The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 67

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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 67. Detonating! (2)
11 PM. KBN’s flagship exposé program broadcasts nationwide.
【That Which We Wish to Know for 60 Minutes】.
With heavy background music, a formally dressed Organizer stared at the camera with a grave expression.
A sinister red caption embedded at the bottom of the screen.
[Special Exposé – The Two Faces of Business. Who Controls the Hyenas?]
“Here, in a quiet outskirts area, there exists a small Factory Canteen that quietly welcomes customers with sincerity.”
The screen displayed a peaceful panoramic view of my Restaurant.
But soon the image inverted to black and white, and urgent sound effects erupted.
“Yet not long ago, uninvited ruffians descended upon this quiet Restaurant in droves.”
CCTV footage. Ruffians with hats pulled low swarmed inside and outside the Restaurant, their movements laid bare for all to see.
Surely PD Ga’s colleagues.
The deranged editing of Choi PD was vicious and flawless.
Every bumbling, foolish slapstick moment had been cut away.
Only the malicious and chilling instants—pulling insects from pockets, overturning trash bins, attempting to fabricate hygiene violations—were woven together with cunning precision.
It was the very image of a perfect criminal organization.
One designed to destroy a Restaurant!
“These individuals, who sought to suffocate small business owners by manufacturing even non-existent filth. Remarkably, they were all major cyber ruffians commanding hundreds of thousands, even millions of subscribers. Why did they, as if by agreement, simultaneously attack a single Restaurant?”
The screen transitioned.
An interview with a pixelated man.
The weakest link Ra-hee had identified—the Fact Hunter.
-W-we initially said we didn’t want to get involved in something so reckless. But then….
-But then?
-They offered triple the payment. They said they’d provide any amount of money, and no matter what methods we used, we had to completely bury that Restaurant. They said it would be easy. For us, that…
Beep—
The interview cuts off with a sound effect.
A shocking revelation. The Organizer reappeared on screen, his voice heavy with gravity.
“So-called ruffians who moved in an organized manner to topple a single small business owner.”
Multiple screens showing their misdeeds flashed past once more.
“Behind those who orchestrated their actions lay vast capital. After relentless investigation, our team was able to obtain a recording of a call between the Broker who issued orders to the ruffians and someone else.”
Just as boredom began to set in.
A voice-distorted conversation between the Broker and someone else erupted next.
-Everything’s set up, so don’t worry.
-It’s all done?
-Yes. I’ll tap away one by one each day and make sure to cut off their lifeline completely.
-Good. I’ll provide as much money as needed, so bury them for sure. Make it big! Bury them!
Behind the Organizer, the silhouette of a glittering street lined with massive franchise Restaurants emerged.
The landscape of that area, recently developed in the New City District, was unmistakable to anyone. The Organizer drove home his point.
“The voice giving orders to the Broker. This person was a key associate of a corporation that recently seized control of the New City District’s commercial sphere and once again claimed the title of genius.”
An associate.
in red text.
The narration that followed was even more shocking.
On the surface, he appeared to be just another small business owner.
But could he really still be called a small business owner now?
In truth, there are many who claim to be small business owners while actually commanding vast operations behind the scenes.
Silence fell beneath the layered narration.
After that suffocating quiet, the Organizer spoke with a sharp edge.
“Merchants—no, hyenas—who control the streets with hundreds of billions in capital.”
Building tension with deliberate pauses.
“Could he really be completely unrelated to these vile hyenas’ hunt to destroy the small Factory Canteen that was thriving right next to his own territory?”
At that moment, filling the entire 60 minutes.
A silhouette obscured by darkness on screen was zoomed in.
They simply hadn’t spoken his name.
Any citizen of South Korea would know exactly who that silhouette was meant to represent.
‘Damn… Choi PD. So he really is friends with PD Ga, huh?’
I swallowed hard as I watched the broadcast, my tongue clicking against the roof of my mouth.
* * *
“That was brilliant! I learned something. Wow!”
Crunch. Crackle. Before the broadcast’s afterglow had even faded,
the sound of cheerful chewing broke through the silence.
“You learned something?”
“Yes. The editing points are different. Truly professional work.”
Ra-hee nodded, her cheeks puffed out as she spoke.
At the tip of her chopsticks hung a piece of fried food glistening with sauce.
It was a special dish I’d prepared to celebrate tonight’s perfect strike.
[Dish: Special Kung Pao Chicken]
[The sweet and spicy sauce triggers an endorphin explosion.]
[It has a stress-relieving effect.]
“Mmm. This approach does pack quite a punch.”
“It’s the power of broadcast media.”
“Yes. This is fun too.”
It wasn’t just Ra-hee.
“I found it entertaining too!”
The empty dining hall after closing.
All of us gathered around the table were moving our chopsticks busily.
“Phew! My chest feels completely clear! Those idiots caught on CCTV and reported on national broadcast!”
“Exactly. Ten years of built-up stress just melted away. I bet Jang On-gyu’s got quite the headache right about now?”
“Haha. Before, I wondered what he was installing, but he was doing this the whole time?”
“Right? Haha.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
“Older Brother, you’re not great at this kind of acting, are you?”
“Kgh… that’s true. If I’d known, my expression would’ve been off.”
“So I had no choice but to keep quiet.”
“Then Dongsaeng knew?”
“Hahaha… haha….”
“Geez…!”
“Come on, everyone raise a glass!”
The Coffee Truck’s Older Brother and the Hong Kong Restaurant’s Jang Owner clinked their cans of beer together refreshingly.
Now Older Brother finally understood the full scope of the massive scheme I’d laid out and the trap involving the broadcasting station.
And Jang Owner, who’d supported him from the side.
Their faces were brimming with exhilarating satisfaction.
Haran too sparkled with delight as she munched on kung pao chicken with both cheeks full.
“Owner, you’re really amazing. How did you think of all that?”
“Ah, what did I do? The broadcasting station caught the scent and tore into everything on its own.”
I replied nonchalantly and picked up a piece of kung pao chicken myself.
Crunch!
The spicy chili oil and sweet sauce blended together, delivering perfect impact.
Deliciously spicy.
Each bite of the crispy exterior and chewy interior released bursts of savory juices.
‘Ah. Fried food is definitely the way to celebrate.’
It was a taste that struck the mind.
This moment of sharing joy through food.
From the apocalypse of my past life until now, this was my most cherished time.
“Wow, hyung! This kung pao chicken is insane! It’s spicy but I can’t stop eating it!”
Jin-woo shouted, his face buried in the plate as he sweated profusely.
Even as he chewed, Jin-woo continuously refreshed his phone screen without pause.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Notifications poured from Jin-woo’s phone like a waterfall.
Jin-woo’s pupils trembled uncontrollably as he stared at the screen.
“Hyung!”
“What?”
“The internet communities are completely exploding right now. All the real-time search terms are flooded with it!”
* * *
The smartphone screen. Within it lay the reactions raging in real-time, unfiltered.
[Did you see KBN’s exposé? The reality of the new town business genius is shocking ㄷㄷ]
Honestly I always thought the business genius was really impressive. But he turned out to be a disaster, not a genius. What is this?
Are you seriously buying fake reviews to kill off competing restaurants?ㅋㅋㅋ
┖ The worst of the worst.
-Creating dirt that doesn’t exist to frame someone. It’s chilling.
┖ Capitalism’s hyena incarnate.
That’s just how capitalism is—cold by nature.
But seriously, what about the restaurant owner? It’s pitiful.
How is an ordinary person supposed to withstand pressure from massive capital like that?
Did you hear the broker’s recording? He’s offering triple the fee to bury it.
This money-throwing madness is insane, seriously.
Genius my ass. It’s all just image.
With each refresh, hundreds of angry posts poured in.
Scroll. Scroll.
Public opinion was churning so fiercely that the scrolling could barely keep up.
Though there were some interesting opinions mixed in.
Shouldn’t we be launching a boycott?
But everything hasn’t been revealed yet, has it?
What hasn’t been revealed, seriously.
Right? The direction points there. And we still don’t know if Jang On-gyu ordered it, do we?
Jang On-gyu?
Damn.
What is this? Are you defending him?
What? But it’s true.
There were defenders, though brief.
‘No matter where you go, there are always people like that.’
In fact, it might actually be him.
But even that was quickly buried.
There was no way to reverse it.
[Real-Time Search Rankings]
1st. Business Genius Mastermind
2nd. Restaurant Ruffians
3rd. KBN Whistleblower Recording
.
.
Once the rankings themselves climbed, there was no stopping it.
But seriously, it’s terrifying. He preaches community coexistence on the surface, then does this behind the scenes?
After watching the documentary, those ruffian bastards are seriously vicious.
The CCTV caught everything—them trying to flip trash cans and fabricate evidence. They really live like garbage.
Shouldn’t this be submitted as a National Assembly petition? lol
It was serious and heavy. No—it was brutal.
But this couldn’t stop here.
Look at what’s happening right now.
“Wow, you’re actually defending this?”
Even if it wasn’t Jang On-gyu, how could anyone defend something like this?
The evidence was clear.
Yet there were still those who insisted on waiting a bit longer.
“That’s how public opinion works. Even when you nail someone down completely, there’s always some shield left over, right? They claim to be neutral, but when you look closer, they’re anything but? That’s how it goes.”
“Amusing.”
Ra-hee seemed accustomed to this.
Given everything that had happened, I understood why some people wanted to be cautious.
But with evidence this clear, it was disappointing they still hesitated.
What could I do?
I’d have to fill in the gaps myself.
“Well then, shall we move on to the next phase?”
We already had the means for it.

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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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