Chapter 42

Old Sunji Hangover Soup was still open for business. Fortunately, it wasn’t mealtime yet, so there was no line.

Upon entering, Kang Jin noticed someone at the counter talking on their phone. It appeared to be a young employee in their early twenties.

Is he the owner’s grandson?

Typically, the store owner manned the counter due to handling money transactions. They usually wouldn’t entrust this task to non-family employees. Considering his age, he likely was the owner’s grandson.

“I’d like some takeout, please.”

“We only pack orders for two servings or more.”

Kang Jin spoke while observing the employee, who didn’t even look up from their phone.

“Well then, I’ll have two servings of Sunji hangover soup, please.”

“Hey, Auntie! Two servings of Sunji hangover soup for takeaway.”

Kang Jin nodded at the employee still glued to their phone.

Seems like they’re just a trainee.

An actual staff member wouldn’t be sitting behind the counter on their phone during work hours. Kang Jin looked around the store.

It was relatively empty inside, with only a few tables occupied by people drinking soju and eating Sunji hangover soup.

Not many customers here.

As he scanned the restaurant, an ajumma brought over two plastic-wrapped containers of Sunji hangover soup.

“That’ll be forty thousand won.”

Kang Jin paid with his card, collected the bags, and returned to One Meal Restaurant.

Inside, ghosts continued their drinking spree. This puzzled Kang Jin as he entered.

As Kang Jin entered the restaurant, confusion marred his face. Oh Soon-young was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did she go?”

Kang Jin scanned the room when Sung Yongsoo yelled from the kitchen.

“Take some side dishes!”

At Sung Yongsoo’s command, ghosts approached and carried away various side dishes. Kang Jin headed towards the kitchen.

“Mrs. Kim Bokrae?”

“She’s inside,” replied Bae Yongsoo.

With a puzzled expression, Kang Jin entered the kitchen. There stood Oh Soon-young, preparing food.

“What are you doing here, Mrs. Kim Bokrae?”

“I couldn’t let Yongsoo work all alone.”

Bae Yongsoo gestured at Kang Jin with a smile.

“Taste these side dishes; they’re really delicious.”

In response to Sung Yongsoo’s question, Kang Jin picked up some pickled vegetables from a bowl and popped them into his mouth. A smile spread across his face as he savored the taste.

“It’s both spicy and sweet - delicious!”

Oh Soon-young beamed at Kang Jin’s compliment.

“I’m glad you enjoy it.”

“It really is tasty.”

“Isn’t it too sweet?”

“Not at all. The sweetness enhances the flavor.”

Typically, pickled vegetables have a slightly tangy-sweet taste, but Oh Soon-young’s version leaned more towards sweetness. It wasn’t overwhelmingly sugary; just a touch sweeter than usual. However, this unique balance was delightful. Perhaps the sweetness tempered the spiciness? Either way, it tasted fantastic.

‘Even though the practice room’s pickles were good, these are equally delicious.’

If some fool asked Kang Jin which dish tasted better, he would simply snort at them. Delicious food is delicious, period. Why choose between two tasty dishes? As he savored the side dish, his eyes inadvertently wandered towards the rice cooker.

One spoonful of warm rice with the side dish, then another spoonful after soaking it in cold water…

Ah! Both sound delicious.

Since both dishes were equally enticing, Kang Jin decided to try them both ways. As he scooped out rice from the rice cooker, Oh Soon-young noticed the bag in his hand.

“Is that hangover soup?”

Kang Jin had been waiting for her to speak since she arrived, and now she finally initiated conversation as soon as he started serving the rice.

“Oh!” Kang Jin promptly handed the bag of hangover soup to Bae Yongsoo.

“Please heat this up before serving.”

“Will do.”

Bae Yongsoo received the bag and poured the hangover soup into a pot.

Shhhk!

He turned on the stove once the pot was filled with soup.

Fwoosh!

After a short while, the soup began to boil. The soup hadn’t cooled much due to its long journey here, so it heated up quickly.

Sung Yongsoo ladled out the hangover soup into bowls, then took side dishes from the bag and placed them onto plates. There were seasoned vegetables and shredded radishes mixed together as a side dish called ‘seobakji’.

“You should eat over there,” suggested Sung Yongsoo.

Upon hearing this, Oh Soon-young briefly glanced at her bowl before moving towards the table alone. Kang Jin followed suit, carrying his rice bowl along with some of Oh Soon-young’s seasoned vegetables.

“It must be lonely eating by yourself, so let’s share a meal together.”

“That sounds good.” Oh Soon-young gave a small nod as she looked at the hangover soup and side dishes set before her.

Kang Jin noticed Oh Soon-young’s nervous gaze and silently scooped some rice onto his spoon before adding some side dishes to it.

Crunch! Crunch!

‘As expected…it tastes delicious.’

It felt somewhat inappropriate to have such thoughts while facing a nervous Oh Soon-young, but her cooking was genuinely tasty.

After eating about half of his meal, Kang Jin paused this time without drinking water. He continued enjoying the side dishes with his remaining rice, a smile spreading across his face.

‘This is amazing.’

Eating these side dishes with warm rice had been delightful, but they tasted just as good with cold leftovers.

“Is it tasty?”

Kang Jin, still smiling, looked at Oh Soon-young when she asked. She hadn’t even taken one bite yet.

“It really is delicious. With these side dishes alone, I could easily finish…”

Kang Jin glanced down at his empty bowl mid-sentence.

“I’ve already prayed,” Kang Jin replied with a smile, nodding her head.

With that, Oh Soon-young picked up her spoon and stared at the Sunji hangover soup for a moment before taking a sip of its broth. After pausing briefly, she used chopsticks to pick up some tripe and offal, placing them in her mouth. She savored the flavors momentarily while chewing, then added rice paper wraps and side dishes to her palate. The side dishes were provided by the restaurant, not prepared by Oh Soon-young herself.

Watching Oh Soon-young savoring her meal made Kang Jin anxious.

Is it not to her taste?

Of course, it wouldn’t be to her liking or preference, which is why Kang Jin felt nervous. As a ghost, Kang Jin worried about causing too much disappointment. With growing unease, she pursed her lips and observed Oh Soon-young closely.

“I-is it okay?” Kang Jin asked anxiously.

In response, Oh Soon-young scooped up a large spoonful of Sunji hangover soup and put it in her mouth. The way she ate the soup didn’t resemble someone enjoying their meal…it looked more like she was fighting with it.

Squish! Squish!

Seeing Oh Soon-young’s strained expression as she chewed, Kang Jin quietly got up to fetch a bottle each of soju and beer from the fridge, placing them before her. He brought both beverages unsure which one she preferred.

Clack.

As soon as he set down the drinks, Oh Soon-young smiled at him.

“Oh, nice. Could you please bring me…two glasses?”

Kang Jin promptly returned with two glasses. After receiving them, Oh Soon-young opened the beer bottle and poured herself a glass.

“You like beer…huh?” Kang Jin’s confusion grew as Oh Soon-young opened a bottle of soju instead.

Pop!

She uncapped the soju and immediately turned it upside down over the beer bottle.

Glug! Glug!

Soju poured into the beer, and Kang Jin watched incredulously as they mixed together.

This isn’t…some kind of trick for a drinking game.

Despite pouring from one bottle to another, not a drop spilled due to her precise control. Instead, the beer and soju seamlessly combined. Once about half the soju had flowed out, Oh Soon-young quickly righted the bottle.

Splash!

With a swift flick of her wrist, she stopped the flow just in time before pointing at the glass of beer already poured for Kang Jin.

“Cheers!” Kang Jin looked at Oh Soon-young as she instructed him. She had her thumb pressed firmly against the beer bottle’s spout. Below it, foam built up, threatening to burst forth once she lifted her finger.

Kang Jin decided to drink his poured beer first.

Glug! Glug!

After he quickly downed it, Oh Soon-young gathered both empty glasses and shook the beer bottle with a flick of her wrist. Then, she twisted her thumb slightly over the glasses.

Fssshhhhhh! Fssshh!

The foam erupted like opening a shaken cola can, spraying out white bubbles.

Fssshhh! Fssshh!

In no time, two golden bomb shots filled with frothy white foam were ready.

Wow!

As Kang Jin marveled at this sight, ghosts seated at nearby tables also expressed their admiration.

“Wow!”

“That’s incredible.”

Inspired by the ghosts’ reactions, Oh Soon-young once again covered the beer bottle’s mouth with her thumb. She then picked up one of the glasses and brought it to her lips.

Gulp! Gulp!

Watching her down the bomb shot effortlessly was refreshing. As she finished, she shook the bottle vigorously, causing foam to build up inside before pouring another round for herself. She then turned to Kang Jin.

“Go ahead, try it. It’ll be smooth.”

Kang Jin momentarily stared blankly at Oh Soon-young, taken aback that such a graceful-looking elderly woman could create these impressive bomb shots—it seemed incongruous. After a brief moment of awe, he raised his glass to his lips.

As soon as he took a sip, smooth foam touched his lips, and the refreshing beer flowed into his mouth. The taste of the bomb shot smoothly sliding down his throat brought a smile to Kang Jin’s face.

“Ah! It’s delicious.”

With a laugh, Oh Soon-young poured more bomb shots into Kang Jin’s glass.

Tap, tap, tap!

She gently tapped the bottom of the bottle until every last drop of foam was dispensed before setting it down. Then she raised her glass, prompting Kang Jin to do the same. They lightly clinked their glasses together and downed them in one swift motion.

“Ahh! That’s good stuff.”

Kang Jin’s comment made Oh Soon-young chuckle and nod approvingly.

“I used to drink quite a bit when I was younger.”

“I never expected you to be so skilled at drinking bomb shots, let alone taking those snaps… Impressive!”

“You can’t run a hangover soup restaurant without alcohol. Drunk people come here, and some visit just to drink… As such, I’ve seen many bomb shots being made and learned from them. Does it bother you?”

“Why would it? Rather, I’d like to learn from you.”

With Kang Jin’s response, Oh Soon-young smiled and pointed at the empty bottle.

“Then we need supplies for your lesson.”

“I’ll bring them right away.”

As Kang Jin fetched more drinks, Choi Hocheol approached her.

“Grandma.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if this is inappropriate, but… I want to try one of your bomb shots.”

Laughing, Oh Soon-young looked at the other ghosts.

“Do you all want to have one too?”

“Yes!”

“I’d love to.”

In response to their answers, Oh Soon-young nodded.

“Well then, let me showcase my skills after quite some time.”

Smiling, Oh Soon-young rolled up her hanbok sleeves.

Sssk! Sssk!

She lined up beer bottles on the table and picked up a spoon. Then she moved the spoon…

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

As Oh Soon-young’s spoon moved, the bottle caps flew like fireworks towards the ceiling.

“Wow!”

“Grandma is amazing!”

Hearing the ghosts cheering, Oh Soon-young poured beer into each glass before flipping over a soju bottle.

Tap-tap!

Combining the beer and soju bottles, Oh Soon-young shook them and then looked at the people.

“Hold out your glasses.”

At Oh Soon-young’s words, the ghosts hastily extended their glasses as she filled them with bomb shots.

Gushhh! Gushhh!

The ghosts happily received the bomb shots pouring from Oh Soon-young’s hand.

“Ah! It’s sweet!”

“The grandmother’s beer is incredibly smooth!”

“It goes down smoothly!”

As the ghosts happily drank their bomb shots, Oh Soon-young felt good and started making more bomb shots continuously.