he is a young man of contradiction. growing up in the ahn household that owns one of simdong's coziest and inviting restaurants, seojun took that certain friendly trait to heart despite how opposite his particular actions are. he's rough around the edges, and treats everyone as his equal, which explains why he doesn't often speak to his customers in a formal way. yet, you could sense that drip of respect and care he has for them whenever he converses with them (still calls those who are older than him with the honorific -ssi). granted, he has a potty mouth that's pretty much like his mother's, and that is always frowned upon by some of the more conservative population of simdong (and would definitely encounter problems if they even welcome visitors that came from the city). nonetheless, it was because of that that the restaurant can handle different types of people residing, arriving and leaving the town. it didn't matter to seojun if they're a different type of family that goes against korean culture when it comes to formality and respect to the elderly, because seojun appreciated the fact that he's different and so is his mother.

 

he cares about his customers far more than anyone could give him credit for, even goes as far as cooking a simple meal for the hungry even if he knows that they can't pay him or the restaurant back for it. it's something his mother often scolds, but his father understands his way of thinking—"eating isn't a privilege, it's a right" he often tells his mother (that goes without saying that it only applies to the ones who really can't afford to eat). he's calm in the kitchen, moves wtih ease yet is quite boisterous when he interacts with others. in a sense, it adds to the warm ambiance the restaurant has that tends to draw everyone and ends up coming back because of it. it gives them a sense of being included, often chatting with the customers with no hint of boundaries or walls between chef and customer. he has his own beliefs and is firm to stick to it no matter what others think, which is why he's always in conflicts with his mother (and some others) because of that. he obviously inherited his mother's rumbustious personality, and they both are headstrong people that'll fight their way to what they believe in.

 

he often has a short-temper with anything related to food or cooking, having patience thinner than anyone else. he has that sort of arrogance he carries even when he left simdong because he knows he can cook; he has the talent for it. he is no judger when it comes to first impressions and the personality of a person in general, but he can be a bit condescending to some chefs when he sees a dish that he's aware it has the potential to be better if he's the one doing it, which he sadly developed when he moved to the city.

seojun is the only child of the infamous ahn family in simdong, known to owning one of the town's favorite restaurants. he grew up surrounded with food, with parents that are both excellent and warmhearted chefs that it's only inevitable that he, too, would become one. and to seojun's admittance, he does love what he's family's doing. he enjoys everyone's company at the restaurant, albeit a little bit too daring and rowdy to everyone's liking. although that is to be expected since his mother is just the same, but all the more mature and already having motherly traits so it was a bit toned down now with the expectations that she's apparently the only one who can handle seojun's firecracking personality.

 

even at the young age of 5, seojun can already be seen running around in the kitchen; giving assistance by chopping vegetables then proteins. and before long, he's already a working chef with a talented mind and a gifted palette. he often interacts with every business in simdong, especially with the farmers and the fishermen as he knows the wonderful feeling of creating such masterpieces using simdong's own produce and proteins. that went along for 15 years, until when he's 21 that seojun grew to realize that the restaurant's remaining stagnant.

 

he's well-aware that the customers enjoy their food despite not being offered a new menu every season. the town's favorites, "soondubu jjigae" and "catch of the day" are still the favorites and are often ordered by everyone. he's also well-knowledgable of how this certain menu was passed down to generations, to his father, and now to him. but, to his eyes, cooking is meant to be a dynamic thing. something that always has the potential to grow, to serve something better, and he knows that their restaurant can become better if they have seasonal menus. it's not like seojun wanted to permanently replace the menu they have now, anyway, so what's wrong with breaking the lifelong tradition?

 

apparently, there are a whole lot of wrongs to it. their restaurant was already known for the menu they have, and to his parents' own interests, there's no need for a change. there's no need for a competition either (something his father thinks is one of the reasons why seojun even proposed such a thing), yet it's really not what seojun wants to point out. it irked seojun to the bones, feeling quite pathetic that his own family won't step forward with him with the dream of making their family restaurant the best there is—not to anyone's opinions but to their own. to seojun's.

 

the heat between them got a bit worse when his father was diagnosed with a collapsed intervertebral disc, though thankfully not severe enough to need surgery but serious enough that he has to undergo physical therapy. despite that however, even to seojun's own dismay because he is in fact, worried of his father's condition, he still decided to leave simdong and move to the city to have a change of scenery. he has no culinary education, so he thought that it'll help further convince his parents if he has more knowledge about korean cuisine and culinary in general. people at simdong grew disappointed at seojun's decision to leave even with the knowledge that his father's health is at risk, but seojun couldn't bear to stay in town knowing that he could do something that could potentially convince his parents to change.

 

moving in to the city, seojun quickly realized how different city life is as compared to the town he previously lived in. at night he heard crickets and the sound of the sea hitting the sand yet here all he could ever hear are the sounds of car engines, busy streets, and the music blasting outside of the nightclubs. it was a culture shock, to say the least, and it took a while for seojun to adapt. however, he acclimatized perfectly because of the new introduction to korean cuisine. the dishes that he could only see at the internet are finally infront of him, and even if he himself tried cooking them on his own, it was nothing compared to the authentic dishes the city has can offer.

 

when he entered culinary school, he was different considering that he's already 21 when he entered whilst the rest of students are 19-20. he knows he was late, but it never bothered him the slightest, the only thing on his mind is to drink in the information and teachings the school would give him in high hopes that when he officially moves back to simdong, he can finally ask his parents to step forward and welcome the change.