The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 105

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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 105. The Unexpected
When blending seasonings.
The moment my palate sensed that this was right, simultaneously numbers would appear in the system window.
Whether it was correct or not.
For instance.
Soy sauce 12ml. Sugar 8g. Vinegar 5ml.
Wouldn’t it display like this?
Intuition provides the foundation. Numbers confirm it.
Double verification.
Moreover, since the numbers appeared immediately.
‘…It would be easy to convert into a recipe too.’
What I once did by feel, I now confirm with numbers. What I once only saw as numbers, I now verify with my palate.
‘…This is insane.’
But it wasn’t over yet.
[Effect 3 — Taste Perception Expansion]
Expands the detection range of the existing Absolute Palate.
Real-time tracking of component transformations that occur after heat treatment becomes possible.
Transformation after heat treatment.
It might seem vague. But it’s a critical point.
‘When stir-frying. When deep-frying. When grilling.’
The molecular structure of ingredients changes under heat.
Proteins coagulate. Sugars caramelize. Fats oxidize.
I could track that process in real-time.
Until now, I relied on experience to guess.
‘At this level of heat, it transforms this much.’
I knew it from doing it thousands of times.
Usually it wasn’t theory but intuition. The taste was determined by how well that intuition was preserved.
You know how there’s something like that, right?
‘The cook’s touch.’
The same ingredients, the same dish—it differs depending on who prepares it.
Usually that’s where it’s decided.
‘And now I can see it with my eyes….’
While simultaneously feeling it with my tongue.
‘This definitely didn’t exist in my past life.’
It didn’t.
During the Apocalypse when I handled monster ingredients, I failed dozens of times and went through hundreds of trial and errors.
I had to remove the poisonous parts, and if the cooking temperature was wrong, the toxicity would actually intensify.
I learned that entire process through my body.
Trial and error was growth itself.
There were times I nearly died.
This skill doesn’t shorten that process.
‘Wouldn’t it be on a completely different level?’
Experience doesn’t become unnecessary. It’s compressed. It feels like I’m ending thousands of trial-and-errors from my past life with this single skill.
Hah….
“…I’m losing it.”
My fingers trembled.
Subtly.
It was exhilaration.
‘This changes how I run the restaurant.’
No. It’s not just a change.
When developing a new menu. The moment I hold ingredients in my hands, combinations materialize in my mind.
When I blend seasonings, the optimal ratio clicks into place through pure instinct.
As I cook, I track the thermal transformation in real time.
I get it right the first time. Without any trial-and-error.
Already, several recipes I can use at the restaurant are coming to mind.
Thump- thump- thump-
My heart raced.
More than when I received the prize money.
More than when I got one over on Jang On-gyu!
This single skill is worth more than anything else!
I wanted to rush into the kitchen right now and create something.
What would I feel touching ingredients with this sense?
What numbers would appear when I blend seasonings?
How would the amino acid structure align when I dropped a single drop of soy sauce?
Simulations were running through my mind.
My tongue tingled with anticipation.
‘Hold on. Control yourself. This is the waiting room.’
Not yet.
Not yet, but my mind was already overflowing with the kitchen.
* * *
The door opened and Jin-woo entered.
He seemed to have wiped his face, but it showed.
‘He cried.’
I didn’t ask.
It’s better to let him speak first. I’ll just act normal like always.
Jin-woo sat back down on the sofa. The same spot as before.
He placed both hands on his knees and remained still.
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“Mother came by.”
His voice trembled at the end.
“In the audience seating.”
“I know.”
“Huh? You knew?”
“I saw earlier. There was someone who looked just like you. Or rather, you look just like them.”
“!!!”
Jin-woo’s eyes widened in surprise.
He stared at me blankly for a moment, then hung his head low.
“…My father too.”
“Ah, I didn’t know that. So it was the person next to her.”
“Yes.”
His voice cracked with that single word.
He drew in a breath, then released it.
He was trying to hide the trembling.
“I saw them briefly before they left. He called out to her.”
“Mm.”
“In the hallway. My mother ran out first.”
Jin-woo’s hands clenched on his knees, his knuckles turning white.
“My father was standing behind her.”
“….”
“He didn’t say anything. Just kept watching.”
Jin-woo sniffled once.
“Then my mother said something.”
“Mm.”
I paused.
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
I steadied my breathing once more.
“She said he did well….”
That was all.
I couldn’t say more.
Jin-woo’s throat moved. He was swallowing something.
His shoulders trembled faintly as he kept his head bowed.
“My father just watched. But in that moment…something was conveyed.”
The father who had opposed opening the restaurant.
The man who said, “What restaurant when you can’t even find a job?”
The man who called it pathetic.
That man.
Had come to the audience seating. Had waited in the hallway afterward.
With that, something seemed to unravel within Jin-woo.
‘….’
‘That guy.’
Jin-woo’s shoulders were still trembling.
He made no sound. His jaw was clenched so hard it showed along his jawline.
I stood up.
Several bottles of water sat on a table in the corner of the waiting room.
I grabbed one, felt the cool touch against my palm, unscrewed the cap, and set it in front of Jin-woo.
“….”
I didn’t even tell him to drink.
Jin-woo lifted his head. His eyes were wet. His nose was flushed red.
He was biting his lip, but when he saw the water, he laughed.
“…Thank you.”
“It’s just water.”
“I know.”
Jin-woo laughed. While crying.
‘Is he really twenty-six? Maybe it’s because things are peaceful? Well. Peace is good anyway.’
He picked up the water and drank.
Gulp, gulp.
He emptied half of it and set it down.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to keep working at that restaurant.”
“Of course. Did you think I wanted you to quit?”
I had hoped he’d become a professional server.
But becoming a chef was good too. Either way was equal.
“No, I mean….”
Jin-woo looked directly at me.
His eyes were still red. But his gaze was clear.
It was different from the eyes he had when he stood before his father in the hallway earlier.
“I’ll do better.”
“You bastard.”
It was different from what he’d said on stage earlier.
The weight was different.
‘…I like it.’
I didn’t answer. I just nodded.
That was enough.
Jin-woo picked up the water again.
Gulp. Gulp.
He drained the rest of it.
He set the empty bottle next to the trophy.
* * *
Broadcasting Station Underground Parking Lot.
A single black sedan sat waiting.
“You’ve arrived.”
The driver opened the rear door, and Jang On-gyu stepped inside naturally before it closed behind him.
The interior of the car was dark. Only the dashboard lights glowed faintly.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The driver nodded and pulled out of the parking space.
Fluorescent lights from the parking garage swept across the windows as the car climbed the ramp and emerged onto the street.
“….”
Jang On-gyu. He sat in silence for a long while.
He pulled out his phone from his suit jacket pocket.
He turned the screen on. Turned it off. Turned it back on.
Then he bit his lip hard.
‘A donation. A donation, that’s… ugh….’
He couldn’t tell if he was laughing or grimacing.
A prize of one hundred million won. He’d declared he would donate it. On live broadcast.
The audience cheered.
The cameras captured it. The viewers applauded.
‘Everyone will think it went well.’
If it had ended there, he would have thought it went well too.
What did it matter where he spent money he’d earned himself? It was money he was giving away anyway.
Whether Ern Kim took it or Jeong Si-woo took it—it made no difference to him.
They’d probably assume some guy without a proper fortune to his name was donating out of desperation for attention.
But.
But here’s the thing.
‘…They had to touch the merchandising rights.’
He never imagined they’d touch the prize itself.
Once they structured it that way, he couldn’t refuse.
‘Damn it….’
His mouth tasted bitter.
A streetlight passed by.
Two. Three. Shadows formed and vanished on his face with each passing light.
He made a call.
-Yes, Owner.
It was Oh Tae-sik. His voice was low as well.
“The merchandising rights we gave to the target. Look over that revenue structure and donation structure again.”
His words were curt. Oh Tae-sik fell silent for a moment. Only breathing came through the phone.
-…Which part are you referring to?
“Cost of goods.”
-Cost of goods….
A single word.
Oh Tae-sik should have understood from that alone. But Jang On-gyu continued.
“The cost of goods is something we determine, isn’t it?”
-That’s right?
“There’s plenty we can adjust, isn’t there? Management fees. Distribution costs. Operating expenses.”
-Haha. That’s true.
“We just raise them. Right?”
Oh Tae-sik held his breath. It came through the phone line.
-That’s brilliant!
That was the end of it.
He didn’t ask anything more. Because they understood each other perfectly.
Manufacturing cost. Management fees. Distribution costs. Operating expenses.
There were countless other line items. If he used all those itemized categories, wouldn’t the donation ultimately decrease?
Then what about them?
There would be something worth taking from among those line items.
A donation like that, then.
‘Perfect.’
It was far too perfect a donation. Gaining the image and the product both.
The corners of Jang On-gyu’s mouth lifted.
This time it was definitely a smile.
‘How much remains is something I decide.’
He ended the call.
He slipped the phone into his suit jacket pocket.
‘Kim Seon-woo. So you wanted to play the hero with your donation. Go ahead. But I’ll be taking the money.’
* * *
‘Finally, I can catch my breath….’
That’s what I was thinking when the waiting room door suddenly burst open.
“Yo! Broadcasting monster!”
“Oh my… Monster, you say. The real one is someone else.”
“Hehehehe….”
It was PD Ga.
He’d entered without so much as a word of warning, his face flushed with excitement.
‘He’s really pumped up.’
His eyes were gleaming brightly.
He approached in one long stride, brimming with momentum.
‘This guy’s adrenaline hasn’t worn off either.’

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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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