The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 132

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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 132. A Conversation
“Come on, you’ve been keeping way too many secrets lately. Tell me something.”
He had a point. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t been sharing much with Jin-woo recently.
‘If I’m going to move forward with this plan, I’ll need his help anyway. I should tell him.’
Jin-woo was one of my people, after all.
There was no reason to create unnecessary mysteries between us.
It was time to let him in on what I was planning.
“I’m going to do consulting work.”
“Consulting?”
“Remember when we changed the setup at the factory and altered the recipes?”
“We did.”
“I’m going to apply that same approach to individual shops.”
“Ah…!”
“Then I’ll showcase all the food from the shops I’ve consulted with here in one place. What do you think?”
“That’s incredible!?”
Jin-woo turned his head, scanning the space around us. His mouth fell open.
“You’re going to use this entire wide area?”
“That’s right. Since it’s spacious, we might as well use it all.”
“We could set up a griddle over there. Put a tasting counter here, and handle packaging over there—”
“You’re already mapping out the layout.”
“I can see it! How fun it would be to arrange everything!”
Jin-woo walked around, pointing at various spots.
The kid was brimming with energy.
He seemed like the type who couldn’t help but want to fill empty spaces.
“But hyung, if you’re consulting… you’ll be visiting shops directly?”
“Yeah.”
“Won’t that be exhausting? You’ve got the restaurant to run too.”
“Being tired and having fun aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Jin-woo paused to think for a moment, then nodded.
“If you say it’s fun, then it really must be.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, you don’t often say something is fun. So it must be genuine.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes. That’s how it is.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I leaned against a pillar and gazed at the empty space.
Light streamed down from the skylight, casting a rectangular pattern across the concrete floor.
‘I can start moving tomorrow.’
* * *
The next morning, as I stepped into Building D, the smell of cement dust pricked my nose.
“Is it because of the demolition? It looks much bigger now.”
The cleared space appeared even more expansive than yesterday.
Only the walls, floor, and ceiling cooling lines remained, everything else stripped bare.
‘This looks good.’
I called the contractor.
“Yes, boss!”
“Shall we start the next interior work right away?”
“Whoa, already? I mean, we’re happy to do it, but aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? How long has it even been since the last project finished?”
“Ha ha. I’m just impatient by nature.”
“What’s your vision for the space?”
“I’m thinking of using it like a pop-up store.”
“A pop-up?”
“Yes. A pop-up. With kitchen facilities that can be reconfigured flexibly.”
“Wow, that’s going to be pretty expensive.”
“Well, what can I do? Expensive or not, I need to do this.”
“Ha ha. You’ve got quite the fiery personality. Understood. I’ll bring the blueprints over soon.”
“Can that be done quickly?”
“Actually… there’s something we wanted to do before but couldn’t. We’ll need to adjust the dimensions, but you know? We’re also the impatient type.”
“Ha ha. Yes. That’s why I entrusted it to you.”
“Right. I’ll be there soon. Let’s start with the basics before we get into the details.”
“Sounds good.”
I scheduled the interior work. They said the finishing materials and epoxy flooring could be done within the week.
‘The faster, the better.’
I reached out to Jin-woo, and the fourth revision of the grill layout came through.
It was quite impressive.
‘This guy really does have talents across the board.’
With a triangular kimbap that had become my constant companion lately, I traced the customer flow from the entrance.
Ordering at the entrance. Followed by tasting.
A structure where everything flows in one direction from order to packaging.
It all clicked into place in my mind.
‘The grills… let’s see. With three grills, I can handle three restaurants’ dishes simultaneously. If I want to go bigger, I can set it up so they rotate inside.’
I continued mapping out the layout in my head.
All while searching for shops to consult with.
* * *
Several days had passed like that.
While the basic construction starting with the epoxy flooring continued, I found myself stepping out to the work site whenever I could.
More precisely, I was constantly coming and going during every break.
‘I don’t know why, but it’s so much fun.’
It was satisfying and genuinely enjoyable.
But today, an unexpected visitor arrived.
[An entity with hostile intent has been detected.]
“Hmm?”
Hostile intent, suddenly. This wasn’t a common occurrence.
Had Jang On-gyu come by?
No, that wasn’t it. He wouldn’t typically give off such an aura.
‘Curious, really.’
I turned around, wondering what it could be.
“Pardon me.”
A man in a business suit with a document case, his government ID badge hanging from his chest.
‘Huh? I know this face.’
The memory surfaced a beat too late.
He was the one who’d shown up on-site when the health inspection was pushed through from the YouTube incident.
I’d passed that sanitation inspection cleanly, if I recalled correctly.
As a result, this man had left with a miserable expression, clearly furious.
That look from back then was still etched in my mind.
“Ah. You’re the one who conducted that health inspection back then?”
“That’s correct.”
“What brings you here? It doesn’t look like you’re here for a health inspection today.”
“I don’t conduct health inspections anymore.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I used to work at the Food Hygiene Division. I’ve been transferred to the Food Business Licensing Division this time.”
“Ah, a transfer. I’m not familiar with civil service life, so I couldn’t say whether it’s a promotion or what, but… congratulations nonetheless.”
There was hostile intent, sure. But there was no need for me to expose it openly.
There was no reason to reveal it before the other party did.
It seemed the other party felt the same way.
As he approached, he offered his business card.
I took it. I didn’t remember his name, but I confirmed his affiliation.
“Your name is… Han Myeong-chul?”
“Yes. Han Myeong-chul.”
“But what brings you here?”
“I need to do a site inspection. A construction report was filed.”
“Ah…”
I didn’t know about this, so even looking at the card didn’t help.
But it seemed clear that he’d been transferred due to construction-related matters.
‘A field inspector bouncing from site to site? How interesting.’
Whether that was good luck or bad luck, I wasn’t sure. I’d heard most civil servants didn’t prefer field work. This man seemed to be hitting the jackpot repeatedly.
That made me wonder if that’s where the hostile intent came from.
‘Does he think he’ll be humiliated again when he comes?’
He pulled documents from his bag.
It was a document containing the building blueprints for D-dong and the history of its use changes.
I flipped through the pages one by one until I stopped at a section marked with a red line, then looked up.
“Are you planning to operate a food business here?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m going to sell food.”
“This district is not a Food Business Licensing Division area.”
“What?”
My mouth, which had been chewing on a triangle kimbap, stopped.
The Public Official turned the documents toward me. A red boundary line was drawn across the blueprint, and D-dong lay outside it.
“From what I can see, this appears to be a food-related pop-up store format.”
“Well, yes, but—”
“As you can see, operating a food business in pop-up store format within this jurisdiction is not permitted. The zoning designation itself doesn’t match.”
“Does that apply to this entire Building?”
“Yes. Buildings B and C already have existing business licenses, so they’re exempt. D-dong was originally designated for manufacturing facilities.”
“Huh?”
“What can be done? Looking at the zoning, it extends perfectly up to C-zone, but D-zone is classified as a factory district along with the rest of it.”
“Can’t even a small restaurant operate in a factory zone?”
“Well, this kind of situation isn’t very common, you see? Normally it might be overlooked, but… well… that’s how it is. The regulations are quite strict.”
It’s not the regulations that are strict. You’re the one being difficult.
I found it absurd, but I didn’t say so.
That’s the kind of thing only amateurs do.
After a brief pause, the Public Official continued.
“Since it’s a factory district, food manufacturing and processing are permitted. However, direct consumer-facing operations cannot be licensed. Simple goods sales might be possible, but… that’s not what you’re planning to do, is it?”
“No, you’re right.”
My tone was calm. There seemed to be no malice in the Public Official’s words. He appeared to be someone who operated strictly by regulations.
At least on the surface.
‘Of all the timing, why is this happening now?’
But did this really warrant a personal visit with documents at this particular moment?
Hmm…
His appearance was neat and proper, his expression unchanged, yet his eyes were smiling.
‘Ah… I understand now.’
The reason he made the trip here with the documents. I grasped it the moment I saw those eyes.
This man didn’t need to come in person. Truthfully, he could have simply called and told me to visit his office. Yet he came anyway.
“If you’ve already submitted business-related documents, they will be rejected.”
“Rejected. I understand.”
“Yes. I’m being considerate by informing you in advance. Haha.”
He had come to celebrate his victory.
To see my face in person, to thrust the documents at me.
To explain the situation as if regulations left no choice, and to savor it.
Those eyes were the proof of it.
He seemed to believe he had won.
He appeared to think it would be difficult for me to have my way no matter what I did.
That’s probably exactly what will happen.
Once the Public Official starts wielding regulations and standards, most businesses can’t operate normally.
“Then I’ll take a look inside.”
“Yes, please do.”
But you know what?
‘This is fun. More fun than I expected.’
It had been a long time since I felt this entertained.
A Chef from the Apocalypse Ventures into the Food Business
Author |
Heunghaeng
Publisher |
Samyang C&C
Chief Editor |
Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C – Dream Books
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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 written permission from Samyang C&C – Dream Books.

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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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