Chapter 4

I scratched my head and got into the elevator.

The child of the one who stole my husband from my mother.

That's what I am to them.

"...Why are you making a fuss at me?"

I swallowed my bitter taste and stepped out of the building when Ko Hyun-wook's voice rang out.

"Hyun-joon."

"Uh, yes."

I stopped in my tracks and turned my head.

"Here, I called you, so you should give me transportation money. Take it as a token of my appreciation."

Ko Hyun-wook is good at this.

If he gives me an envelope with a small amount of money here, my heart will soften, right?

Then, in the bigger negotiation where more money is at stake, I'll be more friendly.

Then, he can secure a much larger financial gain than what's in this envelope.

"Thank you. For this..."

"No, you need to prepare for the inheritance, right? Use this. Think carefully about what we discussed earlier."

With that, Ko Hyun-wook turned and walked back to his office.

'Hmph. Trying to buy someone's heart with this... That's too shallow.'

I muttered to myself and opened the envelope.

"Whoa!"

I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

It was too much money to say that it couldn't buy someone's heart.

* * *

"What's that?"

"Oh, I stopped by Namdaemun on the way and bought this."

In my hand was a Sony FX9 and a few other pieces of filming equipment.

It was a high-end camcorder, and the packaging was impressive.

I knew Mom would scold me, but I couldn't hide it.

"Are you crazy? You just got some money and you're already buying this? How much did it cost?"

Mom, who had been struggling for years with L Group, made a sad face.

Mom, who was forced into early retirement and couldn't use her looks or acting skills, had to work odd jobs for years, so she naturally became someone who trembled at the thought of spending a lot of money.

"About 1.5 million won."

"Goodness! Goodness! This kid must be crazy!"

Actually, the FX9's lowest price online is 16 million won, and I paid 17 million won for it at Namdaemun.

Including the accessories, I spent about 18 million won.

So, I reduced the camera's price to less than one-tenth of the actual cost.

It's like a Korean husband reporting to his wife about buying a game console.

"Can't you return it? You can't just waste money like that! Why are you like this, really?"

"Mom, come inside for a moment."

I led Mom by the hand through the garden and into the house.

"Why are you holding my hand like this?"

* * *

"Phew..."

Ten minutes later, Mom, who had taken a Yuwhang Cheongshimhwan, sighed deeply.

"Are you sure? There's no chance they'll calculate it strangely and not pay?"

"It won't happen. And even if they do... it's still two zeros more than what we expected."

That's right.

We had secretly thought, "Since they're from a large corporation, they might give us 200 to 300 million won, right?"

We were grateful for that much.

"Still... you don't know until you receive the money. They might use some trick. Save it for now."

"Okay. I understand."

I replied.

"By the way, let's go eat something delicious!"

"Okay. Should we? But you spent a lot of money today. 1.5 million won..."

"Ah! Do you think 1.5 million won is a lot of money now? Let's go eat sushi!"

"Sushi?"

"Yep. Let's go to an omakase place that costs more than 200,000 won per person!"

I deliberately said it loudly.

If it's about spending money, Mom, who trembles at the thought of it, would only go to a 100,000 won per person hotel buffet if I say it loudly.

But Mom's reaction was strange?

"Oh, you know about omakase. Do you want to eat it?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure."

"Okay. Let's go. By the way, there's a place that just opened yesterday, run by a master chef who's one of the best in the country."

"Huh? I can't go to such a place today. You need to make a reservation for popular omakase places..."

"No, I'll call and see."

Mom hesitated a bit, then made a phone call.

"Yes. Hello? This is Jang Hye-min. Yes, hello. Yes. I have a good reason to go with my son today, so..."

It won't work... If what Mom said about the place is true, it's impossible to get a reservation...

"Yes. Thank you. Yes, we'll leave right away."

"Huh?"

I was surprised and my eyes widened. It worked?

"It's called Sushi Yumin-hyuk, run by Chef Yumin-hyuk from Z Hotel."

"Ah, I think I've heard that name before."

"Yes, he's a famous person."

I quickly opened the YouTube app.

If you want information on a popular sushi place, YouTube is the best these days.

'Sushi Yumin-hyuk' isn't showing up yet...

Instead, a lot of other sushi places with Chef Yumin-hyuk came up.

"This must be before he moved."

I chose a video and the sushi review YouTuber said,

"Chef Yumin-hyuk is finally opening his own place. How hard will it be to get a reservation? I'll go and see if I can and post a video."

"..."

I looked at Mom's face again.

How did she manage to get a reservation?

I left a comment on the video.

At the time, I didn't think much of it.

- I'm visiting Sushi Yumin-hyuk with my mom today. I'm looking forward to it.

But as I was about to close my phone, the notifications started ringing.

"Huh?"

I now know what these notifications mean.

"Wow? 10 subscribers?"

Somehow, I had 10 subscribers.

88 subscribers

- Ding dong. Ding dong.

While Mom and I were in a taxi heading to 'Sushi Yumin-hyuk,' my phone occasionally rang with notifications.

"What? The number of subscribers is increasing?"

But when I opened the YouTube app, there were more replies to the comment I had just left than subscription notifications.

- You must be a capable person. How did you manage to get a reservation there?

- There? Are you in the sushi industry? They said they would invite friends and industry people for the first few days after opening.

- I checked your channel, but there's nothing there. Are you just bluffing?

Oops. An unexpected comment.

- It seems like a bluff. Please verify. I'll follow you for now.

"Mom, do you know Chef Yumin-hyuk?"

I asked Mom, who was sitting next to me in the taxi.

"Yes, you'll probably recognize him when you see him."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes, you don't remember because it was a long time ago."

"..."

I became even more curious. From the reactions on YouTube, he seems to be a great chef.

"Welcome. It's been a while."

I recognized Chef Yumin-hyuk's face from the video I had just watched.

"Yes, thank you for taking our reservation."

"What are you talking about? Thank you for accepting my invitation."

Invitation?

"This is my son."

"Oh, you've grown so much! I'll recognize you, right?"

Chef Yumin-hyuk smiled brightly at me.

"Ah, sorry. I..."

But when I saw him in person, there was something I hadn't felt from the video.

'Ah, he looks familiar.'

"Back then, you were in elementary school, right? You were so young. Now you're so tall..."

Chef Yumin-hyuk hesitated for a moment, then continued.

"You look so handsome, just like your mother!"

Huh?

Chef Yumin-hyuk's face even turned a bit red.

Is he...

"I've been a huge fan of your mother since her debut. I thought she would completely revolutionize the Korean entertainment industry. It was really a shame when she retired so early."

So, that's it. Not many people recognize Mom's face, but some fans from when she briefly acted are still loyal.

Chef Yumin-hyuk is one of them.

That explains why he accepted us as guests during the early days of this high-end sushi place.

"Please sit. I've invited some chef friends, so I hope you understand if the number of guests is two more than planned."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I feel like I'm causing trouble."

Mom said.

"No, no! It's an honor to have Ms. Jang Hye-min here. I'm still a fan!"

Chef Yumin-hyuk looked to be in his late 40s, around the same age as Mom.

So, he was a young man in his early 20s when Mom, a young and beautiful actress, debuted.

It's not easy to let go of that fan love.

I nodded.

"Can I film what we eat today?"

I asked, remembering the YouTube comment asking for verification.

"Oh, this kid. Is that okay?"

Mom asked, looking worried.

"Yes, if it's not okay, I won't film. I'm just asking."

"Oh, it's fine. Is it for YouTube?"

"Not yet, but I plan to do it in the future."

I answered. Strictly speaking, it was a bit of a lie.

"It's okay if you don't allow it."

Mom said.

"No, no. These days, sushi restaurants can't survive without YouTubers. Sushi is a food where appearance is important, so filming is actually a favor to us."

Chef Yumin-hyuk said.

"Is that so?"

Mom asked, still looking worried.

"Yes, yes."

Chef Yumin-hyuk laughed and said to me,

"You can film, but there are conditions."

"Yes, please tell me."

I said obediently.

"First, it's okay to film my face, but don't film the faces of other guests."

"Ah, I understand."

"Also, the interior of the restaurant isn't fully finished yet, so I don't want it to be shown on YouTube. Just film the counter and the sushi. Is that okay?"

"Okay, I understand!"

I happily agreed and started setting up the FX9 on a tripod from my bag.

"Wow, you're really prepared. I see..."

Chef Yumin-hyuk's eyes widened.

"Oh, yes. I'm majoring in media communication."

I smiled awkwardly.

"Ha ha. Yes, please film well. Seeing your equipment, I trust you."

Chef Yumin-hyuk laughed and moved to the counter where other guests were seated.

"Try not to cause too much trouble."

"Yes, but for a high-end camera, it doesn't take up much space..."

Still, I thought I should get a smaller model that fits on the counter for future visits.

I had no choice but to set up the tripod behind where I was sitting and focus on the counter.

"Wow! The zoom function is amazing. Mom looks so beautiful too."

I briefly filmed Mom's face.

"Hey! Don't film an auntie's face!"

Mom covered her face with her hands.

I felt a bit uncomfortable seeing this.

Mom, who has a beautiful face and talent, has defined herself as an 'auntie' too early.

"What do you mean by 'auntie'? You have such a die-hard fan!"

I scolded her.

"Don't. It's embarrassing. Just sit still."

"Ah, I understand."