The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 106

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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 106. Together
“You seem awfully excited.”
“Ah, how could I not be?”
“Why?”
“Our trending topic is still number one! I just checked. Oh, and I’ve also uploaded a teaser.”
“When did that happen? Is that even realistically possible?”
“Why not? I just reedited the old footage from a different angle and uploaded it.”
“…Wow.”
A true monster is indeed a monster.
Standing before me was PD Ga—a monster in broadcasting that was nearly impossible to match.
“Understood.”
“Don’t just say understood! Do you realize what this means?!”
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand—I simply didn’t care.
“PD, please calm down for a moment.”
“Ah, yes. Yes, yes.”
PD Ga settled onto the edge of the sofa.
He took one deep breath in and let it out slowly.
I could see him forcibly suppressing his excitement.
With professional composure, he quickly settled down.
His eyes changed.
The heat from before vanished, replaced by cold calculation.
“You understand, right?”
“I do.”
“What exactly do you understand?”
PD Ga smiled. It was a smile that only lifted the corners of his mouth.
‘This is his true face.’
Getting excited about viewership ratings was merely a side effect.
His real purpose lay elsewhere.
“About leeches.”
PD Ga spoke slowly.
“They don’t die from just one cut.”
“Right.”
Jin-woo tilted his head. He wasn’t following.
But I understood. PD Ga had realized it too.
“You have to shred them to pieces for them to die. Heh heh.”
“Exactly. Some things only die one way.”
“They get tired of it.”
“They do.”
“So normally you’d avoid it, but once it’s already attached, what can you do?”
“You have to tear it apart.”
“That’s exactly it!”
PD Ga laughed. This time, sincerity was woven into it.
‘There’s still one more round left. Well… I already mentioned the donation, so I can’t just end it here, can I?’
Broadcast editing. Depending on how today’s footage was cut and spliced, I could strike at Jang On-gyu one more time.
Of course, PD Ga wasn’t the type to stop at just this.
The competition results alone weren’t the end.
Jang On-gyu had industry connections, distribution channels, and broadcast networks.
To sever those, public opinion was necessary.
“I’m heading to the editing room. We’re working tonight.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Oh, and I’ll be stopping by the Department Head’s office too. Let’s pull one more special broadcast. About one episode? You’ll do it, right?”
“Sounds good. We already agreed to it anyway.”
“Right. The donation announcement came out on air. If we lay it all out clearly—how that donation actually gets distributed! That would be quite the spectacle, wouldn’t it? A special, you know? Hehe.”
“Right. Hehehehe.”
“It’s not really my style, but I’ll blend in a bit of Choi PD’s approach? That kind of feel.”
“That sounds fun.”
“Right! Then I’ll count on you then too.”
“Likewise.”
“Oh, and…”
“Hmm?”
PD Ga turned back as he stood up.
“Congratulations. Sincerely.”
The tone was different.
Completely different from when he was talking about viewership ratings and leeches earlier.
‘He means it.’
At least a hint of sincerity showed through.
My response in moments like this was always the same.
“Thank you.”
“You too, Jin-woo. Congratulations.”
“Huh? Me? Thank you!!”
“You’ve got a good eye. Hehe. At this rate, you’ll mature enough to appear on broadcast someday.”
“No way. Me on broadcast? That’s ridiculous.”
“Hehe. Is that so?”
“Pardon?”
“We’ll see.”
Jin-woo bowed hastily.
PD Ga waved his hand and left.
The door closed. A faint voice came from the hallway making a phone call.
“Choi PD? I’m heading down now. You’ll help with editing, right? What? How stingy! Get out here quick!”
The voice faded away.
‘That guy’s going to be up all night too.’
He probably won’t sleep for days.
Yet he’s the type to call excitedly, saying he’s got energy.
Otherwise, he’d complain and ask me to cook something restorative. Like a stamina-boosting dish.
Should I have said something to him?
‘No, the broadcast already conveyed plenty, didn’t it?’
He’s not the type to want that sort of thing anyway.
The door was open.
I stood up to close it when someone else came in.
* * *
“Hello there!”
Sonny came in first. Then Lee Sae-rom entered. After her, Im Ha-yun.
‘How long have these people been outside?’
Probably since PD Ga was here, I’d guess.
“Oh! The waiting room!”
“Like you’re visiting for the first time.”
“Hehe.”
Sonny glanced around.
Lee Sae-rom approached with both arms spread wide.
“Congratulations!! You won!!”
“Thank you.”
“So….”
“Hmm?”
“Make us something delicious! You won, after all!”
Lee Sae-rom spoke with sparkling eyes.
Sonny chimed in from beside her.
“A celebration dinner! A celebration dinner!”
“Yay! A celebration dinner!”
“…A celebration dinner?”
Jin-woo looked at me. His eyes already had the answer decided.
Im Ha-yun sat on the sofa with her arms crossed.
Legs crossed. Without saying a word at first.
The moment she sat down.
“By the way. I’m going to eat a lot.”
The way she said it was almost like a declaration.
‘This person is truly consistent.’
Sonny stood in front of me.
“A restaurant, right? That one! The one that was on the broadcast! Near the place we went to before!”
“…Why a restaurant all of a sudden?”
Lee Sae-rom nodded enthusiastically from beside her.
“Look! Do it there!”
Jin-woo sprang to his feet.
“That’s right! Older Brother! Let’s go to the restaurant! The restaurant!!”
This guy never seems to tire.
He was always easily swept up by the atmosphere.
A company dinner?
I was fine with that too.
I’d wrapped up the work well, hadn’t I? And I’d made sure Jang On-gyu got what was coming to him.
Celebrating with a company dinner afterward was something to welcome.
But why was everyone heading in that direction.
‘Why is everyone converging on the restaurant.’
The restaurant, of all places.
My workplace.
But you know what. I didn’t hate it.
So I answered readily.
“Let’s go.”
Let’s go.
Cheers erupted.
* * *
“Come on, let’s go!”
Ha-yun brought the car for transportation.
A black Jeep.
The moment Jin-woo saw it in the parking lot, his jaw dropped.
“Whoa… How much is this?”
“No idea. Don’t remember.”
“How can you not remember something like that!!”
“When you have several, things blur together.”
“…Whoa. Suddenly the gap feels….”
Ha-yun climbed into the driver’s seat and spoke briefly.
With 4 million subscribers, apparently that’s the level you reach.
Sonny claimed the passenger seat.
“This is my seat!”
“…Sigh.”
Ha-yun sighed but let it go.
Lee Sae-rom opened the rear door.
“Wow. It’s spacious!”
“Get in, get in!”
Jin-woo jumped in first.
I got in last.
‘This is a luxury car. Hmm…’
It’s a feeling I’m experiencing anew.
Comfortable. Well, compared to the truck, practically any vehicle feels comfortable.
‘Though in an apocalypse, I’d never get the chance to ride something like this.’
Ha-yun started the engine.
Vroom—!
The engine sound didn’t match the luxury car’s image.
“Wow… what is this?”
“This car was designed with that concept in mind. The ride comfort isn’t particularly good compared to other models either.”
“This is what ‘not good’ feels like?”
“That’s how it is.”
So even cars have their own concept.
It was amusing.
Just as I was enjoying this moment, Lee Sae-rom asked from beside me.
“How are you feeling?”
“Great.”
“Really? I’m excited.”
“Excited?”
“You’re going to cook for us again!”
Lee Sae-rom’s eyes sparkled.
Jin-woo chimed in from beside her.
“Right. Your cooking is delicious!”
He added his support.
Sonny turned around from the front seat and joined in.
“That’s right! You’re cooking for us today, right?”
‘These people…’
They were all obsessed with eating.
This felt less like celebrating a victory and more like heading out for a meal.
“Is that why you came too, Ha-yun?”
“…I told you. I wanted to eat a lot.”
Ha-yun kept her eyes on the road, hands on the wheel.
‘As expected.’
Jin-woo looked at me and grinned.
I must have looked exasperated too.
But I didn’t hate it. The noise. It was a kind of commotion that didn’t exist in my past life.
‘Strangely exciting.’
The car glided smoothly down the road.
Streetlights passed by the window. The car was warm. Laughter filled the interior.
‘Maybe I should buy a car myself.’
A pointless thought crossed my mind.
In that moment, the car came to a stop.
I was already in front of the restaurant.
* * *
As I stepped out of the car, the night breeze brushed against my cheek.
The factory building had its lights on.
At this hour?
I was already exhausted just thinking about opening the store, so why was it like this?
‘It should be well past closing time.’
I opened the door. The moment I did.
“Congratulations!!!”
A cheer erupted.
Haran rushed out first.
Behind her stood the Old Gentleman.
Jang Owner had his hand raised high, and Older Brother was laughing while holding a mug.
Next to them, Seok-jin was clapping.
A few regular customers were visible as well.
What was even more surprising was what was on the table.
“Huh?”
Food was laid out on the table.
Meat. Stew. Side dishes. Rice cakes.
A spread that would normally take considerable time to prepare was arranged on the table.
‘Did they all prepare this and wait for me?’
This was utterly unbelievable.
I asked in astonishment.
“…How did you all know to prepare this?”
“How did we know? We believed in your victory from the start!”
“That’s right. It was obvious you’d win. So we just prepared accordingly.”
“Hahaha.”
Jang Owner laughed heartily.
“What if you hadn’t won?”
“But you did win, didn’t you?”
“Ah….”
Jang Owner immediately countered.
I couldn’t argue back. It was the truth, after all.
“Hehe. You worked hard today.”
The Old Gentleman approached and patted my back once.
His wrinkled hand carried surprising strength.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Hehe. I should be the one thanking you.”
Haran stood in front of me.
“Owner, congratulations! Your performance in the finals was flawless!”
It was brief.
I bowed deeply, my head lowered. When I glanced up, my eyes were red.
Haran turned her head away.
‘….’
The atmosphere had been too perfect.
* * *
Then, as Sonny and Lee Sae-rom entered, the mood shifted entirely.
“Wow! Is this that restaurant?!”
“I’m telling you, this place puts me at ease no matter when I come. Like my own home.”
“Really? It does feel comfortable somehow.”
Lee Sae-rom marveled at the food on the table.
“Did everyone here make all of this themselves?!”
“Oh my….”
“Come on. I was planning to give Chef Kim a hard time here. But this is a shame, isn’t it?”
“Haha.”
Jang Owner shrugged his shoulders.
“The Hong Kong home-style dishes were made by me….”
Older Brother quietly added from beside him.
“The coffee was mine.”
Im Ha-yun entered quietly and took her seat.
“Hmm…”
Then she naturally opened the menu.
‘What’s this?’
She was already serious.
Surely she wouldn’t naturally open the menu after seeing a table like this.
The signal was unmistakable even without words.
“Man, you can’t compete with this, right?”
“Tell me about it.”

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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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