The next morning, Eun-chae went to the kitchen with a notebook instead of her laptop. Grandma was already setting the breakfast table.
“Gran, I want to ask you for a favor starting today.”
“What is it?”
“Before this place becomes mine, teach me everything you used to do here, one thing at a time. Cleaning, whatever.”
Grandma turned toward Eun-chae, ladle in hand.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“After hearing what you said yesterday, I realized I can’t just learn the paperwork. I need to know what you did for the guests and how you did it, too.”
Grandma looked at Eun-chae for a moment, then set down the ladle.
“Then starting today, you can watch me make breakfast.”
Eun-chae found an apron and tied it around herself. Grandma opened the refrigerator and took out the ingredients as she spoke.
“When we have guests, we start the rice at this time. Six thirty.”
“Why then?”
“Check-out is usually at ten, so breakfast has to be served at eight. Rice needs time to finish steaming, so you have to start it early.”
Eun-chae wrote it down in her notebook. *Breakfast: start rice at 6:30 → set the table at 8:00.*
Grandma prepared the ingredients for the soybean paste stew and continued.
“For soup, you make the stock the day before. If you rush to boil it in the morning, it won’t taste right.”
“Then when do you make the stock?”
“After you finish cleaning up from dinner. Let it steep overnight and use it the next morning.”
Eun-chae wrote that down, too. Her list kept getting longer.
“How many side dishes do you serve?”
“Four basics. Kimchi, one vegetable dish, one pickle, and one seasonal side dish.”
“How do you decide on the seasonal side dish?”
Grandma stopped what she was doing and looked at Eun-chae.
“You look at the kitchen garden and decide. It depends on what’s growing.”
Eun-chae looked out the window at the kitchen garden. Aside from the lettuce, there wasn’t much yet.
“There’s only lettuce right now.”
“Then you make something with lettuce. Fresh salad or lettuce wraps.”
Grandma moved in front of the cutting board and continued.
“Cleaning is from ten to noon. Start with the rooms whose guests have checked out, in order.”
“How do you decide the order?”
“Whichever room has the earliest next check-in.”
Eun-chae kept taking notes, but her hand was getting busier and busier. Grandma’s instructions continued without pause. How to fold the blankets, how to fold the towels, even the order for cleaning the bathroom.
“Gran, wait a second. You’re going too fast.”
Grandma stopped and smiled. It was a smile Eun-chae hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Gran, come on. Slow down!”
Eun-chae shouted without lowering her pen. Grandma stopped and looked at her. The smile was still lingering around her mouth.
“You said there was no rush, then you’re the one telling me to hurry you along.”
“I’m not telling you to hurry. You’re saying too much at once, and I can’t keep up.”
Grandma sat down in front of the cutting board and said,
“Then today, let’s just practice folding the blankets.”
“Yeah, let’s start with that.”
Grandma took Eun-chae to one of the guest rooms. She opened the closet and pulled out a blanket.
“Fold it into thirds like this. If you fold it too thick, it won’t fit in the closet.”
Eun-chae held the edge of the blanket and folded along with her. The corners came out crooked.
“Again. Line up the corners.”
She folded it again, then a third time. It wasn’t until the fourth try that Grandma nodded.
“That’ll do. It’s good enough.”
Eun-chae put the folded blanket in the closet. It took more effort than she’d expected.
“What about the towels?”
“The towels can wait. For today, just get this one thing into your muscle memory.”
Eun-chae took the blanket out again and tried folding it. The second attempt was better than the first.
Grandma watched from beside her and said,
“See? When you take it slow, your hands remember.”
Eun-chae answered as she folded it for the third time.
“Yeah. I couldn’t do it earlier because I was trying to memorize it with my head.”
“You don’t do things like this with your head. You do them with your body.”
Eun-chae stopped and looked at Grandma. It was similar to what she’d said yesterday when they talked about the notebook.
“Gran, you say things like that a lot.”
“What things?”
“Not with your head, but with your body. With your hands. Things like that.”
Grandma gave a short laugh.
“There are a lot of things like that in life. You’ll understand soon enough.”
Eun-chae turned her attention back to the blanket. The third one she folded had much sharper corners than the first.
Eun-chae stood the third folded blanket in front of the closet and looked at Grandma.
“Gran, is this good enough to pass?”
Grandma studied the blanket for a long moment. The corners lined up, but the thickness still wasn’t even.
Honestly, it was still at the level where she needed to fold it again. It wasn’t good enough to put in the guest room like this.
But looking at Eun-chae’s face, Grandma could tell that she herself realized it was definitely better than the first one.
Grandma pressed one corner of the blanket lightly with her fingertips.
“...It doesn’t pass.”
Eun-chae’s expression stiffened slightly.
“But?”
“But it’s not bad for your first day.”
Grandma took the blanket out again and spread it beside Eun-chae.
“Here. Look at the thickness. The left and right sides are different, aren’t they?”
Eun-chae looked down at the blanket. One side really was thicker.
“Oh. They are.”
“If you put this in the guest room, the closet door will close crooked. It may seem minor, but when little things like that pile up, people notice.”
Eun-chae nodded and grabbed the blanket again.
“Then I’ll try again.”
“Good. But...”
Grandma briefly stopped Eun-chae’s hands.
“You did well to get this far today. Nobody does things perfectly on the first day.”
Eun-chae stopped and looked at Grandma. Her voice sounded different from before.
“You said it didn’t pass.”
“It doesn’t pass. But doing well and passing are two different things.”
Eun-chae let out a small laugh. It sounded a little ambiguous, but somehow it made sense.
“Okay. I’ll try again.”
Eun-chae spread out the blanket and started folding it again from the beginning. This time, she moved her hands slowly, checking the thickness as she went.
Grandma watched her without getting up.
As Eun-chae folded the blanket again, she suddenly stopped and asked,
“Gran, have you been able to get in touch with Mom lately?”
Grandma turned toward Eun-chae. Her expression froze for a moment, as if she hadn’t expected the question.
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
“Just because. I haven’t told her I came down here yet.”
Grandma answered as she closed the closet door.
“She called once during the holidays. Asked if you were doing well.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all, I suppose.”
Eun-chae lowered her gaze as she finished folding the blanket. Her fingertips pressed down a little harder.
“I haven’t told her I quit my job, either. Or that I came here.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t feel like answering if she asks. Why did you quit? What are you going to do now? Stuff like that.”
Grandma sat down beside Eun-chae and let out a short breath.
“She’ll find out someday.”
“I know. Just not right now.”
Eun-chae put the folded blanket in the closet. This time, the door closed smoothly.
Grandma watched her, then said quietly,
“Your mom came here just like you did once, too. Stayed for a few days and then left.”
Eun-chae’s hand stopped on the closet handle.
“Mom did? When?”
“Before she had you. When something difficult happened.”
Eun-chae turned to look at Grandma. It was the first time she’d heard this.
“What happened?”
Instead of answering, Grandma stood up.
“You should ask your mom yourself. That’s not my story to tell.”
Eun-chae wanted to ask more, but seeing Grandma’s back, she closed her mouth. Silence briefly filled the room.
“That’s enough for today. We need to get dinner ready.”
Grandma said this as she left the room. Eun-chae stood in front of the closet for a moment, then smoothed the neatly folded blankets once more before following her out.