Chapter 32
‘By the way, this is boring.’
Golf was no fun because he had to awkwardly control his strength.
It wasn’t a good time to go for a walk either, so Kang Taehan ended up watching others practice.
There were all sorts of people gathered here, even though it was Wednesday afternoon: people who loved golf so much they came to practice even on weekdays, people who were practically dragged here as an extension of their work, and people who seemed to have come because they had nothing better to do, emanating an air of leisure.
It was entertaining in its own way to look around.
Among them, Kang Taehan’s gaze lingered particularly often on a female student practicing nearby.
The reason was simple.
That girl was the most skilled golfer among all the people at this driving range.
Even though she seemed to be the youngest.
Of course, Kang Taehan wasn’t a golf expert, so he couldn’t make a detailed assessment, but he could still recognize the balance of power and technique in each movement.
If she had achieved this level of accomplishment at that age, she must have had talent and been seriously pursuing it as a profession.
‘But… that’s what makes it even more unfortunate.’
Her posture was good, and her breathing and swing timing were appropriate.
It was clearly a skill built from the ground up over a long period of time, coming out unconsciously even if she didn’t think about it.
But the moment she swung, her body flinched as her waist turned, and her balance collapsed.
It was a fleeting moment, hard to notice at a glance, but the impact of that moment was fatal.
As expected, her expression was dark as she watched the trajectory of the ball.
A mistake that she made every few swings.
However, the cause didn’t seem to be a lack of skill or practice, but a back injury.
From Kang Taehan’s perspective, who could see it, it was heartbreaking.
“Huuuh…”
Perhaps because she wasn’t satisfied with the swing she had just made, she put down her equipment and sat on a bench behind her.
As the benches were sparsely placed, the place she sat naturally became the seat next to Kang Taehan.
“You play well.”
“…Oh, yes.”
When Kang Taehan spoke first, she nodded her head in response.
She often encountered people who talked to her at the golf driving range, but her honest feeling was that it wasn’t very welcome.
However, an intriguing expression flitted across her face as she looked at Kang Taehan.
“Huh. That strangely good-playing mister.”
“Strangely?”
“I saw you a little while ago because you were nearby. Your posture seems like you learned it haphazardly, but you hit the ball cleanly.”
You can usually tell by looking at someone’s posture whether they’ve learned properly or not.
However, Kang Taehan was hard to figure out just from a glance.
It was a strange feeling… far from orthodox, but still reaching a certain level of proficiency.
“People who haven’t learned properly and have been playing by themselves for a long time give off that feeling, but I’ve never seen anyone at your level, mister. That’s why I was curious.”
“I guess it shows that I play by myself without learning properly?”
“Quite a bit. But well… even if it’s haphazard, if you play as well as you do, mister, there’s no need to learn properly. You’re playing as a hobby anyway.”
She, Chae Eunbi, shrugged her shoulders and said.
“I don’t think you’re playing as a hobby.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Even to my untrained eyes, I can feel that your skills are solid. Like you built them up step by step from the basics.”
He was bored anyway.
Having been watching her with interest, Kang Taehan naturally continued the conversation.
“…Aha, so Miss Eunbi started playing golf in elementary school?”
“Yes, well. I won a bronze medal or something in a competition back then… It was the first time I ever wore a medal, and it made my head spin.”
Chae Eunbi made a subtle expression as she recalled old memories.
It was the memory of how she started playing golf seriously, both embarrassing and proud at the same time.
“I was quite famous among high school students. You can probably find me if you search.”
“Can I look it up now?”
“No, that’s a bit embarrassing… But if you want to look it up, you can.”
She was blushing, but she also looked secretly pleased.
After chatting for a while.
“So, are you playing professionally now?”
At Kang Taehan’s question, Chae Eunbi’s expression stiffened.
She forced a bright smile and said.
“Oh, come on, anyone can be a pro. I only played golf until high school, and now I have to find other work.”
“I see.”
Kang Taehan nodded his head with an indifferent expression.
Her words were obviously a lie.
The expression on her face when she made a mistake due to pain while playing was… filled with bitterness and regret.
If she had really quit golf and cleanly given up, she wouldn’t be here at the golf driving range, swinging a golf club.
‘Giving up your dream at a young age because of an injury…’
There was nothing more unfortunate than that.
It was fate that they met, and he honestly wanted to help her a little…
But it would be absurd to suddenly ask her to lie down so he could check her back.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself.”
Kang Taehan took out a thin business card holder from his inner pocket.
It was a gift from Manager Hwang when the Master Course was first created, telling him to carry it around.
“…A massage therapist?”
“Yes. It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but I’m quite skilled. So.”
Kang Taehan said with a light smile.
“If you ever have any discomfort in your body, come visit me. It’s my job to help you when you need it.”
“What, are you trying to solicit business right now?”
“I guess so.”
Kang Taehan shrugged.
His attitude was playful, but…
The subtly changed, dignified atmosphere lent an indescribable sense of trust to his voice.
“You can contact me separately and come after 7 p.m.”
“…Why after 7 p.m.?”
“Originally, you have to make a reservation, but I’m making time to do this for you specially.”
“Ugh… That’s a really cheesy sales pitch.”
She frowned as she said that, but then burst into laughter a moment later and put the business card away.
“…Wow, that girl, there’s a reason she said she doesn’t need golf lessons. She didn’t come here to play golf.”
“Huh, that Taehan…”
Meanwhile, Kang Hoyeon and Jo Wonho had been watching the scene from afar with amused expressions.
They had been wondering where he had disappeared to, and there he was.
“That Eunbi student isn’t someone you can easily become friends with… I knew your son was extraordinary in many ways, but I didn’t know he had this side to him.”
Of course, Kang Taehan had approached her with good intentions, but to others, it looked like a romantic pursuit.
⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢
Taehan Restaurant, located in an alley in Dong District, Daejeon.
According to Kang Taehan’s suggestion, they had decided to close every Wednesday starting last week…
But today, even though it was Wednesday, the sound of hand-pulled noodles being made was ringing out for some reason.
Thump, thump, thump!
It was none other than Kang Hoyeon who was vigorously pulling the noodles.
With each resounding thump, the large lump of dough slowly began to transform into the shape of noodles.
Jo Wonho, who was watching this, exclaimed in admiration.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen hand-pulled noodles being made. Brother, these are no ordinary skills.”
“Oh, come on. Everyone used to do this well back in the day.”
“Don’t be so modest. Am I not from the old days too?”
Kang Hoyeon waved his hand dismissively and laughed it off, but praise makes even a whale dance.
A subtly greater force went into his hand movements as he pulled the noodles.
How did the two people from the golf driving range end up here?
The process unfolded quite naturally.
Kang Hoyeon’s first golf experience ended successfully, but how could they just part ways without any further ado?
Naturally, the suggestion to have a meal together came up.
Here, Jo Wonho had been interested in the fact that Kang Hoyeon was a Chinese chef, and that he even hand-pulled noodles…
He naturally said, “Then let’s go to your restaurant.”
That’s how they ended up in this situation, with hand-pulled noodles being made.
‘I didn’t know it would turn out like this….’
Kang Taehan was bewildered as he thought back, even though he had gotten here naturally.
At first, he had contacted Jo Wonho because he thought it would be good to have someone who knew about golf, but not only did he give him one-on-one lessons, he had now become almost like a friend.
He knew from the first time they met that Jo Wonho had a friendly personality, but he didn’t know his sociability would be this strong.
No, at this point, it wasn’t just one person being sociable, it was both sides clicking with each other.
‘Well… it’s not a bad thing.’
Even the Kang Taehan of the past knew that his father’s social circle had become strained as he focused solely on the restaurant business for a long time.
It was a good thing that he had made a friend he got along with.
And Jo Wonho was a good person by nature.
“Wow, brother! You could sell this!”
A plate of jajangmyeon with the sauce served separately, freshly stir-fried and steaming white.
Not to mention the glossy sheen of the chewy noodles, the sweet and savory aroma of the jajang sauce combined with the pungent scent of freshly stir-fried onions made his mouth water even before he tasted it.
Jo Wonho took a bite and exclaimed in admiration, giving a thumbs-up, and Kang Hoyeon chuckled.
“Of course it’s for sale. Whose restaurant do you think this is?”
“Aha! No wonder it tastes like it’s worth paying for.”
And then, Jo Wonho took the most active form of expressing how delicious it was.
He started focusing on eating without a word.
“Hey, save some room for snacks.”
Kang Hoyeon, who then brought out jjamppong soup and yusanseul, said in an amused voice.
The generous amount of ingredients in the jjamppong soup and the abalone, which wasn’t originally included in the yusanseul, seemed to reflect his mood.
“Ugh, this… I can’t not drink with this.”
With the delicious jajangmyeon, the spicy jjamppong soup broth, and the savory yet subtly bland yusanseul, it was a truly sumptuous spread of snacks.
“By the way, brother, your learning speed is no joke. You’ll be able to go on a round soon.”
“What’s a round?”
“It’s playing at a real golf course. What we did today was just hitting balls, you have to go out on the field to play real golf. Ah, have another drink.”
A delicious meal and natural conversation.
Exchanging drinks in the process.
It was the perfect dinner to end the holiday.
As the empty bottles piled up, one by one, two by two…
When they had just emptied their fifth bottle, Jo Wonho looked at Kang Taehan with a puzzled expression.
“…Taehan, you have a really high tolerance for alcohol.”
Jo Wonho enjoyed socializing with people, so he often went out drinking and had a decent tolerance.
At least, he had never been told he was a lightweight.
But to him, Kang Taehan felt like he had gone beyond the realm of having a high tolerance or being good at drinking.
No matter how good you are at drinking, it just means you have a high limit, it doesn’t mean you don’t get drunk at all.
They had emptied five bottles of soju.
It wasn’t a small amount by any means, but Kang Taehan’s face wasn’t even flushed, he looked completely sober.
“It’s a bit high.”
Kang Taehan replied with a light smile.
There was a reason he wasn’t getting drunk.
‘I can’t get drunk in front of my father.’
Mental methods were martial arts techniques that dealt with internal energy and meridians.
Kang Taehan, who could even consciously control the flow of Qi, could purify the alcohol that entered his body before it even reached his liver.
Intoxication was a matter of choice for him.
Today was simply not an appropriate occasion to get drunk.
“Our Taehan must have gotten his high tolerance from me.”
“But brother, your face is red?”
“That’s why I’m not drinking anymore.”
Kang Hoyeon felt like drinking more since he was in a good mood after a long time, but he had to control himself because he had to open the restaurant tomorrow.
“Don’t you think that sounds contradictory?”
“I meant when I was younger. Anyway, I’m going to use the restroom for a bit.”
Kang Hoyeon left his seat for a moment to freshen up.
As a brief silence fell… Kang Taehan quietly spoke to Jo Wonho.
“Thank you for today, President Jo.”
“Hmm? Oh, come on. I’m the one who’s enjoying myself, getting pleasantly tipsy after a long time.”
Jo Wonho shook his head at Kang Taehan’s words.
“Actually, hearing you talk, it seems like your father came out to have fun with his son after a long time… I’m worried I might have interfered with my nosiness.”
This time, Kang Taehan shook his head.
“No. Thanks to President Jo, my father was able to learn golf comfortably… If it weren’t for you, I don’t think my father would have had such a good time.”
The purpose of spending time alone with his father might have been somewhat deviated from, but the goal of having a fun holiday with his father had been perfectly achieved.
Even without Jo Wonho, they could have had a pretty fulfilling time… but they wouldn’t have been able to create such a cheerful atmosphere.
The joy of spending time with family and the joy of hanging out with a friend you click with are different.
Last time, he was able to see his father’s former smile, and today, thanks to Jo Wonho, he was able to see the latter. It was a satisfying day for Kang Taehan.
“So I should be the one thanking you.”
“Huh…”
Jo Wonho stared at Kang Taehan silently for a moment.
He was still young, but Jo Wonho was also a father with children.
Therefore, Kang Taehan’s words seemed so mature.
He wondered if his children would ever be able to say such things…
Feeling envious of Kang Hoyeon, Jo Wonho finished the rest of his half-full glass.
“By the way, President Jo.”
“What president? Just call me mister!”
“…Huh?”
Kang Taehan, caught off guard by the sudden progress in their relationship, asked back without realizing it.
