OPEN
1.
Dajeong Jukjip in Crisis
2.
Patnyangi's necklace
3.
The magic of Kkukui
4.
Winter Night's Bread Fairy
5.
Guests of the Winter Solstice
6.
Sweet plan
7.
Grandmother's letter
8.
Affectionate Secret
CLOSED

Author's Note

When I was little, my mom always gave me two extra spoonfuls of rice.
You said you didn't have any affection for a spoonful.
Those two spoonfuls of rice and affection cooked inside me and became a warmth that gave off white steam.


No matter how cold or sick I was, that warmth kept me alive.
Now I want to share that warmth with many children.
The sweetest letters in the world.
-「Author's Note」

When you're sick, when you're tired, when you're sad, when you're lonely.
The grandparents who run the 'Dajeong Jukjip' stubbornly and diligently boiled red bean porridge for their customers their entire lives.
The so-called kitchen friends, the cauldron, spatula, spoon, bowl, and soldering iron, were always there to help my grandparents.
But as time passed, the grandmother was left alone in the sweet red bean porridge restaurant, and the number of customers looking for the bland red bean porridge also decreased.
To make matters worse, they are informed that the store will have to close permanently in two weeks... ... One day, thanks to a cat's 'knock knock', the kitchen friends who can speak and move step up to protect the store.

The 'cauldron' that monopolized the love of the grandparents serves as the narrator of the story and makes the story more delicious.
A cauldron that has been the object of jealousy from its friends due to favoritism, a once-popular but useless red bean paste, a jealous wooden spatula, a small but generous bowl, and even a soldering iron with a unique hobby. These unique kitchen tools add to the charm of the story's 'affection'.
Dajeong Jukjip, where “warm as red bean porridge and sweet as cat bread” awaits, is always ready to warmly welcome you.


◆ Review comments

The fantasy setting of kitchen friends helping each other make bread together could be a bit awkward, but the natural narrative that smoothly connects each scene and situation with appropriate explanations is excellent.
Many works that deal with the story of sharing food filled with affection overcome the potential for melodrama with the affectionate cycle of care.
This work naturally resolves problems without attempting conflict between characters, and preserves the sensibility that children's literature has lost amid recent entries that emphasize extreme conflict.

-Judges: Hwang Seon-mi (children's story writer), Kim Hye-jeong (children's story writer), Kim Yu-jin (children's literature critic)

◆
“Food is for caring for the dead body, and bread is for caring for the mind.”
A bowl of stories that will warm your soul

Dajeong Jukjip is where my grandparents worked their entire lives.
The red bean porridge, made with care and stubbornness using a cauldron and old kitchen utensils, carefully selecting each and every ugly red bean, including the worm-eaten ones, resembles the lives of grandparents.
As time passed, her grandfather passed away, and her grandmother, unable to contain her grief, spent an entire season in bed. However, when the winter solstice came around again, she gathered her strength and prepared for business to welcome customers who came to buy red bean porridge.


“Red bean porridge is a food that doesn’t taste good when eaten alone.
It tastes better when you share it.
“If you scoop up a full bowl with a spatula and share it with everyone, big and small, old and young, pretty and ugly, you will feel warm inside.” - From the text

Among many foods, red bean porridge was always a food that took care of my grandmother's health.
When she caught a cold as a child, when she was recovering after giving birth to her three daughters, and when she was hospitalized because she was sick, red bean porridge soothed her tired body and mind.
Hoping that the food would be as good as the guests', the grandmother cooked "red bean porridge as red bean porridge should be" and warmly welcomed the guests with "two more spoonfuls in one bowl".

The simple and consistent existence of the 'Affectionate Jukjip' makes us realize the essence of life that we can easily forget.
Although it may seem boring, it conveys the comfort and truth that the daily repetition that has been faithfully continued will eventually return as a miracle tomorrow.

◆ You want us, who have been boiling porridge our entire lives, to make bread?
A special store guarded by talking and moving kitchen friends

The cauldron, spatula, bowl, spoon, and soldering iron are kitchen friends that have been with Dajeong Jukjip for many years.
The kitchen friends, who have been able to speak and move since Patnyangi, a stray cat who used to eat red bean paste while the grandfather was alive, kneaded it one day, seem to have been struck by lightning by the notice from the building owner that the store will have to close in two weeks.


“A large cauldron, a useless mortar, an old wooden spatula, a chipped bowl.
"Will the new owner of the porridge shop even look after us? We won't even be able to go to Grandma's house." - From the text

Patnyangi returns to the kitchen friends who are at a loss as to what to do to protect the house that is in danger of being abandoned, but is holding a note.
The note contained a detailed recipe for making "cat bread" using bread delivered to the store's front door at 4 a.m.
The story unfolds as kitchen friends struggle to make bread for the first time in their lives, each with their own unique personalities and differing opinions.
But what on earth can you do with this bread? And above all, who wrote this note?

◆ A story about the miracle of affection returning to affection
“If you give me just one more spoonful, I won’t feel sorry for you.
“Aren’t we a loving family?”

Grandma misses her grandfather's affection.
The grandfather who helped me carry heavy red beans, picked out the red beans for me with bright eyes, and even secretly looked after stray cats and fed them red bean paste.
After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother always saved a bowl of the first red bean porridge she made that day for him.
Although my grandmother didn't realize it, she also ran the store with overflowing affection.
We have been pouring our heart and soul into each bowl of our customers' bread, and one morning, the 'cat bread' that appeared in the store is shared with neighbors and regular customers.
With the saying that since one is not enough, you should eat two.
Affection was always contained in my grandmother's heart, warm and soft like long-boiled red beans.


"Always Affectionate House" shows the beautiful cycle of small acts of kindness shown to others returning as even greater kindness.
In these busy days of living for ourselves, affection is not something that can be easily given away.
The miracle you encounter at the end of this story will fill your heart with an unforgettable warm fragrance and taste.