Chapter 5: The Inheritance
Kang Jin glanced at Kang Doochi while examining documents bearing the logo of JS Finance.
“So, do you have a bank account?”
“Of course, but why ask about JS Bank…?” Kang Doochi paused mid-sentence as if sensing something unusual and suddenly noticed the girl nearby. He appeared deep in thought before turning back to Kang Jin.
“By any chance…did they not fully brief you on this establishment’s operations?”
“Operations?”
“Yes.”
Kang Jin raised an eyebrow at Kang Doochi’s question.
“Don’t I just need to sell food here?”
“Were there no other details mentioned apart from that?”
“I was told to operate between 11 PM and 1 AM, provide meals even if customers can’t pay, and accept whatever amount they offer. Oh! And I heard Sundays are off-days.”
“Hmm…”
“Do you think there’s anything else I should know?”
Kang Doochi chuckled at Kang Jin’s question.
“Well, if you serve good food, your business will boom., wouldn’t you agree?”
Shuffle.
Kang Doochi gathered his documents and placed them in his bag.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh!” Kang Doochi pondered for a moment before nodding and responding, “It seems impolite to discuss business right away. Let’s save that conversation for another time.”
He approached the sleeping girl.
“Sis, let’s go.”
Kang Jin hesitated as Kang Doochi picked up the young woman.
Is it okay to send a drunk woman with him like this? No, she seemed familiar with him anyway.
Recalling how the girl had mentioned Kang Doochi’s name earlier, Kang Jin opened the door for them.
As Kang Doochi carried her out, he said, “Have a productive day today.”
“I wish, but there aren’t any customers.”
Kang Doochi glanced toward the kitchen at Kang Jin’s words.
“The aroma was so enticing that it made all of Seoul tremble.”
“All of Seoul… It seems your wife must have been quite the cook.”
“Indeed, she was considered the best around here.”
“What kind of person was she?”
“A wonderful woman. This place felt like our sanctuary… That’s who she was.” Kang Doochi then looked at Kang Jin with a tip. “Just so you know… I think only female customers will visit today.”
“Female customers?”
“Women love garlic.” With a smile, Kang Doochi opened the door to leave but turned back to Kang Jin before exiting. “As for tomorrow, could we request buckwheat jelly and pork belly dishes?”
“Buckwheat jelly?”
“It might seem rude since we’re just here for business today, but tomorrow, my colleagues and I would like to hold our company dinner party here.”
“A company dinner? Sounds good to me.”
“My employees love buckwheat jelly and meat, so please make sure those dishes are on the menu.”
“Should I include beef as well?” Kang Jin offered generously with a smile.
Kang Doochi laughed at his suggestion. “Do you really think salaried workers can afford beef during their company dinners? Pork is fine.”
“How many people will be attending?”
“There’ll be six…or maybe seven, but they all have big appetites, so it’d be best to prepare enough for ten.”
“For ten people? But if we overprepare and there’s leftover—”
“Ha-ha-ha! Don’t worry about that. It won’t be left behind even if it falls short. See you tomorrow.”
“What time should I book for?”
“We’ll arrive at eleven o’clock tonight.”
“That’s quite late for a company dinner.”
“It’s always like this with our work. See you later.” Kang Doochi bowed and walked out carrying the girl, followed by Kang Jin to see them off.
Kang Jin looked puzzled as she stepped outside…only to find that Kang Doochi had vanished without a trace.
“Huh?” he scanned the area, confused. “Where did they go?”
No matter where he searched, all he could see were pedestrians going about their business, but there was no sign of Kang Doochi or the little girl. Kang Jin glanced down the alley next to him.
He peered down the alley but couldn’t spot Kang Doochi anywhere either.
“How strange…”
Kang Jin shrugged and returned inside the shop to examine the business card Kang Doochi had given him.
Business Management Department
Assistant Manager Kang Doochi
“JS Finance?”
It was unfamiliar to Kang Jin, so he searched for it on his phone.
Nothing’s coming up.
As he continued searching JS Finance online, he heard the door open. He looked up to see three young women entering the café. They took their seats casually as if they were regulars, prompting Kang Jin to click his tongue.
I hope these ones are proper customers this time.
“Welcome.”
The waitress smiled at Kang Jin’s greeting as she poured water for him.
“Are you the new owner?”
“Yes.”
“It’s nice to see a young man running this place.” She beamed and set down his glass. “This garlic aroma is lovely.”
Kang Jin chuckled and bowed his head in response.
Do women like the smell of garlic?
It seemed so, based on what Kang Doochi had said about attracting female customers with the scent.
Suddenly, Kang Jin glanced back at the three girls.
She acted pretty confident earlier despite not having any money… Could it be?
Feeling uneasy, he cautiously asked them, “Um, do you have money?”
“What kind of weird question is that?”
Kang Jin chuckled at her incredulous look. “I guess I sound pretty weird—”
“Nope.” The young woman’s firm response prompted Kang Jin to glance at her friends, who also looked back with expressions that clearly said, So what? What’re you gonna do about it?
Kang Jin sighed and threw garlic into the pan.
Sizzle!
As soon as the aroma of frying garlic filled the air, the ladies smiled.
“The smell of garlic is lovely.”
“Huh? Did we order anything?”
“he’s cooking before taking our orders?”
At their remarks, Kang Jin peeked out toward the dining area.
“I can only make garlic fried rice or stir-fried pork with garlic.”
“What else would you like?”
“We don’t need anything else.” One of the girls nodded at Kang Jin’s response.
“We’re here for the garlic aroma, so let’s stick with that… Rookie, bring out some soju.”
“Yes, sis.”
As one of the girls got up to fetch soju from the fridge, Kang Jin pursed his lips.
They said they didn’t have money… But isn’t this supposed to be a free community kitchen? Is it only for people without cash? And…do they serve alcohol at places like these nowadays?
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Kang Jin quickly prepared the garlic fried rice and stir-fried pork with garlic. As he was about to transfer both dishes into a large bowl, he hesitated again.
Well, if they’re offering it, why not?
Initially, he planned to serve everything in one large bowl to avoid extra dishes, but her conscience got the better of him.
I mean, these guys already have none… Coming here for free food and then drinking on top of that.
Despite her thoughts, Kang Jin portioned out individual servings, placed them on trays, and brought them out.
“Here you go.”
The rookie, referred to as “maknae,” glanced at the menu before asking:
“No soup?”
“I’m not very skilled in cooking yet. I haven’t attempted making soup. But the taste should be decent, so please enjoy.”
“The food at One Meal Restaurant is always delicious.”
The rookie’s question made her eyes sparkle and laugh.
“Join us for a drink, big bro.”
“I have to run my business.” Kang Jin had barely finished his sentence when she took a swig from the bottle and pushed it toward him.
Tak! Glug-glug!
“Have one with me,” she urged.
Kang Jin looked at her briefly before taking a seat next to the rookie.
Thud!
He quickly downed the soju and held out the bottle to the woman who addressed him informally.
She met his gaze before accepting the bottle.
Glug-glug!
As he poured more soju, Kang Jin asked, “Do you come here often?”
In response, she refilled his glass.
“We’re regulars.”
“What kind of place is this?”
Since they were sharing a table anyway, Kang Jin decided to ask about this place. He was curious as to why customers with no money could still confidently visit here.
“What do you mean by ‘this kind of place’?”
“It’s not like it’s a free soup kitchen, so why don’t you charge your guests? Plus, there are no prices on the menu; instead, patrons can pay what they want… And oddly enough, nobody seems to bring any money.”
Kang Jin glanced at the women nearby, his gaze implying: Just like all of you…
The woman looked puzzled for a moment before responding, “Did Auntie not explain what this place is?”
“I’ve never even seen Mrs. Kim Bok-rae.”
“Oh!” The woman paused briefly, then laughed.
“So you don’t know who our customers are either?”
“Customers? Aren’t they just regular people?”
“Regular people…” The woman chuckled at Kang Jin’s response, took a shot of soju, and poured him another glass.
“Well then, Mr. Kang, I foresee many surprises for you here.”
“Surprises?”
“You’ll encounter quite a few while working here.”
“What could be so surprising about running a food business?”
“Oh, plenty.” She gazed intently at Kang Jin. “For starters, the patrons here…aren’t human.”
Kang Jin squinted at her words. “If not humans, then what—ghosts?”
The woman laughed as she stood up from her seat. She grabbed four more glasses, placed them on the table, and began pouring shots of soju.
After filling four glasses, she looked at her younger colleagues.
“We don’t have much time left, so let’s drink quickly.”
“Yes, boss!”
As they raised their glasses, the woman also lifted hers and turned to Kang Jin.
“You should drink too, mister.”
Kang Jin glanced down at his glass filled with soju… The sight of it alone was overwhelming. He briefly stared at the liquid before turning back to the woman.
What ghost…? More like a drunken spirit.
As he muttered under his breath, the woman downed her shot in one go, prompting her colleagues to follow suit.
Kang Jin shook his head and stood up.
“Drink responsibly; don’t ruin your stomachs.”
“Aren’t you going to join us, mister?”
“It’s our first day of business,”
As Kang Jin headed towards the kitchen, Lee Hye-seon smiled and asked him,
“How old are you, mister?”
“I’m twenty-eight years old.”
“Oh! You look older!”
Kang Jin frowned at her comment, but it wasn’t entirely untrue. His skin had tanned and roughened due to working outdoors under the scorching summer sun. However, some people did compliment him for having a manly appearance…
Not quite ‘looking older,’ though…
While Kang Jin muttered to himself, Lee Hye-seon continued talking.
“My name is Lee Hye-seon, the second one is Kang Hanna, and the youngest is Jong Myung-hee. What’s your name?”
Lee Hye-seon, who had been speaking casually until now, addressed Kang Jin respectfully from the kitchen.
“I prefer being called ‘bro’ over ‘mister.’ I am Lee Kangjin.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“From now on…understood.” Lee Hye-seon smiled at Kang Jin’s words.
“And please speak comfortably around me. It makes me uncomfortable when you address me with such formality. Let’s just relax and get along going forward.”
Kang Jin observed Lee Hye-seon for a moment before quietly responding, “Alright then…I’ll speak more casually.”
“That’s better. We’ll see each other often, after all.”
“When you come next time, bring some money,” Kang Jin added playfully.
Lee Hye-seon chuckled and replied, “Are you that obsessed with money?”
“Well, we’re running a business to make money, right? But how can we stay in business if only customers like you keep coming?”
Hye-seon paused briefly, as if considering something, then said, “The numbers are: 7, 14, 17, 23, 41, and 42.”
“What do those mean?”
“What do they mean? They’re lottery numbers. Consider this payment for my meal.”
Kang Jin looked at her, then clicked his tongue silently.
‘If she knows lottery numbers so well, she should buy herself a ticket and pay for drinks.’
Despite his inner grumbling, Kang Jin discreetly jotted down the lottery numbers on a notepad.
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