WeTried Translations

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◈ The Hunting Genius of the Japanese Colonial Era

Chapter 3

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A Table Set with Family

"What do you mean help? Your little pepper will fall off... Ah, Bada, why are you coming in too?"

"I wanna do it too!"

"Do what, exactly... Ugh, fine, do whatever you want. Wash your hands first!"

In the end, Ham Ssang-sim was the first to wave the white flag.

So the brothers and their mother started preparing dinner in earnest.

First, the frogs.

She wanted to grab a fistful of coarse salt and scrub hard to get rid of the slime and fishy smell, but even that was precious in this deep mountain village.

So they just made a thin slit, peeled the skin straight off, and removed the innards.

Bada must have found it fascinating.

"Hyung, me too!"

"Hey, you can do this after your own skin gets peeled off. Go bring fresh water."

"Whyyy!"

Bada begged a few more times, but Han San did not give in.

Instead, Han San only gave him jobs that felt busy but did not really matter, like carrying firewood or fetching water, and Bada puffed his cheeks out. Fair enough. Hmph, his hyung was doing all the fun stuff alone.

Even so, Bada did what he was told, and Han San kept giving him things to do.

There were times when doing something together mattered more than what they actually accomplished. Warmth naturally spread through the family as they moved busily around each other.

While skillfully pulling out frog innards, Ham Ssang-sim asked,

"How was the valley? Those Deok-tae bastards didn't cause trouble, did they?"

Han San knew exactly who she meant. The clique that threw its weight around in Meokbawi Valley right beside their village.

"I didn't go there."

"Is there even a path to another valley besides that one?"

"There is."

There were many. If he had not been taking his little brother along, he would have gone farther.

Honestly, what could possibly be left to eat in Meokbawi Valley, with a whole village clinging to it?

Still, he would have to stop by eventually.

"The Great Flood of the Gap-sul Year."

In Han San's memories from the life he had already lived, the flood that would strike next year was a horrifying scar.

Rain pouring down like the sky had split open. Flash floods crashing in with landslides. Mud, water, trees, and stone that swallowed his limping father, then his mother when she went looking for him, and even shattered his own shoulder, and...

Han San peeled another frog and lifted one eyebrow.

"Could I reinforce places that look likely to collapse in advance?"

Probably impossible. A massive civil project like building embankments or rerouting waterways was not something one eighteen-year-old man could do alone, or with an injured father and a young brother.

Then gather the villagers and start construction?

"Ha ha."

Sebeom Valley was not split into three hamlets just because of terrain. Could he really unite three groups of people who had arrived at different times and always lived separately, then launch a big project? Han San, who had lived alone in the mountains his whole life, did not have that kind of leadership.

The monster who would later be called "Teacher Han Bada" was still only eight, just a runny-nosed kid.

"Look at reality."

He already had a rough idea.

"Before next summer's monsoon starts, either set up temporary shelter in the higher Upper Hamlet, or evacuate to Inje town... Anyway, Gangwon was said to be better off than the south. In reality too, Upper Hamlet mostly survived."

But would that be enough?

His family's lives were on the line. Han San could not gamble even an inch.

"I still need to keep checking Meokbawi Valley beside the village whenever I can."

Han San had spent his whole life in the mountains, so he trusted his eye. If he kept surveying until next year, he would be able to judge whether this "practical plan" was realistic or just empty talk...

"What are you thinking about? You're not plotting to fight someone again, are you?"

Seeing her son lost in thought made Ham Ssang-sim anxious, and she asked with concern.

Han San looked blank for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"I'm not fighting. Who would I fight?"

"Looked like you were fighting Taeyang the other day too..."

"I said I'm not fighting." Han San paused, then added, "If I do fight, I'll make sure I win." A moment later he added again, "Without a single hair harmed."

Ham Ssang-sim was left speechless. If she had heard that yesterday, she would have smacked his back for bluffing, but after what he had shown since morning, she trusted him a little.

"Make sure you do."

If a mother wished her child would not fight, it was not because she dreamed of children creating a peaceful world someday. It was simply because she worried her own child might get hurt.

Maybe there were people in the first category. Maybe people like that had led humanity forward. But Ham Ssang-sim was clearly not one of them, and Han San liked her that way.

She looked down at the clattering crayfish. At some point, they had finished cleaning the frogs, and now it was these guys' turn.

"If we stir-fried these in oil, they'd turn nice and crispy, but we're totally out of oil... Should this omoni go next door and borrow some?"

"It's fine. They're short on supplies too."

Even as he said it, Han San thought, oh. Right, if they lacked something, they could borrow from next door. His bachelor habits had sunk in too deep for him to think of that.

He could not just take it, so he would need to give the neighbors something in return, but that was easy. One more hour in the stream and he could catch something.

Hmm, from next time, that was what he should do. Just seeing his mother again, he was learning something new in a single day.

But today, he had another method in mind on the way back.

"Bada, remember the branch I snapped on the way? Bring that."

"Okay!"

Ham Ssang-sim saw the shrub branch Bada brought and immediately caught on.

"You gonna make skewers?"

"Yes. We don't have many pots."

"We do have one more..."

"I need that one for something else."

Han San set the branch, to use as a skewer, beside him and picked up a crayfish. He grabbed the tail fin, twisted lightly, and pulled.

Riiip. The dark intestinal vein running along the crayfish's back came out in one clean line without breaking. The know-how of a seventy-four-year-old mountain man showed itself at the fingertips of an eighteen-year-old youth.

"Where did you learn that? You're better than me."

Watching him, Ham Ssang-sim's mouth fell open.

The frog skinning earlier too, same thing. He had never spent time in the kitchen, yet now his hands looked more capable than those of most housewives.

"Your son wandered all over the place, so I should at least know this much."

"Listen to him brag!"

"Then who else should I brag to if not my mother?"

Han San grinned shamelessly and threaded crayfish onto skewers. Not to be outdone, Ham Ssang-sim helped beside him, tapping salt from chopsticks so not a single grain got wasted.

"Mother, please grill the crayfish. I'll do the frogs."

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"Of course. It's easier to just toss it in and boil it. I only said it because I want to slack off."

"Did you grease your tongue with sesame oil or what? Your father is such a quiet man, who did you take after?"

"I took after you."

Han San took the leftover water from boiling potatoes. Starchy water, pale and cloudy where starch had settled on the bottom of the pot.

If Han San had lived forty more years in his previous life before returning, he could have bragged that this was the key move for tonight's meal. Sadly, this old man who returned before seeing the 1990s could only boast that the secret behind his amazing cooking touch was about to be revealed.

"Hyung, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'd like you to feed the fire a little more, Bada."

"Okay!"

As the fire in the hearth grew stronger, the potato water began bubbling hard.

Han San shook in mugwort he had picked on the way. A fresh mugwort scent spread, and the boiling water slowly turned light green.

The moment the mugwort wilted, Han San dissolved doenjang into it. The deep, savory smell of the Han family's special homemade paste took over the kitchen.

"Smells good."

Han San dropped in the prepared male frogs and the females without eggs. He boiled it hard over high heat, pressing and crushing the frogs with a ladle.

Bubble bubble.

In the doenjang broth, mugwort greens and frog meat danced like seaweed. He planned to melt all of it into the soup and make a kind of [frog porridge].

Meanwhile, the two females packed with eggs sat in a separate small pot. He boiled them the same way, with mugwort and doenjang, but cooked them so their shape would not break down. That was the "something else" he mentioned earlier.

"Our son is really good at this. You learned all that while wandering around to play too? Where exactly do you go play to learn this stuff? This omoni wants to come play too."

"Aren't you already better at playing than me?"

As Han San said with a grin, a small bonfire was already burning in the yard by the kitchen, and on top sat a "shrub-branch grill rack" that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Ham Ssang-sim had woven it on the spot from leftover branches after skewering.

Crackle, crack-crackle.

The crayfish skewers cooked over the wooden rack. As their shells scorched in the fire, the sound was as cheerful as deep-frying. The crayfish, once dark like pond snails, seemed to absorb the fire itself as their backs turned bright red.

Sssizzle.

Juices boiled out through gaps in the shells where the entrails had been pulled. Smoke rising from the bonfire wrapped the crayfish again like a second smoking.

On one side came the rich smell from frog doenjang porridge, on the other from crayfish skewers, and everything filled with savory aroma.

"Hyung... Mom, is it done?"

Bada clung to the threshold and swallowed again and again.

"It's done. Let's eat."

Han San wiped his forehead and smiled.

A little later, on the small table where the family of four sat together, steaming dishes showed off their presence.

The tray held bright red grilled crayfish, and each bowl was filled with thick, bubbling frog doenjang porridge. Even the potatoes, which would normally look shabby, became the dragon's eyes in a painting once placed on top of the frog porridge.

In front of Ham Ssang-sim and Han Man-seok especially, one fully cooked egg-filled female frog each was served separately, shape intact.

"Father, Mother, eat before it cools."

Ham Ssang-sim looked awkward as she saw a white frog hind leg peeking through the mugwort greens.

"You boys should eat the egg-filled ones, this is too precious..."

"Just eat. They say spring frogs are good medicine. Your son can't make you real tonics yet, but at least I can do this much."

Han San forced a spoon into her hand. She still hesitated, saying no, really, but then a fierce sound rang out from beside her.

Grab, riiip.

It was Father Han Man-seok. He had already started tearing into the egg-filled frog whole.

Ham Ssang-sim's cheeks flushed red.

"Oh, you old fool! You just took it and ate it right away! At least pretend to refuse..."

Even while his wife scolded him, Han Man-seok kept crunching through frog hind leg bones and replied calmly.

"You eat too. It's getting cold."

"I can't live like this, honestly. Aren't you embarrassed in front of the kids!"

Grumbling, Ham Ssang-sim finally picked up her spoon too. She took a deep spoonful of doenjang porridge to her mouth.

Slurp.

Warm, thick broth touched her lips.

Her eyes widened.

Maybe because her son cooked it, there was not even a trace of fishiness. The deep, savory taste of doenjang wrapped around her tongue, and right after that, the fresh mugwort fragrance rose through her nose.

And at the end, when it slid down her throat, a dense, heavy umami.

As expected from broth enriched with potato starch, it clung softly and wrapped her empty stomach.

"This is refreshing. San, you could get married off now."

"Married off? You really want me cut, huh?"

"This omoni thought about it. As long as you give me grandkids on time, what's the problem?"

"Ah, what are you saying. Just keep eating."

While mother and son traded silly lines, rapid eating was happening right beside them.

Han Man-seok had already finished his female frog, and now he held the bowl itself and shoveled food in as if pouring it down.

The thoroughly stewed male frog meat melted away inside his mouth. There was barely anything to chew. The bones had been simmered soft, so even a light press with the tongue made savory juices burst out.

"Father, Father! Please eat slowly. If you get indigestion..."

Han San tried to stop him, but Han Man-seok did not even look up. He only waved one hand and kept focusing on eating.

Scrape scrape, the spoon scratched the bottom of the bowl. Sunken frog bits came up tangled with mugwort. His father's cheeks bulged like a squirrel as he stuffed his mouth full and chewed.

Han Bada, on the other hand, was focused on the crayfish. Holding a skewer with both hands, he inspected the crayfish turned red like autumn leaves.

"Careful, it's hot."

Ignoring Han San's warning, Bada crunched down on the back shell.

Crunch.

The fire-scorched shell shattered like a cracker, revealing the white meat trapped inside.

"Hot hot...!"

Even while blowing on his fingers, Bada put the crayfish meat in his mouth.

It was springy.

The bite popped with bounce, and the light sprinkle of salt doubled the sweetness of the flesh.

"Hyung! This is seriously delicious!"

Han Bada exclaimed.

Ham Ssang-sim split half of her egg-filled frog and served some into Han San and Han Bada's bowls.

"You two eat some too. That man, seriously, he doesn't give you even one piece..."

Han San smiled. This one he truly could not refuse.

"Yes, Mother. Thank you. Bada, say thank you too."

"Thank you, Mom!"

Bada scooped frog roe with his spoon and put it in his mouth.

"How is it?"

"Mmm... it pops! Nutty!"

Just as he said, the eggs soaked in broth were sticky and chewy, and the more he chewed, the richer they tasted. Han Bada took a big bite of hind leg meat too, then opened his eyes wide.

"Hyung, this is way better than chicken!"

Han San smiled. This smile was a little complicated.

No matter what, how could frog meat really be better than chicken? No, before that, how many times had Bada at this age even gotten to eat chicken anyway?

"Bada, you little..."

The room filled with slurping soup, crunching crayfish shells, and Bada's voice repeating "It's delicious."

At last, Han Man-seok drained even the final drop of broth, then set down the bowl with a thud.

"Hoo."

It was a satisfied breath.

Han San immediately poured and handed him grain-rain sap.

"Father."

"Mhm."

Han Man-seok accepted it without refusing, as usual, and drank it down. The natural refreshing drink with a faint sweetness cleanly washed away the stickiness and oil clinging to his throat.

"Good."

The retired hunter was, as always, a man of few words. But all his satisfaction was in that short exclamation.

"Yeah, I ate well! Hyung is the best!"

Bada flopped onto his back. The floor was still a little cold, but with his full belly, it seemed pleasantly cool.

"You little brat, lying down at the table like that..."

Even as she said it, Ham Ssang-sim's eyes were smiling. Han San noticed the sheen of oil on his mother's lips, which had been cracked dry.

Something heavy settled in his chest.

In the end, all things in life were work done to eat, and work done to feed others.

"I'll put better things on your table, Mother. Father. Crayfish and frogs are good too, but better things than this. Crab, shrimp, catfish, pork, beef... right, chicken! I'll feed you real chicken soon, Bada."

And he would feed them fried chicken too. Chicken!

If people heard, they would curse them senseless, saying this was no noble house, what kind of family fried chicken at home and wasted oil like that. Let them curse.

He would earn enough to use as much oil as he wanted.

"How should I make money? Dig up wild ginseng? I know a few spots. No, I can't just dig blindly. This is this era. I need a thorough plan first, where to go, who to sell to, how to sell it..."

Han San was making that vow when it happened.

"Anyone there! Hunter Han! You inside?!"

A shout from outside shattered the peace at the dinner table. It was a man's voice, urgent, and somewhere inside it, frightened.

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