I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 14
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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 14. Delicious Diet (2)
Only after hearing my explanation did Ye-seul approach and read the memo.
“Will this really be effective for dieting?”
“Of course. While eating alone won’t make you lose weight, since I made it with wellness in mind, it should definitely help.”
Because I use unrefined whole grains, it’s rich in dietary fiber, and the glycemic index is low as well.
Plus, the bread itself is dense and filling, so you’ll feel satisfied quickly and naturally eat less.
And it even comes with an effect that increases exercise efficiency, so it’ll definitely be beneficial.
“Could I just buy one and try it first?”
“Of course. Should I slice it for you?”
“Yes!”
True to form, a mukbang YouTuber thought differently from most people.
She planned to finish the entire pumpernickel—which was certainly filling—right there and then decide on additional purchases.
But I had to honor a customer’s reasonable request.
I sliced the pumpernickel I’d brought on a tray and handed it to Ye-seul.
“Thank you! I’ll go eat this over there!”
“Enjoy.”
Ye-seul walked away with light steps and took a big bite of the pumpernickel.
Her eating was always so satisfying to watch.
Yet she remained neat and tidy about it.
That’s probably why she could be a mukbang YouTuber.
“Still fast though.”
“I can’t believe it even seeing it again. Owner, that woman must have a void in her stomach.”
She finished the entire piece of bread in an instant, then licked her lips.
Soon, as if coming to her senses, she hurried back over and exclaimed.
“I’ll take 2 of these… No! 12 please!”
“12?”
“2 are for content… and the remaining 10 are for me to eat…. Hehe. Oh! I didn’t mean just 2! It’s because I need to eat other foods together too!”
Society has decided not to call that “leftover,” Ye-seul.
And this is about the size of regular sandwich bread, so it should be quite filling.
Fortunately, the pumpernickel turned out to be exactly to Ye-seul’s taste.
“It’s nutty and crispy with a dense texture! And what’s that floral and grassy scent?”
“I tried it experimentally—did it work out?”
“Yes! It was perfect!”
I’d asked because I wasn’t sure if only I found it appealing, but since Ye-seul also loved the fragrance created by fairy wing powder, it passed the test.
As I was slicing and packaging the 12 pumpernickel pieces she’d ordered, she spoke to me.
“But ‘delicious and healthy’ is kind of a cliché, don’t you think?”
“I think so too. Do you have any ideas?”
“Yes! I do!”
Ye-seul’s eyes sparkled as she opened her mouth with confident pride.
“Korea’s bread shocks the world! Hollywood celebrities were amazed by the arrival of diet-effective bread! How about something like this?”
“I’ll think about it.”
But honestly, I won’t be thinking about it at all.
I hope I didn’t see the same kind of video as Noir did.
I should just leave the memo as it is.
“Meoooow!”
As if to prove her point, I gently ignored Noir’s persistent cries.
* * *
“Sigh….”
With a deep exhale, a woman sprawled limply across the sofa, her eyes staring blankly into nothing.
Surrounding her was a chaotic mess of scattered belongings.
Discarded clothes lay strewn about in various corners, while unsorted household items remained neglected.
“Even if it’s supposed to be a break period, this is a bit much, isn’t it?”
After pushing herself so hard for so long, she had postponed cleaning with the thought that she deserved to rest a little—and now she was paying the price for that procrastination.
If she left it any longer, an independent ecosystem would develop.
“Fine. It’ll work out somehow. And….”
The woman dropped her carefully styled hair back onto the cushion with a soft thud.
Her hair was slick with oil—she hadn’t washed it in days—and she wore a stretched-out t-shirt as she let out a yawn and continued speaking.
“This break period wasn’t even something I wanted. It’s a forced break.”
Her eyes held no light whatsoever.
These were not the eyes one would expect from Hani, a member of the girl group Favor who captivated the admiration of the masses.
“I guess it can’t be helped if an idol gains weight.”
Chae-eun wore an expression of complete resignation before closing her eyes tightly.
“No matter how hard I try not to care about malicious comments, it’s impossible.”
The public are truly cruel beings.
They shower you with infinite love one moment, then suddenly plunge a sharp blade into you with a single word that emerges from nowhere.
It all started with one rumor circulating online.
– Favor’s Hani suspected of internal conflict
The public was swept up by the internal conflict rumors created through poorly edited compilations.
Unable to withstand the pressure, Chae-eun’s stress relief came through eating.
– Hasn’t Hani gotten really fat lately?
– No professional spirit as an idol.
– Everyone and their mother wants to be an idol these days, that’s why.
– Her singing’s not even that good if you ask me?
Even after the agency announced a strong response, public opinion didn’t improve, so the company ultimately ordered Chae-eun to take a forced break.
“Wait, actually, now that I think about it, this pisses me off. If this counts as fat, does everyone in the world walk around as skeletons?”
Objectively speaking, Chae-eun had absolutely not gained weight.
Sure, the effects of overeating had made her slightly rounder, but compared to how gaunt she’d been before, she actually looked healthier now.
“Ugh. What good does my anger do?”
With a heavy sigh, she buried her face in the cushion and murmured.
“Why are they doing this to me….”
Humans are cruel.
Chae-eun could vividly feel that cruelty—the kind that forced one to abandon dreams cherished for so long.
If her fellow members hadn’t supported her like sisters and friends, she wouldn’t have endured even this much.
“There’s no joy in living. No joy at all.”
She decided to stop dwelling on such gloomy thoughts.
A diet?
Right, it’s not like it’s impossible if I just do it.
“Ugh….”
But the shudder running through her body was unavoidable.
If eating only one meal a day while exercising didn’t seem horrifying, that would be strange indeed.
“Ah. Whatever. I’ll do it a bit later.”
Ultimately defeated by the sofa’s comfort, what Chae-eun chose instead of exercising and cleaning was none other than her phone.
More precisely, YouTube.
“It would be funny if an idol said they watch YouTube instead of managing themselves.”
Chae-eun laughed self-deprecatingly and opened one of her subscribed channels.
While several channels remained in her subscription tab, what she’d been hooked on lately—unable to eat as she pleased—was a mukbang channel.
“Ah! Roro uploaded a new video!”
[What Did Roro Eat Today?]
A mukbang YouTuber who ate massive amounts of food tailored to each day’s concept while maintaining a calm and refined atmosphere.
“Ugh. I got so captivated I left a comment on my main account….”
Thanks to that, Roro’s channel had skyrocketed, but Chae-eun’s situation was different—she was now exposed before countless viewers.
She couldn’t even delete the comment she’d left, as it might negatively impact Roro’s channel.
“Anyway, let me just watch the video. The title is… huh?”
This video’s title was simple.
[Even Elephants Eat Vegetables? (Diet Meals)]
Of course, it carried YouTube’s characteristic clickbait sensibility.
The thumbnail displayed various foods touted as diet-friendly, just like the title suggested.
Chicken breast—the epitome of high protein, low fat.
Eggs and Greek yogurt, complete proteins, alongside vegetable salads.
Foods utilizing whole grains, mushrooms, and seaweed.
“But if she eats this much of it, does the diet even make… sense?”
Except she’d piled it all up to the point where the table legs might break.
And in the corner, that mysterious black bread visible too.
Well, that’s a basic quality of a mukbang YouTuber, isn’t it?
“She really does eat well….”
Watching Roro deliciously devour an amount five grown men couldn’t finish, Chae-eun couldn’t help but marvel.
As the video reached its climax.
-Ah! I think you’ll be curious about this!
Roro positioned the black bread from the corner in front of the camera.
At the same time, saliva began pooling at the corners of Chae-eun’s mouth.
Though crude in appearance, it was still bread, was it not?
For her, trapped in the chains of dieting, she simply craved any bread at all.
Then came Roro’s words, piercing through her thoughts.
– Remember that bakery I mentioned before? The one with incredibly delicious bread? Oh! Right! You should check the video. It’s in the upper right corner!
Along with the perfectly timed bread mukbang link that surfaced in her mind, Roro continued speaking.
With such anticipation in her voice.
– Actually, I tried this before making this content? And honestly, truly, I’m not lying at all—it was absolutely delicious.
“Ugh… but it still looks kind of hard… like it’s burnt….”
Chae-eun instinctively tried to dismiss the bread she couldn’t eat as sour grapes.
But Roro, as if she had anticipated even this, continued with her next line.
– At first, I thought it was burnt too, but the outside is crispy. Look at this. The inside is… wow. Moist perfection!
“But the taste….”
– There’s this subtle, mysterious nuttiness and even a floral aroma! The owner said she uses an essence, but wouldn’t tell me anything beyond that. I’m so curious!
The two of them exchanged words as if having a natural conversation.
And with each exchange, Chae-eun’s grip on reason grew increasingly fragile.
Now Roro had stopped talking, instead smiling with the happiness of eating the world’s most delicious bread, her voice becoming a contented murmur.
It was precisely at that moment, when she was holding on with superhuman patience.
– Oh, but why put bread in a diet meal plan, you ask? The owner told me this is diet bread. She uses whole grains and rye, and said she pursues wellness, I think?
“Diet… bread?”
– Oh! And she said if you eat it and exercise, it’s even more effective! Believe it or not, but that’s what the owner said….
The video hadn’t ended.
Chae-eun had simply abandoned all reason and rushed breathlessly into the bathroom to wash up.
She had to hurry.
She didn’t have much time left to sneak out past her manager and buy the bread.
* * *
Ding.
“Welcome….”
“Bread!”
“Yes?”
“Diet bread! Please! Now!”
Two hours later, a yellow-haired villain in sunglasses and a mask appeared at Seung-hyun’s Bakery.
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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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