Chapter 13: The Convenience Store Regular
“Bring…some soju.”
The woman repeated her request to Kang Jin, but this time, her voice trembled. She seemed anxious about his potential refusal. Kang Jin pursed his lips at her nervousness.
Watching her like this reminds me of when teenagers visit convenience stores for makeup and cigarettes.
Kang Jin continued observing her as he retrieved two bottles of soju from the fridge along with some shot glasses. The woman’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the soju bottles.
Seeing her reaction, Kang Jin remarked, “You must be the guest who visited two days ago.”
Startled, she hastily bowed her head.
“I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
“I heard from Kang Doochi that you’re quite old.”
“Doochi said so?”
“And…does age matter here?” The woman beamed at Kang Jin’s words and immediately twisted open the bottle cap.
Crack!
With a smile, she poured herself a shot as soon as hearing the familiar sound of the lid opening.
Glug, glug!
As Kang Jin watched her, he headed towards the kitchen.
“Still, please limit yourself to two bottles of soju this time. Don’t pass out after three again.”
While Kang Jin prepared stir-fried pork with chili peppers in the kitchen, Lee Jiseon approached the woman.
Glug, glug!
Even as Lee Jiseon drew near, the woman continued drinking steadily.
“Greetings, miss.” Lee Jiseon bowed politely to her, and the woman glanced at the table where Lee Hye-sun’s group had been sitting earlier.
Spotting the soju bottles on the table, she looked toward the kitchen and whispered, “Does the new owner easily serve you alcohol?”
“Pardon me?”
“I’m asking if the new owner serves alcohol easily.”
Lee Jiseon wondered why the woman was asking this but respectfully responded, “Yes, he does generously provide us with alcohol.”
The woman clicked her tongue softly at Lee Jiseon’s answer.
“Tsk!”
She then turned to face Lee Jiseon again. “Do I look too young?”
“Well…based on your appearance when you passed away.” Lee Jiseon politely responded.
“I see…”
The woman gently stroked her face with her hand, and suddenly, she transformed back to her youthful visage. Without another word, she poured soju into her glass and took a sip. Lee Jiseon bowed slightly and cautiously retreated.
Kang Jin observed this exchange from the kitchen.
‘She must indeed be the leader of these virgin ghosts.’
Based on how they interacted with her, showing utmost respect and even fear.
‘I need to impress her with my cooking.’
There’s no harm in getting on the good side of the boss ghost.
Kang Jin finished stir-frying pork with peppers and transferred it to a serving dish, generously sprinkling garlic flakes on top. Garlic flakes can be eaten separately or like this…
It shouldn’t taste bad, right?
Muttering to himself, Kang Jin brought out the dish.
Swoosh!
“Enjoy your meal.”
As he placed the dish down, the woman looked up at him.
“What is your name, owner?”
“Lee Kangjin.”
“You’re from the Lee clan?”
“Yes, from Daechun clan.”
“Daechun Lee…”
The woman seemed deep in thought before nodding as if she remembered something.
“I am well acquainted with the Daechun Lee family.”
“Really?”
“Sir Lee Bokryong was very close friends with our grandfather.”
Lee Bokryong?
As if sensing his confusion, she looked at him sympathetically.
“You don’t know who Lee Bokryong is? He served as Vice Minister of Health.”
“But…he’s one of our ancestors from long time ago…”
“How could you not know…?” She clicked her tongue and gazed upon Kang Jin with disappointment. Under her scornful stare, he felt uneasy.
‘Considering his title, this ghost seems to be from the Joseon Dynasty… How am I supposed to recognize an ancestor from several hundred years ago?’
Kang Jin muttered silently to himself and turned away without further comment when the woman spoke up again.
“My name is Kim So-hee of Cheonyi clan.”
Kim So-hee of Cheonyi clan… What a lovely name.
As Kang Jin retreated back to the kitchen, Kim Sohee watched him and continued drinking her soju.
When it neared midnight, Kim Sohee was the first to rise from her seat. As the other virgin ghosts followed suit, she addressed them:
“We shouldn’t linger too long or others won’t be able to join us. Let’s drink moderately and leave soon.”
“Yes, we’ll have just one more round before departing.”
“Very well then.”
Shf!
Kim Sohee glanced toward the kitchen. Kang Jin, who had been peeking at the dining area, flinched when their eyes met and quickly looked away. Seeing his reaction, Kim Sohee spoke up:
“Since I’m indebted to you… please feel free to treat me casually.”
“But… is that okay?”
“But…are you okay with that?”
Kim Sohee gave a small nod and turned away.
“You drank well today.”
Kang Jin swallowed hard as Kim Sohee opened the door to leave. It was inevitable; she vanished as soon as she stepped out.
Ghosts truly act like ghosts.
However, it seemed challenging to interact casually with her, especially due to her antiquated speech pattern. Her manner of speaking made Kang Jin feel compelled to use overly formal language himself.
As he pondered this internally, the virgin ghosts let out big sighs.
“Phew! I thought I’d suffocate.”
“Ugh! My heart races whenever I see our big sister,” one of them complained as soon as Kim Sohee left, sounding exasperated. Kang Jin quietly emerged from his hiding spot.
“Is that girl your leader?” he asked.
Lee Hye-sun shook her head. “No, she’s not our leader but our eldest sister.”
“But isn’t the eldest sister usually the leader?”
“Not really… To us, she’s simply our elder sister.”
Kang Jin glanced at the entrance and then turned to Lee Hye-sun. “By any chance, do other ghosts avoid this place because you’re here?”
He recalled Kim Sohee mentioning that others wouldn’t come if they stayed too long.
“It’s not that they can’t enter… They just choose not to.”
“Why is that?”
“Of course!” Lee Hye-sun dramatically dropped her arms and stuck out her tongue. “Boo! We’re scary virgin ghosts.”
Kang Jin found Lee Hye-sun more adorable than frightening as he asked, “Do other ghosts even fear you?”
“They say when a woman holds deep resentment, frost can fall during summer… Since we are virgin ghosts, most spirits would run away upon seeing us from at least a hundred meters away.”
As Kang Jin observed Lee Hye-sun and the other virgin ghosts based on her explanation, Lee Jiseon interrupted him.
“But how did you become…”
“That’s enough; let’s stand up now,” said Lee Jiseon, rising to her feet. The other virgin ghosts followed suit. As Kang Jin also stood, Lee Jiseon looked directly at him.
“It’s not wise to ask those who became ghosts due to unfinished business about their past.”
Lee Jiseon cautioned Kang Jin, who nodded respectfully.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Lee Jiseon looked at him and continued, “The spirits here have been deprived of even basic sustenance… And since you provide them with warm meals, I appreciate your kindness towards these unfortunate souls.”
With her message delivered, Lee Jiseon led the virgin ghosts out of the restaurant. As they vanished upon opening the door, Kang Jin swallowed hard.
Inside the restaurant, despite feeling slightly unnerved, he had perceived them as almost human-like. But now, witnessing their disappearance, it was clear they were indeed ghosts.
Kang Jin glanced briefly at the door before turning his attention back to the table.
On the table lay empty bottles of soju and various side dishes consumed by the virgin ghosts.
“Looks like they came here for alcohol instead of warm rice.”
Indeed, all that remained were empty bottles of liquor and side dishes from today’s visit by the virgin ghosts. As Kang Jin cleared the table to bring everything back to the kitchen, he heard the door open again.
Creak!
Kang Jin looked up to see a young man peeking inside.
“Um…”
“Please come in.”
“Did the virgin ghosts leave?”
“Yes, please enter.”
The young man breathed a sigh of relief at Kang Jin’s words and closed the door behind him.
“Huh? Why aren’t you coming in?” thought Kang Jin.
Just then, the door opened once more, and not only the young man but also a group of men entered noisily.
Kang Jin clicked his tongue at this sight. Just as the virgin ghosts had said, male ghosts swarmed inside once they left.
Still…better than those virgin ghosts, right?
With only dark-skinned men continuously pouring in, he felt less motivated to work. Nonetheless, Kang Jin soon entered the kitchen. Since customers were present, he needed to prepare their food.
“Here’s your kimchi stew!”
“I’d like some ribs, please!”
As ghosts ordered what they wanted to eat, Kang Jin yelled out from the kitchen.
“The only dish available now is spicy pork stir-fry with rice!”
“No kimchi stew?”
“No, sorry.”
“But it’s just boiling kimchi and water together! Why can’t you make it? The previous owner used to fulfill all our requests!”
When one of the guests yelled, Kang Jin glanced at him briefly.
“I only have two hands, so I can’t cook multiple dishes simultaneously. And…there’s only fifty minutes left until 1 pm. If I try to make various dishes now, it will go past that time.”
Kang Jin’s words caused other ghosts to glare at the one demanding kimchi stew.
“Let’s just eat what is served!”
In response, the ghost who wanted kimchi stew stood up and entered the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?”
“As per your master’s suggestion…”
The ghost furtively observed the hall before continuing.
“With all these ghosts waiting for food,
when will you finish cooking alone? Let’s work together!” The ghost placed a frying pan on the stove and shouted, “Quickly tell me what you want to eat!”
“I want ribs!”
“Kimchi fried rice!”
As ghosts shouted their food preferences, Kang Jin noticed someone entering the kitchen. It was a man in his twenties, around Kang Jin’s age, wearing a white shirt and black suit pants. When he rolled up his sleeves, his muscular arms were revealed.
“You make spicy pork stir-fry over there. I’ll handle the other dishes.”
“But, you don’t have to…”
“It’s fine. When my mom used to work here, I often helped out.” As he spoke, the man retrieved ingredients from the refrigerator. He quickly chopped kimchi, placed it on a frying pan, started cooking while organizing additional ingredients.
Kang Jin’s face showed surprise at this display.
Wow… He’s fast.
Despite cooking multiple dishes simultaneously, his movements flowed smoothly like water.
“What’re you waiting for? Start making food!” prompted the man.
With that, Kang Jin began preparing spicy stir-fried pork with chili pepper sauce.
“Here’s the ribs! Take them!”
“What about rice?”
“Get it inside! Can’t you see I’m busy?” The ghost took the plate of ribs and entered the kitchen to serve rice from the rice cooker.
“Here’s kimchi fried rice! Diced beef stir-fry and fried eggs!” The man continued to churn out dishes rapidly with his hands and voice.
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