The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 43

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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 43. The Enchanting Entrance
The trap’s effect was explosive.
No—it bordered on miraculous.
“Let’s check that place out!”
“We should head to the event. What if we’re late?”
“We still have time. It’s just a quick detour. Besides, we need to eat anyway, so let’s grab something there.”
“Hmm. You think so?”
“Come on! Look, people are going over there!”
“Yeah, yeah! Let’s go!”
The footsteps of people passing outside the fence came to an abrupt halt.
As if seized by an invisible hand.
‘Smell is more instinctual than sight.’
It resembled those days during the apocalypse when starving monsters would swarm at the scent of blood.
[Your skill effect is maximized.]
[You intensely stimulate the pedestrians’ appetite.]
People poured in.
* * *
“Hey, let’s go in there.”
“But isn’t this blocked off? There’s a safety fence up.”
“No, it’s not. See those people going in? There’s a separate entrance.”
“You’re right! There is a separate entrance.”
Everyone’s attention fixed on the narrow passage between the fences, guarded by a security guard.
The fence would normally have looked like a restricted area.
‘But not now. It looks like one of the festival attractions, doesn’t it?’
But things were different now.
The brilliant lights and smoke from three ornate food trucks, along with their irresistible aroma, had transformed that narrow passage into an entrance.
“Right? The vibe is different from the main festival street, which makes it even more fun.”
“Let’s go in. I can’t resist the smell.”
A torrent broke loose.
That was the beginning.
Once a couple of people hesitantly passed by the security guard and entered, dozens more followed as if enchanted.
“Wait! Please maintain order!”
“We are maintaining it as we go in!”
“Oh…!”
“Please step aside. Blocking us makes it more dangerous!”
“Ah, yes!”
The flustered security guards tried to hold people back, but it was futile.
In fact, their attempts at control only made this place seem more special.
A line formed in an instant.
And when a line forms this way, things tend to become quite entertaining.
‘I’ll make it look like a hot spot.’
A hot spot where you had to wait in line just to get in.
This was the moment when Jang On-gyu’s intended isolation was being transformed by meshing with my skill.
“Jin-woo, did you see? They came rushing the moment we opened for business?”
“Wow… hyung, are you really a genius?”
“Hehe.”
Jin-woo’s mouth fell wide open.
The empty approach was instantly filled with people.
A long line stretched out.
The road closure had become a blessing in disguise.
Before, people couldn’t form long lines because of the road, but now they could line up freely on the empty pavement.
“Alright, let’s really get started now.”
The food truck wasn’t a place that sold food.
It was the most dazzling and delicious bait to lure people into the Factory Canteen.
“Come on, let me guide you. The real meal is available in the Factory Canteen inside.”
“Yes! Welcome! We’ll guide you to the cool Factory Canteen inside for your meal!”
Jin-woo stood at the front.
“You all go guide them quickly!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
After that, the friends Jin-woo had brought rushed off quickly.
‘Everyone’s excited.’
I could feel the excitement in Jin-woo’s loud voice even from a distance.
People passed between the food trucks, intoxicated by the aroma, and were drawn into the factory with anticipation.
‘Successful hunt!’
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
There was someone watching this scene from a distance.
It was Lee Chae-min, the Promotions Team Leader, who had come to confirm the situation on Jang On-gyu’s orders.
‘This… what… is this even possible!’
Lee Chae-min doubted his own eyes.
According to the reports, this place should have been blocked off by the fence with only flies buzzing around.
Security Guards were deployed to control public access.
It was a perfect operation to isolate under the guise of safety.
And yet.
“Why is everyone going in there?”
The Narrow Entrance, far narrower than the Main Street, was far more crowded.
People were willingly lining up to enter through that narrow gap.
“Wow, the smell is incredible. This must be a real delicious restaurant.”
“Hey, hurry and get in line before it gets longer.”
“Now we can finally go in.”
The conversation of passersby pierced through me like a blade.
Lee Chae-min’s face drained of all color.
‘If the CEO finds out about this, I’m finished.’
The CEO would never accept this situation.
No, he would absolutely explode with rage.
-I sent you to block it, and you turned it into an entrance? How are you doing your job!
The furious reprimand already echoed in my ears.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
The crowds that Jang On-gyu had poured money into creating for the festival were being sucked into that dilapidated abandoned factory like a black hole.
And they all wore expressions of eager anticipation.
Zing. Zing-
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
The caller.
[Esteemed CEO Jang On-gyu]
A name that would normally have filled me with respect.
But today, it was the summons of the grim reaper.
“….”
Lee Chae-min gripped his phone with trembling hands.
Faced with that scene overflowing with cheers, what on earth was I supposed to report?
He swallowed hard and turned his feet toward what felt like walking into hell.
I had to make the report.
* * *
Knock knock.
Jang On-gyu lifted his head at the sound.
“Come in.”
“I’m here to report, sir.”
Promotions Team Leader Lee Chae-min entered.
His footsteps were as heavy as an ox being dragged to slaughter. His complexion was ashen.
Jang On-gyu could not fail to notice.
“You’re here? Why do you look like that?”
Jang On-gyu twirled his fountain pen with ease.
The Festival Street visible through the window remained brilliant.
Everything was unfolding perfectly according to his plan.
Sales were rising, and the momentum continued.
At this rate, even half-established would guarantee certain success.
Save for one place—that eyesore of an abandoned factory.
‘That will be resolved now too.’
Even that was no longer a problem.
According to the plan he had devised, everything should be completely sealed off.
“That place should be quieter now, right? We’ve completely blocked it off with the fence.”
I’d deployed Security Guards there in far greater numbers than anywhere else.
It was for safety.
Not a single ant should be able to get through.
No matter how much of a reputation a Delicious Restaurant builds, if the path is physically blocked and safety is used as an excuse, customers naturally stop coming.
That’s common sense.
But what came out of Lee Chae-min’s mouth defied all logic.
“That’s… not what’s happening.”
“What do you mean?”
“More customers are coming.”
Jang On-gyu’s hand, which had been twirling his fountain pen, stopped.
His brow furrowed.
“What are you talking about? We put up the fence. We deployed Security Guards.”
“That’s the problem.”
“What?”
“Because of the fence and Security Guards, the road is now empty. But the line extends all the way out there.”
“…What? Customers are crossing over the fence? Why?”
Jang On-gyu doubted his own ears.
“They’ve positioned a food truck right behind the fence.”
“So customers cross over because of that?”
“It’s… the aroma. They released this aroma, and people are drawn to it, forming lines.”
“Huh….”
As Lee Chae-min reported, even he felt like he was spouting nonsense.
But it was the truth.
It was the kind of aroma that made anyone’s mouth water.
Even Lee Chae-min himself had momentarily considered crossing over to try some.
“The Security Guards are organizing the lines, and the fence is creating a pathway, so people are mistaking it for a special entrance. As if a booth had been set up.”
“Huh….”
“In fact, customers are entering more orderly than before. They’re using the safety fence in reverse.”
“Huh.”
A hollow laugh escaped Jang On-gyu’s lips.
The fence was supposed to be a barrier.
It was a blockade meant to strangle them to death.
And now it had become a guide line? The Security Guards had become guards protecting their store?
“So right now.”
Jang On-gyu asked with a bitter laugh.
“I’m spending my own money to put up the fence, hiring Security Guards with my own money, and creating lines for their store?”
“…That’s essentially what’s happening.”
“Huh, unbelievable.”
When something is too absurd, anger doesn’t even come.
A hollow laugh escaped Jang On-gyu’s lips.
He’d sent word to block them, only to end up providing premium booth service instead.
His perfectly designed isolation strategy had been completely transformed into flawless marketing by their quick thinking.
He had to admit it.
Kim Seon-woo. That man possessed no ordinary skill.
“He’s got talent. Real talent, I’ll give him that.”
Jang On-gyu sank deep into his chair.
His gaze toward the ceiling carried a sense of deflation.
“So, what does their sales look like right now?”
“…It’s incalculable. They’re essentially sweeping up everything.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Jang On-gyu applauded slowly.
It wasn’t praise.
“Impressive. Throwing a party with my money, drawing crowds with my money.”
He tapped his finger against the festival planning document on his desk.
“What should we do? Should we deploy more personnel now?”
“Leave it.”
“Pardon? But if we leave it like this, business will….”
“Should I go remove the fence right now? That would only make us look petty. Rumors would spread that Jang On-gyu is being narrow-minded.”
The milk was already spilled.
He wasn’t foolish enough to try mopping it up.
Removing the fence now would be admitting defeat.
Jang On-gyu let out a short laugh.
But his eyes remained cold as he spoke.
“Let them enjoy it. For now, we’ll leave things as they are.”
His bewilderment quickly transformed into spite.
Thinking of those fools intoxicated with victory over merely turning a fence to their advantage made his stomach twist.
But this was only the beginning.
The real match hadn’t even started yet.
“Get out.”
“…Understood.”
Lee Chae-min fled the office. The empty space remained.
Jang On-gyu glared out the window toward the Abandoned Factory in the distance. The spotlight trained on that location irritated him inexplicably.
“Turning it into a booth, huh….”
He murmured softly to himself.
“Hmph. Let’s see how long this lasts.”
This time, it was his defeat.
* * *
[Today’s operations have concluded.]
[Overwhelming sales volume!]
[You have set a new record.]
[Experience points surge dramatically.
The System Message rang out in triumph.
Jang On-gyu acknowledged his defeat and withdrew.
‘I’ll leave the Fence as it is without removing it.’
It was essentially a declaration of surrender—he wouldn’t touch it for the time being.
An ordinary person would have felt relief at this point.
I had transformed crisis into opportunity, so I could simply enjoy this sweet taste of victory and continue my business behind the Fence.
But I am not ordinary.
‘If I took a hit, I need to return the favor.’

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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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