The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 133

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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 133. A Proposal
Han Myeong-chul, the Public Official, nodded and turned to leave.
His footsteps—oddly energetic—echoed across the floor.
It took a while before the sound faded into the distance.
I was left alone in the empty space.
I slowly swallowed the rest of my triangle kimbap.
It had tasted fine until a moment ago, but now the flavor seemed to escape me.
“Hmm… The popup won’t work.”
This place was structured to showcase the food from all the restaurants I’d consulted for.
It was bound to be quite an interesting setup.
‘A revenue-generating space. An advertisement board at the same time. A way to strike back at Jang On-gyu.’
The linchpin of a three-birds-one-stone strategy.
That linchpin had been blocked from the very start.
I unfolded the documents I’d received earlier.
“It’s rigid.”
I traced my finger along the red lines drawn deliberately across the crisp paperwork.
‘Buildings B and C are inside the line. Only D-dong is outside. The zoning itself is different. Well… the Factory Canteen itself is already at the edge of the New City District anyway. That’s why stores haven’t been moving in there either.’
The situation made sense, in a way.
‘Is there really no way around this?’
I wondered if there might be a solution.
“Let me check.”
I pulled out my phone and searched for food hygiene laws.
Business permits, zoning districts, jurisdictional divisions.
I searched diligently through unfamiliar terminology.
Looking up whatever I didn’t understand as I went.
“Hmm…”
* * *
‘This is more thorough than I expected.’
Korean law, on the surface, seemed full of loopholes.
Yet in areas like this, it was remarkably airtight.
‘It’s good, but… tsk.’
The further I scrolled, the fewer escape routes appeared.
‘Zoning change? At least six months.’
Rent would just keep piling up in the meantime.
Even if I filed an application, I couldn’t do anything until the results came through.
‘I can’t operate here. Hmm… it’s definitely blocked.’
There was no doubt about it.
There was nothing more to search for here.
Any further digging would only drain my mental energy.
I pocketed my phone and walked slowly through D-dong.
Only the sound of footsteps echoed through the empty space.
‘The vastness is impossible to fill.’
Until moments ago, that expansiveness had felt like potential, but now it registered differently.
‘I can’t abandon this.’
Rent was accumulating. Demolition costs had already been sunk. Basic construction was underway.
If I pulled out now, I’d be throwing away everything I’d invested so far.
‘In my past life, a simple shrug would’ve ended it. But in this life, money is the problem.’
It wasn’t that I couldn’t earn money.
But earning well didn’t mean I wanted to squander it carelessly.
Money was precious. Anyone who said otherwise was strange, weren’t they?
‘People who talk like that are either spouting nonsense or running a scam.’
Regardless.
‘This current state won’t work.’
I walked quietly toward the wall and pressed my hand against its surface.
The cement felt cooler than usual beneath my palm.
That artificial touch, distinct from anything natural.
The solid, characteristic feel of a factory seemed to transmit through my fingertips.
‘But thinking about it again—they said manufacturing was possible, didn’t they?’
My footsteps halted. I retraced the Public Official’s words one by one.
‘Food manufacturing and processing are permitted. The only restriction is selling directly to consumers like a restaurant would. But finished products are still possible.’
The crucial point was that production itself was allowed.
‘Manufacturing… hmm… is this an inescapable fate?’
I looked up at the ceiling.
Coolant lines stretched between the lighting fixtures.
Just days ago, I’d planned to incorporate those as interior design elements.
But it seemed they’d serve a practical purpose instead.
‘Not as decoration—I’ll need to use this as an actual factory.’
The space began reconfiguring itself in my mind.
I’d bring the restaurant owners I was consulting here.
We’d develop recipes together, produce them, and create finished products. But production couldn’t be haphazard.
‘I need to provide training.’
Product creation came only after proper instruction.
Education was ultimately the most critical element.
Only with thorough training could genuinely quality food emerge.
‘What’s the point of producing without proper training, just teaching half-measures?’
That would make me no different from Jang On-gyu.
I’d need to rebuild them completely. From the ground up.
Complete transformation first, then whether they produced or not would follow naturally.
So the conclusion became simple.
‘I’ll use this as both a training facility and a manufacturing operation.’
If the pop-up store doesn’t work out, I can always convert it back to the Factory.
The drainage pipes are intact, so water usage won’t be an issue.
‘I don’t even need to check things like electrical capacity or ventilation systems. It was originally a Factory anyway.’
Considering it was a Factory from the start.
This actually makes more sense.
Most people think of Factories as places with smokestacks billowing smoke.
But that’s not always the case. If I turn this into a spectacular Factory, wouldn’t that be interesting?
My phone rang.
It was Jin-woo.
“Boss! Can I send you the layout again?”
“Hold on.”
I stopped the excited Jin-woo for now.
“Yes?”
“Put that on hold for now.”
“…What? Why?”
It was too long to explain. I could do it later.
“I’ll tell you later. Something’s come up.”
“Ah… Okay.”
I could hear the hesitation in his voice as he held back from asking more questions.
‘I’ll explain everything step by step later.’
For now, I ended the call.
‘There’s more to do now.’
* * *
Let’s say I put the training facility and production facility in the Factory.
If I do that, there’s something else I need to find.
‘Then I’ll need to find a Store, won’t I?’
I still need to run a pop-up Store.
Without it, there’s no advertising.
It’s good to create educational content and products.
‘But just making things doesn’t mean they’ll sell.’
I also needed to create a place to sell them.
‘When I think about it, do I really need to insist on D-dong?’
It’s a place I go to anyway.
There were vacant spaces in the New City District.
During my survey a few days ago, I saw several places with signs taken down and faded closure notices posted.
Before, I was desperate because I couldn’t find a location.
Now the situation is reversed—people who have locations are desperate to keep them.
‘I just need to grab one of those.’
Then there would be no business licensing issues.
The location would be different, but that was fine.
‘Actually, this might work out better?’
It looked rather ideal as both a consulting hub and a showcase.
‘The real challenge is finding a larger building… but I suppose that will work itself out somehow.’
In any case, if I could just create a pop-up store like that,
the place where customers directly taste and judge would be handled there.
Only the location would change.
Ultimately, I could still execute the plan exactly as I’d envisioned it.
The more I thought about it, the more exciting it became.
‘If I plant it right in the heart of Jang On-gyu’s commercial district,’
the impact would be far more direct.
It might actually be better than my previous plan.
‘But if I open a store, I’d be stuck there permanently.’
It’s visible every day. Customers come every day.
That would irritate Jang On-gyu far more than a pop-up ever could.
‘If the store owner succeeds, other owners in the area will come looking too.’
If more stores shift over to this side, the commercial landscape destabilizes.
‘Two paths.’
One is D-dong. A factory and training facility.
The other is a new store in the New City District. A consulting store and showcase.
I walked toward the entrance. The morning air touched my face.
‘It’s warmed up since this morning.’
I crumpled the onigiri wrapper in my pocket and shoved it back in.
I had a premonition that work was about to get hectic.
‘I’ll need to juggle two things at once.’
No, wait. Before that, there was one more thing I needed to do.
“First, let me search for a store to consult with.”
* * *
‘There’s actually a place that comes to mind.’
The Couple’s Kalguksu Restaurant I’d seen before came to mind first.
Their kneading rhythm was unstable, but their eyes were serious.
I’d been quite concerned about that place anyway.
The fact that it came to mind the moment I thought of stores
‘meant it was the perfect fit.’
I marked that place as my target.
I intended to go there and make them a proposal.
If they refused,
‘then so be it.’
I’d make the proposal, but I couldn’t force them into anything.
I couldn’t obsess over it or cling to it desperately.
‘Some things simply can’t be done by force.’
In any case, since I’d already marked that place as my first target.
‘Why not handle everything at once?’
Since I was already moving, I decided to take care of other matters in one go.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Han Jae-won’s number.
Last time.
‘Not yet.’
I’d stopped myself then. This time, I dialed the number properly and went straight to the call button.
‘The situation has changed now.’
The signal rang twice.
-Yes, this is Han Jae-won. It’s been a while since you’ve reached out. What brings this call?
“Hello, Representative. Let’s meet face to face.”
-Oh, that’s unexpected.
“I have something to show you.”
-Something to show me?
“Yes.”
-This is the first time you’ve offered to show me something first. I’m intrigued.
“Haha. You can have some expectations.”
-Oh really? Then I should expect even more?
“Yes. You can. I don’t think I’ll disappoint you.”
-That’s great! Haha.
His voice was unhurried. This man always spoke in that tone, no matter when you called.
‘That’s probably why it’s comfortable.’
I set the location as Couple’s Kalguksu Restaurant in the New City District.
The meeting time was soon.
A Chef from the Apocalypse Ventures into the Food Industry
Author |
Heung-haeng
Publisher |
Samyang C&C
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Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C – Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260206001
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blog.naver.com/dreambookss
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@dreambookss
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Without written permission from Samyang C&C – Dream Books, the contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means.

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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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