The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 58

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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 58. The Direction of Longing
His eyes held a different light than usual.
It wasn’t mere admiration.
Something burning.
An irrepressible yearning and longing smoldered in Jin-woo’s gaze as he looked at me.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“…No, I’m fine.”
As I approached, Jin-woo seemed to snap back to reality and shook his head.
But why?
His grip on the tray handle was so tight his knuckles had turned white.
He swallowed hard. It was clear he had something to say.
Something very important, at that.
* * *
It happened to be break time.
Inside the store, which had emptied of customers like a receding tide.
“Let’s have some coffee for a moment.”
“…Yes.”
I led Jin-woo to a secluded corner of the 2nd Floor Cafe.
The two perceptive older brothers moved on their own.
Older Brother quietly brought coffee and left, while Jang Owner said he had business and took Haran outside the restaurant.
Even then, he remained restless and fidgety.
“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”
“Ah, nothing to tell. I was just hungry earlier and spacing out, that’s all.”
“Hmm.”
“Or maybe I made some mistake?”
“A mistake?”
“Yes. Haha. Oh! Did you see me spill some broth while serving earlier?”
“I did.”
“Wow, you don’t miss anything.”
Jin-woo deflected with a laugh.
Avoiding my gaze, playing dumb.
Normally I would have let it slide, but after seeing that look in his eyes, I couldn’t.
“Jin-woo.”
“Yes?”
“A real mistake is when you fail to do something when you should.”
I stood with my arms crossed, studying him quietly.
Eventually, Jin-woo’s resistance crumbled.
“Ah, seriously. Do you know how scary your eyes look?”
“Scary or not, just spill it.”
Jin-woo let out a deep sigh.
I finally managed to open my mouth.
“I’m not sure how you’ll view me, sir.”
He paused for a moment, then lifted his head and looked directly at me.
“I want to learn how to cook.”
“Cook?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Because it looks cool?”
I deliberately threw the question out there.
Jin-woo shook his head.
“That’s part of it, but… I’ve mentioned it before. It’s my dream. Really.”
His voice trembled slightly.
“Originally, I planned to go to school, get a job, and live an ordinary life like everyone else. Well, it’s not like this job is easy to land either. That’s why I started working part-time here.”
“Right.”
“But… watching you cook here, and seeing people become happy eating what you make… I really want to do it.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. It’s not just admiration. I want to try it with my own hands.”
Jin-woo’s eyes looking at me were serious.
This wasn’t something he’d said on a whim.
The amazement he’d shown while eating my dishes, his sharp palate when identifying ingredients, and the thrill he felt watching the customer today—all of it had accumulated and burst forth as genuine sincerity.
‘This guy. He really thought hard before saying this.’
I knew his personality.
Though he appeared bright on the surface, his heart was tender.
I could only imagine how much he’d agonized, worrying whether it would be a burden to me or if I’d think he was overstepping.
Others might not know, but I did.
So my answer was already decided.
“I was wondering when you’d bring it up.”
“In case it’s a bother, I could do it on my own… huh?”
“Let’s do it. Learn.”
I answered without hesitation.
Jin-woo’s eyes widened.
“Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that? You’ve been agonizing over this.”
“Still, I thought you’d oppose it…”
“Your palate and sense. I’ve been thinking it’d be a waste to keep you stuck in the kitchen.”
“Do I have talent?”
“You brat. You’re not without it. And Haran picked up a knife too—why couldn’t you?”
“Wow…! Wow… uh… is this really…? Damn… wow.”
Jin-woo’s mouth fell open.
His face instantly lit up with joy.
It was the expression of someone who’d just gained the whole world.
“Th-thank you so much, hyung! I’ll work really hard!”
“Good. Steel yourself. My kitchen is demanding.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll dedicate myself to this!”
He sprang to his feet and even saluted.
I chuckled softly and stood up from my seat.
Then, on impulse, I tapped him on the shoulder.
“And Jin-woo.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
He froze at my words.
I could see his eyes growing slightly red.
I pretended not to notice and turned away, heading down the stairs.
‘You’ve endured so much hardship, kid.’
* * *
“Everyone worked hard today!”
With Jin-woo’s energetic voice, the day’s business came to an end.
The factory canteen with its shutters drawn.
Instead of silence, it was filled with rhythmic sounds.
Thack. Thack. Thack. Thack.
A peculiar discord where crisp and dull tones mingled together.
In the center of the kitchen, Jin-woo and Haran stood before the cutting board.
It was because of Jin-woo’s cooking lesson that had started today.
“Ugh, this is way harder than it looks.”
“Did you think it would be easy?”
“A little. Actually, I’ve tried doing it on my own a bit?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I did it quietly at home. But this is… different.”
“So it’s fun, right?”
“…Yes. That’s why it’s fun. Haha.”
Jin-woo looked down at the radish he’d cut with a grimace.
Crooked and uneven. Radish strips of varying thicknesses.
It was the typical appearance of a beginner whose enthusiasm outpaced his skill.
“First, relax your grip.”
“Relax? How am I supposed to cut with the knife if I relax?”
“Look, your shoulders are all tensed up. The knife isn’t about pressing—it’s about pushing.”
“Ah…!”
“Come on, relax more.”
“Like this? Um… I’m trying to relax, but the tension keeps creeping back in.”
“It’s because you’re trying too hard. Stop thinking about doing it well. Just feel the weight of the knife. Then push.”
I moved behind Jin-woo and corrected his posture.
His forearms were tense and rigid.
His passion for cooking.
It was becoming poison for Jin-woo, hardening his body.
“Take it slow. Nobody’s good at something from the start.”
The station next to him was different.
Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap.
A steady rhythm echoed.
It was Haran.
Her knife work grew sharper with each passing day.
The sword skills from her past life were melding perfectly with the culinary techniques of this one.
The radish strips being sliced fell with machine-like uniformity.
“Haran, I’d say you’ve mastered knife work at this point?”
“I still have a long way to go. There’s much more before I can catch up to you, Owner.”
She spoke humbly while wiping her sweat, but her eyes were alive.
She was clearly enjoying this moment.
Jin-woo watched her and his jaw dropped.
“Wow, you’re really amazing, Haran. When will I get that good?”
“You have a good palate instead. Think of it like this—send that sensitive sense from your taste buds to your fingertips.”
“Sense flowing to my fingertips…”
Jin-woo picked up his knife again.
His gaze more careful than before. Clumsy, but showing the determination not to give up.
‘Not bad. Actually, it’s good.’
In my past life, I was always alone.
I cooked to survive, and I fed others to endure.
But now it’s different.
‘People have come who want to learn my cooking.’
This moment felt wonderful. Even the clumsy sound of his knife work.
The night grew deep, but the lights in the factory canteen showed no sign of going out.
* * *
Across from the factory canteen, inside a heavily tinted van.
A camera lens persistently tracked the canteen kitchen once again.
“Just give me one opening.”
He filmed the distant canteen interior through his extended telephoto lens.
The distance was so great that even the naked eye could barely reach it.
He didn’t want to do this either, but he had no choice.
‘Get any closer and he stares at me like a ghost. What kind of beast has instincts that sharp.’
Kim Seon-woo’s senses were too keen.
There were occasionally people like that.
Those who could sense danger with uncanny accuracy.
In his view, Kim Seon-woo was exactly that type.
‘If I get closer, I’ll probably find plenty to work with. Tsk.’
He smacked his lips in frustration.
‘This job is taking longer than I expected.’
To pull off any scheme, you needed proximity—it made things easier that way.
Poor hygiene, material reuse, illegal modifications.
There were plenty of violations to pin him down with.
‘Nobody comes out clean when you shake them hard enough. Restaurants especially.’
Particularly at a booming place like this, the high turnover rate meant overlooking various details was inevitable.
All I had to do was dig meticulously into those details.
Then the game would be over.
That had always been my philosophy.
I’d been collecting various pieces of evidence for him for quite some time.
‘Please. Just please be sloppy today. Here he comes!’
When someone emerged from the Factory Canteen, he zoomed in with his camera.
Through his lens, Jin-woo appeared carrying a garbage bag.
He let out a cheer at that.
‘Yes! So it’s the part-timer doing it today, not the owner!’
When a part-timer was handling it, the probability of sloppy work was relatively higher.
He’d been hoping to catch at least one shot today.
“…What?”
Somehow it looked the same as usual.
Damn. He pondered for a long while.
‘How is this even possible?’
This wasn’t some obsessive-compulsive disorder or anything.
Surely something should slip up at least once.
Quite a bit of time had passed, yet nothing was catching.
‘I’ve already stretched this out for quite a while.’
Jang On-gyu was starting to send signals demanding results.
‘Damn that Promotions Team Leader bastard. Let him try. Is this easy work?’
Even after seeing the Factory Canteen close, he deliberated for a long time.
What should I do? What should I do?
Finally, I made up my mind.
‘Damn. I’ll just have to get my hands dirty.’

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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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