Chapter 58

After finishing her pasta, Kim Sohee stood up.

“I enjoyed my meal.”

Kang Jin rose at Kim Sohee’s words.

“Please come again soon.”

“If I visit often, other ghosts might feel uncomfortable.”

“It doesn’t matter; they frequently drop by anyway,” Kang Jin replied casually.

Kim Sohee pondered for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll stop by when I’m free.”

“You can even visit during the day if you’re bored,” suggested Kang Jin.

With a slight nod, Kim Sohee stepped out of the restaurant and took in the scenery.

“What a lovely view.”

“Is it?”

“The sounds are clear and serene… making it indeed a beautiful scene.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then, take care.”

As Kim Sohee opened the door to leave, Kang Jin saw her out. He pursed his lips as he watched the transformed ghost slowly walk away from the restaurant.

Why endure this for over four hundred years with so much regret?

Kang Jin quietly observed Kim Sohee’s receding figure and sighed before heading back inside. As he started clearing the dishes she had used, he heard the sound of scenery.

Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!

At the chime, Kang Jin turned to see the virgin ghosts approaching.

“We’re here, big brother!”

Lee Hye-sun entered with other ghosts, followed by Lee Jiseon and her group.

“You all came together.”

“You made spicy garlic dishes for us, right?”

“That’s correct. Please have a seat.”

“We just saw Kim Sohee leaving.”

“Yes, that’s why we came now.”

“Did you wait until she left?”

“She scares me too.” Lee Hye-sun shuddered dramatically.

Kang Jin observed her and said, “She isn’t that scary once you talk to her.”

“I know, but…it’s instinctive, I guess. Even if there is another human among us, dogs still avoid approaching her presence.”

Kang Jin nodded slightly at Lee Hye-sun’s words while clearing the table, then glanced over at Lee Jiseon’s group.

“It’s been a while since your last visit, Lee Jiseon.”

“I was on Jeju Island.”

“I’ve never been there… Is it nice?”

“Quite scenic,” replied Lee Jiseon with a nod.

Kang Jin asked curiously, “Ah! I heard there are several restaurants like this across the country… Do you know if there’s one here in Seoul?”

Lee Jiseon nodded at Kang Jin’s question. “There’s one called Tamarok Restaurant nearby.”

“How’s the food there?”

“They’re good with seafood dishes, probably due to its proximity to Jeju Island. But lately, it’s become quite crowded.”

“Why is that?”

“Chinese ghosts often frequent the place.”

“Chinese ghosts? Why would Chinese ghosts be in Korea? And specifically on Jeju Island?”

“Do you know how many Chinese tourists visit Jeju Island every year?”

“So…even ghosts from China come here?”

“It’s not like they have to die in their home country.”

“Oh…”

As Kang Jin nodded in understanding, Lee Jiseon shook her head.

“The Chinese ghosts sure can be loud.” She then sat down at the table.

“I love this spicy aroma.”

“Your food will be ready shortly.”

Kang Jin went back inside the kitchen and started preparing ingredients for pasta.

“We should bring out some soju,” suggested Lee Hye-sun.

“Good idea.” Kang Jin responded as he placed several side dishes on the kitchen counter. “Please take these sides out too.”

“Myung-hee!”

“Yes.” At Lee Hye-sun’s call, Jong Myung-hee got up and brought out some side dishes from the kitchen.

“Oh, is there anything you’d like to eat, Myung-hee?”

“I could go for pasta.”

“We’re leaving soon anyway, but I’ll make one more special dish just for you.”

“Hmm…I love sashimi, but that’s probably not possible here, right?”

“Not exactly,” Kang Jin replied with a grin. “We don’t have fresh fish, so no sushi, but…what kind of country do we live in?”

“South Korea?”

“Nope. The delivery nation!” Kang Jin checked the time. “There should be enough time to order and eat before we leave. What type of sashimi would you like?”

“You can order delivery here too?”

“I must provide whatever food my guests desire. If I can’t make it myself, then ordering takeout is a must. So what would you like?”

“A sashimi platter, please.”

As Jong Myung-hee spoke, Kang Jin took out his phone and opened a delivery app to place an order for raw fish from a nearby sushi restaurant. Perhaps because Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, never sleeps, there was a place that delivered even at this hour. After ordering a large platter of assorted sashimi, he started making pasta. Once done, Kang Jin served the dishes to the Virgin Ghosts.

“So, what do you usually do during your free time?”

In response to Kang Jin’s question, Lee Hye-sun popped a bite of pasta into her mouth before answering.

“In the morning, we wander around Gangnam checking out other women…”

“Women checking out women?”

“Yes, even women appreciate beautiful women.” Lee Hye-sun smiled and continued, “We observe and critique passing women… When it gets boring, we go to department stores, browse clothes, shop for accessories… Then we head to the movie theater and watch several films.”

“I guess you don’t travel like Lee Jiseon?”

“It’s still difficult for us to travel far like Sis.”

“So, it requires strength as well?”

“Of course.”

As they exchanged various stories, the door opened.

Ding-dong!

The door opened with a bell chime as two men entered the café.

“Ugh…I’m so drunk.” One of them stumbled inside looking quite intoxicated, followed by Kang Doochi from JS Finance, who kept his cool but smiled upon spotting Lee Hye-sun and her friends.

“No wonder it’s so quiet in here… It’s because you Virgin Ghosts have rented out the whole place.”

Kang Doochi’s comment made Jong Myung-hee flinch slightly, and she lowered her head. On the other hand, Lee Hye-sun raised her hand to acknowledge him.

“Oh my, hello there, Mr. Doochi!”

“Yes, I’ve arrived!”

Kang Doochi then bowed to Lee Jiseon. “It’s been a while.”

“How have you been?”

“As usual, thank you for asking. I’m glad to see that you seem well too.” Kang Doochi nodded as he spoke, and Lee Jiseon’s gaze shifted toward the man who had entered with him. Despite having recently passed away, his presence was faint, which concerned her. She shook her head.

“Judging by your expression, it seems like this isn’t someone we want around here.”

“He has…quite a few loans from our company…but he’s a good customer nonetheless.”

“Did he just die?”

“He died drunk… We brought him along hoping he might sober up.”

“Yes, good work.”

Kang Doochi’s expression hardened as he turned toward the man Lee Jiseon had mentioned. The guy was leaning on the table where Jong Myung-hee and her friends were seated and hitting on them.

“Would you like me to buy you a drink?”

Apparently, this newly deceased fellow hadn’t yet learned about the Virgin Ghost legend. Seeing him clearly drunk and trying his luck, Lee Hye-sun smirked and stood up.

“Oh my! Do you want to hang out with us?”

“Not you.”

“What?”

“You’re too ugly for your own good.”

Lee Hye-sun bristled at the man’s words, but truth be told, she wasn’t bad-looking. It just so happened that Jong Myung-hee looked younger than her age.

“Ha!”

Lee Hye-sun laughed incredulously at him and smiled menacingly.

“This is your first day, so I’ll let it slide this time.” With that, she slammed the beer bottle down on his head.

Crash! Shatter!

As shards of glass flew everywhere, Lee Hye-sun cackled.

“Thank me now?”

It was hardly something to be thankful for, but Lee Hye-sun seemed quite pleased with herself.

“You crazy bitch!” As the man rushed toward her spewing curses, Kang Hanna and Jong Myung-hee grabbed each arm and twisted them behind his back.

Krrrk, krrrk!

“Aaargh!”

Seeing the man fall to the ground, Lee Jiseon turned to Kang Doochi.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

“That’s not happening.” Kang Doochi hurried over to them and interjected.

“Wait! Stop right there and calm down.”

“But I haven’t even started yet!” Lee Hye-sun held up a bottle of soju. Despite it dripping all over her hand as she held it upside down, she paid no attention to the liquor leaking out. It was clear that after hitting him with a beer bottle, she intended to strike him with this one next.

“He’ll learn his lesson regardless of what you do, so let’s just leave it at that.”

Lee Hye-sun pursed her lips but smacked the male ghost on the head with the bottle anyway.

Clunk!

In a movie, the glass bottle would’ve shattered, but real-life bottles don’t break easily. And while breaking a bottle might dull the pain, keeping it intact makes for a more painful impact.

The male ghost screamed at the impact.

“Aaargh!”

Lee Hye-sun shrugged and set down the bottle as she watched him cry out in pain. “That’s enough for now.”

Kang Jin looked at her incredulously. “What if you hit someone with that bottle?”

“He deserved it! Besides, he’s not human—he’s a ghost.” Kang Jin shook his head at Lee Hye-sun’s response before approaching the drunken male ghost.

“Are you okay?”

“You damn bastards… You think I’ll just let this slide?!” The male ghost yelled, but Kang Doochi sighed and grabbed him by the back of his neck.

“Argh!”

Seeing the ghost scream in pain, Kang Doochi smiled.

“Sir, please calm down and take a seat.” Kang Doochi forcefully pushed the male ghost onto a nearby chair before turning to Kang Jin.

“Once our customer regains his composure, could you bring him a glass of cold water?”

Kang Jin promptly fetched a glass of water as requested by Kang Doochi.

“You bastards think I’ll let this slide! Do you know who I am?!”

Kang Doochi looked at the male ghost, then opened his mouth to respond.

“Oh, we’re well aware. Let’s see…” He pulled out a tablet and started reading. “Third son of Hoeyeon Group, Goyoung Woo, age 33. And skipping over some details… Firstly, he seems to be a valued customer at your bank.”

“Of course. My assets…”

“…amount to approximately minus 22 billion, 750 million won?”

Kang Doochi’s words elicited surprise from Kang Jin and the female ghosts.

“Wow, 2.2 billion won in debit?”

“He isn’t even a serial killer to have such a huge negative balance.”

“I’ve never seen numbers like that before.”

The female ghosts’ remarks prompted Kang Jin to nod in agreement.

Debit of 2.2 billion won… What kind of reckless behavior leads to such massive debt?

As Kang Jin pondered this, the man exclaimed incredulously:

“What? What nonsense is this?! How can I be in debit when I don’t even know how much money I have in the bank?”

“Well, Lee Seung Bank deals with earthly finances…

JS Finance, on the other hand, handles afterlife accounts, which operate slightly differently.” Kang Doochi explained with a smile.

Kang Jin handed him a cup filled with cold water as he spoke, “Here, some water for you.”

“Thank you. Now then, let’s help you come back down to reality.” With those words, Kang Doochi promptly splashed the cold water onto the man’s face.

As Kang Doochi spoke, he splashed the cold water onto the man’s face.

Splash!

“Ack! It’s freezing!” The startled man hastily wiped his face and glared at Kang Doochi.

“You crazy bastard! What kind of bank is this?!”

“It’s JS Finance.”

“I’ve never heard of some random bank called… Call your damn manager over, you son of a bitch!”

Kang Doochi chuckled at the man’s outburst.

“He visits our VVIP clients, but someone like you with only debts to show can’t see him.”

With that, Kang Doochi opened the document bag he had brought along.

“First, please sign these papers.”

As Kang Doochi took out some documents from his bag, the man snorted and flung them away with disdain.

Whoosh! Scatter!

The papers flew everywhere as the man glared at Kang Doochi.

“You crazy bastard.”

He then searched his pockets.

“Where’s my phone?”

Suddenly, he spotted Kang Jin.

“Hey! Call this number, 010--, and tell him to get here immediately.”

Kang Jin shook his head at the demand.

“Our restaurant is just that—a restaurant. There’s no reason for us to make calls on your behalf.”

“What? Do you know who I am…?”

“Hoeyeon Group’s third son, Goyoung Woo, age 33? Is that correct?”

Kang Jin glanced at Kang Doochi, who smiled and nodded approvingly.

“You know your place well.” Kang Doochi then turned to Goyoungwoo. “Pick them up.”

“What?”

“Pick them up.”

Despite being intoxicated, Goyoungwoo seemed intimidated by Kang Doochi’s icy glare and avoided eye contact. Seeing this reaction, Kang Doochi repeated his command firmly.

“Pick them up.”

Goyoungwoo hesitated momentarily before starting to gather the scattered documents. As he did so, Kang Jin discreetly read one of them:

Certificate of Liability for Drunk Driving Fatality

Certificate of Liability for Drunk Driving Fatality? What kind of document is this?