Geum-hee.
If that's the case, tell me your story later,
but listen to mine now.
I wanted to tell you this at better times,
but since you're leaving the hospital,
I need to tell you this right now.
I want us to be more than friends.
Gun-woo.
You're my only close friend.
Please don't do this to me.
It took me ten years to tell you
that I want to be your man.
Out of respect for those ten years,
please think about it for at least ten days.
First, my mom and dad. Now you...
the entire world is stabbing me in the back.
I...
never thought that you would like me as more than a friend.
I have thought of you as my best friend for the past ten years.
Do you think that can change overnight?
Why do you have to do this to me?
Geum-hee, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
But please,
take this seriously
and think positively of this.
You should leave.
Geum-hee.
I'll go to your restaurant this evening. Drive safely.
No.
Don't come to my house for a while, until I call you.
A hundred days have passed. Should I taste it?
Goodness.
It's been ripened well.
Nothing can be healthier than this.
I'll send half of it
to the hospital.
Wild herbs made it more fragrant.
I should also send this
-to the hospital. -Master Park!
I'm back, Master Park.
Thank you for your hard work.
So, any news about San-hae?
Yes, I heard
that she married into a family who has a restaurant in the city.
Is that so?
The family is quite rich.
Her husband was an only child.
He was handsome
and had a good personality.
Do you know where she went or where she lives now?
No.
But at least we know that she married well.
I think you can be relieved now.
Yes.
I'm grateful enough.
Thank you so much.
I hope she's living well no matter where she is now.
Master Park.
Gab-soo Lee is here.
-Come on in. -Hello, Gab-soo Lee.
I heard you went to China.
You're right, Mr. Kwon.
I came straight from the airport.
I have a big news
to surprise Master Park with,
so I had to be here as soon as I can.
-Is that true? -Yes.
When I heard the story,
I was so stunned
that I asked again. To sum up,
I heard it myself
that there's a manuscript of Yoogyeong Cuisine Book.
They said that the manuscript
came to China from North Korea.
That could be possible.
My mother said something to me before.
What did Great Master say?
Please wait until
the details about that issue
have been settled. I'll tell you then.
I understand.
I'm going back to China soon.
I'll personally check to see if it's really there.
Thank you so much.
If only I could find the manuscript...
I'm excited just thinking about it.
Are you serving yourself, Mr. Kwon?
-I brought you tea. -Thank you.
By the way,
how are things going with the cooking contest?
We have two more weeks until the deadline,
but there are more than a thousand applicants already.
What? Really?
That's amazing.
So when will the contest be held?
It will start at the end of next month.
We want you to be a judge for the contest.
No, I'm not qualified for that.
Of course you are.
You made the contest possible in the first place.
My goodness. Please don't mention it.
By the way, did you hear the news?
Excuse me?
What news are you talking about?
You do know the restaurant in Haso-dong,
Third Generation Seolleongtang?
The owner passed away a few days ago.
What?
I've always wanted to pay them a visit,
but I feel bad about only going there now to give my condolences.
Still, this is the time that we need to go there.
Did you load everything inside?
Yes, Master Park.
-Sir, please get in first. -Okay.
Master Park,
you don't look so well.
Are you strong enough to go out?
You're worrying about me more than my mother ever did.
I can't help but to look out for you.
Please get in.
Thank you for caring.
My mom is the only one
who can tell me the truth.
Mom?
Hi.
How have you been since this morning?
Yes.
I'm going to the shop to buy tableware.
Yes.
Hello. Speaking. Who is...
Ms. Choi of Chansol Foods.
What can I do for you?
Yes. Go on.
You should come before dinner time.
All right.
Geum-ho, let's go.
We need to hurry up
-to be back in time for dinner. -Yes.
It seems like Geum-ho will not be coming with us.
I knew it. He was being too nice.
Let's just go without him.
-We'll see you later. -Yes.
-I'll see you. -Have a safe trip.
Well.
Lunch time is over and we're alone here.
-Should we take a nap? -Be quiet.
That troublemaker is still here.
Damn, he never helps.
I don't think he would come inside though.
Let's go inside, okay?
Wait.
I'm getting so drowsy all of a sudden.
-Honey. -Shall we?
Let's go. Come on.
Here we go.
-Come on. -You know,
I don't usually take a nap.
-Let's just go. -I'm sleepy.
-Is anyone here? -What? Who is it?
Damn it.
Never mind. Let's go.
No, we can't. We have a customer.
-Come on out. -Just ignore him.
No way, we can't do that.
Ms. Kim.
I'm Gab-soo Lee from the United States.
We're closed.
Mr. Lee.
Hello, Mr. Lee.
I came here because of the tragic news.
I know. Come on in.
You must have heard of Young-chul.
Thank you for coming
all the way here.
Don't mention it.
Sorry for not coming here sooner, I was in China and I just came back.
So, everything went well with the funeral?
Yes, it did.
Please have a seat.
I think I should serve them something.
Please don't.
We've come to offer our condolences,
not to be served as customers. Please don't trouble yourself.
Is Ms. Kim not here?
She went out to buy tableware.
Should I call her?
I fully understand what must be feeling right now.
I don't think we should interrupt her
while she's getting some air to take her mind off things.
Yes, ma'am.
What you said was very thoughtful.
You look beautiful, as well.
Goodness, thank you.
Can I take a look around here?
Yes, please go ahead.
There's nothing special in here though.
Well, tell me about this place.
Isn't it obvious that a lot of effort was put in
-over a long period of time? -Yes.
Look at that. Even small details like those are well thought out.
That looks great.
-That. -Yes, it does.
Didn't you say that San-hae married into a family who owned a restaurant?
Yes.
I would be happy for her if she was living in a place like this.
She's not an ordinary woman.
If she was a man, she would be a minister at the very least.
Do you see that?
She has a great talent along with a troubled life.
She has too many things on her chest.
They even make me feel heavy.
I remembered you showing me
the kimchi storage area the last time.
I really want to show it to Master Park.
Could I, by any chance?
Yes, you can. Please follow me.
Master Park, please come this way.
-Here, this way. -Yes.
What is wrong with him?
He shows it to nobody unless Mi-ok gives him permission.
Why did he go along with them?
What do you think?
Isn't this amazing?
Wow.
This reminds me of my house.
The date of when the kimchi was made
is well-documented in our house.
That's not all.
The taste of their food is also pretty similar to yours.
You wouldn't believe how similar it is.
I'm getting more and more curious about this lady.
Her skills are great for someone her age.
Geum-ho, what are you doing here?
I have to learn the family business, so that I can run it on behalf of my dad.
They are customers who know both your mom and dad well.
I'm showing them around.
He must be the son.
Hello.
I'm the eldest son of this family, Geum-ho Hwang.
Wait, aren't you the chairman of that multinational company?
Well, yes.
I heard about what happened to your father.
You had to go through such a sudden tragedy.
It must've been very hard for you.
This might be too late, but I would like to give my condolences.
Thank you.
If you'd allow us,
there should be a way to mass-produce this.
That's right.
Shit, not this one.
Birthday!
My God!
What are you doing here?
I was just messing with you in case you were bored.
See, wasn't it funny?
Yes, it's drop-dead funny.
Gosh, you scared me.
Sook-ja, of all the kinds of kimchi we have,
which one do our customers like the most?
Why do you ask?
Have you really decided to take over the family business?
Yes. I already told you.
The way we make kimchi here
is very different from other restaurants?
I mean, do you and my mom have some kind of secret recipe somewhere?
No, we don't have such a thing.
Why does our kimchi taste different then?
Do we have a secret ingredient that nobody else knows about?
Hey, that's ridiculous.
Ingredients are pretty much the same.
The secret might be in our method though.
-Our skills and the touch of our hands. -What?
Well,
shall I tell you more?
Devotion, time and the storage.
These are the secrets, if we have any. Do you get what I mean?
Skills, touch of our hands, devotion, time
and the storage.
So, nothing special?
Grandma.
Will food taste better if you put it in pretty bowls?
Sure.
-These bowls are alive. -Really?
You can't see it now,
but there are small holes for them to breathe through.
The food in the bowl can also breathe through these holes.
Does food breathe?
Of course, it does.
When it happens, their taste and smell will change.
-Will it taste better? -Yes.
Mom.
Hey, what are you doing here?
Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?
I missed you so much all of a sudden.
Well, what has gotten into you today?
What is it?
Geum-hee, aren't these bowls pretty?
Yes.
Wow, they are really pretty.
Mom.
Did you have a hard time when you were giving birth to me?
Why are you suddenly asking me that?
Do you think there's anyone who didn't have a hard time giving birth?
Ask them to come and see me.
How did you feel when you first saw me?
I wondered how could I give birth to such an ugly daughter.
Grandma, was she ugly when she was a baby?
Yes, she was.
She was very ugly.
-She looks much better now. -Really?
Yes.
Mom, what did you dream about when you were pregnant with me?
I had a dream that my mother placed jewels in my hands.
-Mom. -What?
What is wrong with you?
Did you do something bad behind my back?
No.
My dear, my grown-up baby.
Hey, Geum-hee.
Did you quit your job?
Why are you home at this hour?
Your father always said
that he was happy that you were finally being recognized
by a famous hospital.
You should work harder for the sake of your father.
Right, Mi-ok.
We had guests here while you were out.
Mr. Lee from USA and Ms. Park...
Wait, was she Gye-hyang Park?
What?
Gye-hyang Park
Finally...
I get to see my mom's food again after all this time.
Mom.
Hey, wait.
What did you say? Tell me.
Isn't this amazing?
We can trust a big company and do business with them.
We won't have to worry even if our business does not go well.
Well...
We just need to provide the methods and they will give royalty payments.
We can just sit back and get rich. Don't you get it?
Geum-ho, how far back do you remember about your childhood?
I don't know.
Maybe from when I was five or six?
Hey, I was talking to you about something important.
Don't talk nonsense.
Don't you remember anything about me when I was a baby?
Well, my mom and dad favored you.
So I threw tantrums and got scolded.
We have the same parents.
How come we are so different in terms of personality and all?
That's why we couldn't agree on anything.
I'm sorry, Geum-ho.
You didn't get enough love from Mom and Dad because of me.
Hey, are you sure you're okay?
Now that I think about it, I did a lot of mean things to you.
I'm sorry, Geum-ho.
You're scaring me.
Just talk like normal, bitch.
Here.
Take this money. I'll give you more later.
Are you sure you're not sick?
I can't believe you gave me money.
Well, you live and you learn.
NEUROSURGEON SUNG-JOON KIM
Why are you standing there saying nothing?
You look tired.
You did a lot of surgeries today.
Yes. What are you here then?
Did you know that Geum-hee quit her job?
Who did what?
I thought you knew. She just packed her things and left.
What are you talking about? She didn't say anything to me just now.
While you were in surgery, she resigned,
packed up and left.
What do you think?
I believe Dr. Geum-hee Hwang
should not work in our hospital.
You fool!
You only pretended to be strong but you are such a coward.
Sung-joon Kim!
No way.
I don't think so.
No. It can't be true.
He knows how I feel.
He wouldn't do that to me.
I'm sorry, I didn't know you have guests.
Did you say guests? We are not strangers.
I was about to call you anyway.
I'm glad you're here. Have a seat.
I have something to tell you.
What did you want to tell me?
It's about Dr. Geum-hee Hwang.
I heard that she resigned.
I tried to stop her several times but she kept on insisting.
I told her to come back whenever she wants.
But she looked pretty determined.
I get it.
I should get going.
Wait, Sung-joon.
How about the two of you get engaged next month?
I agree with him.
Only if you and I agree to it.
If you want to, we can skip the engagement and get married straight away.
I've never thought of getting engaged or married.
Have a good day.
He has been going through a lot in the past few days.
Please don't be offended and try to understand him.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I can't get you off my mind, Geum-hee.
Master Park.
I think you need to be treated at the hospital now.
I'm just having a bad day,
but I'm still holding up.
I'm really worried that something might happen to you.
No need to worry.
I can't leave this world before finishing my duty.
Some insist that they can beat cancer,
but it's still the deadliest disease.
Let's go to the hospital.
If Sung-joon or anybody else
by any chance, ask about me,
you shouldn't say a word about cancer.
Come on, Master Park.
Don't say anything until I decide to tell them myself.
The day you decide to tell anybody
is the day that I will die.
What a scary thing to say.
I have so much that needs to be done
and I had been slacking off. This is God's way
of rushing me to continue working.
God wants me to do my work quicker before I die,
that must be why he gave me cancer.
Dad.
It hurts for me to see my family.
I can't breathe.
Sung-joon, thank you. Thank you so much.
Now I can see Geum-hee everyday
just like I did before.
I'm scared that Geum-hee might give her heart to somebody else.
It's raining.
I first met you
shortly after you turned 100 days old.
Your mom and I met you in some town near the sea
by fate given by God.
Then, you became our daughter.
Although your mom did not conceive you,
she cared for you and loved you very much,
even more than the child
that she had in her for nine months.
That's a relief. Man-jae seems to be home.
Hey.
Why do you look so surprised? You're embarrassing me.
What are you doing here so late?
How did you know I was here?
Well, hold on.
Do you think that I came all the way here just to look for you?
No?
Of course not.
I'm off until tomorrow. So I came here to go hiking.
You're not good at hiking.
You don't even know. I made it to the peak today.
By the way, why did you come this way? You're in the wrong direction.
It's raining.
I needed to shelter from the rain and it made me think of this place.
I see.
You quit without saying a word
just to stay here like this?
Are you here to meditate?
Why do you care if I'm meditating or whatever?
I know. We're not that close. I didn't even know you were quitting.
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that.
Did you resign at your own will?
What I meant to say was, did you quit because you wanted to
or because someone asked you to?
No one can tell me what to do.
You laugh a lot, cry a lot and you look strong on the surface.
But on the inside, you're such a softie.
So, are we going to stand here all night?
Right, let's go inside.
Wow, it's very warm here.
Are you okay?
About what?
About work?
Of course I'm not okay. I lost my job.
I mean, the situation with your dad.
How are you handling your loss?
Are you okay?
With staying in the same room as me alone.
Well, I'll leave when it stops raining.
By the way, I'm hungry.
I was about to prepare a meal.
Are you coming with me?
Yes, I'm coming.
God.
Damn.
Wow, I didn't know you were this good.
This is perfect.
Soybean paste stew with zucchini is my favorite.
Good for you.
I'm the best at making soybean paste stew with zucchini.
My dad loves stew so much...
Why don't you set the table
instead of just sitting there like that?
Okay.
You may have noticed the last time
that there's nothing I can do here even if I wanted to.
My goodness.
I would be more helpful if I do nothing.
So I'm just going to sit here,
-to help you. -You don't have to say that.
Let me see.
Look, you should've been careful.
Hold it up for a second.
Why are you so careless?
You're staring at me.
Are you only realizing now that I'm good-looking?
Gosh, what are you talking about?
Just sit back. You can't do anything with that hand.
You said there's nothing you can do here.
I'm a doctor. I can't let my patient to work.
Come on, it was a small cut. I'm not your patient.
-Look. Is that how I'm supposed to cut it? -Yes.
I'm cooking for the first time, thanks to Geum-hee Hwang.
You're only cutting leeks.
-You suck. -Look at this.
What do you think is this?
Come on, the taste will be just as good.
-Goodness. -Wow, it's tasty.
We have some deodeok kimchi here.
Wow. Did your mom make this kimchi too?
Yes.
Your mom is almost as good as my grandma at making kimchi.
There's jujube and lingzhi mushroom in it. It's very healthy. Go ahead, eat.
We only used salt without salt-fermented sea food,
so don't worry about your allergy.
Well, you said you're allergic to shrimp.
You said that when you were here before.
It was just a passing remark. You still remember that?
Can't believe you remembered.
It's strange that I can't easily forget the things you said or did.
I just remember everything.
By any chance, do you still have the rice wine
that Man-jae brewed himself?
Yes. Since it's raining and we had fritters as a side dish,
rice wine would be great.
-I'll go get it. -No, let me.
-Where is it? -It's in the big jar next to the kimchi.
Okay.
-Bottoms up! -Cheers!
Good.
Hey, Young-joo. What's up?
Sung-joon was off today. He must have gone to the mountains.
There might not be reception there. Wait a bit longer.
Bye.
-Gun-woo. -Yes, ma'am?
You're still waiting here.
-Aren't you tired? -I'm okay.
Geum-hee's not coming back soon but you're still waiting here.
Did...
something happen
-to Geum-hee that I don't know about? -What?
What is it? Tell me.
Actually, Geum-hee resigned from her position at the hospital.
What? When?
Yesterday.
I knew it. She's been acting weird since yesterday.
She said she was going to the hospital. Where could she be now?
She might be at Professor Park's
or Man-jae's house.
Do you mean the house in Mount Sikjang?
Sung-joon's in the mountain, too.
Why on earth did she quit her job?
To tell you the truth, Geum-ho came to the hospital a few days ago
and made a little scene.
That might have something to do with it.
What in the world did he do at the hospital that would make her quit?
He's always standing in her way.
Hey, go easy on it. You're going to get drunk.
Come on.
-Give it to me. -What's wrong?
Why do you drink in the first place if you don't want to get drunk?
Relax. I'm a heavy drinker.
Who is that on your necklace? She is such a beauty.
That?
She's my mom.
My parents separated when I was young.
I can't remember her face without a photo.
Even if I walked pass her in the streets,
I wouldn't recognize her.
I guess so.
Even she, even as a mother,
would not be able to recognize her baby
after being separated for so many years, right?
Master Park, Sung-joon is not home yet.
Gun-woo said he went up the mountain.
Why is he so late?
Didn't he say anything in the morning?
No, I haven't seen him since last night.
If he's really in the mountain like Gun-woo said...
I'm getting worried.
We talked about his engagement with Young-joo.
I think he's getting some air to clear his mind.
Don't push him too much.
Maybe he took after his mother.
He is too soft-hearted.
Are you asleep?
He's asleep.
You are bad at drinking.
I'll tell you this since you're sleeping.
Lately...
life has been so hard and it makes me sick.
You know what's funny?
Whenever something happens, I can't help but think of your face.
I also see your face on other people's faces all the time.
So I'm asking you
to please not talk to me like you know me so well.
It feels like you can read my mind.
It makes my heart sink to my stomach.
It's already driving me crazy not knowing what is on my mind.
How would I know what is on your mind?
Don't worry about me.
You worry and care about me.
You're making me think of you and depend on you
whenever I'm having a hard time.
You're spoiling me.
Don't even smile at me.
Once I see your smile,
I can't get it out of my mind.
I'm not able to concentrate at all.
When my dad passed away,
when I read the letter
and when I left the hospital,
why was this face the first thing that came to my mind?
How dare you sleep outside without letting me know!
I won't let you do it again.
You've never done this before. What on earth has gotten into you?
Geum-hee, where are you?
Mom.
Don't even think about lying.
I was waiting outside for you all night.
Were you out all night because you were worried about me?
What mother won't be worried
when her daughter slept outside without her knowing?
You could've at least called me.
I'm sorry, Mom. I'm really sorry.
I came to Man-jae's house and I just fell asleep.
Geum-hee, why didn't you tell me?
Until when are you going to keep it a secret?
Mom, what are you talking about?
You quit your job, didn't you?
How did you find out?
How could you make such a big decision without discussing with me?
It's because of Geum-ho, right?
No. It's not because of him. I swear he's really not the reason.
When will you come home? Come and talk to me.
Mom.
I'm going to spend another day to rest my mind.
Please don't worry about me.
Okay. I'll call you later.
Well, you know my friend who runs the eastern medicine clinic in Busan?
I get it.
To my loving daughter, Geum-Hee
Hey.
Geum-hee Hwang.
Geum-hee Hwang!
I have things to do so I need to go first.
You were sleeping very well so I didn't want to wake you up.
Heat up the dried pollack soup and make sure to have breakfast.
I would've been scared if I was alone in the rain last night.
Thank you.
When she's like this, she's so lady-like.
Excuse me. May I ask you something?
Do you know this address?
You don't? Thank you.
Look at that woman.
I knew it. Nobody is better than you.
Her hands are better than a scale.
Unless you look into her eyes, you can't even tell that she's blind.
You know what I think?
I wonder if that blind woman is doing it properly or not.
I think you're all just faking it.
Did you just say "faking it"?
I can't believe these guys.
You're just looking down on us because we're from another town.
You didn't even weigh our fish and you're giving them a low grade.
What makes you so sure
that this blind woman is the best?
Don't you know
that only those who passed the test can work here?
Don't raise your voice when you know nothing.
I don't care about that.
But it seems like you had our fish inspected by her on purpose.
She's only rubbing and damaging our fish.
Either pay for all our fish at the middle-grade price
or pay for the damages!
I am blind but I won't make such mistake.
You're dragging your fish
here and there for days to sell them at a higher price.
But what you got is a low-grade at best.
Did you see it?
Did you see us dragging our fish here and there?
-My God! -Goodness!
-God! What is going on? -Fuck!
Look at this!
Look at what she did.
She mangled our fish. Hey, you, get up!
What are you going to do? Pay for them all, now!
-I can't. -You bitch!
-Holy crap! -What happened?
Who the hell are you? Are you one of them?
Who do you think you have just hit? Come here.
Goodness!
Hey, bring her over here.
Goodness!
I heard everything.
They carried their fish around for three days.
They are just putting on a show.
Are you just going to watch?
Are you all right?
Excuse me.
Please have this.
Are you okay?
How can you inspect fish just by touching them?
I think you're amazing.
The fish my dad caught was my toy and I began to learn about it
even before I could walk.
You're amazing.
Mom.
Mom, are you okay?
-Yes, I am. -Ms. Yoo-soon Yook.
Are you sure you're okay?
Is it true you got involved in a gang fight?
This young lady helped me
so I didn't lose any money or get hurt.
I am so grateful to her!
I see.
Hello. I'm Gook-young Jang.
Thank you for your help.
Not at all. It was nothing.
My name is Geum-hee Hwang.
I see.
I guess you didn't have lunch yet? Please come and eat at our place.
Right. Come and have a meal.
HAENARU SUSHI RESTAURANT AND LODGING
Looks good.
Tasty.
Delicious!
This is really delicious.
This is the best noodle soup I've ever eaten in my life.
You are the best
that I've ever seen at enjoying the meal I prepared.
Absolutely the best.
Right.
By any chance,
do you know this person?
Yes, I do.
She's quite famous in our town.
Really? Can you please bring me to her?
Who? Is she looking for Red Pepper Lady?
Yes, you're right, Mom.
Red Pepper Lady?
Grandma.
It's me, Gook-young.
Grandma.
You punk.
What are you doing here abandoning your mother?
And who is that girl?
Why would I abandon my mom?
She's a visitor. She wanted to see you.
Hello.
My name is Geum-hee Hwang and I'm from Daejeon.
My dad's name is Young-chul Hwang.
Dear.
-Is he really your father? -Yes.
-What is your mother's name? -Her name is Mi-ok Kim.
There.
By the way, why are you doing this?
Why are you nosing around for our family's secret?
Although you're still quite clumsy,
you have potential.
Your birth mother was a good cook too.
He is being swayed right now.
If you hesitate,
someone else might take him before you do.
Could this person be Geum-hee Hwang?
Since you're not in the hospital,
it feels like an empty place.
I wonder what you are doing. I keep thinking about you.
How could I not care about you?
Subtitle translation by Min-shil Moon