Words Collide

1 - Welcome to Jeju

Seogwipo, Jeju

Seri dumped the last of her packing materials onto the pile of folded cardboard against the back porch.

She caught a glimpse of the sunset on the horizon and smiled. This place truly was a haven for the injured soul.

Seri had previously scorned and criticized the island as being a superficial tourist trap, but finally started to appreciate its nuances now that the reality of her living here was sinking in.

It wasn't her idea to move to Jeju, but she'd lost her job as the head chef at one of the highest rated restaurants in Seoul, and her broken engagement with her then-fiancé solidified the demand for a break.

Her mother then mentioned that her aunt needed people at her restaurant. The veteran cook was retiring. Having no other prospects and reasons to decline, Seri contacted her aunt and that's how she got to where she is now.

Helping out her aunt could be a nice stepping stone to get herself back on her feet. Although a true blood city girl, there were hardly any job offers for a head chef in Seoul; the demand was too limited and the industry too competitive.

Being a cook at a popular small-town eatery didn't sound too bad. There was enough business and the beachside view was an added bonus for her mental health.

At thirty-five years old, Seri had always been living on her own. Since after college, she'd never once even had a roommate, so living with her aunt in this modest, cozy cottage-style house will be a first.

Her demanding career had mostly kept her away from home—or her studio apartment, so there was hardly any human interaction after work.

Perhaps the burnout took a deep, hard dive when she accidentally put nuts in a dish for a customer who was allergic, and then afterward when she collapsed from the stress and had to be hospitalized for an entire week.

The owner of L'Entrocôte, who happened to be a friend as well as her boss, kindly told her to take a long vacation, which only meant she was out of a job.

There were no hard feelings, though. She was relieved there wasn't a lawsuit for her mistake and the customer was luckily still alive with no permanent damage, but it was still a push to steer her life in another direction.

She couldn't afford a vacation, however. She was frugal and financially prudent, but not loaded. When her finances started to tumble, she had to step on the brakes and find refuge at whatever was available.

"Smoking is not allowed here," her aunt groused and deftly snatched the cigarette from her mouth.

Seri rolled her eyes and sighed, watching as the older woman walked inside the house and tossed the case of cigarettes along with her cigarette into the trash bin by the kitchen counter.

"Imo!" Seri grumbled. "Cigarettes are expensive."

"Then stop buying 'em."

Only ten years Seri's senior, the woman was more like an older sister than an aunt. She was a spitfire and a free spirit.

Kang Da-eun left home at the age of eighteen, never attended college, never married, and lived life the way she wanted. That of course, made her the black sheep of the family. While the other daughters of the Kang family, Seri's mother included, went the 'normal' path—whatever that meant, she flipped everyone the bird and set off on her own journey.

Though there were signs of time's wear on Imo's still smooth skin, she was still undeniably attractive. Short, dark brown hair framed her oval-shaped face, shining doe eyes that matched Seri, a pert nose and wide, round lips completed the portrait. She and Seri could almost be twins.