For several days, I happily spent my time following James’s guidance.
Sightseeing in Beverly Hills, hiking to the Hollywood Sign, touring the Griffith Observatory, and more.
I enjoyed everything Hollywood had to offer, but the most satisfying part was the dining.
Chester’s reservations never failed.
Meatloaf, roast turkey, jambalaya packed with fresh seafood.
These dishes were so delicious they made Sanghyeon and me binge-eat without restraint.
After finishing today’s plans, Sanghyeon and I were lying in bed resting when the hotel room phone rang.
“Hello?”
—Director Gyeong? It’s me, Chester. I’m catching a flight arriving in LA tonight, so I thought I’d call ahead.
“Huh? I thought you were coming tomorrow night?”
At my words, Chester laughed heartily.
—I expedited things a bit because of you! How’s the trip been so far? James mentioned there were some unpleasant incidents.
“Mr. James handled things well, so it passed easily. It was nothing major. Thanks to you, Mr. Chester, I’m having a great time.”
—Haha, that’s a relief. I called to check on you since we’ll meet tomorrow. So, did the food suit your taste…?
Chester asked cautiously, as if expecting a certain answer for some reason.
“Yes. It was truly wonderful. The most delicious time of my life.”
It was true, but I was also showering Chester, the food connoisseur, with the most flattering praise imaginable.
As I described the flavors in minute detail, Chester responded with a cheerful laugh.
—Well, that’s a relief! Haha! I was worried it might not suit your taste, you know. But I hear Koreans feel off if they don’t have spicy food for a few days?
Chester asked in a curious tone.
“Huh?”
—A friend I met recently said that? That Koreans need to eat spicy food periodically. So tomorrow, I’ve made a special reservation at a place I’ve never even been to myself. I’m not telling you where. Hehe. A little surprise is part of the romance, right?
He hung up with a playful voice, full of anticipation for tomorrow’s meeting.
Then Sanghyeon, sitting beside me, looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Bro.”
“What, again? Stop staring at me like that, it’s making me uncomfortable.”
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
Sanghyeon smiled faintly at me.
“It feels like a dream. When else would I get to sleep in such a plush, high-end bed, in a room with a chandelier?”
“Did I decorate your room like this?”
“What happened to you becoming a film director? Living so practically without any sentimentality.”
Sanghyeon grumbled as he got up from the bed, opened a can of beer from the fridge, and handed it to me.
Then he opened one for himself and clinked glasses with me.
“So you’re graduating now?”
“After next semester.”
“Time flies. Our youngest is already graduating.”
Sanghyeon chuckled at my remark.
“To call someone the youngest, you need at least three kids, right? Firstborn and youngest sounds weird.”
“Then you should’ve been born before me.”
“Is this really a conversation for people in their late twenties?”
“You gotta live young, man. Always stay bright and young. And healthy. Don’t get hurt.”
Sanghyeon grimaced and shook his head at my words.
“I get sick and tired of hearing you talk about health all the time. Huh? You won’t even buy me a car so I stop riding my motorcycle.”
“So you hate it?”
“I love it~.”
Sanghyeon’s adorable reaction made me smile without realizing it.
“Did you find something you want to do? Seems like I gave you plenty of time.”
“Yeah. I’m studying something.”
“Would you tell me if I asked?”
Sanghyeon rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, then cautiously said,
“I haven’t told our parents yet. I’m going to try preparing for the bar exam.”
“Huh…?”
“Preparing for the bar exam.”
Stunned by the unexpected answer, I stared blankly at Sanghyeon for a moment.
“Do you oppose it?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Your expression doesn’t look good.”
Sanghyeon took a refreshing swig of beer before asking.
But the reason my expression wasn’t good wasn’t that.
It was that I didn’t know a single thing about Sanghyeon.
I only found out he was interested in baseball after seeing him get heated with James, veins popping in his neck, talking about baseball.
It seemed normal for brothers to know little about each other, and Sanghyeon didn’t seem to mind, but it still bothered me deep down.
Even back when I was in my previous life, I’d resolved to treat him incomparably better.
But I was too busy. All I could really do for my younger brother was give him a generous allowance.
“Give it a shot. If our parents object, I’ll try to convince them somehow. But you know, they might actually like it.”
“I guess so…”
Sanghyeon let out a deep sigh.
He was much better off now than the Sanghyeon I remembered.
“But if it takes over ten years like those exam-obsessed people… then I’ll be the one preparing late again.”
“Whatever it is, just try. You’re smart, right? A little less than me, but still.”
“Haha. Anyway…”
Sanghyeon and I spent the late hours talking about all sorts of things.
This trip held great meaning for both Sanghyeon and me.
Even though he was my younger brother, I felt like I got to know Sanghyeon better than I ever had before.
The next evening.
Chester sat at a samgyeopsal restaurant in Koreatown, waiting for James to bring over Gyeong Chanhyeon and Sanghyeon.
“That’s interesting. Is it a lid?”
Grilling meat on a pot lid.
For the foodie Chester, it was a fascinating sight.
“First time here?” an older man asked Chester.
“Yes. I’m with a group. Haha, they’ll be here soon.”
“Ah, okay. Take your time ordering. Haha.”
Just as Chester was growing more curious about what kind of flavors this place offered, thanks to the owner’s warm smile, he spotted James’s car pulling into the parking lot.
“Here they come.”
The door opened, and James, Gyeong Chanhyeon, and even his younger brother followed inside.
His brother’s mouth was already stretched wide, showing no sign of closing.
“Right here.”
Chester stood up and waved his hand. James dashed over and set up a chair.
“Goodness, it’s been a while, Director Gyeong.”
“Haha, indeed.”
It hadn’t even been a full year since he last saw Gyeong Chanhyeon.
But for Chester, who had waited for his email replies every single day, each day felt unbearably long.
After greeting Gyeong Chanhyeon’s younger brother, James asked,
“Isn’t there one more guest coming?”
“Ah, right.”
“Then I think Sanghyeon and I should sit separately. Haha.”
James met Sanghyeon’s gaze, and they both nodded simultaneously.
It seemed like they were planning to talk about baseball—something they hadn’t been able to do much because Gyeong Chanhyeon didn’t really know the sport, making them feel self-conscious.
“Looks like you two have become pretty close.”
“Mr. James is such a great person. Haha.”
Chester smiled brightly at Gyeong Chanhyeon’s answer.
“You’d be shocked if you heard that guy’s past. Heh heh. I’ll tell you about that later. All right, let’s sit as James suggested.”
As soon as Sanghyeon and James sat down a little apart, they exchanged fiery glances and launched into a conversation about baseball.
“But, this is my first time at a place like this. What should I order?”
“Pork belly and soju.”
“Soju?”
“Yes. Do you know how to eat kimchi?”
“Yeah. I know kimchi.”
“Today, I’ll show you a whole new world.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon confidently raised his hand and called over a staff member.
The staff member looked at Gyeong Chan-hyeon and first asked in Korean,
“Are you Korean?”
“Ah, yes.”
The staff member seemed pleased, offering a handshake first. He then nodded with a satisfied expression at Gyeong Chan-yeon’s order and said,
“Excellent choice. Haha.”
The employee quickly brought out the meat, lit the fire, and heated the pot lid.
Gyeong Chanhyeon asked Chester, who was watching this scene with fascination,
“Is the person you mentioned before, the one who handles computer graphics, coming too?”
“That’s right. Remember what you said back then? That if Korean films were going to make a name for themselves in the world, they’d have to dazzle their eyes. I think you also mentioned that the age of CG was coming soon.”
Chester couldn’t take his eyes off the pot lid, so Gyeong Chanhyeon said with a laugh,
“This is called a pot lid. Originally, there’s a large pot-like thing called a sot in Korean tableware. You put meat on it and grill it to eat.”
“Hm… That’s fascinating. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“You’ll probably be surprised when you taste it. Have you ever tried grilled kimchi?”
“Grilled kimchi?”
Gyeong Chanhyeon seemed amused by Chester’s reaction and explained enthusiastically,
“In Korea, it’s standard practice to grill kimchi in the fat rendered from grilled pork belly.”
“Hm… I can’t even begin to imagine that. But when is this guy coming… tsk.”
Chester pulled out his phone and called the CG expert.
“Hm… He’s running a bit late. Tsk. This guy has no concept of time. I’ll apologize for him.”
“It’s fine. Haha.”
He placed the meat on the somewhat heated pot lid. Then Sanghyeon, standing beside him, said,
“Let’s show him the taste of Korea! Bro!”
“Shame on you. Be quiet.”
But Chester, oblivious to what was being said, stared blankly at Gyeong Chanhyeon. The nearby staff had, at some point, begun to look like they were cheering them on.
“What did your brother say earlier?”
“He said to show you the taste of Korea. Haha.”
“Hehe. The taste of Korea.”
“It’s almost done now.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon picked up the scissors and carefully cut each piece one by one, then placed the kimchi on the oil that had started to render.
The pleasant sizzling sound and aroma made a smile involuntarily spread across Chester’s lips.
“Now, try it.”
Chester placed the grilled kimchi on his plate and topped it with pork belly.
“And this combo wouldn’t be complete without this.”
Gyeong Chan-hyeon swirled the soju once to create a vortex, and Chester watched the swirling liquor with fascination.
“Oh…?”
“Have a drink first. Haha. If you drink it first, then eat the food, the flavor doubles.”
He filled the soju glass to the brim and tipped it back. The distinctive bitterness of the soju made Chester’s expression involuntarily sour.
But the moment the pork belly and grilled kimchi touched his tongue, his eyes widened.
A savory richness that seemed to wash away the soju’s bitterness.
Kimchi deeply infused with the aroma of meat.
This unbeatable combination astonished Chester. He hurriedly grabbed another piece, popped it in his mouth, and let out an exclamation.
“Oh! Oh oh?”
“Is it okay?”
“Kimchi tasting like this… It’s amazing?”
“We haven’t even started yet. If you’re already surprised…”
As Gyeong Chanhyeon smiled brightly and spoke to Chester, someone behind him greeted Chester.
“Haa… Hello. Mr. Chester. And Director Gyeong. Nice to meet you.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon stopped grilling the meat, stood up, and looked behind him.
Standing there was a woman much younger than he had expected.
“My name is Taylor. I’m terribly late, aren’t I? I’m so sorry. The traffic was just horrendous…”
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