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"Oh my God!"

Hye-ryeong looked up at the lady, then at Seokjin, puzzled by the reaction. Hye-ryeong's expression mirrored Seokjin's as well. There was a strange feeling in the room.

"I am sorry," the elderly woman whispered, as if she realized she had done something wrong. "You remind me of my husband when he was young." She then chuckled awkwardly.

As she looked at Seokjin, Hye-ryeong suppressed a grin. "O-oh..." she almost stuttered.

"You could've liked your husband because he's handsome," Seokjin said, smiling.

"That's right," the lady joked. The response made both Hye-ryeong and Seokjin giggle. "May I ask what you'd like?" the lady asked again.

When Seokjin was ready to say something, Hye-ryeong interrupted him by asking the lady, "What are the most recently ordered foods?"

"At this hour, clients frequently get green bean pancakes... and, of course, kimbap. And, because it's summer, everyone comes here for Patbingsu. Pork belly and Hanwoo are also on the menu."

"Do you have other cuisines?" Seokjin questioned, keeping his poker face.

Hye-ryeong was on the verge of snorting, but she bit her lower lip and fixed her gaze on the elderly woman.

"Yes. We have Indian, Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Italian cuisine," the lady stated nicely.

Hye-ryeong buzzed as she considered the menu on the wall. "Can we have every famous food from every cuisine you have?" she asked.

Seokjin's eyes widened as he looked at her. He examined the menu and then looked at her again.

"Every cuisine's food?" The lady asked for confirmation, and Hye-ryeong nodded. The young woman then told her they would want only water for drinking. "Noted. Someone will deliver your water and utensils in a moment." Before she left, Hye-ryeong thanked her.

"Can you pay for all of them?" Seokjin whisper-yelled as the elderly woman moved farther from their table.

"I can. Don't worry," Hye-ryeong said as she leaned back in her chair. "But I'm not sure if we'll be able to finish everything."

Seokjin couldn't say anything, as he was virtually speechless. "You're wasting our ingredients," he complained.

"If we don't eat the food, we can ask them to wrap it for us, right?" Hye-ryeong asked, batting her lashes. "If the food here is as good as you say your restaurant is, why don't we take the leftovers? We won't have to cook or waste any food later."

"Okay," Seokjin mumbled with a sigh. He relaxed as he pushed the sleeves of his checkered t-shirt to the back.

Soon after, a young man came over to their table with a bottle of water, cups, and utensils. Seokjin and Hye-ryeong thanked him right away and went to get a spoon, fork, and chopsticks for each other. "I hope they don't serve Aglio E' Olio for Italian food," Seokjin said as he poured himself a cup of water. "I'm wondering whether I was crazy about learning and cooking the pasta dish."

Hye-ryeong's face was stricken with bewilderment. "Why, though?" she asked.

"That dish is a little too oily for my liking. Doesn't it also have garlic?"

Hye-ry

eong nodded.

"Not a fan of garlic. I can't handle the scent," he said, which prompted a quick chuckle from the woman.

Hye-ryeong sought to break the silence with a question while they waited for their food. "At what age did you decide to open your own restaurant?" she asked.

"When I was twenty-one or twenty-two," he replied. "At first, I sold street food. Pancakes, bibimbap, and ddeokbokki, a tough food."

"What makes ddeokbokki so difficult?" Hye-ryeong asked again before taking a drink.

"No one believes that making ddeokbokki is easy. The broth's consistency and flavor will weaken if the water measurement is off. The lamest ddeokbokki is bland ddeokbokki. And I learned not to put rice cakes in the freezer before making them. With heated broth, you wouldn't want to eat a frozen rice cake. That makes little sense, does it? And, yeah, that was a disaster in my life. That time, I was late, and as a result, I almost lost customers."

Hye-ryeong burst out laughing. She asked again, "Why didn't you go to college? Early twenties are more likely to attend college or university. By the way, I'm twenty-four years old. This is my senior year of college, and I'll be starting an internship soon."

Seokjin smiled and nodded. "Good for you," he said. "But you know what? Everyone has the freedom to do whatever they want, as long as it does not hurt them or others. Whether you go to college or not, there is always a way to success, whether it comes from a desire, a spontaneous decision, or motivation or inspiration. And all you have to do is work diligently and patiently. One thing you must consider is happiness."

Hye-ryeong nodded and smiled before asking, "Were you happy when you worked on the street?"

Seokjin smiled broadly. "Yup. Even though I envy my friends who have degrees and master's degrees, I'm still content. I'd probably use a phrase for happiness and envy if one existed."

"You must have waited a long time to be this successful."

"Exactly. There is no such thing as instant success. Everything moves at its own pace," he said. "Not to mention the fact that I began a small business for two reasons."

"And they are?" Hye-ryeong asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Myself and my Hye-ryeong."

Hye-ryeong rolled her eyes, eliciting a chuckle from the man. "Duh! You oldies are cheesy. Aww, that's so sweet!" she said sarcastically.

"Hey, she was my inspiration. I wanted to have her all to myself. So, before someone else takes her, I need to shoot. Work hard, save money, achieve success, and marry."

Despite her roll of the eyes, Hye-ryeong admired something about him. Especially his love for his fiancée. Simultaneously, she pondered how this restaurant, as well as those in other branches, remained strong and profitable. She wondered if his business had suffered as a result of the loss of his fiancée.

She tried to avoid bringing up the matter. It sounded too sensitive to question. Instead, she altered it. "How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm thirty-two years old."

As she pondered, Hye-ryeong peered at nothing. "From which year did you travel?" she asked again.

Seokjin hum

med deeply, looking elsewhere to remember, and said, "1966."

She began mentally calculating after receiving his response. "You may be eighty-one this year," she gasped.

Seokjin bobbed his head up and down. "What year is it now?" he asked.

"It's 2015," Hye-ryeong replied.

"Grandpa me is definitely around," Seokjin said as he looked around the room. Young waiters walked back and forth, new customers sat down, and an elderly woman at the cashier occupied his vision. He only averted his gaze when a man approached their table with their orders.

As he set the chicken satay, peanut sauce, roti, thick tomato soup, and curry on the table, Hye-ryeong caught a glimpse of the young man. The young man bowed and walked away after they were served two bowls of rice.

"That boy looks a little like you," Hye-ryeong whispered to Seokjin as she leaned forward on the table.

"The waiter?" Seokjin asked as he removed the cover from the bowl, studying the figure that had just walked away from another table.

Hye-ryeong nodded. "He might be your grandson," she added, adjusting her spectacles to a more comfortable position.

Seokjin was still staring at him when he dipped his spoon into a bowl of tomato soup and slurped. The heat made him groan. "But his surname isn't even 'Kim'," he said.

Hye-ryeong moved her head to the back to check on the waiter, spotting a name tag pinned to his apron. Her brows wiggled. "You and your partner could have a daughter."

"I can't believe I jumped into the future and met a bunch of my future family members," the man exclaimed, chuckling exasperatedly. "It's possible the lady over there is my sister-in-law. And I come here in search of my reincarnated fiancée."

"Let's enjoy the meal before we chat about deep stuff. The food is too good to throw away," Hye-ryeong said. She danced a happy dance while chewing the chicken satay she had dipped in peanut sauce.