The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 118

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

Chapter 118. A New Perspective
I pulled out six pieces for tasting—five for the judges and one for myself.
Whoosh—
The moment I placed them on the plate, something was different. The coating color was uniform. A golden hue covered everything evenly.
‘This is it.’
The ones that came out of the factory earlier had dark brown splotches here and there. These had none.
There was no greasy sheen either.
“Wow. You can tell it’s crispy just by looking at it.”
“Appearances don’t lie.”
“Hehe. Aren’t you being a bit too confident?”
“Isn’t this level of confidence justified?”
The surface had that dry appearance—a signal of crispness. White flesh visible through the cracks in the coating. The interior was alive, so why would I lack confidence? That would be strange.
“Then let me try one!”
Lee Sae-rom reached out first.
As she lifted it, the coating didn’t crumble. It held firm. Three minutes in the mesh dryer. That process made all the difference.
“Wow!”
She took a bite.
Crunch.
The sound echoed around us.
“Ohhh…!”
As the coating shattered, steam rose slightly from within.
The flounder flesh split along its grain. Untouched by oil, revealing the fish’s natural texture.
‘That’s it!’
The sauce coated the flesh thinly. Following that would come the subtle tartness of the plum sauce filling her palate.
‘Exactly as I intended.’
That was the moment. Saerom’s hand, holding the spoon, froze in mid-air.
“…Is this really made at the factory? Seriously?”
“Factory-made food is always delicious when eaten fresh, isn’t it?”
“No, this isn’t just that!”
“Really?”
“Yes! And if it’s definitely delicious, then the earlier one should be too! This is different!”
Saerom’s eyes widened.
Jang Han-su also seemed to sense something at this point. That mix of doubt and growing anticipation.
For someone with his pragmatic nature, it seemed he hadn’t expected even the factory-made version to taste good.
‘Though I did receive help from Han Jae-won.’
But that’s still reality.
Yet if Sae-rom enjoys it, that changes things.
“It tastes like the competition! Or wait, it’s a bit different? It might actually taste better!?”
The taste from the competition—the highest praise. It meant the machine had produced the same flavor as something made by hand.
“That’s possible? Let me see. I want to try one too!”
Sonny followed suit and took a bite.
Crunch!
She chewed with evident pleasure, her eyes widening mid-bite.
“!!!!!”
She lowered the selfie stick momentarily.
For the record, this was the first time she’d set it down today.
“Wow.”
A single word, then she paused. She chewed once more.
“This is actually real, isn’t it? Oh my…!”
It wasn’t a broadcast reaction—it was genuine.
She looked at me as if seeking confirmation.
‘How did you even do this?’
That was the expression on her face.
I simply shrugged.
* * *
Meanwhile, Han Jae-won moved. The expression of someone who’d worked the line alongside me was entirely different.
One bite. His eyes closed.
He chewed quietly, deliberately.
‘Of course. He’s analyzing it.’
The moment it touched his palate.
The fried coating shattered, the flesh yielded.
The sauce mingled, blended, and with each blend came a new note. Something shifted within that flavor.
He seemed intent on experiencing every stage of that transformation.
He continued chewing deliberately.
Only after a long while
“….”
did he open his eyes and look at me.
Then he spoke just one word.
“It works.”
One word. Three syllables.
But absolute conviction lay within it.
“Right? Heh.”
* * *
Im Ha-yun, unusually quiet today, ate silently with one bite.
“Mmm….”
Her expression didn’t change. Her chewing pace remained steady.
Then she reached for a second piece.
‘Taking another bite—that’s the highest praise.’
Next, Jang Han-su ate.
One bite. Two bites. Three bites.
The pace accelerated. Faster than during the competition. The chopsticks never stopped moving. After the fourth bite, he set down the bowl and looked at me.
“At this rate, it’s ready to go to market.”
“Actually, this is the market product, isn’t it?”
“Oh, right!”
* * *
“Well then, commercialization complete!”
It was the MC’s tone. But there was admiration mixed in it.
The person who had sat as a judge during the competition was showing the same reaction after tasting what was made at the factory. It was amusing.
Whirrrr— whirr—
The camera captured each person’s face, determined not to miss this moment.
Lee Sae-rom’s surprised eyes. Sonny’s selfie stick lowered.
Im Ha-yun’s second bite with chopsticks.
All of it made for good footage.
‘Except for one person.’
Oh Tae-sik!
* * *
Oh Tae-sik, standing behind the production line. He couldn’t participate in the tasting at all.
‘Damn it!’
Cold sweat streaked down his back. His shirt clung to his back, soaked with perspiration.
Even though the factory space had cold air circulating through it. It wasn’t cold.
Rather, his body burned hot.
‘Would you like to try making it yourself?’
Try making it myself….
Making it myself…
His own words. They echoed in his mind like a broken record.
‘Damn it. If only I hadn’t said that….’
If only I hadn’t opened the panel.
Or if I hadn’t provoked him.
If only I hadn’t given him the documents.
Then Han Jae-won would have had no reason to go in there and make it together.
‘Shit… shit….’
He kept cursing, but would anything change?
His stomach felt like it was turning inside out.
The Factory Manager beside him looked similar. His complexion wasn’t good.
“Director.”
A quiet voice.
“If that really tastes the same… the unit cost in our documents….”
“…Shut up.”
Oh Tae-sik turned his head.
He looked at the Factory Manager’s mouth. This man understood too.
The unit price listed on the documents didn’t match the actual unit price.
‘Originally, no one was supposed to know.’
It was a secret, after all. Industry confidential, too.
Besides, it was hard to notice in the first place.
In places without cameras, among people who only looked at documents. It was a world where numbers became real if they pretended to be.
‘But Kim Seon-woo just read the numbers.’
No, he didn’t read them. He just said them. Based on mere speculation. The documents were still in PD Ga’s hands, after all. He simply recited them. But look at this mess.
I wish it had ended there.
‘Now he’s even improved the quality.’
With cheaper ingredients. He created a taste better than the original.
I acted like an expert. But I got beaten by someone who isn’t even an expert.
I couldn’t deny it.
The opposite result of what the documents claimed was sitting right there in front of the camera.
“If we reflect the new settings now… this is the price.”
That was the logic of the documents.
My advice as a supposed expert.
But it was just proven that even reducing costs maintains or improves the taste.
The Factory Manager asked more cautiously.
“Shouldn’t we report this to the Representative first…?”
“Shut up.”
“Pardon?”
“I said shut up. Just be quiet for now. Let me think.”
My fingertips were damp.
To clean this up, I’d have to call him. Jang On-gyu. I couldn’t take the fall alone.
But. I don’t know what to say.
Where to start or how to do this.
My mind simply wouldn’t work.
* * *
Unaware of Oh Tae-sik’s turmoil, the three cameras remained fixed on the tasting table without moving.
While he stared blankly for a long time.
Sonny’s selfie stick captured every moment of it.
Oh Tae-sik didn’t know that yet.
* * *
After the tasting ended, I completely left the factory.
Only then did I realize something.
‘Oh, I was still wearing my apron.’
I removed my apron and brushed off my hands.
For some reason. The smell of oil had seeped into my fingertips.
But the feeling wasn’t bad.
Rather, my mind was filled with just one thought.
‘Perhaps cooking isn’t solely about making things with your own hands?’
In the Apocalypse, I could only prepare one bowl at a time. Even if I made more, I’d just produce more broth. Mass production was nearly impossible.
A single plate I could present to the person standing before me.
Hand it over, watch them eat. That was everything.
‘I wanted to make the table groan under the weight of abundance, but I could only do what was possible.’
So that was all there was. An era when the weight of one bowl encompassed my entire world.
‘Had I remained trapped in that time?’
But now, things were different.
Machines turned. Production lines flowed. A hundred identical flavors emerged before my eyes.
No trial and error. No variation.
The machinery moved according to the parameters I set.
And results materialized.
‘This is possible. And it’s… enjoyable?’
It didn’t feel as bad as I’d expected.
Rather, a different kind of satisfaction enveloped me—something distinct from crafting a single bowl.
Flavor spreading wide.
Taste conveyed not by my hands, but by the system.
Yet the origin still stemmed from my palate.
‘It was exhilarating.’
A rather thrilling satisfaction wrapped around me.
* * *
That’s when Jin-woo approached.
“Boss! Or rather, Owner!”
“Hmm?”
He opened his notebook, revealing densely packed numbers and notes.
“Boss, if we turn this into a recipe manual, it should work, right?”
“Right? That’s why I recorded everything.”
“Should I give it as is?”
“Give it.”
“That seems wasteful.”
“Better than having tasteless dishes come out. Besides, it’s already documented.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“So give it. Like a final confirmation.”
“Final confirmation. Ha. Got it. I’ll take it to the Factory Manager right away.”
For some reason, Jin-woo seemed quite excited.
Watching him cook this way appeared to be quite an enjoyable experience for him as well.
As I observed him quietly, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘…Perhaps cooking this way could be enjoyable too.’
It was the first time. Such cooking had ever caught my eye.
A chef from the Apocalypse ventures into the food business
Author |
Heung-haeng
Publisher |
Samyang C&C – Dream Books
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil 28
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260206001
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C – Dream Books.

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