Chapter 3

Lee Jong-suk put the finely chopped radish into the pot quickly.

“What are you doing?”

Mother came inside the kitchen in a hurry to see what was happening and was surprised.

“I did a little something.”

“Jong-suk ah! I know you did something to sauce! What did you do? Did you put something in there?”

“Yeah”

“In what kind of spicy rice cakes sauce is radish added!? This boy is going to make me throw the whole sauce out. .”

“Not if it turns out good.”

At the words of Lee Jong-suk who was stirring the sauce with a spatula, mom let out a deep sigh and suddenly asked.

“Then did you shred the radish?”

“Yes”

“When?”

“Just a while back”

“With what?”

“With a knife.”

“You shred the whole radish now?”

“Yeah!”

Lee Jong-suk was constantly stirring the sauce without a break while answering his mom’s

questions.

‘Though the spicy taste is a little strong… If we add the rice cakes then it will probably neutralize the taste. This much can be possible.’

Lee Jong-suk’s mom was looking at him when he was mumbling something to himself for a while.

“It is not aging yet. Before adding the rice cakes this needs to be boiled for a while.”

Listening to these words from Lee Jong-suk’s mouth his mom went over and slightly took the sauce on her finger and tasted it. And looked at Lee Jong-suk with surprise.

“Tasty”

She took the sauce on her finger and tasted it, after tasting it she took a while before saying.

“It is quite taste but isn’t this a little spicy? Also don’t you think the flavor is a bit too strong?”

After tasting the sauce mom’s voice calmed down a bit. It was definitely much delicious and the taste was also much better than what was made yesterday.

“It’s good for now. As the time passes the spicy taste will go down. Anyhow this needs to be boiled on the fire for a while.”

“But where did you learn this stuff from?”

Listening to his mom’s words Lee Jong-suk smiled a little and spoke out.

“Yesterday at the second hand book store I saw it in a secret book about spicy rice cakes.”

“Really? Then I guess you didn’t buy the book.”

“I memorized it completely. Okay then I’ll get going to school.”

Lee Jong-suk rushed into his room and wore his uniform and hurriedly packed his school bag and left his home.

***

The business for the high school students begins in the morning. Students start to enter the school from 8 o’clock to 9 o’clock , this time makes up for almost half the sales of the business.

And so the couple who hurriedly sent Lee Jong-suk to school started to get ready for business.

Before plating the spicy rice cake mom boiled the sauce on the fire for a while.

‘Should let the sauce boil on fire for a while right?’

After boiling the sauce on the fire for a while she put some rice cakes in the fish paste too.

And when the spicy rice cake was done, one, two, three and so on students started entering the shop from the road.

“The smell is awesome.”

“Even though the taste isn’t that great, the smell is definitely nice.”

Hearing the words of the students Lee Jong-suk’s mom’s face went stiff.

‘I’m sorry that it doesn’t taste good. Urgh!’

The kids aren’t cruel people. All they do is speak without thinking, they just seem to speak what is on their mind….

To keep the flavor alive the rice cakes were turned again, just then another kid going on the road came inside after inhaling the flavor.

“Auntie, please give for 500 Won.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

After serving the kid in a medium cup for 500 Won, mom looked at the kid as he was going eat.

‘Is it made tasty….’

The sauce that Lee Jong-suk made got his mom more concerned than what she usually is.

“Tasty?”

“Yes! It is really delicious.”

“Oh really?”

At the words of the customer, mom took a toothpick and pricked one and put into her mouth.

“Oh my! Honey!”

At the call of mom, dad who was getting ready to make fried foods came.

“What?”

“Eat this and see.”

He took a bite of the spicy rice cake after listening to his wife and immediately his eyes grew big.

“Delicious.”

“Isn’t it! Oh my! Why does it taste this good.”

The child also agreed to the words of the two people and started to eat his spicy rice cake again.

Also the kids who were passing by came in one after another and began eating the spicy rice cake.

****

After school without going to the second hand bookstore Lee Jong-suk directly went home to see what interesting things were waiting for him.

Eungsong Eungsong!

Kids completely occupied the dinning floor in the ground floor.

“Spicy rice cakes for one please.”

“Spicy rice cakes for two please.”

Kids were eating the spicy rice cakes one by one, and those kids who could not enter into the dinning hall were sitting near a window by the counter and eating spicy rice cakes out of the 500 won cup.

“Wah! It’s really delicious here.”

“Hmm delicious”

As the kids continued to eat the spicy rice cakes by calling them delicious both of Lee Jong-suk’s parents’ hands were full and they were on the move to serve.

Besides the delicious spicy rice cakes along with them sundae and fish cakes were also being ordered.

It is considered to be delicious to even eat the sundae and fish cakes by dipping them in the spicy rice cake sauce.

At that moment Lee Jong-suk’s eyes met with those of his mom, and she immediately said.

“You too come inside and work for a while.”

“Me?”

As the store was busy he was asked to come help and Lee Jong-suk was puzzled at this question from his mother as she usually asks him to not help them.

“Can’t you see that we are very busy?”

“I get it. I’ll change my clothes and come down.”

“Okay, come quickly”

After his mom’s words he went up and changed his clothes, Lee Jong-suk was taking the used dishes into the kitchen.

“Aigoo, I’m losing my mind.”

Lee Jong-suk looked at his father who had a huge smile on his face that stretched till his ears and asked.

“Didn’t the business go well? Why were there so many students?”

“That was because of the spicy rice cakes.”

“Spicy rice cakes?”

“They were extremely delicious. See for yourself by eating them in the house.”

Lee Jong-suk nodded at his father’s words and went towards his mom who was stirring the spicy rice cakes.

“Aah!”

Lee Jong-suk opened his mouth to know, looking at this posture of him mom put a piece of it in his mouth.

After tasting the spicy rice cake in his mouth, Lee Jong-suk took the dustbin below the sink and spit in it.

“Why? Not good?”

There were students sitting in front of him so Lee Jong-suk whispered to his mother who was expectantly waiting for his answer.

“By any chance did you put fish cake soup in this?”

“The sauce was drying up, why?”

“Don’t put it.”

“Why? Isn’t it good?”

Mom took one piece of the rice cake and put it in her mouth and shook her head in Lee Jong-suk direction.

“The flavor of the sauce turned turbid and oily because of the fish cake soup added in it.”

“Then what are we supposed to do? If I constantly keep it on the flame it will start to dry, if I add more water it looks like it might get too liquidy.”

“Even then do not add the fish cake soup please. Just add a little water in it and stir.”

“Okay I get it. Aigoo! Our son has become a spicy rice cake chef.”

With a pleasant face expression mom started to hurriedly place the spicy rice cakes in the paper cup.

He couldn’t sell anything anymore, so Lee Jong-suk closed the shop door and went up to his home.

“Aigoo it was hard.”

While he was saying that it was hard, mom and dad with wide smile on their face were counting the money that they spread.

“35,750 won!”

“Yes!!!”

Mom smiled brightly and started clapping her hands at dads words.

“If there were more ingredients then we could have made around 40 thousand.”

Smiling brightly dad called Jong-suk over.

“Jong-suk ah!”

Lee Jong-suk washed his hands and went over to his dad who just called him.

“What?”

“Here”

Father put thousand won in Lee Jong-suk’s hand.

“Wow”

“Happy!”

Smiling as he felt happy after he handed over the money, father asked.

“Also go and buy that book”

“Book?”

“The book that you said had recipe of spicy rice cake.”

“Ah… That book is not for sale.”

“Really? Then how are we going to make the sauce from now on?”

“I’ll make it.”

“You?”

“Yes. I can think and make it.”

Later Lee Jong-suk went into his room and brought out olive oil. On his way home Lee Jong-suk thought about it and bought it.

“What is that for?”

“If we add it, it might taste good.”

After speaking Lee Jong-suk took out the red pepper powder in front of his mom and dad, and helped them in taking out the ingredients.

And started to mix those ingredients.

While mixing in all the ingredients for the sauce, at the last Lee Jong-suk thought over if he should add the olive oil.

Though it felt like there was a need for the olive oil to be put in the soup he hesitated over it.

Instead….

‘How about rice cakes?’

He put in the rice cakes in the sauce and felt good about it, after hesitating on it for a moment he brought the olive oil and added small quantity in it.

‘If it sells the price would not be effective’

For students and customers to get spicy cost 2,000 won for one person. It might not sell well is we use rich ingredients.

He was almost done with the rice cakes and looked over at the sauce.

‘Seems to be good’

“Mom look at the spicy rice cake once.”

“Coming”

Mom came over from the frying pan that was making the sauce and came near Lee Jong-suk.

“Delicious”

“Really delicious”

After tasting the spicy rice cakes both the parents showed admiration towards their son but strange expression arose on Lee Jong-suk’s face.

‘Is it because it hasn’t fermented yet? It seems a bit different’

“Slup!”

Inhaling the flavor heavily Lee Jong-suk nodded his head while enjoying the taste and scent of it.

“Leave the seasoning for now we will look into again in the morning.”

“Why, isn’t it good as it is?”

“The flavor will ferment and the taste might change. And… from tomorrow when making the rice

cakes add a little olive oil in it and stir for a while later.”

“I got it”

Saying this to his mom Lee Jong-suk went in for a shower.