Chapter 147

Around two o’clock in the afternoon, Kang Jin drove Lim Ho-jin to the brewery. On their way there, Lim Ho-jin reviewed some documents.

“You already have a business plan ready?”

Lim Ho-jin continued scanning the papers as he replied to Kang Jin’s question.

“I had planned this venture long ago… I just made minor adjustments to fit our current situation. This is only a draft; we’ll need to work out more details later.”

“You’re moving really fast.”

“It’s not that fast when you’ve been holding onto these plans for ten years and making small tweaks.” With a smile, Lim Ho-jin looked up from the documents at Kang Jin. “Today, you can enjoy makgeolli.”

“What about driving back?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“But Manager Lim—”

“This is also part of work today.”

“Work?”

“Yes, try out some makgeolli and think of appropriate side dishes to pair with it.”

“Side dishes?”

Lim Ho-jin interrupted Kang Jin’s barrage of questions.

“How can we even consider exporting without securing sales channels first? Once we’re ready, we need to visit potential Japanese distributors with our makgeolli. It’ll be like a tasting event, I suppose.”

“So you want me to come up with appetizers for that tasting event?”

“A good accompaniment enhances the taste of alcohol.”

Kang Jin nodded at Lim Ho-jin’s words.

“You’re right. The type of drink influences what kind of food is served, and vice versa, certain drinks complement specific side dishes.”

“That’s true.”

“But I’ve tried their makgeolli before…”

“This time, try it with an open mind.”

“I understand.”

Kang Jin focused on driving as Lim Ho-jin continued to review his documents.

Vroom!

Upon arriving at the brewery, Kang Jin looked ahead. The elderly Yoo Daesung and his son, Yoo Seong-tae, were washing pots inside. Quite a few pots had already been stacked next to them.

As soon as they spotted Lim Ho-jin’s car pulling up, both straightened their backs and turned toward the entrance. Kang Jin and Lim Ho-jin exited the vehicle.

“Sir!” With a smile, Lim Ho-jin bowed courteously, and Yoo Daesung nodded back with a grin.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to present you with our business plan and check on how Yoo Seong-tae is doing.” Smiling, Lim Ho-jin glanced at Yoo Seong-tae. “So, how’s work treating you?”

Yoo Seong-tae stretched out his arms as if showing off his body. “As you can see, it’s quite challenging.”

Lim Ho-jin chuckled. Perhaps due to washing pots, Seong-tae was drenched from head to toe.

“Is there any job that isn’t hard work?”

“That’s true.”

“But getting this wet might lead to catching a cold.”

“You should change your clothes quickly.”

“Yes, I will.”

“No problem. Father, let me finish up here while you chat with Manager Lim.”

Yoo Daesung shook his head at Yoo Seong-tae’s concern.

“Go sit over there. I’ll be done washing these few more dishes.”

“I’d like to help you.” As Lim Ho-jin started taking off his clothes, Yoo Daesung chuckled.

“No need. We can just change our clothes afterward, but it’s different for you. Please go and take a seat.”

Lim Ho-jin followed Yoo Daesung’s advice, sitting down on the floor where he spotted Kang Jin smiling nearby.

“What’re you doing?” When asked by Lim Ho-jin, Kang Jin casually shrugged as if nothing was amiss, still observing Yoo Daesung.

The elderly ghost stood beside them, watching her husband and son with a radiant smile. It seemed she enjoyed seeing them work together. Kang Jin smiled back at her wave before turning to Lim Ho-jin.

“I’ll make some makgeolli and snacks to go with it.”

“Already?”

“I thought it would be nice for them to have something after they finish their work.”

“That sounds good. I’m counting on you.”

As Lim Ho-jin spoke, Kang Jin noticed him pulling out documents to review once more. She then approached Yoo Daesung.

“I’ll prepare something delicious for you too.”

“You made me such tasty food before, so you’re going to cook again?”

“And I thoroughly enjoyed the makgeolli you gave me earlier.”

“Oh! Did you bring another barrel?”

“A barrel?”

“If you want to take more, you need a barrel.”

“Oh…I’ll bring one next time. It didn’t occur to me.”

“Then come back later.”

“I’ll definitely make you something.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing Yoo Daesung’s smile, Kang Jin entered the kitchen adjacent to the manager’s office. The grandmother ghost followed him inside. Kang Jin smiled at her presence.

“It must be nice working with your son-in-law here?”

The grandmother nodded enthusiastically and shook Kang Jin’s hand gratefully. Kang Jin chuckled before asking,

“It’s getting cold outside, so while you work, I should make some warm food… What would you like?”

In response, the grandmother pointed towards the pantry. Kang Jin opened it, revealing condiment containers alongside packets of noodles.

“Noodles?”

She nodded affirmatively, and Kang Jin acknowledged with a nod as well.

“Since it’s getting chilly outside, warm noodle soup sounds perfect.”

The grandmother nodded vigorously at Kang Jin’s suggestion. As Kang Jin took out a packet of noodles, he paused to inspect its label and smacked his lips.

It’s already two years past its expiration date.

He glanced back at the grandmother.

“This is two years expired now.”

Her eyes filled with embarrassment as she looked at the packet. Kang Jin smiled reassuringly.

“It’s understandable since men aren’t great at keeping track of these things. I saw a supermarket on the way here, so I’ll buy some fresh noodles.”

The grandmother nodded, gently grasping his hand and pointing somewhere. Kang Jin followed her gesture and chuckled softly.

The grandmother pointed toward her spice rack. Kang Jin took out each container from the cupboard to check their expiration dates, grimacing as she did so.

I remember cooking with these before…

Salt has virtually no expiration date and can be consumed as long as it hasn’t gone bad. However, other seasonings had different shelf lives, and upon closer inspection, most of them were past their prime by one or even two years.

Kang Jin instinctively rubbed her stomach and sighed, then started taking pictures of the expired items on her phone. It was more convenient than jotting down notes. After photographing everything, she paused just as she was about to gather the outdated condiments for disposal. She hesitated briefly, staring at the seasonings, then began placing them back where they belonged.

Since he doesn’t even throw away rotten food, I shouldn’t dispose of these either. It’s best if Grandpa discards them himself.

To his grandfather, these seasonings weren’t expired trash but items touched by his late wife.

“I’ll be back after running to the grocery store.”

“If you need anything, let me know, and I can pick it up for you,” Yoo Seong-tae offered.

Kang Jin shook his head at Yoo Seong-tae’s suggestion. “It’s better if I go since I’m doing the cooking. That way, I won’t miss any necessary ingredients.”

“In that case, I’ll reimburse you for your purchases.”

“I’d prefer payment in makgeolli instead. By the way, many of these seasonings have passed their expiration dates.”

“Oh! Let me discard them.”

“No, please discuss this with your father first so that he agrees to throw them out.”

“But why were you checking for expired items…?”

Yoo Seong-tae mentioned about the rotten side dishes in Kang Jin’s refrigerator. At this, Yoo Seong-tae let out a small sigh.

“Sigh! Then do as you say. Since it’s nearby, ride your bicycle.”

As Yoo Seong-tae pointed to the bicycle, Kang Jin set off towards the supermarket on her bike. The supermarket wasn’t far away, and Kang Jin bought some noodles and seasonings there. As she purchased the noodles and seasonings, Kang Jin suddenly noticed the alcohol fridge. Inside was walnut makgeolli (rice wine).

Kang Jin asked while checking out, “Does that walnut makgeolli sell well?”

“We have a brewery in our neighbourhood, so many people drink it. Anything tastes good when freshly made.”

“I see.”

“Can I get one?”

“I’m coming from the brewery.”

“From Daesung’s elder brother’s house?”

“Yes.”

“She doesn’t seem like Sonju,” observed the grandmother, looking puzzled.

Kang Jin clarified, “No, she’s not Sonju, just someone who visits often.”

“But why did you buy these?” The grandmother pointed at the seasonings.

“I thought I’d make some food for everyone.”

“How kind of you.” She smiled warmly and said, “Just pay seven thousand won. I’ll give you a one-thousand-won discount.”

“Are you sure? It’s worth eight thousand won here.”

“Yes, I insist on giving you the discount.”

“That’s okay. Thank you anyway. Have a great day selling your goods!”

With a smile, Kang Jin bowed, picked up the bags, mounted his bicycle, and returned to the brewery. Upon arrival, he noticed two people still washing pots while Lim Ho-jin reviewed documents on the floor mat. Kang Jin headed straight to the kitchen.

“What should we cook today?” Kang Jin asked the grandmother, who responded by pointing towards the refrigerator. Inside, she gestured towards the kimchi jar.

For kimchi and noodles… “Should I make bibim-guksu? It’s cold outside, so something warm would be nice.”

The grandmother shook her head at Kang Jin’s suggestion. She pointed to the kimchi jar and then a large pot nearby. Then she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her hands.

“Boil it?” asked Kang Jin.

Nodding vigorously, Grandma confirmed his guess.

“Oh! Kimchi noodle soup?”

She continued nodding as she patted Kang Jin’s hand affectionately. With that, Kang Jin filled the pot with water. He added kimchi and its juice before bringing it to a boil.

“It’d be great if we had dried anchovies.” Kang Jin smacked his lips. A broth made from dried anchovies would enhance the flavor, but since all the seasonings were past their expiration dates, even if they had some anchovies, he wasn’t sure it was safe to use them.

At the grandmother’s gesture, Kang Jin opened the indicated cupboard door, revealing several bottles of soju and plastic containers inside.

The grandmother pointed at two jars with her fingers. Kang Jin picked up one plastic bottle and a soju bottle, opened them, and sniffed their contents.

“This…is it ground mushrooms?” The grandmother nodded in response to his question.

“Is it safe to eat?”

Seeing another nod from the elderly woman, Kang Jin placed some of the ground mushrooms on his palm, smelled them, and tasted a bit cautiously. It didn’t have any strange flavor, but rather brought out a savory umami taste that made him nod approvingly.

It seems grinding dried mushrooms preserved them well.

Kang Jin muttered internally as he looked back at the grandmother.

“How many spoonfuls should I add?”

She glanced at the boiling broth and raised three fingers. Following her cue, Kang Jin added three spoonfuls of ground mushrooms before opening the second bottle.

A plum extract.

Based on its smell and taste, Kang Jin concluded it hadn’t gone bad yet, so he added five spoonfuls as instructed by the grandmother.

While waiting for the kimchi broth to boil, Kang Jin inspected the refrigerator contents. He spotted various side dishes inside, including the same kimchi from his previous visit. Of course, this wasn’t made by the grandmother but sent by her daughter-in-law. Kang Jin took it out and sniffed; while not particularly appetizing, it had a fresh scent due to being stored in the fridge for some time. After giving it a whiff, Kang Jin nodded and began rinsing off the seasoning.

Seeing him do this, the grandmother looked concerned, prompting Kang Jin to explain:

“Since you’ve already prepared delicious homemade kimchi, we won’t be eating this store-bought one… It would be a waste just to throw it away. Let’s sauté it to make it more enjoyable.”

Seeing her nod, Kang Jin paused before pouring oil into the frying pan.

“Is it okay to use this?”

He thought it might be fine since all other condiments had expired anyway. Besides, it wasn’t a commercial product but stored in a regular soju bottle, making it hard to check its expiration date.

The grandmother nodded reassuringly and pointed at the frying pan. Kang Jin sniffed the oil and nodded. He didn’t know what spoiled oil smelled like, but its aroma seemed pleasant enough, indicating it was likely still good. With that, he scooped out a bit on a spoon, tasted it with his finger, and smiled.

It’s quite fragrant.

“But I think this hasn’t been cured for long.”

In response, the grandmother chuckled and gestured outside, then grimaced as if struggling to find the right words.

However, it seemed Kang Jin wasn’t able to convey her thoughts with those words alone.

“Daughter-in-law?”

The grandmother shook her head.

“Family?”

Another shake of the head.

“A friend?”

This time, the grandmother smiled and nodded.

“My friend brought this kimchi.”

Kang Jin started sautéing the kimchi as she watched the smiling grandmother nodding enthusiastically.

Sizzle! Ssskrrraaack!

As the kimchi sizzled in the sesame oil, its savory aroma began filling the kitchen.