Chapter 2: The Tea House I Returned To

Kkomani came running up to me in tiny, quick steps.

Then, circling around me, Kkomani spun round and round, kicking up dust from the floor and making the already murky air even heavier.

“Kelluk. Kelluk. Ugh… the dust!”

After coughing a few times, Kkomani waved a hand wildly. What on earth is this kid doing?

I opened the window to let in some fresh air, and the child’s coughing soon calmed down a bit.

Sniffling, Kkomani scurried over to my side once more.

“Who are you? Hmm, you smell like Grandfather.”

“I smell like that?”

Sure, I’d been moving, and some dust may have gotten on me, but it shouldn’t be enough to smell like that.

I sniffed myself just in case, but I couldn’t really tell. Before The Return, I had the body of someone approaching sixty, so maybe then it made sense, but now, I’m in my lively twenties.

Hearing that made my heart ache for some reason.

Kkomani shook their head, coming closer.

“Nooo. Grandfather’s smell is just Grandfather’s smell. You know the one.”

“What do you mean, Grandfather’s smell… Ah!”

I suddenly caught on to what this kid was talking about.

This was the place Grandfather had always been. Even though a year had passed, something still lingered, something that triggered nostalgia.

I guess that could manifest as a smell.

“Aren’t you also a grandpa? Do you live in this neighborhood?”

I moved to the city three years ago… Maybe this kid is from the Country Life Family who settled here in the meantime?

Grandfather treated everyone warmly, regardless of age or gender.

That’s why all the children loved and followed him.

Maybe Kkomani is one of those kids, too?

“Yeah! The white-haired Grandfather.”

“His hair was really white, huh.”

“It looked like snow! That’s why Nuni liked him.”

“Nuni?”

“Yeah! She’s my friend!”

Once Kkomani’s mouth opened, they started chattering away, spinning stories at me.

“Nuni only comes in winter. She doesn’t like warm weather. So, whenever she sees me, she gets all cranky. But I know! Nuni’s not mad because she hates me, but because she actually likes me. Hehe.”

“You have interesting friends.”

“Yeah! Nuni is so cute. And one time, Nuni—do you know what she said to Grandfather…”

Kkomani, caught in the flow, began recounting all the stories they knew.

Normally, a child’s high-pitched voice might be enough to make your ears ring, but for some reason, maybe because their every movement was so adorable, I didn’t mind at all.

On the contrary, I found myself sitting across from them, wanting to listen even more.

Stories about Nuni, the friend who only comes in winter, and all the memories shared here with Grandfather—Kkomani recounted bits and pieces of their treasured memories in this place.

“So that’s what happened.”

“Hehe, but the tea house closed so I can’t even come here anymore… It’s sad, mister.”

No-Rani looked up at me, half-crying, and asked,

“Do you know where Grandfather went?”

“Ah.”

Thirty-one years ago—no, in the current time, just a year ago.

Grandfather passed away quietly in his sleep.

I greeted the guests at the Funeral, but this child wasn’t there.

I’d heard it said that it’s not wise to directly mention death to a child.

They probably decided bringing a child to the Funeral wasn’t good for their emotional growth.

If that was the reason, it makes sense that no one told Kkomani about Grandfather’s passing.

So… how should I put this into words?

“Uh, you see…”

“Well… Grandfather went on a long journey.”

I had no idea what kind of education Kkomani received at home, but I should match their level.

“A journey? That sounds fun! Where did he go? Did Grandfather go alone? Take me with him too!”

“Yeah, he went by himself.”

“Grandfather said he went on a journey before too. He said it was somewhere really far away. Is it as far as that place?”

“Uh… I guess so?”

I never heard that Grandfather had traveled somewhere far before.

Wherever that place is, it wouldn’t be like the journey he just took.

He’s not some sort of god, after all.

…Or is he???

“So, Grandfather can’t come back anymore.”

“Really? Aw… Grandfather said that next time he came, he’d make me Honey Water. He also promised to give me tea…”

The realization that she’d never drink Grandfather’s tea again seemed to hit Kkomani hard, their face clouding over with sadness.

Truly, this child’s expressions are so vivid.

I don’t know whose child this is, but if there’s a kid like this at home, you could hardly ever feel lonely.

Watching Kkomani made me wonder what Grandfather would have done in this situation.

If it was Grandfather…

“Should I make you some?”

“Really? You, mister?”

“Yeah, just wait a moment.”

I might not know other kinds of tea, but I can easily make Honey Water.

Honey doesn’t go bad, so unlike other leaves, there’s no worry about eating spoiled ingredients. Plus, there’s still running water.

I went to the kitchen and turned on the stove. While the water heated, I washed a cup clean and scooped a big spoonful of honey.

Once I poured in the hot water and mixed it well, that was it.

“It’s a bit dirty to sit here, though.”

The place was so dusty, there wasn’t really anywhere clean to have Kkomani sit.

But Kkomani didn’t care, grinning and plopping down anywhere they pleased.

“Kelluk.”

The dust kicked up again, and Kkomani waved their hand, but soon after, they beamed at me.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile too.

“I’ll clean up better next time. Here, Honey Water.”

“Thank you very much!”

Such a polite child.

Kkomani took the cup in both hands and blew on it gently.

Only after the steam had subsided did they take a careful sip.

“How is it?”

“Hmm… Grandfather’s tasted better.”

They say kids are honest, sometimes even cruelly so.

I thought all Honey Water would taste the same, but Kkomani’s verdict was cold.

Still, they didn’t let go of the cup, sipping it little by little.

As I watched, Kkomani blinked and suddenly asked,

“Mister, what’s your relationship with Grandfather?”

“Mister… hmm… Oppa is Grandfather’s Adopted Son.”

“Adopted Son? Huh?”

“Is that weird?”

“It’s weird.”

I know.

When Grandfather adopted me, we were father and son on paper, but he always told me to call him Grandfather.

He didn’t want to hear ‘Dad’ at his age.

I understood his feelings and kept calling him Grandfather.

Curious as ever, Kkomani fired off another question.

“Then, do you live here?”

“I don’t live here, but I’ll be reopening this first house soon.”

I need to tidy up the garden out front, clean up the parking lot, do some inside cleaning, revise the Recipe Book.

There’s a lot to do, but I plan to take my time.

There’s no rush. Nothing’s chasing me from behind, no one’s threatening me with a knife.

Kkomani’s eyes sparkled at my words.

“You’re reopening the shop? Really??”

“Yep, really.”

“Yay! The shop is opening again!”

Kkomani, overjoyed, set down the Honey Water and jumped up and down.

Of course, more dust went flying, and Kkomani coughed, crying out, “Kelluk.”

As I watched Kkomani wipe their nose, my curiosity got the better of me.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m No-Rani! Yellow, yellow No-Rani!”

“That’s a pretty name.”

Honestly, it’s the kind of name other kids might tease, but it’s also genuinely lovely.

Bright and vibrant, just like the color yellow.

If the person who named her foresaw her growing up like this, their foresight is remarkable.

Before I knew it, No-Rani had finished her Honey Water and stood up.

“Thank you for the drink!”

“Sure, I’ll make it even better next time.”

“Can I come again?”

“Of course.”

I now know this place is where No-Rani and Grandfather shared so many memories.

I don’t want to trample those memories by declaring this a no-kids zone. That would be the same as stepping on Grandfather’s life with muddy feet.

No matter what, I can’t do that.

“Come anytime. I’ll make you Honey Water.”

“Yay!”

No-Rani bowed deeply, circled the tea house, and stopped at the door.

“Bye bye.”

“Goodbye.”

As No-Rani left, the tea house instantly grew quiet, a little dimmer, somehow.

The brightness she brought really was something special.

It felt almost like a dream, but the empty teacup on the table proved No-Rani had been here.

“Looks like I won’t be lonely once I open up.”

With that thought, I finished washing the dishes.

When I finished, I was tempted to clean some more, but instead, I just closed up the shop.

If I started now, knowing myself, I’d end up cleaning all night.

“It’s only the first day.”

There’s no need to rush anything.

***

The next morning, after spending my first night in the New House.

It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, but I could already feel there was something special about this place.

“How are there so many ingredients?”

Meat, eggs, fish, fruit—fresh ingredients filled both the fridge and the Warehouse.

These couldn’t have been here since before Grandfather passed away.

“Did they get restocked overnight?”

It’s mysterious.

There’s one more strange thing.

“It’s so clean.”

I didn’t have much, but there were some Moving boxes. Unpacking and arranging those had made the house pretty messy.

But when I woke up, it was spotless.

No, it went beyond clean.

The central living room sparkled as if it were newly built.

To exaggerate a bit, there wasn’t a single speck of dust.

“Is there an Ureong Gaksi living here?”

If breakfast had been prepared too, I’d seriously have searched the whole house for someone secretly living here.

Thank goodness this isn’t some horror movie situation.

All these odd things happened, but I didn’t feel scared.

In fact, I felt warm. As if Grandfather was still taking care of me.

“Of course. It’s the house Grandfather prepared. There’s no way it’d be ordinary.”

After all, Grandfather even made The Return happen for me. Maybe there’s magic on the house, too.

Instead of wondering how, I just felt gratitude to Grandfather for preparing this place.

“Grandfather, I’m heading out now.”

After a quick breakfast, I searched the house and gathered cleaning supplies.

Today, my plan was to scrub away the years of grime in the tea house. Judging by the mess, it’ll take a day or two, but every journey starts with a single step.

With the body of someone who’d worked thirty years straight, I even calculated the time it would take to get to the tea house, arriving right at nine o’clock.

“Huh?”

Huh? What? Huh?

When I reached the tea house, I could hardly believe my eyes.

Just yesterday, the place had been nothing but a ruin.

Cobwebs stretched everywhere, weeds at the entrance made it gloomy.

But now?

It was as if nothing had happened—it was perfectly clean.

Like my own house. Like it was newly built.

Even the signboard [Yangjibareun Tea House] was shining.

“Hehe.”

Grandfather, what kind of magic did you use? At this point, are you secretly alive, running a hidden camera show somewhere?

I handled the Funeral arrangements myself, so that can’t be it.

“…What about the inside?”

The shine wasn’t limited to the outside.

The years of dust inside were gone, and the floor was freshly waxed and sparkling.

The tableware was all washed and even dried, everything tidy.

“This would have taken five Ureong Gaksi working at once.”

I set down my cleaning supplies and started looking around, when I noticed a notebook that hadn’t been there yesterday.

“Recipe Book.”

I ran my fingers over Grandfather’s handwriting on the cover.

The writing had strength and gentleness. It made me think of the old days.

People used to come from far and wide just to ask Grandfather to write something for them.

Sitting in the chair, I slowly opened the Recipe Book.

On the very first page, Grandfather had left me a message.

“Changseong,

In this notebook, I wrote down the recipes and effects of the teas served at the tea house.

I’ve also written the features of the flowers, leaves, and herbs in the Warehouse, so try mixing them to create something special.

Add your own color and scent.

It’s the same for the [Yangjibareun Tea House].

It’s your shop now, so decorate it however you want.

Tear it down, rebuild it—whatever you wish.

But I have a small favor.

Many children will come to this place.

Together with those children, find happiness.

I hope you’ll grant this old man’s wish.”

“Grandfather.”

Without realizing it, I lifted my head and gazed beside me.

The seat was empty, but somehow, it felt as though Grandfather was lingering here in this very room.

Even though he’s gone, it still feels like he’s looking out for me.

“I’ll always remember your words, Grandfather.”

After reading Grandfather’s words over and over, I turned the pages of the Recipe Book.

And then—

“Huh?”

What is this?

I’d already been surprised enough.

But something even more astonishing appeared before my eyes.