The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 34

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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 34. Filming
“Won’t filming cause a lot of trouble for the customers?”
“They said they’d film quietly in one corner. Just a short clip while eating.”
“Is that so?”
I turned my head to look past Jin-woo, and I could see three people holding cameras.
Judging by the fact that each of them had a camera pointed at themselves.
‘Looks like they’re filming together.’
They seemed intent on filming a quiet meal and leaving.
Given the sporadic murmur of voices, it almost seemed like a live stream.
I deliberated over whether to accept or decline, then reached a decision.
“Let’s allow it.”
I’d permit the filming.
That was the moment.
[A Quest has been generated.]
[Store Settlement] (1)
You’ve now embarked on the path of the food service business in earnest.
The world may appear peaceful, but it is far from lenient.
Strive to ensure your store becomes established.
-Success Condition: Victory Against Interference
Reward: Luck +1
A Quest suddenly appeared.
Quests would emerge whenever the opportunity arose.
But this one was slightly different from before.
‘In my past life, a Quest was generated after I obtained the Hideout, but this time it’s the Store?’
I recall receiving a similar Quest before.
When I’d finally secured a foothold and began settling in, a crisis emerged.
That’s when I received the Quest back then.
This seemed to be triggered by similar circumstances.
The only difference was that the Hideout had become the Store.
‘So this is a crisis situation.’
Considering that a Quest was generated the moment I accepted the filming.
It wasn’t difficult to reach a conclusion.
‘…Was this a defense battle?’
* * *
Defense—literally, defense. Here, it meant a defensive battle.
The enemy was clear.
Those Youtubers laughing alongside Jin-woo as he conveyed permission to film. They were the enemy.
‘Since a Quest appeared the moment I accepted.’
So what was their objective?
They’d clearly come to interfere with my store.
I’m curious who could have orchestrated this.
‘Jang On-gyu may not be a good person, but he’s not the type to pull off scheming at this level.’
It wasn’t Jang On-gyu. He’d shown hostility and spoken harsh words to me before, but there are standards. Even as a villain, he’s no third-rate amateur.
But the pieces don’t fit here.
The Youtubers lurking around this place lately are clearly ones Jang On-gyu brought in.
‘Hmm… This isn’t something Jang On-gyu would do, yet my enemies claim he summoned them. That simplifies things.’
It was an insider belonging to him, not Jang On-gyu himself, who orchestrated this.
I’d figure out who later.
Once I know the enemy and the objective, only one thing remains.
‘How do I repel them.’
Since I’ve identified them as enemies, I have no intention of going easy.
Some might call it overkill.
But that was my rule.
For the record, I’m someone who ‘absolutely’ adheres to my rules.
‘There are many methods.’
I could set traps and show them illusions.
This is my store, my domain. The traps’ effectiveness would amplify here.
Efficiency-wise, that’s the best approach.
But humans aren’t beings driven by efficiency alone.
Especially not someone like me.
‘I’m a chef, after all.’
Beyond efficiency, there was a way to make my enemies completely submit.
It wasn’t through traps—it lay elsewhere.
‘I’ll go with cooking at its foundation.’
Whoooosh—!
I turned up the burner flame high.
* * *
I’d settle this through fundamental cooking.
So what should I prepare?
‘Since I’ve committed to street food, I won’t stray from it.’
So-called street food is light fare.
Tteokbokki, fish cakes, kimbap, ramen.
These are dishes that are primarily made with ease.
But street food is something you can delve into as deeply as you wish if you choose to.
‘My dishes here will be kimbap and ramen.’
Since I’ve decided to break through with fundamentals, I won’t deviate.
So then, how do I add depth to kimbap and ramen?
The answer ultimately lay in breaking conventions.
‘I’ll create both in forms different from before.’
I’d go with dishes unlike anything I’ve made previously.
Perhaps it was because I hadn’t exerted myself in so long.
More than the fact that I’d received a challenge, the thrill of this moment itself excited me.
‘Maybe I’m the type who doesn’t shy away from challenges.’
I didn’t know this about myself in my past life either.
Finding it entertaining, I poured broth into the pot equipped with fierce firepower.
It was loofah broth ramen, specifically.
As the loofah broth—not ramen stock—poured in, the color became cloudy.
‘Let’s keep it clear.’
Loofah broth was naturally clear to begin with.
As I brought it to a boil, I strained out the impurities once.
The real challenge came next.
‘I didn’t want to just call it ramen simply because I’d added noodles to loofah broth.’
I needed to add a signature touch.
This signature element wasn’t as difficult as I’d thought.
‘Scallions.’
Green onions. I’d use them to make it refreshingly bold.
Meanwhile, the unconventionally prepared kimbap was also being readied.
‘That’s the real kick.’
I poured the bubbling ramen generously into a bowl.
Next, I spread the pre-prepared kimbap widely across a plate.
“There! Done!”
The dish for the defense match was complete.
* * *
Lee Hyeon-seung of Hyeon-seung TV. He’d started with mukbang videos, but now he was a Youtuber who primarily explored restaurants.
He watched the roaring flames and thought to himself.
‘This isn’t even Chinese cuisine—why light a fire first? It’s way too much.’
For a street food shop, it was quite grandiose.
But ironically, it looked good on camera.
‘If you’re going to criticize, you might as well do it properly.’
He’d come prepared to critique whatever dish was served.
Still, the first impression mattered.
The concept was to come with high expectations but then be disappointed by the taste.
Hadn’t they all coordinated their lines beforehand to make it flow naturally?
“….”
“….”
He signaled with eye contact until the very end.
Then he delivered his line.
“Wow. This is a street food shop, right? But the firepower is seriously impressive.”
“Is he trying to add that charred flavor?”
“That doesn’t seem to be it… Ah! He’s trying to cook it quickly, isn’t he?”
“Whew. But do we really need to go that far?”
“Haha. Why not? It looks flashy and impressive, doesn’t it?”
“Flashy—yeah, that’s true!”
I interjected appropriately to build momentum.
I was curious. How would it turn out?
They’d mentioned it was a neighborhood favorite, after all.
And so I helped cultivate the atmosphere.
Once the table was properly set.
“Your dishes have arrived.”
“Huh?”
The dish that came out was quite unusual.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a casual eatery selling ramen and kimbap?
Yet the ramen broth was remarkably creamy and white.
“What is this?”
“Ah, this is Hong Kong ramen made with loofah gourd broth.”
“Pardon?”
At that moment, Chan-won, another Youtuber beside me, spoke up.
“Ah, loofah gourd broth!”
“You know about it?”
“It’s a Hong Kong home-style dish. We don’t eat loofah much in Korea, but it’s quite common in Hong Kong.”
“Really?”
“It has a distinctly refreshing taste when you eat it. Wow, I never knew you could use it with noodles like ramen!”
Recognizing something familiar, Chan-won’s expression brightened considerably.
“This is exciting! Ahem.”
When Hyeon-seung gave him a subtle signal, he finally toned down his enthusiasm.
“You’ve captured it perfectly. Just as I mentioned, it’s Hong Kong cuisine transformed into ramen. We call it Hong Kong Ramen.”
“The name is quite direct.”
“That’s exactly why it hits so hard, right? Haha.”
I tried to take the initiative and dampen the mood further, but it was futile.
Seonwoo seemed ready to laugh and roll with whatever came his way.
“You’ll be amazed once you taste it.”
“I see. And what about this next one? We ordered kimbap.”
“Lasagna kimbap.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know what lasagna is, right?”
Chan-won stepped in again this time.
His habit of getting excited whenever something familiar appeared had flared up once more.
“Of course! Ahem. It’s a pasta dish where you stack thin sheets of noodles in layers, right?”
“Exactly. I’ve expressed that concept through kimbap.”
“Ah. So that’s why the seaweed is stacked in layers?”
“That’s right.”
It was then that Hyeon-seung found something to nitpick about.
“Wait, isn’t this too salty? If the seaweed layers stack up like this….”
“Exactly. I’ve heard that kimbap itself is the worst for raising blood sugar….”
Complaining about blood sugar while eating snacks? Everyone knows what they’re eating.
These were ridiculous complaints.
The chat began flooding with such comments.
But the two of them ignored it for now.
What mattered was the atmosphere.
However, Seonwoo countered him immediately, as if he’d anticipated this.
“I understand. Haha. But if you look closely, this isn’t seasoned seaweed.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s freshly roasted seaweed. We use only the finest oils.”
“Then… what about the ingredients inside?”
Hyeon-seung heard him say something about it being soggy, but he ignored it.
He didn’t want to back down here.
“Of course I adjusted those too. Haha. I couldn’t possibly serve you something that’s only salty, could I?”
“…Ah, I see.”
But Seonwoo quickly deflected that as well.
By this point, all three of them, including Hyeon-seung, realized something.
‘This won’t work with words alone.’
Whether you were a Youtuber or a chef, being good with words mattered. It was about mastering what they called “appeal.”
This chef seemed to have been born with the ability to make dishes look delicious.
This was a losing battle.
‘Tch. I need to land one good hit to feel better about this.’
The opening round was a defeat.
Hyeon-seung acknowledged this while already thinking of revenge.
‘But the most important thing is still to come, right?’
No matter how a dish is packaged with words, there’s only one true judge.
And that’s taste.
‘No matter what it tastes like, I’ll frown from the start.’
The three of them steeled their resolve and immediately put the lasagna kimbap in their mouths.
Kimbap with more than five layers.
The moment they stuffed a whole piece into their mouths as instructed.
They’d intended to frown and create an atmosphere of tastelessness no matter what flavor emerged.
“Huh?”
“Gasp….”
A bomb exploded in their mouths.
A Taste Bomb.

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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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