Original subtitles

Please let us through.

Mom, are you still feeling bad?

But the doctor isn't...

Excuse me.

I'm all right. I can handle it.

What kind of an ER is this? Why do they neglect a patient?

Jae Ho, they'll come soon, so wait a bit more.

How can they just leave a sick person like this?

Excuse me!

Let me check which department you belong to.

You just got a pain reliever.

Don't you have difficulty in breathing?

No.

She'll be fine soon.

The test results will come out soon, so please wait a little more.

Jae Ho, this is how the ER works.

You can't expect...

Aren't you worried?

Of course, I am.

She's in pain because of the food you cooked!

Stop it.

Jae Ho, it's not because of him.

Dad, we didn't ask you to cook for us.

You decided everything on your own,

even when you left us and when you came back.

You've never cared about how we felt, have you?

Did you think you could be a good dad...

if you cooked for me?

I'm sorry.

So let's talk when we get back home.

I already told Mom,

but I'll move out when I go to college.

I won't ask for your help, so I don't need your permission.

No, I changed my mind.

I'll live by myself from now on.

Jae Ho.

Mom, what's wrong?

Actually,

I'm very ill.

What? You're sick? Should I call a nurse?

I am...

diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

What?

(Episode 3, Do Gulbi!)

If you try cutting pumpkins,

you'll realize how hard they are actually.

But I'm sure they're softer than carrots.

Come to think of it,

I better put potatoes as soon as possible.

Onions, lotus roots, and burdocks.

I will put all the vegetables I have in the fridge...

and boil them down for a long time...

to make very tender vegetable soup.

Although the taste and the texture of the broth...

are very different from those of bone broth,

vegetable broth is so good for health...

that it's fair to say that it's a cure-all.

If you search on the internet,

you can easily find something that's called Hippocrates Soup.

(Hippocratic Oath)

It's not intestinal obstruction.

It's an abdominal pain called stomach spasms.

It's a relief.

Did you say it was a relief?

Jae Ho.

If it had been intestinal obstruction, she would not have been able to eat...

due to the blockage in her intestine.

There would've been no other options other than an operation.

That's why I told you that it was a relief.

She'll get better if she's careful with eating for a while.

How should she be careful with eating?

I recommend she starts...

with soft food like porridge and soup.

And she can try normal food if she gets better.

Okay.

But refined rice is better than mixed grains.

According to recent studies,

you don't need to stick with a salt-free, fat-free diet.

Just try to be moderate while letting her eat what she likes.

When we say "various vegetables,"

we all think of different ones.

That's just natural.

People all seem similar, but they're all different.

Similar yet different.

You can choose the vegetables you like and boil them down.

Actually, most vegetables are good for health...

and effective in reducing cancer.

Aging means getting cancer.

So if something works against cancer,

it means it is effective in maintaining youth.

I should've added more sliced cabbage.

Because it's good for the stomach.

I should've added more potatoes as well.

Because it's rich in vitamin C.

(Vegetable soup made with various vegetables for a long time)

Can I not eat it?

You have to eat it to take medicine.

Let me help you up.

It's the life I dreamed of.

I've seen this in a movie.

Did you sleep well?

I slept like a corpse. I didn't even have a single dream.

I think the medicine is quite strong.

That's why you should fill your stomach.

Eat up.

If it's still too coarse,

I can strain it through a sieve once more.

No, I should be able to have this, at least.

What did you put into this?

It tastes really good. I think I can have a lot of it.

It's vegetable soup.

I put various vegetables into a pot and boiled them down...

for about three hours.

Although it took a long time, the recipe itself was simple.

I see.

So washing and trimming vegetables must've been tough.

I'm happy that you like it.

I have a lecture today, so I'll have to pop out.

Have it and put the tray aside.

Okay.

Right.

How is Jae Ho?

To look on the bright side,

I think he's still with us in the house.

See you.

(Aren't you coming to school? Are you sick?)

(I've got something to tell you.)

(Hello?)

Can I come in?

Yes.

I wasn't going to tell you like this.

You must be in shock.

Until when were you going to keep it secret from me?

I couldn't tell you when you were preparing for SAT.

But then, I couldn't tell you again because the admission results weren't out.

And I didn't want to ruin your feeling when you were happy with the result.

That's how we came this far.

And I was delighted without knowing how sick you were.

I'm sorry.

Still, I don't want you to make a long face because of me.

Promise me that you won't do that.

Mom.

Is it bad?

You know, it's cancer.

But...

if I get treated well and take extra care of my health,

I'll get better.

You know, your dad is helping me a lot.

I could do that for you too.

I know.

I know you'd help me too, of course.

I thought...

You and Dad were on bad terms.

We were.

But once I knew about my illness,

the first one that came to my mind was him.

I really don't get what's on adults' minds.

I know what you mean.

I don't know how we got here either.

This year's course ends here, and we'll have a break for two weeks.

Enjoy your vacation, and see you on January 5.

Happy New Year!

- Happy New Year! - Happy New Year!

What's going on? Why are you all here...

You really don't have to...

Thank you so much for teaching us this year.

We hope to learn a lot from you next year too.

We all chipped in and bought a small gift.

It's pretty heavy.

What's this?

Please open it when you get home.

Now you want me to open it now even more.

You said, "The more you hide, the more interesting the story gets."

Thank you!

- Thank you! - Thank you so much!

(Do Gulbi! From your students)

Who is it?

No. I think it's a parcel service.

Okay. Let's say you could be absent from school.

But why do you ignore my texts?

I was a bit busy.

You're a senior who already took SAT. What were you busy with?

SAT isn't everything.

It is everything. That's what our teachers said.

It's a personal matter. Okay?

So what's that personal thing?

It's a family matter, so stop asking.

You're being so strange.

What are you trying to hide from me?

Are you cheating on me?

No, it's not like that.

Fine. I know you're not someone who'd do that.

Looking at your darkened face,

it must not be good news.

I said it was nothing, so stop asking.

Don't be ridiculous. You can never fool me.

Do I have to tell you everything?

No, right?

Well,

if you want to hide, you can hide.

And if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to tell me.

But if it's bad news, you should share it with me.

I thought we were close enough for that.

What is it? Tell me.

Well...

Your mom said she couldn't let you move out, right?

Fine. It's not like I'm an investigator.

If you don't want to tell me, I don't want to listen either.

I know that you're all right, so I'll get going.

Hey, Jae Ho.

I don't know what happened, but don't just hold it in.

It's not good for your mental health,

and it's harsh on me too.

If I'd been you, I would've told you first.

(Do Gulbi! From your students)

The yellow Corvina dried by the ocean breeze is called "gulbi."

And the origin of the name dates back to the Goryeo era.

Yi Ja Gyeom, an influential politician of the time,

was put into exile at Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do,

for raising a revolt against King Injong.

And he found this tasty fish...

and gave it a name that implied how he felt.

And it was "gulbi,"

meaning "refuse to give in."

It shows how determined he was...

even in such a harsh situation.

I briefly told this story during my lecture,

and thankfully, my students remembered it...

and returned to me with food and courage.

I don't think I've ever said this,

but everyone who encourages my wife and me,

thank you.

I will try gulbi.

What's this gulbi?

What?

Where did you get it?

My students gave it to me as a year-end present.

You can't have it right now,

so let's eat later together once you get a bit better.

We don't need to wait.

Jae Ho can still eat it without me.

Cook it for Jae Ho. I'll just enjoy watching him eat.

It's very fattened nicely and fresh.

I happened to see it on my way home,

and Jae Ho seemed to be very serious with a girl.

Yeo Jin?

Is she his girlfriend?

The neighbors saw them walk hand in hand and told me about it.

But I haven't asked him about it yet.

We're a family that's full of secrets.

How about you? Are you hiding anything?

A lot.

Okay.

This is the design we're up for.

Our boss told us to take your opinion into account as much as we could...

when making the final decision.

What kind of CEO of a publishing house doesn't even show up...

when a writer came all the way here?

Editor Choi, don't you think it's nonsense?

Ms. Lim,

actually, we were going to tell you about this.

It's not like she's avoiding you on purpose.

I think she's ill.

I know that she's the type of person who doesn't want to show it,

so I try to pretend not to know,

but it looks quite serious, so I'm anxious.

How did you know that she was not well?

I sometimes read her husband's blog.

He didn't specifically say she was sick,

but I could somehow feel it.

But don't tell her about it, please.

It could just be my wrong assumption, and I hope it is.

I don't know how to tell you about this.

What you're thinking is right.

But don't tell her that I told you.

For now,

just wait until she tells you herself.

I've only tried gulbi before,

but I've never cooked it.

How do I get rid of the bad odors?

I decided to look it up on the internet.

It says soaking it in water...

used for washing rice for ten minutes is effective in removing the bad odors.

But we no longer can get water used for washing rice.

It says I can dissolve sticky rice powder in water instead,

but it's such a waste.

They all suggested similar ways for trimming gulbi.

"Scratch from the tail to head to remove the scales nicely."

Sure, I'll do that.

"Stick the wooden chopsticks through the gill..."

"and take the insides out."

What? Like how?

A few photos with some letters aren't enough to understand how.

Some suggest cutting it into halves and steaming it,

while others recommend that I make cuts and add seasoning.

When steaming it,

it's recommended to spread a layer of kelp...

or dried radish greens...

so that gulbi won't get scorched and stick to the pot.

Some said they preferred spreading pine needles instead.

Which one would go better with gulbi, then?

I suddenly lost confidence.

I'm going to steam gulbi now,

but what should I do to remove the bad odors?

They say I should add ginger, turmeric powder, or clear rice wine.

You don't need them.

Just put the middle layer piece in the pot and steam it.

Gulbi is tasty itself because it's dried well.

So you don't need to add seasoning.

But they said I should remove the insides.

You don't have to.

Okay. Right.

Then, should I make an omelet, at least?

It doesn't have to look good. Don't worry.

Just steam it...

and grill it on the frying pan. That's it.

Then, the skin will get crispy, so it's really delicious.

Okay.

She was right.

It was very simple.

I didn't do much...

but steamed it for ten minutes and grilled it briefly.

But I feel like something is missing.

We must have green tea when having gulbi.

I happened to run out of green tea.

I need to go buy it.

(Barley gulbi that's just steamed and grilled)

Jae Ho.

What are you thinking? You look serious.

Let's go in.

Your mom will worry about you.

I thought everything would be all right once I entered college.

I've never thought about what was going on with Mom...

until now.

I never knew if she was so sick.

I'm so selfish.

That is...

because you take after me.

You didn't know about her illness...

because she didn't tell you about it, not wanting to worry you.

So you don't need to blame yourself.

But she told you about it.

She did.

Why did she?

She'd never asked others to do something for her...

or complained about anything,

so I thought she was someone who'd deal with everything on her own.

And you take after that side of her.

You two were going to get divorced.

We were.

When I first heard that she was sick,

I thought I should be the one to look after her without question.

Was it because you felt sorry for her?

I don't think so.

Still,

if I tell you it was because I loved her so much,

it won't be an honest answer, though.

If that's not love,

is it some kind of faith?

Faith?

I think I could feel...

that I was the only one whom she could ask to take care of her.

That's what our relationship is.

That's difficult.

You have a girlfriend,

so you'll understand soon.

You saw it.

She looks elegant, just like your mom.

Can you keep it secret from Mom for the time being?

Sure. It's between us, then.

Jae Ho, your mom must be worried about us.

Let's go in.

- Dad. - Yes?

I'll stop by somewhere and go home.

Where? Dinner is ready.

It won't take long.

Jae Ho.

Have dinner at home.

- Okay. - All right.

Why are you still there?

Why did you even come?

Sorry that I've been acting weird.

I had my reason.

I thought about it.

And I'll tell you first whenever I have a worry.

I failed to get into college.

What do I do now?

It's okay.

So what is it you want to say?

I will tell you later.

You jerk.

Here.

Look how firm the meat is.

It's not easy...

to get such quality ones these days.

It's for Jae Ho.

Try some.

Thanks.

What fish is this?

Isn't it tasty?

It's barley gulbi.

You see why people say you can finish bowls of rice with this, right?

You should have some too.

Excuse me.

This is yours, and I have mine in the fridge.

Don't ask for some later, okay?

Then, where's Dad's?

Dad's?

This is for Dad.

Let's eat gulbi...

and do gulbi together.

It means "refuse to give in."

That's what gulbi stands for.

Gulbi is rich in protein and vitamins A and D.

Also, it contains a small amount of fat,

so it's a very digestible food.

I think he spends more time searching online...

than cooking in the kitchen.

Gulbi. Refuse to give in.

Mom, can I have more meat?

Oh, sure.

Good.

- Put some rice here. - Okay.

About my present for getting into college...

Can I change my mind?

So you no longer want to move out?

What is it?

Gulbi.

Can I have one?

I was joking! We have many in the fridge!

No, really.

I mean it.

From a studio to gulbi?

That's a big loss.

I'm fine with it.

Sure, then.

We can save money thanks to you.

But for what?

Wait. I'll go get one more.

What's this?

I just found it on my way.

But it's not a special day today.

I just happened to find it on my way. It's a good one.

Then, I'm looking forward to opening it.

- Bye, then. - Thank you.

What?

Hey! What is this?

Do gulbi.

See you! Goodnight!

(Subtitles are provided by KOCOWA.)