The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 19

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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 19. The Cooking Competition (4)
“But are you sure it’s okay to use the Super Pass like that?”
“I have it, so I’m using it.”
“Well, I’ve seen you hold onto so many things without using them over the years.”
“There was no one worth selecting.”
Jang Han-su studied Jang On-gyu for a long moment.
Because he couldn’t fathom what lay beneath the surface.
‘He’s always been a difficult man to read. You’d think I’d know what he’s thinking by now.’
This wasn’t the first time I’d attended a local festival with him.
This time I came because of regional ties.
But before, I participated because my store was in that area.
A franchise can have locations scattered here and there.
And yet he participated with that.
Still, no one complained. In any case, he’s a man with excellent business acumen.
Back then, I didn’t use passes like this even when there were several promising candidates.
‘He said what’s good is good. But then he said it’s not good to unnecessarily provoke the local people… Hmm….’
This is the complete opposite of his usual behavior.
He normally has a human touch.
But I knew better than anyone how meticulous and calculating he truly was.
There’s definitely a reason for this too.
And that reason would be—
“Why is that?”
“Oh, it’s because the two people behind us that the business genius personally selected are moving forward.”
“Oh…! I see.”
Those two owners in the back. The two Jang On-gyu personally selected must have significance.
‘Did I miss something he saw? Hmm….’
I still don’t know the reason.
But I know how broad the vision of the business genius Jang Owner is.
‘Will we see them on broadcasts soon? Or maybe….’
Thinking too far ahead, I shook my head. I doubted it would go that far.
Even so, that business genius doesn’t easily let people in.
In any case.
“Oh, I see the person who passed the coffee competition is going too?”
“I heard they’re all running businesses in the Food Truck Zone.”
“Really? How did you find that out?”
“Haha. Identifying participants is basic.”
…At a local festival like this. He definitely knows something.
But he didn’t seem inclined to tell me.
There was no need to press him further here.
Jang On-gyu hates having his thoughts read.
Pushing the issue would only hurt myself.
“Ahem. Right. Anyway… it looks like today’s schedule is done. What do you say?”
“How about a drink?”
“Yes. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
I might as well get what I can right now.
“While we’re at it, let’s talk about a new variety show too.”
“As I mentioned before, variety shows are difficult for me right now.”
“Come on. It feels cold to cut it off like that. I’ve been following regional festivals like this, haven’t I? Even specials?”
“Hmm… I think I already appeared in a special for you before, didn’t I?”
“Ah. Fine. Fine.”
Unfortunate. It seems my goodwill points haven’t quite filled up yet.
‘Who says we’re soulmate brothers and family? Just because we share a surname doesn’t make us family. Ugh… tsk. This is difficult. So difficult.’
Even as I thought of him as a difficult person.
Jang Han-su made a drinking gesture with his hand, even producing a gulping sound.
“Then just a pure drink without all that?”
“That sounds good.”
Only then did Jang Han-su’s expression brighten.
“I really can’t handle you. Come on, let’s go. Let’s go. Saerom, you coming too?”
“Yes!”
“Great. I love how straightforward you are. Let’s go!”
With each of us holding different positions, the preliminaries came to an end.
“Hey? Let’s go already? Why are you staring like that? It looks like he’s already left.”
“…No, that’s not it.”
Jang On-gyu stared at the spot where Kim Seon-woo had left for a long while before moving.
* * *
And the very next day.
The finals arrived quickly.
The location for the finals was quite fitting.
The Youth Mall Planned Commercial Building.
Abandoned shops crammed tightly together.
The old place had been transformed dramatically.
“Wow. I didn’t even expect this. They really put in some effort, didn’t they?”
“This market director seems to do good work.”
“Right.”
The old areas had been hastily painted over.
Where repairs would be difficult in such a short time, panels had been installed to cover things up nicely.
Simply replacing a few light fixtures had transformed the interior into an appropriate venue for the finals.
The abandoned commercial building became bustling from early morning.
-Hey, check if the freezer over there is working properly.
-No problems!
-Alright. What about those gas canisters over there? If they’re placed wrong, we’ll have a disaster. We need to be careful about fire safety regulations too!
-I’ve checked that multiple times already!
-Good. Then let’s move on to the next thing!
The majority of the hustle and bustle came from the contestants preparing for the main competition in the afternoon and the organizers managing the event.
“Everyone, fighting spirit!”
“Fighting!”
“Let’s do this right!”
Setup began in various spots.
Those who advanced from the beverage preliminaries took the front positions.
Those who came up through the cooking competition naturally had to head toward the back.
The detailed positioning here was determined by luck.
It was a lottery draw, after all!
“Yes! The very front!”
“Oh no…! The back.”
“Middle? Well, it’s still close to the front… phew.”
Joy and disappointment crossed throughout the venue depending on the results.
Kim Seon-woo was assigned to the very back position.
It was a spot everyone disliked.
“Are you okay, hyung? You got the very back?”
“It’s fine. It’s fine.”
But he laughed when he saw it.
‘Actually, this works for me. The space is wider back there, isn’t it?’
For someone who had prepared so many ingredients, the back was actually preferable.
“Alright, let’s set up properly from the start!”
“Yes!”
Preparation for the main competition began swiftly.
* * *
The morning passed quickly.
As soon as afternoon arrived, the main cooking competition began with great fanfare.
‘As expected, that’s where most of the people are gathered.’
Jang On-gyu and several celebrities who came with him. Cameras trailing behind them.
-Wow, it’s Jang On-gyu!
-Isn’t that Lee Sae-rom? Oh…! She looks even better in person than I thought!
-Who’s that person over there?
-Huh? Isn’t she an idol? Looks like they’re filming for broadcast too!
These three together drew a large crowd.
The gathered crowd soon became the audience for the main competition.
-Wow. This tastes delicious.
-What is this? It’s something new.
One by one, they tasted the dishes.
At the center of it all was Jang On-gyu.
“Hmm. This is quite an interesting flavor, isn’t it?”
Especially whenever he judged, exclamations erupted from all around.
The atmosphere was excellent.
People were visibly excited and energized.
With the finalists actively soliciting customers on top of that, it quickly became a festival.
As a result, customers began clustering in one area.
The front.
Since Jang On-gyu was positioned at the front, it was inevitable.
The back became relatively empty.
‘I’ll wait for now.’
Kim Seon-woo decided to wait.
In this competition, he intended to compete purely on culinary skill.
So he didn’t use any trap skills and simply waited, quietly preparing his ingredients.
And after the wait came the reward, so to speak.
Before long, a customer arrived.
Apparently pushed back from the front, he was drenched in sweat.
“Could I get a bowl?”
“Of course!”
My first customer.
At that, Kim Seon-woo brought out his secret menu.
“Here, one bowl coming right up.”
“Oh! Thank you.”
Today’s menu he had prepared was a rice bowl!
Spiced pork and bulgogi, with cube steak as the finishing kick—a delicious single serving.
* * *
‘This is quite a lot of food.’
The first customer to receive the bowl, Cho Yong-tae.
He regretted going all the way to the end to get his food.
He was normally quite a light eater.
He was too busy to waste time even going to the restroom.
To someone like him, the rice bowl before his eyes was—
“Hmm… it’s not like some random mixed rice.”
Too many ingredients were mixed together.
Spiced pork and bulgogi were arranged in the center like a yin-yang symbol.
And surrounding that was cube steak.
Sliced thin so it shouldn’t be tough, but—
The quantity was simply too much.
“I’d rather see a tonkatsu with soy-based sauce drawn in a yin-yang pattern. Or would that be even more bizarre? Either way, the combination is unusual. Very unusual.”
Yet, looking at each component individually, it was delicious cooking.
This seems like I’ve gone too far.
“Hmm….”
There are so many other dishes—should I give up?
If I just quietly throw it away and leave…
‘…No! I can’t do that.’
Cho Yong-tae quickly corrected that shameful thought.
Kim Seon-woo was watching him.
‘This makes my resolve weaken….’
There’s no helping it. Let me at least pretend to eat.
Cho Yong-tae hastily scooped a large spoonful from the center of the rice bowl.
He dug into the braised pork and bulgogi in one go.
“Huh?”
Then came an unexpected twist.
Along with the rice beneath the spoon, something yellow came up with it.
“When did he put this in?”
It was egg strips. To think he’d hidden it down there like this.
He’d hidden it so well.
But if this is here, then… maybe it balances out the saltiness perfectly.
“Gulp!”
Thinking this, he put the large spoonful into his mouth.
That was the moment.
Boom—!
Fireworks exploded in his mind.
‘Exquisite. What is this?’
Even with the egg strips added, I thought it would be spicy and salty.
It was nothing like that.
The braised pork melted smoothly on his tongue, infused with a subtle sweetness.
Just as the seasoning felt slightly bland and he began to sense something was missing, the bulgogi’s perfectly balanced saltiness rushed in.
Right when the sweet-salty combination struck his palate like a hammer—
The egg strips, with their slightly gentler sweetness, crunched between his teeth once more.
‘It melts. It’s melting.’
As he ate, his mouth filled with saliva.
The seasoning harmonized so perfectly that instead of tiring of it, it made him crave the next bite immediately.
This was absolutely irresistible!
One spoonful immediately called for the next.
This time he eagerly scooped up the last remaining cube steak.
‘This will be delicious too, right? But… will it go well together? Of course it will!’
This time, filled with anticipation unlike before, he took a bite.
They say great expectations bring great disappointment.
Could this expectation be fulfilled once more?
“Wow….”
It filled the void perfectly!
A subtle sweetness, followed by a savory saltiness, then a sweetness that balanced it all out.
And hidden in that final cube steak was an unexpected, gloriously spicy kick.
‘Is it pepper? No, what is this!? Wow… how can something be this deliciously spicy!’
It’s spicy. But it’s the kind of spicy that makes you want to keep eating.
Sweet-salty-sweet, and then the heat hits!
‘This has to be cheating.’
An outrageous flavor assault!
Even Cho Yong-tae couldn’t hold back any longer.
Crunch. Crunch.
Forget eating slowly. He immediately loosened his belt and started scooping the rice bowl onto his plate.
Into his mouth!

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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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