Chapter 114

On Sunday morning, Kang Jin stood outside the restaurant.

Vroom!

A one-ton truck pulled up to the front of the store, and its window rolled down.

“Please get in!”

Upon Shin Soo-yong’s words, Kang Jin glanced at Bae Yongsoo.

“It’ll be uncomfortable sitting in the middle.”

“You think it will be more uncomfortable for me?”

Kang Jin’s remark made Sung Yongsoo sigh as he climbed into the middle seat while greeting Shin Soo-yong.

“Hello.”

“It seems like you’ve settled in completely at One Meal Restaurant now.”

“I’m getting paid, so…”

Shin Soo-yong chuckled before turning towards Kang Jin.

“The trip should take about one or two hours, so please feel free to sleep.”

“But there is someone driving, how can I…

“Sung Yongsoo can keep me company, so it’s fine.”

With that, Shin Soo-yong started the truck.

“We’re here.”

Kang Jin opened his eyes at Shin Soo-yong’s announcement. Despite his earlier protestations, he had inevitably dozed off as soon as he sat down in the passenger seat.

Anyway, with his eyes now open, Kang Jin looked ahead. Two trucks and one sedan were parked up front, where the Shin siblings awaited them.

“Why so late?” Shin Su-jo grumbled as Shin Soo-yong got out of the truck.

Soo-yong smiled. “I’m a bit tardy because I picked up our president. But you still look good, hyung.”

Shin Suho responded, “Looks can be deceiving.”

As Shin Suho glanced at Shin Su-jo, she cocked her head, puzzled by what he meant. At this, Shin Suho sighed before turning to Kang Jin and giving him a small bow.

Soo-yong bowed his head respectfully, and Kang Jin followed suit.

“I didn’t realize you were here to help us.”

“We need kimchi ourselves…so we figured we’d kill two birds with one stone.” As he spoke, Shin Suho gestured toward something with his eyes. There, they spotted several containers of kimchi piled on a handcart.

They brought quite a lot.

Kang Jin wasn’t bothered by this. Although it was technically for One Meal Restaurant’s kimchi-making event, Shin Soo-yong had actually provided all the ingredients free of charge. Therefore, there was no downside for Kang Jin if the Shin brothers helped make kimchi and took some home with them.

As Kang Jin surveyed the area around the kimchi containers, he noticed only dilapidated thatched-roof houses scattered nearby.

“Are you making kimchi here?”

“Yes.”

People pulling hand carts entered the village.

“Do you see that mountain over there?” Shin Soo-yong pointed to the hill behind the village. However…

“It’s all mountains around here.”

As Kang Jin mentioned, the entire area was surrounded by hills of varying heights.

Shin Soo-yong chuckled at his comment. “In South Korea, houses typically face south, so ‘the back’ usually refers to the north side. Hence, the ‘back mountain’ is this one right here.”

Kang Jin looked toward the mountain Shin Soo-yong indicated.

“That’s quite high.”

“It’s a great mountain.”

As they continued walking through the village while gazing at the mountain, Kang Jin sensed something wasn’t right.

This village feels strange.

All he could see were ruins and dilapidated houses with no signs of human life. Furthermore, the dwellings looked extremely outdated.

“It doesn’t seem like anyone lives here.”

“No one does.”

“Then who—?”

“Ghosts live here.” Shin Soo-yong’s matter-of-fact response prompted Kang Jin to look around curiously.

“But I don’t see any ghosts.”

“They’re probably by the well.”

“The well?”

“There’s no running water here. Oh, there they are!”

As Shin Soo-yong spoke, Kang Jin spotted several ghosts near the well. About ten of them stood together, inspecting cabbages and turnips covered in plastic wrap. They appeared to be women ranging from middle-aged to elderly, along with two ghost children who seemed about ten years old each.

“Auntie!”

When Shin Su-jo waved at them, they eagerly waved back with smiles on their faces.

“You’re here.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Welcome!”

The ghosts’ warm greetings brought a smile to Shin Su-jo’s face.

“We rarely come unless it’s harvest time because we have mouths to feed.”

“But we’re glad you came anyway.”

“You’ve gotten even handsomer, Ho.”

“I’ve always been handsome.”

Kang Jin was slightly taken aback by how familiar the Shin brothers seemed with these ghosts.

I didn’t know Lawyer Shin could make such expressions.

He’d only ever seen Shin Suho either expressionless or stone-faced, so this cheerful demeanor and wide grin were new sights for him.

“Auntie, this is Lee Kang-jin, president of our restaurant.”

When Shin Suho gestured toward him, the ghosts turned to look at Kang Jin, who bowed his head respectfully.

“My name is Lee Kang-jin.”

The ghosts smiled and approached him.

“It’s nice to see you here. Please come back often.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

While Shin Suho engaged the ghosts in conversation, he discreetly took something out of one of his shopping bags.

“Hey, Manbok.” The boy ghost looked up at Shin Suho’s call. “Yes?”

“I have a gift for you.” With that, Shin Suho revealed what he’d taken from the bag.

“Wow! It’s Steel Warrior!”

It was indeed a figurine of Steel Warrior, a popular action figure.

“I thought of you when I saw this.”

“Thanks!” The boy beamed brightly, catching the attention of the girl standing next to him.

“What about me?”

“Of course, I got you something too, noona.”

As he spoke, Shin Suho pulled out a box from his shopping bag.

“Wow! Princess clothes!”

The box contained costumes inspired by those worn by princesses of a winter kingdom.

Kang Jin quietly asked Shin Soo-yong about them.

“Hyung? Are they your sister’s?”

“Yes, she always dressed like that when we were younger.”

Kang Jin nodded at Shin Soo-yong’s explanation. Ghosts don’t age, but humans do.

“So these ladies are going to help with kimchi-making?”

“Yes.”

“How can ghosts assist with making kimchi?”

“You know how you can get anything if you have money, right?”

“Money?”

Puzzled, Kang Jin looked at Shin Soo-yong, who glanced back at Shin Suho.

“Should I call Doochi hyung?”

Suho nodded in response.

“Yes.” At Shin Suho’s response, Shin Soo-yong took out his cell phone and made a call.

“Hyung, it’s me. We’re planning to make kimchi today. Yeah… It’s already late November, you know? Okay.”

After ending the call, Shin Soo-yong reported, “He said he’ll be here in ten minutes after wrapping up some business.”

“We should get ready then.”

Shin Suho led the way toward where the cabbage was stored and started removing the plastic covering.

Fwsshh! Fwsshh!

They revealed piles of cabbage and other vegetables stacked near the well.

“Wow…”

As Kang Jin’s eyes widened at the sight, the ajumma ghost addressed Shin Su-jo.

“The TV isn’t working.”

“It’s not?”

“I think there might be no power.”

At her words, Shin Su-jo headed for a nearby house that looked relatively intact and climbed onto its roof.

A solar panel incongruously sat atop the roof. Shin Su-jo cleared some fallen leaves from it and noted, “It looks like this wire came loose.”

He then took out a Swiss Army knife from his pocket to fix it.

I guess they installed a TV so the ghosts could watch something.

The ghosts of One Meal Restaurant would often pass their time by watching television when there was nothing else to do.

“Lee Kang-jin?” While Kang Jin watched Shin Su-jo work, Shin Suho called out to him.

“Yes?”

“Why don’t we…get started together?”

“Sure thing. Where should we begin?”

“Let’s fetch water first.”

At Shin Suho’s suggestion, Kang Jin headed toward the well and tossed down a bucket to draw up water.

Glug-glug! Glug-glug!

As Kang Jin fetched water, Shin Suho brought out several large bowls. They were busy with their tasks when Kang Doo-chi appeared on the scene.

“What perfect weather for making kimchi!” Kang Doochi approached with a bright smile and hands full of items.

As Lee Kang-jin’s gaze landed on him, Kang Doochi raised one bag.

“It’s pork.”

“Pork?”

“Don’t you think boiled pork goes well with kimchi?” Still smiling, he set down the bag.

“From JS Butcher Shop?”

“The quality is incomparable to anything from Lee Seungha’s shop.” Grinning, Kang Doochi turned toward the ghosts.

“How have our customers been doing?”

“You’ve all been good, right, Doochi?”

“Of course!”

Unlike other ghosts, they welcomed Kang Doochi without any fear. After exchanging greetings, Kang Doochi retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket.

“Could I please get your signature here first?”

Kang Jin accepted the paper from Kang Doochi and examined it:

**[Employment Contract]

Lee Kang-jin of One Meal Restaurant hires Eesoon-hye and ten other ghosts for 24 hours on November ___th.

Lee Kang-jin of One Meal Restaurant will pay Eesoon-hye and ten other ghosts 450,000 won.]

After reading the contract, Kang Jin asked, “That 450,000 won… Is it divided among each ghost?”

“Of course.”

Kang Jin pondered over Kang Doochi’s response.

*Four hundred fifty thousand won…

It’s a high daily rate. However…

Swoosh!*

Kang Jin noticed the pile of cabbages nearby.

*Three thousand heads…

Considering the workload, the daily rate didn’t seem excessive anymore. Plus, it’s not just for one day but for 24-hour employment. Thinking about it, it equates to three days’ wages for an eight-hour workday. And with this, I’ll have kimchi for an entire year.*

Still contemplating, Kang Jin posed a question:

“By the way… How can you help with making kimchi as a ghost?”

“If you hire me under contract, I will be able to exert physical force here.”

“Is this place special somehow?”

“This is where only ghosts reside, and it’s saturated with their energy. Thus, it is easier for ghosts to move around compared to other places.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing Kang Doochi’s words, Kang Jin glanced at Bae Yongsoo. Bae Yongsoo was observing the state of the cabbages and radishes from one side. When he noticed Kang Jin’s gaze, he smiled and said:

“The cabbages look great.”

Kang Jin then turned to Kang Doochi.

“So if we contract Yongsoo, can he also exert physical force here?”

“It is possible here.”

“Then, would it not work at One Meal Restaurant?”

Kang Doochi chuckled at Kang Jin’s question.

“That is also possible.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s nothing money can’t buy. However…it will be more expensive at One Meal Restaurant.”

“How much more?”

“About ten times the usual cost.”

Ten times would make it 450 won. Kang Jin nodded.

“In that case, I’ll sign a separate contract for tap water today.”

“As you wish.”

As they spoke, Kang Doochi wrote Bae Yongsoo’s name on the contract and returned it to Kang Jin.

Kang Jin accepted the contract while observing the bag held in Kang Doochi’s hand. The bag contained something rectangular-shaped.

“What is that?”

“Oh!” Kang Doochi smiled, opened the bag, and took out its contents.

It was a plastic container of kimchi.

“Don’t you think sharing homemade kimchi enhances its taste?”

Kang Jin chuckled at Kang Doochi’s remark.

“You’re right about kimjang kimchi.”

“Ah, you know this tradition well, Mr. Kang.”

Kang Jin nodded in agreement with Kang Doochi. Whether it was at an Internet café, restaurant or construction site, sharing one piece of kimchi from their batch was customary when someone made kimjang kimchi. However…the size of the container Kang Doochi brought did concern him somewhat.

‘He has helped me out quite a bit.’

Muttering to himself, Kang Jin signed the document.

Swishhh!

As soon as he finished signing, the ghosts’ forms became more solid.

Whooooosh!

“Huh?” Bae Yongsoo blinked in surprise as his own figure darkened further. At that moment, Kang Jin handed him the pail for drawing water.

“Here! Draw some water.”

“I have to?”

“Well, do you think I, the president, should be doing such tasks?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m actually a ghost… Huh?!” Bae Yongsoo’s face lit up with surprise as Kang Jin tossed him the bucket, which he caught effortlessly.

“What?”

Baffled, Bae Yongsoo stared at the pail while Kang Jin pointed to the well.

“You can move freely for 24 hours now.”

“For real?”

“Yes, let’s hurry.”

Bae Yongsoo looked blankly at the bucket before breaking out into a grin.

“All right.”

As soon as Bae Yongsoo began drawing water, Kang Jin turned his attention to the other ghosts. Sensing physical energy being used, they immediately started preparing kimchi.

“Let’s start by trimming the cabbage and salting it.”

“Sounds good.”

With that, the ajumma ghosts grabbed cabbages and swiftly got to work. Meanwhile, Shin Suho and the water spirits fetched large bowls from somewhere and began collecting water.

They needed water to brine the trimmed cabbage first.

As Kang Jin watched them work and was about to fetch some water, Shin Suho stopped him.

“You should help with trimming the cabbage, sir.”

“I can also lend a hand—”

“If you plan on opening a restaurant, knowing how to make kimchi is essential. It’s best if you learn from scratch now.”

Kang Jin observed the ajumma ghosts at work before nodding his agreement.

“Understood.”

Suho’s advice made sense. At this moment, learning how to make kimchi was more important for Kang Jin than fetching water. He approached one of the ajumma ghosts working on the cabbage.

“What should I do?”

The ghost smiled as she explained the process, and Kang Jin quickly followed suit.