A Chairman Who Has No Regrets - Chapter 164



Only Noblemtl

Episode 164 – Is this a trip (2)

We arrived at the traditional market, which would take only 25 to 30 minutes, quite some time after the sun had set.

Luckily, the market that was still open had turned into a night market with a different charm than the daytime market.

The light from the daylight fluorescent lights was soothing to the eyes, and the unique clothing and frilly aprons worn by the market vendors seemed to take us a little further into a fairy tale.

“Oh my god.”

Every time our mother makes that sound, Director Baek clicks his index finger as if he has PTSD. Is he addicted to pressing the shutter?

After wasting a few dozen minutes at the entrance, we finally started sightseeing.

“Okay, Mom. Starting tomorrow, we’ll go to the countryside. There won’t be any big cities like there are now.”

“so?”

“Yeah, since I only go around small towns, it might be hard to buy souvenirs if not today.”

If this were Berlin, it might have been a little different, but in any case, Berlin is not the current capital of West Germany. It is, after all, a temporary capital.

Although West Germany is an enormous economic powerhouse compared to South Korea, they are currently suffering as a divided nation. So naturally, development was centered on large cities, and small cities were inevitably small in size.

“Of course, even though it is a small city, it is a place where people live, so there will be small things, but it may be difficult to see a lot of different things.”

My sisters and mother nodded. They seemed to understand the point I was making.

I also nodded and started looking around the market with my family, wondering what I could give as gifts to the guys in Sanggye-dong.

Are people living the same everywhere? I wondered if Germany was any different, as I couldn’t find anything worth living for.

“hmm…”

Taesu was standing in front of a scarf with a pretty design for a while.

“Do you like it?”

“no…”

Anyone who looked at it seemed to like it, but the guy was having second thoughts. He glanced at the price, and it was about 60,000 won at the current exchange rate.

If you think about it as something sold at a market, it would feel expensive by Korean standards.

“$%#@#$!@$”

A woman speaking German.

I couldn’t understand everything exactly, but I got the word silk right.

“100 percent silk?”

She smiles brightly and nods her head in response to my question.

“Handmade.”

I thought it was quite expensive, but if it was made of silk and handmade, I thought it was a reasonable price.

“Aren’t you going to buy it? It’s about 60,000 won.”

At my words, Taesu fiddled with his hands in his pockets, then quickly gave up and turned his head.

boy.

There’s not much reason for a man to wear a scarf, and he probably thinks of his mother in Korea.

“Oh my – good job, that kind of thing is really tough in Korea! Oh my – expensive, it’s a waste of money.”

Our mother drives a wedge into Taesu’s conflicted mind.

“Right?”

“Yeah – there are a lot of better and prettier ones.”

I had the exact opposite opinion from both of them.

“No, it’s handmade silk.”

“How good is Okkyung at making things like this?”

As the mother speaks, she shows off her appearance, which she had praised earlier as being like a young lady.

“Isn’t this all made by Ok-kyung?”

I can’t say it’s not that great now.

Actually, my mother is very sad.

He must have seen my displeased face. He brought his support sisters and showed them the princess turn. Then, the three mothers and daughters put their hands on my waist and took my hand.

“Look how pretty it is.”

If I said no, I might get beaten to death by the three mothers and daughters, so I ended up giving up.

“Yes, yes, you are beautiful.”

The little sister said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Huh? Your reaction is quite rude?”

He shook his head and said.

“Okay, go buy some souvenirs. I told you I can’t do any shopping properly anymore.”

“Ahem, there’s nothing I like-”

It’s ridiculous to hear these three people, who used to touch, wear, and try on everything from small handmade accessories to clothes and scarves, say such things.

“Mom, son, make a lot of money.”

It was not false, it was true.

The income from Hodori Village alone is enough to make a good lawyer. As the Asian Games and the Olympics approach, the income will only increase.

As time goes by and tourism becomes more active, it will naturally grow bigger. Recently, the number of hikers on Bukamsan Mountain has increased every weekend, and local business owners are happy about it.

“Oh my- you have to save money to live well-”

That’s true, but at least it’s not what I want to hear while traveling.

“Mom, this is a reward, a reward, a fair price for the hard work that Mom and my sisters receive.”

Mother waves her hand as if to say, “Okay.”

As if they didn’t care about what I said, my sisters and mother suddenly went to another store and looked around.

They just take pictures of themselves wearing the accessories or clothes from the store, but they don’t actually buy anything.

Taesu has finally shaken off his foolishness and is busy taking pictures of his sisters and mother.

This isn’t what I wanted. The women I know are a species that go crazy when it comes to shopping, but why aren’t my sisters and mothers a species called women?

“Oh! Thank you!”

I handed over the money, and Taesu thought about it for a while before buying the scarf.

If my sisters, mother, and Taesu can’t spend money, then the country will have to.

“Please package it nicely.”

The owner nodded, wondering if he understood my English, and wrapped it up with great skill.

I put my scarf in my bag and ran after my sisters and mother.

“Oh my- It’s expensive! Please give me a discount-”

A picture of my mother bargaining with a merchant at a market. My older sister and younger sister were glaring at the male merchant with cat-like eyes while wearing boots, and my mother was acting stubborn.

The peaches they chose were different from the peaches in our country.

I remembered that the flat peaches had a high sugar content and tasted great. I glanced at the price tag and it was about 50,000 won per kg.

It is certainly expensive, but I can’t help but wonder if peaches are expensive in Korea too.

“Just buy it.”

At my words, my mother turns around and glares sharply.

“Hey!”

In the end, the merchant shook his head at the sight, gave me a discount of about 3,000 won, and handed me 1 kg of peaches.

My mother gestured with her hands and feet to borrow a cotton cloth from the fruit vendor, took out a peach from a paper bag, wiped it clean, and handed it to me.

“Son! Taste it. Your son likes peaches.”

Was that so?

“That’s right, Mom. Back in the day, she cried and made a fuss because I ate a can of yellow coriander.”

I wondered if there had been such a moment in my younger sister’s words. If it were a story from the past, canned yellow coriander would have been very rare in our house. And what’s more, it couldn’t possibly taste bad because it was pickled in sugar.

“Haha, your sister gave in in the end.”

I feel jealous because it seems like my sisters and mother know memories that only I don’t. I take a bite of the crispy peach, leaving behind regrets about why I don’t have such detailed memories.

“How are you, son? Are you running?”

“oh-”

When I nod, my mother smiles and gives the peaches she wiped with a cotton cloth to my sisters and Taesu.

Even if it’s 1kg, how many of these hard fruits can fit? When Taesu’s peach is gone, the eldest sister hands her peach to her mother.

“Mom, eat some. I don’t like peaches.”

“Oh my – this is a foreign peach, so I have to taste it – it looks unique too.”

“Well, Mom, eat it.”

The mother waved her hand and refused to take the peach. The younger sister was just about to put the peach in her mouth when she stopped and asked the fruit vendor with a very pretty smile.

“Do you have a knife?”

You’ve studied English with me for a while, so your pronunciation is quite fluent. Jang-su nods as if he understands and looks for a clue.

I quickly took out the new peach from the wooden box and took a small bite without even cleaning it.

The shopkeeper is embarrassed, and his mother and older sisters are also embarrassed.

“Oh no, mistake.”

I smiled and handed the peach I had taken a bite of to my older sister.

“I can’t throw it away, so you can eat it, right?”

The younger sister smiled and only then ate her share of the peach, and the older sister also smiled and accepted the peach obediently.

I gave the merchant the price of 50,000 won before my mother bargained, and the merchant smiled and gave me another 1kg.

“Oh my god- this guy just wastes money like that?”

My mother said, chewing a peach nervously.

I said with a chuckle.

“Isn’t it sweet though?”

“Hmm, it tastes good.”

The market tour, which lasted about 200 meters, came to an end. No one bought a single souvenir, and all we had in our hands were peaches. Traveling can be fun, but it was a bit disappointing.

Hoping that there would be another opportunity to go shopping, I naturally led my family to a restaurant. If we delayed any longer, we might have to skip dinner.

“This is Mom’s Schweinshaxe, a German-style pork knuckle dish with sausages that are really delicious.”

A family sat at a table, hoping that the restaurant they asked the staff about in the hotel lobby would be delicious.

My mother was also curious about the foreign food and looked around here and there with amazement.

A beautiful blonde waiter brings the menus with a big smile, and the younger and older sisters are soon looking at them.

“Well, I don’t know anything.”

“me too.”

My little sister tapped me and pointed to an item on the menu.

“what’s this?”

“I don’t know German either.”

“Is this the price?”

“I think so?”

My older sister looked into the air, snapped her fingers a few times, and then said.

“Well, it’s 50,000 won. Is this food for several people?”

The younger sister opened her eyes wide at her older sister’s words and said.

“Is it that expensive, sis?”

“Yeah, that’s the price written here.”

“It says 300g here?”

“Half a pound? Hmm… I don’t think it’ll be enough for two people.”

Did you hear your sisters’ conversation?

“Oh my- I’m full-”

My mother’s expression, which had been looking around with a curious face, suddenly changed to one of fatigue and exhaustion, as if it had been an illusion, and she spoke loudly.

My little sister glanced here and there, then raised her head from the menu, leaned back against the back of her chair, and spoke.

“Now that I think about it, there are a lot of peaches here. I’m full too.”

“Well, me too. Is it because I overate in the morning?”

You are talking nonsense. How much can three people eat? You brought several plates in the morning, but there is a limit to how much a person’s stomach can hold. You stuffed yourself with the thought that it was free, but it was already past 7 o’clock.

“No- Haven’t you heard what the neighbors are saying, Mom? Huh? Sisters? I told you to eat lots of good food and see lots of good things.”

My mother speaks without making eye contact with me.

“Ahem, what should I do when I’m full?”

My mother has no talent for lying.

I raised my hand, and my little sister and mother stopped me at the same time.

“Taesu! Go ahead!”

“Huh? Huh?”

“I- Schweinshaxe six, Frankfurter sausage six!”

Taesu nodded vigorously as if he had made up his mind and jumped up from his seat. It seemed like he was planning to order directly from the waiter.

“Taesu.”

“yes?”

The eldest sister called Taesu softly and spoke with a face that had a smiling mouth but no smiling eyes.

“Do you want to sit down?”

“Oh, yes, sis.”

“okay.”

When my older sister turned her head to look at me with that same face, my mother and younger sister took their hands off my body.

“Puppy.”

“uh.”

“Let’s not order too much, just enough for two people.”

“No… Do I have to come all the way to Germany to do that?”

“Use it.”

“yep.”

In the end, the five of us ordered two servings each. Is this a trip? Traveling isn’t about saving money.

German pig’s feet dish is one that you have to try in all three varieties: fried, baked, and steamed.

The food comes out and my little sister taps my plate with her fork.

“Uh, why?”

“You want to get in trouble for sticking your big red mouth out in front of the dinner table?”

“No- originally this food came in many varieties…”

“Okay- Just eat it. Where did you say you were complaining about the side dishes?”

My mother, who usually takes my side, nodded her head at my older sister’s words.

“Okay, I need to go to the bathroom and wash my hands.”

I got up from my seat and approached the manager at the counter, taking a quick look around.

Just as I was about to talk to him.

Knock, knock, someone taps me on the shoulder.

“Uh, why?”

It was Taesu.

“Hye-rin, stay healthy for a long time.”

I can see my older sister’s face over Taesu’s shoulder. Her face is looking at me with her lips turned up and her eyes sparkling.

“Ah, ha, ha. I was going to ask where the bathroom is.”

“The bathroom is over there. You said you saw it when you came in earlier.”

“Since when have you been checking like that…”

I don’t know.

This isn’t a trip.

“One each kind of Schweinshaxe, one each way it’s cooked, one each kind of sausage, and three glasses of the most expensive beer!”

The owner nodded at my words and Taesu glared and said.

“Hey, are you trying to kill me?”

“They say that ghosts that die from eating are pretty. Let’s die together, my friend.”

“Hey, what kind of trip is this-”

So who said no?