Chapter 162

Bae Yongsoo wore rubber gloves with curiosity written all over his face as he gripped and released his hands before grabbing hold of the refrigerator door handle.

Grip!

Smiling at the secure grip, Bae Yongsoo opened the fridge door.

Creak!

He closed it again after checking that he could indeed grasp the handle securely. He hadn’t intended to retrieve anything from inside; he just wanted to confirm if he could grab onto it properly.

“Nice.”

“Then let’s get started.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Sung Yongsoo took out some dried seaweed while still wearing the gloves. He filled a bowl with water, added a bit of vinegar, and gently stirred it.

“Can’t you just soak them in plain water?” asked Kang Jin.

Sung Yongsoo shook his head in response.

“It’s best to soak seaweed for as short a time as possible when you intend to use it. If soaked too long, umami and minerals beneficial to our health can leach out into the water. However, adding vinegar slightly softens the seaweed, allowing it to absorb water more quickly. This minimizes the loss of nutritious and flavorful components.”

“How long should I soak it?”

“Timing-wise, just eyeball it until it looks sufficiently softened; then remove it from the water. Personally, I take it out once it starts swelling.”

“You don’t let it fully expand?”

“Even after removing it from water, it will continue to swell due to moisture retained within. If it seems slightly underdone, you can always sprinkle some additional water on it later.”

With the seaweed soaking in the bowl, Bae Yongsoo tore open plastic wrap and began cleaning the fish.

“Do you know how to prepare fish?” Sung Yongsoo asked Kang Jin.

“I do,” replied Kang Jin.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I worked on a fishing boat for some time. I learned how to make sashimi there.”

As they spoke, Kang Jin grabbed one of the pufferfish and started preparing it next to Bae Yongsoo. He nodded approvingly as he watched Kang Jin knock out the fish with a single blow before immediately starting to fillet it.

“You’re good at this.”

“Should we cook spicy fish stew tonight using these?”

“As part of our menu?”

“It’d be a waste to throw away such ingredients. Shouldn’t we sell it? Maybe around 5,000 won per serving?”

Bae Yongsoo agreed with Kang Jin’s suggestion.

“That sounds fine. It’ll likely taste great too.”

While conversing, Bae Yongsoo continued his work without missing a beat.

Chop-chop-chop!

Bae Yongsoo’s knife skillfully followed along the bones to cut out large chunks of flesh from the fish.

Shhhk!

After placing the large piece on the cutting board and grabbing another fish, Bae Yongsoo looked at Kang Jin.

“Shouldn’t we put up some curtains here?”

“Curtains?” Confused, Kang Jin turned towards where Yongsoo pointed.

“People can see straight into the kitchen from the dining area. They’ll notice us wearing rubber gloves while cooking.”

Kang Jin glanced at the hall as per Yongsoo’s suggestion. The One Meal Restaurant had an open-style kitchen visible from the dining area.

“You’re right.”

The reason he bought rubber gloves for Sung Yongsoo was so they could cook together. However, it wouldn’t be ideal if customers saw them working with gloves in full view. Kang Jin momentarily observed the hall before putting down his knife.

“Can you handle this alone?”

“It will take just a moment.”

“I’ll go and buy some moon curtains here.”

Bae Yongsoo nodded as Kang Jin washed her hands and closed the restaurant door behind her. After exiting the establishment, Kang Jin entered a large grocery store nearby. Once inside, she headed to the household goods section to find curtains.

As Kang Jin searched for curtains, she occasionally glanced down towards certain areas. The spots where her gaze lingered held ghosts, most of whom were familiar faces to her. Since the grocery store was close to One Meal Restaurant, she often encountered regular ghost patrons there. While exchanging eye greetings with these ghosts, Kang Jin decided to address one directly.

“Jingha-ssi!”

The ghost Jingha, dressed in grocery store employee attire and appearing to be in his mid-twenties, turned at Kang Jin’s call.

“What do you need?”

Jingha was one of the ghosts who frequented One Meal Restaurant, mentioning he used to work at this grocery store. He wasn’t a land-bound spirit; otherwise, he couldn’t have visited One Meal Restaurant. It seemed he preferred wandering around his former workplace due to its familiarity.

“Do you know where I can find curtains about this long?” Kang Jin gestured with her hands.

“For what purpose?”

“To hang a curtain between the hall and kitchen, so it’s not visible.”

“For that, it would be in the housewares section… No, let me show you.” As Jingha started walking ahead, Kang Jin followed him closely.

“By the way, haven’t seen you here much lately?”

“Are you saving the best for last?” Jingha asked with a smile. “Do you know how to eat ramen most deliciously?”

“Ramen?”

“Yes.”

“Well… Ramen can be cooked according to diverse personal preferences.” Kang Jin usually preferred cooking ramen moderately for taste. On the other hand, Hwang Minsung liked it spicy with kimchi broth and slightly softer noodles. Thus, what one person found tasty might not appeal to others when it came to ramen. Of course, making ramen unpalatable was quite challenging itself.

Jingha nodded at Kang Jin’s response. “You’re right, sir. However, I do know the most delicious way to enjoy ramen.”

Kang Jin, intrigued by Jingha’s confident demeanor, asked:

“What’s that?”

Jingha smiled at Kang Jin’s question.

“You just need to abstain from ramen for about a month.”

“No ramen for a month?”

“Yes, after not eating it for a month, every bite tastes heavenly.”

Kang Jin chuckled at Jingha’s response.

“I suppose if you don’t eat ramen for a month, it would indeed taste amazing when you finally do.”

“Sir, please try it sometime. It really is delicious; you’ll feel like your hand is reaching out of your throat to pull the noodles towards you.”

Even the most delectable food becomes tiresome when eaten daily, but having it occasionally can make it even more enjoyable.

Kang Jin smacked his lips as he listened to Jingha’s description. The expression painted a vivid picture of how satisfying it must be.

“I’ll give it a go.” Kang Jin looked at Jingha and added, “So, you avoid coming here often to savor it later?”

Kang Jin asked Jingha, who nodded in agreement.

“It’s not that it doesn’t taste good every day… but eating there occasionally makes it even more enjoyable. That’s why I only visit once every two weeks.”

“Are you a food connoisseur?”

Jingha chuckled and shook his head at Kang Jin’s question.

“Not quite a connoisseur. I just believe if we’re going to eat, it should be something delicious.”

As he spoke, Jingha pointed towards one side of the store.

“All our curtains are over here, but I’m unsure if we have any in your requested size.”

Following Jingha’s gesture, Kang Jin inspected the wrapped curtains.

“They all seem to be over two meters long.”

“That’s because they’re curtains.”

Considering Jingha’s words, Kang Jin pursed his lips while examining the curtains.

Well, curtains are meant to cover windows…

Kang Jin muttered internally as he recalled the partition between the hall and kitchen. It wasn’t particularly wide or tall.

After some thought, Kang Jin nodded at Jingha.

“I don’t think these will work here.”

“It seems like we’d need custom-made ones for that size.”

Jingha’s apologetic demeanor made Kang Jin smile reassuringly.

“Please visit often.”

“We do quite frequently.”

As Jingha grinned, Kang Jin called Shin Su-jo.

“Hello?”

“This is Lee Kang-jin.”

“You need a substitute?”

“No, not this time. Um, you know how there’s a partition connecting our kitchen and dining area?”

“Yes?”

“I’d like something like a curtain or divider installed.”

[To cover up the kitchen?]

“Well, not during late-night hours… But I’d like to have it covered during regular business hours.”

[Hrmm… A curtain would work, right?]

“Is there anything else available?”

There was a brief pause before Shin Su-jo responded.

[How about installing rails for sliding curtains with some elegant fabric? It’ll look neat if you open and close them only when serving food.]

“That sounds good.”

[I’ll place the order today and install them tomorrow afternoon…]

“Thank you.”

After ending the call, Kang Jin looked at Jingha.

“What brings you here, Jingha?”

“I’m just browsing the grocery section.”

“The grocery section?”

“I used to manage this grocery section. Thus, I was checking what new items had arrived.” Kang Jin nodded as she observed Jingha’s smiling face.

‘Do you want to work even after death?’

Kang Jin muttered internally before giving a slight bow to Jingha and exiting the grocery store.

Upon returning to her shop, Kang Jin surveyed the kitchen from the main hall. Although it was open-plan, with careful placement of objects, Bae Yongsoo would remain out of sight.

‘And we don’t need to hide everything; just obstruct his workspace while leaving enough space for serving food without inconvenience.’

By ensuring Bae Yongsoo’s body remained concealed, they could place the dishes there, allowing Kang Jin to serve them easily.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Kang Jin looked at Bae Yongsoo.

“Try working from inside.”

“You’re trying to exploit me somehow, aren’t you?”

“It’s not exploitation; I’m giving you a chance to make money. Why don’t you appreciate my intentions?”

“I think I know your intentions all too well.”

“Don’t you want to earn some cash?”

“I’m just kidding.” Bae Yongsoo then glanced at the kitchen and suggested, “Couldn’t we just buy a sheet or something for temporary coverage?”

“That would look messy.”

“Oh, really?” Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s remark before entering the kitchen. Inside, there were neatly prepared sea breams and flatfish arranged in pots. Each portion was individually seasoned with condiments and vegetables. On the other side, something was boiling vigorously, likely broth.

“You’ve done everything already?”

“I had nothing else to do, so I went ahead and finished it all.”

“What about the sashimi?”

In response to Kang Jin’s question, Bae Yongsoo opened the kimchi refrigerator, took out a container, and lifted its lid.

“To age sashimi properly, you need a cool environment like this kimchi fridge.”

“What about using a regular refrigerator?”

“The temperature fluctuates too much with constant opening and closing of the door. It needs to be maintained at a consistent temperature.”

Inside the container were layers of kelp and thinly sliced raw fish.

“So, is this how we do it?”

“Yes, ideally, they should be vacuum-sealed, but we’ll have to make do without that.”

Kang Jin inspected the contents while listening to Sung Yongsoo.

“When can we eat them?”

“It’s hard to say exactly.”

“Why’s that?”

“It should taste great from lunchtime tomorrow until dinner time.”

“I can tell Minsung hyung to come for lunch then.”

“That would be best…but drinking soju during lunch might not be appropriate.”

“Soju…you’re right; eating sashimi without it could indeed feel like torture.”

“Let’s have him join us for dinner instead.”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s suggestion and licked his lips as he gazed at the sashimi.

“You don’t want any today?”

“There’s nothing stopping me from having some now. Sashimi is meant to be eaten immediately after slicing anyway. However, aging it enhances the flavor. Why do you ask? Are you craving it?”

“Yes, just looking at it makes my mouth water.”

In response to Kang Jin’s words, Bae Yongsoo opened a drawer and took out disposable gloves. These gloves were also sourced from the JS Convenience Store chain.

Bae Yongsoo removed his rubber gloves and put on disposable ones. He gently peeled off some seaweed from the fish before cutting several slices of sea bream and mackerel sashimi. After drizzling soy sauce over them, he looked at Kang Jin.

“Try it.”

Kang Jin smacked his lips as he picked up a piece with chopsticks, dipped it in soy sauce, and popped it into his mouth. He nodded after tasting it. Since they weren’t fully cured yet, these tasted similar to regular sashimi but had hints of the seaweed’s flavor.

“It’s good.”

As Kang Jin eyed the container filled with sashimi, Bae Yongsoo shook his head.

“Wait until this cures properly before eating it.”

He closed the lid and placed the container inside the kimchi refrigerator.

“We should start preparing for dinner.” Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s words and finished eating the remaining sashimi on his plate.

“I’ll be outside watching, so move around inside. I’ll let you know if I see you.”

Kang Jin stepped out of the kitchen alone, checking various angles to make sure he couldn’t spot Bae Yongsoo. He eventually shook his head. Although Yongsoo wasn’t visible from one corner, there was always the possibility that patrons might notice him.

‘If we have many customers, either sit where they can’t see you while preparing ingredients or let me handle it.’

With this thought, Kang Jin looked at Bae Yongsoo.

“Let’s get ready for dinner.”

Bae Yongsoo, already wearing disposable gloves, opened the refrigerator, retrieved ingredients, and began food preparations. As more hours were worked, their debt to JS Finance decreased accordingly, making it beneficial for both parties.