Chapter 90

Kang Jin observed Yoon Soo-hong’s gaze shifting between himself and the restaurant. He asked, “Is our restaurant difficult to find?”

Yoon Soo-hong glanced back at the store and then surveyed the surrounding area again.

It feels like I’m possessed by a ghost.

Just moments ago, he had seen this street with its shops. Yet now, suddenly, One Meal Restaurant appeared amidst them where it hadn’t been before. Feeling momentarily bewildered by this surreal phenomenon, Yoon Soo-hong took another look at the restaurant and its surroundings when Kang Jin spoke up:

“Please come inside.”

As Kang Jin opened the door and stepped in, Yoon Soo-hong hesitated, shook his head once more, and followed him, still pondering whether his fatigue might have caused him to miss the restaurant earlier.

I must be tired today.

Yoon Soo-hong wondered if his fatigue had prevented him from noticing the restaurant earlier as he followed Kang Jin inside.

Upon entering, Yoon Soo-hong took a look around the interior of the establishment.

“The restaurant looks clean and inviting.”

“Thank you.” Smiling, Kang Jin guided Yoon Soo-hong to a seat and served him yakgwanmun tea.

“Here’s some yakgwanmun tea. You know it’s good for boosting energy, right?”

Taking a sip, Yoon Soo-hong smiled at Kang Jin’s words.

“I feel invigorated just hearing the name ‘yakgwanmun.’”

“Yes, I can actually sense the energy boost.”

“In that case, I should drink more.” Kang Jin refilled Yoon Soo-hong’s cup with yakgwanmun tea.

“It seems like you’re having dinner quite late tonight.”

It was almost midnight, too late for dinner.

“I’m sorry I arrived so late. Some Chinese guests came to visit, and while giving them a tour of Korea, it got later than expected.”

“You also give tours?”

“They help me with my work in China, so when they’re here, I try to assist them.” Yoon Soo-hong smiled warmly as he scanned the restaurant interior. “By any chance, do you serve kimchi kalguksu?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Then please make two servings extra spicy.”

“Two servings?”

“I’m quite hungry.” With a friendly smile, Yoon Soo-hong patted his stomach.

Kang Jin nodded understandingly. “Alright.”

He then entered the kitchen. Once inside, Kang Jin briefly pondered over the dish.

“Kimchi kalguksu…”

Kang Jin squinted as he recalled the kimchi kalguksu recipe from the cooking practice room.

I have to make the dough from scratch.

The recipe for kimchi kalguksu in the practice room involved making noodles by kneading flour yourself.

There’s already good kalguksu noodles available these days.

Recalling store-bought kalguksu noodles, Kang Jin sighed and shook his head. Although it was cumbersome to make the noodles, following the recipe wouldn’t be too difficult or time-consuming. While preparing the broth, he could simultaneously make the dough. He estimated that within 20 minutes, everything would be ready. With this plan in mind, Kang Jin retrieved ingredients from the refrigerator and began preparations.

While boiling anchovies for broth, Kang Jin poured flour into a bowl and started kneading it.

Whish! Whish!

The flour gradually formed a dough under Kang Jin’s hands. Once completed, he covered the bowl with plastic wrap to let the dough rest briefly, which improved its texture.

Next, he removed the anchovies from the boiling pot and added the seasoned kimchi and broth. As soon as the spicy aroma began filling the air, Yoon Soo-hong smiled and peeked into the kitchen, surprised by the sight of the dough.

“You’re making your own dough?”

“Yes.”

“But…there are good kalguksu noodles available these days, right?”

Kang Jin nodded slightly at Yoon Soo-hong’s question.

Indeed, there are excellent kalguksu noodles on the market now.

In the cooking practice room, he had learned to make kalguksu noodles from scratch by kneading dough himself.

“It’s all about putting your heart into it.”

“Well…that’s true.” Yoon Soo-hong smiled as he watched Kang Jin knead the dough. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Kang Jin nodded in agreement with Yoon Soo-hong’s words. “Me too, I can’t wait.”

As they chatted and laughed, Kang Jin kept an eye on the dough. It didn’t take long for the dough to ferment, showing its smooth white texture. Kang Jin gently pressed his finger against it, deemed it ready, placed it on a cutting board, rolled it thinly with a rolling pin, and began slicing it with a knife.

“Wow…your knife skills are impressive!”

“The food should taste just as good as my knife skills. Almost done, so please have a seat.”

As Yoon Soo-hong returned to his seat, Kang Jin shook off excess flour from the noodles and dropped them into boiling broth with a splash. After stirring occasionally to ensure they cooked evenly, he transferred the translucent noodles to a bowl once done.

The savory aroma wafted through the air as Kang Jin placed the large bowl along with side dishes on a tray and brought it over to Yoon Soo-hong.

“Here you go.”

“Wow!” Yoon Soo-hong beamed after taking a whiff.

“The smell… Mm!”

Just inhaling the scent made him feel refreshed. Seeing this reaction, Kang Jin advised:

“Please enjoy your meal while it’s hot.”

With that, Kang Jin stepped aside. Yoon Soo-hong eagerly picked up a generous portion of kalguksu with his chopsticks and took a bite.

Slurp!

A smile spread across Yoon Soo-hong’s face as soon as he tasted the smooth, satisfying texture of the hand-cut noodles gliding effortlessly in his mouth.

Moreover, the noodles absorbed the broth’s flavor well, making it feel like he was drinking the soup while eating just the noodles alone.

It tastes like old times. Delicious.

With that thought, Yoon Soo-hong started gobbling down his food rapidly.

Kang Jin observed this from the kitchen and decided to taste the leftover kimchi kalguksu for himself. Since it was his first time making this dish, Kang Jin hadn’t tried it before either. After taking one bite, a smile spread across his face.

Ahh… It’s delicious.

Despite being the cook, he genuinely enjoyed the taste. Of course, the credit went to the Cooking Practice Room rather than his culinary skills.

Swoosh!

The smooth texture of noodles sliding into his mouth brought a smile to Kang Jin’s face as he nodded approvingly.

I should try making all the dishes available in the practice room at least once.

The cooking practice room offered numerous dishes, but Kang Jin had tried only a few of them. Today’s kimchi kalguksu tasted delicious and aligned with his personal preference. Since he was running a restaurant, he wanted to excel at it. Understanding how each dish tasted was crucial for serving food that met customers’ expectations. With this thought, Kang Jin took another generous bite of kalguksu.

It would taste even better during winter.

On cold days, slurping the noodles while blowing on them gently would enhance the experience.

Sip!

Yoon Soo-hong finished eating his kimchi kalguksu and wiped away his sweat with a tissue.

“You know, saunas exist for sweating, right?”

“Indeed.”

“I don’t understand why people go to saunas anymore.”

“Why’s that?”

“When you eat this kind of spicy and delicious food, it makes you sweat profusely. Why bother going to a sauna when eating here achieves the same result?”

Yoon Soo-hong wiped his sweaty forehead with a tissue, smiling contentedly as he took a sip of yakgwanmun tea.

“Ahh! I quite enjoy its slightly bitter taste.”

“Glad you like it,” replied Kang Jin.

Nodding, Yoon Soo-hong discreetly checked the time before making a reservation request.

“I’ll book a table for five at half past twelve tomorrow.”

Kang Jin asked upon hearing about the reservation, “What menu should we prepare?”

“They’re visiting South Korea, so let’s serve them traditional Korean cuisine.”

Kang Jin recalled something Yoon Soo-hong mentioned earlier and asked:

“By any chance, are those Chinese guests you mentioned coming?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“How should we adjust the pricing then?”

“Pricing?”

“You can’t just serve kimchi stew as Korean food. We need to consider side dishes too, don’t you think?”

Yoon Soo-hong looked at Kang Jin with amusement and replied:

“You seem quite savvy in business.”

“Well, I have to make a living.”

“So how much do I owe for what I ate today?”

“Just 7,500 won will be fine.”

“That’s quite reasonable for two servings.”

“It’s more like one serving plus extra portions.”

In response, Yoon Soo-hong took out his card from his wallet. Kang Jin proceeded to the counter, processed the payment, and returned the card.

“The price per person is around twenty thousand won, so let’s round it up to ten million won.”

“I understand. Also, if any of your guests have dietary restrictions or preferences, please let me know.”

Kang Jin’s response made Yoon Soo-hong chuckle.

“They’re Chinese.”

“Oh…”

Yoon Soo-hong’s comment brought a smile to Kang Jin’s face. It was commonly said that Chinese people would eat anything except for furniture with four legs and humans with two legs, implying they had no specific food preferences.

It’s quite a broad generalization, but I suppose it means they’ll eat just about anything.

“Understood. Then, we have a reservation for five at half past twelve tomorrow.” Hearing this, Yoon Soo-hong wiped his sweat one last time and stood up.

“Oh! And all four guests from Scorching Heat like spicy food.”

“Spicy cuisine… Understood.”

“Well, I look forward to enjoying your meal.”

As Yoon Soo-hong left the restaurant, Kang Jin began tidying up his station.

The next day, Kang Jin prepared food for their reserved guests.

“Chinese people don’t eat perilla leaves.” As Kang Jin took out some pickled perilla leaf, Sung Yongsoo’s comment caught his attention.

“They don’t?”

“No Chinese customers at our previous restaurant ever ate perilla leaf side dishes.”

“Not all of them, right?”

“Generally, Chinese people avoid perilla leaves. You can only find them in stores catering to ethnic Koreans living there.”

Following Bae Yongsoo’s advice, Kang Jin glanced at the pickled perilla leaves and then put them back in the refrigerator.

“Anything else?”

“Firstly, Chinese people aren’t fond of single-dish meals like kimchi stew. They prefer having multiple dishes served together.”

“So I should offer more menu options?”

“Reduce the number of side dishes and expand the main menu items. Oh! Chinese people also love steamed ribs and japchae.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Nodding at Bae Yongsoo’s suggestion, Kang Jin started preparing the food accordingly.

Bae Yongsoo observed her for a moment before adding, “It might be good to include one Scorching Heat dish as well.”

“But they specifically asked for Korean cuisine, right?”

Bae Yongsoo responded, “When away from home, people often crave their native foods.”

“That…makes sense.”

“Young travelers may venture to try local cuisines abroad, but older folks still prefer kimchi stew with soju, even when overseas. I remember taking our Suksoon-ssi to the US once, and we ended up eating at Korean restaurants for two meals a day during that trip.”

Kang Jin pondered Bae Yongsoo’s words for a moment before nodding and opening the recipe practice book.

“Scorching Heat Chinese cuisine…”

As Kang Jin flipped through the pages to find Scorching Heat dishes, Bae Yongsoo suggested:

“How about mapo tofu?”

“Is mapo tofu from Scorching Heat Province?”

“It’s quite famous there.”

Following Bae Yongsoo’s advice, Kang Jin searched for the mapo tofu recipe. As they both reviewed it together, Bae Yongsoo commented:

“This recipe is tailored more towards Korean tastes, but for Chinese people…especially those from Scorching Heat Province, it might be too bland.”

“What should we do then?”

“We can prepare it as indicated here, and I’ll adjust the seasoning according to my instructions later, how about that?”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yongsoo’s suggestion and began cooking.

At 12:25 pm, the restaurant door opened, and Yoon Soo-hong entered with his group of guests.

“Sir.”

“You made it?”

“How’s everything prepared?”

“It’s ready,” replied Kang Jin, nodding while glancing at the Chinese visitors accompanying Yoon Soo-hong.

However…instead of four, there were five guests with him - four humans and one ghost. A ghost had followed Yoon Soo-hong’s guests inside. Kang Jin immediately noticed that this wasn’t a South Korean ghost; its attire resembled traditional Chinese clothing.

Kang Jin raised an eyebrow upon seeing the Chinese ghost.

‘A Chinese ghost? Weren’t ghosts supposed to be unable to cross international borders?’

Nowadays, encountering a ghost elicited more curiosity than fear for Kang Jin.

She wondered if this was possible. She recalled what Kim So-hee had mentioned before, that just as there were borders between countries in our world, similar boundaries existed in the afterlife, preventing ghosts from crossing over to other nations.