I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 108. Broadcast Filming (3)
“I… Is that Chef Olivier that I know?”
“Chef Olivier? Who’s that?”
“Who else! A world-renowned chef! The chef of chefs!”
Young-gu, already familiar with Olivier’s reputation, jumped up in surprise, but the others didn’t seem particularly impressed.
Even if a chef was world-renowned, there was no way to know just how world-renowned.
But Young-gu’s next words were enough to change everyone’s perspective.
“All the Michelin three-star restaurants in Paris line up just to receive bread from that man.”
“Wow! To that extent?”
“Yes. He’s truly remarkable.”
The moment the word Michelin was mentioned, the others jumped up just like Young-gu had moments before.
Then Roro snapped his fingers as if remembering something and spoke.
“Ah… but the interpreter mentioned earlier that he requested a special lecture from the Owner…”
“What… What did you say? A special lecture?”
“Yes. The interpreter definitely said that earlier…”
I heard it correctly.
I can speak French, and I heard Chef Olivier say exactly that.
But that couldn’t possibly be true, could it?
“Chef, I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t think I’m qualified yet.”
“Seung-hyun! If you’re not qualified, then who is?”
Le Cordon Bleu values tradition, but it actively operates classes and seminars that invite external experts and industry masters.
At the Korean Sookmyung campus, Venerable Jeong-gwan even shared his recipes before.
But not just anyone could hold such lectures.
“Special lectures by alumni are typically conducted as master classes.”
The most frequent visitors to special lectures are none other than Michelin-starred chefs.
Especially at the Paris campus, owner-chefs from nearby renowned Michelin restaurants would visit and lecture on the latest fine dining trends.
Or we would learn advanced craftsmanship techniques from world champions and their unique formulations, and we could attend in-depth theoretical lectures from ingredient specialists.
And what Chef Olivier likely had in mind was probably a special lecture from successful alumni.
In such cases, lectures on practical experience and career advice were particularly popular with students.
“I’m simply running a small bakery in Korea. I have no connection to Michelin at all.”
“A Michelin star would be a given for someone like you, but what I need right now isn’t a chef with unnecessarily lengthy titles and accolades.”
Chef Olivier, who had just dismissed an honor that others spend lifetimes pursuing as an unnecessarily lengthy modifier, continued speaking.
“The students today are stuck in a rut. Their technique is good, but they lack soul. This way, they won’t bake delicious bread that adapts to a changing environment—they’ll just become stupid machines that bake bread.”
“Hmm…”
I understand what he’s trying to say.
Baking is truly delicate work.
Temperature, humidity, and even the slightest difference in ingredient ratios change the taste.
So no matter how precisely you measure, the flavor of bread will inevitably vary greatly depending on the weather each day.
But if you just mechanically measure…”
“The bread would taste ordinary.”
“Yes! That’s it! I knew you’d understand that!”
With Ho-jung, Young-gu, Roro, and Hani holding their breath and watching, Chef Olivier opened his mouth with a solemn voice.
“So show it to those students. With just a single demonstration, they’ll be able to gain so much.”
“But the school regulations….”
“I’m the director. What’s the problem?”
“And our filming too….”
“Don’t worry about the filming!”
Main PD Junho, who had been listening quietly, nodded his head.
Including the main writer, even Yu Jin, the junior writer, was nodding vigorously and expressing his consent.
It seemed they were determined to seize this opportunity, even if it meant completely rewriting their broadcast script.
Well, there’s no helping it then.
“Then please give me a moment. I need to prepare the content as well.”
“Oh! I’m looking forward to it! It will surely change the students’ lives! Come this way! I’ll have everything prepared so you can conduct your lecture!”
“Ah, Chef Olivier? Would it be possible to do a brief interview in the meantime? Something that would help with Seung-hyun’s store operations….”
“Oh! I’ve already heard about that! I’ll tell them about it! The genius he displayed here!”
I decided not to worry about what to say or how to say it.
The more I thought about it, the more old memories of my obsession with bread would surface, only adding to my stress.
After being guided, I arrived at Chef Olivier’s office.
While Chef Olivier conducted interviews with the filming crew elsewhere, I was guaranteed time to prepare my lecture alone.
“Sigh… the situation is really spinning out of control….”
“Is this kind of thing usually common? Owner?”
“How could it be?”
The moment I confirmed there was no one around, Noir jumped down and asked me.
As far as I know, this is unprecedented.
Normally, before giving a lecture like this, the speaker’s schedule, the general theme, and the contract would be confirmed at least three to six months in advance.
“This one is probably Chef Olivier’s unilateral decision. Even if we proceed, it will only be a brief session for the baking students this time.”
“Can we do that?”
“We got permission for the filming. If we say it was conducted as part of that, there shouldn’t be any major problems. And he’s also someone of standing here.”
So what I need to focus on now, having already agreed, is giving the best lecture I can.
However, after trying for a while to write a script for what to say, unfortunately it all ended in failure.
“I really have no talent for presentations.”
“Meow. Didn’t you speak so well when running the shop? Owner?”
“That seems to be different.”
As I sighed and tossed the crumpled paper, there were already more than ten in the trash bin.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“But what Chef Olivier asked of me was attitude, wasn’t it?”
“Meow?”
“Do I really need to express that in words?”
There’s a much easier way than words.
“So what are you planning to do?”
“What else?”
I had to show it through action.
* * *
After finishing all the preparations, the path to the practice kitchen that Olivier had arranged was familiar to me.
It was the place where I came first every single day at 4 AM to bake bread.
“This place must be familiar to you.”
“Yes, it is. I came here every day.”
“And in this place where you came every day, you’ll have a different experience this time. Seung-hyun.”
Olivier grinned widely and pushed the door open.
What came into view was dozens of students gathered inside the practice kitchen.
Renowned prodigies from all over the world were looking at me with puzzled expressions.
Or more precisely, at me and my companions.
“This atmosphere is pretty intense, isn’t it?”
“Do classes always have this kind of atmosphere?”
“The kitchen is a place where we work with fire and blades, so we maintain much stricter standards than usual.”
“Ugh… I don’t think I’ll be able to do this because I’m scared….”
Even as everyone voiced their own impressions, the students’ gazes didn’t waver.
It wasn’t just because it was a kitchen, as Young-gu had thought.
Their eyes held a mixture of arrogant skepticism—’let’s see how good you really are’—and a hint of anticipation for the person whom the master Olivier had praised so highly.
“Today, the alumnus I mentioned before, Seung-hyun, will conduct the class instead. Shall we begin?”
I had to prove my skills in front of students from the world’s finest culinary school.
I slowly rolled up the sleeves of my chef’s coat.
My gaze settled on the plain flour placed on the work station I had requested beforehand.
The air in the practice kitchen was like a bowstring pulled taut.
“You’ve probably already heard my name.”
I placed my words over that suffocatingly tense atmosphere.
“The truth is, I’m not particularly good with words. So I think all I can do is show you.”
That was the last thing I would say.
What I would demonstrate today was the potato bread I had recently created.
Of course, I wouldn’t use Lumiere’s eyes.
I shouldn’t use them either.
But I proceeded with using the berries and frying them first, just as before.
“He’s putting in that much effort? What on earth is he making?”
Even as the students’ voices continued, I focused solely on making the bread.
I made the dough using bread flour and tapioca starch.
“Is he adjusting the ratios on the spot while measuring? No way?”
Since I was making bread without using the Witch’s power, I had to concentrate with all my attention.
The humidity in the room, the temperature, and even the vitality of the natural starter culture used here were all factors to consider.
Without focused attention, bread cannot reach its maximum flavor.
“Then the temperature should be about this….”
The most difficult part was controlling the oven’s temperature.
Unlike the Witch’s Oven, which read my true intentions and reliably produced the desired results, this oven required me to set everything manually.
At least I already knew how this oven worked.
“To bake evenly without burning, place it in the second slot from the left, lower right section—that way it gets gentle, prolonged heat.”
When the oven door finally opened.
What I pulled out was a potato bread that looked identical to the Bread of Truth Lumiere.
“What? It looks just like a potato?”
“It didn’t burn even with all that stuff on the outside?”
“Was that muttering earlier real? You really memorized this oven completely?”
The students stirred in their seats, rising up.
Finally, before them lay bread that resembled a potato exactly.
“Please, have a taste.”
The first to reach for the bread was none other than Chef Olivier.
His trembling hand picked up the potato bread.
And contrary to his trembling hand, without a moment’s hesitation, he put the bread in his mouth.
After taking one bite, Chef Olivier’s eyes trembled as he murmured.
“This is… what on earth….”
“Chef Olivier is reacting like that?”
“What? I want to try just one bite too.”
“What does this taste like?”
The students rushed to put pieces of bread in their mouths.
And in eyes that had been filled with doubt, only sparkling curiosity remained.
This should count as a success.
“This is insanely delicious!”
“Wow! What is this?”
“Sob… Teacher… I should have made you my mentor….”
“Potato… diet… but it’s so delicious….”
Roro screamed, forgetting the camera, while Hani wavered between diet and pleasure before finally biting into the bread.
Ho-jung’s eyes went wide as he forgot all dignity and rushed to eat the bread, while Young-gu was shedding tears—apparently quite moved by something.
“This is no longer mere bread, but art. Can one always enjoy such flavors at your bakery?”
“Of course.”
“I must visit Korea soon. Now, did everyone see? Seung-hyun’s classmates are currently head chefs at Michelin three-star restaurants worldwide, or owners of famous bakeries whose names everyone knows. But….”
Chef Olivier added firmly.
“Among them, Seung-hyun was the only student I felt I had nothing left to teach. He is my most prized student, and at the same time, my greatest fear. His skills cannot be imitated by anyone.”
All the cast and staff of the gourmet show opened their eyes wide.
The world’s greatest chefs were my classmates, and the fact that I overwhelmingly ranked first among them was an enormous scoop both for entertainment and human interest.
Of course, I probably wasn’t overwhelmingly first.
Chef Olivier was simply giving me a boost like that.
That’s when it happened.
Beep beep beep beep beep~
Yu Jin’s phone, which had been quietly assisting with filming, suddenly began ringing frantically.
Moments later, as she checked the message, her face drained of all color.
“Yu Jin, what’s wrong?”
“I… Writer… it’s….”
“Let me see. This is… PD! I need to stop filming for a moment!”
The main Writer urgently requested that Junho, the Main PD, halt the shoot.
When Ho-jung asked what was happening in response to the sudden situation, Yu Jin held up the tablet screen with trembling hands for everyone to see.
And the article displayed there was….
[Exclusive] Famous Bakery on SNS, Victims Say “His Bread is an Addictive Substance”
[Shocking] “Unable to Function in Daily Life After Eating the Bread”… Five Customers File Class Action Lawsuit.
And beneath the article, as if waiting for this very moment, malicious comments directed at me were flooding in in real time.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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