Chapter 176

“The children are hungry?” Kang Jin asked Junghoon, who nodded his head.

“I’m sorry…but could you please give them something to eat…if possible?”

“They aren’t ghosts, right?”

“No, they’re humans.”

“Where can I find them?”

“They’re outside now.”

Kang Jin nodded at Junghoon’s words and briefly spoke to Lee Sangsub alone.

“I’ll be stepping out for some fresh air. Could you call me if you need anything? Sorry about this.”

“Sure thing.”

With that, Kang Jin gently opened the store door and stepped outside. Accompanied by the ghost, he scanned their surroundings.

“Over there.”

Kang Jin glanced at the direction indicated by Junghoon’s ghost. There he saw two boys, one resembling a high school student and another looking like a middle schooler, pulling a small cart together. Judging from the boxes, empty bottles, and cans on the cart, it seemed they were collecting recyclables.

“Why are these kids…?” Kang Jin asked while observing the cart, prompting Junghoon to scratch his head.

“Their mother is bedridden due to illness. So, on their days off, they collect scrap paper, returnable bottles, and such… Haa!”

“If you need money, wouldn’t part-time jobs at convenience stores or construction sites be better options than collecting scrap?”

While Kang Jin wasn’t sure how much one could earn from recycling, with hourly wages increasing significantly nowadays, even working at a convenience store was quite decent.

Construction site jobs were even better as they paid daily wages immediately.

“I tried to find part-time work but couldn’t.”

Kang Jin nodded at Junghoon’s words.

‘Indeed, finding part-time work isn’t easy.’

It depended on timing; if it aligned with your availability, you could easily secure one, otherwise, it was challenging.

“If he had managed to get a convenience store job, he wouldn’t be cold and hungry like this.”

Kang Jin glanced at Junghoon after hearing his remark.

He’s not wrong.

Although working at a convenience store can be demanding, at least during winter, employees stay warm and don’t go hungry. They have access to expired food that is still safe to consume.

At least they won’t starve or freeze.

Inspired by Junghoon’s concern, Kang Jin approached the children nearby.

“Hello.”

As Kang Jin casually greeted the high school student, he looked up at him.

“Hello.”

“You’re here for bottles and cans?”

“Do you have any by chance?”

The cheerful smile of the student brought a grin to Kang Jin’s face.

What a nice kid.

“I was about to throw away some bottles from my shop anyway. If it’s not too much trouble, would you like them?”

“That’d be great! Just let us know where they are, and we’ll neatly collect and organize them.”

Seeing the student’s bright smile, Kang Jin grinned back and pointed towards his store.

“They’re inside there. Let’s pull them out front first.”

At Kang Jin’s instruction, the student nodded to his sister, loaded the discarded paper onto their cart, and moved towards One Meal Restaurant. Along the way, he glanced around cautiously.

“Can I leave the cart in that alley?”

“It’s fine to leave it here,” replied the student.

“I think people might not like seeing this cart in front of your restaurant.”

The student smiled reassuringly at Kang Jin’s concern.

“It’s okay.”

“But…”

“It’s perfectly fine. Please come inside.”

Kang Jin led them with a smile into his establishment.

As they entered, both siblings couldn’t help but swallow hard as they watched other customers enjoying their meals.

Meanwhile, Kang Jin went straight to the kitchen and spotted Sung Yongsoo.

“Please prepare these portions quickly.”

“These portions?”

“Make generous servings for each plate.”

“Gotcha.”

Following Kang Jin’s instructions, Bae Yongsoo promptly placed mackerel on the frying pan.

Shhhf, shhhf.

Kang Jin observed this scene from the kitchen before grabbing a box of empty bottles next to the alcohol fridge and approaching the students.

“Could you open the door for me, please?”

“I got it. I’ll carry them.”

“They’re heavy.”

Smiling, Kang Jin held up the box as if urging him to hurry and open the door. The student quickly obliged, allowing Kang Jin to place the box on a cart outside.

“Thank you.”

“There’s more inside.” Kang Jin reentered the store with a grin at the brothers following closely behind.

“Would you mind waiting here for just a moment?”

“What?”

“It’d be awkward taking out supplies while we have guests, so could you sit down for now?”

The brothers looked at each other, then quietly took a seat where Kang Jin had indicated. Watching them sit down, she went to the kitchen and brought out two cups of warm yakgwanmun tea for her guests.

“It’s quite cold outside, isn’t it?”

“Thank you.”

Jinwoo was already feeling chilly, so he brightened at the sight of the warm beverage. He reached his hand toward the cup but hesitated as his hands were dirty from collecting recyclables. Seeing this, Kang Jin smiled reassuringly.

“It’s okay. I have to wash dishes anyway.” Still smiling, she gently took hold of Jinwoo’s hand and wrapped it around the cup.

“We usually collect empty bottles here, too, so we can give you some cardboard boxes. It’ll be easier than trying to dispose of them separately.”

“If you leave them outside, plenty of people will take th—”

“As that student said earlier, people don’t like it when we leave them outside. So please come by during lunchtime from now on.”

“We’d appreciate th—”

“Kang Jinah!” Bae Yongsoo’s call prompted Kang Jin to briefly lift the curtain leading to the kitchen and carry over trays of food to their table.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“No? Oh, yes, I did.”

“When I was a student, I always felt hungry right after eating lunch. And since this is my way of thanking you for your help…please try some.”

“But…we don’t have any money.”

“This is just our way of expressing our gratitude for taking care of those bottles. Besides, we’ve already prepared everything.”

As Kang Jin smiled and turned to leave, Lim Ho-jin and his team got up from their seats.

“We enjoyed it.”

Kang Jin was relieved at this development.

Perfect timing.

Otherwise, the brothers would’ve kept declining her offer.

“Thank you very much.”

With a smile, Kang Jin approached them. The elder brother looked flustered for a moment before smacking his lips.

“Hyung?”

At his younger brother’s call, he glanced down at the food momentarily before nodding.

“Let’s eat.”

Since everything had already been prepared, there was no reason not to partake of it, as Kang Jin said. The younger brother immediately handed chopsticks to his hyung while serving himself a large scoop of rice.

Seeing this, his older brother scooped half of his rice onto his younger sibling’s plate.

“Eat up.”

“It’s okay, Hyung…”

The elder brother smiled and stopped his sister when she tried to return some rice to him.

“No worries.” He took another bite and started eating the side dishes.

It tastes good.

His sister hesitated for a moment before following suit.

“This is really delicious, Hyung!”

“I know, right?”

Lim Ho-jin observed them discreetly from afar and whispered, “Do you know those kids?”

“You’ll get to know them soon enough.”

“They seemed like they didn’t have much money?” Kang Jin chuckled at Lim Ho-jin’s comment, apparently having overheard their conversation earlier.

“You know, like at our restaurant, where customers pay however much they want.”

Lim Ho-jin looked at Kang Jin and nodded. When he first visited Kang Jin’s establishment, he’d been told that was their policy.

He glanced at the two brothers again. They seemed warmly dressed but were wearing old clothes with faded colors…

After studying them for a moment, Lim Ho-jin handed his card to Kang Jin.

“Please include these boys’ meals on my tab.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Just like how guests can pay what they wish for their meal here, right?”

Kang Jin smiled at Lim Ho-jin’s words. “The customer is king.”

“Ha! Right.”

Kang Jin tallied up the bill and returned Lim Ho-jin’s card.

“The money you spent on these kids today will come back to you tenfold someday.”

“You mean it’s some kind of good deed?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Of course, “soon” meant after they died. This was all part of Kang Jin’s plan to amass wealth for his life in the afterlife.

Lim Ho-jin smiled at Kang Jin’s words and put away his card.

“It was delicious!”

“Have a safe trip home.”

With that, Lim Ho-jin left with his team members.

The overseas business second team also finished their meal, paid their bill, and exited the restaurant. When Director Oh Seong-sil attempted to pay for the children’s meals as well, Kang Jin explained:

“Ho-jin already took care of it.”

“I’m sure there will be another opportunity.”

“Then I’ll treat you next time.”

“You’re always welcome to do so.”

Once Director Oh Seong-sil and her team left the restaurant, Kang Jin turned toward his brothers, who were enjoying their meal. He couldn’t help but grin at the sight.

“How’s the grilled mackerel?”

“All done.”

Bae Yongsoo placed some fish on a plate, added condiments, and handed it over. Kang Jin took the plate and passed it to one of his brothers.

“Here, eat this too.”

“That’s okay…”

“No, try it. It’s delicious. Ah! You should have more rice as well.”

Before either brother could protest, Kang Jin returned from the kitchen with a large bowl of rice for them.

“Please enjoy!”

With a smile, he went back inside the kitchen. Bae Yongsoo peeked out after him.

Yongsoo wore oversized vinyl gloves that kept floating up his hands, but no one noticed since they couldn’t see them under the counter anyway.

“You didn’t have to give him a bottle of soju with just some rice.”

“It’s not about pride because he doesn’t have money.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I told someone they could eat for free here, who’d come? He only agreed to enter the restaurant as long as we gave him a bottle of soju.”

“That was clever.” Kang Jin smirked and glanced at his brother after hearing Bae Yongsoo’s explanation.

“I used to be like that.”

“You did?”

“When I first started working, before meeting good people like these guys, it was hard for me to accept favors from others. It felt uncomfortable when people tried giving me something. And being raised without parents in an orphanage made me feel pitied…”

Kang Jin shook his head slightly, picked up the tray, and walked away alone.

It was past noon now, so Kang Jin started clearing tables before more customers arrived. As he gathered dishes and trays, he spotted his brother happily enjoying his meal, even mixing rice with the spicy mackerel broth.

Kang Jin smiled at the sight as he carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

“Here’s your food.” After serving another customer, Kang Jin approached his brother, who was drinking water after finishing his meal.

“How was it? Did you enjoy the food?”

“It was delicious; thank you very much.”

As Jinwoo tried to stand up and bow, Kang Jin laughed and stopped him.

“I’m glad you enjoyed…”

But something caught Kang Jin’s eye, puzzling him despite Jinwoo having eaten most of the meal enthusiastically.

They had eaten everything, including all the side dishes, except for one piece of grilled mackerel left untouched on its plate.

“Is it not to your taste?” Kang Jin asked hesitantly.

The siblings exchanged glances before the younger girl spoke up.

“Can I take this home with me?”

“This?”

Before she could explain further, her brother blushed slightly and answered for her.

“My mother…really likes grilled mackerel marinated like this.”

Kang Jin smiled at his response. “Your mother enjoys it?”

“Yes.” His face was now quite red, clearly embarrassed.

Kang Jin chuckled at him. “Of course! Please wait just a moment.”

As he headed toward the kitchen, he grabbed two cans of cola from the refrigerator and brought them back to the table.

“You’ve eaten well, so drink this.”

“I’ll pay for it.”

“Okay.” Kang Jin smiled and nodded at his brother’s words. Then he carried the plate of grilled mackerel to the kitchen while gesturing towards Junghoon with his eyes.

Kang Jin spoke once Junghoon entered the kitchen, “Does ajumoni like seasoned grilled mackerel?”

“Yes, I loved it. My wife often made it because I liked it.”

“It seems you were drawn by its scent.”

“That’s…because the smell was too enticing.”

Kang Jin nodded at Junghoon’s words. Ghosts can be attracted by the scent of their favorite food from when they were alive. Just as female ghosts are drawn to the smell of chili peppers and garlic, Junghoon had been lured here by the aroma of grilled mackerel.