Chapter 155

Having enjoyed some drinks, Kang Jin’s group left the bar around eleven o’clock at night.

“See you for lunch on Monday,” Lim Ho-jin said with a smile to Kang Jin.

“If there is any particular food you want, please let me know beforehand.”

“I’ll do that.” With that, Lim Ho-jin turned to Choi Donghae. “Donghae, work hard on your weight loss. Let’s meet again next year—no, make it the following year—at the company looking sharp.”

“I’m looking forward to joining properly and working alongside you,” replied Choi Donghae.

Lim Ho-jin shook his hand before getting into a taxi and leaving. After Lee Sangsub also bid farewell and departed, Kang Jin looked at Choi Donghae.

“Well then, good luck.”

“I’ll keep in touch.”

Kang Jin nodded and patted him on the shoulder as Choi Donghae spoke.

“Take care.”

With Kang Jin’s farewell, Choi Donghae bowed and headed to catch his bus. After watching him leave, Kang Jin turned around. His restaurant was just down the alleyways, so he arrived there within minutes.

As soon as he did, he spotted Hwang Minsung waiting outside.

“Hwang Minsung!” Kang Jin called out.

Hwang Minsung smiled at Kang Jin’s greeting.

“Did you enjoy your team dinner?”

“It just ended. Were you waiting for me?”

“I felt a bit hungry.”

“You could’ve called me,” suggested Kang Jin.

Minsung replied, “I figured you were having dinner with your team members, so I decided to wait.”

“It’s cold out here.”

Hearing Hwang Minsung’s words, Kang Jin quickly opened her shop and shed her outerwear, placing it behind the counter before heading to the kitchen. Once there, she poured some yakgwanmun tea leaves into a small teapot and set it on the stove.

Meanwhile, Hwang Minsung watched the TV that was still playing.

“…Why did you have the TV on?” he asked.

Kang Jin glanced at the two car-obsessed land-bound spirits sitting nearby. She’d turned on the television for their benefit.

“I work outside often, so I leave the TV on to deter burglars. If they hear it, they might think someone’s home and avoid breaking in.” Hearing this, Hwang Minsung nodded as he took a seat and rubbed his hands together.

Kang Jin then turned on the space heater.

Whirr!

As the quiet hum of the heater filled the room, Kang Jin extinguished the candles and poured two cups of yakgwanmun tea for them both.

“It’s cold out there, so please have some.”

“Thank you.” Seeing Hwang Minsung hold his cup with both hands, Kang Jin also took a sip.

Hwang Minsung smiled as he mirrored her gesture.

“The warmth makes it taste different.”

He usually drank this type of tea chilled, but having it warm felt healthier to him, accentuating its medicinal aroma.

“I sometimes go to an oriental medicine clinic for acupuncture, and the faint scent of herbal remedies always calms me down.”

Hearing Hwang Minsung’s words, Kang Jin looked at him curiously.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m perfectly healthy. But I find it rejuvenating to sleep after receiving acupuncture and getting warmed up by steam. The herbal scent also makes me feel healthier.” Hwang Minsung smiled at Kang Jin.

“…I was worried that my behavior earlier might have given you the wrong impression.”

His hunger wasn’t the real reason for his visit; he had come because Kang Jin’s actions were bothering him.

“I must admit, seeing you tear those documents apart caught me off guard, but…I understand there was a reason behind it now.”

“What reason did he give? To whom?”

“Our manager said that you probably ripped up the proposal to warn others not to invest and potentially lose money. It was your way of saying it’s a bad investment.”

Hwang Minsung chuckled at Kang Jin’s explanation.

“He sure knows how to put a positive spin on things.”

“So…you just tore it up for no particular reason?”

Kang Jin’s lighthearted response made Hwang Minsung shake his head.

“When I first shredded those proposals, it was out of frustration and annoyance.”

“Annoyance?”

“It still bothers me when I think about it. Those guys must’ve had some nerve submitting such half-baked plans.”

“Was it some kind of bizarre venture?”

“It looked promising on paper, but…it was full of nonsense.” Hwang Minsung chuckled. “Thinking back, it’s laughable. The proposal involved bringing honey to South Korea from bees found high up in the Himalayas. But what made it even funnier was that these particular bees produced very little honey annually, making it extremely rare…”

Hwang Minsung shook his head with a smile.

“They wanted me to invest in selling this scarce honey on a large scale. Does that make any sense to you?”

“I mean, at least they could’ve claimed the bees were prolific producers.”

“That’s right. Bringing honey from the Himalayas to South Korea when it’s so scarce…”

Seeing Hwang Minsung’s head shake, Kang Jin asked, “So that’s why you ripped up the proposal?”

“It was more of a warning. I wanted them to know what would happen if they brought me any more garbage…”

“So it was a warning?” Kang Jin probed.

Hwang Minsung nodded. “I suppose you could say that. But not about potential losses for other investors; rather, it was a warning against those who try to stab me in the back with such nonsense.” He chuckled as he fiddled with his glass. “Eventually, though, people started seeing it as a warning to all prospective investors.”

Hwang Minsung laughed as if he had heard about this before.

“I was told that any investment I tear up will fail.”

“No matter his intentions, thanks to you, innocent investors won’t suffer losses.”

“That could be true.” Hwang Minsung then glanced at the store and asked, “So, are you officially opening tomorrow?”

“Yes, starting from tomorrow, we’ll serve lunch without interruption. Please feel free to visit.”

“Understood. And…” Hwang Minsung rubbed his stomach. “It’s a bit disappointing since I stopped drinking midway through.”

“Well, let me make something for you. What would you like?”

Kang Jin’s offer prompted Hwang Minsung to respond:

“If possible, do you have Vienna sausages?”

“Yes, we have some.”

“Could you slit them and boil them for me in hot water?”

“Should I grill them instead?”

“No, just put them in boiling water for about one minute. Oh! And please give me some Vienna sausages raw as well.”

“Raw?”

“Vienna sausages taste good even when eaten raw.”

Kang Jin looked at Hwang Minsung before nodding her head.

“Please wait a moment.”

As she spoke, Kang Jin entered the kitchen to retrieve the sausages.

At that moment, she heard Hwang Minsung’s voice.

“Is it okay if I grab drinks from the refrigerator?”

“Of course. Please make yourself comfortable.”

With Kang Jin’s permission, Hwang Minsung took out soju and beer from the refrigerator and returned to his seat.

As Kang Jin took a sip of his beer, Hwang Minsung retrieved some side dishes and uncooked Vienna sausages from the refrigerator and placed them on plates.

“Do you have any forks?”

“Yes, I do.”

Hwang Minsung speared a sausage with the fork Kang Jin handed him.

“The best way to enjoy these is by using a fork.” He then took a small bite. After chewing slowly, he smiled with about one-quarter of the sausage still in his mouth.

“They’re definitely delicious.”

“Enjoy!”

Nodding at Kang Jin’s words, Hwang Minsung bit off another small piece. Kang Jin raised an eyebrow as Hwang Minsung meticulously ate the Vienna sausage in four bites.

Was he poor when he was younger?

Judging by how he ate Vienna sausages, it seemed like Hwang Minsung preferred to bite them open. However, eating styles can be quite personal…

Kang Jin entered the kitchen and made incisions on the Vienna sausage before dropping it into boiling water. As the hot liquid seeped through the cuts, the sausage began to split apart. Kang Jin stirred it occasionally with a spoon until she deemed it ready, then transferred it onto a plate.

She brought out the partially boiled Vienna sausage alone while Hwang Minsung enjoyed his beer mixed with soju, accompanied by dried anchovies as appetizers.

“These fried anchovies are really delicious,” Hwang Minsung remarked with a smile while savoring them.

Hearing this, Kang Jin responded, “I’ll pack some for you to take home when you leave.”

“Is that okay?”

“I can always make more later. Here’s another boiled Vienna sausage.” Kang Jin placed it on the table, and Hwang Minsung immediately stabbed it with his fork and popped it into his mouth. He smiled and nodded approvingly.

“It’s delicious.”

“I should’ve prepared something better… I’m not sure this is enough of a meal.”

“The best food is whatever you enjoy eating,” Hwang Minsung replied with a smile as he poured beer into his glass while glancing at Kang Jin. “Would you like some, sir?”

Kang Jin nodded. “Sure.”

As Kang Jin brought over his own beer mug, Hwang Minsung filled it before grabbing the bottle of soju.

“Should I mix yours too?”

“No, just beer for me since I have work to do.”

Hwang Minsung acknowledged him and proceeded to pour soju into his own beer-filled glass.

He then picked up a spoon and struck the middle of his beer glass with it.

Klak!

As bubbles erupted from the bottom of the glass, Kang Jin looked at Hwang Minsung curiously.

“I see you like bomb shots.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You should’ve said so earlier.” Kang Jin stood up as he spoke, grabbing another bottle each of soju and beer. He also produced three more glasses, placing them on the table before pouring one full of beer.

Hwang Minsung watched him with interest while taking a sip of the bomb shot he’d made himself and biting off a small piece of boiled sausage.

Seeing how cautiously Minsung ate, Kang Jin opened the bottle of soju and poured it directly over the beer.

Glug-glug!

As Kang Jin poured soju into the beer bottle, it created a frothy foam that he quickly capped with his hand while watching Hwang Minsung curiously. It seemed to be the first time Minsung had seen someone make a bomb shot this way, and admiration was written all over his face.

“You’re amazing!”

“Just wait.” Smiling, Kang Jin removed the soju bottle from the beer mug and swiftly sealed the opening with his thumb.

It had been a long time since Kang Jin made a bomb shot; the last instance was when he served them to customers during his hangover soup business days. Despite the lapse, his hands skillfully crafted one as if on autopilot.

And…as he prepared the bomb shot, he couldn’t help but think of Grandma Oh Soon-young who ascended to heaven.

I hope she’s doing well. Considering she gave me a check for ten million won, I’m sure she must be thriving.

Money is king even in the afterlife. With her wealth capable of writing a ten-million-won check, she must be living comfortably there compared to this life.

As Kang Jin momentarily spaced out while reminiscing about Oh Soon-young, Hwang Minsung addressed him.

“Sir?”

Kang Jin quickly snapped back and shook the bottle several times at Minsung’s prompt.

Fssshhh…

Under pressure, foam began seeping from under his thumb. He skillfully twisted his finger to direct it into the glass.

Splish! Splash!

The bomb shot erupted like a fountain from Kang Jin’s hand. Alternating between two cups, he filled them before setting down the beer bottle. Then, he offered one cup to Hwang Minsung.

“Please enjoy.”

Hwang Minsung inspected Kang Jin’s bomb shots. The golden liquid topped with frothy white bubbles looked like something straight out of a beer commercial.

“It looks like it could be featured in a beer ad,” Hwang Minsung remarked.

Kang Jin chuckled at his comment. “Go ahead and try one.”

Nodding, Hwang Minsung lifted a glass to his lips.

Gulp! Gulp!

He downed the drink quickly and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Ahh! That hits the spot!” With foam still clinging to his mouth, Hwang Minsung grinned happily.

Watching him, Kang Jin raised his own glass with a smile.

He doesn’t seem like a bad person… But what sin did he commit?

Kim Sohee’s words came back to Kang Jin as he observed Hwang Minsung.