Chapter 74

All the interns departed from the store. The victorious intern wanted to buy another round of drinks, but the defeated interns left without accepting his offer. They had no desire to drink more after such a bitter loss. In fact, they preferred drinking alone.

Thus, Kang Jin sent Wo Chuljin and Choi Donghae away as well. He needed some rest before starting work against ghosts soon, plus he intended to do the dishes.

After completing the washing up, Kang Jin was watching TV while sipping warm mixed coffee.

“Following the death of designated driver Mr. Choi Sungin due to drunk driving by Goyoungwoo, the third son of Hoeyeon Group, the bereaved family met with Congressman Sim Gimoon. During this meeting, they requested new legislation for stricter penalties on drunk driving. Congressman Sim expressed condolences to the grieving family and pledged to propose stronger laws regarding alcohol-related offenses. Here is an excerpt from our interview with Congressman Sim Gimoon.”

“Our country is too lenient on alcohol-related offenses. Drinking and hitting, drinking and harassing… It isn’t something to be proud of, yet people claim ‘I did it because I was drunk’ or ‘I don’t remember due to being intoxicated.’ They plead for leniency, citing their intoxication… Is this our nation?”

“Instead of reducing sentences due to alcohol consumption, there should be stricter penalties and enforcement. Taking inspiration from Choi Sungin’s family tragedy, I will strongly advocate for legislation that imposes tougher measures not only for drunk driving but also for violence and sexual crimes committed under the influence. Efforts must be made to ensure these bills pass… Yes, they absolutely must!”

“The Hoeyeon Group expressed condolences to the victim’s family while announcing the establishment of a fund in memory of Choi Sungin…”

[…and announced that they will establish a fund in Goyoungwoo’s name for victims of drunk driving accidents. However, some people are skeptical as there is no exact content regarding the fund yet. We hope this fund is truly for the victims of drunk driving and not just to deceive the public.]

The news was covering the incident involving Goyoungwoo where he had become a ghost earlier. Hoeyeon Group was one of the top twenty domestic companies, although it wasn’t among the top ten. Currently, Hoeyeon Group was facing a crisis due to Goyoungwoo, their third-in-line heir, causing a fatal accident while driving under the influence. The deceased victim, a designated driver, appeared relatively powerless compared to the wealthy heir. He was a father in his early 50s with a high school senior son and a freshman daughter.

The victim was a devoted family man who worked at a company during the day and drove for a chauffeur service at night to provide for his loved ones. The public was outraged that such a pillar of society had become a casualty due to the reckless lifestyle of a privileged heir.

Kang Jin shook his head as he watched the news report. “If only Choi Sungin were here… I would’ve treated him well…”

Instead, it was Goyoungwoo, the perpetrator, who showed up.

“He doesn’t deserve even a drop of water.” Kang Jin grimaced, recalling how Goyoungwoo had wasted both drinking and washing water earlier.

Just then, Bae Yongsoo entered the restaurant with a somber expression.

Swish!

He strode through the door and sat down heavily in a chair.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“I saw Mrs. Suk.”

“Mrs. Suk?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you see her?”

“She came by, possibly because she heard about our delicious Sunji hangover soup.”

“But why do you look so troubled?”

Bae Yongsoo always spoke of Mrs. Suk with pride and admiration, indicating his fondness for her. Kang Jin assumed seeing someone he cared about would uplift him, but Bae Yongsoo sighed instead.

“She looked quite old today.”

“Wasn’t she already elderly when you were alive?”

“Yes, but…her eyes used to be clear and fiery like those of a young woman… Today, both her face and eyes seemed aged. It’s disheartening.” He leaned back, sighing heavily.

“Ugh!”

Then, Bae Yongsoo noticed Kang Jin’s expression. “What’s wrong with your face?”

“You know, I mentioned that guy who died from drunk driving before?”

When Goyoungwoo visited earlier, accompanied by all the virgin ghosts, Bae Yongsoo had fled, leaving the store empty.

“The third son of Hoeyeon Group?”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s question.

“I feel sad because…if he had come here, I would’ve treated him to some good food as compensation for those who died due to his actions.”

Bae Yongsoo chuckled at Kang Jin’s words.

“Not all ghosts end up here, and you can’t personally cater meals to every ghost. Whether they arrive or not is their choice alone.”

“Still, it’s disappointing.”

“Then summon him.”

“What?”

Seeing Kang Jin’s confusion, Bae Yongsoo explained:

“Do you know his name?”

“Yes, I do.”

Yongsoo was familiar with the name since it frequently appeared in the news due to drunk driving incidents.

There was even talk that any new law would be named after Choi Sungin as ‘The Choi Sungin Law’.

“What about his face?”

“I’ve seen family photos of him on the news.”

“Then call out to him.”

“Just like you did earlier?”

“If he hasn’t yet passed onto the afterlife, he’ll hear your call.”

“So, anyone can be summoned this way?”

“You’re not just anyone. You are the master of One Meal Restaurant.”

“The master of One Meal Restaurant… It seems there is much I don’t know about being its master.”

“Just think of yourself as the president who feeds ghosts their meals,” Bae Yongsoo replied.

Kang Jin glanced at the TV following Yongsoo’s comment. The news had already moved onto another topic by then.

As Kang Jin watched, he opened his mouth and spoke:

“Choi Sungin, Choi Sungin, Choi Sungin.”

Kang Jin uttered Choi Sungin’s name three times while looking around. However, there was no sign of Choi Sungin’s ghost.

“Is he not coming?”

“Maybe he is busy…or perhaps he has ascended.”

After hearing Bae Yongsoo’s words, Kang Jin paused for a moment before calling Choi Sungin’s name again. When Choi Sungin still didn’t appear, she nodded.

“I guess we should assume he has ascended.”

“Yes, it would be unfortunate if he didn’t come when summoned. He died unjustly; becoming a ghost only adds to his misfortune.” As they continued their conversation, Bae Yongsoo stood up.

“It’s time to open for business.”

With those words, Bae Yongsoo stepped outside the restaurant. At 11 o’clock, accompanied by Bae Yongsoo’s spiritual presence, ghosts began entering through the opened doors.

“Come on in.”

With a smile, Kang Jin welcomed ghosts as she started her day at work.

Interns always arrived early to their workplace. No one forced them, but it was customary for interns to arrive before regular employees.

Kang Jin turned on her senior colleagues’ computers and sat down with a cup of coffee.

“I’ve been drinking too much instant coffee lately.”

However, she didn’t want to give it up. The sweetness kept her alert while caffeine provided energy.

Sip!

As she took a drink, Choi Donghae and Lee Sangseop entered together.

“You’re here early.”

“Well, my home is right near the company. But you two also came in quite early.”

There were still twenty minutes before official work hours began.

“We need to wrap up everything today so we don’t get interrupted during tomorrow’s sports meet.” Lee Sangsub sat down with a smile and said, “I heard they decided on the most popular intern?”

Lee Sangsub’s comment prompted Kang Jin to glance at Choi Donghae and nod.

“Yes, it was decided yesterday.”

“Wow… They settled it with a coin toss. It’s both absurd yet cool.”

“Well, there wasn’t going to be a clear answer otherwise, no matter how long we debated.”

“That aside… How did the interns react?” Lee Sangsub asked Kang Jin.

Kang Jin looked back at him. “Do you know an intern named Wo Cheoljin?”

“I heard he’s known for doing excellent work.”

“I believe his hiring as a full-time employee is almost guaranteed.”

“It seems like the department head has taken quite a liking to him. I heard if hired, they want to pull him into their team. But what about Wo Chuljin?”

“He helped me immensely yesterday.” Kang Jin then proceeded to recount the events of the previous day. Lee Sangsub listened with interest before asking:

“But…do you think the other interns will accept this easily?”

“They should aspire to become permanent employees based on merit alone.”

“Not everyone is that fair-minded, though, right?”

“There might be one or two who aren’t entirely honest,”

“I understand your concerns. However, I believe yesterday’s winner will become the popular intern.”

Lee Sangsub shrugged at Kang Jin’s words.

“Well then… Alright! Let’s get to work today as well.” With that, Lee Sangsub turned his chair and opened some documents.

The news about the popular intern quickly spread throughout the company. People were surprised that, for the first time in ten years, the popular intern was chosen even before the sports event began. They were further astonished by the revelation that it had been decided by flipping a coin.

One person unexpectedly became the center of attention: Kang Jin, who inadvertently ended up leading the selection process.

In the president’s office of Taekwang Trading Company, a man in his fifties was reporting to another man in his sixties.

“…and that’s how they chose their popular intern.”

O.Taegwang, President of Taekwang Trading Company, frowned.

“A coin toss?”

“They decided to give the vote to whoever won the coin flip among themselves.”

O.Taegwang pursed his lips at his secretary’s explanation.

“That takes all the fun out of it.”

“The executives seemed slightly disappointed as well.”

“Watching these interns go after each other is usually the most entertaining part of the year.” O.Taegwang shook his head and opened a file folder on his desk containing photographs - seventeen identification pictures of this year’s interns at Taekwang Trading Company.

“I thought Wo Chuljin would be the one.”

The secretary didn’t respond as it wasn’t meant to be answered. O.Taegwang briefly glanced at the photos and shook his head.

“So who did this?”

“It was Intern Woon Jaesik from the Domestic Support Division.”

“How skilled is he?”

“He currently has a performance evaluation score of seventy-nine points.”

“That means average?”

“Yes, sir.”

O.Taegwang studied Intern Woon Jaesik’s photo before pointing at Lee Kang-jin’s picture.

“And he led this?”

“Yes, sir.”

O.Taegwang pursed his lips upon hearing this response.

“If only Lee Kang-jin were the popular intern I wanted…

“Even if Mr. Lee Kang-jin personally intervened, choosing by coin toss would still rely on luck.”

“Lee Kang-jin had no intention of becoming a full-time employee. That’s why they opted for a coin toss. Otherwise…he likely would have become the popular intern through other means.”

“You think he definitely would have succeeded?”

O.Taegwang smiled as he looked at Kang Jin’s picture while responding to his secretary’s question.

“I know… This guy is a carnivore like me. He’ll devour anything to survive.” O.Taegwang smacked his lips as he continued staring at the photo. “It’s unfortunate we can’t have him on our team.”

“Mr. Lee Kang-jin runs a restaurant and has no intention of joining our company.”

“I was aware of that…” O.Taegwang paused before continuing. “I racked my brain creating this intern competition game… Will it be useless next year?”

“With precedent set, there’s a high likelihood future interns will also flip coins,” replied the secretary.

O.Taegwang shook his head at this suggestion. “That won’t do.”

The popularity contest among interns was designed to identify exceptional talent, not provide charity for underperformers.

Although this method had only produced one suitable candidate over ten years, O.Taegwang believed that finding such a standout individual was better than hiring ten mediocre ones.

“Are you planning to develop a new game?”

“Please schedule a meeting with Professor Lim Sang-ok.”

The secretary understood immediately who he meant: psychology professor Lim Sang-ok, who had recommended Kang Jin.

“When would be convenient for him?”

“If possible, invite him to attend our sports meet. Tell him to bring his students from the research lab, have some barbecue, participate in the games, and if they win, there will be prizes. Oh! And since he won’t show up unless there’s something in it for him…mention we’ll give each student 200,000 won as travel expenses.”

“Isn’t it enough to just invite Professor Lim Sang-ok?”

“I want to observe the other psychology students as well.”

“I understand.”