Chapter 130

After his shift ended, Kang Jin entered a large supermarket located in Gangnam.

This is my first time at this market.

It was indeed his first visit since starting work at One Meal Restaurant. There had been no need to come earlier, as Shin Soo-yong supplied all the necessary ingredients for cooking.

However, there was a specific reason why Kang Jin ventured here today.

“The seafood section…”

He scanned the store and headed straight for it.

“Clams…”

As Kang Jin inspected some clams, the ghost grandmother nodded approvingly while observing them closely.

“They look good, right?”

Seeing her nodding repeatedly, Kang Jin grabbed one bag of clams and then another.

“If we’re going to do this, let’s go all out.”

The reason he came to the grocery store was because his grandmother mentioned that Yoo Seong-tae loved clams. After purchasing them, Kang Jin returned with the ghostly grandmother to One Meal Restaurant.

If I want to purge these clams…I might not have enough time.

Realizing the limited timeframe, Kang Jin quickly got to work. However, the clams were cleaner than expected; they didn’t require much preparation.

I think it’s fine without purging them first.

Despite their cleanliness, Kang Jin felt uneasy and decided to dissolve some salt in water before placing the clams inside.

Kang Jin then covered the clams with a black plastic bag to simulate darkness since clams expel sand when kept in dark places.

He glanced at the grandmother who gestured towards something. Kang Jin took out a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table. The paper had Hangul consonants and vowels written on it.

As he laid down the paper, the grandmother pointed her finger at individual letters one by one.

“P-pork and k-kimchi stew”

Reading the words she indicated, Kang Jin nodded understandingly.

“You already told me what’s for dinner earlier, right? Please go easy on the seasoning while cooking.”

The grandmother smiled and nodded in response.

Watching her grandmother, Kang Jin took out pork belly and kimchi from the fridge, placed them together in a pot, and started boiling them. Normally, he would first sauté the pork belly in the pot until it stuck to the bottom. Then, he’d continuously stir-fry the meat so that more of it adhered to the surface. Afterward, he’d add a splash of soju to deglaze the pan, enhancing the flavor of the pork. However, this time, he followed Grandma’s method for making kimchi stew.

It’s important to make it delicious…but preserving Mom’s taste is crucial.

Kang Jin planned to appeal emotionally to Yoo Seong-tae if necessary.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

As he stir-fried kimchi and pork belly, Kang Jin poured rice water over it.

Sizzle!

Once the liquid started boiling, he covered the pan to let it simmer while preparing other side dishes. As he made each dish his grandmother used to cook for their family, he suddenly checked the time.

It’s already 6:30… Is she not coming?

Kang Jin shook his head and continued cooking.

“If she doesn’t show up… there’s nothing more I can do.”

This was his last attempt at persuading her, as memories of his beloved grandmother came flooding back. However, he had no intention of persisting with someone who refused to listen.

Seeing the sadness on his grandmother’s face from his words, Kang Jin pursed his lips.

Kang Jin smacked her lips and said, “When you come to town next time, Grandpa, I’ll treat you to some makgeolli.”

As she spoke, Kang Jin noticed her phone ringing and lowered her head. Seeing it was from an unknown number, she decided to answer it anyway.

“Hello?”

“This is Yoo Seong-tae.”

“Oh! Hello there.”

“I’m at the cell phone store but can’t seem to find One Meal Restaurant.”

“Ah! Please walk straight ahead.” Kang Jin glanced at the grandmother as she replied.

‘With only Grandma here… Is this his first visit?’

Regular customers knew their way around despite encountering ghosts like Bae Yongsoo and Heo Yeonwook inside the restaurant. Yet, Yoo Seong-tae couldn’t locate the place even with just one ghostly grandmother present.

Kang Jin decided to open the door and step outside first. He spotted Yoo Seong-tae, a middle-aged ajumoni (married woman), and a man around his age looking around their surroundings.

“Over here.”

“Ah! Huh?”

At Kang Jin’s call, Yoo Seong-tae raised his hand, glanced at him, and then curiously looked towards One Meal Restaurant.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, he noticed the sign for One Meal Restaurant, which had been invisible moments ago. With bewilderment, he alternated between staring at Kang Jin and the restaurant sign. Observing Yoo Seong-tae’s confusion, Kang Jin explained:

“People often have trouble seeing our shop.”

Yoo Seong-tae blinked as he examined both One Meal Restaurant and the adjacent cell phone store next to it, feeling puzzled.

Even if it’s hard to spot, how could it be this invisible?

Seeing Yoo Seong-tae’s perplexed expression, Kang Jin turned to introduce himself to the ajumoni and young man.

“Hello, I’m Lee Kang-jin.”

“Hi.”

“Hello.”

After greeting each other, Kang Jin gestured towards his restaurant.

“Please come inside.”

Kang Jin opened the door, allowing his guests to enter first.

“Hmm! That smells delicious.” The aroma of cooking brought a smile to Yoo Seong-tae’s face.

Kang Jin grinned back at him. “Our restaurant prepares dishes based on our customers’ requests.”

“You don’t have a fixed menu?”

“We create meals using ingredients we have available that you desire.”

“But wouldn’t managing inventory be challenging with this approach?” As a businessman, Yoo Seong-tae immediately recognized potential issues with Kang Jin’s method.

Indeed, if he made dishes based on customer requests, his inventory levels would fluctuate unpredictably. Especially perishable items not frequently used could spoil and need to be discarded.

“So far, it’s manageable since I’m only operating as an intern and don’t require many ingredients.”

“Then…do you run your business only during dinner hours?”

“On weekdays, I operate at night after work, and on weekends, both lunch and dinner services are available.”

“The rent for this prime location in Nonhyeon must be substantial? Can you afford it?” Yoo Seong-tae asked, curious about Kang Jin’s operating hours.

Lee Kang-jin smiled, knowing this question was inevitable once people learned when he conducted business. “I don’t worry about rent because the building is under my name.”

“Oh…so you’re the landlord.” Impressed, Yoo Seong-tae looked at Lee Kang-jin with admiration, eliciting a small smile from him.

“Please wait a moment as I’m cooking now.”

“We haven’t decided what to order yet…”

“I have something special prepared for you, Yoo Seong-tae-ssi. Ah! If there’s anything specific you would like, please let me know. I’ll make it for you.”

Yoo Seong-tae glanced at his family after Kang Jin’s words. His son spoke up,

“It’s okay for me.”

“Tell me what you want to eat. We rarely dine out, so choose whatever you fancy.”

“It’s fine.”

“And how about you?” Yoo Seong-tae asked the ajumma, who shook her head with a weary expression.

“Anything is fine for me.”

“But we’re dining out after such a long time.”

“I’m just too tired.”

Her response wasn’t merely polite; she genuinely looked exhausted. She then turned towards Kang Jin.

“The president’s food smells delicious. It must taste great too,” said Kang Jin.

“I’ll make sure it tastes good for you.” Kang Jin glanced at the dining area before heading back to the kitchen. The grandmother ghost watched her daughter-in-law with affectionate eyes.

It seems they had a close relationship.

Though she didn’t say anything, her gaze conveyed how much she cared for her daughter-in-law. With that thought, Kang Jin entered the kitchen and continued preparing the dishes.

Tap, tap, tap!

Although he couldn’t hear it, Kang Jin noticed the grandmother tapping her finger on the kimchi stew. She then pointed towards the garlic nearby.

“You want me to add more?”

She nodded affirmatively.

Following her gesture, Kang Jin crushed some garlic cloves with a knife and finely chopped them before adding them to the stew.

I think I’m putting in way too much garlic.

Muttering to himself, Kang Jin followed her instructions and added more seasoning to other dishes as well. It wasn’t his preference or part of One Meal Restaurant’s recipes… However, taste is extremely subjective, often influenced by one’s upbringing, particularly their mother’s cooking style.

For Yoo Seong-tae, Grandma’s recipe was perfect because no chef could replicate the taste of home-cooked meals prepared by their mother.

After finishing all the dishes, Kang Jin shucked some clams lastly and placed them in a bowl. Ideally, he would have preferred to shuck all the clams, but with guests waiting, he only prepared enough for immediate consumption. He opened the clam shells, arranged them on a plate, and filled small bowls with dipping sauce before placing everything onto a tray.

Shhh!

Kang Jin carried the tray and served them herself.

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

Yoo Seong-tae smiled at Kang Jin’s words.

“The aroma smells so good that…”

As Yoo Seong-tae was about to say waiting wasn’t boring, his face showed surprise and confusion.

‘This is…’

The side dishes Kang Jin placed on the table were all his favorites: boiled eggs, pork kimchi stew, stir-fried eggplant, and kimchi fried rice… The stew aside, everything else catered to Yoo Seong-tae’s tastes.

“Look, it’s only your favorite side dishes.”

Yoo Seong-tae looked flustered as his wife cheerfully handed him chopsticks and a spoon while commenting on the spread.

“How did you know my favorite side dishes…?”

“It makes me happy that you enjoy these dishes.” Kang Jin smiled as she took out some appetizers and side plates from the refrigerator. “Please have them with your drink.”

As she spoke, Yoo Seong-tae picked up his cup while Kang Jin poured from the pitcher.

Glug, glug!

Yoo Seong-tae raised an eyebrow at the makgeolli being served to him.

“This looks like our family’s makgeolli.”

“How can you tell without tasting it first?”

“I’ve seen this type of makgeolli since I was young… Yes, it’s definitely ours.”

Kang Jin glanced at the makgeolli again.

True, compared to others, ours does appear slightly whiter.

“What brings you to try our makgeolli?”

“When I visited Manager Lim yesterday to greet him, he offered me some.”

“Our makgeolli tastes good, doesn’t it?”

“It certainly does,” agreed Kang Jin, glancing at Kyunghye and Yoo Hosu. “Why don’t you two have some as well?”

“I can’t because I need to drive later.”

“You’re right. Drinking and driving is never acceptable.”

Yoo Seong-tae laughed at Kang Jin’s remark, took the pitcher from him, and offered it to his son, Yoo Hosu.

“Let’s drink together, son.”

“But Dad, I’m driving—”

“There must be assistant managers available in Gangnam, right? Just call one over. It’s been a while since we had a drink together.”

At these words, Yoo Hosu raised his cup with both hands.

Glug, glug.

As he poured the makgeolli for his son, Yoo Seong-tae suddenly remembered something.

“Oh right, you’ve never tried makgeolli before, have you?”

“No, sir.”

“Give it a try. My father makes the best makgeolli in South Korea.” Yoo Seong-tae started drinking as he spoke.

Gulp! Gulp!

He finished his glass quickly and let out a big sigh. Then, he placed a boiled egg on top of his rice and cut it in half. He added some stir-fried kimchi to one side and took a bite.

Crisp! Crisp!

Although the kimchi was stir-fried, it still retained its crunchiness due to being cooked briefly. With a contented expression, Yoo Seong-tae glanced at his son.

“You should try it too, son.”

Yoo Hosu turned toward him, drank some makgeolli, and set down his cup.

“How is it?”

“It’s rich and delicious.”

Yoo Seong-tae placed a boiled egg on top of his son’s rice bowl at Yoo Hosu’s suggestion.

“Try it.”

Following his father’s instruction, Yoo Hosu broke the egg in half and sprinkled some stir-fried kimchi over it before taking a bite. A smile quickly spread across his face.

“It’s delicious.”

“Told you so.”

“The combination of boiled eggs and stir-fried kimchi is perfect.”

Yoo Seong-tae chuckled as he listened to his son’s comment, generously adding more stir-fried kimchi onto the remaining egg before digging in.

“When I was young, eggs were considered quite precious. Whenever Mom would boil an egg for me, we’d eat it like this with fried kimchi, and it always tasted so…”

Yoo Seong-tae paused mid-sentence. It wasn’t anything special, just a simple boiled egg topped with stir-fried kimchi… Yet, these humble ingredients brought back memories of his mother.

The simple combination of eggs and kimchi reminded him of his mother.

‘Mother…’