Chapter 22: The Pink Grim Reaper

Following the pink-haired child, a few others entered the restaurant.

They were Han Seoyoung, her campaign team members, and a cameraman.

“Excuse me, would it be alright if we filmed while eating a bowl of Sundae soup?”

Han Seoyoung asked cautiously.

Although she was naturally polite, she was even more so now because Park Malja, the elderly woman behind the counter, wore a fearsome expression.

‘I’ve noticed this before, but she really looks like one of those terrifying, eccentric grandmas from a comic book…’

This wasn’t Han Seoyoung’s first visit to the restaurant.

She had been here once during her university days with Kang Jiwoo.

“One regular Sundae soup, please!”

“……”

The old woman shot a sharp glance at Kang Jiwoo, let out an unintelligible grunt, and headed into the kitchen.

In her place, the fisherman uncle took on the role of host.

“Our boss here is a bit of an artist, so her emotions can be all over the place. Don’t worry, though, she’s not mad. Please, take a seat.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Han Seoyoung and her team claimed a table.

Kang Jiwoo climbed onto her chair, her legs dangling as she eagerly awaited her soup.

Looking around, Han Seoyoung asked the fisherman,

“This place is famous, right? I’ve been here before. Back then, it was so crowded that I had to wait in line. I guess I got lucky today.”

“Yeah, it used to be like that. But these days, we don’t get as many customers.”

“Ah…”

Han Seoyoung fell silent.

The cameras were rolling, and she didn’t want to risk saying something that could stir controversy.

Instead, she checked the live chat.

“Is she about to conquer Sundae soup?”

“That kid’s doing a mukbang with Sundae soup lololol.”

“Oh, that’s a famous spot, isn’t it?”

“Stopped going there after the taste changed.”

“Jiwooping! Add some radish kimchi juice!”

“Seriously, try it—it’ll change your life lolol.”

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the mukbang.

Sundae soup was one of those dishes that, when eaten properly, could be unbelievably delicious.

But would the candidate be able to handle it?

Han Seoyoung’s worries didn’t last long.

‘She’s always been a Sundae soup fanatic. She’ll be fine—it’s not even spicy.’

Kang Jiwoo sometimes seemed like she was obsessed with Sundae soup.

On some days, she’d eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This was one of the restaurants she considered among the top three Sundae soup spots in Seoul.

The food arrived.

The milky broth bubbled in the clay pot, sending up a delicious aroma that made mouths water.

Kang Jiwoo’s eyes widened and sparkled like stars.

“Wow… Thank you for the food~!”

The old woman ignored her and retreated into the kitchen.

“Candidate, it’s hot, so make sure to blow on it first.”

“Okay!”

Whoooo!

Whoooooooo!

She diligently blew on the broth in her spoon and took a big bite.

The spectators watching Kang Jiwoo eat her soup burst into laughter.

“She’s good at eating Sundae soup, too.”

“I thought she’d only like kids’ food, but she eats everything well.”

“She eats so well—it’s adorable!”

While everyone was charmed by Kang Jiwoo’s eating, she suddenly set her spoon down.

“Candidate?”

Kang Jiwoo shut her mouth tightly and blinked rapidly.

Her face began to flush, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead and nose.

“Hah… Hah… Water…”

“Water? Is it spicy?”

“Waaaaater…!!”

Han Seoyoung quickly poured her a glass.

Kang Jiwoo gulped it down in one go without pausing.

‘Spicy? Sundae soup isn’t spicy…’

There wasn’t any red pepper paste in the soup, so why was she reacting like this?

Sensing something was off, Han Seoyoung stirred the soup with her spoon.

Pieces of green vegetables floated to the surface.

‘Cheongyang chili peppers.’

Finely chopped Cheongyang chili peppers.

Crunch!

Han Seoyoung clenched her teeth in frustration.

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

“……”

“Ma’am!”

“SH—?”

Park Malja continued cleaning the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

“Why did you put Cheongyang chili peppers in the soup?”

“Cheongyang chili peppers? What are you talking about?”

“If you didn’t want us filming, you could’ve just said so! Why resort to something like this…?”

“What kind of nonsense is this? What do you mean I put something in? You barged in and filmed without permission, and now you’re trying to paint me as a petty old woman, huh?”

“What?!”

“…!”

Han Seoyoung was about to lose her temper.

The seasoned Park Seokji stepped in.

“Hohoho. It seems our candidate found the dish a bit too spicy. Drink plenty of water and stay healthy for a long time. Chief Han, let’s go.”

“Wait a moment!”

“No, listen to me.”

“Calm down. There’s nothing to gain from arguing with a citizen, especially when cameras are around.”

Thanks to the veteran politician’s handling of the situation, the “Cheongyang Pepper Soup Incident” didn’t escalate further.

“You rotten scoundrels! Who do you think you are, wrecking my place like this? Don’t ever come back!”

Even as they left, Park Malja continued shouting. Her angry tirade was fully captured on camera.

The chat room went wild.

“Did she deliberately put Cheongyang peppers in soup meant for a child?”

“That old lady’s lost her mind.”

“Seems senile.”

“Wow, creepy vibes.”

“Where is this? I’m heading straight for a review bomb.”

“It’s already rated 2 stars? LOL.”

“Let’s drag it lower.”

“Places like this should just shut down.”

By the end of the day, Park Malja’s restaurant rating had dropped to 1 star.

The campaign rally turned out to be a massive success.

With articles about Kang Jiwoo’s mukbang flooding the news, Cho Seyoung’s rally was completely overshadowed.

“Our candidate did it again!”

“Jiwooping is the best!”

“Jiwooping! Jiwooping! Jiwooping!!”

Party members joyfully chanted my name.

“Hehe…”

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

But the celebration didn’t last long.

Though they might have wanted to hold a modest party, we were too busy.

“It’s time for the Strategy Planning Office meeting. Everyone, gather up.”

“Chief Han, I think you should take a look at this.”

“Representative Park, are you here? The Jecheon camp just called; they said it’s urgent!”

It was already past 8 p.m., but most of us still hadn’t gone home.

“Would you like to study here in the office for a bit, Candidate?”

“Sure.”

Han Seoyoung’s schedule dictated mine, so I decided to study vocabulary in my office while waiting.

“Og…”

But studying wasn’t going well. My mood was too gloomy.

“Why was the sundae soup spicy…”

The Cheongyang peppers in the sundae soup, the ones added by the old lady, had left a lasting sting in my mind.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the soup and her face, making it impossible to concentrate.

Just then, a mysterious voice called out.

“Jiwooping.”

“Eek!”

From behind the couch, Bong Soohee rose.

I had thought I was alone in the office, so I was startled.

“Don’t dwell too much on what happened earlier. Not everyone in the world is going to like you. And that’s okay. Don’t let it bother you.”

“Alright…”

Her words of comfort didn’t improve my mood much.

Bong Suhee rummaged in her pocket and pulled out her smartphone.

“Want to watch TaniPing?”

“Yes!”

There’s nothing like TanniPing to lift the spirits.

My eyes were immediately glued to the screen.

Still, the heaviness in my heart remained.

The market sundae soup shop…

I’d visited a few times during my college years.

Back then, the owner had been famous as a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party.

She always had political news playing and wouldn’t let customers change the channel.

I’d even seen her argue with customers of differing political leanings.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

Back then, she hadn’t been like this.

She might argue with customers, but she always treated them well.

Even after heated debates, she would offer free side dishes—a cool and generous person.

I had fond memories of her.

That’s why her change weighed on my mind.

“Her face didn’t look too well either…”

People seek something to lean on when they’re lonely.

For some, it’s games. For others, it’s stray cats on the street. For others still, it’s politics.

I couldn’t be certain, but perhaps the owner had turned to politics more deeply because she couldn’t bear her loneliness.

So, was that why I hated it so much…?

As I pondered that thought, my mouth murmured on its own.

“Because of Mischief Ping, people are acting mischievous…”

Mischief Ping.

This episode’s villain.

He cast a spell that made the protagonist’s homeroom teacher act out of character.

Seeing that, my young mind let its imagination run wild.

“Mischief Ping must have cast a spell on Grandma too…”

Indeed, a child’s thoughts are adorable.

The problem is, those thoughts don’t just stay in my head.

“I’m going to be the president, so I need to help people…”

I must remove Mischief Ping clinging to Grandma!

How?

I have no idea! First, let’s go to the soup restaurant!

I glanced at Bong Suhee.

She was lying on the sofa, asleep.

Quietly, stealthily.

I approached with cat-like steps and slipped her wallet out.

A thrill coursed through me at the sense of committing a naughty act.

Though technically, I was stealing my own wallet, so it wasn’t exactly bad.

Anyway.

The child’s impulse to help Grandma, bewitched by Mischief Ping, combined with my own craving for soup, led me to embark on this secret mission.

‘Good thing I live in a safe country.’

As long as I didn’t venture too far out, nothing bad would happen.

Still, to be safe, I decided to stay alert.

Finally, outside the building.

“Escape… successful!”

I darted toward the bus stop.

My destination: the market’s sundae soup restaurant.

Just after Kang Jiwoo left the office.

Flash.

Bong Soohee opened her eyes.

In truth, she hadn’t been sleeping.

She had merely been meditating, eyes closed, to rest her mind.

‘Jiwoo Ping, you’re serious about soup, aren’t you?’

She pressed a baseball cap snugly onto her head.

Putting on a jacket that appeared to belong to Han Seoyoung and a mask, she followed Kang Jiwoo immediately.

‘Doesn’t seem like she knows.’

Luckily, it seemed Kang Jiwoo hadn’t noticed her.

Bong Soohee took out her smartphone.

She began recording Kang Jiwoo, who was striding through the streets with a spring in her step.

The title of the video:

“Jiwoo Ping’s Grand Adventure.”

Ding-

The video recording started.

The market’s lights were dimming.

Grandma Park Malja was tidying up her shop.

“Sigh.”

She couldn’t stop sighing.

It was because of what happened earlier that day.

The child who came to eat sundae soup.

The Cheongyang peppers in the soup.

The people who had yelled at her.

After they left, even Mr. Fisheries blew up at her.

“Ma’am! This is too much! You’re ruining the market’s reputation!”

“I’m telling you, I didn’t do it!”

“Isn’t this your restaurant? You make the food, you serve it. If you didn’t put those peppers in, did ghosts do it?”

“Really, I didn’t. I’m saying it wasn’t me…”

“Enough! I don’t know anymore. I always stood by you, even when people criticized you, but not anymore. Don’t expect to see me for a while.”

It was the first time Mr. Fisheries had ever gotten that angry.

Well, she thought, it wasn’t unreasonable. After all, she had done something terrible to a child.

It wasn’t strange for him to be so upset, Park Malja reflected.

Clatter.

As she refilled the empty spoon container, Park Malja suddenly slumped into a chair, clutching her head.

Was it the flu? Chills crept up on her.

“Am I catching a cold…”

She huddled in her chair, shivering.

In the quiet shop, even the noises from outside seemed absent.

Perhaps due to loneliness, her body felt even colder.

Shaking, she asked herself.

Why had she done it?

Why had she filled the soup with Cheongyang peppers?

“…I don’t know.”

She questioned herself repeatedly.

She tried to recall, again and again, the moment she had made the sundae soup.

What was I thinking back then?

But.

“I really don’t know… I can’t remember…”

Nothing came to her.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

The recent decrease in customers was due to a series of mysterious mistakes in the kitchen.

Serving the wrong menu items, forgetting to add blood sausage to the blood sausage soup…

Mistakes that were completely absurd for someone who had spent their whole life in the business kept happening.

The real issue was that there were no memories of making these mistakes.

Terrified, she went to the hospital a few days ago.

After a simple cognitive test, the diagnosis was suspicion of dementia,

and she was advised to undergo a detailed examination.

However, convinced it wasn’t dementia, she postponed the tests.

“My children are busy just trying to make a living… When you get old, you should just die… Die gracefully…”

Suddenly, a severe chill swept over her.

Her body trembled so much it felt like she would shake apart.

Huddled in front of an empty utensil holder, she kept curling her body tighter.

Eyes squeezed shut.

In her imagination, the grandmother’s body kept growing smaller.

So small that she felt she could fit herself into the utensil holder and close the lid on her own.

“Ugh…”

Was she falling ill?

Or was it loneliness?

‘If only someone would come visit… anyone…’

At this moment, even the nagging of Susan-ajusshi would have been welcome.

But the market had already closed for the day.

And even if someone was still around, the merchants who disliked her wouldn’t bother coming to see her.

“Heejung…”

Heejung was her grandson.

He had passed away young, far too early.

If this chill was a sign of death, she wished Heejung would come to fetch her.

She hoped her precious little puppy, whom she loved more than life itself, would come to her.

The doorbell jingled.

Startled, Park Malja timidly raised her head from where it had been buried.

Step.

The door had opened, but no one came in.

There were footsteps, but no one could be seen.

Could it really be a grim reaper coming for her?

As fear gripped her, her heart began to harden like stone.

“Grandma…?”

A small figure, hidden behind the table, appeared.

“Are you feeling sick…?”

The little pink child toddler forward.

It was Kang Jiwoo.