The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 25

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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 25. People and People
Even as several of us put our heads together, we couldn’t find a solution, and days simply drifted by meaninglessly.
After closing shop, searching for a way forward had become my daily routine.
But today, like always, only idle talk emerged.
“I heard in passing that the Youth Mall construction has started?”
“Oh, I saw it on my way here too.”
“Looks like they’re trying to build it properly. They did well during the competition too, after all.”
“It’ll probably look impressive once it’s finished.”
“Right!”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Me? No! I’m overflowing with determination to figure out how to win.”
“Haha. That’s good.”
News came that the Youth Mall had begun full-scale remodeling.
An announcement was posted on the bulletin board.
“There’s an announcement here too. A little over a month left.”
“That’s short.”
“Right? But they post it on the bulletin board too, even though they have a homepage. It’s meticulous, isn’t it?”
“Wouldn’t you say that’s being thorough?”
“It is, but we probably just feel that way because we don’t want to see it. Am I being too honest?”
“Honesty is good. Haha.”
About a month from now.
By then, the Food Truck Zone—where my first business memories are rooted—will disappear.
In its place, sculptures for the existing park are scheduled to be installed.
Additionally, the notice carefully stated that they would create a guide map for the Youth Mall through an environmental improvement project.
‘This city mayor really does handle things well, doesn’t he?’
Separate from how the situation was progressing unfavorably for me, these measures seemed quite reasonable.
Once this place—one of the two entrances to the Eatery District—was redeveloped, the city would benefit greatly.
“Still, it seems like the city mayor here does his job well, doesn’t it?”
“He does his job well, but then why did he eliminate Kim Owner?”
“Well, he might not have looked that far into it. Besides, votes might be important right now.”
“Votes? What votes?”
“The owners here in the Eatery District live here anyway. We don’t yet. So where would the votes be?”
“That’s true. We don’t yet, so there aren’t any.”
There was nothing to resent about it.
It might not be a bad measure to prioritize the Eatery District over us.
I accepted this naturally.
The problem isn’t something already decided like the Youth Mall.
If this place was redeveloped, it could actually benefit us who wanted to do business in the surrounding area.
There’s no reason to view it negatively.
The problem lies elsewhere.
‘There simply aren’t any available storefronts.’
As we ventured deeper into the New City District, suitable locations were vanishing.
Even the spot we’d initially passed on had apparently been claimed by someone else.
As rumors of ‘Jang Owner Street’ spread more widely, numerous aspiring proprietors had begun searching the area.
I wasn’t just worried about finding a decent location—I was concerned whether business would even be feasible.
‘Perhaps I should leave this place.’
I could certainly manage in another district.
The other owners would surely accept it.
But if I had my choice, I preferred this place where I’d grown attached.
So my heart felt a bit heavy about it.
How could I ease this feeling?
“Well then. I’ll be heading out now, as usual.”
Business had ended long ago.
Jin-woo had finished his part-time work and gone to the library.
I’d been thinking of taking a leisurely walk.
“Where are you going? You’re just going to scout the New City District again, aren’t you?”
“Ha! If you quit this business, you could become a fortune teller!”
“Haha. But even that requires a location!”
“A location. Right. You need a location. Anyway, I’ll take another look around today.”
“Go on then. Have a good trip.”
My destination was, as always, the New City District.
It had become the place I visited most frequently lately. The Jang Owner and the Coffee Truck Owner were the same.
“Aren’t you coming with me today?”
“I have to receive a new shipment of coffee beans today. Haha.”
“I see. Then I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Yeah! See you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow!”
I’d wondered why he wasn’t tagging along, but he had business to attend to.
From the looks of it, the Jang Owner seemed to be heading out to procure new supplies as well.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve walked alone.’
I walked forward in a daze.
Walking quietly had a way of clearing my mind, making it quite an effective stress reliever.
“Hmm. Today feels a bit gloomy for some reason?”
But today was different.
They say the Chinese character for person (人) is shaped that way because humans cannot stand alone—we live leaning on one another.
After walking together every day, walking alone felt oddly lonely.
Perhaps because of that, this time I didn’t scrutinize locations carefully but simply focused on moving forward.
And so I arrived at the far end of the New City District, which had been developed quite extensively.
At the edge, I could see areas that were either still under development or hadn’t been developed at all.
‘Abandoned factories?’
That’s right. This place was redeveloped from where the old factories used to stand.
I’ve heard that this city was once packed with small factories like these.
Places where the owners’ passion once burned brightly now rested quietly under the patina of time.
I was carefully observing my surroundings as I walked through.
“Old Gentleman?”
“Ah! You! What brings you here?”
“I came out for a walk. Haha.”
The Old Gentleman appeared before me.
The stout Old Gentleman was not alone today either.
He was holding the Old Lady’s hand firmly and affectionately.
“Did you both come out for a walk together?”
“That’s right. Hehe. Didn’t you say I should take walks often? Whose advice was that? I have to follow it!”
“The night breeze is rather cold today. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“This one holds my hand so tightly that I stay warm.”
“Hehe. Why do you have to say such things?”
“Oh, come on. You’re the one taking care of me. Are you embarrassed?”
“Hmph. Not at all. No.”
He seemed embarrassed nonetheless.
His face had flushed a deep red.
Perhaps he wanted to change the subject.
The Old Gentleman made an unexpected suggestion.
“We’re going inside to rest for a bit. If you’d like, why don’t you come along and have some tea with us?”
“Tea?”
“Yes. The kind you drink.”
Tea, all of a sudden?
I looked around at his words.
No matter where I looked, there were only abandoned factories.
Tea here? It made no sense.
As I was about to ask, the Old Gentleman opened the door to one of the closed abandoned factories.
“We’ll have tea here.”
“In the factory?”
“Yes. In the factory. Hehe. Come on in. It’s warmer than it looks.”
I stepped inside as the factory door opened with a loud creak.
‘So this was where he ran a factory when he was young!’
During our previous walks, I had heard about the Old Gentleman’s past.
Along with stories about budae jjigae, he had mentioned the factory.
I never imagined it was this place.
As I entered, admiration spilled from my lips.
“Wow. This is amazing.”
“Amazing? It’s just a factory. Haha.”
One could see the meticulous nature of the factory owner reflected in every detail.
There were none of the scattered materials one might typically expect to find.
The neatly organized materials in one corner only revealed the factory’s atmosphere.
The two remaining lathe machines installed here and the empty spaces where others once stood.
From this, I could discern what kind of factory this had been.
‘It must have been a precision machining factory.’
I’d heard that such small factories once abounded in the old days.
Those who owned even a single lathe were considered proprietors.
With just one lathe, they could build a household and send their children to university—a precious livelihood indeed.
An entire family’s fate was embedded in that single machine.
Standing right in the middle of it all.
Even without moving, the feeling that washed over me was quite extraordinary.
“Besides the remaining machines, there must have been quite a few lathes here?”
“That’s right. At the peak, there were over ten. Do you know anything about lathes?”
“Just a little.”
In my past life, I’d worked with this machine briefly.
More versatile than it appears, this lathe is truly a jack-of-all-trades.
I tried my hand at various things to create missing items, but nothing compared to this machine.
This lathe not only machines metal, but there are woodworking versions too, which made it especially useful. It was even used for processing cooking utensils.
“Heh. Is that so?”
“I’m just mimicking what I’ve seen.”
“That’s something at least. These days, people don’t even know what this machine is!”
As I was brushing off his comment, the Old Gentleman spoke with what seemed like slight agitation.
“It fed my entire family. And people don’t even know that?”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Sigh… how precious this place is… and they don’t even know.”
There was a hint of disappointment in his tone.
Perhaps there was some story behind this.
‘This is a rare sight.’
Among his dignified demeanor, he had always shown a calm composure.
This was the first time I’d seen him become so agitated.
The Old Lady beside him explained it to me.
“He’s disappointed about it.”
“Disappointed, you say?”
So he was disappointed about something. But why?
“None of his children wanted to inherit this place.”
“Hmph…!”
“Don’t be like that. You worked hard to run this place, brought people here, fed them, and all your children turned out well, didn’t they?”
“They turned out well. They think they grew up on their own, that’s why!”
“They’re all well-established now, aren’t they?”
“I understand. I get it.”
The reason became clear soon enough.
After all, who inherits a factory these days?
Even well-running factories sometimes get abandoned because the children refuse to take them over.
The Old Gentleman seemed to be in a similar situation.
He had no children to inherit it.
That was what truly saddened him.
And at the same time.
“Sigh… it doesn’t have to be the factory specifically. But I just can’t bear to let it go like this. You understand how precious this space is, don’t you?”
“…Yes, I do. I know how much you cherished this place from the moment you first opened these doors.”
“I’m afraid it will disappear.”
A place that had sustained his family all these years.
The sadness of watching it lie dormant seemed to weigh heavily on him.
‘He’d be satisfied even if it wasn’t a factory.’
I could feel his desire for this space to simply remain.
To others, it might just be a place layered with the passage of time, but to the Old Gentleman, this was a trace of his life—something he wanted to preserve.
This space was both a legacy and a testament to his existence.
And perhaps it was perfect timing.
I too needed such a testament at this very moment.
I seated the Old Lady on one side, then carefully approached the Old Gentleman, who was preparing tea with clinking teacups, and asked hesitantly.
“Old Gentleman, would it be alright if I made a proposal?”
“What is it? If it’s a proposal from you, I’ll accept anything!”
“That’s right. Just tell us if you need anything.”
Encouraged by the goodwill of both elders, I got straight to the point.
“Could I use this space?”
“Huh?”
“!!!!”
“What I mean is this.”
Surprise rippled through both elders as they heard my following words.

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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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