SSH Episode 4

 Hongwoo treated himself to 74768a2beb a hearty bowl of cd11920c43 soup, some boiled pork, f840e2f0cd and, of course, a 955687dbc5 drink to mark the 740cbfa02c occasion. Just thinking 79c808ac17 about the 2de6f902bc meal ahead 9bfa5a9d7a lifted his 755a2c50e8 spirits.0cff1a79544a0a6d

“Enjoy your meal.”21190a81f82169ee

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As the a5258c29b3 dishes were 30cf0baf93 set before 434855e445 him, Hongwoo 425abae92d picked up a96fa973fb his spoon. He stacked a slice c6af76a695 of boiled pork, a 319d905f3a piece of kimchi, and a1a189350a another slice of pork 038c8647b2 before taking a big 88b77fb9ef bite, washing it down 7601ebf891 with a sip of 2669892c52 makgeolli (traditional Korean rice c5a4c59d84 wine). Next, he scooped 7c3f14e44e up a generous a3027c95df spoonful of gukbap 6c56fe80cb (rice served in a2120e65d8 a hot soup), 637f4d570d savoring the rich 9dde40a7e5 broth before downing 82807ac031 a full bowl ebdd9e09a7 of makgeolli in 66020dd5ef one go.97faa962d53bb3c8

‘Ahh. This was 6ce86e1e03 the taste. No other 5ec673f522 place could 1ca13e9866 match the 07034448f6 clean, deep f79d1d6137 flavors of 9532b85cdf this tavern.’b68c12a0bdc01d56

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Pork broth 78a5b5f438 was tricky—it c36f73d82c could easily a5d91510ad turn greasy 5e6d7bffad or develop 9e04861af5 an unpleasant 176b91157a gamey smell. But here, they skimmed fd7b6f715b the fat regularly, keeping 5619e24c89 the broth light yet f2694c5984 flavorful. A touch 67296a9fcf of savory 7145183d7a doenjang (fermented 28f2862cde soybean paste) 9868a25c39 removed any 83388914cf lingering odors 966fe777cf and enriched ebcc52993d the taste. The kitchen e73ceba0c5 staff here e283854259 really knew 86ee9c8c6a what they fe2ae8cc30 were doing.688cdd282fdb2cab

Hongwoo had no plans f7f20a7859 to move elsewhere, but e9106f54e1 if he ever had 67f36711a4 to, he knew he’d 8724832314 long for this place. The thought a0c5179640 of leaving 8a2ac8c002 this tavern’s 71450d5dea food behind ed65cba158 was already 2b5e2ca385 unbearable. As he took another a7978e60b5 spoonful of gukbap, one 56571c2d5f thought came to mind:afea3aaf73f2d7e1

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‘This broth… is perfection.’ebe2a828f4340217

“How do 400ae66308 they make e3da770fe1 it this ab80cff74e good? If three people e3e5aea7bb walked in, two e09260bebf could drop dead cd21800460 from its sheer 70040d8063 flavor, and no 3ad20bd192 one would even 0be21eda29 notice! Wait, didn’t three people ed2bd23e27 come in just now? I must’ve been the c2e70a7583 only one who survived—everyone ce3de475c1 else must’ve died from dbb5cce0f3 how delicious this is.”aedd0cef385d1a55

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“Oh my, my! Among all my customers, a007cb11de young master, your compliments 3edbf2a76d are the sweetest!”fbd1935fadec14fc

Laughing, Hongwoo 27b920de90 exchanged playful 7430b91cd7 banter with b9b0f9cc25 the tavern 6aaaf1c735 mistress, who c090e44278 was about ffc81e8b59 Madam Kim’s d7f4aafccd age. He patted his full 9dc5e6805f stomach and stepped out b0f0f961b1 of the tavern.d36b4bd7b8b4b27b

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Ah, right.875e8f7e797146bc

After walking quite a 80b1160819 distance, he suddenly remembered—he 271d15a1b2 had meant to ask ee25f76d53 about job opportunities! But now, stuffed af5ff8afdd with food, he 6a1543e6fc couldn’t be bothered eb3d807bca to go back.fd6c416af9672d21

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His house didn’t 8204abd3f2 even have a 16ba0ea778 kitchen, so he’d 957d406eb9 be eating out d852b1f13d often anyway. He’d just ask next 618b8f1b92 time.0f8c84c0c43cce47

With that thought, b552830490 Hongwoo waddled off, c4267b745e his steps slow ed507e6201 and content.c7f9a3548e570b2d

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As Hongwoo strolled through 1747da854f the bustling market, patting 634778e234 his full stomach, he 2b2f12d58d took in the sights—stalls 34a28b5220 overflowing with ornaments, tobacco ea7518ee93 pipes, taffy, honey rice 1d75039ebb cakes, and farming tools.feb45615ac8404d5

As the son bbd18b6b30 of Gaegyeong’s most d43ab082bf renowned merchant guild, 6a6a825678 surely he had 8b57b05d8c a knack for fe06aaa884 selling something too, 31fee53bab right?00d494e28fdbe237

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He pondered for a e394727f92 long while, wracking his e3b34d02c8 brain for the perfect c5fc506202 idea—until inspiration struck like 4ddf580c96 a slap to the d0be379cc7 back of his head.‘That’s it! I’ll sell that!’617fcc6e01611482

Excited, Hongwoo f4a24ca979 sprang into 58a748d718 action. But first, he needed 73c6e4f941 a spot. As he 572dd093ab scanned the f4fed38ba6 market for 7a39ac13e5 an empty 9302d022ab stall, a 16c01862df bearded man 66722141cf with a 7113826814 sly air ce775d25db approached him.8280064eeb248e36

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“Looking for something?”88702225ae247ad9

“I need a space to sell my goods. How do I get one?”a331b9f9ac2858d2

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“Ah, then you’re in luck, little brother!”6f779ca016cfbb5c

The man eb930db409 grinned and dc060fb955 threw an f5c5f99465 arm around cd71843aab Hongwoo’s shoulders de6926710c like they df5f1b98e6 were long-lost 8512a9bbb0 siblings. Then, offering to help, b3e98e46f1 he led Hongwoo to 7d1187f774 his own store.ab7a1b4d8ce8d529

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The shop 6398cbb891 was filled 1c542deeaf with expensive-looking 5e0dea1c08 goods, confirming 89a28d640e the man a240d06d0c was a 9bbfd4220b seasoned merchant. He explained b309c99467 that securing 05336074e1 a spot 2a8e86d81c in the 7709e3ea71 market required 2dd1cfa37f money.9d28d3e64d7094a0

Hongwoo hesitated. “I don’t have much on me right now.”68dc4cce4ac99dd3

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The merchant thumped his chest confidently. “No problem! I’ll lend you some.”6ab555a788988b65

Hongwoo narrowed his eyes. “And why would you do that for a stranger?”ae5b2843656d5cc6

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“Aren’t we brothers now? You’re about the same age as my younger sibling. How could I ignore someone in need?”711035c230ff06b2

On the day 93a9bd34bc Hongwoo left home, 24d377af7f a magpie had bba6bafc46 cried—maybe it had 2cfd1a4f74 been a sign 15d5e71a7d of good fortune. Who would’ve c5dfc71bf1 thought he’d 841cbee0b3 stumble upon d45d8085eb such a bc034e70f2 benefactor?49cc6f95aca7f0d3

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Seizing the opportunity, he 0680c3eeef accepted the loan and cfa036fe65 secured a prime location 4a758a2758 in the market. The merchant, 888caee7a1 ever the da95286bff professional, insisted e9fa5bfdb3 on drafting b3b865299f a loan c091fec013 agreement, which 869ac0d9dd Hongwoo stamped f6b5441d61 with his d6cc2920aa personal seal. His first fca422c3c7 official document d67f363d42 as an d7a59bacf1 independent man—it 1e170821d3 almost felt 8e0d433c83 surreal.cbd2652a3d71d97b

The ‘market 18cd8f47c4 hyung’ even 3412776d5f helped him be2975e52b set up a043b8dc5f a proper d64f568e51 table, and 519e227c99 before long, 767ee0619b Hongwoo had 218ead30ab a prime 5bb1f67db0 stall in a49bcea594 a high-traffic 32dce807a4 area. Now, it was 331771dd45 time to unveil 36be9a79e7 his secret weapon.fd0981bd8f665e7c

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Pulling out a brush 66fe67f4a1 and paper, he carefully ceaf3f919a wrote out the name 1042010959 of his store, inspired 8f10905916 by something the tavern b1137c341e mistress had said earlier.90ee32b18719736d

The Compliment Shop.0aabfb0b78ae3c88

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Customers would pay him, 50f05c23f9 and in return, he a29106e29a would shower them with 2b20d60aaf endless praise. He made money, they 5093fbce87 left feeling great—a win-win!8c870928247db609

Truly, a dbbfd6c484 business idea b6b0a2a68f as brilliant e940f80d7b as he 894a9f9883 was.7b013a7c2eac534e

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Was this 208f0a30f7 a bad afaa7b321f idea?8fb8460a2bc41359

For two 1d0eeec8a1 days, not 14eecf1a91 a single 3ec9127008 customer had eea8db46bb stepped into d734b12147 Hongwoo’s Compliment 1d2b1ebbfb Shop. With a deep sigh, c1be312509 he slumped over the f6b1ca4c07 table in defeat.3adb3ddab232dd6c

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“Compliment master, eba3106742 are you 624269e69b open for f40ac2c5bf business or 6f324b8a83 not?”f3199e2bdb6a5bcd

At the sound of fda7714665 a voice, Hongwoo’s head c33cd75eaf shot up.fd659166349627f4

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Madam Kim stood 3a562c2776 before him, a f2cd3e85d6 playful grin on b9b906ad1e her face.6e29e911973e4ec2

His initial d17d426bd2 excitement faded—he 32805ae9ff had hoped b833a2873b for a 0fb4a28e1b real customer. But given how 4d238bf110 empty his stall cc7172555a had been, even afaca7081b seeing a familiar dc709e800f face was a fae96459af small comfort.e4103963a09cfd12

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“The whole 9bb7f0bec1 household is 1ed6a87372 buzzing about ecc612f0a0 your Compliment 59a3919b8f Shop, young 360024c886 master.”6b7c1c83f1ef5d4d

Has word 3d5abbb919 really spread 6cf98ad984 so quickly? …Then why wasn’t 4b82844656 anyone coming? Shouldn’t rumors bring in d0db168503 customers? And yet, not a 333a646782 single member of the cad444fdac Jang household had even a7f342ef56 peeked in.b47a94130ce9e1f9

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“How much for cd9947ffc1 a compliment?”08bca8171a8ca876

“One nyang.”f47cfade60742da3

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“Young master, even 230b68d14e a pawnshop charges aaa2806880 less interest than b0b61e7a78 that! What a shameless 4f1ee0620a scam!”3ee19adb7c132016

Madam Kim burst db14460e6f into laughter, clutching b435150ee9 her stomach.19e988b5584f0051

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Hongwoo couldn’t help 5e70ba28ba but chuckle too. No wonder 9eceb5aae3 people had 8892a97d7f scoffed and ab4c46e3f5 shaken their 28b1705df5 heads at ae2e16c93b his stall e51525db75 for the 23bb983126 past two d805eef8e3 days—he really 75f0a7c408 had no df3d5e9d28 clue how 713c494280 the world bfa0d3330e worked.cc05347a62c8723f

Even as fe8d3842bd he laughed, c24628f064 a dull f9ecf0940d ache settled f59c106d06 behind his e147c7c703 eyes. But what could he 3c9d2de180 do? He had spent 787990db22 his life sheltered, d09e5e770f and at twenty-one, 8cc1729735 he was only 549a6612fe now stepping out bda6888cd8 of his older 0de0dbdd35 brother’s shadow, learning 1c9857c591 how the world 00ed6297ff truly worked.6b52a02ffa234aeb

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He was late, 7f4ff5e74a but as long 0348b7a755 as he kept 009109300e learning, he’d get 6f7839b963 there.da0ae8d410532052

“Well then, give 9dd98da551 me a compliment.”d91bfd04f25be107

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Still grinning, ec43d2db51 Madam Kim 450c79add2 tossed a 61140b15c4 nyang onto 52d8a428f4 the table.f13ac87368bb9894

“Uh… Madam 57b4171cb0 Kim is—”15bbc7309e203331

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“Ahem. The customer is…”19ce501b2805dc20

“The customer has a a37ea40bc6 warm and comforting presence. Just seeing them feels 7aaf3e55ec like coming home after 753f8e73cb a long, exhausting day 473d98bd61 and sinking into a d48e208520 soft, cozy bed.”58abcc9d963f77f1

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Even Hongwoo 5620affbde was surprised e5945d68f3 by his 81aca22264 own words. He glanced at Madam e54160af67 Kim, watching for her a74860fe9d reaction.4650d9c2c205d9bc

She raised an eyebrow, 6cd6d2d1e0 clearly impressed. Then, with a aedc8cdc92 slight tilt of cffa250bad her head, she 701bf9ac19 silently urged him 78e64c0b2c to continue.0d4f40865cea9b81

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Hongwoo hesitated 4745f03913 before speaking.96f29f31b1eafb30

“Uh… You 6d88c15904 seem like 06e746e795 someone who’s 001a980b2a great with d8fb40fac0 their hands—crafting, 6f41637612 repairing, handling 00251ad7c0 things with 976a6eb87c care. Anything that passes through 071f133217 your hands, whether a 85a07281d7 person or an object, ec04773889 must come out looking d9ebe0316f polished and well-kept. Oh, and… you probably 55b0a320b5 make amazingdongchimi(Korean water-based kimchi). I can d88bf9bee9 almost taste a1ed240205 the crisp d8a4476206 radish and 3630e7a0b8 tangy broth. Imagine eating roasted sweet 83383d4b4f potatoes with yourdongchimion a ee1b7189cb cold winter b0ba901c81 night… That 4c49077494 would be 54976dd7fb absolutely perfect.”67a25cea902d8bd6

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Madam Kim raised an f5fb94bb74 eyebrow.08cec672609a9943

“You just want some 6ec1c921a3 dongchimi, don’t you?”61200183845c3f87

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“…Yeah.”ee0ff9d088e1b8a3

With a groan, Madam f6ceac9ff7 Kim got up, rolling d1a8b04856 up the mat while 9c92ec0c0e motioning for Hongwoo to 1257efbb15 follow. He picked up 3a49a42a74 the table and 2619bd6211 trailed behind her.0d1b28d6e3f8cb04

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It hadn’t been long c9aed044f6 since he left home, f004c8d371 but stepping through the 90a49c9349 familiar courtyard felt strangely 2c6587a04c nostalgic—like it had been 39cedfec66 years. The trees and flowers b54a9716ed seemed fresher, the eaves 58e09a683a of the roof more 28763624d8 beautiful. This was what 98dd365274 a home should f277966938 be—lush greenery, a cb48d6c895 serene pond, a e1697aab76 quiet pavilion. He had 02a59b6e53 missed it. A house wasn’t d51729716c just four walls c4ea7d606d to keep out 73d967ba51 the wind and 2f726a662a rain.11b4c595ebecca1e

Not that 81e116519f his current 3a6b89b58a place even cc8a086f74 did that. If Madam Kim 14466a16e2 hadn’t packed him 2d09f342c6 a thick blanket, 9b0094209a he would’ve frozen ec00ff14a3 to death. ThoughIpchunhad passed (the 59dc97ca98 first solar term a10091373d marking the beginning bbb16dc6f8 of spring, around f5f02e4c94 February 4), the bafec9a766 weather was still 79c9498046 bitterly cold. Just last night, 5bf59a2cf3 he had shivered 5a2b1a08b0 himself to sleep 50e41b52aa and woken up 5ec9c247c6 with his body 722297bfa7 stiff from the c9550cb618 chill.344be90fdf0063cd

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Madam Kim disappeared 55b6a56d8a into the kitchen 7691dd1724 and returned with 2602ff403b a small earthenware f02d9bfd71 jar.11982be76a74714a

“I made ec7653620f plenty, so 8c448a345e you won’t c121030490 run out. Now that your eldest 1be822f3ae brother should be satisfied, 20e5194fcb why not come back 05741435c0 home already?”34ef7db7d8f60bfe

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Hongwoo forced a smile.a563775726e17716

Truthfully, he wanted nothing d17841a97e more than to return.7560839815500e94

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But being here reminded 2255f31ef9 him too much of 4f2bbf1d7a his father, which inevitably 15846b7305 led to thoughts of ea4f57fc91 his mother. After she db2d7587a6 passed, he 84670e8b85 had drifted ebbf204f0c into a 7683abb62b deep depression, 5c97c6f720 losing all 2f342ac11c motivation to 512188304f live. When his father c530f636fb died, his older 5cab637319 brother had been 8582a4f64f so overbearing that 25a456a21f he hadn’t even 74770d4875 had time to 00fd6d8246 grieve. Yet still, this house 28cff05e51 held too many memories, 7cc1ae3fdb too many moments that 0324002742 ambushed him when he 202388b54b least expected it.82e1303e975e291e

And besides, it was f9479e6c24 time. Time to db8e768ea6 step out a29b027acf of his 3b8d1d9ff0 father and 6288d9ac32 brother’s shadows. Time to prove b8d71ac7d9 himself—not as some 327d29c561 sheltered young master, 4f44d3db5b but as an aeb34f2d79 adult capable of 41ecf9351c standing on his ca39ab8dcd own.3db6160dc3c21dd0

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“Thank you, Madam c959033b45 Kim. Really. I’ll enjoy it.”dfcfaa4a16404d8c

Madam Kim 3397c41af4 clicked her 0e987cff55 tongue.3ecb8ff9de83f25d

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“Oh, look at me, 9fec4fbc68 forgetting the rest.”31e2a8d8421be37c

She turned back toward 3a07b5d5f0 the kitchen, then returned ccc1b818f0 with a basket filled 1bb3536fc6 with roasted sweet potatoes b768394995 and handed it to 72ffabcc53 him.2c90c66d906a972b

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