The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 64

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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 64. Setting a Trap (1)
“If you want to come back, bring results. The company speaks through results, doesn’t it?”
“…!”
So that was it!
Lee Chae-min finally grasped Jang On-gyu’s intention.
“The work you were doing—it’s not finished yet, is it?”
A casual remark. But the meaning beneath it was crystal clear.
‘Kim Seon-woo. I’m supposed to completely destroy that bastard and come back. If I can’t, then he’ll do it himself.’
Results. Kim Seon-woo’s ruin.
As if Lee Chae-min wouldn’t understand.
Lee Chae-min bit his lip hard.
“…I understand. I understand perfectly what you mean.”
Lee Chae-min rose unsteadily from his seat.
* * *
Bang! Lee Chae-min stood with his back to the closed office door, his face contorted with rage.
‘Damn it!’
A thousand fires roared within him.
He tore off the necktie around his neck roughly.
But the rising tide of humiliation wouldn’t subside.
‘After all my hard work! After crawling like a dog for him!’
Seven years. Seven long years.
Serving as Jang On-gyu’s lapdog, taking on every dirty deed.
Digging up the weaknesses of rival companies to bury them, mobilizing comment brigades to manipulate public opinion. All while rationalizing it as industry standard.
‘Damn it. I’m not the only one with dirty hands, am I? I’m not the only one who got stained, am I? We were buried together!’
I’m the one who got my hands dirty while packaging him as the business genius he is today.
‘I created at least half—no, at least thirty percent of what he is!’
And now, just because results weren’t good once, I’m discarded like this?
This easily?
‘This snake of a bastard. Can’t succeed, so cut off the tail, huh?’
Blood vessels bulged red in his eyes. His teeth ground together in betrayal.
He wanted to kick down the door right then and grab him by the collar.
“Haa….”
But he was just a powerless salaryman.
If he was completely abandoned here, it was over.
If that happened, he’d be buried in this industry in an instant.
He knew Jang On-gyu’s ruthlessness better than anyone.
To survive, or rather to return to his original position, there was only one path.
‘For now, follow Jang On-gyu’s will. Think about the rest later.’
In the end, he had no choice but to be swayed by the will of the man who abandoned him.
He knew. How pathetically wretched this was.
Still, I had to do it.
‘Kim Seon-woo!’
Only by cutting off that bastard’s breath could I breathe freely.
That arrogant Factory Canteen had to be placed beneath Jang On-gyu’s feet. No—it had to be crushed under his heel.
“Huff. Hah… Get a grip. Get a grip, Lee Chae-min!”
Only after taking several deep breaths did clarity return to me.
With a swift motion, I pulled my smartphone from my pocket.
My fingertips still trembled slightly.
I jabbed at the screen roughly, searching for the number.
Bzzt. Click—
-Yes, Team Leader. How have you been?
“I wish I could say the same.”
-Tch. There’s definitely some backbone in you.
“I want to be doing well, but things aren’t going smoothly, are they? That guy you introduced before—he can’t even do the job and has completely disappeared.”
-Ah, yes. I’ll handle that one myself.
“Handle it?”
-I’ll have the others take care of burying him. That cuts off his paycheck, you see.
“Fine, handle that one that way. But the target still remains, doesn’t it? When exactly are you going to move?”
My voice dropped low, dripping with murderous intent.
A flustered voice came through the receiver.
-What? As I mentioned before, these things have their own momentum…
“Momentum?”
-Yes. Their momentum is too strong right now. If we attack now, we might get hit with a backlash instead…
“Isn’t reversing that exactly what you’re supposed to do?”
-Yikes… You’re terrifying. This is pure venom.
The panic quickly shifted to a casual tone.
This bastard had noticed my desperation.
‘Damn it. This is why I should’ve planned this over a longer timeline….’
Given the situation, I had no choice but to push forward recklessly.
“I’ll pay you triple what your venom is worth. Call everyone in and move on it.”
-But Team Leader, if we mobilize that many people at once, it’ll be too conspicuous. As I said, if we’re not careful, we could face serious backlash….
“Didn’t you hear me? Deploy everyone!”
I growled like a beast.
“Plant evidence, real or fabricated—destroy that Factory Canteen for good! Destroy it!”
-…Uh.
“Whether you slip insects into the food, film fake hygiene violation videos, use any means necessary! Do I really have to spell out every single detail!?”
-…This is getting ridiculous.
“Triple the bonus!”
-Triple?
“That’s right! I’ll pay whatever it takes, so get moving!”
His tone shifted entirely at the mention of triple.
-Haha. I understand. I’ll do my best.
“Not your best—this time, I need actual results!”
-Yes! I’ll accelerate the work we’ve been doing.
Lee Chae-min’s eyes gleamed with venom.
His gaze was sinister.
“And if you fail to bury this properly this time… know that you’ll all end at my hands!”
-Yikes…
Click-
Lee Chae-min hung up unilaterally and breathed heavily.
* * *
‘Wow. A pro is a pro indeed.’
Swish. Tap. Ra-hee moved through every corner of the store.
She was covert and nimble.
This wasn’t her first rodeo.
In the ventilation gaps, behind flower pots, even beneath the register counter.
‘She’s hiding cameras here too?’
Wherever Ra-hee’s hands touched, miniature cameras were perfectly concealed. Her craftsmanship was flawless.
“All done. Zero blind spots.”
“Already? Seriously, not a trace of it.”
“Of course. This is my specialty.”
Ra-hee laughed with confidence.
A perfect setup.
I’d agreed readily when she suggested it.
‘Will they actually fall for it?’
Honestly, I had my doubts.
What kind of world is this now?
CCTVs are everywhere, and people’s eyes are no different from cameras.
Those working under Jang On-gyu would have some sense.
‘Would they really be stupid enough to act so brazenly? Isn’t this pushing it too far?’
Ra-hee had mentioned a few things to me.
Whether they’d actually take such a risky move.
On the other hand, I understood.
‘The factory canteen is such a clean place that other methods would be difficult to employ anyway.’
In any case, I couldn’t let my guard down.
To prepare for any unforeseen situation, I decided to lay down one more safeguard.
I quietly snapped my fingers.
[Skill 【Trap】 is being installed.]
[Trap Effect: Scatters the target’s attention and makes their actions sloppy.]
I densely laid invisible snares throughout the entire restaurant.
At this point, no matter how meticulous he is, it won’t matter.
The moment he walks in, a screw will come loose.
‘Honestly, after going this far, if he falls for it outright, that’s a real intelligence problem.’
But what if those bastards really do leap into this trap like moths to a flame?
Then their stupid scheme gets permanently preserved.
‘If they really come, it’ll be entertaining.’
Just imagining it made the corners of my mouth curl upward.
Prey walking into the snare of their own volition is always welcome.
Well then, shall I pop some popcorn and wait?
And then. Not even a few hours later.
Ding-
[The trap has been triggered!]
[The target is floundering in the trap.]
I had my doubts, but they really fell for it.
* * *
After closing the store. In one corner of the darkened restaurant.
Only the pale blue glow from the laptop screen illuminated the darkness.
Ra-hee said she needed this kind of atmosphere to concentrate, so I set it up.
But for me, it was quite thrilling too.
‘Wow, this feels like a spy thriller. It’s fun.’
Beyond the atmosphere itself.
I was already quite anticipating this. Ever since the trap notification appeared.
I was curious about what kind of bastards fell for it and how.
My concentration nearly broke several times.
“Oh, they’re here.”
“Where?”
“There. Those ruffians over there.”
“Oho.”
Ra-hee whispered softly, pointing at the screen.
The footage from the ultra-miniature cameras she’d installed throughout the restaurant.
I swallowed hard and fixed my gaze on the monitor.
‘Let’s see what kind of brilliant scheme they’re pulling off.’
But the actions of those bastards on screen were ridiculous.
One of them pulled out a crumpled tissue from his pocket, and from inside it, a dead fly.
Then he brazenly approached near the ingredient container and tried to slip it in.
Whoosh- Thud!
In that instant, his hand slipped grotesquely.
As his hand twisted, instead of just inserting the fly, the entire crumpled tissue wrapping fell into the container.
He startled and hastily fished out the wet tissue, then looked around.
He seemed to be checking if anything had been caught.
“Look at that, look at that—he’s trying to plant a bug and ends up tripping over his own feet. Wow… I didn’t think he’d be such an amateur? What’s going on? His method is way too sloppy.”
“What’s that guy trying to do with the trash bin?”
As I watched, I began to notice something myself.
A different camera feed.
“That’s it! There!”
One of them had found the trash bin that Jin-woo had meticulously sorted.
He was holding filth in his hands.
It was clear he intended to pour it in and take fabricated photos.
The moment he approached with a satisfied smile on his face.
Crash!!
He tripped over his own feet and ended up tumbling to the ground while hugging the trash bin itself.
“Ugh…”
And on the adjacent monitor, another one was opening a sauce container lid when he sneezed directly into his own face.
It was a complete slapstick comedy greatest hits compilation.
‘Seriously. These idiots. Complete idiots.’
I’d suspected as much, but it turned out to be a genuine intelligence problem.
We held our breath, unable to tear our eyes from the screens.
We needed to capture every last bit of their stupidity on record.
“Owner, do you see that guy hiding under the prep counter?”
“Where?”
Ra-hee leaned in close to the monitor to track his movements.
I too tilted my head right beside her to get a better look at the corner of the screen.
“Right there. This guy is seriously vicious…”
At that moment.

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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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