The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 38

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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 38. Unexpected Developments (1)
For the record, this wasn’t just ordinary cooking.
[You have completed the medicinal dish 【Shrimp Burger Without Shrimp】.]
[Upon consumption, status resistance increases for one day.]
[With prolonged consumption, base status resistance permanently increases.]
It was a medicinal dish, no less.
On the surface, it appeared to be just an ordinary (?) burger.
But the true essence lay hidden within.
An ability born from obtaining the Healer title.
Combined with my past experience, this burger before my eyes was the result of that fusion.
‘Allergies, when you think about it broadly, are just a form of status abnormality. Since I created this by applying that principle, there’s absolutely no way an allergy could occur.’
And on top of that, prolonged consumption grants an increase in base status resistance.
Allergies are ultimately an immune response—a status abnormality.
If resistance increases, then realistically, allergies shouldn’t occur.
‘Broadly speaking, it even counters all sorts of debuffs, so what’s a little allergy!’
Though she would need to eat it regularly.
“Wow…!”
The moment Yeon-hee took the plate and let out a sound of delight, there was no way she’d eat just once.
‘I’ll have to make this for her whenever she asks.’
Until Yeon-hee’s immunity rises significantly, I plan to make it for her every single day.
Until she’s sick of it!
As I steeled my resolve (?), two beautifully plated burgers were placed before Yeon-hee.
“Here!”
“Does this taste like shrimp?”
“It sure does! Want to try it?”
“Yes!”
Gulp—!
Yeon-hee took a big bite of the burger with her small mouth.
“!!!!”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Pure, childlike joy painted across her eyes.
“Mas, masher!”
“You need to chew what’s in your mouth properly before swallowing.”
“Mmm!”
Yeon-hee devoured the first burger in an instant.
Unsatisfied, she gazed longingly at the remaining one.
“Is it really that delicious?”
“Yeah! Can I have one more?”
“Sure. Just for today, eat as much as you’d like.”
“Yay!”
Yeon-hee grabbed the remaining hamburger and took another big bite, chewing eagerly.
I found myself simply watching her adorable expression.
[You have delivered genuine, heartfelt emotion through your cooking.]
An unexpected notification appeared here.
‘Yeon-hee, you were truly passionate about shrimp!’
I never expected her to be this genuine about it.
[Due to the effect of genuine, heartfelt emotion, Luck increases by 1 for one month.]
[Due to the effect of genuine, heartfelt emotion, your inspiration regarding cooking increases.]
[Experience points have…]
Notifications followed about increased resistance to abnormal status conditions and gained experience points.
But I was far more delighted by that genuine, heartfelt emotion than any of those rewards.
‘This is wonderful.’
It had been a truly meaningful moment for me.
* * *
The day after the company dinner, I was bustling about preparing the store early in the morning.
An unexpected proposal came in.
“Owner!”
“Haran? Isn’t it a bit too early for you to be here?”
“I had something I wanted to tell you.”
“Hmm?”
“The patty you made yesterday was delicious. And the portion you packed—Yeon-hee ate it all this morning. She finished the entire breakfast, you know?”
“Ha ha. That’s great.”
I never expected Yeon-hee to eat it all for breakfast too.
It was good news. The improved immunity was a bonus.
“Is that what you came to tell me about so early in the morning?”
“Half of it is, but the other half is something different.”
“So what’s the other half?”
Here came an unexpected proposal.
“What if you sold that patty?”
“That?”
“Yes.”
So she was suggesting I sell it.
Of course, I knew the taste wouldn’t suffer.
The unit cost was a bit high, certainly.
‘That’s something I can account for.’
I could simply set the price accordingly.
I was confident it would sell well once I put it out there.
The problem lay elsewhere.
“I’m not exactly suggesting you make it into hamburgers. That would require too much labor, and it’s impossible with the current kitchen setup.”
“Right? Adding new menu items to the current setup is definitely impossible.”
Haran understood this well too.
There were no more available hands in the kitchen right now.
I had a feeling Haran or Jin-woo might enter the kitchen eventually.
But it didn’t seem like that would happen anytime soon.
‘For some reason, it seems like Haran is still hesitating too.’
So when I was about to hear what proposal she had, she brought quite an interesting idea.
“It’s definitely difficult. But thinking about it, I realized there might be a way.”
“What way?”
“Do we really need to sell it as a hamburger?”
“Hmm?”
“What if we just serve the patty as a fried dish? Like shrimp tempura without the shrimp?”
!!!!
Serving just the patty as a fried dish.
This was quite an interesting idea.
“If we prepare the base ingredients well, I think it would work. And if we serve and sell that, I have a feeling there might actually be demand for it.”
Did my reaction spark her enthusiasm? Haran spoke like rapid gunfire.
This was the first time I’d heard her speak like this.
“If the prep work takes too much effort for you… if you don’t mind, I think I could help with that.”
“You, Haran?”
“Yes. That… it’s not like I’m suddenly craving kitchen work or anything. After seeing what you did yesterday, I started thinking about what I could help with…”
I could see Haran with her head bowed low.
Ah, this person. She’d come all the way here thinking about how to help me.
She was the one who’d deliberately avoided kitchen work, as if carrying some guilt.
‘I roughly understand why she was hesitating…’
How much courage must it have taken for her to bring up this suggestion?
It must have required a kind of strength I couldn’t fathom.
This proposal was something I was deeply grateful for.
It was the moment she was saying she’d enter the kitchen I’d always wanted to share with her.
My best response was to make sure she didn’t feel more embarrassed, to assure her that what she said wasn’t something to regret.
I laughed heartily and spoke.
“That sounds wonderful!”
“Ah…”
Haran’s eyes brightened as she lifted her bowed head.
For some reason, yesterday’s Yeon-hee overlapped with her image.
* * *
Haran’s proposal became a masterstroke.
“I’ll have the shrimp tempura too!”
“We don’t have that.”
“No, the shrimp tempura without shrimp!”
“Then I’ll have the shrimp ramen!”
“Isn’t this a set?”
“Right?”
Shrimp-less fried dish. Shrimp ramen.
The customers naturally paired these two together as a set.
Thus, the shrimp set was born.
The visual presentation of both dishes was far more spectacular than expected.
“Wow…!”
“Insane.”
A massive black tiger shrimp sat prominently in the center.
Beneath it, shrimp ramen generously loaded with seafood!
A bowl so enormous it filled the center of the table—hard to believe it was a single serving.
“Wow… deliciously spicy.”
“Exactly! Just the right amount, right?”
The moment they tasted it, the shrimp-less fried dish waiting beside it demanded attention.
Even before eating, it emanated such an appetizing aroma, announcing its presence.
Crunch—
Biting through the crispy exterior of the fried dish.
“Ooh….”
“It’s moist, and it tastes like shrimp too.”
The truth of crispy-outside-moist-inside harmonized perfectly on the palate.
As saliva naturally pooled and was swallowed.
The customers who’d tasted it began to realize something.
“But this doesn’t seem like a test product?”
“Right. It’s homemade.”
“Wow… a homemade snack restaurant? This is something new.”
They understood this set was a menu exclusive to this place, unavailable anywhere else.
Naturally, curiosity couldn’t help but bloom.
“I’m pretty full, but… I think I could fit one more menu item, don’t you?”
“You too?”
“Yeah. How about we just get one more—the lasagna kimbap? We came here for that anyway.”
“Sounds good! One lasagna kimbap roll, please!”
Naturally, another menu item was added to the order.
Two people arriving and ordering three dishes was standard.
We’d prepared a pleasant surprise here.
“Here’s your lasagna kimbap.”
“Wow…!”
“But, um, we didn’t order soup on the side?”
“It’s on the house!”
“Really?”
“The owner said you were enjoying the food so much, he wanted to give it to you.”
The service goes out right away.
When customers order kimbap, I replace the small soup that normally comes with it with loofah gourd soup.
And I add one more thing.
“This is the base broth that comes with the Hong Kong ramen, so please try it.”
“Isn’t this similar to what they sell at that Hong Kong Restaurant?”
“That’s right. We’re using the same base.”
“Wow….”
“By the way, even though they use the same broth at that Hong Kong Restaurant, they prepare it differently, so you should definitely try it there too.”
“Really? I’ll definitely come back next time!”
“Thank you for the meal!”
I’d naturally created an opportunity for them to taste the Hong Kong Restaurant’s broth.
This plants anticipation beyond mere satisfaction—the expectation of what comes next.
It’s a kind of combo that detonates.
The customers thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes I’d prepared.
Some ordered the shrimp set.
Others ordered the lasagna set.
‘First-time customers tend to go for the special menu items.’
The regulars didn’t miss out either.
Each time they visited, they’d order ramen and kimbap according to my whims.
That became another kick.
Whenever a different ramen came out, their eyes would light up with curiosity.
That intriguing expression—what flavor could this ramen be? And as if to stimulate that curiosity, each ramen’s unique aroma would spread throughout the store.
‘Game over.’
A picture naturally formed where they had no choice but to come back again.
Many people came, and many tried various dishes.
Watching all this, I felt something anew.
‘My store’s menu has grown more than I expected?’
Ramen and kimbap made to order.
I’d definitely started with just these two.
But adding items one by one, the variety had become quite substantial.
Yet I hadn’t lost the sense of unity.
After all, nothing had stepped outside the framework of casual Korean snacks!
If you asked whether this was the end, it absolutely wasn’t.
‘My inspiration is surging right now?’
Was it thanks to the genuine emotion Yeon-hee had given me not long ago?
Ideas for various dishes were flooding my mind.
While my hands were constantly cooking, my mind was busy organizing these ideas.
As the lunch rush that I’d been frantically pushing through was coming to an end.
‘Huh…? They’re back again?’
The back of the customer who’d just left seemed somehow familiar.

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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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