Episode 2: Hot Dog on Wheels and the Boy's Bell

Episode 2: A sidewalk block that appears through the fog. An unfamiliar planet that has fallen across hundreds of thousands of years of time and space. Bau concentrated all his attention on the feel of the ground against his bare feet. It wasn't the rough, sharp granite rocks I had stepped on in the ancient earth, the wet mud that dragged down my ankles, or the piles of pine needles that stung the soles of my feet. Rectangular gray stones that are smoothly cut into standardized sizes and fit tightly together. It was a strange and wonderful feeling as the entire sole of my foot was supported flatly and firmly with every step I took. Bau bent his knees, squatted down carefully, and tried to sweep the stones from the floor with his rough, calloused palms. “Is this... the sidewalk block I saw in my dream...?”

The surface of the stone was engraved with fine grid pattern irregularities to prevent rainwater from slipping, and the narrow gaps between the stones were elaborately filled with finely filtered sand. The most ordinary yet great carpet of civilization created by human wisdom and countless drops of sweat. The huge Tyrannosaurus Tino, who was standing tall next to Bau, was also amazed by everything, so he slightly raised his large claw and tapped the corner of the sidewalk block. Just, just, just right. Every time a light friction sound rang out, Tino rolled his amber eyes and let out an exclamation. “Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm.”

As Tino's huge tail fluttered excitedly and almost hit the lamppost behind him, Bau hurriedly gently pulled on Tino's leather necklace. “Tino, watch your tail! This is not our cave. There are too many stone towers.” Tino understood Bau's words perfectly, and immediately curled his huge tail inside his body to hide it. The sight of a carnivorous dinosaur the size of a house constricting its body to maintain order in a narrow alley was enough to capture the attention of those watching. Bau raised his head and looked up at the huge buildings around him.

Layers of bricks, concrete, and transparent glass windows were piercing the sky. Inside the glass window, mannequins were standing wearing colorful pieces of cloth, and countless lights poured down like stars beyond them. Since the wood is not burning, how can such a dazzling light emanate from that transparent bead without any smoke? To Bau, it all felt like magic and the play of the gods. But it wasn't Bow and Tino who were truly shocked. Surrounding them were hundreds of people at the Hongdae Walkable Street and the entrance to the Gyeongui Line Forest Path in Yeonnam-dong.

The downtown area on Friday night was crowded with young people, foreign tourists, and spectators watching busking. In the middle of such a busy city, a real, breathing Tyrannosaurus from the height of a second-story apartment building and a caveman dressed in leather fell out of thin air, accompanied by a thick purple fog!

“Hey, look at that! Is that real?!”

“Crazy, isn’t that a hologram? It must be a 3D video!”

“No, look at the way I snort when I breathe! The ground is shaking!”

“Wow! This is amazing! I guess this is some kind of movie viral marketing! Is this a promotion for the new Jurassic Park?”

“Isn’t the quality of the man’s makeup in leather clothes crazy? He’s a completely natural person!” Hundreds of smartphones were simultaneously raised high in the sky. Click! Click! Click! Flashing camera flashes and live streaming notification sounds filled the night air. [Breaking News: A real Tyrannosaurus appears in Hongdae?! Real-time live explosion!]

[Hongdae caveman and pet Tyranno, street performance of the highest quality ever!]

Social media (SNS) feeds immediately started to explode, and hundreds of thousands of users from all over the world flocked to the live broadcast. Foreign tourists repeatedly shouted “Awesome!”, “Incredible!”, and “Real Jurassic World in Seoul!” and stamped their feet. However, people's reactions were quite different from panic caused by fear. Tino's appearance was undoubtedly that of a fearsome tyrant Tyrannosaurus that ruled the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but the aura he gave off was very gentle and simple.

A thick leather necklace around the neck, the sound of bell decorations rattling, and an expression that, rather than eating people, looks at people with curious eyes like a retriever that has just gone out for a walk. Tino sniffed the yellow safety cone (traffic cone) standing on the side of the road with his large nostrils, and when he saw the baby's mother pushing a stroller, he took a big step and stepped aside, showing surprising consideration.

“Oh my... Oh my! The dinosaur gave way to avoid the stroller!”

“He’s so gentle! Look at his tail wagging!”

Two nearby district police officers who were patrolling the streets were also embarrassed and rushed over with their radios, but when they saw Tino making eye contact with people and lowering his head peacefully, they almost dropped their radios with their mouths open. The fear disappeared like snow melting in an instant, and miraculous joy and festival fever began to spread through the center of the city. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, a young man who had been arranging an amplifier and microphone stand under a streetlight across the street quietly walked out. The young man's name is Kang Min-seo (23 years old). He was an unknown singer-songwriter who dreamed of singing acoustic folk songs in the Hongdae indie scene, and a friendly and deep-hearted young man who worked as a barista at a small brick cafe in a nearby alley in Yeonnam-dong during the day.

Minseo adjusted the old Martin acoustic guitar on his shoulder and slowly approached Bow and Tino. Other onlookers were pointing their smartphone cameras at the object and laughing uproariously at the sight of it being a movie prop or a robot, but Minseo's eyes were quite serious. Was it because of the sensitive and transparent sensitivity that is unique to people who make music? Minseo has eyes as clear and deep as Bau's lake, and the smell coming from Tino's breath—

Instead of the smell of exhaust fumes or machine oil, I could smell the scent of ancient wet earth, fresh pine needles, and wild mint. These were not actors who put on makeup to make money. They were truly ancient, pure souls who had passed through the cracks of time and flowed onto the modern sidewalk blocks. Minseo stopped three steps in front of Bau. And without fear, he bowed his head with a gentle smile and said hello. “Hello. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Bau blinked at the pronunciation of an unfamiliar language. Although he could not perfectly understand modern Korean words, the warm kindness and frequency of peace in Minseo's voice reached Bau's heart. Bau put his hand on his chest and responded in the language of the cave tribe. “Bau... My name is Bau. And this is my younger brother Tino.”

“Bau... and Tino...”

Minseo looked up at Tino. A huge Tyrannosaurus, as tall as the second floor of an apartment building, looked down at Minseo and let out a loud snort. Minseo's bangs were blowing in the wind, but Minseo didn't back down and instead reached out and gently stroked the area under Tino's snout. “Nice to meet you, Tino. You are a really cool dinosaur.”

"Golgolgolgol..."

A loud sound burst from the back of Tino's neck. Bau pointed to the strange brown wooden barrel hanging on Minseo’s shoulder. An object with a round hollow interior and six silver strings pulled taut. “What is it? Is it the mound from which the singing sounds that we saw in the cave paintings come from?”

When Bau asked with a hand gesture, Minseo smiled and held the acoustic guitar in her arms, gently stroking the six strings with her index finger. Crying—! A bright and transparent sound spread like waves between the sidewalk blocks. Bau opened his eyes round, and Tino also perked his ears and tilted his head. Bau cautiously stretched out his fingers and touched the wooden top of the guitar. The vibration of wood echoing through your fingertips. “The trees... are singing. The wind in the forest is alive and breathing.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s called an acoustic guitar. It’s an instrument that makes the wind and emotions sing in the sound chamber of the tree.”

It was a miraculous moment in the middle of the city, where a modern busker and two ancient souls formed perfect musical harmony. It was right then. Gurgling—! Quagwagwagwang! A huge thunderclap, like a subway train crashing through the ground, exploded from Tino's huge stomach. Tino closed his big eyes tightly as if he was embarrassed, rubbed his stomach with his short front paws, and groaned. “Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…”

Because he had used up all his strength crossing the dimension of space and time, Tino's stomach was completely empty. Bau also scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. Bau's stomach also made a small growling sound. “Hahaha! You must be very hungry!”

Minseo burst into laughter cheerfully. “It’s already Friday night, and the delicious smell is covering the whole street, and there’s no way my stomach can stay still. That’s right. I’ll take you two to the most delicious and warm place on the streets of Hongdae. Now, follow me!” Minseo took the lead and started walking down the sidewalk block path that stretches along the Gyeongui Line Forest Path. Bau followed suit, lightly holding Tino's leather necklace. Thump, thump, thump. Every time Tino's huge steps echoed through the sidewalk blocks, the crowd of people watching split on both sides like the Red Sea, clearing the way. Instead of being scared, people waved their hands and cheered. “Dinosaur, where are you going? Are you going to eat?”

“So cute! Have a nice trip!”

Tino seemed to be in a good mood, wagging his tail and shaking his head at people. The appearance was exactly the same as that of a neighborhood street leader's dog going for a walk. While walking, Minseo kindly explained the street scene to Bau using hand and foot gestures. “Bau, this is the streets of Hongdae in the huge city called Seoul. The square lights you see there are neon signs, and what people are holding in their hands are small magic boxes called smartphones. But the real heart of this street is the street food and music. People who are tired and tired from cold offices and schools during the day pour out onto these sidewalk blocks at night, sharing delicious food with each other and listening to music to heal the wounds of the day.”

Bau continued to nod his head while listening to Minseo. “The people of my tribe were always busy fighting and stealing game from each other... but the people here are smiling and sharing food with each other. The world I dreamed of was right here.”

The peaceful world he had drawn on the cave wall tens of thousands of years ago was now perfectly alive before his eyes. The place where Minseo took Bow and Tino was a street of colorful food trucks and street stalls located at the corners of alleys. Under the night sky, brightly lit bulbs and neon signs were emitting colorful light like a kaleidoscope. The entire street was vibrating with the fragrant, fragrant smell of oil and sweet seasoning. The first thing that caught my eye was a large steamer stand with a lot of white steam rising.

Standing in front of the stall was ‘Carlos’, a middle-aged chef with a warm look, wearing a colorful traditional Mexican sombrero hat. Carlos was a street craftsman who specialized in making 'Tamale', a traditional Mexican corn dish.

'Steam rises, tamale stands haze,

Neon mango cart, kaleidoscope days.' As the lyrics of the song say, every time the steamer lid was opened, white corn vapor rose like fog and dispersed into the streetlights. A golden tamale steamed with finely ground corn dough, sweet pumpkin, mashed beans, and fragrant herbs in dried corn husk! As that savory, sweet smell spread through the air, Tino's large nostrils began to flutter. “Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn…!”

Tino swallowed his saliva and walked towards the steamer. At first, Uncle Carlos was so scared when the shadow of a dinosaur the size of a house hit the stall that he almost dropped his ladle. “¡Madre mía! (Oh my god!) What is this?! It’s a real Dinosaur?!”

Carlos rubbed his eyes and took a step back. But Minseo hurriedly stepped forward and held out his hand. “Uncle Carlos! Don’t be surprised! It’s a very kind and gentle dinosaur. It never bites people. It was so hungry that it smelled something delicious and came here!” Bau also bowed politely to Carlos. Then he took out a few wild mint leaves from his pocket, which he had boiled and drank every morning in the cave, and placed them on his palm. It was the most precious and purest token of gratitude that a primitive person could give.

Carlos looked alternately between Bau's innocent eyes and the giant Tino, who was sniffing and giving a pitiful look. The heart of a chef who had been cooking food on the streets for decades could never grow cold in the face of starving people. Carlos recalled his hometown village in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he was born. Even there, when a hungry traveler came to visit, the first thing to do was to offer them a warm tamale, which was a virtue of hospitality handed down from generation to generation. Carlos carefully put the wild mint leaf that Bau gave him to his nose and smelled its scent.

“Oh... what is this fresh and deep scent? It’s not an herb grown in a civilized greenhouse. I can feel the deep energy of the earth!”

A generous and generous smile spread across Carlos' face. "Hahaha! Great! After 30 years of cooking, I'm finally getting all the Tyrannosaurus customers! If you're hungry, I'll fill you up with my tamales!"

Uncle Carlos took out the tongs and pulled out a hot tamale freshly steamed from the steamer. When I skillfully peeled off the steaming corn husk, a yellow, moist, ripe, sweet corn cake was revealed. Carlos put three or four tamales on a wide tray and handed them to Bau. “Alright, guests, try it first! It’s hot, so be careful!” Bau carefully took the tamale with both hands. The fluffy and soft texture of corn dough. The moment you take a bite—

The rich flavor of sweet and savory corn and the sweetness of soft pumpkin exploded like a waterfall in my mouth. For Bau, who had only eaten rough, tough, raw raw food, modern street food that was finely ground and steamed with fire and steam was truly a shock of a new world. “Oooh... Oooh...!”

Bau's eyes widened and he let out an exclamation of exclamation. “Sweet... soft... it’s like chewing and swallowing warm sunlight!” Not to be outdone, Tino, who was watching the scene, stuck his snout out and said, “Crrr!” He begged. Carlos chuckled and put thirty freshly steamed tamales in a large stainless steel spoon at once. Then, he peeled off the corn husks one by one and handed out the sweet meat-like dough to Tino's huge mouth. “Come on, dinosaur friend! Open your mouth!”

Tino opened his mouth as if he had been waiting, and Carlos poured out his entire spoon. Mumble, gulp, gulp! Thirty sweet tamales were quickly sucked into Tino's huge throat. Tino's eyes opened brightly. The huge tail began to swing violently from side to side. Boom – boom – Carlos’ sombrero hat almost flew off as his tail tore through the air. “Keeeeeeek! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

Tino was snorting and stamping his feet on the floor as if he was in a trance. The Tyrannosaurus was so delicious that it didn't know what to do, and the cute struggle of the Tyrannosaurus made hundreds of onlookers hold their stomachs and burst into laughter. “Wow! It’s a real-time dinosaur mukbang!”

“You eat really well! You eat happily!” Carlos did not stop there, and lapped up a large glass of the white traditional drink 'Horchata' from a large glass jar under the stand, put it in a large porcelain glass and handed it to Bau. It was a traditional Mexican grain drink made with finely ground rice and almonds and flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, making it sweet and refreshing. Bau raised his glass and took a sip. The sweet, soft, milky liquid flowed down my throat, embracing the warmth of the tamale. “Is this... heavenly dew? The scent of grains and the scent of tree bark (cinnamon) in the forest combine to cleanse even the soul!”

Carlos shrugged his shoulders and laughed heartily at Bau's sincere admiration. “As expected, you are a friend who knows the taste! Our ancestors also drank this drink under the Mayan pyramids and gave thanks to the gods!” The college students and merchants gathered around did not stay still. An aunt from a nearby snack bar brought a basketful of freshly baked, warm roasted sweet potatoes and steamed corn, and the fruit shop owner cut a sweet ripe honey melon and a large watermelon in half and handed them to Tino. Tino retracted his short front claws and carefully picked up the watermelon, then crunched!

I bit into the sweet flesh with the skin on, making a sound. Cool red watermelon juice flowed down his chin, but Tino squinted his eyes with an extremely happy expression. An impromptu feast held on a sidewalk block. People on the streets were generously offering their food for the unfamiliar primitive people and dinosaurs. Right next to the tamale stand stood a fresh fruit cart decorated with colorful neon lights. There, it was a neon mango cart that sold yellow mangoes on skewers, cut them like flower petals, and sprinkled a little sweet and sour lime juice and chili powder.

The young man who owned the cart also shouted excitedly. “Hey, Tyrano friend! Try some sweet mango flowers for dessert!”

Tino accepted the huge mango flower skewer handed to him by the young man and carefully bit off only the flesh of the mango with his teeth. As the sweet and cool mango juice burst into his mouth, Tino closed his eyes and made an ecstatic expression again. Bau stood on the sidewalk block and looked around. A world we face across hundreds and thousands of years. Even in the midst of huge buildings, neon signs, and the noise of cars... the warm heart of humans carefully preparing food with their hands and handing it to others was no different from the primitive bonfire in front of them. Laughter always bloomed where food was shared, and the fear of strangers was giving way to hospitality and warmth. Minseo gently plucked the strings of the acoustic guitar and began to hum a song.

Neon mango cart, kaleidoscope days. Hot dogs spinning, wheels in the air,

Cotton candy clouds, dreams everywhere. On the curb, the incense burns slowly,

Patchouli whispers where the churros glow. Sidewalk serenade, flavors parade,

Every corner’s got a story handmade. Streetlights dance, under the moon’s charade,

Life’s a banquet, sidewalk serenade.’ The lights of the street lights dancing under the moonlight, the warm stories of the streets created by hand. As the clear arpeggio melody of the acoustic guitar spread through the night wind to every corner of the alley, people gathered on the street began to shake their shoulders and sing along one by one. Tino must have reached the peak of his mood as well, and he stomped his huge hind legs! thud! I nodded, matching the beat. The bells attached to the leather necklace added a clear rhythm like a tambourine.

The primitive man and Tyrannosaurus who had crash-landed in an unfamiliar space and time were now invited as formal guests to the table of this huge city. Bau made eye contact with Minseo and smiled warmly. Beyond the alley, the delicious smell of a spinning hot dog grill and the scent of dreams swelling like cotton candy were waiting for them again. As the darkness deepened, the city streetlights danced brighter, and every corner of the street was filled with magical stories carefully created by hand. This warm warmth flowing along the sidewalk blocks was the joy of life that would be remembered forever, transcending time and space.

Bau and Tino's first dinner in the city became a beautiful serenade on the sidewalk blocks, resounding brightly in the night sky of Seoul.