Chapter 169

Shhhk!

As Choi Hocheol appeared, Kang Jin’s gaze shifted toward him.

“What?” In response to Choi Hocheol’s question, Kang Jin pursed his lips while observing the room.

Hwang Minsung was comfortably enjoying his meal, but Wo Jiaming and Lee Yoo-bi were shivering uncontrollably. They felt the chill due to the presence of Heo Yeonwook, Choi Hocheol, and the elderly ghost within the store. This prompted Kang Jin to turn to Choi Hocheol.

“Could you please send that elderly ghost outside?”

Choi Hocheol glanced at the grandmother ghost with a frown upon hearing Kang Jin’s request.

“A spiritual being.”

“Can you do it?”

“You think I’ve faced off against one before just for fun? Of course, I can.”

“You want to fight with the spiritual being?”

“Once a marine, always a marine.”

“But you didn’t serve in the army, hyung?”

Both Choi Hocheol and Kang Jin were exempt from military service due to their similar conditions.

“It’s just an expression. Besides, I’m a police officer sworn to protect the safety of South Korea citizens, whether alive or dead.”

As Choi Hocheol left the kitchen, Kang Jin whispered quietly, “Please don’t be too aggressive.”

“Don’t worry.”

Watching Choi Hocheol approach the elderly ghost, Kang Jin turned to Heo Yeonwook.

“Um…”

“I understand.” Heo Yeonwook nodded, already aware of what Kang Jin was about to say. The coldness felt by people due to the ghosts’ presence did not escape his notice.

Seeing Heo Yeonwook leave the store, Kang Jin sighed regretfully.

I… I’m sorry about this.

With these thoughts, Kang Jin glanced towards the hall where Choi Hocheol was holding onto the elderly ghost with both hands.

“Let go! Let me go! Do you know who I am?! Release me!”

The elderly ghost screamed and struggled, but as Bae Yongsoo had mentioned earlier, she hadn’t been dead for long. Consequently, her strength couldn’t match that of Choi Hocheol, who had died some time ago, and she was forcibly led outside through the door.

As they exited, people immediately started conversing again, seemingly oblivious to the previous chill.

Do Yong-min suddenly looked around. Just moments ago, he felt an eerie sensation crawling up his spine, but now it abruptly dissipated. It was like a sudden warmth enveloped him?

This atmosphere helped Yong-min relax as well.

“Phew!” Despite himself, Do Yong-min let out a sigh of relief.

“What’s wrong?” Wo Jiaming asked from his seat ahead of Yong-min.

Do Yong-min smiled at him. “I just feel less tense now.”

Lee Yoo-bi frowned at Do Yong-min’s words. “Why so relaxed already? The war starts tomorrow.”

Wo Jiaming chuckled at Lee Yoo-bi’s remark. “No need to stress until we’ve finished eating. As you said, the real battle begins tomorrow.”

“Haa! Just thinking about the backlash from citizens gives me a headache.” Lee Yoo-bi glanced at Wo Jiaming. “We’ll endure more criticism like usual, I suppose.”

“That’s why legislators have thick skins.”

“Exactly.”

A small smile played on Do Yong-min’s face as he watched Lee Yoo-bi and Wo Jiaming banter with each other. It wasn’t because their jokes were particularly funny; rather, it felt pleasant to witness such lightheartedness. It was akin to experiencing warm spring sunshine during a cold winter day—a sensation that warmed his body and relaxed him, eliciting a grin from Do Yong-min.

Tap!

Han Myung-hyun gently nudged Do Yong-min’s foot. Even if their superiors treated them casually, they should maintain professionalism. Especially in front of another legislator, displaying emotions as a legislative assistant was inappropriate. Their role required being virtually invisible when present and indispensable when absent.

Heeding Han Myung-hyun’s reminder, Do Yong-min acknowledged his mistake and wiped the expression off his face.

Meanwhile, Kang Jin emerged from the kitchen carrying dishes.

Wo Jiaming curiously observed the steaming dishes being brought out by Kang Jin.

“Is that cabbage?”

His voice betrayed his disappointment, as he had been expecting a spicy kimchi stew. Kang Jin smiled at him.

“Cabbage is great for digestion and tastes delicious.”

“It seems quite healthy.”

“Yes, it’s indeed healthy but also flavorful.” With that, Kang Jin placed a bowl of doenjang-jjigae on the table.

“I prepared this doenjang-jjigae because it aids digestion and complements the other dishes well.”

The sight of the soup brightened Wo Jiaming’s face, indicating his approval.

“The aroma is delightful.”

Smiling, Wo Jiaming gently tasted the doenjang-jjigae with his spoon. The expression on his face lit up further. He appreciated its savory yet not overly salty flavor.

“You can apply sauce to the cabbage rolls,” suggested Kang Jin.

Kang Jin pointed to two bowls containing different condiments. “This is soy sauce, and this one has fermented bean paste.”

Wo Jiaming nodded at Kang Jin’s explanation and picked up a cabbage roll. He spread some of the fermented bean paste on it before taking a bite.

“Mmm…” Wo Jiaming sighed contentedly as he looked at Kang Jin. “By any chance, did you include nuts?”

“I added chopped walnuts and almonds for extra crunch. Do you like them?”

“Yes, very much.” Seeing his pleased expression, Kang Jin turned away to let him enjoy his meal when Lee Yoo-bi spoke up.

“Is there sashimi here?” She noticed Hwang Minsung eating something that resembled raw fish.

Kang Jin gestured toward the whiteboard nearby. “As today’s special, I made aged raw fish dishes.”

“Aged raw fish?”

“I heard about this famous aged raw fish place in Busan, so I decided to try making it myself.”

“Is it from Ilwon?”

“You’ve had it before?”

“Yes, when I visited Busan previously.”

Upon hearing ‘Ilwon,’ Hwang Minsung subtly turned his head towards Lee Yoo-bi but quickly bowed slightly as their eyes met. Smiling, she returned the gesture. As soon as Hwang Minsung resumed eating, Lee Yoo-bi looked at Kang Jin.

“So you prepared the aged raw fish dish today?”

“I made it yesterday, and today is when it tastes best. During lunch, customers also mentioned how delicious it was,” Kang Jin explained with a smile.

Wo Jiaming chuckled, “Did they ask for any recommendations since it’s a special dish?”

“They specifically requested kimchi stew.”

“Oh…” Lee Yoo-bi responded.

“So can we have some sashimi as well?”

Since he didn’t recommend kimchi stew due to its heaviness, Wo Jiaming wondered if sashimi might be similar.

“I’m not trying to upsell you here, but sashimi is high in protein and great for recovery after fatigue. It’s also rich in various amino acids.”

“Then four servings, please…”

Lee Yoo-bi smiled, shaking her head gently.

“We already ordered quite a bit, so let’s start with one serving of sashimi. We can always order more if needed.”

“Understood. And… I’ll charge only 5,000 won per person.”

“Is that a discount?”

“No, it’s because I’ll serve just the aged raw fish without any complimentary side dishes. Overeating isn’t good for digestion, so I prefer not to include them.”

“Ha-ha-ha! Thank you for considering our health.”

“I’ll bring out your food shortly.”

Kang Jin entered the kitchen to slice the aged raw fish delicately into flower shapes before carrying out some fermented bean paste, kimchi, and soy sauce.

“Here’s your aged raw fish dish.”

“The flower-shaped sashimi… It looks beautiful.”

“Please try it plain first, then with soy sauce, followed by the fermented bean paste if desired.”

With that, Kang Jin returned to the kitchen.

“Boss, this sashimi is amazing.”

“Indeed. It’s delicious.”

“The kimchi…it’s fantastic.”

As he heard their compliments from behind, Kang Jin re-entered the kitchen.

“Kang Jinah,” Hwang Minsung called out, catching her attention.

“Can you pack three servings of the sashimi for me?”

“For takeaway?”

“I want to give them to my colleagues at the government office.”

“So…should I pack it like a lunchbox?”

“Yes, please.”

Nodding, Kang Jin retrieved containers for packing the side dishes based on Hwang Minsung’s request.

“We don’t have any lunchboxes here, so I’ll pack it with side dishes containers.”

“That’s fine.”

Kang Jin inspected the salmon and sashimi before opening the refrigerator. He took out nine eggs, added salt, sugar, and dashi broth, then quickly mixed them together.

Whisk, whisk!

Once fully combined, he poured the mixture onto a frying pan to make Japanese-style rolled omelet.

Sizzle, sizzle!

In no time at all, Kang Jin finished making the omelet and placed it on a cutting board. After slicing off a small piece for tasting, he nodded approvingly.

It definitely tasted good, but…

Can this be used as egg sushi rolls?

Since there wasn’t enough salmon for three servings, he planned to substitute some with egg sushi rolls. However, he wasn’t sure if this type of rolled omelet would taste similar to traditional sushi omelets.

While waiting for the egg omelet to cool down, Kang Jin started cutting up the raw fish and neatly arranged three servings inside a container. He also packed some bean paste and kimchi along with it. Then, he filled another container with soy sauce and dipping sauce separately.

He added salmon sushi rolls before slicing the slightly cooled egg omelet and rolling them together with the sushi rice. The appearance resembled Japanese-style egg sushi, but…

I’m not sure how it’ll taste.

Kang Jin silently mumbled as he popped a piece of egg sushi into his mouth. A smile spread across his face after tasting it.

It’s delicious.

Better than what he had experienced at buffets. Satisfied, Kang Jin continued making more egg sushi rolls.

Hwang Minsung carefully carried out the shopping bag containing the sashimi and sushi, accompanied by Kang Jin.

“Please don’t shake the bag too much. It could mess up the sushi presentation.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll bring back the bowl later tonight.”

“Take care.” Smiling, Hwang Minsung approached his car parked outside the store as the driver opened the door for him.

Swish!

As Kang Jin watched Hwang Minsung carefully get into the vehicle, he noticed the struggling elderly ghost being restrained by Choi Hocheol just beyond the storefront.

“Let go of me! Let go! I’ll kill him! Aaargh! Ahhh!”

The elderly ghost shrieked and thrashed violently while Choi Hocheol held her tight, keeping an eye on Kang Jin.

“Should we take her somewhere else?”

“You can do that?”

“I can if I must, but…” Choi Hocheol glanced at the elderly ghost before continuing, “I can’t keep her with me indefinitely, so eventually, I’ll have to chase after that man again.”

Kang Jin looked inside the shop, then turned towards the elderly ghost upon hearing Choi Hocheol’s words.

“Grandma.”

“Let go!”

“I don’t know what your issue is, but why torment people? If they’ve done something wrong, please tell me. I’ll help ensure they receive legal punishment…”

“Let go! Aaack! Ahhh!” The sight of the elderly ghost screaming and struggling made Kang Jin wince.

Watching her reaction, Choi Hocheul remarked, “It’s impossible to reason with spiritual beings.”

Kang Jin glanced at the elderly ghost before responding, “Does it still not work even if we communicate through our physical forms?”

“I’m not sure. Spiritual beings rarely visit the Underworld Restaurant.”

“Let go!”

Seeing the grandmother ghost scream and thrash again, Kang Jin sighed and suggested, “Take her away for some distance and release her after about an hour.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll make you something delicious tonight.”

“Anything tasty would be great.”

With that, Choi Hocheul began escorting the elderly ghost away.