Chapter 60

“My funeral?”

“Let’s go. As I mentioned earlier, there are other honored guests to see today besides you.”

Kang Doochi stood up and escorted Goyoungwoo, who remained seated weakly, out of the restaurant. He bowed apologetically to Kang Jin before leaving.

“I’m sorry for bringing unprofitable customers here.”

“It’s alright. Please visit again.”

“We’ll return to boost your sales next time,” Kang Doochi smiled as he led Goyoungwoo away.

After they left, Kang Jin cleared their table, which only had water cups, a water jug, and dampness from the glass thrown by Kang Doochi. Once finished, he rejoined Lee Hye-sun, enjoying drinks, sushi, and conversation with her.

At 12:55, the Virgin Ghosts rose from their seats.

“Well, see you next time,” Lee Jiseon said to Kang Jin, who bowed in response.

“Please visit often.”

“I’ll do my best. Goodbye for now.”

Kang Jin let out a small sigh of relief upon hearing Lee Jiseon’s words.

“I’d like to rest, but I need to prepare for tomorrow’s business…and it starts now.”

“Take care.” With those parting words instead of offering assistance, Lee Jiseon left the restaurant, followed by the other ghosts.

As Kang Jin watched them depart, she glanced outside. Apart from the receding figures of the virgin ghosts, no other spirits were present.

‘Indeed, regular ghosts wouldn’t dare approach where virgin ghosts reside. So, were they my last customers today?’

With these thoughts, Kang Jin cleared the dining table and started preparing ingredients for Seonji’s broth soup in the kitchen.

“Should’ve said not to drink too much?”

Feeling unusually tired from drinking alcohol, Kang Jin let out a deep sigh and gulped down some cold mugwort tea from the refrigerator.

“Ahh!”

After consuming the chilled tea, Kang Jin felt slightly more alert. He washed his face with cold water before sprinkling flour on the pig intestines he had laid out earlier.

Shwaaa!

Just as Kang Jin was about to insert his hand into the floured intestines, Oh Soon-young’s voice interrupted him.

“President Kang.”

Kang Jin looked up at the sound of her voice. Oh Soon-young and Sung Yong stood nearby, but Soon-young’s expression seemed troubled.

“Huh? Is something wrong?”

“Please come to our store.”

“Our store? Why? What’s wrong?” Kang Jin asked, surprised.

Bae Yongsoo took a deep breath. “I lack intuition.”

“Intuition? What kind of intuition?”

“The sense for adjusting the heat while boiling stock.”

“Why can’t you make it?”

“I tried following the recipe…but I think she wasn’t satisfied with my heat control.”

Kang Jin looked at Oh Soon-young upon hearing Bae Yongsoo’s words.

“Should I leave the kitchen if I say so?”

“No need. Since we’re close, she’ll let her son enter.” By ‘her son,’ Oh Soon-young meant Kang Jin, whom she had met during her lifetime.

Upon hearing this, Kang Jin glanced at the ingredients he was preparing for Sunji hangover soup.

“What should I do with these?”

“Well…can you carry them over there?”

Kang Jin scratched his head at Oh Soon-young’s suggestion to prepare it there. He had already taken out ingredients for Sunji’s hangover soup.

It’s too cumbersome to carry all this by hand…

After pondering briefly, Kang Jin shook his head.

“Let’s go to the store first.”

Having made up his mind, Kang Jin washed his hands and glanced at the laid-out ingredients before looking at Bae Yongsoo.

“Have some ghosts stay here with these ingredients.”

“Why?”

“They’ll spoil if left unattended.”

That was why he wanted ghosts nearby. With their presence lowering the temperature, they would keep things cool.

“We’re not refrigerator ghosts. Why should we stand next to food?” asked Bae Yongsoo.

“Well then? I can’t put flour-covered items directly in the fridge.”

Bae Yongsoo sighed at Kang Jin’s response.

“I’ll be back.”

Kang Jin nodded at Sung Yongsoo’s words and looked towards Oh Soon-young.

“Let’s go.”

With that, Kang Jin and Oh Soon-young left the store together.

As they walked to the hangover soup restaurant, Kang Jin asked her:

“You couldn’t adjust the heat?”

“Yes, exactly! I taught him well, but…”

Controlling the heat is crucial when boiling bones for stock. One needs strong heat at times, while other instances require gentle simmering. Although it may seem simple, adjusting the heat based on the color and aroma of the broth is essential. Even Kang Jin had learned this through trial and error, enduring scolding from Oh Soon-young along the way.

“How about cleaning the offal?”

“I’ve been doing that every day,” replied Oh Soon-young.

Kang Jin nodded in understanding.

‘Considering she brought her own broth, she must have cleaned the offal herself… So, the issue lies with the bone stock.’

As Kang Jin walked with these thoughts, he noticed that the shop was firmly closed.

“The door is locked,” said Kang Jin as he looked around at the store with its lights turned off.

“Oh Soon-young replied, “There’s a door to the kitchen at the back of the building.”

Following her instructions, Kang Jin moved towards the rear of the establishment.

“You have quite a large shop here.”

“We get many customers.”

“This area has expensive real estate. Why not build another floor instead?”

Although Oh Soon-young’s restaurant was spacious, it only occupied the ground level. Most buildings in this vicinity were at least four stories tall, indicating the high value placed on land space. The costliness of Gangnam properties stemmed from the exorbitant land prices rather than construction expenses.

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

“The quality of food starts deteriorating the moment it leaves the kitchen. If we added a second floor, serving meals would take longer due to the distance between the kitchen and upstairs dining area.”

“We need to serve quickly since the food loses its taste once it leaves the kitchen.”

“You could have another kitchen on this floor. At the kalguksu restaurant I used to work at, they had kitchens on both floors to accommodate customers efficiently.”

“I can’t be in two places at once.” Kang Jin raised an eyebrow at Oh Soon-young’s insistence that she personally oversee both kitchens.

“But for Sunji hangover soup, you just reheat and serve… There’s no need for constant supervision, right?”

“Oh, there is indeed. Food prepared under my watchful eye tastes distinctly different from food made without it. That’s why I only serve guests on the first floor instead of expanding upstairs.”

Kang Jin halted her steps upon hearing Oh Soon-young’s explanation.

“Why? The exit is just around the corner.”

Kang Jin looked at Oh Soon-young with a smile.

“I regret not having tasted your guk-bap while you were alive, Grandmother.”

Oh Soon-young was a perfectionist who didn’t tolerate even minor deviations from her taste standards. It was truly unfortunate that Kang Jin never had the opportunity to savor her renowned Sunji hangover soup during her lifetime.

Kang Jin’s words brought a smile to Oh Soon-young’s face.

“My son will make it perfectly for you. Enjoy it later.”

Nodding at Oh Soon-young’s reassurance, Kang Jin stretched his arms forward, interlocked his fingers, and twisted his body.

O = = I O rz rr I

-i——r=『! —ir=r!

“All right then! Let’s venture into the tiger’s den to catch ourselves a tiger.”

With determined strides, Kang Jin soon spotted the back entrance of the restaurant located next to the main door. The back door stood wide open, emitting a wave of intense heat.

As he approached, intense heat radiated from inside the restaurant.

“It’s incredibly hot.”

“Probably because they’re boiling bones for five hundred servings. There are at least four large pots just for that,” Oh Soon-young explained as she entered the establishment.

Kang Jin discreetly peeked over her shoulder. Near what appeared to be the entrance to the kitchen hung four massive pots, and seated before them was Lim Mi-hyang. Jo Hyunsu stood nearby, skimming grease off the broth with a ladle.

“Sir.” At Kang Jin’s call, Jo Hyunsu turned around. His face glistened with sweat and oil.

“Huh? President Kang?”

“How are you doing?”

“Please come in.”

Following Jo Hyunsu’s invitation, Kang Jin stepped inside, giving Lim Mi-hyang a slight nod. She squinted at him, then abruptly got up and left without a word.

Kang Jin awkwardly glanced at Jo Hyunsu, who smiled apologetically and shook his head.

“My wife is quite upset about today’s incident.”

“Didn’t you say she threw away all the food?”

“Huh? Who told you that?”

“Well… I heard it from some guests.”

Jo Hyunsu sighed in relief as Kang Jin skillfully avoided mentioning the ghost.

“I tried to dispose of it quietly, but…I guess word got out.”

“After hearing your story, I came here expecting dishes made according to Grandmother’s recipes.”

“It’s good to see you again.”

“But…”

Before Kang Jin could continue, Oh Soon-young appeared beside the stove. She waved him over while pointing at one of the pots.

“The heat is too high right now. Turn it down and add some cold water.”

Kang Jin approached the pot as Oh Soon-young spoke to him.

“As you can see, the fire is quite intense right now. Of course, President Kang knows what needs to be done, but…it might be best to lower the heat and add cold water to regulate the temperature.”

Kang Jin employed tactful communication skills to avoid offending her. Well… it wasn’t really a sophisticated technique. People tend to become annoyed and less receptive when they feel ignored or disrespected. However, if someone acknowledges and respects them, conversations flow more smoothly, fostering mutual respect.

Instead of stating outright that she didn’t know something, he framed his suggestion by acknowledging her knowledge and proposing a possible action. Respecting others often leads to being respected in return, which is a fundamental principle.

Of course…in today’s world, there is also the saying that if you show respect to others, they might take advantage of your kindness.

In any case, Jo Hyunsu nodded at Kang Jin’s suggestion while keeping his eyes on the pot.

“You’re right; we should lower the heat.”

As he spoke, Jo Hyunsu reduced the flame and poured cold water into the boiling pot.

“I’d rather start over from scratch,” Oh Soon-young muttered quietly.

Kang Jin glanced at her sympathetically and whispered back, “If we discard it now, President Jo’s confidence will be shattered. It’s better to cheer him on and boost his belief in himself.”

“Is that so?”

“Exactly. It’s more important to help someone back up after they fall than scolding them for not riding a bike properly.”

Kang Jin’s analogy puzzled Oh Soon-young.

“Is that an apt comparison?”

“Hmm… I think so.” Kang Jin smiled and then turned her attention from Jo Hyunsu to the pot on the stove. “Have you been boiling it for two or three hours now?”

Jo Hyunsu glanced at the clock nearby and nodded. “Just about three hours. You’re quite knowledgeable.”

“I’ve boiled this before, too.”

“I originally planned to start cooking earlier, but…it’s proving difficult to reestablish connections with suppliers we cut ties with.”

“They refused to supply goods?”

“The president there was quite upset. He had been dealing with my mother for decades… Cutting off our business relationship must have hit him hard too.”

“Yes, it must have been challenging for them when such a large client severed ties.”

A substantial amount of beef bones is required to run a restaurant like this. Terminating that supply abruptly would understandably infuriate anyone involved—especially since they relied heavily on it.

“It’s all my fault.” Jo Hyunsu sighed deeply while observing the broth.

Kang Jin gently pointed out as she watched President Kang stirring the pot, “Um… It seems like President Kang hasn’t made stock in a long time, so he might not be fully attuned to the process yet.”

“Actually…it seems slightly off,” Kang Jin observed quietly. “The color appears a bit murky, and this part looks darker…”

In response to Jo Hyunsu’s concerns, Oh Soon-young explained:

“Even if you boil them for the same amount of time, variations in quantity and quality can affect the broth. That’s why it’s crucial to adjust the water level and heat throughout the process.”

Kang Jin translated her mother’s words, bringing a smile to Jo Hyunsu’s face.

“That reminds me of what my mother used to say.”

“So today, I’d like to assist you with boiling the bones, if that’s okay?”

“I would be truly grateful for your help, President Kang.” Jo Hyunsu replied with a bright grin through Kang Jin.

“So, I have some ingredients prepared for tomorrow’s menu: Seonji (pressed tofu), kimchi, and beef bones.”

“Oh…I also need to run my business…”

“Here’s what I propose. Bring all the ingredients from your restaurant here…and let’s make Seonji hangover soup together.”

“Together?”

“And out of the sixty servings sold tomorrow, I’ll take sixty percent of the sales.”

Kang Jin’s proposal was straightforward. He suggested bringing the ingredients from One Meal Restaurant, making the dish together, and selling it from this location. Additionally, he would receive sixty percent of the revenue.

I should be compensated according to the effort I put in.

Kang Jin firmly believed that one should earn money commensurate with their work.