Episode 48. Home of the Heart (1)
After finishing lunch, Kang Dae-oh returned to his office and sank into his chair.
It was good that he ate a full lunch, but…
“Is it because I’m getting old? I feel like my digestion is getting worse.”
His friend, Oh Myung-woon, who had lunch with Kang Dae-oh today, smiled with a hint of regret.
“When I was 20, I felt like I could chew iron. These days, just like you said, I often feel bloated.”
“That probably means we’ve gotten older.”
The fact that his daughters were all adults also meant that Kang Dae-oh was gradually entering his late middle age.
However, Oh Myung-woon’s thoughts were different.
“Hey. They say it’s a 100-year lifespan era these days. If you think about that, we’re still in our prime, you know? Don’t you think?”
That wasn’t wrong.
Even so, sometimes the passage of time felt regrettable.
Was it because the topic of age came up?
Oh Myung-woon exclaimed, ‘That’s right,’ and brought up another topic.
“I met the laundromat owner a while ago.”
“Where?”
“At the market. I had to go there with my wife recently. While I was there, I went to see the owner.”
The place where Kang Dae-oh and Oh Myung-woon first opened their store was near Namseol General Market.
There, the laundromat owner used to come every morning to buy Americano from Kang Dae-oh.
However, that too had now become a memory with the changing times.
As he moved stores and Amare grew, Kang Dae-oh gradually drifted away from the connections he had built at Namseol General Market.
There was a time when he tried to visit often, but…
As his own business, his daughters, and matters related to his wife piled up, he had no room to pay attention to the market.
In the midst of that, when Oh Myung-woon said he met the laundromat owner after a long time, Kang Dae-oh’s attention was drawn.
“How are they doing?”
“Well… how should I put it? They’re getting on in years now. It’s hard to work like before. And they’re lacking stamina, so they’re thinking of closing the laundromat soon.”
It was indeed a time to think that way.
“They passed their 60th birthday a long time ago. Isn’t this year exactly their seventieth?”
Oh Myung-woon nodded at Kang Dae-oh’s guess, confirming it was correct.
“That’s accurate. Right.”
He was so close with the laundromat owner. Even if they hadn’t been in touch recently, he clearly remembered their age.
“The owner’s wife also said it’s hard and bothersome to come out and work at the laundromat anymore. She suggested it might be better to tidy things up and rest. But hearing the laundromat owner, they said they still want to do it until next year.”
“Next year? Why?”
“They said they’re not ready in their heart yet.”
The laundromat owner jumped into self-employment at the remarkably young age of 21.
They opened their own laundromat at 25. From then until now, they have maintained that spot in Namseol General Market.
They had spent over 40 years. Even if it wouldn’t be strange to close the store right away, it seemed inevitable that they would need time to come to terms with it.
If Kang Dae-oh were in the same position as the laundromat owner, he might have given the same answer.
If lingering attachments and regrets remain, they will follow him for the rest of his life until the moment he dies.
Unburdening oneself of these emotional weights is also a very important process.
“So, will the owner’s wife also commute to the laundromat until next year?”
“No. The owner’s wife said she’ll be resting and traveling here and there with her friends. Only the owner decided to run the store alone until next year.”
“Will they be okay alone?”
“They’ve always done it alone. The owner’s wife only came out briefly to help when it was busy. And since they’ve reduced their workload a lot these days, it should be fine, right?”
“Hmm, really?”
Kang Dae-oh’s gaze turned towards the desk calendar.
Kang Dae-oh, who was looking through the calendar pages where he organized his important work schedules, nodded briefly.
“I should stop by the market once at the end of this month.”
“What day?”
“The 23rd? It’ll probably be around then. Why?”
“I’ll go with you. Actually, I went with my wife that time, so I just greeted the laundromat owner and left right away. But the owner’s regretful expression keeps coming to mind. I want to go again when you go. Is that okay?”
“There’s no reason why it wouldn’t be okay.”
Kang Dae-oh would rather like it if they went together.
Having made an impromptu appointment, Kang Dae-oh made a separate note on his desk calendar so he wouldn’t forget.
From early dawn, Kang Dae-oh set out to help Kang Yera, who was diligently packing her bags in the living room.
“Eldest daughter. Do you not need to pack this?”
Kang Dae-oh asked, pointing to a bundle wrapped in a white bag.
Kang Yera nodded briefly.
“Yes. I packed it intending to take it, but I don’t think I’ll really need it, so I’ll just leave it.”
“You haven’t forgotten anything else, have you?”
“I’ve packed everything. It’s perfect now.”
Thump, thump, thump! Kang Yera tapped her two suitcases and one backpack with her hand, then smiled brightly, showing strong confidence.
However, Kang Yera had forgotten one thing.
“You have to take this too.”
It was a homemade lunchbox made by Min Seung-yeon herself in the kitchen.
“I made a few simple sandwiches, so when you arrive at the airport later, share them with the staff.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“You’re welcome. Honey, are the preparations for departure all done?”
Kang Dae-oh replied briefly with ‘Uh’.
“I’ve already started the engine. I’ll move the suitcases, so Yera, go say goodbye to your younger sisters.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Kang Yera was scheduled to travel around Europe for a week starting today, to embark on a K-pop joint concert tour with other singers.
Originally, she was supposed to travel to Incheon Airport in her manager’s car.
Still, Kang Dae-oh thought it would be better if he personally drove his daughter to the airport.
He wanted to spend a week with Kang Yera, but since it was realistically difficult, he decided to at least see her off.
After saying her last goodbyes to her mother, Kang Yera got into the passenger seat next to Kang Dae-oh.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Yes.”
Holding the steering wheel, Kang Dae-oh immediately stepped on the accelerator to head towards Incheon Airport.
While driving, Kang Dae-oh heard from Kang Yera about which singers would be participating in this K-pop joint concert.
Among them was a singer who had previously appeared on broadcast with Kang Dae-oh.
His daughter, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with famous people on stage, felt especially proud today.
When they were almost at Incheon Airport, a call came from Kang Yera’s manager.
After a short phone call, Kang Yera pointed to a spot for Kang Dae-oh.
“My manager unnie is waiting over there.”
“That’s it, right? I see her.”
Kang Dae-oh, who temporarily stopped the car, took out Kang Yera’s suitcases and backpack from the trunk with the joining manager.
The stylist also came along and joined in carrying the luggage.
Kang Dae-oh, who had safely handed over his eldest daughter to the staff, gave her one last goodbye before getting into the car.
“It’s good to work hard, but always remember that staying healthy and returning safely is the most important thing. Okay?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll call you when I get there, Dad.”
“Alright. Travel safely.”
Just as he was about to send Kang Yera off first.
Someone exclaimed, ‘Oh my!’ and approached the two, speaking to them.
At the sound of a familiar female voice from somewhere, both father and daughter turned their heads simultaneously.
At that moment, Kang Dae-oh wore a surprised expression.
“Owner’s wife!”
A few days ago, the laundromat owner’s wife, whom Oh Myung-woon had talked about, appeared before Kang Dae-oh and Kang Yera, holding a suitcase.
He hadn’t expected to meet her here, so surprise and pleasure burst forth simultaneously.
The laundromat wife also showed the same reaction as them.
“Goodness gracious! I never expected to see Kang Sa-jang here!”
“Me too, Owner’s wife. Are you going on a trip? I actually heard about it from Myung-woon.”
“What story?”
“He said you made a lot of travel plans with your friends.”
“So you met Oh Sa-jang. That’s right. Originally, I was going to go with my husband. But he said he wanted to work at the laundromat a little longer instead of traveling. I got annoyed and said I’d go with my friends.”
An awkward laugh followed from Kang Dae-oh.
Considering the laundromat owner’s personality, it was certainly plausible for him to answer that way.
He was also a person who took great pride in his work.
“Anyway, Yera, you’ve really grown a lot. I used to see you on TV often. You’re even prettier in person, aren’t you?”
Kang Yera smiled shyly.
“Later, come visit the market with your dad. My husband misses Yera so much.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely make time to stop by.”
The laundromat owner had seen Kang Yera since she was a baby.
For Kang Yera too, the laundromat owner remained in her heart as someone she was grateful for.
Hearing his daughter’s answer, Kang Dae-oh thought to himself.
‘One more reason to go see the owner has popped up.’
The 23rd, when he promised to visit the market with Oh Myung-woon, also coincided with the time after Kang Yera would finish her tour and return.
Kang Dae-oh was proud of himself a few days ago for picking the date so perfectly.
While Kang Yera was abroad.
Kang Dae-oh had a separate phone call with Oh Myung-woon in his office.
“—Yera is going too? How did that happen?”
“I met the owner’s wife yesterday morning while dropping her off at the airport.”
“—Really? Perfect timing.”
While talking with her after a long time, he shared with Oh Myung-woon the story that Yera also promised to visit the laundromat together.
“—So, you, me, and Yera. The three of us are going?”
“That’s right.”
“—The owner will be happy. They were already missing Yera a lot.”
“Yera already said she needs to go and show the owner a lot of aegyo.”
When it came to aegyo, Kang Yera was undoubtedly the top among his three daughters.
Kang Dae-oh felt as if he could already clearly see the laundromat owner’s joyful expression upon meeting Kang Yera.
“—Alright. Anyway, let’s meet on the 23rd.”
“Okay.”
After finishing the call, Kang Dae-oh once again gazed at the 23rd, the date he had checked on his desk calendar.
While he was there, he also wanted to visit the place where Kang Dae-oh first opened his cafe.
Namseol General Market was also an important place that marked the beginning of Kang Dae-oh as a cafe owner.
Furthermore, the connections he had built there still remained in his heart as valuable assets.
‘I’ll have to clear my entire day’s schedule for that time.’
He wanted to meet not only the laundromat owner but also other people and greet them after a long time.
Just as he was about to make plans for the future with excitement.
A phone call from Lee Seojun poured cold water on Kang Dae-oh’s excitement.
“—Representative-nim!”
“Oh, Seojun-ah. What’s wrong?”
“—Right now… something terrible has happened!”
“Terrible?”
He thought there might have been a problem at Amare’s first branch.
However, the problem Lee Seojun reported was much more serious.
“—I think there’s a fire at the market! Smoke is rising right now, it’s chaotic!”
