The wind from the sea carried the sharp scent of salt and crushed pine as we walked up the stone pathway toward the main cottage. The wooden door swung open before we could even knock, and two elderly figures stepped out into the golden twilight.
It had been quite a long time since the family had last made the trip down to Jeju, and the reunion was instant and loud. Mrs. Lee's mother, Lee Chang-gu, was a tiny, fierce woman with a sharp gaze that softened into pure warmth the second she saw her grandchildren. Beside her stood Kim Ha-yeon, the grandfather, a tall, broad-shouldered man with sun-darkened skin and hands that looked like they had been carved directly out of the island's volcanic rock.
Their eyes, passing over Ji-hoon and Ha-neul, locked onto my frame. I stood there clumsily, balancing the heavy cloth-wrapped supplement boxes on my shoulders.
"Aigoo!" Grandma Lee Chang-gu gasped, marching straight toward me. She didn't hesitate; she reached up and patted my cheeks with her warm, paper-dry hands, proclaiming me their grandson before I could even execute a proper 90-degree bow. "Look at you! Eun-sook told us we had a Ukrainian boy staying with us, but she didn't say he was a movie star!"
"He is as handsome as our Min-hyukie was..." Grandfather Kim Ha-yeon rumbled, his deep voice carrying the thick, rhythmic accent of native Jeju speakers.
"When he was young, of course!" Grandma added with a sharp, mischievous chuckle.
Mr. Lee Min-hyuk instantly scowled, his face flushing as he adjusted his glasses.
"Eomeonim! Really, in front of the children?"
Ji-hoon and Ha-neul silently snickered behind their hands, thoroughly enjoying the sudden structural collapse of their father's dignity.
"I'm gonna show you photos later gangaji!"
'Gangaji?' I lowered my eyes, 'Puppy? Is she referring to me? Um... okay?'
"Halmeoni, Abeonim," I croaked, my face heating up as I tried to balance the luggage. "It is an honor to meet you. Where... where should I put these heavy presents?"
"Oh! Right here, right here, son!" Grandfather Kim gestured frantically toward a low wooden bench in the entryway. As I bent down and effortlessly lowered the dense, heavy packages without breaking my posture, the old man's eyes widened behind his wrinkles. He reached out and aggressively squeezed my bicep through my hoodie, commenting about my physique with a loud grunt of approval. "Whoa. Look at this frame. The shoulders are like a fortress."
"Thank you, Halabeoji," I smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yes, I work out a lot. On the horizontal bars. Street workout."
"Workout?" Grandfather Kim's face lit up with a brilliant, competitive energy. He grabbed my arm and began leading me straight into the main living room, completely ignoring the rest of the family. "Let me tell you, San-ah, when I was young, I also did some serious sport! I wasn't just managing guesthouses. I was the champion! I even won the grand Jeju Stone Lifting Competition back in seventy-four!"
It felt rather awkward standing there in my styled comma hair while an elderly Jeju islander practically flexed his forearms at me. I looked back at Ji-hoon for a legal rescue, but my host brother just gave me a pitying "you're on your own" salute.
"HA-YEON!" Grandma's voice thundered from the kitchen, shattering the athletic bonding session. "Don't tell me you are already boasting about that old-ass, black-and-white photo from the last century! Release the poor boy!"
We all filed into the vast, traditional living room. The floors were polished dark wood, and the large windows looked right out onto the crashing waves below.
Grandma Lee marched in holding a tray of steaming barley tea, shooting a lingering, warning glare at her husband. "Don't listen to this old scorch, San-gun," she said, her voice dropping to a comforting, grandmotherly murmur as she slid a cup into my hands. "He loves to boast about his youth. Don't even get him started about his fishing logs, or we'll be here until the New Year. He claims he caught a sea bream the size of a car."
She patted my arm, her expression turning business-like as she scanned my broad chest. "Anyways... before you begin the hard work, let's eat! A growing body needs fuel."
I paused, my tea cup frozen halfway to my lips.
"Working?" I repeated.
Beside me on the floor cushion, Ha-neul let out a sharp, deeply malicious snort of laughter. She leaned over, her eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated sadistic joy behind her glasses as she watched my confusion.
"Oh, yes, San-ssi," she laughed, her voice dripping with historical irony. "It's finally time for us to show you some real Korean traditions. Get your pink rubber gloves ready..."
She leaned in closer, her whisper a promise of absolute physical doom.
"It's time for Kimjang."