Chapter 92

Kang Jin quickly downed his shot of soju and subtly tilted the glass to show it was empty, mimicking Wang Gangshin’s earlier gesture. When Wang Gangshin smiled and moved to refill Kang Jin’s glass again, Kang Jin shook his head with a grin.

“If we drink like this, it’ll feel more like binge drinking than hosting.”

Wang Gangshin nodded at Kang Jin’s remark.

“You’re right. Chinese people love alcohol, but we dislike those who force others to drink excessively. It’s best to enjoy alcohol within one’s limits.”

Kang Jin pursed his lips at Wang Gangshin’s statement.

Yet he pours me full shots?

Unbeknownst to Kang Jin, this is customary in Chinese drinking culture. They believe in generously filling glasses as a sign of respect.

As Kang Jin pondered this, Wang Gangshin spoke up again.

“Your Chinese is still halting, but you seem to understand well enough. Why don’t you study it more?”

Kang Jin’s Chinese was at a child’s level. While he could hold basic conversations, they were often cumbersome and awkward.

“Study?”

“As you mentioned earlier, Chinese people enjoy hosting guests. Wouldn’t restaurants abroad attract more customers if their owners knew some Chinese? Plus, when my acquaintances visit South Korea, I can recommend your restaurant to them.”

“That makes sense.”

“And knowing another language opens up many opportunities.”

Kang Jin nodded at Wang Gangshin’s words when suddenly he looked closely at him.

Wait…does he know how to speak Korean?

Was it possible that someone who advised learning another language couldn’t actually speak one himself? While it might not be guaranteed, there was a high likelihood that he could. Kang Jin shook his head.

I guess ‘foreign language’ doesn’t necessarily mean Korean. He could possibly speak English.

After all, knowing English would be more beneficial than speaking Korean for most people.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Yoon Soo-hong entered the room.

“President Kang, please bring some shot glasses.”

Seeing Yoon Soo-hong place a bottle of liquor on the table, Kang Jin retrieved shot glasses from the kitchen.

As soon as Kang Jin placed the shot glasses on the table, Wang Gangshin picked up the bottle of alcohol. It was smaller than a typical soju bottle…commonly known in South Korea as golli-ju, or distilled liquor.

They’re drinking this at lunchtime?

Golli-ju is incredibly potent with 56% alcohol by volume. Considering regular soju has around 17%, golli-ju is three times stronger.

Wang Gangshin poured the distilled liquor into each shot glass for himself, the middle-aged man, and the woman. When he reached Kang Jin, she pursed her lips slightly before saying:

“I’ll just have one.”

“As you wish.” Smiling, Kang Jin accepted the drink from Wang Gangshin.

Before they could toast, Wang Gangshin expressed his gratitude: “Firstly, I want to thank Mr. Yoon for taking time out of your schedule to show my family and me around South Korea.”

Wang Gangshin’s words prompted Yoon Soo-hong to give a slight bow.

“I would have been hurt if you didn’t contact me during your visit to South Korea, Wang-nim. I’m glad that you reached out and made this request.”

In response, Wang Gangshin raised his glass towards Yoon Soo-hong and downed it in one swift motion. The others followed suit, drinking their soju. Kang Jin watched them, smacking his lips before taking a sip of his own high-proof liquor.

Gulp!

As soon as it hit his throat, he could distinctly feel the burn descending down his esophagus.

‘Wow, that’s strong.’

To counteract the potency, Kang Jin hastily took a bite of marinated ribs. After neutralizing the taste with food, he stood up from his seat.

“If I drink any more, I might lose control.”

Wang Gangshin nodded in agreement.

“That’s enough for you. Instead…”

Wang Gangshin stood up and poured drinks for everyone before raising his glass.

“I want to thank this brother here for providing us with delicious food that reminds me of home.”

As Wang Gangshin took a sip, others followed suit.

Kang Jin smiled at the sight.

“Enjoy your meal!”

As Kang Jin moved to return to the kitchen, Wang Gangshin took out his wallet from his pocket. He then pulled four 50,000 won bills and handed them over.

“Take it.”

With a grateful smile, Kang Jin accepted the money.

“Thank you very much.”

“Ha ha ha! No problem.”

Seeing Wang Gangshin’s pleased grin, Kang Jin bowed respectfully before heading back to the kitchen.

He sure is generous.

A two-hundred-thousand-won tip was quite generous. Smiling, Kang Jin started preparing more dishes. Since he’d received such a large tip, he wanted to show his appreciation by cooking even better food.

The lunch ran longer than expected. It was past 2 PM, yet Wang Gangshin’s family continued drinking and eating.

They’re taking their time.

Kang Jin glanced at the dining table as he thought this. There were still plenty of dishes left, but it seemed like they needed some fresh appetizers. He took out pork belly and began stir-frying it.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

As he cooked, Kang Jin added chili peppers and pepper oil. When he reached for additional seasoning, Bae Yongsoo spoke up.

“Make it spicier.”

Kang Jin shot him a sidelong glance.

“But isn’t it already quite spicy?”

“When drinking alcohol, your taste buds become duller. Moreover, Chinese people prefer stronger flavors than us.”

Following Bae Yongsoo’s advice, Kang Jin added more seasoning, and Yongsoo nodded approvingly.

“That’s enough.”

Under Yongsoo’s guidance, Kang Jin quickly finished cooking. The recipe provided by the system was delicious but tailored to South Koreans’ tastes, including their preferred level of seasoning. Hence, Bae Yongsoo’s expertise was crucial in adjusting the spices to suit Chinese palates.

With Yongsoo’s instructions, Kang Jin completed the dish and brought it to the dining table.

“Here’s spicy stir-fried pork with chili peppers.”

“Mm! This looks tasty.” Wang Gangshin smiled widely, scooped up a generous portion of the spicy stir-fried pork, and exclaimed while smacking his lips, “Delicious!”

Inspired by Wang Gangshin’s enthusiastic reaction, the rest of the family eagerly tried the dish as well.

It’s incredibly spicy.

Kang Jin had made it himself, but he found it too hot for his taste. Despite this, the Chinese family enjoyed their meal heartily. As Kang Jin turned around, he noticed the lingering presence of the Chinese ghost, Wang Gangshin. It bothered him to see the ghost standing behind the family, merely watching them eat without partaking. Witnessing others enjoy food while not being able to participate can be distressing, regardless of whether one is human or a ghost.

To address this, Kang Jin subtly gestured towards the kitchen with his eyes, indicating that the Chinese ghost should follow. The ghost hesitated momentarily before trailing after Kang Jin into the kitchen.

Once inside, Kang Jin scooped some of the spicy pork stir-fry into a bowl and placed it on the kitchen table along with chopsticks.

“Please help yourself.”

The Chinese ghost looked at the spicy pork dish and responded:

“Thank you.”

The ghost observed the stir-fried pork and said,

“Thank you.”

Then, using chopsticks, it placed some food in its mouth. Similar to Yeongsoo’s group earlier, Kang Jin watched as the food disappeared into the translucent figure of the ghost.

“Wanna have a drink?” asked Kang Jin.

The ghost smacked its lips and glanced towards the hall. Taking that as a yes, Kang Jin retrieved soju from the refrigerator. There were several bottles stored in the kitchen for cooking purposes. Kang Jin poured a glassful and set it down in front of the ghost.

With that, the ghost picked up the glass and drank.

“They say South Korean soju is like drinking tea… I see now they’re not wrong,” remarked the Chinese ghost.

Kang Jin chuckled softly in response, “Chinese liquor tends to be too strong.”

“That could be true.”

As he spoke, the Chinese ghost glanced at the hall where members of the Wang family were drinking rice liquor. He preferred it over soju.

Kang Jin responded to his gaze, “I cannot touch that liquor over there.”

The Chinese ghost smacked his lips, observing the hall before bowing with folded hands towards Kang Jin.

“I am Wang Gangjun.”

Having seen this gesture only in movies, Kang Jin hesitantly returned the bow.

“Lee Kang-jin. By any chance, are you related to Mr. Wang?”

Wang Gangjun nodded in response to Kang Jin’s question.

“He is my younger brother.”

“Is he a guardian spirit?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that, but regardless, he’s still just a ghost,” Wang Gangjun said with a smile, leaving Kang Jin feeling slightly melancholic.

‘Since he is Wang Gangshin’s elder brother… How long has he been a ghost?’

Wang Gangshin appeared to be over seventy years old, while his brother Wang Gangjun looked like he was in his twenties. This meant that Wang Gangjun had likely been living as a ghost for more than fifty years.

He’s been a ghost for quite some time.

Lee Kang-jin shook his head, feeling troubled by this thought. Living alone and isolated for fifty years without anyone caring or even conversing with him must have been incredibly difficult. As a guardian spirit, he would constantly be at Wang Gangshin’s side, making it challenging to interact with other ghosts.

As these thoughts crossed Kang-jin’s mind, he suddenly turned to Wang Gangjun.

“Is there an Underworld Restaurant in China?”

“Yes, there is.”

“Have you visited it before?” Kang-jin asked.

Wang Gangjun nodded in response. “One of my sister’s properties houses an Underworld Restaurant.”

Confusion spread across Lee Kang-jin’s face upon hearing Wang Gangjun’s reply.

“Then…is it rented out?”

“It is indeed.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

‘Even the Underworld Restaurant has rental properties. Am I lucky?’

The Chinese Underworld Restaurant operated as a tenant in someone else’s building, whereas his restaurant was located on his own property.

“So…you haven’t had a meal there yet?”

“The owner did mention to come for dinner, but…I couldn’t make it at the right time,” Wang Gangjun replied with a hint of disappointment.

Kang Jin pursed his lips sympathetically. Although he had visited the Underworld Restaurant before, Wang Gangjun had never experienced their full-course meal. The reason was simple: As Wang Gangshin’s guardian spirit, Wang Gangjun could not venture far away from her. Since Wang Gangshin needed to arrive at the Underworld Restaurant by 11 PM…, she couldn’t enter a place swarming with ghosts. Starting from 11 PM, when the restaurant caters exclusively to ghosts, no humans can be seen dining there due to deliberate avoidance. Consequently, Wang Gangshin, being human, could not visit the restaurant after 11 PM, preventing Wang Gangjun from enjoying meals there either.

Consciously avoiding that time frame, King Wang Gangshin couldn’t dine at the Underworld Restaurant after eleven o’clock. Hence, even his son, Wang Kangjun, couldn’t eat there either.

Kang Jin observed Wang Kangjun and asked, “Wouldn’t you like to have proper meals?”

“This food is quite tasty,” replied Wang Kangjun.

Kang Jin nodded understandingly.

Since he’s never experienced truly good food…he considers this as delicious. Perhaps it’s fortunate for him.

Someone who has never tasted meat wouldn’t know its flavor, nor would they desire it. Inspired by this thought, Kang Jin placed more dishes on the table.

“Please enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.”

As Kang Jin watched Wang Kangjun, she discreetly glanced towards the main hall where the Wang family members continued feasting and reveling happily.

Observing them, Kang Jin asked Wang Gangjun, “Is it because you’re concerned about your sister as her guardian spirit that you can’t ascend?”

Wang Gangjun paused while eating as Kang Jin pointed towards the sky with his finger. After a moment, he spoke up:

“My parents were lost to war, so I raised my sister.”

“That must have been tough for you.”

“It was challenging, but having my sister motivated me to work hard. One day, after leaving her at home and going to work…I died unexpectedly.”

“You died suddenly?”

“Yes, on my way back home after finishing work, I felt dizzy out of nowhere. So, I decided to sit down briefly thinking, ‘I need to rest before continuing,’ …and just like that, I passed away.”

A sudden death… He seemed quite young.

Kang Jin estimated Wang Gangjun to be in his early twenties or late teens. Yet, such a sudden demise…

As Kang Jin pondered this, Wang Gangjun spoke up:

“After realizing I had died, my main concern was for my sister who would be left alone.”

“So that’s why you stayed behind?”

“I’m not sure. But Lord Black and White told me that due to my heavy attachment, I couldn’t ascend to heaven.”

“Lord Black and White?”

“He is the Chinese Reaper of Souls.”

Kang Jin nodded at Wang Gangjun’s explanation and glanced around the hall.

“If you remained here out of worry for your sister…it seems now there’s no need to fret anymore.”

She had children and even grandchildren. Moreover, considering she could travel abroad and enjoy sightseeing with Yoon Soo-hong’s guidance, it implied her life must have been stable and prosperous.

Wang Gangjun smiled at Kang Jin’s words.

“I’m relieved she turned out well.”

“Then it’s time for you to go now. You’ve lingered too long.”

Considering Wang Gangjun had been living as a ghost for roughly fifty years, it was about time he moved on.

“I must go…but truthfully, I’m not sure how to proceed anymore.” Wang Gangjun pursed his lips and shook his head. He then raised the glass but paused before drinking.

“One more shot, please,” said Wang Gangjun.

Kang Jin looked at the glass, which was already full of soju.

Ah! Right, he’s a ghost.

Ghosts consume the essence or soul of food. Therefore, despite appearing full, the glass contained spirit-less soju, making it undrinkable by Wang Gangjun. Kang Jin pushed aside that glass and poured him another fresh one.

He then turned to Wang Gangjun. “Is there anything else you’d like to try?”

“This is enough for me.”

“I mean something other than this.” Kang Jin responded, prompting Wang Gangjun to glance at him and then towards the hall briefly before speaking up after a moment of hesitation.

“Egg noodles.”

“Egg noodles?”

“That’s what I’d like to have.”

Kang Jin looked at his cooking practice sheet following Wang Gangjun’s request.

I don’t recall seeing a recipe for egg noodles.

“It’s a dish my mother used to make for me. I can provide you with the instructions on how to cook it.”

“Please do.”

Wang Gangjun proceeded to list the ingredients.

“Three eggs, noodles, and…”