"Come back next time, Han River Scent will always be here for you," Christy said warmly.
The middle-aged woman beamed with so much joy her eyes crinkled. "어머, 세상에… 얼굴만 보러 또 올 것 같아요." (Oh my gosh, I would just come to stare at your face again and again.)
Christy's heart warmed at the sincerity. She pressed a hand over her chest in appreciation. Their customers were always kind, almost too kind. The lady waved cheerfully before scurrying out the restaurant door.
Christy sighed, slipping off her pink cooking gloves and placing them on the counter. She opened the steaming pot of marinated meat she was preparing for tonight's family dinner. It was almost closing time for their tiny family-owned restaurant, small, but one of the most beloved in the marketplace. This place had paid her school fees from nursery until her graduation last month.
Even now, she wasn't working. Her excellent grades, her certificates from home and abroad, none of them had brought a single interview invitation. Day by day, hope slipped further away.
Her eyes itched and she rubbed them gently before turning the meat. She was preparing stew for home, her father's favorite. She had already packed the other dishes to take back.
Just then, the bell chimed. Footsteps.
"A customer?" she whispered, lowering the fire before stepping out.
But she exhaled in relief.
It was her grandmother.
"할머니?" (Grandma?) Christy's face softened as she hurried forward to embrace her.
"I came to help you pack up," her grandmother said, returning the hug fully. "How was today? Good?"
Christy nodded. "Yes. Quite normal. People kept telling me I should be a movie star on television." She shook her head, amused. "Very funny."
"They aren't lying. You look too good. Out of this world," Grandmother whispered dramatically, cupping Christy's cheek.
She marched straight into the kitchen and lifted the pot lid.
"This looks good."
"It's for Dad. I'm making his favorite—Doenjang-jjigae."
The old woman nodded, impressed, then took both of Christy's hands.
"Why don't you consider going to a few auditions? You could be big. Like Jun Ji-hyun, Song Hye-kyo, or Kim Tae-hee. You could be like them."
Christy burst into a smile. "And then marry Lee Min-ho? Your favorite actor, right?"
Grandmother chuckled. "He wouldn't refuse. You're gorgeous. He'd marry at first glance." She admired her tall granddaughter with her cascading black waves and bright pink lips. Even with her hair tied back, Christy looked ethereal.
Christy rolled her eyes playfully as she returned to the sizzling pot.
"Maybe I'll marry Taehyung instead. He's my favorite singer," she teased.
Her grandmother's eyes sparkled. "Do you want to be a singer?"
"I failed singing practice ten times. I can't compose. So, no," Christy laughed.
"I thought actresses marry actors and singers marry singers."
"Nope. Anyone can marry anyone. Even a fan," Christy said, focusing on her stew again.
Her grandmother wrapped her arms around Christy's waist from behind.
"And when are you planning to get married?"
Christy sighed. "Grandma, I don't even have a job yet."
"You don't even have a boyfriend," her grandmother insisted, worried.
"That doesn't erase the job issue," Christy groaned. She never had a boyfriend. Still a virgin. Not because nobody tried, she simply didn't have the time or interest. Her independence scared her family sometimes.
"Oh, to be loved," her grandmother sighed dramatically while passing her a can of sauce.
"By the right person," Christy added softly.
⸻
They arrived home later than usual. Grandmother went in first, calling for her mother and father. Christy placed the packaged dishes on the dining table.
"Oma? Opa?"
The door opened, and her mother came in. One look at her face and Christy's heart dropped. She moved quickly to kiss her cheek.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Christy asked. Her grandmother joined her, equally concerned.
"It's nothing, Christy," her mother whispered, turning away too fast, too guilty.
Christy exchanged a look with her grandmother.
Something was not right.
Her mother busied herself unpacking the dishes. "You made your father's favorite stew. He'll be happy."
Her soft Singaporean accent grew shakier as she avoided Christy's eyes.
"Mom… is Dad okay?" Christy asked immediately.
Her grandmother's tone sharpened. "Anna, what's going on?"
Christy touched her mother's arm gently. "Mom?"
Silence.
Then,
"Fine!" Her mother snapped. Her voice trembled so badly it frightened Christy. "They were here today."
Christy froze.
"Who?"
"The people your father owes," her mother whispered. "From the failed business project three months ago."
Christy blinked. "Dad's project? The fish business?"
Her mother nodded quickly, tears gathering.
"The money was stolen forty minutes after he left the building. I swear those men took it. They don't do transfers or checks, only cash. They gave him two months to return it."
Christy felt heat crawling up her neck.
"You mean… you've been hiding this from me?"
Her mother cried harder. "We didn't want to worry you. You just graduated—"
"How much was the loan?" Christy asked, voice tight.
Her mother shook her head. "Christy, it's too much. Your father didn't want—"
"Mom. How much?"
Her grandmother silently lowered her head, confirming she already knew.
"Fifty thousand dollars," her mother whispered.
Christy's knees nearly buckled. "F-Fifty— Mom, that's—"
"And the interest…" her mother choked, "…has climbed to one hundred and fifty thousand."
Christy's world stopped.
"One… what?" She stumbled back. "Mom, that's impossible! How could Dad sign something like that? We need to go to the police—"
"No!" her mother cried. "They'll win. He signed the contract. They threatened to take him… take all of us, the house, the restaurant… if we don't pay in two weeks."
Christy trembled. Her hands shook violently.
Her grandmother held her. "We were scared of this reaction."
Christy whispered, "We're drowning…"
A soft shuffle sounded from the hallway.
They all turned.
Her father stood there.
Ashen. Devastated. Defeated.
Christy rushed to him. He held her face gently.
"It's okay, princess. I will find the money. I borrowed it. I will pay it," he whispered.
"But how…" Christy's voice shook. Tears filled her eyes. "Appa… how?"
"Don't worry about that. Focus on yourself." He forced a smile. "Now come. Let's eat. I smell my favorite stew."
She nodded, though her heart was breaking into pieces.
They sat at the dining table. They ate.
But no one tasted anything.
Their hearts were far, far away, terrified of the storm approaching, terrified of the knock that could come any day.