Chapter 17
Instead of beating yourself up, give yourself a pat on the back and some comfort. You'll find yourself reflecting on your day. Can you honestly tell yourself that you really gave it your all today? Can you own up to it and give yourself a pat on the back? If not, light a fire under yourself. If you do that every day, consistently, you will realize it at some point. You'll realize you've reached your goal without even realizing it. And you'll find yourself looking back at how far you've come and setting new goals. So, I hope Jeong Jihan sets his sights on a new goal. You may not know it, but you have already achieved your goal. You have done well enough. I hope you square your shoulders and move on to the next challenge.
After crying his eyes out, Kim Jinseong finally calmed down and went back to his seat. Then, as if waiting for him, Sukhee approached. "Tsk, tsk, a young guy like you, crying so much." "Haha, Sukhee, you're a bit of a crybaby yourself, aren't you?" "W-what are you talking about? When did I ever cry?!" Sukhee's face turned red, and she started fiddling with her bangs.
A little later, sipping on a warm vanilla latte, she asked Jeong-han, "So, anyway, do you think you can do what I asked?" "I think I can make it happen." "Really?!" Her eyes went wide, and she looked totally hopeful. Jeong-han held up his hands, "Whoa, whoa," trying to calm her down. "But there are a couple of catches." "What problems? Is there anything I can help with?" "No, no. You don't have to do anything, Sukhee... It's just that it'll take a bit of time." "Time? How much?" "A month."
Jeong-han spoke with a slightly apologetic tone, but Sukhee let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried I'd have to wait years!" "Isn't a month a long time?" "I've waited 70 years, do you think I can't wait one more month?" Sukhee gave a little laugh and sipped her coffee. Jeong-han felt grateful to Sukhee for her patience. He smiled warmly. "I'll make sure it happens." "Don't overdo it. I mean... I'm grateful, but I also feel bad." "It's something I want to do." "You're too nice; that's your problem. People will try to take advantage of you if you're such a pushover." "Haha! I'm not that naive."
Jeong-han let out a hearty laugh, and Sukhee clicked her tongue. "I'm seriously worried you're going to get scammed." At Sukhee’s concern, Jeong-han replied with a warm smile. "Sukhee, I'm not nice to everyone." "...Hmph, you're nice to that crybaby over there, aren't you? You're nice to every single customer that walks in here." "Are you saying you're different, Sukhee? I like you because you come to this cafe, and I want to treat you well." "……." Sukhee pouted, not saying a word, but after a moment, a small smile crept onto her face, and she said, "You've got a way with words, that's for sure." "Haha! Well, it's easy to be charming when there's such a charming person in front of me." "Oh, you! You're going to be trouble. A handsome guy like you shouldn't say things like that. Don't tease an old lady." "And where else would I find such a gorgeous old lady?" "You're laying it on thick, aren't you?" Sukhee grumbled, clearly flustered.
Jeong-han smiled brightly and continued, "You know what they say, 'birds of a feather flock together,' right?" "Well, yeah." "You're a good person, Sukhee, that's why you've got good people around you." "……Hmph." "And as they say, good places attract good people. The Cafe of the Dead is a good place, so of course, it has good employees." "You've got to know this, there's a fine line between being good and being a fool. Just because you're a good person doesn't mean you'll only attract good people." Grateful for Sukhee’s concern, Jeong-han laughed heartily and said, "Okay, okay, I get it. I'll be careful." "Hmph. You better. You should've said 'I got it, I'll remember that' a long time ago." Sukhee grumbled and drank her warm vanilla latte. Jeong-han smiled warmly along with her and took a sip of his coffee.
"Oh, right, take this." Sukhee, mid-sip, suddenly pulled something sparkly out of her pocket. Jeong-han looked surprised at the object Sukhee handed him. "You want me to take this? No, this is……" "You never know. You might need to show this to my husband or brother so they'll believe you." Sukhee had pulled out a jade ring. The jade ring she received from her husband when they parted ways at Hungnam Pier. The very jade ring they promised to return when they met again. Jeong-han hesitated for a moment, then took Sukhee’s hand in both of his and said, "I'll find them for sure. And I'll keep this ring safe." "Yeah, keep it on you at all times. It'll disappear if another living person touches it." "Really?" "Of course. You work at the Cafe of the Dead, so you can handle it, but no one else can." Jeong-han put the jade ring Sukhee gave him in an envelope and tucked it deep into his pocket. "I'll take good care of it and get it back to you for sure." "I trust you, Jeong-han." Sukhee wouldn't hand over that ring unless she trusted you completely. To live up to that expectation, Jeong-han will do his best.
As it got close to midnight, the earlier customers left, and eight new ones lined up to come in. "Welcome. This is the Cafe of the Dead." He greeted the customers with a bright smile as always. Usually, nine customers came in right at 1 AM, but today, one was missing. He felt the absence of Grandpa Chun-soo, who had moved on. Even though they hadn't met for long, listening to Grandpa Chun-soo's story had made him think about relationships. He silently hoped he'd gone to a better place and was reunited with his wife. Jeong-han busily took orders from customers and made coffee.
Clang- Clang- Then, the bell above the door jingled, and a new customer walked in. ‘Is it a new customer?’ Right away, he could tell the customer was young. Maybe ten years old? The child looked at the cafe menu with a nervous expression. Then, he peeked over the counter and said, "Um… please give me a cup of green tea!" When he asked for green tea, Jeong-han took a closer look at him. ‘Tea… I don’t think he should drink it.’ Just by looking at him, you'd think he should drink the tea, but when Grandpa Chun-soo passed on, Jeong-han had seen a faint light around him. He couldn’t feel that light from the customer in front of him now. It meant he was a spirit with unfinished business.
"I’m sorry, but you can’t order tea.” "Oh... oh, okay." The customer looked flustered, then scanned the menu, looking troubled." Jeong-han spoke up. "I can make you something decaf. How about a sweet drink?" "Ah? Yes!" "Then I'll make you a caramel macchiato." "Is that sweet?" "Yep." "Okay, I'll take it!" The kid grinned and nodded. 'So cute!' His smile was just adorable. It reminded him of his younger sibling when they were little. The kid looked around for an empty seat and then trotted over to a corner. Jeong-han quickly made the warm caramel macchiato and brought it over to the kid. "Here's your caramel macchiato." "Thanks!"
The child smelled the coffee, then suddenly brought it to his lips. Startled, Jeong-han quickly called out, "Whoa, whoa! Hey, kid! That's hot. Sip it slowly." "Oh, yeah! Thanks! Hehe." The kid smiled sheepishly and carefully took a sip. 'What a good kid. So polite, too.' He couldn’t hide the smile spreading across his face. He was so well-spoken, and saying 'thank you' all the time – he clearly had a good upbringing. How did such a child end up coming to the Cafe of the Dead? Jeong-han shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and went back to the counter. Don't overthink it. If he wants to talk, he will. No point in getting upset about it now.
Buzz- Then, Jeong-han felt a vibration from the cell phone in his pocket. When he checked the screen, a message had arrived from Lee Seon-hye. -Did you check the scene we’re filming tomorrow? -Yes, I was memorizing the script. -Could you check the dialogue scene in scene 12? Questions and requests related to filming came and went, and Jeong-han thought while replying. 'She's really dedicated.' Just seeing what time she sent the message, he knew she was still practicing, even after 1 AM. Not wanting to let down the other actors who were so committed, Jeong-han opened his script, too. The midnight customers were still keeping their distance from Jeong-han, not really talking to him. 'I can't just go up to them, and it was getting boring just sitting around, so this works out perfectly.' He used the downtime to practice his lines. Jeong-han was the type of person who did his best in everything once he made up his mind to do it.
Filming, cafe, home, filming, cafe, home. Jeong-han's days were a busy, repetitive cycle. And about four days later, Jeong-han was able to take a break. Today, Jeong-han didn’t have any scenes to film, so he received a call from Director Kim saying that he didn’t have to come to the set. Jeong-han headed to the subway early in the morning to finally take care of something he'd been putting off. 'Lee Dong-wook, Lee Dong-wook.' He kept repeating the name in his head so he wouldn't forget. Sukhee's husband, Lee Dong-wook. He'd searched for the name on the National Cemetery website, but there were tons of people with the same name. There was only so much he could do online, so he decided to go see for himself.
After a long subway ride, he finally arrived at the National Cemetery. "This place is huge." He had to find Lee Dong-wook in this enormous place. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, but Jeong-han was the type to see things through, no matter what. Giving up wasn't an option. Using what Sukhee had told him, he searched the cemetery tirelessly. After about an hour, just as he was starting to get tired, Jeong-han heard a strange sound. Hoorong- He turned towards the sound and saw a tombstone that looked... different. 'What the...?' The tombstone, which didn't have a name on it, was shimmering with a faint blue light. And it felt like the shimmering energy was... looking at him. He could feel a gaze coming from it, pulling him in.
At the same time, he felt a faint glow coming from the envelope in his pocket. He checked it, and the jade ring inside was shining brightly. 'Could it be... Lee Dong-wook's grave?' He rubbed his shoulders nervously. Jeong-han had a goblin mark on his shoulder. He'd heard it protected you from evil spirits, so even if it wasn't Lee Dong-wook, he'd be safe. Jeong-han walked towards the tombstone with confidence. The moment he checked the name written on the tombstone, he unknowingly swallowed hard. -Sergeant, Republic of Korea Army. Lee Dong-wook. 1929-1952. There it was, the name he'd been searching for. The birth and death dates even matched what Sukhee had told him about Lee Dong-wook.
Ding-! The deceased is requesting a conversation. He wanted to talk? "How do I talk to him?" [Would you like to use the eyes of the deceased?] Eyes of the deceased? Does that mean I can see ghosts? The spirits at the cafe were manifested souls, but this one might look like he did when he died. It wouldn't be polite to freak out at how he looked, so he took a deep breath to prepare himself. He took another deep breath and asked Nahan one last question.
