Underworld Restaurant Chapter 41

Episode 40

“Shall we eat here?”

Choi Mina said with a smile as a woman looked around the store with a puzzled look on her face.

“You’ll be surprised when you try it.”

“I thought you said you’d meet in Gangnam so we could go to a fancy restaurant.”

“Do you have money to eat at a fancy restaurant?”

“I told you I would let you eat something delicious.”

“That’s funny. Did I say I’d let you eat something delicious or did I say I’d buy you something?”

“So this is a good restaurant?”

“That’s right. Would you be surprised?”

“But… …Why aren’t there any customers?”

“That’s because it’s a hidden restaurant.”

Kang Jin poked his head out into the conversation between the women in the hall.

“Are you here?”

“They are my friends.”

“nice to meet you.”

“This is Kangjin Lee, the CEO and intern at our company.”

“hello.”

One of the women greeted him, and another looked at Kangjin with a puzzled look.

“You have two jobs?”

“In today’s world, you only have one job

“Do you live off of food? Sit down.”

At Kang Jin’s words, the women sat down. Then Choi Mi-na looked at Kang Jin.

“Are you ready, Kang Jin?”

“Please sit down. I’ll start with the meringue fries and gratin. Oh! And the sauce is sweet. Is that okay?”

“sure.”

Kang Jin nodded at Choi Mi Na’s words and filled three bowls with meringue.

I put two pieces of fried food on each plate.

Then he poured syrup made from omija and sugar over it and put it on a plate and took it out.

“It’s fried meringue.”

“Meringue fries?”

When a woman saw the fried food, Kang Jin placed the bowl in front of the people.

“When you beat egg whites, they turn into whipped cream. They have a soft and fluffy texture, and seafood and meat are added to them.

“Think of them as a kind of meringue dumpling.”

“Then which one is seafood and which one is meat?”

“The lighter color is seafood, and the darker color is meat.”

Then Kang Jin saw Choi Mi Na.

“Try it and see if it suits your taste.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na picked up the meringue fritters with her chopsticks, dipped them in sauce, and put them in her mouth.

Crispy!

As she put it in her mouth, a crunchy sound came and a smile appeared on Choi Mina’s lips.

“Use it!”

But soon, Choi Mina quickly shut her mouth. The moment her mouth opened because of the smile, all the juice flowed out.

Choi Mina quickly closed her mouth and wiped it with a tissue, then nodded repeatedly and looked at her friends.

Seeing that, my friends also picked up the fried meringue with their chopsticks and put it in their mouths.

{H} Ssak! {H} Ssak!

The crispy texture that burst in my mouth was soon followed by the soft texture of meringue.

And as my tongue went deeper, this time sweet and savory juices swirled around my mouth.

There, the sweet and sour taste of the omija syrup mixed with those flavors fills your mouth.

It seemed like fireworks were going off.

“Hmm! Hmm!”

“Hmm!”

As the women nodded their heads repeatedly while swallowing the juice, Kang Jin also nodded and said.

“Gratin, please wait a moment.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na nodded repeatedly and then swallowed what was in her mouth.

“thank you.”

Kang Jin, who went into the kitchen after hearing Choi Mi-na’s answer, saw the oven with the gratin in it.

Kang-jin briefly looked at the surface of the gratin in the oven, then put on gloves and took it out.

As Kang-jin looked at the surface of the gratin bubbling away, he heard women’s voices.

“Wow! This is absolutely delicious.”

“I’ll let you eat something delicious

I told you so.”

“But how did you make this? The meat inside is so moist and well-cooked.”

“Right. Isn’t it bursting with juice?”

“The meat is so well cooked, and the meringue is perfectly tender and not burnt at all.”

“Try this sauce. It’s really sour.”

Kang Jin smiled at the conversation the women were having.

‘It’s definitely great.’

The meat inside the meringue is meat that has been cooked separately. Meringue made with egg whites cooks quickly and burns quickly, so if you put raw meat in, the meringue will turn to charcoal before the meat is cooked.

So first, cook the meat and seafood, wrap it in meringue, and lightly fry it in oil.

Just enough to lightly cook the meringue. Of course, fry the meringue so that it is delicious and the juice does not leak out.

Cooking is a skill, but it’s all about words.

Anyway, since it seemed like the girls liked it, Kang Jin nodded.

‘The cooking practice room is definitely a monster.’

Kang Jin muttered to himself, then glanced at the hole as he was about to put a knife into the gratin.

‘Women like cheese… …

Kang Jin muttered to himself for a moment.

Then I took out some mozzarella cheese from the refrigerator.

The gratin that was just taken out of the oven was already finished, so there was no need to add anything more. However, Kangjin was putting mozzarella cheese on top of the gratin.

And in Kang Jin’s mind, the words that Bae Yong Soo had said were coming to mind.

-Mrs. Kim Bok-rae’s food is great, but… the hangover soup is great.

Mrs. Young is the best.

In other words, the recipe that Mrs. Kim Bok-rae made was not the most delicious. It was not perfect.

There are people who make food that is more delicious than the food made by Mrs. Kim Bok-rae, and there are recipes for it.

Then I thought, what if I could add something to it?

And when it comes to food, there is always a preference. What tastes good to me may taste good to someone else.

I can’t guarantee anything.

A chef is just someone who is good at finding the middle ground between tastes. Moderately spicy, moderately salty… … A chef is someone who is very good at that moderation.

Then Kang Jin took out the torch, connected it to the gas tank, and pressed the button.

Choaack!

As flames shot out of the torch, Kang Jin adjusted the flames and began melting the cheese on top of the gratin.

all.

The gratin entry didn’t mention melting cheese with a torch, but other recipes in the workbook did.

It is also used to add a smoky flavor to stir-fried dishes, so I was able to use it skillfully.

Chew! Chew!

Kang-jin was watching the cheese melt and gradually turn brown.

After turning it off, I tried pressing the cheese lightly with my chopsticks.

Zwww!

Kangjin, who noticed that the cheese was growing long, brought it out in a bowl.

“It’s gratin. The bowl is hot, so don’t touch it. Just serve it to me.”

As Kang Jin put down the gratin bowl, an exclamation came out of Choi Mi Na’s mouth.

“Wow! Look at the cheese bubbling.”

“oh my god.”

As one woman started taking pictures of the gratin with her cell phone, other women followed suit.

Looking at the sight, Kang Jin looked at the bowls. The first bowl of meringue fritters that was put out was clean, as if even the sauce had been wiped clean.

Kang Jin laughed at that.

An empty plate of food means that the guest enjoyed the meal.

If it wasn’t tasty, I would have left it.

‘It’s no wonder the ghost of an old woman is obsessed with empty bowls.’

Seeing the empty bowl, Kang-jin felt happy as a person who cooked, so he went into the kitchen to prepare the next dish.

“It’s so moist.”

“It’s more like a cake than a gratin.”

The laughter of women can be heard in the hall

Hearing the sound, Kangjin put the steak he was going to prepare next on the fire.

Choaack!

In the hall, Choi Mina and the women were drinking soju. The women who had the first round of delicious food were having the second round of chicken feet and yukgaejang.

“That bald manager keeps glancing at the female employees as they pass by… … It makes me feel really dirty.”

“Sue him.”

“I would like to do that. But I don’t want to sue you for just glancing at me.”

“By the way, Haemi called and said she’s getting married next month.”

“You came to me too? Are you crazy? You didn’t contact me for a while after I graduated from college, and then you contacted me to say you’re getting married?”

“Okay. That’s why I just said I knew.”

“Aren’t you going to see me?”

“He said he wanted to see me. Ah! You guys

“I was praying.”

“Why us?”

“I think it would be nice if we could see it together sometime.”

“But you still have a conscience. Considering you didn’t even call us.”

Kang-jin watched the time while listening to the women talking in the kitchen.

<10:30>

‘It’s almost 11 o’clock… …

The women’s stories were getting longer as time went by. At 11 o’clock, ghosts came in.

And as Bae Yong-soo said, if ghosts come in, everyone will be uncomfortable.

Kang Jin came out alone.

“How was your meal?”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na smiled with a slightly flushed face.

“Mr. Kang Jin, it’s really delicious.”

The friends who came with Choi Mina also smiled and looked at Kang Jin.

“I never knew you could eat chicken feet with steak in the same house.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed the food.”

“But Mina said that if you tell her what you want to eat, she’ll make it… …? So, can I order whatever I want to eat?”

“There’s nothing we can do if you don’t have the ingredients, but we can do most things if we have the ingredients.”

“That’s great. I can eat everything in one place without having to go to several places.”

“And it tastes good too.”

Kang Jin laughed at the women’s words.

“Please come again next time.”

“all right.”

Looking at the smiling woman, Kang Jin spoke quietly to Choi Mi Na.

“Sir.”

“why?”

“I’m sorry, but I have a reservation at 11 o’clock.”

“Eleven o’clock?”

“I made the reservation not knowing the time would be like this… … I’m sorry.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mina looked at her watch and smiled.

“No, we haven’t been sitting for a long time.

“It did exist.”

Then Choi Mina lifted her glass.

“Let’s have a drink and go.”

“okay!”

The women lifted their glasses, downed a few shots in one gulp, and then stood up.

“How much is it?”

At Choi Mi-na’s words, Kang Jin looked at the table. There were eight bottles of soju and six bottles of beer on the table.

all.

“It’s 142 thousand won.”

“142 thousand won?”

When Choi Mi-na looked embarrassed, thinking that there was more than she thought, Kang Jin smiled and said,

“You drank a lot.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na saw the empty bottle of alcohol that New Year’s Eve.

“Ah… … The food was so delicious that I ate without thinking.”

When Choi Mina looked a little embarrassed, Kang Jin smiled and said.

“Soju and beer alone cost 56,000 won. And chicken feet, yukgaejang, fried meringue, gratin, steak, and spinach soup cost 90,000 won… … I don’t think I’m being overcharged.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na looked at the bottle of alcohol on the table. After hearing what he said… …it was cheap.

‘Well, just the steak should cost 50,000 won…

When I thought about it, it wasn’t that it was expensive, but rather that it was too cheap. I was just surprised because I had never seen this amount in the first place.

“60 thousand won each.”

When Choi Mina held out her hand, one of the women asked.

“Why 60,000 won? If it were 142,000 won… …

“Don’t you have any conscience? Didn’t Mr. Lee Kang-jin give me a cheap price because he saw my face? Pay me 60,000 won each.”

At Choi Mi-na’s words, the women glanced at Kang Jin, nodded, took out money, and handed it to him.

Although they don’t have a lot of money, this is about what successful career women can do.

Choi Mina, who added 60,000 won herself to the 60,000 won she borrowed from her friends, made 180,000 won and handed over the money.

“Here it is 180 thousand won.”

“You don’t have to give it to me like this

“Good items should be bought and sold at good prices. That is the basic attitude of a salaryman.”

When Choi Mi-na gave him money, Kang Jin smiled and accepted it. It definitely felt like he was getting it for cheap, but he was grateful because she said she would take care of it.

“Then see you tomorrow.”

As Choi Mi-na went out with the women smiling, Kang Jin came out with her to see her off.

And Kang Jin saw ghosts gathered in front of the door. They were all waiting for the door to open.

“It’s only September, why is it so cold?”

At one woman’s muttering, Choi Mi-na shuddered slightly as if in agreement.

“As soon as summer passes, it feels like winter.”

“Yeah, it’s strangely cold.”

Of course, it’s not that the weather is cold, it’s just that

It feels cold when you are in the middle of the gods.

#$##

Episode 41

Kang Jin said to Choi Mi Na, who was talking to him.

“See you tomorrow.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na nodded, her body trembling.

“Then see you tomorrow.”

As Choi Mi-na waved her hand with a smile, Kang Jin also raised his hand slightly and spoke hurriedly.

“wait a minute.”

“why?”

At Choi Mi-na’s words, Kang Jin told her to wait for a moment and went into the kitchen.

Then, he put the Omija sauce in a small disposable container. Looking at the sauce that was similar to a beautiful red rose color, Kang-jin closed the lid and put the container in a bag and took it out.

“You seemed to be enjoying the sauce so much that I took some of the leftovers.”

“Oh my! Thank you.”

Choi Mina took the sauce container out of the bag and smiled.

“The color is so pretty.”

“I’m sorry this is all I have.”

“No, thank you.”

“You can dip it in fried foods or drink it mixed in water like tea.”

At Kang Jin’s words, a woman looked at him.

“We don’t have any?”

Kang Jin looked at her at the woman’s words. Even though she said that, her face didn’t show any sign of real regret or anything like that.

It was just a light joke.

Kang Jin smiled and said to him.

“This is a gift to my boss at work to ask him to take good care of me in the future.”

“gift?”

“I’m an intern.”

When Kang Jin smiled, the women laughed too.

“Mina would be nice. There are interns who give gifts.”

“That’s right, in our department, there are only interns who cause problems, not to mention giving gifts.”

Choi Mina smiled and looked at Kang Jin at the sound of the girls laughing.

“From now on, my company life will be completely smooth sailing with this.”

Kang Jin said to Choi Mi Na’s words, which were half-joking but also sincere.

“Go ahead.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Choi Mi-na and the women turned around and walked away. Kang Jin’s face showed a look of puzzlement as he watched their backs.

One of the gathered ghosts was seen heading towards the women.

‘what?’

When Kang Jin saw the ghost, Choi Ho Cheol peeked into the store.

“Wow, that’s amazing. How many bottles did you drink?”

“Eight bottles of soju and six bottles of beer.”

“Three women ate a lot?”

“I don’t think you got very drunk even after eating that much.”

Kang Jin, who was speaking, pointed towards the women.

“But what is that ghost? It’s a ghost I’ve never seen before.”

The ghost following the women was a young ghost who looked like a middle school student.

“The woman in yellow followed me.”

“It’s not a bad spirit or anything, is it?”

“That girl is my older brother.”

“Brother?”

“It was our first time seeing a ghost, so we talked about it for a while… … It seems like my younger sibling is following me around because he’s worried about me.”

“Ah… … Then it’s not a bad ghost.”

“What… what did he say?”

Heo Yeon-wook clicked his tongue at the sight of Choi Ho-cheol thinking for a moment.

“Guardian Spirit.”

“Ah! That’s right. The Guardian Spirit.”

When Choi Ho-cheol nodded, Kang Jin

After looking at these two, I asked.

“What is a guardian spirit?”

Heo Yeon-wook answered Kang Jin’s question.

“Does the ghost lady at the market come to mind?”

Kang-jin nodded, recalling the ghost of a middle-aged woman crying and asking for help for a man who was having a seizure.

“yes.”

“That kind of ghost is a guardian spirit. Usually, it sticks to a child, a parent, or someone you love… but that friend is attached to his younger brother.

“Oh, there it was.”

“Does it look difficult?”

“That’s because I died young. When you’re dead, you don’t age.”

“Then does the guardian spirit have a limit and remain?”

“You could say it’s a pity. I left my loved one behind.

“Then how does the guardian spirit ascend?”

“Well, I don’t know much about that either. I’m not a ghost so I don’t know everything about ghosts.”

Kang Jin nodded at Heo Yeon Wook’s words.

‘Well, people don’t know much about other people.’

Kang Jin, who had finished thinking, was standing in front of the door.

saw ghosts.

Although there were only about 10 minutes left until 11 o’clock, Kangjin went inside without telling anyone to come in.

It is the only space and time where ghosts have a physical body.

So, even if the ghosts were inside the store, they would go out before 11 o’clock and come back in at 11 o’clock.

Open the door yourself and come in

is to enjoy it. So Kang Jin went inside alone.

Even if I tell you to come in anyway, you won’t come in.

By 11 o’clock, Kang Jin was cooking in the kitchen. Now he knew the tastes of his ghost guests.

So they prepare the food they will order in advance.

Bam!

The door opened while I was preparing the ingredients.

“Welcome, everyone.”

When Kang Jin shouted happily towards the hall, the ghosts smiled and raised their hands.

“I want stir-fried pork.”

“Steamed eggs!”

Kang Jin smiled and said what the ghosts ordered.

“Wait a minute!”

The ghosts knew what Kang Jin said.

After sitting down, he brought out some soju and started drinking it.

Anyway, as soon as the order came in, Kang Jin quickly started cooking.

‘Hey Yongsu, when are you coming?’

Normally, Bae Yong-soo would be there cooking, but since Kang-jin was doing it alone, his hands were busy.

Of course, I wasn’t flustered or anything because I was making dishes that were in the cooking practice room.

But still, my hands were busy.

Tata-tat!

Chop the green onions and add them to the stir-fried pork. Kang Jin stir-fries quickly.

Chooah! Chooah!

Bam!

Kang Jin suddenly had that thought at the sound of the door opening slightly.

‘Should I fix the door?’

The creaking sound of a door opening

It’s not jarring to the ears. You can also hear the sound of a guest coming in.

But I thought the door was rattling because something wasn’t right, so I thought maybe I could fix that.

‘Should I fix the door and hang the scenery?’

If you hang the wind chime, it will not make a sudden sound, but a pleasant sound.

With that thought in mind, Kang Jin

Put the stir-fry in a bowl.

“Here’s the pork belly! And if you need some side dishes, take this first.”

When they served the pork in several bowls, ghosts came and took the bowls away.

As he watched, Kang Jin, who was about to cook something else, saw Bae Yong Soo entering the kitchen.

“It’s late.”

It’s not too late.”

Then Bae Yong-soo immediately washed his hands. It didn’t matter when he was a ghost, but when he was a real person, it was natural to wash his hands before cooking.

Bae Yong-soo said while washing his hands.

“I’ll take care of this. Go out to the hall.”

“why?”

“I brought grandmother Oh Soon-young.”

“Grandma Oh Soon-young?”

I wondered who that was and then Kang Jin suddenly

He looked into the hall. There was an old lady ghost sitting at a table on one side of the hall.

Kang Jin saw Bae Yong Soo in the image of the grandmother ghost Oh Soon Young wearing a beautiful peach-colored hanbok.

“Did you come to see Grandma Oh Soon-young?”

“I thought of you. Go say hello.”

Kang Jin nodded at Bae Yong Soo’s words, wiped his hands, and came out alone.

Oh Soon-young looked at the ghosts drinking alcohol with slightly nervous and anxious eyes.

was there.

“Hello. I am Kangjin Lee, the owner of Hankki Restaurant.”

Oh Soon-young tilted her head at Kang Jin’s greeting.

“Did you happen to come to our restaurant for lunch today?”

“Do you remember me?”

“I don’t forget the faces of my customers. I’m sorry. I should have treated you to a nice meal…

Kang Jin smiled and said as he saw Oh Soon Young sighing.

“It was delicious. Oh! I ate everything without leaving any food behind, you know?”

A small smile appeared on Oh Soon-young’s face at Kang Jin’s words.

“I remember eating everything and it was delicious. I felt full just looking at it.”

“Then what would you like to eat?”

Oh Soon-young answered Kang Jin’s question

He looked at me and said quietly.

“excuse me……

“Go ahead.”

“Are all the people here… … ghosts?”

Kang Jin looked at Oh Soon Young’s question with a puzzled look and then said.

“Is this your first time at our store?”

“Ah……” Yes.”

“That’s right. Everyone here… … like you, Madam, has passed away.

“They are people.”

Kang Jin emphasized that he is like Oh Soon Young. Just because he is a ghost doesn’t mean he isn’t scary.

Choi Ho-cheol also said that he was surprised and scared when he first saw the ghost. And the anxiety and tension I saw in Ms. Oh Soon-young’s eyes also seemed to be due to the ghosts around her.

“Is this your first time seeing a ghost?”

“No. I’ve seen it a few times… …but there are so many of them

“It’s my first time.”

“Even if they are ghosts, they are just like people inside here, so there is no need to be anxious. And they are all good people.”

“yes.”

Kang Jin said, feeling the slight tension on Oh Soon Young’s face ease.

“Then what would you like to eat?”

Oh Soon-young opens the store in response to Kang Jin’s question.

I looked back and smiled when I saw the menu.

“I’ll make whatever you want to eat… … It looks like the young friend is confident in his cooking.”

“A little.”

“Then… …Can I ask for some Seonjihaejangguk?”

Kang Jin laughed at Oh Soon Young’s words.

“The person who has made Seonjihaejangguk all his life is eating Seonjihaejangguk here too?”

“It’s my favorite food… …I’ve been making it my whole life.”

“Since it’s your first time here, I’d like to make it for you, but I don’t have any ready-made seonji. And to make seonji haejangguk, you have to boil the bones for ten hours… … It’s difficult to prepare it right now. Ah! Tomorrow… …

Kang Jin, who was about to say that he would do it, shook his head. Tomorrow is Thursday.

I can’t boil bones for ten hours on a weekday. I have to go to work.

am.

“… … is not possible… … If you come on Saturday, I will prepare it for you.”

At Kang Jin’s words, Oh Soon Young looked at him and sighed.

“ I know a young friend like this

place……

“yes?”

“If you want to make Seonjihaejangguk, you have to boil the broth first. I boiled it for 12 hours.”

“You boiled it for a long time.”

“Even the owner of this restaurant knows… … My son, who inherited the Seonji Haejangguk restaurant, doesn’t know.”

Kang Jin said as he watched Oh Soon-young sighing.

“We have a lot of other food at home. I’m not bragging, but… … they’re pretty tasty.”

Oh Soon-young looked at Kang Jin’s words.

“I hope you do well in business in the future, sir.

“I will.”

“yes?”

“In the food business, taste is important, but it’s also important to make people comfortable. If even I, a ghost, can be made comfortable like this… … I wonder how comfortable people will be.”

“thank you.”

Oh Soon-young, who had been nodding to Kang Jin’s answer, spoke quietly.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“It may be rude to ask a favor like this from a restaurant owner, but… Could you please order a bowl of Seonjihaejangguk from our restaurant?”

“ah……”

“I’ll give you the money.”

As she spoke, Oh Soon-young took out a card from inside her hanbok.

The card, as black as a scepter, has JS Finance written in silver letters, and Oh Soon-young’s name on one side.

It was stuck.

‘I guess this is a VVIP card.’

Kang Jin nodded while looking at the card.

“What’s so difficult? I’ll go and get you a bowl to go.”

“thank you.”

Kang Jin smiled at Oh Soon-young’s words and said.

“Then I will go.”

“Take your card.”

Kang Jin shook his head at Oh Soon Young’s words.

“That card is only accepted at our store, so they probably won’t accept it. I’ll be back then.”

Kang Jin turned around and stuck his head into the kitchen.

“I’ll bring some Seonjihaejangguk.”

“Would you like to eat that?”

“But it won’t taste like before.

“Won’t you be disappointed?”

Bae Yong-soo shook his head at what Kang Jin said while glancing at Oh Soon-young.

“So that’s what you want to eat.”

At Bae Yong-soo’s words, Kang Jin turned around to look at him.

“I’ll go and come back.”