Chapter 9: The Vanished Child
Kang Jin sat dazedly at the table, his eyes shifting between the check clutched in his hand and the dishes laid out before him. The side dishes and the free pork rice bowl remained untouched on the table. In other words…it meant that the child who had been sitting right across from him just moments ago really did vanish into thin air.
With wide eyes, Kang Jin continued glancing back and forth between the check and the table before abruptly standing up.
“Yes, I knew something was off here! What?! What is this?!”
He yelled as he pulled out his cell phone. Quickly finding Shin Suho’s number, he went to press call.
Click.
The sound of the door opening caught Kang Jin’s attention, and he turned to see Shin Suho entering the room dressed in a white suit.
“Excuse me!”
As Kang Jin urgently yelled at him from across the room, Shin Suho glanced his way before taking a seat at the dining table.
“Please sit down.” At Shin Suho’s request, Kang Jin sat and placed the check on the table with a thud.
“This…this… a child suddenly disappeared, leaving this behind.”
Kang Jin sounded slightly disoriented as he spoke. Shin Suho leaned forward to examine the check. After briefly studying it, he pushed it back toward Kang Jin.
“We’ll either cash or deposit this for you at JS Finance.”
“No! That’s not what I’m asking!”
“For your information, no other bank will accept this. Please exchange it only through JS Finance.”
“But what I mean is…”
Kang Jin paused to catch his breath before continuing, “As a lawyer, please explain this situation to me in layman’s terms.”
As Kang Jin held up the check, Shin Suho observed him closely before speaking.
“I planned to discuss this with you after giving you some time to adjust…but it seems like you’ve adapted more quickly than expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“Is there something specific that’s puzzling you?”
“What kind of place is this? Why are all the customers acting strangely and claiming they’re ghosts…” Kang Jin momentarily stopped, swallowing hard. As he spoke, everything seemed to make sense when prefaced with the word ‘ghost’.
Ghost-infested cooking practice area… Ghostly customers… Ghostly children…
Kang Jin glanced at Shin Suho as these thoughts crossed his mind and finished speaking hesitantly:
“…it seems like…”
Shin Suho nodded in understanding.
“You saw those guests as ghosts?”
“No, not exactly. So they aren’t ghosts then?”
“Not inside here.”
Kang Jin let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Shin Suho’s response.
“Well, it does sound absurd to talk about ghosts existing nowadays…” Kang Jin suddenly turned back to Shin Suho. “Wait… You said ‘not inside here’? Then… outside?”
“The beings who came yesterday…and the child who just ascended were indeed ghosts.”
Kang Jin stared at Shin Suho blankly before opening his mouth incredulously.
“No… Why would you say such nonsense about ghosts existing? Seriously… Are you joking?”
Shin Suho’s expression made it clear he wasn’t kidding.
“Then… there’s really a ghost here?”
“It’s a ghost outside the store, but not inside.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that? If something is a ghost, it remains a ghost, right? Does entering the store suddenly make it human?”
“Not exactly human, but they can appear as one.”
“What do you mean?”
Seeing Kang Jin’s confusion and surprise, Shin Suho began to explain:
“This is a place where ghosts can eat like humans.”
“Like humans?”
“Between midnight…from 11 PM to 1 AM, for two hours, ghosts can manifest as humans here and dine just like us. One Meal Restaurant serves not the living but the deceased.”
Kang Jin stared blankly at Shin Suho before hastily shaking his head.
“But if that kid who entered earlier was a ghost…it wasn’t even six o’clock yet.”
In response, Shin Suho glanced at the dish of Dwejiok-bokum (spicy stir-fried pork) on the table.
“That ghost carries longing within.”
“Longing?”
“Each ghost has its own food preferences. For instance, yesterday’s female ghosts liked garlic and spices…”
“Female…ghosts?”
”…I meant yesterday’s customers.” Shin Suho spoke casually, but Kang Jin felt chills run down his spine.
Female…ghosts…
Gulp!
Kang Jin swallowed hard before opening his mouth again.
“Were those women who came yesterda—”
“They were virgin ghosts.”
Kriiiik!
The hair on Kang Jin’s head stood straight up. Not only the woman who had yelled at him for being crazy, but all the other ladies sharing drinks with them were actually ghosts—and virgin ones at that.
Tremble!
Seeing Kang Jin trembling uncontrollably, Shin Suho began to explain.
“Let me clarify first.”
Kang Jin continued shaking as he listened intently to Shin Suho’s explanation.
“Our official business hours are from 11 PM until 1 AM. However, sometimes ghosts are drawn here by the aroma of food.”
“The aroma?”
“People eat throughout their entire lives, from birth till death. Food plays a significant role, and it carries memories of their living days. The ghost child was attracted here by the nostalgic scent.”
Hm…
Shin Suho glanced at the remaining stir-fried pork on the table.
“The child was enticed by the longing for her mother’s homemade dish.”
“So that ghost…”
Kang Jin sighed mid-sentence. It was absurd that he had already accepted the existence of ghosts so readily. But there was indisputable evidence right before his eyes.
He glanced at the check for a moment and then stood up.
“Excuse me for a second.”
Kang Jin went to the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and dunked his head under the running water.
Gushhh!
As the cold water cooled his head, Kang Jin scrubbed it vigorously as if washing his hair.
Gushhh!
Water splashed everywhere, drenching his clothes, but he didn’t mind. In fact, the chill seemed to clear his thoughts.
After scrubbing his head thoroughly, Kang Jin splashed some water onto his face one last time.
Splash!
Kang Jin washed his face vigorously as if taking a shower, turned off the tap, and roughly dried himself with his clothes before exiting the restroom.
Seeing this, Shin Suho took out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Kang Jin. He accepted it, wiped the remaining water from his head, and sat down on a chair. After a brief pause, Kang Jin spoke:
“Based on what I’ve heard so far…this place is haunted by ghosts.”
“That’s correct.”
“And if I run this haunted restaurant for five years, I can own this building?”
As Shin Suho nodded, Kang Jin sighed deeply. After a moment, he continued:
“Can these ghosts potentially kill me…?”
In response to Kang Jin’s query, Shin Suho shook his head.
“The ghosts here will they protect you, Kang Jin-ssi, they will not harm you.”
“Protection? You mean they protect me?”
“When someone who feeds dogs is harmed, the dogs bark.”
Comparing ghosts to dogs didn’t seem quite appropriate as a metaphor, but Kang Jin refrained from commenting on it. Instead…he asked another question:
“If a ghost smells food, can they enter anytime regardless of business hours?”
This inquiry was prompted by the young ghost boy’s arrival outside operating times.
“Just smelling food doesn’t allow them entry. As I mentioned earlier, only if they yearn for the food prepared by Lee Kangjin can they come here.”
“Yearning…”
-“It tastes like what my mom used to make.”
Kang Jin recalled the child’s words and after a moment, continued:
“What happened to her?”
“Since she ascended, she will receive judgment according to the laws of the afterlife.”
“Judgment?”
“She will either go to heaven or hell, or reincarnate.”
“Even such a young child can end up in hell?”
“The guilty go to hell, the innocent reincarnate, and those who have done good deeds ascend to heaven. Age does not matter in the laws of the afterlife.”
Kang Jin looked at Shin Suho before pointing at the check on the table.
“What’s this?”
“As you can see, it’s a check from JS Finance.”
“By any chance, is that currency from the afterlife?”
“Yes, indeed.”
JS Finance… In simpler terms, it was the bank of the afterlife.
“Does the afterlife also have banks?”
“While different from earthly banks, there are indeed banks in the afterlife.”
“What kind of place is it?”
“It’s hard to explain… You should ask Kang Doochi.”
Kang Jin looked at Shin Suho and opened his mouth.
“Then, do human customers not come here?”
In response, Shin Suho glanced around the store before answering.
“Only ghosts can enter this shop, but its location exists within our world. Naturally, humans can also visit.”
Upon hearing Shin Suho’s explanation, Kang Jin gazed up at the ceiling, pondered for a moment, and then turned back to him.
“So, in conclusion, I have to serve ghost customers for five years?”
Despite the lengthy discussion, that was the essence of the matter.
“If you’re still hesitant, please let me know now. Even if we don’t proceed with the building, I will support your living expenses and tuition throughout your graduation.”
Kang Jin shook his head at Shin Suho’s words.
“No, I’ll do it.”
Shin Suho looked surprised by Kang Jin’s quick agreement.
“You will?”
Kang Jin nodded firmly.
Despite being haunted, if he could endure for five years, he would own a building worth 25 billion won. That equated to earning 500 million won per year. He just had to persevere.
‘Ghosts… apart from being scary, they’re harmless.’
With this thought, Kang Jin clenched his fists tightly, trying to steady his resolve. However, his hands trembled despite his efforts. Ghosts were indeed nothing but fear-inducing creatures, as literally stated… But that very fear made them terrifying. And now, he had to serve food to these frightening ghosts for the next five years.
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