Ondol Room and Doenjang Soup

"How do you go for a walk every single day? Even in this cold weather?"

It was a day when snow had suddenly piled up. As I returned from my walk and opened the door, the doorman spoke to me.

"If I don’t take my morning walk, I feel sluggish and unpleasant all day."

Rain or snow, I take a walk every day. On snowy days, the world’s noise is muffled under the snow, leaving only the crisp sound of my footsteps. On rainy days, I enjoy the fresh scent of the wet forest and the clean paths washed by the rain. On cloudy days, I walk as if I were a philosopher lost in thought. On sunny days, I stroll as if my body, soaking in the sun, is floating on the breeze.

On the rare snowy days of the year, I long to soak in an outdoor jacuzzi after my walk. One day, when the snow seemed hesitant, as if struggling to fall, a friend suggested we go to a jjimjilbang. 40 years ago, when my friend was preparing to come to the US, she went shopping in Itaewon and met my father. My father was a very kind man. Like most men, he was especially friendly to pretty women. Somehow, they got along well, and he even gave her my US phone number, and that’s how we became friends.

Like my father, I am friendly, but only to those I like. If someone sits in one spot with a stiff expression, I don’t even bother talking to them. The friend my father introduced me to is so sociable that she becomes friends with everyone no matter where she goes.

"I feel sluggish. Let’s go to the jjimjilbang."

Since I rarely get the chance to go, I imagined soaking in a steaming sauna on a snowy day and followed her without hesitation.

However, the moment I stepped into the jjimjilbang, I realized I had made a mistake. The facilities were outdated, lacking the cleanliness and freshness I had hoped for. It felt somewhat grimy. But since I was already there, I decided to make the best of it. Avoiding the unclean areas, I took a quick shower and lay down in the ondol room, warming my back. My body felt lighter. After eating, we wandered through various rooms—the salt room, and others I can’t even remember—but the ondol room was my favorite.

Years ago, while traveling in Korea, I once stayed at a temple. I briefly lay down on the hot ondol floor, and when I woke up, I felt as if I had slept deeply. The exhaustion from my winter journey had melted away, leaving my body refreshed. Bracing against the biting mountain wind, I followed footprints in the snow into the temple’s dining hall, where the aroma of doenjang soup lingered. The simple meal of mild, yet deeply flavorful doenjang soup, braised potatoes, and lightly seasoned chili greens was unbelievably delicious. I long to return to that place again.