Chapter 37: Cooking

Kang Jin was preparing food. On one side, ghosts were eating egg-bibimbap while Yongsoo grumbled at Kang Jin’s fancy knife skills.

“Hey! How long will you keep chopping garlic?”

Ghosts always arrived en masse, resulting in numerous orders coming in simultaneously. Therefore, lunchtime starting from 11 AM was their busiest period.

However, Kang Jin was solely focused on chopping garlic for fish cake soup. Instead of using the practice room’s version, he insisted on making it with his own culinary skills.

Chop! Chop!

As Kang Jin finely minced the garlic, he spoke thoughtfully:

”…Practice is the only way to improve.”

“Practice? What do you mean? The cooking practice room makes everything easy.”

“A mixture of chili pepper and soybean paste.”

Bae Yongsoo sighed at Kang Jin’s words.

“That is too simple to count as cooking.”

As the name implied, one merely had to cut up some chili peppers, mix them with soybean paste, then stir it all together. Of course, there were other ingredients involved, but it wasn’t really considered proper cooking.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s easy or not. The point is that the practice room isn’t omnipotent. It can’t make…

Kang Jin held onto garlic while wielding his knife.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

Sung Yongsoo sighed once again, seeing how Kang Jin was hacking away at the garlic instead of finely chopping it.

“You truly lack skill when handling a knife.”

“That’s why I’m practicing. Besides…I have a capable employee.”

“You should ask for a raise from JS Finance! I don’t even know how my salary is being spent.”

“Tsk! Those guys are so annoying.”

“Are you heavily indebted to them?”

“I’m not sure.”

Kang Jin suddenly looked at Sung Yongsoo after hearing his response.

“Were you a bad person before?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you owe money to JS Finance, then you are considered a good person. However, if you have no debt with them, then you must be a bad person. Yet here you are, deeply in debt.”

As Kang Jin spoke, she laughed.

“You must truly be a bad guy.”

Sung Yongsoo chuckled at her words.

“Well, by that logic, I might indeed be a bad guy. All these ghosts here owe money to JS Finance.”

Kang Jin glanced around the hall at the ghosts mentioned by Sung Yongsoo.

When Kang Doochi visited here, all these ghosts tried to flee.

Bae Yongsoo finished plating the egg omelet and called out:

“Omelets ready!”

One of the ghosts stood up and brought over the dish at Bae Yongsoo’s call. As he watched this interaction, Bae Yongsoo shared his thoughts:

“When I first became a ghost, I had my fair share of debts.”

“Really?”

“Not all debtors are bad people. Living as a ghost often leads to depleted savings and mounting debts.”

Kang Jin clicked his tongue, realizing it was just a joke.

“I know you were joking.”

Nodding, Bae Yongsoo picked up some marinated beef from a bowl and placed it on the frying pan.

Sizzle!

Sizzle!

Bae Yongsoo continued while cooking bulgogi, “When you do good deeds during your lifetime, money accumulates in your JS Finance account. Conversely, when you commit evil acts, funds get deducted from it, right?”

“That’s why I’ve been trying to live virtuously lately.”

It wasn’t due to any strong moral convictions… However, after learning about JS Finance, he felt compelled to lead a more virtuous life. The concept was no longer abstract; every good deed could be quantified with numbers.

“And if your balance goes negative, it turns into a minus account. Those guys…probably end up in hell, right?”

“Right?” Kang Jin responded as if uncertain.

Bae Yongsoo shook his head. “How would I know what happens there? If I had gone to the afterlife, maybe I’d understand how it works. But since I’m still here as a ghost…”

“Have you ever been to heaven? You’re here as a ghost because you never went.”

“I see.”

“Well, it’s the same for ghosts.”

“You earn money by doing good deeds and lose money by committing evil acts?”

“That’s right. But there aren’t many opportunities for doing good once you become a ghost. Wouldn’t you need others to witness your good deeds?”

“I suppose so. Who would hire a ghost for part-time work anyway?”

Sung Yongsoo nodded in agreement.

“But when it comes to bad deeds, you can commit them even if no one sees you.”

“How? Can’t you touch anything with your ghostly body?”

“There are various ways. Even just sitting in women’s public baths deducts money from your account.”

“You’ve been inside women’s public baths too?”

“In a way, you’re like an invisible man.”

At this remark, Kang Jin nodded knowingly. Entering women’s baths was often cited as one of the things men would do if they became invisible.

“You know, it’s funny when I think about it. Is entering women’s baths really what you’d want to do after becoming a ghost?”

“I’m just saying! It doesn’t mean I’ve actually done it.”

“Oh, sure,” Kang Jin chuckled and glanced at him sidelong.

“So, you only spend money without earning any?”

“How many jobs exist for ghosts?”

“Well then, you should cook even better for me.”

Bae Yongsoo grinned at Kang Jin’s comment before vigorously shaking the frying pan and transferring the bulgogi (Korean-style grilled beef) onto a dish.

“BBQ is ready!” Sung Yongsoo’s announcement prompted the ghost to pick up the dish and return to its seat.

Kang Jin watched this exchange before asking:

“What about your debt? Are you planning to pay it off even if you have to go through the afterlife?”

“I’ll work it off with my body.”

“With your body?”

“Once I reach a certain negative balance, those JS Finance guys will come for me.”

“From JS Finance?”

“If they catch me… Ughhh!” Sung Yongsoo shuddered at the thought.

Curious, Kang Jin asked: “What happens then?”

“I’d have to stand in line.”

Kang Jin looked puzzled at Sung Yongsoo’s response. “Stand in line?” He couldn’t comprehend why standing in line would cause such dread on Yongsoo’s face.

Yongsoo spoke with such seriousness as if he was about to endure the most agonizing ordeal in this world by standing in line. Kang Jin looked at him incredulously, and Bae Yongsoo shook his head.

“You…have you ever been to a bank before?”

“Yes.”

“It’s always crowded there. There aren’t any numbered tickets either; everyone just has to stand in line.”

“…That sounds frustrating.”

“That it is. Moreover, even though there are multiple counters…only one person handles paperwork submissions.”

“But why? Wouldn’t the lines move faster if more counters were open?”

“That’s what makes it even more irritating. I don’t understand why they have so many counters then.”

Kang Jin listened intently to Sung Yongsoo and nodded.

“It feels like they did it intentionally to annoy people?”

“Indeed, they’ve succeeded brilliantly. Every time I see those empty counters, it frustrates me further.”

That makes sense.

If there was only one window, people would focus on that single line. But with multiple windows, they couldn’t help but keep checking other lines as well. Although they knew no one else would join them, there’s always hope someone might come and shorten their wait. And greater expectations often lead to greater disappointment.

Even JS Finance is guilty of this.

As Kang Jin pondered this, Sung Yongsoo sighed deeply before continuing.

“And you have to redo your paperwork two or three times.”

“Because it’s filled out incorrectly?”

“Not exactly. Whether at a bank or government office, whenever you submit documents, something is inevitably missing. Then you must re-do everything from scratch and stand back in line.”

“Can’t you correct it right there?”

“Nope. If anything’s wrong, you have to go to the back of the queue.”

“That sounds dreadful.”

“It certainly is. But getting rejected due to incomplete paperwork is even worse.”

“What happens if we fail?”

Bae Yongsoo paused momentarily before sighing heavily.

“Annihilation.”

“Annihilation?”

“Death isn’t the end; it’s a new beginning. However…annihilation truly means obliteration. It is the end.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

“That’s why we avoid those from JS Finance like the plague. Waiting in line may be dreadful, but…if you fail on your paperwork, annihilation awaits.” Bae Yongsoo pursed his lips, feeling disheartened as he spoke about their dire situation.

He then glanced at the cutting board where Kang Jin had finely chopped garlic. Observing this, Bae Yongsoo asked:

“You’re really serious about learning to cook?”

Kang Jin looked up at Bae Yongsoo’s question.

It seems he doesn’t want to discuss JS Finance any further. Understandably…it’s a deeply troubling topic for him.

Kang Jin nodded, understanding Sung Yongsoo’s concern and tried to sound cheerful.

“Since I’m already in the food business, I want to learn it properly.”

Bae Yongsoo looked at Kang Jin for a moment before taking over the knife. He swiftly chopped garlic and prepared other ingredients with ease.

“You shouldn’t practice using dishes meant for customers.”

“But practicing is essential to improve my skills.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking for yourself, but these dishes are for our guests. Even if they are ghosts instead of humans, a chef must always serve their best creations using top-quality ingredients.”

“The best creations using top-quality ingredients?”

“Ideally, we should use the finest ingredients, but that’s not always possible. When the highest quality isn’t available, choose the best among what you have and create the most exceptional dish you can.”

“I should always aim for that.”

“That sounds great.”

“She was our mentor, Mrs. Suk. She used to say, ‘If you can’t get the best ingredients, then make the best dish with what is available.’”

“She seems like a wonderful person.”

“She was both amazing and terrifying.” As Bae Yongsoo spoke, he placed some fish cakes in the broth. Kang Jin watched him and asked,

“Is she still alive?”

“Yes, quite healthy too. I think she will live past one hundred years old.” Sung Yongsoo glanced at the fish cake soup before turning towards Kang Jin.

“If you want to cook, always strive to create the best dishes possible.”

“Understood.”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you knife skills.”

“Knife skills?”

“You’re lucky. For my first year here, all I did was washing dishes. Knives were a distant dream back then.” With that, Bae Yongsoo picked up his bowl of fish cake soup and left the kitchen.

“Let’s have a drink.”

Following Bae Yongsoo’s suggestion, Kang Jin grabbed a glass of soju and joined him at his table. The fish cake soup had been prepared because it was Bae Yongsoo’s favorite dish.

Lee Kang-jin diligently completed his photocopying tasks and ran errands for Shim until it was lunchtime.

“Everyone, let’s go eat.”

Following Lim Ho-jin’s words, employees stopped their work and stood up from their desks.

“What shall we have today?” Choi Mina quickly responded to Lim Ho-jin’s question.

“We can dine at Lee Kang-jin’s place. It’s tasty and close by.”

“That sounds good.”

Lim Ho-jin shook his head at the female staff members’ suggestion.

“Lee Kang-jin should also take a proper break during lunch. We can just show up and eat, but he has to cook and clean up afterward.”

Kang Jin looked at Lim Ho-jin after hearing this.

“It’s fine with me.” Kang Jin didn’t mind since he wasn’t giving away food for free; he received payment for it.

However, Lim Ho-jin had another idea. “I don’t mind eating out after work, but…let’s at least give Lee Kang-jin some downtime during lunch.” He then turned to Choi Mina. “How about hangover soup?”

Choi Mina forced a smile and shook her head. “If it’s spicy hangover soup, we’ll go somewhere else.”

Spicy hangover soup was not suitable for ladies due to potential bits of tripe getting stuck between their teeth. Choi Mina grimaced as she spoke, causing Lim Ho-jin to chuckle and nod understandingly.

“That sounds good.”

As Choi Mina got up with Kim Hyein to leave ahead of everyone else, Lim Ho-jin looked around at the remaining male employees.

“And you guys?”

“Sounds good.”

Lim Ho-jin led his employees out of the government office. They walked ten minutes to a hangover soup restaurant nearby.

“There’s quite a line.” As they stood waiting outside the restaurant, Lee Sangsub glanced at Kang Jin’s watch and remarked:

“It’s always like this if we don’t come early since there are many companies around here. Plus, their food is delicious.”

“I wish my place was as popular,” Kang Jin replied wistfully.

Lee Sangsub turned to him, curious. “But why isn’t your business doing well, Kang Jin?”

At Lee Sangsub’s question, Lim Ho-jin also looked back.

“You’re right… Why isn’t it thriving? Your food is tasty, and you seem to cater well to customers’ preferences.” Lim Ho-jin hastily added:

“It’s not that I’m sensitive; it just shows you’re observant.”

“That’s fine.” Smiling, Kang Jin shook his head and looked at the long line of customers. “And as Manager Lee said earlier, if the food is good enough, business will eventually pick up.”

“You have a point there.”

As they chatted, the line quickly shortened. As Kang Jin entered the store with the dwindling crowd, he glanced toward the counter.

An elderly woman stood behind it.

She’s a ghost.

In the past, this would’ve startled him, causing him to bow his head in fear. But now, Kang Jin simply nodded knowingly and moved to an empty space nearby. The grandmother didn’t seem to have died violently, and aside from her slightly hazy appearance, she looked quite ordinary—nothing to be afraid of.