Hwang Taeseong sat down in a corner of the teahouse. Observing how he carefully surveyed the surroundings, all I could sense from him was timidness.
‘I don’t think he was this kind of person…’
It wasn’t as if I knew Hwang Taeseong particularly well. I wasn’t from the generation that grew up watching trot, and I spent more time staring at my company monitor than a TV screen.
Still, I’d had the opportunity to speak with him once during an advertising contract. Back then, the Hwang Taeseong I saw was a man brimming with confidence—a bold individual. Even when dealing with someone of my high rank, he spoke with dignity.
‘When he said he would donate half of his advertising fees, I thought he was on a different level.’
He was a person overflowing with humanity. A desirable adult, if you will. I vividly remembered how he seemed to radiate benevolence.
There was a massive discrepancy between that Hwang Taeseong and the man sitting here now. Perhaps this guest was simply a different person with the same name and face. If not, then maybe some incident had occurred in the past—or rather, in the present.
As I approached Hwang Taeseong with water, he shrunk back. Even so, his eyes remained fixed on the water the entire time. To an outsider, he looked like someone who hadn’t had a drink in a week.
“Drink slowly so you don’t get an upset stomach. I can give you as much as you’d like.”
“Ah, yes, yes. Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Hwang Taeseong gulped down the water in one go. As if that hadn’t quenched his thirst, he poured more from the bottle I brought and finished that too. Only after emptying three glasses in a row did he seem to relax, the light returning to his eyes.
Only then did Hwang Taeseong stand up and bow to me.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“It was nothing. Giving someone a glass of water isn’t difficult.”
“…I was too timid to even ask for that one glass. I felt like I was going to die, so I gathered my courage to ask you, Owner.”
Seeing the shadow cast over his face, I worried I might have said something unnecessary. There was only one kind of kindness I could offer to the now-depressed Hwang Taeseong.
“Sir, do you happen to like tea?”
A cup of tea and perhaps one of the desserts I made today. This was a teahouse, after all. What else would I serve?
“Tea… you say?”
“Yes, I’d like to treat you to a cup.”
“What?! Oh, no! I’m fine!”
“There’s no need to refuse.”
“No, it’s not that, it’s… um, I… don’t have any money.”
As he spoke, Hwang Taeseong hunched his shoulders even further. He had shrunken so much that I thought he might actually crawl into a mouse hole if he got any smaller. But I understood. When a person has no money, they tend to withdraw. It’s as if they feel like they’ve committed a crime.
I knew that feeling all too well.
“It’s okay.”
“Huh?”
“I just wanted to treat you to a cup myself. I won’t take any money.”
“How could I do that?”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry too much. Is there a tea you’d like to drink?”
At my repeated question, Hwang Taeseong’s eyes darted around. He seemed to be weighing whether or not to accept this favor. However, an answer came quickly.
“…Is it possible to have flower tea?”
His clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed in quite a while, and his sunken cheeks suggested he hadn’t been eating properly. The kindness I offered was, in a way, like the prophesied rain following a long drought. His situation was too dire for him to refuse.
“Of course. What kind of flower are you looking for?”
“Acacia. Acacia flowers.”
“Acacia flower tea.”
Even though I ran a teahouse, it was a name I was hearing for the first time. I didn’t know much about flower teas to begin with. Still, since he was asking for it so specifically, it had to exist, right?
“Oh, if not that, you can give me something else. I think I made too much of a demand.”
“Not at all. It’s not a demanding request. Don’t think that way… Oh.”
I immediately went to the kitchen and brought out a slice of the pound cake I had baked today. The pound cake, infused with herbs, was a special cake with immunity-boosting properties against colds.
“Please, have some of this.”
“What? Oh, no. How could I…”
“Your mouth will be lonely while you wait. It’s a fresh one I made today. I guarantee the taste. And of course, I won’t charge you for it.”
When I quickly added the last part, Hwang Taeseong, who was about to refuse, closed his mouth. Between the water and his appearance, it looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. While one slice wouldn’t fill him up, it would at least stave off the hunger.
“If receiving it for free feels like a burden, you can just give me your honest feedback later.”
“…Thank you.”
“I haven’t even brewed the main tea yet.”
I gave Hwang Taeseong a smile and returned to the kitchen. I had acted composed, but acacia flower tea…
‘Is it in the teahouse?’
The Yangjibareun Tea House was a place that had some things and lacked others. I believed it would be here, but I wasn’t sure where it would be kept. I had never used acacia flowers before.
Regardless, I made my way to the warehouse. I carefully checked the labeled glass jars in the small storage area, searching for the flowers.
And then.
“…As I thought, I found it.”
As if responding to my faith, the acacia flowers were in a corner of the pantry. It was as if they had been there from the very beginning.
‘It really has everything related to tea.’
It was a tiny space of about 1 pyeong, yet I wondered how everything necessary could be gathered so compactly. After lightly dusting the glass jar, I took the acacia flowers and left the warehouse.
When I returned to the kitchen, Hwang Taeseong, sitting by the window, followed my movements with his eyes. He had a strange expression—a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
‘I suppose he finished the cake.’
He had eaten it so cleanly that there was no need to wash the plate. I should bring him another one later. Next time, I’ll bring the one made with a milk tea base.
“Woody.”
*Tap.*
“Right, good boy.”
I picked up the acacia petals, Woody—the infuser I’d use to brew the tea—the electric kettle, and a teacup. As I approached Hwang Taeseong, he sat up straight and greeted me stiffly.
“Sir, aren’t you being a bit too tense?”
“No, it just strangely turns out that way.”
“Please, make yourself at home. Happiness is the motto of our teahouse.”
“Happiness…”
“And I believe happiness comes from comfort and leisure.”
When you have the leisure to look around at your surroundings, that is when happiness finally finds you. After saying that, I placed some petals into Woody. Then, I poured the water I had boiled in the kettle.
Upon meeting the hot water, the petals bloomed once again inside Woody. After a moment, once the yellow tea had steeped, I transferred it into the first cup.
“Here is your acacia flower tea.”
“Wow…”
“It’s my first time brewing this, so I’m not sure if I did it well. Could you give me your evaluation?”
“Ah, yes.”
Hwang Taeseong picked up the teacup and savored the aroma. Then, he took a sip. He winced slightly at the heat, but as the warmth spread through his entire body, his tension began to melt away.
It seemed the taste was alright.
“It’s truly delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
“…Thank you so much, Owner.”
“Pardon?”
Hwang Taeseong spoke to me with a much more relaxed demeanor. The timidness from before was gone. He sat before me looking like the Hwang Taeseong I remembered from my past life.
“Acacia flower tea. This tea is very important and precious to me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
I poured more hot water into Woody to brew another round. As I filled his cup for the second time, Hwang Taeseong continued.
“I dreamed of becoming a singer because of my mother. Ah, my mother was a trot singer. She used to brew this tea often and gave it to me frequently. This tea is good for the throat.”
“…I see.”
I didn’t know it had such benefits. Honestly, if it was for the throat, there were several other teas much better than acacia. Several recipes came to mind immediately. If I looked into it further, I could probably find ten more.
I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on his words.
“So, my mother used to dry and store the tea leaves so we could drink it anytime… but she passed away not long ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“When I returned home after the funeral, I saw the tea leaves, but I couldn’t bring myself to drink them. By the time I regained my senses, they had already rotted.”
I suspected there was a story, and it turned out to be this. Hwang Taeseong took a drink of the second steep. A more bitter expression than before spread across his face. It wasn’t because of the taste of the tea.
“The reason I dreamed of being a singer was for my mother. I thought she would be happy to see me singing on TV.”
“A parent is always proud to see their child succeed.”
“But now, the mother who would have watched my success… is gone.”
“…..”
In Hwang Taeseong, I saw a overlap with my past self. The image of someone who only ran blindly forward, losing the truly precious things in life. I could empathize.
“Is that why? I found I couldn’t sing anymore. My throat just closes up.”
“You can’t even sing a single verse?”
“…It isn’t easy.”
Hwang Taeseong said that and finished the rest of his tea. As I was pouring the third steep, he continued.
“I don’t know who I should be singing for anymore. Not when my mother is gone.”
“Who to sing for…”
“I set out on a journey without a plan to find that answer, but I haven’t found it. I’ve just been wandering.”
Many thoughts crossed my mind as I poured the tea into his cup.
‘Hwang Taeseong will succeed.’
He would overcome his current darkness and sorrow to become a brilliant light. He would become the “Son of the Nation,” receiving the affection and love of every elder in the country. So, I could just leave him be.
However.
“I’ve rambled on too much about myself. I think it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve had acacia flower tea.”
“Not at all. I enjoyed listening.”
“You are a good person, Owner.”
“Haha, is that so?”
I gave him a small smile. I had heard that often, but I wasn’t a good person. I was just an ordinary man who wanted to be happy.
“By the way, what is your name?”
“Ah, I’m Hwang Taeseong.”
“Mr. Taeseong. My name is Lee Chan-seong. I run this Yangjibareun Tea House.”
“Ah, yes.”
Hwang Taeseong looked puzzled by my sudden introduction. It was only natural, since I was suddenly introducing myself and stating facts he already knew. But I had to do it.
“As you can see, this is the middle of the countryside. It’s quite difficult to keep a teahouse running.”
“Ah… yes, I imagine so.”
“That’s why even a single cup of tea is like my life’s blood. It’s like the water of life for me.”
“……Pardon?”
Maybe “water of life” was going too far? Still, as long as the nuance was conveyed, it was fine.
“Thinking about it again, I don’t think I can give this to you for free.”
“What? But… I… the money…”
“I know. I know you don’t have money. So, I’ll take something else instead.”
I stopped talking for a moment and stood up. Feeling Hwang Taeseong’s anxious gaze on me, I headed to the kitchen. I picked up the poster Hyun-woong had left earlier and placed it in front of Taeseong.
“There’s a small festival coming up in the village soon. It’s the harvest festival. Since we’re a small village, we don’t have the money to hire a singer to liven things up.”
“So… what of it?”
“It’s a simple proposal.”
I tapped the poster with my finger.
“Mr. Taeseong, I want you to be the main singer for this harvest festival. Until then, you’ll work here at our teahouse.”
“……Eh?”
“Of course, I’ll provide a place to sleep and three meals a day while you stay. I’ll also pay you depending on your work. And who knows? You might find the answer you’re looking for here.”
I had no intention of using him for nothing. Of course, I did think it would be nice to have an extra hand while Siwoo was away, but that wasn’t the only reason.
“Just close your eyes and sing a few songs.”
“But, I… my voice…”
“You’ll be able to sing.”
At my confident words, Hwang Taeseong fell silent. I could see his hands trembling. Then, after clearly agonizing over it, he opened his mouth.
“I…”