Chapter 3: The Orphan's Dream House

At seventeen years old, Kang Jin lost his parents to an accident and was placed in an orphanage by relatives. The only inheritance left by his parents was a rental property… but since it had been mortgaged, he bank took possession of it. None of his relatives wanted to raise their penniless nephew.

Some relatives promised to take him once he graduated high school from the orphanage, but on his eighteenth birthday, no one showed up for him.

Living at the orphanage wasn’t bad, nor did he particularly yearn for any family members. After turning eighteen, he attended university while working part-time jobs to make ends meet.

That’s why Kang Jin desperately wanted this building as his own.

He inspected the interior thoroughly. In what appeared to be a room used as both bedroom and living space, there were a fan, various knickknacks, and some other items scattered about.

Inside the master bedroom was a small bed and some basic furniture. Kang Jin surveyed the room.

“There aren’t any pictures here.”

Even those living alone usually had at least one picture hanging on their walls, but he couldn’t find anything resembling photographs throughout the house.

“Mrs. Kim Bokrae… How did he know to leave this building for me?”

As Kang Jin inspected drawers and cabinets, he found them all empty.

“Did someone already clear out his belongings?”

There were pieces of furniture Mrs. Kim Bokrae used, but nothing else remained. While examining different areas of the home, Kang Jin glanced at the clock. It was already two o’clock after spending time inspecting the house.

“A restaurant…

The thought of running a business suddenly hit his, so he quickly headed downstairs.

Since he had to run a business here for five years to claim ownership of this building, Kang Jin wanted to inspect the restaurant space.

he descended and looked around the dining area.

“No menu… What do they even serve here?”

There was no typical menu board hanging on the walls. All that occupied the room were tables and chairs. After scanning the entire space, Kang Jin ventured into the kitchen, which was open to the dining area. The layout allowed clear visibility between both spaces.

Having never been inside any other kitchen besides his own at home, Kang Jin found the restaurant’s setup unfamiliar.

“I don’t know where to start.”

With zero experience running a restaurant or cooking professionally…the prospect of managing one for five years felt overwhelming.

Kang jin briefly inspected the kitchen and store before opening the refrigerator. It was stocked with various ingredients.

“Mrs. Kim Bokrae must have been quite meticulous.”

When he’d toured the house earlier, it had struck his how well-organized everything was, and this fridge was no exception.

“If I can run the restaurant successfully and make some money, that would be great…”

There were no rules stating he needed to succeed at business, but making profits wouldn’t hurt. Of course, he couldn’t turn away anyone without money or charge exorbitant prices for food, but Gangnam is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in South Korea.

Who comes here just to eat for free?

With those thoughts, Kang jin finished tidying up quickly and entered the kitchen.

“So…what should I sell?”

There was no shortage of ingredients, but Kang jin’s cooking skills were severely lacking. Despite having lived independently for nearly ten years, he had only ever resided in small boarding houses and could barely manage to cook ramen noodles or fried eggs.

Kang jin opened the refrigerator door, frowned as he scanned its contents, and then closed it again. It seemed like they had most of the necessary ingredients, yet he couldn’t decide what dish to prepare.

“Well, let’s see how it goes. There’s meat too…”

Muttering to herself, Kang jin shut the fridge and surveyed the kitchen. First, he needed to inventory what supplies were available before starting his business.

“A pot, frying pan, ladle…”

As he checked the utensils, his eyes caught sight of some papers stacked on one side.

“What’s this?”

he picked up the practice book and unfolded it.

Garlic Fried Rice

Ingredients: Garlic, cooking oil, cold rice

Finely chop garlic and lightly sauté it in cooking oil. Once you start smelling the garlic…

Garlic is considered yang food, so those with excess yin energy may feel warmth after consuming it.>

As Kang jin read from the practice book, something peculiar caught his eye.

Huh?

It felt like the words on the page were scattering and disappearing. he rubbed his eyes vigorously.

What’s going on?

After rubbing his eyes again, he looked back at the practice book. The text appeared unchanged, as if what he initially saw was just an illusion.

“I must be losing my mind. I mean, inheriting a 25-billion-won building would make anyone question their sanity.” Kang jin muttered quietly to herself before flipping through more recipes.

Kang jin whispered quietly to herself as he flipped past that page and looked at another recipe:

Pork with Garlic

Ingredients: garlic, pork belly, lime

Finely chop the garlic, add some cooking oil, and sauté until fragrant. Once the aroma fills the air, start stir-frying the pork…

The taste of lime enhances the flavor for those who haven’t enjoyed food in a long time.**

Seeing the detailed recipe accompanied by illustrations, Kang jin experienced yet another strange phenomenon. The text scattered again, transforming before disappearing entirely. Rubbing his eyes once more revealed the writing was back to normal.

“Is it because I’m tired?”

Shaking his head briefly, Kang jin quickly skimmed through other pages. Every sheet in the thick practice book contained various recipes.

“It must be Mrs. Kim Bokrae’s cooking notebook. I can follow these recipes.”

For Kang Jin, who could only cook fried eggs and instant ramen noodles, this was a treasure trove of recipes. Moreover, with detailed instructions, it didn’t seem too difficult to whip something up. So, he grabbed garlic and meat from the fridge and began preparing them.

Despite never having cooked this dish before, his hands moved instinctively.

Do I have a knack for cooking?

The recipe looked simple enough, but strangely, everything seemed to come together well after just one glance at the instructions. He felt comfortable handling the kitchen knife as if it were second nature. Feeling excited, Kang Jin sautéed minced garlic in oil until its aroma filled the air, then added rice and continued stir-frying.

The rice cooker was empty, but fortunately, there were some instant rice packets available to use instead. Within minutes, Kang Jin had made garlic fried rice. he added a dash of soy sauce for seasoning and tasted it.

“Tastes good.”

It wasn’t incredibly delicious, but considering it was just plain rice with garlic, it turned out quite flavorful. The subtle aroma of garlic elevated the dish. To enhance it further, he retrieved a jar of kimchi from the refrigerator and placed some on top of the rice.

Crunch! Crunch!

As he bit into the crispy kimchi, its tangy flavor pleasantly filled his mouth. Even with just kimchi as a side, the meal was immensely satisfying. Quickly finishing the garlic fried rice, Kang Jin smiled while gazing at the empty bowl.

“The recipe is amazing.”

Kang jin followed the recipe exactly and was delighted by how delicious it turned out. Encouraged, he made garlic pork stir-fry next. It tasted just as good. The combination of garlic and lime added freshness to the savory pork.

“I bet I could sell this at lunchtime easily.”

he figured serving marinated garlic pork over garlic fried rice would be quite popular. Since both dishes were enjoyable even when eaten alone, he felt confident they’d sell well together.

With his hunger satisfied, Kang jin tidied up the kitchen, placing the dishes in the sink and quickly washing them.

At ten o’clock at night, Kang jin prepared to open for business. Feeling confident about his cooking, he considered opening earlier than planned. After all, every dish sold meant more money in his pocket.

However, there were tasks that needed attending first. he had to pack up from the boarding house and bid farewell to the staffing agency and foreman who provided him with part-time work opportunities.

After spending the entire day running errands, he finally returned home at eight o’clock in the evening. Therefore, he decided to get some rest before waking up at ten to prepare for business.

“Alright! Let’s get started.”

Kang jin began by rinsing rice in a pot and then proceeded to prep the ingredients. he minced garlic ahead of time and cut enough meat for one serving.

As this was his first day running a business, Kang Jin decided to start with two dishes: garlic fried rice and garlic pork stir-fry. By the time he finished preparing ingredients and cleaning up, it was almost eleven o’clock.

Kang Jin placed a chair near the entrance of the kitchen and kept a close eye on the door.

“Phew!”

And then…

[10:59:59]

[11:00:00]

Right at eleven, the door opened.

Creak!

The sound prompted Kang Jin to stand up. A girl elegantly dressed in traditional Korean attire entered the restaurant.

A hanbok?

He didn’t expect to see someone wearing a hanbok in Gangnam, especially as his very first customer after opening shop.

The girl, clad in a delicate light-blue hanbok, gave a small bow. Kang Jin reciprocated with a nod.

“Hello.”

The girl briefly glanced at Kang Jin’s greeting, and he almost choked on his own spit at her appearance.

her outfit is unusual, but she’s as pretty as an idol. Gangnam truly lives up to its reputation.

As he was slightly taken aback by his beauty akin to TV idols, the girl quietly sat down near the kitchen area.

“Bring me soju.”

“What?” Kang Jin responded with surprise.

“Did you not hear me? Bring me some soju.”

Kang Jin looked at her for a moment before approaching.

“Excuse me, miss.” Kang Jin smiled warmly as soon as the girl turned toward him.

“Could I see your ID, please?”

she appeared to be a middle school student or possibly a freshman in high school… However, since she could look younger than his actual age, he decided to verify her identification first.

“A resident registration card?”

“You look quite young, so I need to verify your age with some form of identification.”

The girl stared at Kang Jin before replying firmly:

“I don’t have one.”

Kang Jin smiled and tried again. “If you don’t have a resident registration card, could you please show me your driver’s license or any other ID?”

“I don’t have those either, so go get me a shot of soju.”

“Ma’am, when you say ‘don’t have,’ do you mean you haven’t received them yet?”

“I’ve never gotten them.”

Kang Jin was taken aback by his response.

What kind of teenager acts this confident?

He’d seen plenty of teenagers trying to drink alcohol at bars, but…this was his first encounter with such a bold underage girl demanding booze.

Is she trying to get someone fired?

It was their first day of business, and serving alcohol to minors could lead to suspension of operations.

Hang on… Let’s try reasoning with his.

“Ma’am, I cannot serve you alcohol without seeing your ID.”

“What?! Do you know who I am? Go get me some soju!”

Kang jin sighed quietly at the girl’s response, looked at his, and then spoke up.

“Miss, if you want to drink soju, at least have the decency to dress appropriately for your age… Who would serve you like this?”

The girl heard Kang jin mutter under his breath and stared at him incredulously.

“You’d serve me? Are you being disrespectful right now? How dare you—”

“‘How dare you’? And what about you? What makes you think you can confidently walk in here as a high schooler demanding soju?”

At Kang jin’s words, the girl’s face hardened.

“High… High schooler?”