The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 52

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 52. The Effect of the Visit
The background music cut out abruptly.
Only the sound of noodles being swallowed was emphasized.
Slurrrp— slurp—
There were no other sounds whatsoever.
“…”
“…”
But that was enough.
My appetite was naturally stirred.
‘Even knowing the taste, I want to eat it again.’
The editing was so good that even I, who had made the dish, wanted to eat it.
Then the rhythm of the next scene suddenly accelerated.
It was a war.
“Ah…!”
The graceful empress was gone.
Im Ha-yun inhaling noodles as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
Sonny, who had warned that she was on a diet and wouldn’t be easily satisfied, licking the sauce clean.
Every time a plate emptied, bowls piling up like mountains!
The screen moved forward relentlessly and rapidly.
Like a blockbuster.
And then, finally.
“Wow….”
Im Ha-yun collapsing onto the table was captured in slow motion.
-I’m done! I surrender!
The video ended with her waving the white flag.
* * *
Red text appeared over the black screen.
[Factory Canteen, Breaking the Record Failed. No, a Complete Defeat.]
Just one hour after the video was uploaded.
The view count was skyrocketing.
Was it because two major YouTubers had joined in? Or perhaps.
‘Maybe it’s because the concept is just that good.’

The comment section absolutely exploded.
[12,482 Comments]
In just a few hours, the comments had already surpassed ten thousand.
At this rate, tens of thousands would come in no time.
Kim Mandu Mandu: Wow, that’s crazy lol. I haven’t seen Lim Ha-yoon eat like that in 3 years.
┖This is legit real content.
“Korean food brain cut: The editing is insane lol What’s with the fire show while cooking? Is it CGI? That’s supposed to be a neighborhood snack shop’s firepower?”
-KEI25: Yo, but is the owner’s visuals for real? His arm muscles when he’s wok-tossing are insane. He could do mukbang just with his face instead of the cooking.
┖2222
┖I was thinking the same thing.
-FoodExplorer: Does anyone know where this is? They said it’s a factory canteen near the New City District, can someone share the location?
┖TTMQJF: It’s a hot spot these days. Can’t even get in even if you wait in line. But after seeing the video, looks like I won’t be able to eat there even more…
-SonnyFan1: Is that the menu that made our unnie give up on her diet? The black pork rice bowl visuals are insane.
┖Drooling.
-ArmchairCritic: Honestly, I thought it was all staged, but seeing Im Ha-yun’s eyes light up like that, it’s real.
┖That’s not an expression you can fake.
The reaction was beyond hot—it was scorching.
It had transcended the simple level of “looks delicious.”
The narrative of teaching arrogant YouTubers a lesson with pure cooking skill.
People were ecstatic over the visuals of the dish that matched that narrative.
And on top of that, an overwhelming cooking performance!
There was momentum.
The moment that momentum took hold, the frenzy erupted.
“Wow, hyung, check this out.”
“What now? I need to focus on the business.”
“Come on, just look.”
Jin-woo held out his phone.
Something unexpected was displayed on the screen.
[Real-Time Trending Video #1]
My face was plastered across YouTube’s main page.
And very prominently at that.
“Huh?”
“Insane… Number 1 on Trending! But how are you staying so calm about this!”
Haran couldn’t close her mouth either, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Wow….”
“Boss, the view count… looks like it’s close to a million. And it hasn’t even been half a day since it was uploaded….”
“Yeah, that’s a lot.”
“A lot? That’s not the end of it! Wow, this is really!”
I calmly wiped down the table with a dish towel.
Numbers are just numbers.
What mattered to me was tomorrow morning.
‘This is only episode one, and the anticipation has exploded beyond my expectations.’
Once people saw that video, customers would flood in like a tidal wave.
No exaggeration.
[Your reputation rises significantly.]
[You have acquired the title 【Enchanting Chef】.]
[Numerous food connoisseurs are beginning to take notice of you.]
The System Messages materialized before my eyes, proving the surge of anticipation.
This felt like the game board was completely tilted in my favor.
Even more people would be rushing in than before.
‘This is perfect.’
I couldn’t help but smile.
People watch my cooking and go wild with enthusiasm. They drool, saying how delicious it looks.
They’ll be desperate to taste it.
As a chef, what could be better than this?
“Jin-woo, tell any of your friends who have free time tomorrow to come by no matter what.”
“Is this what you call ‘burning time’?”
“That’s right.”
“Understood. I’ll gather everyone.”
“Good. And Haran, let’s go to the market again later.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine since we just went yesterday?”
“No. We need to prepare three times more than usual.”
“Three times? That much?”
“That’s right. And even that might be cutting it close.”
Jin-woo chimed in and helped clarify things.
I confirmed it as well.
“Jin-woo’s right. Three times might not even be enough.”
We might need to prepare even more.
So come on then, bring it all.
* * *
“Now this is cooking.”
I muttered to myself, constantly spinning the wok without pause.
The festival’s effects still hadn’t completely worn off.
The so-called festival momentum remained.
And now YouTube had been added to the mix.
The store had become a war zone.
The impact of Hyeon-seung’s video was beyond imagination.
Opening rush was standard; the waiting line stretched far outside the factory.
The dishes customers wanted to eat could only narrow down to two options.
“Oh, what do I do? I want to try the spicy seafood noodles and the rice bowl too.”
“Right? Ordering both would be way too much food.”
“What should I do? Ugh…”
[Hellfire Seafood Jjamppong] or [Black Pork Tonkatsu Rice Bowl].
Ha-yun and Sonny were agonizing over which of these two dishes they’d devoured so deliciously they should choose.
It was a deadlock—neither option had a clear advantage.
‘They’d want to eat both.’
Having witnessed the overwhelming visual spectacle of what Im Ha-yun and Sonny had demolished, it was only natural they’d covet both dishes.
But my cooking is fundamentally generous in portion size.
Finishing two bowls alone would be impossible.
This was a dilemma.
The eternal question: black bean noodles or seafood soup?
‘Why should I make customers struggle with a choice?’
I already had an answer prepared for that.
“Jin-woo, promote the half-and-half combo set.”
“Yes, sir!”
The answer was simple. Just serve them both.
Why else would the revolutionary jjamjjamyeon bowl exist in Chinese restaurants?
Now was the time to use it.
I pulled out the special container I’d prepared in advance.
A divided compartment dish with a partition down the middle!
“Customers who can’t decide! Go for the half-and-half combo set! Both dishes you’re craving are included!”
“Huh?”
“Wow…!”
“Half-and-half!?”
The reaction was explosive.
I didn’t even need to hear it to know.
People would flock to the half-and-half set.
‘Time to get moving.’
I immediately began cooking.
Jjamppong on the left burner, tonkatsu in the right fryer—both going simultaneously.
Parallel cooking.
Clack. Clack-clack-clack. Clack.
From Haran beside me came the sound of her prepping the remaining ingredients in perfect rhythm.
‘Perfect timing!’
Whoosh!
The satisfying ring of the blade met the wok as flames erupted, searing the vegetables and seafood to perfection.
Sizzle!
In the oil, thick black pork tenderloin turned a gorgeous golden brown.
[Activating skill 【Ingredient Enhancement】.]
[Skill 【Heat Control (Lv.Max)】 is triggered.]
Two dishes simultaneously.
I finished both without a single flaw, timed to absolute perfection.
On the left side of the bowl, I placed the fiery red broth of hellfire seafood jjamppong.
The portion was half my usual amount, but I piled the seafood generously without restraint.
‘Now, to the right.’
On the right, I topped fluffy rice with crispy black pork cutlet, drizzled special sauce, and crowned it with a perfectly runny egg.
Spicy broth and savory fried goodness.
Fiery heat and clean simplicity.
The perfect balance they created together!
It was exactly right.
I placed the steaming bowl on the counter.
“Ready! Half-and-half Bombardment Set!”
“This one’s up too!”
“Coming right out!”
As if they’d been waiting, Jin-woo and his friends rushed to grab the sets and deliver them.
The customers’ eyes widened at the sight of the massive bowl.
“Wow! The visuals are insane!”
“Damn. This is genius. You’re giving us both in one bowl?”
“Incredible. We gotta take a picture of this.”
The reaction was explosive.
The customers who’d been hesitating until the last moment all raised their hands at once.
“I’ll have that too!”
“One more half-and-half here!”
The combination of the two was explosively good.
Slurping down jjamppong and it gets too spicy?
Switch your chopsticks to the crispy cutlet to cool it down.
Eating the cutlet and your throat gets blocked?
The spicy jjamppong broth clears it right up.
Your spoon never got a moment’s rest.
[New menu item 【Half-and-half Bombardment Set】 has been registered.]
[Customer satisfaction has skyrocketed explosively.]
[Customer response has skyrocketed explosively.]
As expected. The pinnacle of tuning is stock authenticity.
And the answer to choice paralysis is always half-and-half.
‘Perfect.’
I smiled with satisfaction watching the empty bowls pile up.
Today too, running out of ingredients was only a matter of time.
‘Keep eating. You’ll be craving this again tonight.’
* * *
“Ha… This is ridiculous.”
Jang On-gyu hurled the tablet PC onto the table with a harsh clatter.
On the glowing screen.
Red captions were still flashing relentlessly.
[Ingeupdeong #1: Factory Canteen Record-Breaking Challenge – Full Version]
The full version released after the edited cut.
Unlike the edited version, full versions typically struggled to rack up high view counts.
Yet this one had already surpassed two million views.
The comments were nothing but praise.
Some nobody who used to boil ramen on a decrepit truck was stirring up commotion everywhere.
‘That bastard’s luck is absolutely insane.’
Block him with a fence, and he uses the fence itself.
Send YouTubers after him, and he wins them over.
Trample him down, and he blooms again.
No weed was ever this resilient.
The more you crushed him, the more tenaciously he seemed to rise back up.
The fact that his crude spectacle—performed without spending a single won—was generating more buzz than the New City District Festival he’d invested hundreds of millions into was absolutely infuriating.
Just when he thought it was fading, something new would emerge, making it impossible to contain his rage.
“YouTube? It’s nothing but a fad!”
Jang On-gyu deliberately diminished its significance.
Fleeting popularity always dies down quickly.
Real power ultimately comes from capital and systems.
But the bitter resentment was unavoidable.
He needed a reversal card of some kind.
A massive torrent of water to extinguish that irritating flame in one fell swoop.
Knock, knock. Just then, the office door opened cautiously. It was Park Secretary.
“Director, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor? I don’t have any scheduled appointments.”
Jang On-gyu furrowed his brow.
He was in no mood to meet anyone right now.
The secretary should know that. Why was she bothering him with this?
“Turn them away. I’m tired.”
“It’s just… I think you should see this person.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s PD Ga.”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————