Free Web NovelStarting with Hyunseong’s family and Myungsoo’s, many families from the neighborhood came by the house to greet Grandma for the New Year.
Only when evening fell did the stream of visitors finally thin out, and I stretched comfortably, loosening up.
Then, suddenly, the doorbell rang again.
And Myungsoo and Hyunseong—who had already left earlier—came back in.
“What is it?”
I greeted them bluntly, half-heartedly, and Myungsoo twisted his face in a strange expression.
“What do you mean what. We came to grab a drink. Grandma! Can we borrow Muhyuk for a bit?”
At his shout, Grandma came out from the inner room.
“Sure! Take him quickly! I’m sick of him already.”
Instead of stopping them, she actually pushed me out from behind.
“Hey, hey, Grandma!”
“Go out and play with Myungsoo and Hyunseong! Grandma wants to rest too.”
Seeing how tired she looked, I couldn’t say anything and just ended up following my friends outside.
“Where are we going?”
“How about grilled shellfish? It’s hard to get good stuff like that in Seoul.”
Hyunseong quietly nodded at Myungsoo’s suggestion.
At the mention of shellfish, my ears perked up too.
“Let’s go to Jagal Madang. It’s been a while.”
Jagal Madang in Yeongdo was a place we used to visit often when we were kids.
Like Myungsoo said, going back after so long didn’t sound bad.
Since it was nearby, the guys decided to ride with me.
“Have the bodyguards stay outside. Only Manager Ma comes along. I want to eat quietly with my friends.”
“Yes, Boss.”
The bodyguards followed from a distance, and I naturally walked toward Jagal Madang.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Myungsoo called out to me as I walked ahead.
“What? Isn’t it this way?”
“You seriously haven’t been here in years, have you? When Typhoon Maemi hit a few years ago, this place got completely wiped out. They rebuilt everything a bit uphill and created a proper shellfish village. Everyone moved there.”
“Really? And how do you know that?”
“What are you saying? Did you forget I’m a National Assembly member?”
We bickered as we walked.
The shore near Taejongdae was covered in pebbles. Each step made a pleasant crunching sound.
That’s why it was called Jagal Madang, and along that rocky beach there used to be many shellfish stalls.
“They were planning to renovate anyway, but thanks to the typhoon they cleared everything out. It’s changed a lot. Come this way.”
I followed Myungsoo.
We hadn’t even walked far when we saw the lit sign reading “Original Shellfish Village.”
“So they really moved everything.”
“Why would I lie? All the old stalls are here now.”
As we went further inside, shellfish restaurants lined both sides.
“Is Seok’s aunt still running her place?”
“Yeah. She and Seok run it together now. Want to go there?”
“Good. It’s been a while since we saw her. Let’s boost her sales too.”
Myungsoo nodded and led the way.
In front of the shops, middle-aged vendors were shouting out to attract customers, and inside it was packed.
It seemed like people—like us—who had returned home for the New Year, or families out for shellfish.
The atmosphere was lively, but no one tried to call us over.
“They’re not even trying to attract us?”
“Of course not. They recognize me. I told you—I’m a National Assembly member.”
Myungsoo stopped, puffed out his chest, and put his hands on his hips.
Always showing off. I nudged the back of his knee lightly.
“You’re a lawmaker, but you’re acting like this in the street? Aren’t you embarrassed? So where exactly are we going?”
“We’re almost there.”
As we moved further in, a sign reading “Seok’s Place” appeared at the very end.
Then, Hyunseong—who had been quiet—looked around and muttered:
“...The location’s not great. Won’t business be slow?”
It was on the opposite end from the entrance, after all.
“That’s true, but they draw lots every two years to change locations. It’s just luck.”
At our voices, a familiar woman dozing in front of the shop opened her eyes.
Still half-asleep, she stared blankly at us for a moment—then suddenly sprang up.
She rushed toward Myungsoo.
“Oh my! Isn’t this Assemblyman Lee?”
“Auntie! It’s been a while. You’ve been well, right?”
“I’ve been well. I see you on TV all the time, so you don’t feel unfamiliar. You haven’t changed a bit since you were young...”
She recognized Myungsoo instantly and grabbed his hands, greeting him warmly.
As for Hyunseong and me, she stared for quite a while before finally recognizing us.
“You’re Muhyuk and Hyunseong, right? Oh my! I almost didn’t recognize you! You’ve grown so much. Jinseok! Come out! The hyung you like so much—Muhyuk hyung—is here!”
Inside, a young man grilling shellfish for customers turned his head.
It was Jeong Jinseok—grown up, but still the same.
He paused, staring at me without saying anything.
He tilted his head slightly, clearly unsure.
There was quite an age gap between us, so it was natural.
But only for a moment—his face lit up in recognition.
The kid who used to follow us around calling us hyung, hyung had grown this big.
“Hyung!”
He quickly excused himself from the customers and ran over.
“Muhyuk hyung, right? It’s really you, right?”
He was huge now, with a deep voice—but the way he spoke hadn’t changed at all.
“Jinseok, you’ve grown a lot. Still recognize your hyung?”
“Of course! There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize Muhyuk hyung. That’s Hyunseong hyung next to you. And I saw Myungsoo hyung once recently, so I knew right away.”
Hyunseong nodded quietly, while Myungsoo smirked and slung an arm over Jinseok’s shoulder.
“When did that little kid grow up and start helping his mom? Last time I saw you at Busan Station, you were in military uniform, right?”
“Yes. I was on my final leave then. I wasn’t sure at first. I couldn’t believe Myungsoo hyung became a National Assembly member...”
“What? Hey! What’s wrong with me?”
“Well, honestly, out of all the hyungs here, you’re the most—”
“You little punk!”
Their back-and-forth made both me and Hyunseong burst out laughing.
“Hyungs, come inside first. I’ll give you plenty of service.”
“Yeah, come in! I’ll pick the freshest ones for you!”
Jinseok guided us to the best table at the very end, overlooking the sea.
“Just wait a bit. I’ll bring the best ones. Let me finish grilling for the other customers first...”
“Jinseok, go do your work. Don’t worry about us too much.”
“Still...”
I waved him off.
He immediately went back to work, grabbing tongs and scissors.
Then, in a friendly voice, he said to the other customers:
“Sorry, hyungs and noonas! Some close friends came after a long time! «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» I’ll give you a free drink—please understand!”
I chuckled at the sight. He’d really grown up.
“What about drinks? Somaek?”
Myungsoo asked as he casually headed to the fridge.
I nodded.
“Anything else?”
“Nope. Just asking out of courtesy.”
He confidently brought back soju and beer.
“Auntie! Bring us some side dishes first! I’m starving!”
She peeked out from the kitchen.
“Wait a bit! Why are you in such a hurry? I thought you’d become more mature after becoming a lawmaker—but you’re exactly the same!”
“Hah, Auntie. Haven’t you heard? If a person changes, they die.”
Grinning, Myungsoo poured soju and beer into glasses.
In an instant, three drinks were ready.
“Let’s start with a refreshing one.”
He pushed a glass to each of us and raised his own.
Hyunseong and I clinked glasses with him.
“Ahh! This is great! What a perfect day—good friends, good drinks, and this seaside atmosphere! I’m already drunk.”
At his nonsense, Hyunseong set his glass down and said dryly:
“You really are drunk already. What seaside view? It’s pitch dark—you can’t see anything.”
“What? You’re dead. Give me your glass. Double soju.”
Watching them bicker brought back old memories.
Before I knew it, I burst out laughing.
After laughing for a while, I said, still smiling:
“Seriously, I can’t tell if you two are friends or enemies. Seeing you still like this even now—it really brings back memories.”
I turned my head toward the dark sea.
There were no lights, so as Hyunseong said, nothing was visible.
“You can’t see anything, but the winter breeze and the sound of the waves... it reminds me of when we were kids. I guess I’m getting drunk on the atmosphere too. For today, I’ll side with Myungsoo.”
Hyunseong clicked his tongue, and Myungsoo grinned triumphantly.
I looked back at the sea again. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Because of where we sat, the sound of the waves came gently.
The salty sea breeze brushed past my nose—familiar.
It had been so long that even the memories were fading, but the scent remained engraved.
Just then, Auntie brought out side dishes—sea squirts, sea cucumbers, and even chopped octopus.
“Here, eat this first.”
“Oh! Auntie, it’s been a while since I had tangtangi.”
Myungsoo licked his lips and picked up his spoon.
I did the same, scooping a bite into my mouth.
The texture—still moving—felt vivid, and for some reason it made me feel good.
“Hey! What’s with you eating first!”
Startled, Myungsoo hurriedly took a bite too.
“Ahh, this is the taste. You can’t get this in Seoul.”
I nodded and poured myself another drink.
For some reason, I was craving soju today.
When I was with friends, I preferred this over expensive liquor.
I downed another shot and picked up some sea squirt.
The ocean flavor filled my mouth—and it felt like all worries disappeared.
“Hey, why are you eating alone like that?”
“It’s fine. Eating normally is enough. It’s weird to keep toasting like kids.”
“I am a kid. I’m toasting. Cheers!”
As we kept drinking and finishing the dishes, Jinseok brought over a huge tray of shellfish.
“Hyungs, I’ll grill it for you.”
As he placed the shellfish on the charcoal grill, Myungsoo snatched the tongs and scissors.
“No need. This hyung will grill it. You don’t make the younger one do this.”
“Wow! Myungsoo hyung really has become a proper adult?”
“Hey! Watch your mouth.” freeweɓnovel.cѳm
I looked at Jinseok, now standing awkwardly without the tools.
“If you’re done, sit down. First time drinking with us, right?”
“Yes, hyung.”
He quickly sat down, holding his soju glass with both hands.
I smiled and filled it generously—right up to the brim.
He turned his head and emptied it in one go, then handed the glass back.
“This time, I’ll pour for Muhyuk hyung.”
He filled my glass just as full—stopping right before it overflowed.
“This is my affection, hyung!”
I drank it in one shot and set the glass down.
“Alright, let’s just eat now. Tell me how you’ve been.”
“Yes, hyung.”
As the shellfish grilled golden on the fire, I listened to Jinseok’s story and kept drinking.
“I didn’t have anything else going on, so I came back to help my mother. Guess I’m not meant for Seoul.”
He had gotten a job at a small company in Seoul but returned after a year because he couldn’t adapt.
I nodded.
“Yeah, Seoul’s hard to adjust to. Still, you could’ve contacted us.”
“Come on! It’s been so long—I couldn’t just reach out shamelessly.”
Making a fuss, Jinseok picked up spare tongs and scissors.
He cut up a well-cooked scallop and placed it on my plate.
“Here, hyung. Try this—it’s perfectly cooked.”
I ate it and nodded.
Seeing him look at me expectantly, I said:
“As expected, this place still has the best grilled shellfish.”
“Of course. I picked the freshest ones.”
We drank and talked through the night.
