Chapter 167

Kang Jin placed some cornstarch powder inside a plastic bag along with clams and shook it vigorously. This allowed her to coat the clams with starch without much fuss. After dipping them in beaten eggs, she carefully laid each clam onto the frying pan.

Sizzle! Ssskrrraa!

As Kang Jin watched the savory pancakes cook, she glanced at Bae Yongsoo who was preparing sushi rice.

“I guess I should make the sushi rolls?”

Bae Yongsoo wore rubber gloves while cooking, so Kang Jin would be better suited for the delicate task of making sushi rolls.

“Yes, that’s right. And don’t prepare them ahead of time; wait until we have customers.”

Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s instruction, checked the time, then said:

“You can stay outside now. I’ll handle things from here.”

“Understood.”

Although there were barriers installed, it was best to keep ghosts away from new customers. Kang Jin could always summon them back when things got busy with human patrons. Interestingly, people seemed unaffected by ghosts’ presence if enough of them gathered together, as their energies balanced each other out.

Following Kang Jin’s instructions, Bae Yongsoo took off his rubber gloves and led Captain Choi Hun outside through the rear door.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

As he watched them leave, Kang Jin started making fried dumplings. While stacking up the dumplings, he heard the familiar chime.

Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!

Upon hearing the sound, Kang Jin looked up just in time to see Lim Ho-jin entering with his wife, Yoo Misun.

“Welcome.”

“I had to come for your special dish. Oh, I’ve been here before!”

“Of course.” Kang Jin bowed respectfully towards Yoo Misun.

“Thank you for helping out at our restaurant before.”

“I’ve never tried aged raw fish before, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Yoo Misun and Jang Seongtae’s wife, Gaeng-mi, had previously visited as customers. Seeing how busy they were, they had kindly helped with serving dishes and kitchen work. Kang Jin liked Yoo Misun due to her typical style of grumbling while diligently working behind the scenes.

Kang Jin smiled and nodded at Yoo Misun’s comment.

“It should meet your expectations, just like you anticipated.”

Lim Ho-jin chimed in, “I invited Seongtae too.”

“Thank you for bringing guests along.” Kang Jin guided them to their seats and asked, “Shall we wait until everyone arrives before starting the meal?”

“He’ll be here soon,” Lim Ho-jin replied.

Kang Jin nodded and served warm yakgwanmun tea while waiting for the others to arrive, as Lim Ho-jin predicted.

As she spoke, Jang Seongtae and his wife entered as Lim Ho-jin had predicted.

“Sis.” Gaeng-mi waved cheerfully at Yoo Misun, who smiled back and gestured to the seat beside her.

“Welcome.”

Once they were seated, Kang Jin approached them.

“I’ll prepare your meal now.”

Jang Seongtae grinned at Kang Jin’s announcement.

“So, why didn’t you text me about this special dinner too? Did you only inform Ho-jin?”

Kang Jin chuckled at Jang Seongtae’s feigned disappointment and shook her head.

“Next time I make something special, I’ll definitely let you know.”

“Please do. It’s not often I get to enjoy such delicious meals.”

Gaeng-mi rolled her eyes at Jang Seongtae’s comment.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying my cooking isn’t good enough?”

“Oh come on! I was just joking around. Besides, you enjoy our food here too.”

“Well…that’s true.” Gaeng-mi smiled.

Kang Jin watched her smile before entering the kitchen to serve side dishes she had prepared earlier. She then started slicing sashimi and soon returned with four pieces arranged on a plate.

“The salmon sushi is really delicious.”

Seeing Gaeng-mi’s delighted expression as she ate, Kang Jin explained:

“I didn’t want to serve only raw fish, so I made some sushi rolls too.”

“There isn’t anything you can’t cook, sir. How did you even think of making sushi at a rice restaurant?”

“It’s not that impressive since supermarkets sell pre-cooked salmon. All I had to do was make the sushi roll base and add the salmon slices.”

“It’s on par with specialized sushi restaurants.”

As Gaeng-mi spoke, she picked up a piece of salmon sushi and showed him its underside.

“And look at this nice arch you’ve made underneath.”

At her mention of ‘arch,’ Kang Jin examined the sushi. Indeed, the bottom was slightly curved like a fan shape.

“I did that to enhance the texture. The air pockets between each grain make it spread smoothly when chewed.”

Gaeng-mi smiled at Kang Jin’s explanation.

“You’d usually only find such attention to detail in authentic Japanese restaurants. No raw fish restaurant bothers with this level of craftsmanship for their sushi.”

“Seems like you appreciate good sushi.”

“Yes, I’ve been to several renowned sushi places before…”

Gaeng-mi sighed and chuckled at Kang Jin’s response.

“Then let me serve you some more sushi as a complimentary.”

“I’ll gladly accept that.”

“But today’s main course is sashimi, so please try it.” Kang Jin pointed to the sashimi platter.

“It’s aged raw fish of sheepshead pufferfish and rockfish.”

Yoo Misun smiled upon hearing this.

“The flowers look lovely.”

“I tried my hand at making them. Oh! Please taste just the sashimi first before dipping it in anything.”

Following Kang Jin’s suggestion, everyone picked up their chopsticks. The sound of the fresh, firm slices of fish being separated echoed in the room. As each person placed the sashimi in their mouths with smiles, Kang Jin grinned in satisfaction.

“Next, you can dip it in soy sauce or chili paste. Personally, I recommend lightly dipping it in soy sauce or wasabi as the chili paste has a strong flavor.”

“It’s delicious even without any seasoning.”

“You’ll be amazed if you wrap it with aged bean curd and kimchi,” Kang Jin suggested.

Following her advice, they picked up pieces of aged bean curd from the table, wrapped them around the fish, and enjoyed their meal.

“Wow…”

“This isn’t artificially flavored, is it?” Yoo Misun exclaimed, surprised by the burst of umami flavors.

Kang Jin chuckled at her question. “While artificial flavorings can enhance taste, none were used here. Please enjoy your meal, and let me know if you need anything else.”

“Oh! There is something we do need.”

Kang Jin looked at Jang Seongtae as he spoke up.

“Eating this sashimi without soju would be disrespectful to the fish.”

Jin smiled and brought him a bottle of soju before suddenly checking on his health.

“How’s your body feeling?”

Just last summer, Jang Seongtae had been suffering from hypothyroidism.

“Hahaha! Would you like to try diagnosing my pulse?” Jang Seongtae chuckled, extending his hand towards Kang Jin.

She hesitated momentarily; only Heo Yeonwook could perform such diagnoses accurately. However, she gently took hold of Jang Seongtae’s wrist, capturing his expectant gaze. With a smile, Kang Jin reassured him:

“You’ve improved significantly.”

“Hahaha! Indeed.”

Seeing Jang Seongtae’s cheerful smile, Kang Jin reminded him, “Remember, you need to consistently manage your hypothyroidism?”

“Of course. I exercise three days a week and make sure to eat tomatoes regularly.”

Are tomatoes good for thyroid health?

Kang Jin nodded, pondering this thought.

“You know, accidents often happen when we’re overconfident while driving, right?”

Jang Seongtae didn’t fully grasp her meaning but raised his glass anyway. “I’ll just have two glasses, then.”

Kang Jin nodded in response. “If you’d like more sashimi or sushi, please feel free to ask.”

“Do you offer refills here?”

“There’s a set limit, so I can’t serve too much, but it wouldn’t be fair to simply say ‘no.’ After all, you’ll soon become our best regulars.”

“Ha-ha-ha! No need to say that; our intern Kang Jin is eagerly waiting for lunchtime anyway.”

“You’re hoping I get fired, aren’t you?”

“Well, maybe not quite that drastic, but thank you nonetheless.”

With a laugh, Kang Jin headed back into the kitchen.

I should call over Heo Yeonwook later and check his pulse again.

Jinwoo had already taken his pulse earlier, though it was merely a brief feel of his wrist, nothing more or less. However, since Jang Seongtae sounded so confident, there must’ve been good news from the hospital… Hence, Jinwoo’s educated guess.

His doctor friend probably took care of him.

As he muttered this thought, Lee Sangsub entered with an elderly couple.

“Manager Lim.”

Lee Sangsub greeted Lim Ho-jin and Jang Seongtae as soon as he stepped inside.

“Sis, this is really delicious.”

“Seriously…this is insane! It’s insane!”

The dining hall was bustling with employees from Taekwang Trading Company. After tasting the sashimi, Jang Seongtae had contacted his team members from Overseas Business Team 2, and several of them joined later if they were available. Additionally, regular customers who frequented Kang Jin’s restaurant also came to dine, resulting in even more patrons than usual. All tables except two were fully occupied.

However, one slight disappointment was that no additional orders for sashimi could be accommodated. Sung Yongsoo initially estimated he could prepare enough for about twenty-five people, but since some portions were increased for Kang Jin’s acquaintances, it ended up serving only around twenty individuals.

They also had to save some for Hwang Minsung’s arrival later. As a consolation, they offered extra salmon sashimi to those who enjoyed it and wanted more.

Kang Jin stood at Lee Sangsub’s table with salmon and sushi rice in hand. He placed a piece of salmon on top of the sushi rice held between his fingers.

Shhhk! Shhhk!

With a few deft movements, he completed the salmon sushi.

“Here you go.”

Lee Sangsub marveled as he filmed Kang Jin with his phone.

“Wow…you make them so well!”

“It’s just something I do; not professionally trained or anything.”

“Just like that? If I post this on YouTube, people will comment, asking where your sushi restaurant is.”

Kang Jin smiled at Lee Sangsub’s compliment and made more salmon sushi rolls.

“Who would like some salmon sushi?” At Kang Jin’s question, several hands shot up immediately. He then personally delivered the freshly made sushi to each person.

Initially, he had been making sushi in the kitchen, but Gaeng-mi asked if she could watch him work, so he moved out to the dining area to make salmon sushi for her. Afterward, others requested the same treatment, which led to this moment.

Luckily, there were no other orders coming in, as everyone was busy enjoying their aged raw fish dishes, allowing Kang Jin to focus solely on making salmon sushi without any pressure.

However…

I think we’re almost out of salmon.

As people watched her prepare and ate sushi right in front of her, the salmon was quickly running out. Just as Kang Jin started worrying about it, the door opened again.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Kang Jin turned toward the sound with a smile.

“You’re here!”

It was Hwang Minsung who had entered through the door.

“I’m late, aren’t I?”

“No, not at all. Please come this way.”

After handing over the last piece of sushi she held, Kang Jin brought the remaining salmon to the kitchen before turning back to Hwang Minsung.

“I’ll make you some aged raw fish dishes.”

“Thanks. By the way, where’s Yongsoo?”

Hwang Minsung’s question prompted Kang Jin to shake her head.

“He left for work.”

“Oh? I wanted to see him.”

“He won’t be back until dinner time. Why do you ask?”

“He’s at that age where he should be working hard instead of goofing off. He needs to find employment.”

“Oh…”

“I found a position for him at the Goryeo Hotel. Do you think he’ll like it?”

Kang Jin pursed his lips before smiling and replying, “He might appreciate it, but Yongsoo has some personal matters to attend to right now. So, he wants to take some time off.”

“Personal matters? Wha…?”

Hwang Minsung shook his head as he was about to ask what kind of issues Yongsoo had. He surmised there must be a story behind why Yongsoo wanted a break from work. Although they were technically brothers-in-law, they’d only met once, so it wasn’t appropriate for Minsung to pry further.

“Gotcha.”

Meanwhile, curious onlookers watched the two comfortably chatting with each other.

“Isn’t that Hwang Minsung?” Jang Seongtae whispered to Lim Ho-jin, who nodded slightly.

“He’s a regular here.” Lim Ho-jin’s comment about Hwang Minsung being just another customer was now upgraded to him being a regular.

“It seems like you’re quite close with him?”

“I think so. I saw him at a bar once, and he even paid for our tab before leaving.”

Jang Seongtae looked curiously at Hwang Minsung based on Lim Ho-jin’s anecdote.