Chapter 44

As quitting time approached on Friday, Kang Jin got up from his desk. The other employees didn’t find this unusual. Although he had been working as an intern for only five days, he consistently left promptly at the end of each workday.

However, something was different this time. Instead of heading out, Kang Jin walked over to Lim Ho-jin’s office. Lim Ho-jin looked puzzled as Kang Jin approached him.

“Sir.”

“Do you have something to discuss?”

In response, Kang Jin mentioned, “Remember Sunji’s hangover soup?”

“Sunji’s hangover soup?”

“You tried Sunji hangover soup before.”

“Oh… But why?”

Lim Ho-jin looked puzzled as Kang Jin continued.

“Seeing your disappointment that day, I decided to make delicious Sunji hangover soup over the weekend.”

“The Sunji hangover soup?”

“Yes.”

“Weren’t you previously deterred by its long preparation time?”

“That’s why I plan to do it during the weekend.”

“Hmm… And what about?”

“I intend to spend the entire weekend making Sunji hangover soup… As you know, we don’t have many customers at our shop.”

“It truly is… both intriguing and peculiar.” Lim Ho-jin nodded, prompting Kang Jin to explain further.

“Preparing Sunji hangover soup for just one or two servings is quite challenging, sir. It requires boiling bones, preparing sonji, cheonyeop (thousand-leaf), and other offal ingredients. If I were to make it, I’d likely end up with at least 30 servings…”

“It’s quite involved. We need to boil bones and prepare tripe, cabbage leaves, and other offal ingredients. If we make it, I think we should aim for at least thirty servings…”

Lim Ho-jin chuckled as if understanding where Kang Jin was going with this.

“Ah! Are you trying to attract more customers?”

“I noticed that employees from nearby companies seem to have fond memories of Sunji hangover soup. So, I’d like to give it a try for Manager Lim and our colleagues.”

Lim Ho-jin looked at Kang Jin and smiled.

“You’re truly ambitious, aren’t you, Mr. Jeong?”

“Pardon me?”

“If someone else had said those words…I would’ve thought they were just flattering me with the Sunji hangover soup mention.”

I looked at Kang Jin. Lim Ho-jin had informed other employees that Kang Jin wasn’t interested in becoming a full-time employee, and they usually assigned him miscellaneous tasks. However, Choi Donghae hadn’t been told about this matter specifically.

‘Does he really not want to be a full-time employee?’

When Choi Donghae looked at Kang Jin, Kang Jin smiled and said, “I’m not interested in being a full-time employee, but I am very interested in attracting regular customers in the future.”

“Ah! Are you trying to build your customer base using company connections?”

“It hasn’t spread by word of mouth as much as I thought.” With a small laugh, Kang Jin nodded.

“Eating delicious food is always good. Great. I’ll give a call to my friends who love Sunji hangover soup,” Lim Ho-jin replied.

Smiling, Kang Jin bowed slightly and returned to her desk at Lim Ho-jin’s remark.

Being on a first-name basis…feels good.

It seemed Lim Ho-jin didn’t realize it, but during their conversation, he had slipped several times and addressed Kang Jin by her first name. Of course, he quickly corrected himself each time, but it was still a positive shift. It indicated that Lim Ho-jin felt more comfortable around her now.

“I’ll be heading home now,” Kang Jin announced.

Lim Ho-jin nodded in response.

“Next week…no, I guess it’s tomorrow already. Anyway, see you then. And Choi Donghae, you should also head home.”

With Lim Ho-jin’s instruction, Choi Donghae glanced around at his colleagues before standing up. Even if he wanted to stay, his manager had made it clear it was time to leave.

“We’ll meet again on Monday.” Bowing respectfully, Choi Donghae followed Kang Jin out of the office.

“Lee Kang-jin!” As Kang Jin walked toward the elevator, she turned back upon hearing someone call her name.

“Let’s go together.”

Kang Jin stopped at Choi Donghae’s suggestion and waited for him to catch up before heading toward the elevator. They rode it silently down to the lobby, where Kang Jin turned to face Choi Donghae.

“Do you like Sunji hangover soup?”

“Huh? Yes, I do.”

“Then come by our restaurant tomorrow for lunch. As a special price for a colleague, it’ll be only 1,000 won.”

“Only 1,000 won?”

“Yes.”

“But…that’s an awkward price, isn’t it?”

Regardless of any “special prices,” wouldn’t it have been better to offer it for free instead of charging even just 1,000 won?

Kang Jin chuckled at Choi Donghae’s confusion.

“I could give it away for free, but…you might regret accepting something without paying later on.”

“Regret?”

“It’s best not to.”

If someone wealthy took something gratis, the balance in the JS Finance account would decrease. However, paying the set price of 1,000 won had no negative consequences since it adhered to the owner’s established rules.

However, paying one thousand won for it wouldn’t be an issue. It was because he would pay the price set by the owner himself.

“Have a great weekend.”

As Kang Jin started to leave, Choi Donghae called out to him.

“Lee Kang-jin.”

Kang Jin turned back at his name being mentioned.

“Yes?”

Choi Donghae briefly met Kang Jin’s gaze before speaking up.

“Are you not considering becoming a full-time employee?”

“No,” Kang Jin replied promptly.

Choi Donghae looked taken aback and asked, “Then why did you become an intern?”

“To make money.”

“Money?” Choi Donghae seemed puzzled by Kang Jin’s response. “How much can you earn as an intern?”

“I get paid monthly.”

“How much is that exactly?”

“It’s quite substantial for me.”

“But…you already have wealth, don’t you? I heard it’s over twenty billion won.”

“It’s different.”

And it’s not mine anymore.

As Kang Jin muttered to himself, Choi Donghae watched him and then spoke up.

“Do you know how competitive intern positions are?”

“I imagine they’re quite competitive.”

“Over fifty students from our department applied here, and I was the only one accepted.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin listened intently, sensing what Choi Donghae might be implying. After a moment, he responded:

“So, what’s your point?”

“Don’t you think it’s problematic that you applied for an internship without any intention of becoming a full-time employee?”

“Why is that a problem?”

“You’ve essentially taken away someone else’s opportunity.”

“Well…let’s continue this conversation while walking. I need to head home.” Kang Jin started walking towards his apartment, with Choi Donghae following closely beside him.

“Firstly, I simply accepted the internship assigned to my department. So, I didn’t take anyone else’s opportunity.”

“But there might be someone within that department who wanted the internship.”

“That is not related to me. The internship position came through our professor, and he recommended me for it. If I had bribed him or had some personal connection, your point about taking away someone’s chance might hold true. However, I neither gave any bribes nor have a close personal relationship with the professor. I’m just one of the students under his supervision.” Kang Jin paused briefly and glanced sideways at Choi Donghae.

“And since the professor secured the internship opportunity and chose to offer it to me, you should direct your complaints towards him, not me. Would you like his phone number?”

“Would you like my number?” Choi Donghae’s eyes widened at Kang Jin’s offer.

Kang Jin continued, observing his reaction, “Do you dislike me?”

“Pardon?” Choi Donghae looked startled by this sudden question.

Meeting his gaze, Kang Jin smiled and asked, “Want to grab some food with me?”

“Huh?”

“I need to eat too. Come inside and join me.”

As they conversed, Kang Jin opened the door, gesturing towards a nearby restaurant.

“You’re back?”

Bae Yongsoo, seated inside, greeted Kang Jin warmly. He and Oh Soon-young were watching TV while waiting for Kang Jin’s return. Kang Jin had instructed them to stay indoors and watch television instead of wandering outside.

Nodding slightly, Kang Jin glanced behind him.

“Please come inside.”

Kang Jin’s words hesitated Choi Donghae momentarily before he entered the store. Once inside, Choi Donghae shivered slightly, likely due to the ghost’s energy affecting him. Kang Jin noticed this and subtly signaled Bae Yongsoo and Oh Soon-young with his eyes. Understanding, they stepped outside together, as the presence of the ghost altered the atmosphere within the shop.

With them gone, Kang Jin took action.

“You mentioned you like meat, right?”

“Huh? Yes, that’s right.”

In response, Kang Jin opened the refrigerator and retrieved yukhoe, seasoned raw beef. While Kang Jin personally enjoyed yukhoe, he also kept it stocked because it was a dish easily prepared on short notice. Additionally, since it is marinated, it stays fresh for longer periods.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

As Kang Jin stir-fried the yukhoe, he retrieved side dishes from the refrigerator and placed them on the table. After setting down the yukhoe, Kang Jin looked at Choi Donghae.

“Let’s eat first.”

Initially hesitant, Choi Donghae paused briefly before picking up his spoon and starting to eat. At first, he was tentative, but soon, he eagerly consumed large mouthfuls of rice while quickly scooping multiple pieces of meat into his mouth. Observing this, Kang Jin also began eating.

After finishing his meal, Kang Jin pushed aside his yakgwanmun tea cup. With the cup between them, Kang Jin spoke.

“I’ve done many part-time jobs.”

“So have I.”

“How long did you work? Weeks or months?”

“I worked at a charging station for two months.”

“I’ve been doing part-time jobs since I was nineteen. During school breaks, I would work double shifts every day, and during semesters, I’d do evening gigs… It’s always been like that. But whenever I took on a job, I encountered three types of people,” Kang Jin continued as Choi Donghae listened intently.

“People who treat me well, those indifferent to me, and individuals who dislike me. No matter what part-time job I did, these types were inevitable. Even when working alone, like at a convenience store, you still meet such people.”

“How can you encounter them if you’re working alone?”

“There are shift supervisors and the store owner.” Kang Jin smiled while explaining to Choi Donghae.

Kang Jin smiled as she looked at Choi Donghae.

“It’s not pleasant to be disliked, but I’ve grown used to it. Just like how I’ve met many good people during my part-time jobs, I’ve also encountered plenty who disliked or hated me.” She paused briefly before continuing, “So honestly, even if you hate and dislike me, Mr. Choi, it doesn’t bother me much. We won’t be working together for long anyway, just three months at most.”

While Kang Jin’s words might sound cold, they were true.

“But do you know why I’m telling you all this, Mr. Choi?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why waste your energy hating someone unnecessarily? Besides, I have no intention of becoming a full-time employee here, so I’m not a threat… Isn’t your priority right now to successfully complete your internship and secure a permanent position?”

Kang Jin’s words might sound harsh, but they were true. “You’re not even aiming to become a full-time employee, so you won’t be my competitor… Isn’t your priority right now to excel as an intern and secure a permanent position?”

“That’s…” Choi Donghae started to respond but then closed his mouth, unable to find the right words.

Observing Choi Donghae’s silence, Kang Jin continued, “I heard there were fifty applicants for this internship within our department?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve secured an opportunity that forty-nine others couldn’t. Make the most of it. Don’t let temporary frustrations from people who briefly cross paths with you affect your focus.”

Choi Donghae looked at Kang Jin, nodding in agreement.

“Then, what do you think of me, Lee Kang-jin?”

Lee Kang-jin chuckled at Choi Donghae’s question.

“The intern… I think he’ll be my top regular customer from now on.”

“Regular?”

“Do you not like it?” Lee Kang-jin gestured towards the empty bowls, and Choi Donghae shook his head.

“It’s delicious.”

“For six thousand won, is it worth it?”

“Yes,” Choi Donghae nodded. The quality of food here justified even seven or eight thousand won. At six thousand won, it was both affordable and tasty. Plus, Hanburi Restaurant would prepare dishes not listed on the menu upon request. If Choi Donghae became a full-time employee, he’d definitely become a regular patron.

“A regular…I believe so.” Choi Donghae’s response brought a smile to Kang Jin’s face as he extended his hand.

“So then…six thousand won, please.”

Choi Donghae looked at Lee Kang-jin with confusion before his expression turned incredulous.

“You’re telling me to eat here?”

“Restaurant owners often invite passersby to dine with them. But do they not charge their guests for the meal?”

“That’s… Hmm!” Choi Donghae shook his head slightly and handed over 6,000 won, which Kang Jin happily accepted.

“I don’t have to take your money, but it’s all for your benefit, Mr. Choi.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll find out later.”