Chapter 165

As Wo Jiaming left with Lee Yoo-bi to see Kang Jin off, she closed the restaurant door and returned inside. Kang Jin glanced at the empty table before moving the dandelion root stir-fry and spicy fish stew onto another table. She then brought over a bowl of rice as she spoke:

“Let’s eat.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Bae Yongsoo sat across from her and picked up some dandelion root stir-fry with his chopsticks.

“It tastes quite satisfying when eaten like this.”

Bae Yongsoo savored the food, realizing it wasn’t just consuming but rather absorbing its essence.

“We’ll save that for later at 11 pm. Let’s continue our previous discussion now,” Kang Jin suggested.

Bae Yongsoo put down the dandelion root stir-fry and responded:

“Do you know what a Vengeful Spirit is?”

“The female ghosts attached to that bad guy.”

“That’s right,” Bae Yongsoo nodded. “Vengeful spirits and resentful ghosts have similarities yet differ slightly. Vengeful spirits are bound to one target, while resentful ghosts encompass a broader range of targets.”

“How broad is this range?”

“Normally, it includes all those they hated during their lifetime, followed by targeting everyone else.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“However, given how freely she moves around here, it seems she hasn’t caused significant harm yet. If she had inflicted major damage on people, JS Finance would’ve already intervened.” Sung Yongsoo pondered for a moment before adding, “I suspect she’s been dead for only a few months at most.”

“How do you know?”

“If he had been dead for long, there would have already been some incident leading to his removal. From what I can sense, that man seems to be the target of the ghost’s wrath.”

Kang Jin glanced at the door again before responding to Sung Yongsoo’s observation.

“Doesn’t it suggest something terrible happened if the ghost still harbors such resentment even after death?”

Sung Yongsoo considered Kang Jin’s question and replied:

“It could be, but from my perspective, it feels more like one-sided animosity.”

“One-sided animosity?”

“Some people just chase others with ill intent, regardless of whether they’ve done anything wrong.”

“But why harm someone who hasn’t done anything?” Kang Jin asked, perplexed.

Bae Yongsoo looked back at him, “Is there always a reason for disliking someone?”

“That… no, not necessarily.”

People tend to find reasons for their dislike towards others. Sung Yongsoo observed Kang Jin and said:

“He just has a bad personality. I suspect he might have been on the receiving end of a lot of abuse from Kang Jin when they were alive.”

Kang Jin clicked his tongue at Bae Yongsoo’s words. Recalling the resentful mutterings earlier… it didn’t paint him as someone with a good temperament.

Having only fond memories of elderly ghosts, Kang Jin looked at the door with sympathy. At this moment, Sung Yongsoo spoke up:

“It seems like that male spirit caused you quite some trouble.”

“How did you know?” asked Kang Jin.

In response, Bae Yongsoo pointed between his eyebrows.

“When troubled by ghosts, here…”

Bae Yongsoo continued rubbing his forehead as he spoke, “Should I call it ghost matter? There was a blue aura flowing around there.”

Kang Jin rubbed her own forehead after hearing Bae Yongsoo’s words. She then took out her cell phone and shone its light on her forehead.

“You don’t have any.”

“I just checked to be sure. By the way, how do ghosts torment humans?”

She wondered how ghosts could torment people when they couldn’t even be seen by them. According to Kang Jin’s understanding, ghosts were incapable of harming or killing humans. If they had such abilities, those female ghosts wouldn’t have let that vile man live.

“They can certainly cause distress if they want to. Of course, JS Finance would suffer financially.”

“How so?”

“It is easy. If ghosts simply stare at people, they will feel cold and their souls become stressed. Moreover…”

Bae Yongsoo extended his hand towards Kang Jin.

Shwip!

Tak!

Bae Yongsoo’s hand touched Kang Jin’s hand several times before he spoke again.

“You won’t be affected, but ghosts can pass through human bodies.”

“Ugh…” Kang Jin grimaced at Bae Yongsoo’s words. The thought of a ghost passing through his body didn’t sit well with him.

Seeing this reaction, Bae Yongsoo continued.

“If you experience it multiple times, your vitality will decrease rapidly, which isn’t good for your health.”

“My vitality decreasing?”

“A ghost can be considered as a type of ghostly energy. When this energy enters a person’s body, it clashes with their life force. Even if they don’t realize it, their vitality diminishes each time a ghost leaves their body, taking some of their life force with it. Naturally, this isn’t healthy for them.”

Bae Yongsoo then glanced towards the door. Kang Jin suddenly picked up on something from his gaze.

“By any chance, have spiritual beings visited our store?”

“No, not yet.”

“Not yet?”

“Unlike us, many ghosts continue to do evil deeds even after passing away. Consequently, JS Finance captures and deals with them whenever spotted. They’re constantly fleeing from JS Finance, so how could they dine at the Underworld Restaurant?”

Kang Jin clicked his tongue at Bae Yongsoo’s explanation.

“So…they can’t properly eat either?”

Bae Yongsoo looked at Kang Jin thoughtfully.

“Don’t feel sorry for them because they can’t eat food. They are peculiar beings.”

“Regardless of how strange they might be, I’m sure they still get hungry.”

Bae Yongsoo laughed and shook his head at Kang Jin’s words.

“They…” Bae Yongsoo paused to gather his thoughts before continuing, “They are somewhat similar to zombies.”

“Zombies?”

“Do you think we resemble the ghosts typically seen in movies?” Sung Yongsoo asked.

Kang Jin shook his head in response.

“We’re completely different.”

While their ghostly forms could indeed evoke fear and send shivers down one’s spine, when it came to speech and behavior, there was no discernible difference from humans.

“However, considering spiritual beings as akin to movie ghosts is not far off.”

“So, you find them scary?”

“From a human perspective, yes, but from a fellow ghost’s standpoint, more unsettling than frightening.”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s words and smiled as he ladled some spicy fish stew onto his plate.

“You seasoned it well.”

“I am Woonam Restaurant’s chef after all.” Smiling, Bae Yongsoo also served himself some stew.

“Would you like more rice?” Kang Jin asked, having already finished his meal.

“Yes, please,” replied Kang Jin with a nod.

“I’ll clear the table.” He got up, took his bowl to the kitchen, exited through the back door, and returned with Captain Kim and Choi Hun.

“Mr. Choi Hun, do you know how to wash dishes?”

“Of course. Just tell me what needs doing.”

At Choi Hun’s response, Kang Jin placed Wo Jiaming’s dirty dishes on the counter leading to the kitchen.

“Don’t think I’m taking advantage of your labor. It’s just so you can earn money for yourself.”

“Understood. Thank you.” Choi Hun put on rubber gloves with a smile.

But before he could get started, the captain hurriedly chimed in.

“No, let me handle this.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it.”

“But…”

“It’s fine. Oh! Wait just a second.” Choi Hun grabbed the remote with his gloved hand and grinned at her. “From now on, you can watch whatever channel you want.”

He turned on the TV and started flipping through channels. It was a small gesture, but he enjoyed doing this for her. Until then, they’d been stuck watching whatever Kang Jin had chosen, but now she could finally tune in to what she wanted to see.

As Choi Hun continued changing the channels, he glanced over at her. “What should we watch?”

As Choi Hun flicked through channels, the captain watched him before speaking up.

“I’ll do it myself.”

“That’s okay.”

“No, I insist. Give me your gloves quickly.”

The captain approached and started removing Choi Hun’s rubber gloves. Reluctantly, Choi Hun let him take over.

Kang Jin observed them both and then turned to Bae Yongsoo.

“You should try dating one of those female ghosts too.”

“No thanks. Dating a ghost? Seriously… Besides, there is no telling when we might return home. What would be the point in getting attached?”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s words and continued eating his meal. He then smiled at Bae Yongsoo.

“You’re definitely skilled at cooking.”

“Finally realized that, huh?”

Around ten o’clock the next morning, Kang Jin observed Bae Yongsoo slicing aged sashimi.

Shhhk! Shhhk!

Yongsoo cut the fish and arranged each piece meticulously. His hands crafted beautiful blossoms of sashimi.

“It looks lovely.”

“Taste is important, but presentation matters too.” Sung Yongsoo gestured towards the sashimi with his hand.

“Try it.”

“I don’t want to disturb such beauty.”

“But I made this for you to eat. What’s the point if you don’t taste it?”

Nodding at Yongsoo’s words, Kang Jin picked up a piece with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. The tender yet firm texture brought a smile to her face. With every bite, a mild umami flavor burst subtly across her palate.

“Delicious!”

Bae Yongsoo nodded in agreement with Kang Jin’s remark.

“I made it to be delicious. But…” Bae Yongsoo looked at the sashimi and continued, “Aged sashimi isn’t necessarily tastier than freshly cut sashimi.”

“Oh really? I think this is great!”

“It’s just because you’ve never had it before. It’s like trying something exotic. For example, some people prefer grilled pork belly while others favor beef. Whether one prefers aged or fresh sashimi simply comes down to personal taste.”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s explanation as he took another bite of sashimi.

“How many servings does this make?”

“About twenty-five portions. Though if someone has a big appetite, that number could decrease.”

The large-sized sea breams and porgies Shin Soo-yong brought yielded quite a lot of sashimi.

As Kang Jin chewed on the fish, he pulled out his phone based on what Sung Yongsoo said earlier.

He then texted Hwang Minsung and followed up with his colleagues at work. He had bent some rules to try Bae Yongsoo’s aged sashimi for himself, finding it delicious, and now he wanted others to experience it as well. Kang Jin glanced at Bae Yongsoo after sending out all the messages.

“How much should we charge?”

“You planning on offering side dishes?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to feel full just eating raw fish.”

“That’s true.”

“If we provide sides…we could charge twenty thousand won per person with them or fifteen thousand without.”

Kang Jin frowned at Bae Yongsoo’s suggestion.

“Won’t that make things too complicated?”

Bae Yongsoo chuckled at Kang Jin’s concern over providing complimentary side dishes typically found in Japanese restaurants.

“Do people go to sushi restaurants just for the fish? They also enjoy side dishes. Let’s do some cheese and oysters since they’re fresh this winter season; maybe some oyster pancakes too.”

As Kang Jin pondered over the menu suggested by Bae Yongsoo, his phone rang.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Kang Jin checked his phone at the sound of the chime. He received multiple text messages from Hwang Minsung as well as other team members.

He smiled while counting the number of confirmations he’d received before nodding.

Eight people. Four tables should be perfect.

Kang Jin muttered under his breath and turned towards Sung Yongsoo.

“Should I get some oysters?”

“If possible, grab salmon too. It’ll look good if we make some salmon sushi rolls.”

“Got it.” Kang Jin nodded, grabbed his wallet, and hurried off to the grocery store.