restaurant as the woman who had been staring at Yoonseo, as if ready to ask for an autograph or a photo, jumped up, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Hey, why did you hit me?!”

“Is it a surprise that I hit you? With a daughter who can’t even help her mom with the business, just blocking the path with her existence like this?”

“Wha… But it’s amazing, what am I supposed to do?”

“Amazing? Amazing about what?”

“Mom, you don’t know who this is, right?”

“Who else but our Yoonseo.”

“You really don’t know… How is that even possible?”

“Ah, stop with the nonsense and just get out of the way. The noodles are going to burn.”

“You remember that hero I kept talking about?”

“Huh?”

“That person is her!”

“What? The one you keep going on about is Yoonseo?!”

I knew Yoonseo became a hero thanks to the banner that hung at the school gate on the day she passed the special exam, but did they not realize she had become so famous that even her daughter had fans?

Because of this commotion, both Yoonseo and I could only smile wryly for a moment, while the overly excited mom chased her daughter back to the kitchen and set down steaming bowls of Jajangmyeon and Sweet and Sour Pork right between Yoonseo and me.

“So… seeing you two here together means you’ve started dating, right?”