Chapter 4: The Boldness of Poverty

The girl, who had been staring blankly at Kang Jin, opened her mouth.

“Just now… were you talking to me?”

“Who else is here besides you? Hey! You…”

Kang Jin was about to tell her to leave when he paused and narrowed his eyes.

Do not turn away those without money.

This meant he shouldn’t arbitrarily chase away customers. Kang Jin looked back at the girl.

“Do you have any money?”

“Money?”

“Yeah.”

The girl regarded Kang Jin with bewilderment before confidently replying:

“I don’t have any.”

Her casual and assertive response caught Kang Jin off guard.

“Aren’t you being too confident asking for drinks at a restaurant without any money?”

Kang Jin clicked his tongue softly.

If she had money, I’d just kick her out.

The rule said not to chase away those without money, but it didn’t say anything about those with money.

With that thought, Kang Jin scanned the area.

Attorney Shin is probably watching…

Although he hadn’t explicitly mentioned surveillance, he did warn Kang Jin to contact him if the bar stopped operating. So, there was likely someone keeping an eye on things or hidden CCTV cameras installed somewhere.

Kang Jin then went inside the kitchen.

“Have some food before you leave.”

“I want soju too.”

“Come back when you’re older. No selling alcohol to minors.”

“You seem to have a misunderstanding…”

Krrrsh.

As the girl continued talking, Kang Jin glanced at her while accidentally spilling garlic onto the frying pan.

“I’ll give you some food, but hurry home. What kind of young lady is out this late at night past eleven o’clock? Do you know how dangerous it can be out there?”

Sizzle! Sssshhh!

Kang Jin sautéed minced garlic in two pans before adding rice and meat simultaneously.

Sizzle! Sssshhh!

He skillfully moved both pans, stir-frying the rice and meat together.

It’s amazing. Is cooking really this easy?

Preparing two dishes at once wasn’t difficult. Moreover, despite using two pans simultaneously, the ingredients didn’t scatter; instead, they smoothly mixed and cooked within the pans.

Kang Jin finished cooking simultaneously on two pans and brought out the dishes with kimchi.

“Huh?”

As he carried the food to the table, Kang Jin looked puzzled. The girl who had been sitting there just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

“She just left?” He frowned while placing the dishes on the table. It hadn’t been difficult…but he’d gone through the trouble of making two dishes only for her to leave without saying goodbye.

He smacked his lips and glanced at the entrance.

“Where did she go even though she claimed not to have money? Come back and eat your meal.”

She must’ve come here because she was hungry…yet it bothered him that someone without any money simply walked away. Besides, he had already prepared the food.

Click!

As he watched the entrance, the door opened again.

Swish!

A woman entered, and she was incredibly beautiful.

She sat down at one of the tables and spoke up.

“Give me soju.”

Kang Jin chuckled as he listened to her request. He then placed the food back on the tray and set it before her table.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“What did you just say to me?”

“You thought I wouldn’t recognize you with makeup on?”

Startled, the woman’s eyes widened, causing Kang Jin to sigh heavily. Initially, he wasn’t sure, but…her rude tone confirmed his suspicion.

It’s definitely the same person.

“And…if you’re going to wear makeup, couldn’t you have changed your clothes too? Why bother putting such little effort into disguising yourself?”

“Clothes?” The woman looked down at her attire as Kang Jin shook his head. Both the girl earlier and this woman wore identical clothes. Despite makeup altering one’s appearance, their hairstyles and manner of speaking were the same. It confirmed they were indeed the same person.

Kang Jin took out chopsticks from the container and said, “Eat your food first. You can drink alcohol when you’re older.”

“Do you know how old I am?”

“Yes, but you’re still underage for drinking.” Kang Jin sat across from the woman. “Now eat.”

The woman glanced towards the refrigerator containing soju upon hearing Kang Jin’s words.

“Soju.”

“Why is a kid like you looking for alcohol? Just eat your meal.”

With that, Kang Jin stood up without another word, signaling she should feel comfortable eating on her own.

Kang Jin glanced at her as he entered the kitchen. The girl stared blankly at the food on the table.

“Eat this before you drink.”

The girl looked up briefly at Kang Jin’s words.

‘Huh?’

Confusion spread across Kang Jin’s face. Her appearance had suddenly reverted from looking older to younger.

“You… When did you remove your makeup?”

At his question, she hesitated and then spoke:

“Are you the new president?”

Kang Jin frowned at her response.

“Why do you always speak informally to me?”

Flick!

She glanced at him, startled.

“Bokrae said about me…”

Snap!

“Agh!”

Mid-sentence, the girl clutched her forehead as Kang Jin flicked it with his finger.

“How dare you address elders so casually! And considering how often you eat here…”

Kang Jin squinted her eyes at this interruption.

“And you should ask about your elder’s well-being if they’re not present.”

The girl pressed her forehead with one hand, wincing from Kang Jin’s words.

“I hope Bokrae is doing well wherever she may be.”

“This keeps nagging me. Hey! Stop eating already.”

As Kang Jin reached for the bowl, the girl hastily blocked her hand.

“It wouldn’t be right to take something given freely without finishing it. Besides, leaving it like this would just create food waste.”

“You sure talk big. Then why aren’t you eating?”

At Kang Jin’s remark, the girl glanced briefly at the food before picking up her chopsticks and taking a bite of meat. Soon, she started devouring the garlic fried rice eagerly as well.

‘She eats so heartily.’

Kang Jin muttered to herself, placed a glass of water in front of the girl, and then stepped outside the store.

Outside the restaurant, pedestrians bustled along the busy street. Nearby stores and buildings were brightly lit and open for business. At a glance, Kang Jin’s establishment seemed to be the only one struggling financially.

“The area seems pretty good… Why aren’t there any customers? We even serve alcohol…

At this hour, most patrons would prefer drinks over dinner, but Kang Jin’s store also sold alcohol. While garlic fried rice was fine on its own, it wouldn’t hurt to pair garlic stir-fried pork with soju either.

Lost in thought, Kang Jin reentered his shop, only to freeze at what he saw.

The girl had positioned herself in front of the refrigerator stocked with alcoholic beverages, guzzling straight from a bottle of soju.

“Hey, you crazy!” Shocked, Kang Jin hastily rushed over and snatched the bottle from her mouth.

Slurp!

“Are you trying to ruin my business on the first day? Selling alcohol to minors can shut down operations!”

Kang Jin had worked various part-time jobs before. Among them was a working at a pub where they received a suspension for serving a high school student by mistake. The customer looked like he was in his mid-thirties but turned out to be a teenager. Thanks to that incident, Kang Jin had to find a new job.

A shutdown on the very first day of business… Of course, it wouldn’t matter if there were no inspections, but getting caught would mean immediate closure right from the start. Naturally, this made Kang Jin frustrated. A suspended operation meant he couldn’t run her business, and without revenue, he risked losing the building altogether.

The girl chuckled at Kang Jin’s outburst.

“Heh!”

Kang Jin squinted as he noticed the girl’s face turning red. The bottle of soju he’d confiscated from her was almost empty, and two more bottles lay on the floor nearby.

“How much did you drink while I stepped out for just a minute?”

“I had to gulp it down quickly because you wouldn’t give me any. It’s all your fault!”

The sight of her acting like a drunkard made Kang Jin grimace.

I can’t exactly kick her out like this.

His conscience wouldn’t allow him to send away such a heavily intoxicated young woman. Yet calling the police wasn’t an option either.

Sigh…

Does she think this is some drinking den?

Calling the police would lead straight to his business being shut down.

After pondering briefly, Kang Jin helped the girl sit on a chair. He then poured a glass of cold water and offered it to her before asking:

“Hey! Where do you live?”

“My home?”

“So, where do you live?”

“My home…” The girl giggled absentmindedly. “Peach Valley, Kim’s residence, Jeonju Prefecture.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Give me your address.”

“Hee!” Laughing again at Kang Jin’s words, she slammed her head on the table.

Thud!

She hit it hard enough to cause a bump and stayed still for a moment before starting to snuffle.

Rrrumble! Rrrumble!

“Sheesh.” Kang Jin scratched his head as he watched the girl fall asleep.

Kerchak!

“Hello there!”

As soon as a customer loudly greeted him while entering the bar, Kang Jin hastily turned the girl’s face toward the wall. If they spotted her, he could get reported for serving alcohol to minors. With the girl’s face hidden from view, Kang Jin looked up at the new patron.

This one seems okay.

The man standing at the entrance appeared to be involved in sales, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase. He smiled brightly.

“Please sit wherever you like,” Kang Jin said politely.

In response, the customer grinned and handed her his business card from his wallet.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kang Doochi from JS Finance.”

“JS Finance?” Kang Jin looked puzzled as she accepted the card.

“I heard about the change of ownership for One Meal Restaurant, so I came by to introduce myself and discuss your account.”

“One Meal Restaurant” was the name of Kang Jin’s establishment. he observed Kang Doochi, who had a pleasant demeanor and spoke with a warm smile.

“You work late hours.”

“Our job doesn’t have fixed timings…”

As Kang Doochi continued talking, he suddenly noticed the sleeping girl at the table.

“I was wondering why there were no customers here. It’s because of you, Miss.”

Kang Doochi then approached the girl.

“Miss.”

Miss?

Kang Jin looked at Kang Doochi with curiosity.

“No one wants to come inside while you’re causing trouble here.”

The girl rubbed her eyes and smiled as Kang Doochi scolded her.

“Oh, it’s you, Doochi.”

“If you keep lingering around like this, it’ll disrupt business. Please leave now.”

Kang Jin interjected, “Do you know her?”

“Yes.”

“But…why did you call her ‘Miss’?”

Despite appearing to be in his thirties, Kang Doochi referred to a high school-aged girl as “Miss.”

“She’s older than me. Now go on, Miss!”

“Oh! I don’t care…”

As the girl turned away abruptly and rested her head back on the table, Kang Doochi clicked his tongue and glanced at Kang Jin.

“How much soju have you had?”

“Three bottles… or so?”

“That’s quite a lot.” Kang Doochi clicked his tongue as he glanced at the girl, and Kang Jin cautiously asked:

“So…she’s not underage, right?”

“Underage?”

Kang Doochi looked back at her with a smile before shaking his head.

“She may look young, but she’s older than you think.”

Hearing this, Kang Jin let out a sigh of relief internally.

At least she isn’t a minor.

As he felt fortunate about that, Kang Doochi shook the girl several times to wake her up, then sighed again.

“I don’t think she’ll be waking anytime soon.”

“What should we do now? Do you know where she lives by any chance?”

“Her home…” Kang Doochi shook his head with a smile at Kang Jin’s question. “She seems capable of taking care of herself, so don’t worry about her… Let’s discuss your bank account first, shall we?” With that, Kang Doochi pulled out some documents from his briefcase and placed them on the table.

Kang Jin raised an eyebrow as he saw the company name prominently displayed on the paperwork.

JS Finance? Never heard of this bank before.

While Kang Jin wasn’t familiar with every financial institution, he had never come across one called JS Finance.