As Giju Wishes Chapter 3.9

Choi Geon suddenly looked at Giju with a face that seemed to have aged 10 years, then began to walk, dragging his only possession, the motorcycle.

“I should have just left that bastard on Dobongsan….”

“Tell me if it’s too hard, Geon. I’ll switch with you.”

If Shin Giju were to pull it, they would probably arrive in about a week.

“Too hard? I’ve been having a hard time since I saw that ginseng trafficker’s face.”

Recalling how he had almost become a ginseng slave, Choi Geon, boiling with rage, gripped the motorcycle’s handlebars so tightly it seemed they would break.

Rumble-

The rain had let up to some extent, but the sky was still angry. Giju, who looked more haggard than before, gazed steadily at Choi Geon and opened his mouth.

“Do you know the tale of the Baby Rock?”

“What rock?”

Choi Geon, who had no way of knowing, shot Giju a crooked glance.

“A long time ago, there was a Mrs. Jeong who desperately wanted a child. No matter how many rituals she performed, she couldn’t conceive. Then, by chance, she saved a starving Taoist master and gained a fortunate connection. The Taoist master told Mrs. Jeong to go to the back mountain and create a statue of a mother and child by herself. He told her that no matter what trials came her way, she must not stop.”

Against the calm of Giju’s voice, the sound of the rain and their slow footsteps somehow felt like silence.

“So.”

“Even when the wind and rain raged just like now, and her body was hurt, Mrs. Jeong didn’t stop for 99 days. Then, before the mother-and-child statue was complete, she had a dream. A mysterious-looking white-haired immortal appeared and told her never to complete it, saying it would bring ruin to her family. Mrs. Jeong agonized over it but ultimately decided to follow the Taoist master’s words. And then….”

“She probably got a baby.”

Giju stared intently at Choi Geon.

“You’d follow the Taoist master’s words instead of the white-haired immortal’s?”

“Yeah.”

Choi Geon answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Why?”

“Usually, it’s the ones who look all high and mighty that do dirty shit.”

He had, in fact, just experienced it firsthand.

“Puhaha!”

Giju burst into a pure laugh.

“What the hell are you laughing at. Which bastard would you choose.”

“Hmm… I’d choose the white-haired immortal.”

“You’re screwed.”

“That’s right. I’m screwed. Because the Taoist master was right.”

“I knew it.”

Choi Geon, engrossed in the story, clicked his tongue at Giju, calling him a foolish bastard.

“The white-haired immortal was an evil god who was trying to take over the Taoist master’s mountain. Geon.”

Giju said, still looking up at the raining sky.

“Even if it rains for 99 days, whatever you do, don’t give up.”

“99 days, my ass. Even if I get struck by lightning, I’ll make 200 mother-and-child statues.”

At this tremendous will to live, Giju, as his self-proclaimed guardian, felt much more at ease.

“The Taoist master, the immortal, I’ll just take a hoe to their heads,”

“Master Taoist! My friend says he’s not scared even if lightning strikes!!”

Just then, Giju suddenly shouted towards the sky with great aspiration. Choi Geon, who had been muttering triumphantly beside him, convulsed and glared.

“You son of a bitch, you might as well just pray for my death!!”

“Woaaah!”

“You’re dead if I catch you!!”

Choi Geon, intending to land a punch this time for real, chased after Giju, who was running away as if he was about to get run over by the motorcycle. Giju, who had become a thief again in the rain, found it fun and broke into a huge grin as he ran.

“Wahahaha! You look like Monk Baekryeon, Geon!”

At those words that firmly crossed the line, Choi Geon’s eyes flipped, and for a moment, he almost abandoned the motorcycle to deliver a flying kick.

“Today’s the day of your memorial service, Shin Giju!!”

Giju, though lacking in strength, was surprisingly nimble and never got caught by Choi Geon. The two of them raced through the rain for a good ten minutes.

“Hah, hah, we’ve run a lot…! Huh…?”

Giju, who was shouting over his shoulder, suddenly stopped in his tracks as if he had sensed something. His expression turned strangely dazed.

“Fuck, got you….”

Choi Geon, who had been chasing him like an angry bull while cursing for some reason, also stopped in his tracks, grabbing the nape of Giju’s neck. And soon, he wore the same expression as Giju. They were both looking at the same place.

[Hong Kong Grand Restaurant]

For quite a while, they stared at the bright red sign of the Chinese restaurant like country mice who had just arrived in the city. The door was even open, and the smell of Jjajangmyeon filled the air. Giju, his reason fuzzy, looked ready to drool.

It was understandable, as all they had eaten at the temple were greens and survival crops like potatoes. On top of that, they hadn’t eaten a single meal today and had even filmed an escape movie while being soaked by the cold rain.

They had been so frantic they hadn’t even realized they were hungry, but the smell of Jjajangmyeon made every cell in their bodies jolt as if struck by lightning. Choi Geon, swallowing hard, clenched his fists and glanced at Giju.

He looked so spaced out, as if he wanted to eat so badly he would sell his soul. Suddenly feeling the weight of a provider, Choi Geon rummaged through his pockets, even though he knew there was no money. As expected, his pockets were torn, and not even a speck of dust came out. With no phone either, he was no different from a neighborhood beggar. A deep sense of emptiness washed over him from a poverty he had never once felt in his life.

“Go in.”

“Huh…?”

Giju asked like a fool. Regardless, Choi Geon walked confidently into the Chinese restaurant.

“Welco….”

The chef, who had been watching TV, trailed off and looked Choi Geon and Giju, who followed him in, up and down. They were beyond tattered.

“Hello, two Jjajangmyeon, please.”

Lightly ignoring the stare, Choi Geon ordered the Jjajangmyeon, took off his raincoat, and plopped down onto a chair.

“What are you doing, sit.”

Giju, who was blinking at the gesture of his chin, took off his raincoat and bag and sat in the chair across from him. Then, he stared intently at the groundlessly confident Choi Geon and whispered.

“Do we have money?”

“Hey, don’t worry. What’s with you sitting there worrying about something so useless.”

It was an era where you could pay with just a phone. He could just borrow one. Choi Geon grabbed the menu from the side and opened it.

“Order whatever you want to eat.”

Giju couldn’t get a grip, faced with the dazzling menu items he had never seen before. But he held back, afraid they wouldn’t have enough money.

“I think I’ll be full with just the Jjajangmyeon.”

“If you’re still hungry after eating, you have to tell me.”

“Okay.”

Giju was so hungry he couldn’t take his eyes off the kitchen. His anxiety and nervousness about money disappeared like smoke in the aroma of Jjajangmyeon.

“A fly’s gonna go into your mouth.”

Choi Geon chewed on a piece of pickled radish while watching Giju watch the kitchen with his mouth hanging open. Anyone would think he’d just been released from prison.

“No, he was just released.”

Muttering seriously to himself, Choi Geon nodded and checked the clock on the wall. It was past 8 o’clock. Even if he borrowed a phone, it was unlikely a taxi would come to this rural backwater. Besides, he needed to have Shin Giju’s “memorial service meal” time soon. He had to find a place to stay, and for that, he needed money. Can I get it on credit? I guess it’ll be fine.

“Wow, thank you.”

The Jjajangmyeon arrived while he was lost in thought, nervously shaking his leg. The moment the Jjajangmyeon appeared before his eyes, even Choi Geon’s troubles and worries vanished for a moment. Eating was the priority now.

After mixing the Jjajangmyeon with his chopsticks, Choi Geon buried his face in the bowl and started eating. It was the same for Giju.

Slurp, slurp-

Without any conversation, only the sound of them slurping up noodles could be heard.

“This is delicious. It’s my first time eating Jjajangmyeon.”

At the bizarre statement, Choi Geon, who had been inhaling Jjajangmyeon like a starving ghost, stopped eating and raised his head.

“…Did you come down from Dobongsan just last year or something?”

How else could he be eating Jjajangmyeon for the first time? Even an enlightened monk would know the taste of the secular world better than him.

“I never had the chance to eat it.”

Giju said, mumbling with his mouth full of Jjajangmyeon.

“What do you mean, chance…!”

The word ‘chance’ was too grand for a mere bowl of Jjajangmyeon.

“Forget it, shut up and eat.”

Having suddenly lost his appetite because of Giju, Choi Geon poked at his Jjajangmyeon, then looked up again. He picked up a piece of pickled radish, put it in his mouth, and chewed it like gum while watching Giju eat with Jjajang sauce smeared all around his mouth, a look of annoyance in his eyes.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

After finishing the pickled radish, Choi Geon dumped all of his remaining Jjajangmyeon into Giju’s bowl.

“You’re not eating?”

“Because I’m fucking full.”

“Really? It’s so good I can just keep eating. I don’t even know if I’m full or not.”

Giju even scooped up the sauce with a spoon to eat it. Choi Geon, who was watching him quietly, asked.

“…Should I order you some Tangsuyuk?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Hey, we’re screwed if you get indigestion now. Eat slowly.”

“Okay.”

While Giju ate his Jjajangmyeon, Choi Geon began to think about what to do next.

Shake, shake, shake-

As if representing his anxious heart, he naturally started shaking his leg. Now that his stomach was full, reality set in. Forget getting it on credit; it seemed unlikely there was even a place to stay in this rural village. And he didn’t think he could find an answer from Shin Giju, who had never even eaten Jjajangmyeon before. First, he had to borrow a phone.

Choi Geon sipped his water and observed the chef’s movements. The burly man in his 50s had a rather rough look about him. And he kept looking this way, as if he was about to ask, ‘You guys don’t have money, do you.’ The TV was off too, creating a strange standoff.

“But Geon. I’ve been thinking about it….”