Tricking My Cold Lover

Ha-joon and Lian were exhausted, coming from the river tour. Rather, they pretended to be tired. Obviously, the couple had other plans for themselves. They determined to rest for the afternoon while Chun-Ho decided to go around the small town for himself.      

Instead of returning to the hotel with the newlyweds, Chun-Ho went straight to the nearest market, hoping to try out some local delicacies.      

The streets were not so crowded, with only very few locals and tourists going around, it was very encouraging to jump from one shop to another.      

As he went further into the local marketplace, he noticed one particular stall crowded with people. He went past it, planning to return when there were only very few people left, but after coming back after an hour, the stall was still filled with people.      

He tried to get close, but rows of people lined up at the stall. He took a glimpse of the small signage on the stall, which was barely visible, merely placed at the lower front. He shook his head in disbelief. It was a mere moksal kimchi stall, but it was filled with people.      

He scoffed, thinking; he was away from Korea and the most sought after a stall in the marketplace in the province of Guangxi was still... Korean food.     

"Miss Xing! Two orders of moksal kimchi, please!"     

"Kimchi only for me, Miss Xing! Thank you!"     

"Kimbap for me, please."     

"Coming right up!" He heard whoever was behind the stall say and whom they were referring to as Miss Xing.     

Chun-Ho walked away, but he heard praises about the food.      

"Miss Xing, your Korean food is the best!"     

"Yes, I love your kimchi and your kimbap!"     

He thought to squeeze himself in and get the same kind of food for himself. As he walked back, he heard more individuals place their orders.      

"One order of moksal kimchi for me!"     

"And for me!"     

"Miss Xing, can I have my moksal grilled?"     

"Sure! Thank you for today! I'm closing after the last orders! Tomorrow again!" Said back the woman named Miss Xing.      

Chun-Ho frowned. It was still five in the afternoon, and the stall was already closing for the day. He sighed and said, "Whatever, I've eaten moksal kimchi almost every day of my life."     

'Xing,' he thought. Xing meant star in Chinese. He sighed before realizing Byeol also meant star in the Korean language. He muttered, "Great, now the moksal kimchi just reminded me of Byeol."     

The next day, a tour guide took them around town. They were not lingering too long in the province as they were moving the next one on the map. Thus, they already started buying their souvenirs. They were scheduled to leave the next day, late afternoon.      

"I know you guys are Korean," said the tour guide. "But there is this crazy Korean stall that is taking our town by storm. They love the flavor of the moksal kimchi that is at the marketplace."     

"But, it can get too crowded there, so I've already asked my colleague to get you some of their specialties."     

"I'm fine with Korean food, I am Chinese," said Lian.      

"We always love our own," added Ha-joon.      

"Is that the stall of Miss Xing?" Asked Chun-Ho. "I passed by the other day and the stall was packed! People surrounding it and the line was long."     

"Miss Xing's! Yes! That's it!" Said the tour guide. "Sometimes, the lady speaks a little Korean so we really think she is Korean, but she says she is Chinese, cooking Korean food."     

They were all walking on the sidewalk, having passed from one store to another when the tour guide spoke. He said, "I'll take you to a small park, and that is where we can have a relaxing lunch, facing the river!"     

Carrying with them loads of shopping bags, they rested in the park to have lunch, settling on a small wooden table, facing the river banks.      

They finally tasted the Korean food the tour guide bragged about. Of course, he also brought some local delicacies for the group to try.      

"Hmmm, the flavor of the kimchi is superb," remarked Ha-joon. "And! I've eaten kimchi all my life."     

Chun-Ho nodded the same. He said, "the moksal is well marinated too."     

"I can't tell the difference, but I love it!" Lian remarked, happily chewing on the food.      

They were eating three dishes coming from the said Korean stall and they all loved it.      

Chun-Ho was very impressed by what he ate that he said, "I think... I'll drop by the stall later on to get more. I really like the food."     

Ha-joon agreed, giving Chun-Ho a thumbs up. He said, "Go ahead. We can bring back all the shopping bags. Lian and I will be busy all through the night."     

"Pfft! Haha! Yes," said Lian, laughing at her husband's words. Thankfully, the bananas did work and Ha-joon no longer complained about having weak legs after pulling out an all-nighter of making love.      

Chun-Ho could only shake his head. Having seen his friends getting married, he understood what they meant, but he never fully grasped what was so thrilling about it.      

After taking a break at the park, the group concluded their local city tour. Ha-joon and Lian returned to their hotel while Chun-ho went to the marketplace.      

As usual, there was a long line.      

There were small tables and chairs within three meters from the stall, but the front remained crowded with those taking orders. He sighed and patiently waited in line.      

Chun-Ho could tell, there were two people manning the stall, but he could not make out a face, standing ten people away, plus not to mention the crowd that remained surrounded the front of the stall, waiting for a table to become empty.     

When the crowd slowly dispersed, taking their seats on one unoccupied table each time, only then did he notice the woman named Miss Xing. She was moving fast in the small space of her stall, grilling, and cooking at the same time.      

Her hair was short, really short, and layered. She had fair, flawless skin. She was wearing average clothes, an apron, and a hat to hold her hair together. She wore a mask over her face, but still, Chun-Ho thought she looked familiar.      

He gulped, feeling his heart raced at the recognizable sight. He asked, 'Could it be?'     

After handing out the prepared meals to her assistant, Miss Xing took a break. She off her mask to drink a bottle of water.      

The revelation utterly shook Chun-Ho's world. The woman who they were referring to as Miss Xing was none other than Chai Byeol, the same woman he had been searching for, for over six months.      

Her hair was short, but her face remained the same, unscratched. Her allure was still obvious despite the simple clothes she wore.      

Miss Xing, covered her face with the mask and turned to the queue saying, "Next - "     

Seeing the shock expression on the woman's face, Chun-Ho concluded, his gut feeling was right. He said, "Hello... wife."