Chapter 103

Kang Jin emerged from the convenience store and briefly examined the apple before taking a bite.

Wow…

As soon as he chewed, its sweetness, reminiscent of honey, spread throughout his mouth with a refreshing burst. Kang Jin marveled at the taste, savoring each bite. Watching him, Kang Doochi chuckled.

“It’s quite enjoyable for something grown on a human tongue.”

Kang Jin paused momentarily but continued eating the apple.

“I prefer to think of it just as any ordinary apple.”

“Well, technically, it is still an apple.” Smiling, Kang Doochi finished chewing his own apple and discarded the core into a nearby trash bin outside the convenience store.

“Oh! And whatever you buy, make sure to consume it alone.”

“Alone?”

“Eating food from the afterlife isn’t harmful per se, but it’s not ideal for living beings.”

Kang Jin flinched at Kang Doochi’s words and looked down at his apple.

“But I’m still alive!”

“Eating ghost food won’t harm you, Mr. Kang.”

“Does eating food from the afterlife make one see ghosts?”

“Well, consuming too much might put your foot in the door of the afterlife, wouldn’t it?”

Kang Jin nodded in understanding.

“I guess I should eat alone then.”

“Don’t worry; seeing ghosts doesn’t happen instantly just because you’ve tasted some afterlife food once.”

“That’s reassuring to know.”

Even if guests accidentally consumed part of the food, as long as they didn’t overindulge, it seemed manageable.

“We’ve been away for quite some time. It’s probably best if we head back now.”

“I must have taken up too much of your time. Thank you for showing me around.”

Kang Doochi started walking at Kang Jin’s words. “Let’s go. I’ll escort you.”

“I wouldn’t know my way around here anyway.” As he spoke, Kang Jin looked around. He spotted ghosts and JS Finance employees bustling about nearby. The area was so lively that it could be mistaken for a busy underground shopping district if not for its association with JS Finance.

“This place is quite large.”

“All ghosts visit here before ascending to heaven.”

“And where do they go after this?”

“They move on to the JS Immigration Office for reincarnation.”

As they conversed, Kang Doochi guided Kang Jin back to where their journey had begun.

Shhhf!

Standing before countless doors stretching endlessly, Kang Doochi pointed toward them.

“Your business card served as the key to enter here, and your memory will be the key to leave.”

“My memory?”

“You can grab any door here, think of where you want to go while opening it.”

“Anywhere I want?”

“As long as the place doesn’t reject Kang Jin’s entry, you can go anywhere.”

“It won’t reject me? What does that mean?”

“It means places where Kang Jin is allowed access. You can visit your home, workplace, or open stores, but not someone else’s residence.”

Kang Jin looked at Kang Doochi after hearing his explanation.

“You mentioned earlier that homes are connected with people… Is this related to that?”

“Homes protect their inhabitants. Evil spirits like myself cannot enter another person’s house.”

Kang Jin nodded at Kang Doochi’s words and looked towards the door while recalling One Meal Restaurant. Then…

Click!

Kang Jin opened the door and stepped inside. Upon exiting through this door, he found himself at One Meal Restaurant.

‘How fascinating.’

When entering, it led to the basement of his company, but upon exiting, it brought him to One Meal Restaurant.

“You’re here?”

In response to Sung Yongsoo’s question, Kang Jin nodded and started taking items out from a bag purchased at JS Convenience Store.

“Did you go grocery shopping?” As Sung Yongsoo spoke, he absentmindedly handled a kitchen knife before suddenly freezing.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It feels different.”

At Sung Yongsoo’s words, Kang Jin observed him. In Sung Yongsoo’s hand was a kitchen knife. With surprise, Sung Yongsoo examined the knife closely and tore open its packaging.

“How is this possible?”

Seeing Sung Yongsoo’s astonished reaction as he inspected the knife, Kang Jin nodded understandingly.

“That’s a kitchen knife made from the afterlife.”

“The afterlife?”

“I guess even you can touch it since you’re a ghost. It makes sense that ghosts can handle objects from the afterlife.”

Kang Jin’s words intrigued Bae Yongsoo as he examined the knife with fascination before suddenly turning to Kang Jin.

“How did you bring back a kitchen knife from the afterlife?”

In response, Kang Jin recounted his visit to JS Finance and shopping at the JS convenience store.

“Ah! So everything here is from the afterlife.” As Bae Yongsoo spoke, he touched the plastic bag, which also materialized in his hand.

“You’ve been to JS Finance, right?”

“Yeah, I got caught once waiting in line there.”

“But you didn’t notice this?” Kang Jin pointed to the JS Convenience Store logo on the bag.

Bae Yongsoo shook his head. “Why would I shop there when I don’t have any money? If I had, I wouldn’t have stood in line anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“I finished waiting in line and immediately arrived here. I didn’t want to stay there long.”

Upon hearing Kang Jin’s words, Bae Yongsoo reached for an apple on the dining table. He smiled as he grasped it firmly.

“Even without manifesting physically, I can still hold objects. How fascinating.”

“It might be because these items are from the same realm as you. Oh! Try eating this. It’s incredibly delicious.”

While living beings shouldn’t consume such fruits, it wouldn’t matter for Sung Yongsoo as a ghost. After all, ghosts observing other ghosts isn’t unusual.

Following Kang Jin’s suggestion, Bae Yongsoo took a bite of the apple, his face filled with surprise.

“What?! This is insane!”

“Told you so?”

“It tastes amazing, doesn’t it?”

“They say it’s grown in Balser’s Hell.”

“Balser’s Hell?”

“You’ve never heard of it?”

“I haven’t been to hell, so no.”

“It’s grown here.”

“On your tongue? What do you mean?”

Kang Jin laughed at Sung Yongsoo’s confusion and shook his head.

“Apparently, it is possible.” Kang Jin then looked around the store before asking, “Where is Heo Yeonwook?”

“He went out.”

“Don’t eat all the apples; leave some for him too.”

“I bought quite a few.”

“You paid with your own money?”

In response to Kang Jin’s comment, Bae Yongsoo pursed his lips and glanced at the knife.

“By the way, this blade is incredibly sharp.”

“It supposedly grows in a place called Swordsmanship Hell.”

“A plant?” Confused, Sung Yongsoo watched as Kang Jin showed him the back of the knife packaging.

“It’s similar to growing plants.”

“So even though it looks like this, its leaves are like those of a tree.”

“Then we shouldn’t clean it with detergent.”

“Detergent?”

“Since it’s a plant.”

As Kang Jin pondered Bae Yongsoo’s words, he realized they were correct. Since it absorbed water like a plant, using soap would likely kill it.

“A gentle wipe with water should suffice.”

Kang Jin then moved his purchases to the kitchen.

Later that day, while preparing for business, Kang Jin was preoccupied with organizing ingredients and getting ready to cook once customers arrived. Suddenly, Sung Yongsoo shivered.

“Damn! The virgin ghost is coming.”

“Who?”

“The boss.”

With that, Bae Yongsoo hastily left the store. Kang Jin checked the time.

“It’s still ten minutes before eleven.”

Kim Sohee usually arrived exactly on time but today she seemed to be early.

In response, Kang Jin retrieved garlic, chili peppers, and chicken feet from the refrigerator. He started preparing her favorite dishes.

“She loves yukgaejang, but…”

Kim Sohee loved yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), but there wasn’t enough time to prepare it now.

“How about a spicy beef broth?”

By adding chili oil, Kang Jin could achieve a similar taste as yukgaejang. With this thought, he retrieved beef and radishes from the refrigerator and started preparing them.

At precisely eleven o’clock, the door opened.

Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!

Hearing the chime, Kang Jin smiled and peeked towards the entrance.

“Come on i…huh?” His expression shifted from confusion to delight. “Yerim!”

Entering through the door was Lee Yerim, the virgin ghost who had vanished during their training retreat. Instead of her bloodied appearance at the retreat, she wore a clean school uniform, surprising Kang Jin, who quickly stepped forward.

Following closely behind Yerim, Kim Sohee entered the shop.

“How did you come together?”

“I brought her along.”

“You…did?”

Kim Sohee squinted her eyes and glanced inside at Kang Jin’s question.

“May I come in?”

“Oh! Please do.”

Kang Jin had inadvertently blocked the entrance, preventing them from entering. Once he stepped aside, Kim Sohee slowly made her way to her seat. Lee Yerim quietly sat down beside her.

She won’t even share a table with another virgin ghost.

With this thought, Kang Jin turned to Lee Yerim.

“What happened?”

Lee Yerim subtly checked on Kim Sohee before responding.

”…I ended up in North Korea.”

“North Korea?”

“When I opened my eyes, I was there.” Kang Jin looked surprised as she listened to Yerim’s tale.

“She flew quite far.”

“How surprised were you to find yourself in North Korea?”

Kang Jin glanced at Kim Sohee before asking Lee Yerim, “How did you meet Miss Kim?”

“I thought if I walked south, I would eventually reach South Korea.”

“Walking? Why not use public transportation?”

“Even if there was a bus nearby, how could I know where it’s headed? Besides, buses don’t run frequently over there.”

“That makes sense.”

Based on accounts from defectors featured on TV shows, it was true that public transportation was scarce outside of Pyongyang. Moreover, without knowing which bus went south, taking one would have been challenging for her.

“So what happened next?”

“I was wandering aimlessly towards the south when she found me yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” Kang Jin asked, and Lee Yerim nodded.

“She suddenly appeared last night. She told me to follow her…and here we are.”

Kang Jin glanced at Kim Sohee after hearing Lee Yerim’s explanation.

“Were you searching for Yerim?”

Kim Sohee affirmed with a nod. “Since I released her, I needed to see this through.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Although unspoken, Kim Sohee had indeed tracked down Lee Yerim from Jeju Island all the way up north. Thankfully, she located Yerim somewhere near the middle of North Korea; otherwise, she would’ve had to traverse its entirety.

It was both bothersome and tiring for Kim Sohee to track down each ghost’s energy individually.

“Give me some soju.”

“Oh! I have better liquor than soju.”

“Better liquor?”

“You’ve endured much hardship due to me, so I can’t offer just any soju.” Kang Jin opened the refrigerator revealing bottles of Cheongbaekryeok and Gamhongro inside. He eyed the two types before grabbing the bottle of Gamhongro.

‘She might prefer something sweeter.’

Since many women tend to like sweet drinks, he chose Gamhongro and placed it on the table.

Kim Sohee smiled slightly at the sight of the Gamhongro bottle.

“How fancy.”

“It seems fitting for you, Miss Kim. Please excuse me while I prepare some snacks.”

Kim Sohee nodded slightly as she watched Kang Jin pour Gamhongro into her glass. Kang Jin then headed to the kitchen, gesturing for Lee Yerim to follow.

As Lee Yerim approached the kitchen, Kang Jin asked, “Did you meet your friends today?”

“They crossed over from North Korea earlier today.”

Lee Yerim glanced briefly at Kim Sohee before turning back to Kang Jin and saying, “Sis told me to have some food before leaving.”

Kang Jin looked at Lee Yerim’s response with amusement. “What would you like to eat?”

“Anything is fine,” replied Lee Yerim, seemingly more eager to reunite with her friends than focusing on eating.

Kang Jin smiled and nodded understandingly. “Alright.”

She began preparing the meal.

Gamhongro should be made just like Suksoon taught me, using pork seasoned with salt and garlic, sautéed in sesame oil. For Yerim, I’ll make rice cakes stir-fried with omurice.

With these recipes in mind, Kang Jin swiftly started cooking.