A Bowl of Ramen Under the Night Sea
Life in the dormitory was cold and difficult, yet it was also filled with unforgettable moments of joy.
Every night after our classes ended at ten o'clock, we returned to the dormitory for roll call. By the time it was over, we were always hungry. There was a small convenience store inside the dormitory that also served simple meals, but it closed after 10 p.m.
The woman who ran the store had a handsome son who was a university student. Every now and then, we would quietly wake him up and ask him to cook us a pot of instant ramen. If the dorm supervisor found out, we would be punished. Still, on some Saturday nights, she kindly looked the other way. Those evenings became something we eagerly looked forward to.
The college student was not only handsome but also incredibly kind. He understood how hungry we were. Whenever we knocked softly on the convenience store door late at night after roll call, he would grumble a little but always boil a pot of ramen for us.
Sitting with my friends in our mountain dormitory, looking out at the distant sea while sharing a steaming pot of ramen, was one of the happiest moments of my youth.
On days when we could not even afford ramen, we bought a bag or two of snacks and secretly shared them under our blankets, trying not to laugh too loudly.
The Pot of Ramen That Came Knocking
One Saturday night, after roll call, we quietly sneaked down to the convenience store to wake him and ask for ramen.
Suddenly, we heard that the dorm supervisor was conducting a surprise room inspection. We rushed back to our room as fast as we could.
After the inspection was finally over and we had begun to relax, someone knocked gently on our door.
We opened it cautiously.
Standing there was the college student from the convenience store, carrying a steaming pot of ramen.
We could hardly contain our excitement.
He had even brought us a small bowl of kimchi. We gathered around the pot and eagerly finished every last bite.
I still remember how delicious that ramen tasted.
Before leaving, he smiled and said, "I'll come back in about thirty minutes to pick up the pot. Just hand it to me when I knock."
But he never came that night.
The empty pot remained in our room, and we eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, during roll call, the dorm supervisor called our room number and asked me, as the room leader, to come to her office that evening.
We were terrified.
We were certain she had discovered our secret midnight ramen.
If we were caught, we would have to spend an entire week cleaning the dormitory bathrooms as punishment.
Since it was Sunday, I went to church, spent some time by the seaside with my friends, and slowly made my way back to the dormitory that evening.
Secretly, I hoped the dorm supervisor might be away.
Instead, I was called to her office as soon as I returned.
A Warm Heart Hidden Behind a Stern Face
Our dorm supervisor was an unmarried woman who rarely smiled and spoke very little. We had always been afraid of her because she seemed so strict and distant.
Expecting to be scolded, I stood quietly before her.
She asked me to have a seat, then disappeared into the back room. A few moments later, she returned carrying a tray filled with pastries and sweet red bean buns.
"Go ahead," she said with a gentle smile. "Eat while it's still fresh."
I looked at her in complete surprise.
"You're at the age when you're always hungry," she said softly. "The dormitory meals can't possibly be enough. Don't worry—I'll pack some for your roommates as well."
Instead of receiving the punishment I had expected, I found myself sharing tea and snacks with the very person I had feared the most.
She asked about my life and listened with genuine interest. Then she began telling me stories about herself. Until that day, I had believed she was cold and unapproachable, but I discovered that she was thoughtful, warm, and surprisingly easy to talk to.
Then she asked me to play the piano while she sang.
That was the first time I realized how beautiful her voice was.
I had never imagined that someone who always appeared so stern could sing with such warmth and tenderness.
Although she had never married, she was about the same age as my mother.
At that moment, she no longer felt like a strict dorm supervisor.
She felt like my mother.
Kindness That Still Lives in My Heart
After that day, the college student occasionally brought freshly cooked ramen to our room. Sometimes there was even a Choco Pie quietly resting beside the pot.
To this day, I honestly do not know why he always seemed to take special care of our room.
When I became a sophomore, students were finally allowed to move out of the dormitory and live on their own. Until the day I left, the dorm supervisor continued inviting me to her office every Sunday evening.
She would prepare tea and snacks, and we would spend hours talking about life, dreams, and countless little stories.
My roommates often felt sorry for me because they thought I was constantly being called to the supervisor's office for doing something wrong.
But they never knew the truth.
Those Sunday evenings became a quiet little secret shared only between the dorm supervisor and me.
Looking back now, I realize that it was not only my family who cared for me during those difficult years.
There was the kind college student who quietly cooked ramen for hungry girls late at night.
There was the dorm supervisor whose stern appearance hid the warm heart of a mother.
Their kindness became one of the brightest memories of my youth.
Even now, after so many years have passed, I can still remember the aroma of that late-night ramen, the sound of laughter echoing through the dormitory, and the warmth of the people who quietly embraced us during those unforgettable days.
Gaetsaeam (The Spring by the Shore)
By Minhee Park
밤바다와 라면 한 그릇
춥고 힘든 기숙사 생활이었지만 재미있는 일도 참 많았다.
밤 10시 수업을 마치고 기숙사에 돌아와 점호를 마치고 나면 우린 한참 먹을 때라 배가 출출하기도 했다. 기숙사 안에는 식당을 겸하고 있는 매점이 있었는데 10시가 넘으면 문을 닫았다.
식당 아주머니께는 잘생긴 대학생 아들이 있었다. 우린 가끔씩 이 오빠를 깨워 라면을 끓여 달라고 해서 먹곤 했다. 물론 사감 선생님께 들키면 벌을 받아야 했지만 가끔씩 토요일 저녁엔 사감 선생님도 눈을 감아 주셔서 우린 토요일 저녁이 되면 라면을 사 먹을 생각에 마음이 설렜다.
대학생 오빠는 잘생기기도 했지만 맘씨가 좋아 배고픈 우리를 잘 이해해 주었다. 점호가 끝나고 밤늦게 몰래 매점 문을 두드리면 구시렁구시렁 하면서도 라면을 끓여 주곤 했다.
산속 기숙사에서 멀리 밤바다를 보며 친구들과 먹는 라면은 정말 꿀맛이었다.
라면을 사 먹을 형편이 안 될 땐 과자를 한두 봉지 사서 기숙사 방에 돌아와 몰래 이불 속에서 키득거리며 먹곤 했다.
라면 냄비를 들고 찾아온 오빠
한번은 토요일 밤에 점호를 마치고 매점에 몰래 가서 오빠를 깨워 라면을 사 먹으려고 하는데 갑자기 사감 선생님이 불시 검문을 한다고 해서 우린 후다닥 기숙사 방으로 도망쳤다.
사감 선생님의 불시검문이 끝나고 한숨 돌리고 있는데 갑자기 누가 기숙사 방문을 두드렸다.
우린 긴장하며 문을 열었는데 매점의 오빠가 라면을 끓여서 몰래 찾아왔다.
우와! 우린 속으로 환호하며 라면을 끓인 냄비를 받았다. 김치까지 한 종지 같이 가져와 주어서 우린 둘러 앉아 라면을 허겁지겁 먹었다. 얼마나 맛있게 라면을 먹었는지….
오빠는 30분 후에 냄비를 가지러 올 테니 문을 두드리면 그때 냄비를 내놓으라고 말하고 갔다.
30분 후 오빠가 오지 않아 냄비를 내놓지 못하고 우린 그냥 잠들었다.
그런데 아침점호 시간에 사감 선생님께서 우리 호실을 지목하시며 저녁에 방장인 나를 사감실로 오라고 했다.
우린 매점 오빠가 끓여다 준 라면을 먹은 것이 들통난 줄 알고 긴장했다. 들키면 한 주간 벌로 화장실 청소를 도맡아 해야 했다.
일요일이라 낮엔 외출해서 교회를 다녀오고 바닷가에서 좀 놀다가 저녁 무렵 슬금슬금 기숙사로 올라갔다.
속으로 사감 선생님이 외출이라도 하셨기를 바라며 왔지만 기숙사 방으로 오자마자 곧바로 호출이 와서 잔뜩 긴장하며 사감실로 갔다.
사감 선생님의 따뜻한 마음
사감 선생님은 노처녀에 굉장히 차갑고 말이 별로 없어서 우린 평소 사감선생님을 무서워했다.
주눅이 든 채 서 있는 나를 선생님은 잠시 앉아 있게 하고는 사감실 안쪽으로 들어가 쟁반에 무언가를 담아 오셨다.
쟁반에는 맛있는 양과자와 단팥빵이 한가득 있었다.
선생님은 어서 앉아서 먹으라며 나를 재촉하셨다.
내가 놀란 눈으로 쳐다보자 사감선생님은 지금 한창 먹을 때인데 기숙사 밥이 양에 차겠나며 다른 친구들 것도 싸 줄 테니 걱정 말고 먹으라고 하셨다.
혼날 줄 알고 간 나는 영문도 모른 채 사감선생님과 다과를 먹었다.
선생님은 이것저것 내 얘기도 묻고 선생님 얘기도 해 주셨다. 평소 차갑고 말이 없어 무서운 분인 줄만 알았는데 의외로 선생님은 얘기가 잘 통했다.
그리고 나보고 피아노를 쳐 달라며 노래도 부르셨다.
선생님이 그렇게 목소리가 좋고 노래를 잘 부르시는지 그날 처음 알았다.
노처녀이긴 했지만 엄마랑 비슷한 연배의 사감 선생님이 마치 엄마처럼 느껴졌다.
잊지 못할 사람들
그 후로도 매점 오빠는 가끔 우리 방에 라면을 끓여와 가져다주었다. 어떨 땐 냄비 옆에 초코파이도 얌전히 놓여 있었다.
매점 오빠가 왜 유독 우리 방에만 라면을 끓여다 주었는지 눈치 없는 나는 잘 모른다.
2학년이 되자 자취생활이 허락되어 기숙사를 나올 때까지 사감 선생님은 일요일 저녁이면 나를 사감실로 불러 다과를 챙겨 주시고 많은 얘기를 나누곤 하셨다.
기숙사 친구들은 사감 선생님께 자주 불려 가는 나를 고생한다며 위로했지만 선생님과 내게는 아주 비밀한 즐거운 시간이었다.
『갯새암』 | 박민희
