Chapter 179

After finishing their lunch service, Kang Jin exited the restaurant with Bae Yongsoo. They didn’t have any specific destination in mind; it was simply for the pleasure of taking a stroll.

Moreover, after cooking amidst various food aromas all day, it felt refreshing to breathe in fresh air while walking through the park. Despite the enticing scents, constantly being exposed to them could make one feel nauseous. Walking among trees helped alleviate stress and lifted their spirits.

Since starting work at the Afterlife Restaurant, Kang Jin had become less susceptible to cold weather. On sunny winter days, strolling outside felt akin to a springtime walk.

“If you like trees, why not go to the kimchi storage area?” suggested Sung Yongsoo as they walked along the path.

Kang Jin shook his head. “That’s more like hiking than a leisurely stroll.”

“There are plenty of trees around here.”

“It’s not about seeing trees… It’s just nice to walk aimlessly while observing them.”

As they continued their idle chatter, Kang Jin suddenly noticed something ahead. There was an elderly man walking his white Pomeranian dog. Anyone would agree it was a peaceful and heartwarming sight.

“I bet Whitedung used to stroll like this with its owner.”

“Probably.”

“But why did th-…” Kang Jin paused and pursed his lips. Although Whitedung couldn’t hear him, he didn’t want to casually mention abandonment. “Did someone leave it behind?”

“How would I know that?”

“I’m just asking; I wasn’t expecting an answer.” Kang Jin genuinely posed the question without seeking a definitive response.

As Kang Jin spoke, Bae Yongsoo glanced at Whitedung resting under the pavilion and muttered,

“Everyone has their reasons, don’t they?”

“Reasons to abandon one’s family?” Kang Jin grumbled.

Bae Yongsoo pursed his lips at Kang Jin’s outburst. “That’s precisely why I said ‘reasons’. You won’t understand unless you put yourself in that person’s shoes.”

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

“That only applies if someone is truly considerate… If they were going to abandon it, then why raise it in the first place?”

“You’re right about that. If they intended to abandon it…they shouldn’t have brought it home in the first place.”

It seemed as though Bae Yongsoo was speaking from the perspective of the person who left Whitedung behind, but he wasn’t trying to defend them. He merely hoped that the individual wasn’t inherently bad, as it would be even more heartbreaking if Whitedung had been waiting for such a person all this time.

It would be even more heartbreaking if Whitedung had waited for someone who turned out to be evil.

“Pfft! The person who abandoned Whitedung can rot in hell!” Kang Jin glanced at Bae Yongsoo as he spat those words. “What makes you think they’ll go to hell just for abandoning their dog?”

“You talk like you’ve been there yourself.”

Bae Yongsoo’s implication was clear: How could Kang Jin know anything about hell when he’d never been?

“I learn so much from watching you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s that people, whether human or ghost, need to educate themselves.”

“Tsk!” As Bae Yongsoo clicked his tongue, Kang Jin headed toward the pavilion.

Should I ask Lawyer Shin Suho what kind of hell awaits such sinners?

As Kang Jin approached the pavilion, Whitedung spotted him and barked excitedly from afar.

Woof! Woof!

Seeing Whitedung bark and spin around, Kang Jin reached out to scratch him behind the ears.

Grrr! Grrr!

Whitedung whined as he rubbed his head against Kang Jin’s hand with his hind legs. Kang Jin watched fondly before pulling a small bag of treats from his pocket. He had bought these ramen-flavored snacks at the JS convenience store specifically for Whitedung.

“This ghost dog makes things easier.”

“How so?”

“I looked it up online, and you’re not supposed to feed dogs human food; they should only eat dog food. Apparently, salty or sugary foods aren’t good for them.”

“But…”

“This guy’s a ghost, though, so I can just give him whatever, right?”

With that, Kang Jin held out some ramen crumbles in his palm toward Whitedung.

“Hand!”

High-five!

When Whitedung gave his paw, Kang Jin placed ramen crumbles on it. The dog then started licking and eating them.

“Auntie CatMom is coming.”

While playing with Whitedung using snacks, Kang Jin turned towards Sung Yongsoo’s words.

The auntie from this morning was slowly walking towards them. However, her attire had changed since earlier today. Now she wore a black suit as she walked over. Unlike her plain appearance from this morning, she now sported makeup, and her hair had more volume, giving her a fuller look. If one hadn’t known better, they might not recognize her as the same person seen earlier. She presented a highly sophisticated image, albeit slightly marred by her choice of comfortable sneakers that didn’t quite match her formal outfit.

“Hello.”

In response to Kang Jin’s greeting, Norma smiled and slightly raised her hand.

“You cleaned up well.”

“Did you come back because of the bowl?”

“I thought I’d check on things while cooling off my head.”

Seeing Norma’s pleasant smile, Kang Jin asked:

“Have you eaten yet?”

Norma paused, tilted her head, then chuckled.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t had lunch yet.”

“It’s already past two o’clock, and you haven’t eaten?”

“With all these meetings and dealing with headaches, time just flew by.” Still smiling, she noticed the snacks in Kang Jin’s hands.

“You shouldn’t give those to children…”

“Oh! These are for me.”

Norma smacked her lips as she watched Kang Jin eat a cookie. She knew he hadn’t eaten yet, and it made her feel guilty to see him munching on cookies instead of having a proper meal.

“Are they tasty?”

“Yes… Ah!” When Kang Jin moved to offer Norma some cookies, Sung Yongsoo hastily interrupted.

“What are you doing?! Those belong to JS Group.”

Kang Jin quickly stopped his hand at Yongsoo’s words.

I almost messed up.

He had nearly given away JS Group’s cookies. Embarrassed, Kang Jin subtly pulled back the bag while explaining:

“I can’t give these to you since I’ve already eaten from this pack.”

“It’s fine-“

“No, not at all. Oh! Since you haven’t eaten yet, would you like to have lunch at our restaurant?”

“You mean for lunch?”

Norma smiled at Kang Jin’s words.

“What kind of food do you serve here?”

“If there’s something specific you’d like to eat, I can make it for you.”

“But surely, you must have some specialty dishes?”

“When we don’t have any customers, we cook whatever our guests desire.” Norma observed Kang Jin as he spoke and then replied with a smile:

“Whatever the honored guest desires…”

“I haven’t even introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Lee Gang-hye.”

“Kang Jin.”

Lee Gang-hye let out a small gasp at his introduction.

“Our names sound similar!”

“Yes, people might think we’re siblings if they heard us introduce ourselves.”

Their names differed by only one syllable: Lee Gang-hye and Kang Jin.

“Anyway, wouldn’t you prefer to eat something that Chef Kang Jin excels at?” Lee Gang-hye posed this question. In a restaurant setting, deciding on a menu meant choosing dishes one was skilled at making. Her point was that shouldn’t customers be served those very dishes?

“I already explained this morning. I can’t sell food if I don’t think it tastes good,” replied Kang Jin firmly.

“You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”

“As I mentioned earlier…I truly believe my cooking is delicious.” Kang Jin’s unwavering confidence brought a smile to Lee Gang-hye’s face.

“Do you remember what else I said then?”

“What did you say?”

“If the food isn’t tasty, I won’t charge you.”

Lee Gang-hye’s words made Kang Jin laugh as well.

“You don’t remember anything else, but you vividly recall that part,” Lee Gang-hye teased him with a smile.

“I’m quite sensitive when it comes to money.” Kang Jin returned her smile and suggested, “Shall we go eat now?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

With those words, Kang Jin escorted Lee Gang-hye out of the park. As they exited, she subtly shook her head at the knight who was about to open the car door for her. The knight glanced at Kang Jin before turning around and getting back into the vehicle.

As Lee Gang-hye walked away from the knight towards the restaurant, Kang Jin discreetly signaled something to Sung Yongsoo.

“What?” Sung Yongsoo looked puzzled by his gesture.

Kang Jin pointed towards the shop again.

“Oh! You want me to send them away?”

Kang Jin gave a slight nod, and Sung Yongsoo dashed off towards the store.

It had begun. Inside the store were the land-bound spirit, Choi Ho-cheol, and several female ghosts. Lee Gang-hye might not have noticed the store or avoided entering due to its ghostly inhabitants. Indeed, it was highly likely given there were six ghosts inside.

As Sung Yongsoo entered the store, Kang Jin asked Lee Gang-hye, “What kind of food would you like?”

“I’d prefer to see the interior first. The ambiance can significantly influence how enjoyable the food is.”

Kang Jin nodded at Lee Gang-hye’s words.

“That makes sense.”

“You know what I mean?”

“In a fancy place, grilled pork belly over charcoal or gas flame tastes better than on an electric grill. It’s similar with kimchi stew.”

Lee Gang-hye beamed at Kang Jin’s words.

“You’re right! Back when I was attending school, there was this rundown shop selling ‘Sundae Guk-bap’ (rice with blood sausage soup). The moment you entered that place, it felt like you had to have their Sundae Guk-bap.”

Kang Jin nodded in agreement with Lee Gang-hye’s enthusiastic description. It reminded him of a kalguksu restaurant near his workplace where one just had to order kalguksu upon entering. The ambiance didn’t explicitly scream “kalguksu,” but it exuded a clean and inviting atmosphere. Whether the interior design followed the food or vice versa was unclear…but it certainly created a style perfectly suited for the cuisine.

As they continued discussing food, Kang Jin arrived at the store and opened the door.

“Please come inside.”

As Kang Jin entered, Lee Gang-hye followed curiously behind her and noticed the empty store.

“You don’t lock the shop door?”

“Oh… There’s nothing worth stealing here.”

Kang Jin didn’t worry about theft since ghosts deterred customers. Consequently, she usually left the door unlocked.

“But still…”

“The only thing someone could steal is food. And they say stealing books isn’t theft, so if anyone takes some grub, I hope they enjoy it and clean up afterward.” Smiling, Kang Jin gestured to a seat nearby.

“It must be chilly for you.”

She subtly glanced at Lee Gang-hye.

“Yes, it’s a bit cold,” Lee Gang-hye acknowledged.

In response, Kang Jin turned on a space heater and poured yakgwanmun tea from a thermos.

“It’s yakgwanmun tea. It helps with fatigue recovery, so please enjoy.”

“Thank you.” Lee Gang-hye held her cup and glanced around the store, noticing the whiteboard.

“‘Lunch Special… If no customers, I’ll make whatever you desire’?”

“When there are many customers, it’s challenging to prepare individual dishes, so I offer only specials. But when there are no guests, I cook what you’d like.”

“So…”

“You’re wondering about sourcing ingredients and managing leftovers?” Kang Jin asked.

Lee Gang-hye smiled at his response. “Have you heard this concern often?”

“Yes, since many office workers frequent here, several people have expressed worries about the business aspect.”

“But despite that, you continue doing it. Does it mean you’re confident in your approach?”

“It’s not a problem since I only cook when there are no customers. Besides, even I must admit my food tastes amazing.”

Lee Gang-hye smiled and nodded at Kang Jin’s words.

“Your confidence is refreshing to see.”

“How would you like your meal prepared?”

Lee Gang-hye glanced around the shop before responding to Kang Jin’s question.

“I’m craving something spicy…”

“Would you like spicy chicken feet?”

“Spicy chicken feet?”

“I can make it both extremely flavorful and spicy. And of course, we can’t forget the egg stew and rice balls with it, right?”

Lee Gang-hye chuckled and nodded again.

“Just hearing about it makes me excited.”

Kang Jin nodded in response, looking at her.

“What level of spiciness should I aim for?

“The spiciest possible.”

“It will be very hot… Are you sure that’s okay?”

“I love spicy food.” Kang Jin nodded at Lee Gang-hye’s response and began gathering ingredients.

If she really wants it super spicy…it’s best to follow Lee Taewoon’s recipe.

Kang Jin’s chicken feet were already quite spicy, but Lee Taewoon’s version boasted an incredibly fiery taste.

Sizzle!

As Kang Jin started heating up chili oil, the aroma of spiciness quickly filled the dining hall.