Chapter 171

Kang Jin smiled at Junghoon’s words and replied,

“Thank you for sharing this great recipe with me. This is my first time making it.”

There were various dishes practiced in the cooking practice room, but there was no recipe for bean sprouts and grilled pork belly stew. Thus, Kang Jin had never seen this dish before.

“My mother used to make this as a hangover cure after drinking.”

“With grilled pork belly?”

“It works better than one would think.” Inspired by Junghoon’s explanation, Doyoung picked up his chopsticks.

“Dad, please have some.”

The father looked at Doyoung.

“You’ve never tried this before, right?”

“No, sir.”

Junghoon chuckled at Doyoung’s response.

“Lay down a piece of grilled pork belly, place bean sprouts on top, add a touch of seasoning… Then wrap it with the pork belly…”

He handed the wrapped morsel containing the bean sprouts to Doyoung.

“I’ll try it.”

“Eat it.”

Doyoung glanced at Kang Jin as per Junghoon’s instruction. It felt awkward for a thirty-year-old man to eat food directly from his father’s hand like a child. Sensing this, Kang Jin smiled and bowed slightly.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Swish!

As Kang Jin turned towards the kitchen, Doyoung opened his mouth wide to accept the grilled pork belly from his father. After chewing a few times, he grinned.

“It’s delicious.”

“Told you so?”

“The pork is tender due to boiling, yet the savory fat complements well with the bean sprouts’ texture.”

Following Doyoung’s words, Junghoon wrapped some bean sprouts around the grilled pork belly before eating it himself. He nodded in agreement.

“I haven’t had this in a while, but yes, it tastes great.”

“But I’ve never seen you make this at home? Why…?” Before Doyoung could finish his question, Junghoon lightly nudged him with his foot.

Doyoung quickly stopped talking and discreetly glanced at Jiyoon’s reaction. She smiled at him.

“What are you looking so intently for? If you like it, then I’ll make it at home sometime.”

“I just remembered this dish.”

Jiyoon sighed at her husband’s words.

“You miss your mother don’t you?”

“That is nonsense…”

“It’s okay. Hoo! Mother went too far though… Not even letting us attend her funeral after she passed away.”

“That’s enough.”

The wife pursed her lips at his words before dipping some grilled pork belly with bean sprouts into the condiment sauce. Then she popped them into her mouth.

“This tastes good.”

“Yes, doesn’t it?”

He felt happy seeing his wife enjoying the food. The bean sprout and grilled pork belly dish was something his mother used to cook for him the morning after he had drunk alcohol. His wife and son never got to taste any of his mother or father-in-law’s cooking.

His mother had been against his marriage to Kyunghye, so Junghoon decided to make both wife and child first. He thought once there was a grandchild, his mother would accept them. However…his mother became even angrier when she found out about the pregnancy, and she cut ties with him afterwards.

When his father passed away two months ago, he couldn’t attend his mother’s funeral either due to her last will barring Doyoung’s family from attending. Even though they hadn’t attended his father’s funeral while she was alive, this still prevented them from attending after her death.

‘Mother…

The bean sprouts reminded him of his mother, which made him feel depressed.

He had married her because he loved her, not because his mother liked her. He just thought his mother would always be by his side, and he clung to his wife as he feared losing her too soon. If only he knew how firmly she would cut ties with him…

Shaking his head, Junghoon wrapped some grilled pork belly around bean sprouts before putting it in his mouth. As he did so, a glass was placed in front of him.

“Father, let’s have a drink.”

His son could tell that his father was feeling melancholic, so he held out a shot glass filled with soju.

“Yes, one glass won’t hurt. This dish is great for hangovers or as a drinking snack.” With a smile, Junghoon raised his glass, prompting Doyoung to pour him more soju. In turn, Junghoon poured some for Doyoung then looked at his wife.

“You should have one too.”

“What about driving?”

“We can call for an assistant manager to drive us home.”

“Yes.”

Smiling, Jiyoon raised her glass as well. The three of them started drinking soju and eating the steamed bean sprouts with grilled pork belly. Soon, kimchi stew and clam seaweed soup were placed on their table.

“Your grandmother was…a good person but she could be quite stubborn.”

“I know.”

“When your grandfather was younger, he participated in many pro-democracy movements. He ended up going to jail often, and police officers frequented our house.”

“I see.”

“He suffered much hardship due to politics… Ah! Did I tell you that during the military regime, those bastards from Namsan tied rocks around his ankles then dragged him towards a reservoir?”

“Yes.”

“One of those men was your grandfather’s neighborhood senior. He secretly cut the rope and let him fall into the water, so he barely survived. People think it is amazing that he lived through this ordeal, but my grandmother suffered greatly at home because of this incident. That is why she had high expectations for me alone. So you shouldn’t blame her either.”

“I don’t blame her.”

Kang Jin could hear their conversation from behind the kitchen partition. She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on purpose. Maybe it was due to the alcohol, but Junghoon’s voice was quite loud, allowing Kang Jin to overhear everything being said in the living room.

In doing so, Kang Jin discovered who the resentful ghost was. It was absurdly…

The elderly ghost was clinging to Sonju…

To the grandmother, Sonju represented her unfulfilled desire, but not to the ghost haunting them.

“If only you weren’t… If it wasn’t for you… You ruined my child. Only if you didn’t…”

As Kang Jin recalled these words spoken by the elderly ghost towards Doyoung, he finally understood their meaning.

“I initially thought she blamed him for ruining her child’s life…

But it turned out she held a grudge because her son married a woman she disapproved of. Typically, even if parents oppose a marriage, they would at least be content with having grandchildren.”

‘Is this due to excessive love?’

A mother loving her child is natural, but this seemed beyond that level.

Ssssh!

Kang Jin slightly parted the curtain and peeked inside the dining hall. His father was sharing stories while enjoying soju poured by his son, and Kyunghye laughed as she ate her meal beside them. From Kang Jin’s perspective, it looked like any ordinary family scene. He appreciated this normalcy.

Living an ordinary life is truly the best…

Being wealthy doesn’t mean one eats more than three or four meals a day, nor does it entail sleeping on beds made of gold. In fact, a golden bed would likely be quite uncomfortable. The greatest happiness might simply lie in living with one’s family without worrying about food or shelter.

As he observed this scene, Kang Jin couldn’t help but feel wistful.

*I never got to pour my father a drink…’

When his parents passed away, Kang Jin was still in his second year of high school; too young to share a drink with his father. Moreover, due to his after-school academy commitments, he rarely saw his father at home.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, a ghost burst through the door, followed closely by Choi Hocheol.

“Aaargh!” The ghostly grandmother screamed as she charged towards the family eating dinner. However, before she could reach them, Choi Hocheol grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“She’s surprisingly strong.” With that, Choi Hocheol yelled towards the kitchen, “Yongsoo, help me!”

Bae Yongsoo nodded, readying himself to assist when Kang Jin interjected.

“You take the rear exit.” Then, Kang Jin gestured for Choi Hocheol to bring the ghost into the kitchen.

As per Kang Jin’s request, Choi Hocheol dragged the elderly ghost into the kitchen.

“Let go of me! Let go! That bitch ruined my son! Let go!”

“Shut up already! Be quiet!”

“Let go! Let go!” Choi Hocheol struggled to restrain the screaming elderly ghost as he looked at Kang Jin.

“This is killing me,” he complained.

Kang Jin grimaced and glanced at the elderly ghost, who glared at him with murder in her eyes. He then fully opened his veil.

Fwiiish!

With his veil wide open, Kang Jin surveyed the hall. The family continued drinking and chatting amicably, seemingly unaffected by either their inebriation or the presence of captured ghosts. As Kang Jin observed them, he lifted the lid of a steamer basket containing some bean sprouts and leftover pork belly.

There was still some grilled pork belly left. Kang Jin placed it on a small dish and put it in front of the elderly ghost.

“Don’t scream, please try this.”

“Leave me alone!”

“Isn’t this your favorite food? Don’t you remember?”

“Leave me alone!”

Seeing the elderly ghost screaming again, Choi Hocheol spoke up.

“The ghosts aren’t mentally stable, so they can’t comprehend what we say.”

Kang Jin glanced at the hall while keeping his eyes on the elderly ghost.

“Even if she isn’t mentally stable, she recognizes her son.”

Although she tormented Doyoung and Jiyoon, she didn’t bother her own son.

Kang Jin looked back at the elderly ghost.

“Look here. Observe whether your son is living happily or miserably.”

Kang Jin brought out a dish of steamed bean sprouts with grilled pork belly by herself.

“It’s on the house.”