Chapter 45

Kang Jin watched Choi Donghae leave the restaurant before starting to clear away dishes. As she worked, Bae Yongsoo and Oh Soon-young entered the establishment.

“You aren’t close with him, so why did you bring him here?” Bae Yongsoo asked Kang Jin, who smiled as she carried bowls towards the kitchen.

“Is it strange for me to invite customers to my restaurant?”

“He looked quite serious when leaving just now.”

“Did he seem very odd?”

“It wasn’t severe, but he appeared deep in thought.”

Nodding at Bae Yongsoo’s words, Kang Jin washed the dishes and then turned to Oh Soon-young.

“Have you checked the ingredients?”

A smile graced Oh Soon-young’s face in response.

“The supplier of these ingredients is truly excellent.”

“Yes, their produce is superb.”

“Oh, they’re excellent! I’ve always used high-quality ingredients for my restaurant, but these seem even better.”

Oh Soon-young appeared quite pleased. Although she hadn’t handled them yet, seeing the ingredients and discussing them with Shin Soo-yong seemed to lift her spirits.

Kang Jin smiled at Oh Soon-young’s enthusiasm before opening the refrigerator door. He inspected the ingredients brought in today specifically for Sunji hangover soup.

“There’s quite a lot here.”

The commercial fridge was filled with bright red shamans, beef tripe, various vegetables, and other items needed for Sunji hangover soup.

“And we need to sell all of this tomorrow.”

“How many servings do you plan to make?”

“Sixty servings.”

“Sixty servings… Will that be possible to sell?”

“It depends on how well you network.”

“I’ve only been open for a few days here.”

“Regardless, I need to sell them all tomorrow.”

“If there’s any left, can’t you just sell it the day after?”

“What kind of talk is that from someone running a food business? Some dishes improve with age like a stew, but prepared meals should be made and sold on the same day. So contact people you know.”

Kang Jin paused briefly at Oh Soon-young’s words before picking up his phone. The only people he knew nearby were those from Taegwang Station.

“Hello?”

“This is President Lee.”

“How have you been?”

“Did I look okay when we had lunch two days ago?” Director Oh Seong-sil teased Kang Jin.

“No, not at all,” Kang Jin replied with a laugh.

“Oh! Didn’t you say you’re making Sunji hangover soup for lunch tomorrow?”

“You heard about it?”

“Manager Lim sent me a text. ‘Sunji hangover soup at President Lee’s place tomorrow for lunch. Let’s all join.’”

“So you’re coming?”

“Yes, I must. According to him, it’s a precious dish that takes over ten hours to prepare… missing out would be my loss.”

“Thank you. Oh! And could you spread the word? It’s not something easily made, so I’m preparing enough for sixty servings… If I don’t sell them all tomorrow, I’ll be in trouble.”

“Why can’t you just sell them the next day if they don’t sell today?”

“How do you think I operate?”

“Huh?”

“For preserved foods like kimchi or soybean paste, storage isn’t an issue, but cooked dishes need to be sold on the same day they’re prepared.”

“Ahh… That’s commendable thinking.”

“Please make sure to come by tomorrow.”

[I haven’t seen such strong determination before.]

“I’ll repay you with delicious food.”

[I’m looking forward to it. Imagine what your cooking will taste like after ten hours of preparation.]

“And please introduce me to any friends who enjoy Sunji hangover soup. I wouldn’t know what to do if there’s leftover food.”

[Hahaha! It seems you’re planning to make something truly exceptional.]

“Please help me out on this.”

[Understood. But it better be really tasty.]

“Of course.”

With that, Kang Jin ended the call and put down his phone. Oh Soon-young looked at him curiously.

“No more calls?”

“If it were just selling food, he might contact school friends… but this is about ruining the Shaman’s store.”

“The buyer must be someone with connections nearby.” To sabotage the other restaurant’s business, he needed to draw customers from that area.

“You’re right about that. You’re quite clever, young man.”

Kang Jin nodded at Oh Soon-young’s kind words.

“So what should we do now?”

“I’ll prepare the ingredients tonight, so you just need to keep an eye on the broth simmering early tomorrow morning. Then once you add the prepared ingredients as instructed, it’ll be ready to serve.”

“That’s surprisingly little work for me.”

“There is plenty to do while simmering the broth. So get some rest. You’ll have to monitor the fire all night.”

Following her advice, Kang Jin glanced at the stove and nodded.

“We should close up shop early today then.”

Kang Jin then closed the store and turned off the lights. As Oh Soon-young advised, it was best to sleep early if they were going to boil bones for over ten hours.

Boil, boil, bubble, and stew.

The simmering stock made the kitchen hot and humid.

‘Yin energy or whatever, heat is still heat.’

This was how warm it felt with ghosts crowding the restaurant; imagine how much hotter it would be in a regular establishment boiling water like this—it’d feel like being inside a sauna.

Overwhelmed by the heat, Kang Jin quietly slipped out of the kitchen.

“Phew!”

Stepping into the hall finally gave him some relief from the boiling kitchen. Despite being crowded with ghosts, the dining area seemed relatively cooler compared to the kitchen’s sweltering conditions.

“You’re boiling broth?” Choi Ho-cheul asked.

Kang Jin nodded. “I’m making Sunji hangover soup.”

“Oh! I love Sunji hangover soup too.”

“Yes?”

“If you work late tonight and have some Sunji hangover soup with soju for breakfast tomorrow morning before sleeping, it’ll be like taking herbal medicine.” Choi Ho-cheol licked his lips as he gazed at the kitchen.

“How long will it take?”

“You won’t get to taste it today; it should be ready by dinner tomorrow evening.”

“Tomorrow? Does it really take a day just to make one pot of Sunji hangover soup?” Choi Ho-cheol’s confusion prompted Oh Soon-young, wearing rubber gloves, to peek out from the kitchen.

“Do you think Sunji hangover soup can be whipped up quickly?”

“Well, isn’t that how they serve it instantly at restaurants?”

“That’s because they prepare it diligently overnight, ready to serve immediately.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Of course. You need to boil bones, clean intestines, there’s quite a process involved.”

“Then, I’m looking forward to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Yes, definitely look forward to it.”

Then Oh Soon-young looked at Kang Jin and said, “What’re you waiting for? Come here.”

Kang Jin sighed deeply before entering the kitchen as instructed by Oh Soon-young.

She had placed cow intestines inside a large rubber basin and was scrubbing them like laundry.

Squish! Squish!

With each movement of her hands, the intestines shook vigorously, getting squeezed repeatedly.

“How many times do we have to do this?”

“Until there’s no smell left,” replied Oh Soon-young while rinsing the intestines under running water. She then emptied the water, sprinkled flour generously over the intestines, added coarse salt, and began scrubbing diligently once more.

“That’s quite a lot of salt and flour being used.”

“People who sell food should never skimp on ingredients. Ah! And they shouldn’t cut corners with their effort either. Good food is made with quality ingredients and genuine care.”

“That sounds like something written at your old restaurant,” Kang Jin remarked, recalling the words inscribed on the wall of the previous establishment.

Oh Soon-young nodded in agreement. “I picked it up from someone else.”

“You didn’t come up with that phrase yourself?”

“How could I think of such profound words without even finishing elementary school? It was shared by a customer after enjoying some hangover soup one day.”

“Really?” Oh Soon-young paused momentarily, gazing into space as if reminiscing. “After complimenting the delicious soup, he said… ‘The depth and warmth of the flavor must stem from using fine ingredients and pouring your heart into it.’”

“He sounds like a wonderful gentleman.”

“Yes, indeed. That’s why I wrote it down and put it on the wall of our shop.” Oh Soon-young spoke with a smile as Kang Jin slipped on his rubber gloves.

“Please take a break. I’ll do this part.”

“Oh, alright then.”

Kang Jin took over at the basin, closing his eyes briefly.

‘Sunji hangover soup…

He already knew how to make this dish from practicing in the cooking simulation. The specific method for cleaning cow intestines came to mind.

Cow intestines have a distinct odor. To remove the smell, use flour and coarse salt…

Recalling the process, Kang Jin clenched his fists slightly before reaching into the basin.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

His hands rhythmically moved, washing the intestines. Oh Soon-young watched him curiously.

“Have you ever cleaned intestines before?”

“It’s my first time.”

“You’re doing quite well though?”

“Well, this is a restaurant for ghosts, so I’ve naturally picked up various cooking skills.”

“To clean intestines like this usually takes six months of training… How convenient.”

“A little bit, yes.”

Squish! Squish!

As they conversed, Kang Jin continued working diligently. Without being prompted, he rinsed the intestines with water and then added flour and salt again. After repeating this process three more times, Kang Jin lifted the intestines to sniff them. Satisfied that there was no odor, he looked at Oh Soon-young.

“I think it’s done now?”

In response, Oh Soon-young checked the color and smell of the intestines and nodded approvingly.

“If only I had met you when I was alive; I would have paid you handsomely.”

“What about my salary?”

“I don’t have any employees who can clean intestines this neatly.” Oh Soon-young’s face lit up as she continued inspecting the innards.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“I never thought I’d handle intestines like this again.”

Smiling, Oh Soon-young straightened up and began trimming the cleaned organs with scissors. She meticulously removed any fat or undesirable parts from each piece. Kang Jin followed suit, grabbing his own pair of scissors. Although he wasn’t well-versed in handling intestines, his hands instinctively knew what to do once he held the scissors.

Snip! Snip!

As Kang Jin skillfully trimmed away the excess fat, Oh Soon-young couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re doing well.”

“Thank you.”

As they chatted and laughed, they finished cleaning all the offal before long.

“Open the lid.”

Following Oh Soon-young’s instruction, Kang Jin lifted the cover of the large pot boiling on the stove.

Fwoosh!

A cloud of white steam escaped along with medicinal aromas. This was due to Chinese herbs added during the initial boil to remove any unwanted odors from the tripe.

After placing the cleaned intestines inside the pot and securing the lid, Oh Soon-young checked the time.

“It’s already past noon.”

“Are we almost done?”

“We’ve taken care of most tasks… Now, I’ll make the seasoning. Once that’s ready and ingredients prepared, tomorrow…”

Taking a moment to calculate the remaining steps, Oh Soon-young continued.

“We’ll simmer the bones until nine… Then at ten o’clock, we’ll add seasoning and offal to boil vigorously.”

Kang Jin nodded as he scribbled down Oh Soon-young’s instructions.

“Let’s proceed with this plan.”

In response, Oh Soon-young glanced at what Kang Jin had written and smiled.

“What did you write all that for?”

“Huh? Ah…” Kang Jin chuckled softly and put down his notepad.

Although Oh Soon-young’s physical body would vanish by one o’clock in the morning, her spiritual presence remained beside him. Even if she couldn’t directly cook, she could guide him step by step.

Simmering sound!

As Kang Jin watched the bubbling shamans’ hangover stew, reminiscent of boiling lava, he looked over at Oh Soon-young next to him.

“It’s ready now, right?”

Seeing Kang Jin’s exhausted face, Oh Soon-young nodded affirmatively.

“Yes.”

Hmmm.

Following her cue, Kang Jin turned down the heat and quickly washed his face with cold water.

“Phew!”

I’m so tired.

He had spent eleven hours straight without sleep making this Sunji hangover soup, which was now finally ready. He ladled some into a bowl, grabbed side dishes, and brought them to the dining table.

“Go ahead, try it. This is the real deal.”

As Oh Soon-young smiled and took a seat across from him, Kang Jin scooped up some broth and tasted it.

“Ahh!” A small moan escaped as he felt the spicy yet rich broth slide down his throat, followed by a smile.

This pleased Oh Soon-young immensely.

“How is it?” Oh Soon-young sounded like a schoolgirl eagerly awaiting her test results. Kang Jin took another spoonful of broth and replied with a grin:

“This dish will surely make your restaurant goes bankrupt.”