Chapter 118

Kang Jin and Shin Suho were transferring kimchi barrels to a cave located behind the village. This was where One Meal Restaurant stored their kimchi and fermented condiments.

Hrrr, hrrr.

After dragging the barrels inside, Kang Jin surveyed the cave. It extended deep underground, with rows of barrels lining its length as far as the eye could see.

“Aren’t you tired?” asked the ghost grandmother.

Kang Jin smiled at her question. “I’m fine after eating several bowls of ginseng broth.”

He had consumed boiled pork with wild ginseng, followed by doenjang soup made from the same broth. Not wanting to waste a single drop, he’d finished every last bit.

Additionally, they consumed thirty-year-old dandelion roots. Heo Yeonwook had expressed concerns about potential side effects from pairing pork with dandelion roots… However, ghosts didn’t worry about such things, and Kang Jin was intrigued by the claim that aged dandelion roots were even better than mountain ginseng. Thankfully, contrary to Heo Yeonwook’s fears, there were no adverse effects.

And although it might just be his imagination, he felt an abundance of energy coursing through his body. Of course, dealing with repetitive tasks causing back pain was inevitable.

“Visit us occasionally.”

“Of course, I’ll come often.”

“You will?”

“I need to learn more cooking skills and enjoy delicious meals here.”

“We’d love that.”

Seeing her grandmother’s bright smile, Kang Jin asked:

“By any chance, do you know how to make meju?”

“In our time, every household made kimchi and meju. Of course I know.”

“Then may I come back next week to make some with you?”

Grandma shook her head.

“Making meju isn’t difficult…but it’s hard to ferment here.”

“Why is that?”

“Meju needs warmth, but it’s not warm enough here.”

“Oh…”

Kang Jin nodded at her grandmother’s explanation.

I guess that’s why she doesn’t make meju here.

Initially, Kang Jin had planned to make meju during kimjang season. However, Shin Soo-yong didn’t bring any soybeans for fermentation after making the meju. It seems he might have known about the difficulty of fermenting meju in this environment.

It seemed as if she had decided against bringing soybeans after realizing how difficult it would be to make meju here.

Kang Jin pondered this for a moment before Shin Soo-yong spoke up.

“We should head out now.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Kang Jin exited the cave with the brothers, he noticed that the sky was much brighter than when they’d entered.

“Huh?” He glanced at the sky and panicked. While they were busy storing kimchi jars inside the cave, the sun had risen.

He hastily checked his phone.

“Oh no!” It was already 8:53 AM.

Kang Jin frantically scanned the area until he spotted Kang Doochi. The older man was smiling and chatting with Shin Suho while carrying two kimchi jars in his hands.

“Kang Doochi.”

“Yes?”

When Kang Doochi turned to him, Kang Jin asked:

“Can I get from here to Seoul somehow?”

“I have a car, so there’s no reason you can’t.”

Kang Jin shook his head at Kang Doochi’s response.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m running late for work. Can we use JS Finance instead?”

Using JS Finance would allow them to travel from Gangwon-do to Seoul through a single gate.

Kang Doochi nodded understandingly. “If you’re in a hurry, that’d be faster.”

He then glanced toward Shin Suho. “See you next time.”

“Sure thing.”

With that, Kang Doochi approached the entrance of the cave.

“Let’s go.”

Kang Jin turned to Shin Suho. “I’ll head out first.”

“What about your kimchi?” Shin Suho retrieved a jar from his car. Kang Jin had prepared this separate batch after making kimchi with Manbok earlier.

“I’ll take it.” Feeling embarrassed that he was taking so much, Kang Jin grabbed the jar and addressed the ghosts. “Thank you for helping me make kimchi.”

“You’re welcome… We should be thanking you for visiting us.”

“No need. I’ll come back whenever I have time.”

Then Kang Jin called out to Manbok standing off to one side. “Hyung! See you later!”

Kang Jin’s words made Manbok fidget for a moment before he took something out from behind his back and tossed it to Kang Jin.

Tak!

Kang Jin caught the object, feeling its considerable weight as he looked at Manbok.

“I noticed you liked these.”

Following Manbok’s words, Kang Jin opened the package to find several large, thick dandelion roots inside.

“Hyung!”

“Enjoy them. If anyone gives you grief about being late, give one of those to them.”

“Thank you very much.”

“And…come again! I’ll dig up some wild ginseng for you.”

“I will definitely be back.”

With a bright smile, Kang Jin produced two more bags from Shin Suho’s truck.

The ginseng and stone slate were what remained of Manbok’s offerings to Kang Jin.

“I’ll enjoy them, hyung.”

Kang Jin’s words brought tears to Manbok’s eyes as he turned away, reminiscent of a younger sibling reluctantly saying goodbye to their older brother during the Lunar New Year holiday.

“Hyung!”

“Go on! And come back soon.”

Kang Jin pursed his lips at Manbok’s request. It reminded him of how quickly the kids from his orphanage had grown attached to college students who volunteered there for only a day or two. When it came time to say farewell, they would often burst into tears.

It was no different with Manbok. Despite having been deceased for some time, he still missed human affection.

Orphanage… I should visit there to cook for them at least once.

“Next time, I’ll make something even more delicious.”

Sniffle!

“T-Thank you,” Manbok replied with a smile.

Kang Doochi interrupted Kang Jin’s gratitude towards Manbok.

“It’s been 56 minutes.”

“Oh! Then next time… No, I’ll be back next week.”

As Kang Jin hurriedly approached Kang Doochi, he opened the cave entrance.

Bae Yongsoo was taken aback as he watched Kang Jin and Kang Doochi disappear.

“Hey! What about us?!”

But Kang Jin had already vanished through the door.

Click!

Upon exiting the door, Kang Jin found herself on the basement floor of her company building. Kang Doochi spoke from across the threshold.

“For future visits, please use JS Finance.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, many busy people utilize this method. Enjoy your kimchi.”

“People with busy schedules use this method often. I’ll enjoy the kimchi.”

Kang Doochi held up the kimchi barrel and closed the door.

Click!

As soon as the door shut, Kang Jin hurried toward the elevator.

I’m going to get reprimanded for this, aren’t I?

He was dressed casually in jeans and a light jacket while carrying a kimchi barrel and black bag.

I need to clock in first and then tell them I have to run home quickly. And…

Regardless of what part-time job he had worked before, Kang Jin never arrived late. Breaking time commitments meant breaking trust. Consequently, people who worked with him thought highly of him due to his reliability.

Swoosh!

Kang Jin glanced at the black bag.

The dandelion root as a bribe…

It was Manbok’s way of saying that if he got caught, he could blame it on the dandelion root.

With this thought, Kang Jin quickly entered the elevator and pressed himself against the wall, feeling self-conscious under the curious stares of others.

“Mr. Lee Kang-jin, what’s with your outfit?” Director Oh Seong-sil from Overseas Business Team Two called out to him.

“Hello, sir.”

“But is that really how you’re coming to work today?”

Kang Jin awkwardly smiled at Director Oh’s puzzled expression.

“I was making kimchi up in Gangwon-do…”

“Well, couldn’t you have changed clothes first?”

“I planned to go home, change after reporting in, and then return.”

Kang Jin felt like he wanted to crawl under a rock at Oh Seong-sil’s disapproving sigh. In trade, meeting people and conducting business were essential tasks, and dressing appropriately was crucial for making a good impression. As their first client and someone who already seemed fond of him, Oh Seong-sil’s reaction clearly indicated that his attire was problematic.

*I was so worried about not being late, but…

Muttering silently, Kang Jin discreetly reached into the bag and gently pulled out a dandelion root.

“Director.”

As Oh Seong-sil turned towards him, Kang Jin subtly offered the dandelion root.

“Please share this with your team members.”

“What is this?”

“It’s dandelion root.”

“Dandelion root?”

The mention of it puzzled Oh Seong-sil. Why would Kang Jin suddenly offer her a dandelion root? And not even cleaned—it was covered in dirt.

“I dug up a few at the kimchi-making event. They’re…thirty years old.”

As Kang Jin quietly added this detail, Oh Seong-sil looked at him curiously.

“Are there thirty-year-old dandelion roots?” She sounded intrigued, as if hearing about them for the first time. Before Kang Jin could respond, another man nearby hastily turned towards them.

“A thirty-year-old dandelion root?” His tone conveyed equal surprise, prompting Oh Seong-sil to turn and slightly bow her head.

“Manager Ko.”

“Director Oh.”

Manager Ko nodded slightly and pushed his way through the crowd toward them. People quickly made room for him.

A department manager ranked just below executives, making it the highest position among regular employees. Regardless of how crowded, people always cleared a path for such individuals.

As Manager Ko approached closer and saw the dandelion root in Oh Seong-sil’s hand, surprise filled his eyes.

“It’s huge!”

“Is that unusual?”

“Haven’t you ever eaten dandelion roots before?”

“I’ve had them as side dishes, but this is my first time seeing one raw like this.”

“You know…there’s a saying that if someone can’t recognize ginseng right in front of them, they’ll never be able to dig it up…” Manager Ko then turned to Kang Jin.

“You harvested this yourself?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well… Let’s step out for a moment.”

As people started exiting the elevator, Kang Jin hastily spoke up.

“I need to get back to work, sir.”

Director Go leaned closer to him.

“What department are you with?”

“Export Executive Assistance Team Two.”

“I’ll let your manager know. Just give me a minute of your time.”

Director Go’s request prompted Director Oh Seong-sil to whisper softly to Kang Jin.

“It won’t take long.”

Seeing that even Director Oh appeared slightly uneasy, Kang Jin nodded and stepped off the elevator alongside Director Go.

Once outside, Director Go took out his handkerchief before speaking.

“S…sure, just for a moment.”

“Please do so.”

As Oh Seong-sil handed over the dandelion root, Director Ko cautiously placed it on his handkerchief.

“You’ll dirty your handkerchief.”

“And you’d dirty your hands with this.” Director Ko carefully laid the dandelion root onto the handkerchief as Oh Seong-sil observed him curiously.

“Do you consider dandelion roots precious?”

“A dandelion root of this size is indeed rare.”

Director Ko studied the root intently before examining its top portion.

“Two, four, six, eight… Thirty…thirty-three? Thirty-three years…”

He swallowed nervously, prompting Oh Seong-sil to ask:

“Is it that valuable?”

“This is mountain dandelion root and over thirty-three years old.”

“Is it different from regular dandelion roots?”

“If you consider ordinary dandelion roots as small economy cars, then mountain dandelions can be compared to sports cars.”

The director looked at Oh Seong-sil again.

“And this one is specifically from year thirty-three.”

“That’s quite old.”

“It wouldn’t be wrong to classify this as wild ginseng.”

While unaware of the value of aged dandelion roots, Oh Seong-sil seemed surprised by the mention of ‘wild ginseng’.

“Wild ginseng?”

“You’re not familiar with these matters, aren’t you?”

“I see Director Ko knows about it well.”

“I do enjoy mountains.”

Kang Jin interrupted their conversation.

“Um… could you please give our manager a call?”

“Manager Lim, it’s not about anything else. Could you accompany Kang Jin somewhere for a bit? Yes, sorry about this. I’ll be quick and take only thirty minutes of your time. Thank you.”

With that, Oh Seong-sil ended the call and looked at Kang Jin.

“You have enough time to go home, change clothes, and return within thirty minutes, right?”

Kang Jin bowed appreciatively at her consideration. “Thank you.”

While they were talking, Director Ko continued examining the dandelion roots.

“Excellent. Very good…” He smiled, smacking his lips as he observed them closely. Then, he discreetly glanced at the bag Kang Jin was holding.

“Do you have more?”

“Yes, but…”

“Are you planning to sell any?” Director Ko’s eyes revealed his strong desire to possess some.