The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 57

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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 57. Her Gambit
What she pulled from her bag like a treasure trove was premium Korean beef tenderloin.
The marbling was pure artistry, wherever she’d sourced it from.
“Is this Châteaubriand?”
“What!?”
Châteaubriand is the most tender cut among Korean beef tenderloins.
The finest steak portion, positioned at the very center of the tenderloin.
‘She brought this much in bulk?’
I’d heard the rumors about her not sparing expenses when it came to food.
But this was beyond anything I could have imagined.
“You brought all this intending to eat it in one meal?”
“Of course?”
“Wow….”
She spends as much as she earns. On her own palate.
“I want to try something today.”
“Try something?”
I was surprised at the word “try.”
But looking closer, it wasn’t really a test.
Her face was full of mischief.
“You know that searing is fundamental in cooking, right?”
“Ah, I see. So you want me to sear it?”
“Hehe. Can’t you?”
“I can. But I won’t be doing it as a steak.”
“Pardon?”
Now it was her turn to be surprised.
What else would you do with Châteaubriand besides steak if you’re going to sear it?
That’s what her expression was saying.
There’s one dish that comes to mind.
“You said searing is fundamental in cooking, didn’t you?”
“Surely not….”
“Today I’ll show you two methods. Direct flame grilling and charcoal grilling.”
“…Ha.”
Her mouth fell open. Direct flame and charcoal grilling with this precious Châteaubriand.
She’d never imagined such an approach.
I understand.
There’s a reason why searing is one of the fundamentals of cooking.
‘Proper searing requires extreme precision and difficulty.’
Among all searing techniques, direct flame and charcoal are notoriously challenging—one slip and the meat burns or cooks unevenly. No wonder she’s shocked at my choice.
“If you waste even a single ingredient, I’ll hate you.”
“That’s unfortunate. It seems like there’s no way I could earn your hatred.”
Whoosh—!
The moment her words ended, I cranked up the heat.
I immediately lit the charcoal beside me.
It was preparation to handle both at once.
Then I placed the Châteaubriand on the roaring flames first.
The meat, seasoned with salt and pepper sprinkled during our conversation and prepared with nothing else, was now placed over the fire.
This was where it mattered most.
‘Heat control.’
[Skill 【Heat Control】 is activated.]
I had to manipulate the flames using the skill.
But I couldn’t rely solely on the skill either.
‘If I don’t do this right, it’ll burn in an instant.’
Not burnt, yet not undercooked either.
I had to capture that singular moment when the meat juices were perfectly sealed.
‘Now!’
[Skill 【Heat Control】 reaches maximum efficiency.]
[The flames perfectly seal the meat’s juices.]
The flames danced and embraced the meat, then subsided in an instant at my command.
The exterior was crispy, the interior a vivid crimson tinged with blood.
It was that exact sensation I’d repeated countless times in my past life while grilling monster meat.
“It’s ready.”
* * *
“Let’s dig in!”
She picked up her fork. There was no broadcast-style reaction.
Only eating.
Her cheeks puffed up plump.
Each time the juices burst, the corners of her eyes curved like crescents.
“Wow…! I’m so happy.”
She mumbled contentedly.
It wasn’t mere flattery.
A sense of fulfillment beyond mere satiation was evident.
One plate. Two plates.
She devoured each piece of meat as soon as it was grilled.
In an instant, all twenty pieces of Châteaubriand vanished.
All except one.
“That was delicious! I feel like I’ve gained some weight now!”
“There’s one piece left, though?”
“Our chef needs to eat too! It’s on the house!”
“Wow. I never expected to receive service at my own restaurant.”
“Hehe.”
She patted her satisfied belly and rose from her seat.
The brazen demeanor from when she’d entered had vanished without a trace.
She smiled shyly like a young girl and bowed politely.
“I’ll come back tomorrow!”
“I won’t provide special ingredients tomorrow.”
Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the interesting ingredient called Chateaubriand, today might have been impossible too?
“Tch. Got it. I’ll just wait in line!”
She left the store with a light step.
Ding. The door closed, and silence descended.
But a warm, comforting atmosphere lingered in the restaurant.
‘She really enjoyed it.’
I savored the last piece she’d left behind.
* * *
Not long after Ha-yun disappeared with her bright smile.
Today had been a long day.
But my mood wasn’t bad. No, it was quite good.
More customers were eating with genuine satisfaction, and the owners I worked with were clearly pleased.
Haran’s knife skills improved with each passing day, expanding what she could handle.
Everything was good.
‘I’ll keep cooking and living for this taste.’
I pulled down the shutter and locked the door.
Click.
Complete silence fell over the Factory Canteen.
I turned around with a refreshed heart.
* * *
Kim Seon-woo leaving after finishing his work at the restaurant.
There was a gaze watching his figure.
Across from the restaurant, in the darkness beyond the streetlights.
Inside a parked black van.
Zzzzzt—
The window lowered just slightly.
A camera lens gleamed through the gap.
“That’s where I need to dig.”
The man muttered while confirming Kim Seon-woo’s back through the viewfinder.
‘A real delicious restaurant? That’s hilarious.’
The man’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
He picked up a notebook resting on the passenger seat.
Written there was a sensational title: “Project: Exposing the Truth Behind the Factory Canteen.”
“There’s no one who doesn’t have dust when you shake them out. Heh heh. I just need to find one thing. Just one.”
The polished shell that captivates the world.
Stripping away the surface and exposing the stench—that was his specialty.
“Let me see for myself where this so-called great cooking comes from.”
The man pressed the camera’s record button and began prowling around the factory canteen.
* * *
The lunch rush was in full swing the next day as well.
The factory canteen was absolute chaos.
The sounds of cooking and orders blurred together into complete pandemonium.
“Two lasagna kimbap for table three!”
“Table seven, add one seafood noodle soup!”
Jin-woo weaved through the hall.
I boiled noodles and poured broth without pause.
Beside me, Haran wielded her knife with supernatural precision.
Time flew by.
The lunch rush was winding down, and break time was approaching.
That’s when it happened.
A customer walked through the door, and something about him caught my attention.
‘Oh dear?’
His gait looked unsteady.
His complexion was ashen, and beads of cold sweat glistened on his forehead.
‘It’s one of two things.’
Either food poisoning or severe hangover—that much was obvious.
From what I could tell, this looked like a severe hangover.
“Welcome! How many in your party?”
“…Just one.”
The man collapsed onto the table as soon as he sat down.
He didn’t even have the energy to look at the menu.
“Jin-woo, bring that gentleman a bowl of ramen.”
“But he hasn’t ordered yet?”
“I can tell just by looking. He’s clearly in bad shape—he’s definitely going to want hangover ramen.”
“Ah!”
“Wait a moment.”
I raised my hand to stop Jin-woo before he could go take the order.
The foundation of this factory canteen is the ramen cart.
In moments like this, it wasn’t the customer who decided the menu—it was me.
‘Time to put in some real effort.’
A first-time customer, perhaps.
But still, they came to my restaurant.
Regular or new, every customer deserves equal care from me.
‘For settling an upset stomach, these two are the best.’
Without hesitation, I pulled out dried pollack and bean sprouts from the refrigerator.
The spicy ramen I normally serve would be poison to this customer right now.
I need to soothe their stomach and purge the toxins.
[Skill 【Ingredient Enhancement】]
[Ingredient 【Bean Sprouts】 has been enhanced.]
[Ingredient 【Dried Pollack】 has been enhanced.]
I maximized the detoxifying properties of the bean sprouts.
And amplified the toxin-purging ability of the dried pollack.
Sizzle!
I roasted the dried pollack over high heat to draw out a milky broth.
At the same time, I sliced one green chili pepper and added it in.
‘I can’t miss that sharp, tangy kick right before the heat hits.’
The dish came together in an instant.
[Dish Complete: Golden Pollack Hangover Cure Ramen]
[Upon consumption, immediate detoxification occurs.]
[Clears a congested stomach.]
The effects are exactly what I intended!
“Your dish is ready.”
“…Huh? But I haven’t ordered anything yet.”
I picked up the tray myself and set it down in front of the man.
The man lifted his head with difficulty.
Seeing the milky broth instead of red broth, he wore a puzzled expression.
Then his face quickly showed signs of interest.
“I… didn’t order this? But I was about to order ramen.”
“Ha. I had a feeling you would.”
“But… this doesn’t seem like just regular ramen, does it?”
“Our concept here is that the owner does as they please. Ha. I’m serving this on my own discretion.”
“Ah…!”
“Try it. Your stomach will feel much better!”
“Thank you!”
The man chuckled as if he found this situation amusing.
Then, as if his energy had drained, he picked up a spoon with trembling hands.
Slurp. The moment the hot broth went down his throat.
“…!”
The man’s pupils dilated the instant he swallowed the noodles.
The sensation of his congested stomach opening up.
The pain that had been squeezing his stomach vanished like a lie.
“Ahhhhh…!”
A deep exclamation burst from his lips.
Then he immediately picked up the pace.
Slurp, slurp!
His spoon moved so rapidly that I wondered if this was truly the same man who had been dying just moments before.
Sweat poured from his pores, and color returned to his ashen face—a healthy flush of red.
“Ah… I’m alive.”
The man who had emptied his bowl in mere minutes exhaled deeply.
He pulled out his wallet and approached me, bowing repeatedly.
“Owner, thank you so much. I feel like I’ve been brought back from the dead. Wow, how can a single bowl of ramen do this….”
“I’m glad it helped. Please come again.”
I watched the customer leave with a light step, and I couldn’t help but smile.
That satisfaction when a dish I’ve prepared on instinct fits a customer perfectly—it never gets old.
‘This feeling never gets boring, no matter how many times I experience it.’
Pleased with myself, I wrung out the dishcloth and turned around.
This was when Jin-woo should have appeared.
Jin-woo.
I expected him to burst out with something like: “Wow, hyung! That’s incredible! You’re the best!”
But instead.
For some reason, today he was quiet.
“…”
Jin-woo said nothing.
Holding a tray, he alternated his gaze between the door where the customer had just left and me.
The usual playful expression on his face had vanished completely.
‘What’s wrong?’
Jin-woo’s eyes were trembling noticeably.
“Jin-woo?”
“….”

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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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