Chapter 49

Bae Yongsoo and other ghosts sensed the arrival of virgin ghosts, immediately fleeing from the area. However, Oh Soon-young stayed behind in the kitchen to continue preparing ingredients. Naturally, she was afraid of the virgin ghosts but tried not to show it.

Kang Jin observed the kitchen for a moment before asking Lee Hye-sun:

“By the way, you’re also a female ghost like them, so why do they fear you?”

“We aren’t ordinary female ghosts; we are virgin ghosts.”

“What’s the big difference between female ghosts and virgin ghosts?”

“A significant one, as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.” Lee Hye-sun sighed and looked at Kang Jin.

“Do you understand what ‘virgin’ means?”

“It refers to an unmarried woman, right?”

“More precisely, it means women who have never been intimate with men. Even if a woman has not married but had relations with a man, she becomes just a female ghost. However, those like us, who have never experienced love or intimacy with a man, become virgin ghosts.”

“Is it about maintaining harmony between yin and yang?”

“It could be… I’m not entirely sure myself. All I know is that women who remain untouched by men transform into virgin ghosts.”

As Lee Hye-sun glanced towards the kitchen, Kang Jin waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t look. You might get scared.”

“Why stay here if you’re scared?”

“I’m preparing items for tomorrow’s sales. Oh! By the way, do you like Seonji hangover soup?”

“Ew! No, I don’t.”

“Me neither.”

“How can you eat that?”

Kang Jin asked after seeing all the virgin ghosts waving their hands dismissively at the dish.

“Isn’t it delicious?” Lee Hye-sun countered.

Lee Hye-sun clicked her tongue at Kang Jin’s response. “Kang Jin, you really don’t know anything about women.”

“I don’t?”

“One of the foods women hate being asked to eat by men is Sunji hangover soup.”

“Why’s that?”

“When on a date, would a woman want to eat Sunji hangover soup with a man?”

Kang Jin pondered this for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, probably not.”

“Bingo!” Laughing, Lee Hye-sun snapped her fingers.

“It’s not like I’m going out on a date with any of you, so why does it matter?”

“You’re still a guy, though.”

“You want to try Sunji hangover soup? It’s really delicious.” Kang Jin’s words caught Lee Hye-sun and the virgin ghosts off guard, as they exchanged glances with each other, clearly contemplating his offer.

Kang Jin urged them again. “It’s truly amazing.”

“All right, then.”

“Just wait here.”

He headed toward the kitchen, where Oh Soon-young was hunched over, cleaning animal intestines. Her hands trembled violently, almost like she had the chills from a flu.

Seeing her like this, Kang Jin crouched beside her. “Are you okay?”

“Mmm…mmm.”

Despite her reassurances, Oh Soon-young looked extremely uneasy. Concerned, Kang Jin glanced back at the hall.

Kang Jin looked concerned.

“Are you scared of them?”

“They’re…too cold.”

“Cold?”

“No, those women give me chills.”

Kang Jin couldn’t fully grasp what she meant by “chills,” so he reassured her:

“Don’t be too frightened; they’re good spirits.”

Oh Soon-young shook her head at Kang Jin’s words.

“People often claim their own dogs are good, even if they’re as stubborn as a bull.”

“Oh…”

Kang Jin understood the implication behind Oh Soon-young’s response. Her fear was instinctual and unavoidable—much like how someone with acrophobia feels terrified despite knowing they won’t fall from a high place.

“I’ll let you leave early today.”

“No, there’s no shop that sends away its honored guests.”

With that, Oh Soon-young focused on preparing ingredients as if trying to overcome her fear through work. Kang Jin decided not to say anything further, knowing mere words of comfort wouldn’t help. Instead, he ladled some Sunji hangover soup into a bowl and brought it out alone.

Clack!

“Try this.”

At his prompting, Lee Hye-sun picked up her spoon and tasted the soup before glancing back at the kitchen.

“She made this?”

“What do you mean ‘she’? Show some respect.”

Lee Hye-sun chuckled despite herself at Kang Jin’s response.

“You definitely need more education about our ways, dear brother.”

“How so?”

“In life, age is measured by how long one has been alive, but for ghosts, we’re considered born upon death. That’s why I’ve lived longer than she has as a ghost.”

“But still…”

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? And even if we ask you to show us respect, it’s not like we’re— Wait, I’m not actually a ghost either.”

Lee Hye-sun’s grin made Kang Jin shake his head.

“The world of ghosts is complicated.”

Kang Jin suddenly turned toward Lee Hye-sun with a question on his mind. “There’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“What’s that?”

Kang Jin looked at her before asking about Oh Soon-young aging backward and then growing old again.

“I don’t think other ghosts know much about this… Is it common?”

Lee Hye-sun glanced at the kitchen and raised her voice slightly. “Humans have physical bodies, but ghosts do not. The body we possess now takes the form our souls remember.”

Lee Hye-sun’s words were directed at Kang Jin but also seemed intended for Oh Soon-young in the kitchen to hear.

“The appearance remembered by their souls?”

“Have you seen ghosts outside this shop before?”

“Yes.”

“That is the form they had at the time of death. It remains unchanged. However, within here, they can manifest themselves. And the manifested form reflects what their soul remembers as their true self.”

“So…it appears familiar to them?”

“Exactly. Typically, ghosts who come here take on the most familiar appearance they remember. Usually, it resembles how they looked shortly before their death.”

“Because that would be the most recent image they have?”

“That’s right.”

“Then how does one change their appearance?”

Lee Hye-sun glanced towards the kitchen at Kang Jin’s question.

“Come here for a moment!”

Splash!

The sound of water splashing came from the kitchen following Lee Hye-sun’s call. It seemed Oh Soon-young was startled and accidentally dropped the intestines she had been cleaning.

“Come out here.” At Lee Hye-sun’s insistence, Oh Soon-young hesitantly emerged from the kitchen.

“Stay there. I’ll pee myself if you come any closer.”

As instructed by Lee Hye-sun, Oh Soon-young approached, visibly trembling. Her fear was palpable, evoking sympathy from those watching.

“Hey, that’s harsh,” Kang Jin remarked.

Lee Hye-sun turned to Oh Soon-young and said, “Do you prefer your younger self or this aged version?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking which form you like better?”

“Well… my younger self.”

When Oh Soon-young had first transformed into her younger self, she was thrilled. After all, every woman dreams of staying young, even if it means dying for it.

Lee Hye-sun instructed her, “Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes.”

Following Lee Hye-sun’s request, Oh Soon-young shut her eyes. Then, Lee Hye-sun continued:

“Think back to the happiest memory from when you were young.”

“Well…I don’t really have one.”

“You don’t?”

“It was mostly difficult times…”

“Weren’t you happy during your wedding?”

‘Seems like this virgin ghost has romanticized marriage,’ Kang Jin muttered internally.

“Oh, but I married without ever seeing his face…” replied Oh Soon-young.

Lee Hye-sun pursed her lips and suggested, “Then recall a moment from your youth that truly angered or saddened you.”

Lee Hye-sun’s words caused Oh Soon-young’s expression to stiffen slightly. Then…

Hwoosh!

Oh Soon-young began transforming. Her hair turned black, and her clothes changed as well. Kang Jin admired the sight of Oh Soon-young appearing like a woman in her mid-twenties, just as he had seen before.

It’s…still amazing every time.

Witnessing someone instantly appear younger was truly remarkable. Of course, it wasn’t actually a person but a ghost, albeit with a human-like appearance.

Seeing the transformed Oh Soon-young, Lee Hye-sun smiled and said, “Consider this payment for your meal.”

“Payment?”

Confused, Oh Soon-young watched as Lee Hye-sun tapped her spoon against the Sunji hangover soup.

“It’s delicious.”

“T-thank you very much.” With that, Oh Soon-young hastily retreated into the kitchen. It seemed she still felt frightened and uneasy around virgin ghosts.

Kang Jin observed this exchange between Oh Soon-young and Lee Hye-sun.

“Thank you.”

Lee Hye-sun took another spoonful of Sunji hangover soup as she replied to Kang Jin’s gratitude.

“It’s just because it tastes good. And…”

“And what?”

After briefly hesitating, Lee Hye-sun grinned and continued.

“I think you wouldn’t like me being disrespectful towards that elder ghost. So now that she’s not a ghost anymore, can we treat her more casually?”

“That’s up to you.”

As per Lee Hye-sun’s point, ghosts have their own ways of interacting, making it odd to impose human etiquette on them. Besides, among the “people” present in this establishment, only Kang Jin was truly alive.

Kang Jin then noticed something about Lee Hye-sun.

“You’ve started using shorter speech patterns lately.”

At some point, they had dropped formalities with each other. Lee Hye-sun chuckled at Kang Jin’s observation.

“When we get closer, I’ll drop the honorifics. Why keep it up forever? Does it bother you?” Lee Hye-sun asked Kang Jin.

Kang Jin sighed and shook his head. “It’s fine. But don’t call me dude or anything like that, okay?”

“I know my limits.” Lee Hye-sun grinned at him, causing Kang Jin to smile back.

“Oops, there’s some Seonji stuck between your teeth.”

“Oh!” Lee Hye-sun quickly closed her mouth and rinsed with water. “This is why I never eat sunji blood sausage or drink sunji hangover soup around men.”

“So what? We’re close enough,” Kang Jin reassured her.

Lee Hye-sun pursed her lips once more before cautiously starting to sip on the soup again.

As he watched her, Kang Jin brought up another topic. “Speaking of the virgin ghost boss…”

“The virgin ghost boss?”

“You mean Kim Sohee.”

“Oh! Well, considering how mature she acts, calling her the boss makes sense.”

Seeing Lee Hye-sun nod, Kang Jin continued.

“But why does Sohee wander alone?”

Lee Hye-sun wiped her mouth again and swished some water around, likely concerned about food getting stuck between her teeth while speaking. After finishing, she slightly opened her mouth for Kang Hanna, who inspected it closely before nodding approvingly.

Hye-sun then turned to Kang Jin.

“As your brother said, Sister Sohee is indeed the boss of all virgin ghosts in Seoul.”

“So she really is a boss.”

“I mentioned earlier that ghosts age after they die, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And their power increases with age.”

“You mean older ghosts are stronger?”

“Yes.” Lee Hye-sun nodded firmly at Kang Jin. “Sister Sohee died during the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592. She must be at least five hundred years old by now.”

“I thought you were from the Joseon Dynasty because of how you speak, but it turns out you’re even older than that.”

“Oh! And Sister Sohee is not only a virgin ghost but also a warrior spirit.”

“A warrior spirit?”

“Have you seen her outside before?”

“She carries a sword with her, right?” Kang Jin asked.

Lee Hye-sun nodded at his response.

“When Japanese soldiers invaded Jeonju during the Imjin War, Sister Sohee gathered villagers at her house to fight against them. She died there… That’s why she wields a sword.”

“Wow, impressive. But looking at her, I’d guess she was just a middle schooler.”

“Isn’t that amazing?” Kang Jin looked at Lee Hye-sun and asked, “Then why do you travel alone?”

Lee Hye-sun sighed softly before replying, “To avoid loneliness.”

“But if you’re lonely, shouldn’t you be with others? Why go alone?”

“Over these five hundred years, I’ve seen my fellow ghosts disappear one by one, either ascending to heaven or being extinguished… Sohee chooses to travel alone because she’s witnessed this loss too many times. It’s her way of not feeling even more lonely.”

Kang Jin pursed his lips upon hearing Lee Hye-sun’s words.

‘So she endures solitude to escape further loneliness…’