TKFT 19

“Ah, no. It’s nothing special. I just wanted to treat Jian to something delicious.”

—…You came to that thought rather quickly. It’s already been a whole season since you married our Jian.

Pilbeom’s sarcastic remark struck straight into Yugeon’s conscience. After all, it wasn’t wrong.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll pay more attention from now on.”

Knowing he was at fault, Yugeon apologized obediently. Pilbeom cleared his throat, still sounding dissatisfied, but he didn’t press further.

—Jian likes, first of all…

Pilbeom began listing the foods Jian liked. Some of them had even been served at breakfast that morning.

She didn’t touch those either… Isn’t there anything else?
Something like a secret weapon menu.

Yugeon felt increasingly anxious. He had swallowed his pride to call Pilbeom—was there really no solution here either?

—…But among all of them, what Jian likes the most is actually tteokbokki.

That menu again—he had already served it several times. Yet Jian hadn’t touched it.

So it’s not just a loss of appetite. Maybe she’s actually sick. I should really take her to the hospital…

Just as Yugeon was about to give up, Pilbeom finally revealed the crucial information.

—Jian is obsessed with tteokbokki, but not all tteokbokki is the same to her. There’s one place she loves so much that she’d wake up instantly for it. Back in college, when she lost her appetite while preparing for her graduation exhibition, she practically survived on that shop’s tteokbokki…

“Where is it?”

Yugeon’s eyes lit up as he urgently asked.

This might work…!
Restore Eun Jian’s lost appetite.
Bring back Eun Jian’s chubby cheeks.

—It’s…

Yugeon quickly wrote down the address and the shop’s name.

After leaving work early that day, he immediately went to find the tteokbokki place.

The car carrying Yugeon entered a shabby alley. It certainly looked like the kind of place where a 30-year-old traditional tteokbokki shop would be located.

Jian will like it, right? I hope she eats until her cheeks puff up like on her birthday.

Looking out the window, Yugeon smiled softly. He could still picture how adorable she had been—so cute that he’d wanted to pinch her cheeks again and again.

At last, he arrived and stepped out of the car.

“…What is this?”

Yugeon’s eyes widened at the sight of the shop he had been looking forward to.

[Store for Rent]
[Closed due to personal reasons. Thank you for your support.]

At that moment, it felt as though Yugeon’s world collapsed.

“What am I supposed to do about my wife’s lost appetite now…? And how can a 30-year tradition just end like this?”

Even failing to win an important redevelopment contractor bid hadn’t left him this despairing.

He felt like screaming.

Just then, the small metal door beside the shop creaked open, and someone stepped out.

After returning home from work, Jian ate dinner alone.

Through the housekeeper, she heard that Yugeon would be late due to sudden work.

Despite the table being filled with delicacies, she only ate a tiny amount—barely noticeable.

It’s already been several days since I started dieting, but my waist still looks the same. Maybe I really did overeat before…

She went upstairs and tried on the knit sweater she had worn on her blind date once more. Disappointed, she sat on the sofa in her room and sighed.

She had planned to read a book, but perhaps because she was hungry, the words wouldn’t register.

Eventually, she closed the book and went back downstairs.

She thought she might at least eat a boiled egg.

When she reached the first-floor living room—

“Hm?”

Her nose instinctively sniffed the air.

A delicious smell of tteokbokki was spreading throughout the house.

Wow, what is that…? It smells different from the housekeeper’s tteokbokki… This smells exactly like…

Drawn by the familiar scent, Jian headed toward the dining room.

When she went further into the cooking area, she saw an unexpected sight.

Yugeon had already returned home and was standing in front of the induction stove, stirring a pan of tteokbokki with a serious expression.

“You’re back? But… what are you doing?”

Only then did Yugeon notice her presence.

“Oh, you’re down. As you can see, I was making tteokbokki.”

But why was he cooking instead of the staff?

“It’s just finished. Since you’re here, try it and tell me if it tastes right. I’ll bring it over—go sit at the table.”

At his gesture, which clearly meant stay out of the way, Jian quietly sat down.

Soon, Yugeon brought over a plate of tteokbokki and pale boiled eggs.

“Try it. It’s so good that if we were eating together and I suddenly died, you’d be happy to finish it all alone.”

He said it confidently.

Even so… how could someone eat happily if a person died right in front of them?

Jian stared at him with a what do you take me for? expression.

Yugeon picked up a piece of tteokbokki with a fork and held it out to her.

H-he’s feeding me…?

Her favorite person feeding her favorite food.

Is this a dream?

Her heart began to pound.

At this rate, even though she was dieting, there was no way she could refuse.

I’ll mark today as the anniversary of when my favorite fed me tteokbokki—right after the anniversary of our first kiss. I’ll just eat this one piece…

Suppressing the urge to scream internally from excitement, Jian tried to act calm and elegant as she opened her mouth and accepted it.

The moment the spicy sauce spread across her tongue—

This…!

Her eyes, dull from hunger, suddenly sparkled like stars.

“This—th-this is…! That place…! I…! How…!”

This is from that place, right? The one I love most—the 30-year traditional tteokbokki shop that’s already gone!

How does the tteokbokki Yugeon made taste exactly like theirs?

She had already mourned its closure in private.

Was she hallucinating from hunger?

Jian stuttered in shock.

Her guess was correct.

The tteokbokki Yugeon made really was from that place.

A little earlier.

Yugeon had just fallen into despair after discovering that Jian’s favorite tteokbokki shop had closed.

Then, from the shabby metal door that served as the entrance to the residence above the shop, an elderly woman came out.

“Oh… did you come to buy tteokbokki?”

Seeing Yugeon’s devastated expression, she asked.

“…Yes.”

“Oh dear, the shop closed some time ago. I’m sorry you came for nothing.”

Yugeon quickly grasped the situation.

“Are you the owner?”

“Yes. I’ve gotten old, and it’s become too hard to keep running it. I’m sorry—you’ll have to go somewhere else.”

The elderly woman looked genuinely apologetic and began to leave.

But Yugeon hurriedly stopped her.

He couldn’t let go of the one person who could bring back his wife’s appetite.

“I’m really sorry, but… my wife hasn’t been feeling well and can’t eat properly. I thought she might eat if it were the tteokbokki she loves from here. Could you make just one serving? Of course, I’ll pay.”

He pleaded.

“Oh dear, I’m a bit busy right now… My wrist hurts, so I need to get to the hospital before it closes. I’m sorry.”

Only then did Yugeon notice the pain relief patch on her wrist.

His eyes suddenly gleamed like a predator spotting its prey.

He quickly grabbed her hand.