The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 68

—————

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

—————

Chapter 68. Blowing It Up! (3)
“Perfect! I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
Tap. Click!
Ra-hee pressed the Enter key with nimble fingers on the laptop.
“Upload complete! The thumbnail turned out absolutely brilliant.”
“How did you make it?”
“You’ll see when you watch. Hehe.”
The video title displayed on the screen.
[Exclusive Full Version: Alone in the Restaurant]
‘Not bad at all.’
A title crafted perfectly to match the concept.
The moment I pressed play, an upbeat and playful BGM filled the hall.
The Ruffians entering with their hats pulled down.
Their solemn expressions stood out.
What came after was a spectacle.
Whoosh—plop! Splash!
One of them slipped while trying to drop a dead fly into the broth, tumbling in with a wad of tissue paper instead.
Another knocked over the trash can while trying to photograph fake evidence and tripped over his own feet.
“Blubblubblub!”
Crash! Bang! Bang! He rolled across the floor hugging the trash can.
Even one who sneezed while opening a sauce container, splattering filth all over his own face.
Perhaps because of the slightly increased playback speed during editing.
The vicious criminals had instantly devolved into the three stooges.
Less than ten minutes after the video went live, my smartphone notifications began ringing like crazy.
Ding! Ding! Dingdingding!
* * *
The internet communities were utterly devastated.
Before the lingering impact of the heavy and menacing broadcast exposé could fade.
The comedy video that had just been uploaded.
The public’s reaction had completely shifted direction.
From anger to ridicule.
Hahaha oh my god my stomach hurts from laughing haha
Is that the wrecker? No way, for real?
It’s hilarious how I end up dropping the whole roll of toilet paper when I’m trying to put in a fly ㅋㅋㅋ
The sound effects are so fitting lol
The guy who does his makeup with seasoning is a fact hunter, right? He’s updated his life legend.
Where did all those guys who were defending him earlier go? The person behind giving those idiots triple pay is the most pathetic one lol ㅋㅋㅋ ┖ㅇㅈ ㅋㅋㅋ They must be wasting so much money.
Isn’t he a genius at being a sucker rather than a genius at business? Why would you pay money to hire kids like that? lol
Ridicule is more terrifying than anger.
When villains are objects of fear, there are those who sympathize with them.
The moment one becomes a perfect laughingstock, no one takes their side.
They don’t want to be mocked alongside them.
The so-called neutral Shielders were swept away by the wave of ridicule and vanished without a trace.
[Real-time Search Rankings]
1st. Ruffians Physical Comedy
2nd. Alone at the Restaurant
3rd. Genius Pushover
‘Genius Pushover. It fits perfectly.’
Satisfying responses pouring in without pause.
Even sitting still, dopamine was exploding in my mind.
[You have perfectly punished the enemies who fell into the trap.]
[The restaurant’s reputation rises significantly!]
[You have acquired the title 【Villain Reader】.]
[Detection of those who harbor hostility toward you becomes faster.]
Notification windows suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Even for me, it was surprising.
‘Wow, I didn’t expect this?’
* * *
“What is this?”
His voice was not the relaxed and warm tone he usually showed on broadcasts.
It was closer to the growl of a beast.
Like the metallic screech of claws scraping the ground.
The ridiculous appearance on the screen.
That alone made his blood boil backward, but people’s reactions were even more terrible.
‘Me, Jang On-gyu, the merchant genius, a pushover? Ha…!’
A single word that rose to the real-time search rankings.
It tore his perfect pride to shreds.
He could easily endure being cursed as an object of fear or a heartless capitalist to the masses. In fact, that was praise to him.
‘The harsher you are, the more you gain in this world’s logic.’
But becoming the light mockery of the people.
That was a humiliation he had never experienced in his entire life.
Yes, his mind understood it.
Before Lee Chae-min even began to move properly, reconnaissance had failed, leading to this pathetic state.
What he had intended to do with the money he had poured in was vividly etched in his mind.
But in the end, he hadn’t succeeded, had he?
“I wasted three times the payment, and this is the result I get? Just that stupid slapstick comedy?!”
Jang On-gyu’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
His face was contorted hideously with fury.
A murky and ominous killing intent he had never shown before. As if he had killed someone.
It was ultimately because Lee Chae-min had failed to execute the plan properly.
If I paid money, shouldn’t work get done?
In the end, there was only one thing Lee Chae-min could do.
‘If you lack ability, you bear the responsibility.’
The responsibility to bury this affair!
That was all.
According to what he’d learned since childhood.
-Responsibility isn’t borne by those above. It’s shouldered by those below.
Responsibility was never meant to be carried by him at the top.
And so he was confident.
“Park Secretary!”
Jang On-gyu’s cold, sharp command.
The secretary waiting outside the door turned pale and rushed in.
“Yes, yes! Director!”
“Promotions Team Leader. No, bring that bastard Lee Chae-min here right now.”
* * *
The office door swung open roughly.
Lee Chae-min looked haggard, as if he hadn’t slept in days.
His wrinkled necktie was the same one from days ago.
Gone was his usual impeccably sharp appearance.
He looked like a complete defeated soldier.
‘His mental state seems completely shattered.’
His ragged breathing proved the extreme anxiety he was currently experiencing.
Meanwhile, Jang On-gyu sat in a plush leather chair, resting his chin on his hand, observing him with cold eyes.
And he made his assessment.
‘This guy’s completely done for. His mental state is rock bottom. He’s used up.’
Lee Chae-min’s usefulness had expired.
A being already completely burned out was no longer worth using.
Jang On-gyu had no intention of refueling him.
“Team Leader. No, Lee Chae-min.”
“D-Director. You called for me? That is, this time I’ll somehow manage to clean up this mess again…”
“Pack your things. You were already demoted before. As of today, you’re fired.”
“D-Director! Suddenly fired?! That’s too much! This doesn’t make sense!”
“What doesn’t make sense?”
Lee Chae-min answered defensively to Jang On-gyu’s question.
“Didn’t you instruct me to proceed unconditionally fast, Director?”
“So?”
“I had no choice but to push forward! If the ruffians I sent in the first phase had just landed their blows, I had a perfect plan ready to immediately move to phases two and three to cut off that factory canteen bastard’s lifeline!”
“Push forward? A perfect plan?”
“Yes! If they’d just given us something to work with, we’d immediately leak hygiene violations and tax evasion suspicions to the media, and from behind the scenes, we’d strangle the entire commercial district itself to death!”
“Strangle to death…”
“Those stupid ruffians tripped over their own feet and fell into traps, making the whole thing useless, but my plan itself was perfect!”
“You call that perfect…”
Jang On-gyu muttered the word “perfect” several times.
He spoke as if delivering a verdict.
“That’s what we call incompetence, Lee Chae-min.”
“Director!”
“What good is all that flashy preparation? You couldn’t even finish phase one properly, and you handed me the perfect opening for a counterattack.”
“…”
“Thanks to your so-called perfect plan and your stupid blunders, my name is now plastered across the nation as a fool. Do you understand?”
“Just one more chance, please! Give me just one more chance and I’ll definitely—”
Jang On-gyu simply stared at Lee Chae-min’s eyes, which pleaded for another opportunity.
“Listen carefully. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with the company.”
“W-what do you mean…”
“This is something you did on your own authority, and you’ll have to take full responsibility for it.”
“What?!”
“It happened while you were being terminated.”
“But…that money…”
“Quiet. The apology statement will reflect that, and any legal issues that arise will be handled as your personal misconduct.”
“H-how is that even possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Jang On-gyu’s question.
In that moment, something snapped inside Lee Chae-min’s mind.
‘After seven years of work! I handled all the dirty jobs, and this is what I get in return?’
The resentment he’d been suppressing in his chest surged upward.
Lee Chae-min’s face flushed red as he shouted.
“Do you really think I’ll just quietly walk away like this?”
“What?”
Even a cornered rat will bite.
“You think I’ll take the fall alone and go to prison? I crawled like a dog under you for seven years!”
“That’s exactly why I’m being lenient with you.”
“L-lenient? Is this what you call leniency? Cutting off the tail like this?”
“Then what?”
“While you were cosplaying as a good businessman spouting community coexistence, I was the one bribing and threatening the Merchant Association behind the scenes!”
Digging up competitors’ weaknesses. Comment manipulation.
Various misdeeds poured from Lee Chae-min’s mouth.
Jang On-gyu listened to it all and summed it up in one sentence.
“So? The results are garbage—what good is the past process?”
“Is that what you’re saying to me right now?!”
Lee Chae-min loosened his necktie and made a direct threat.
“I won’t go down alone! Whether I go to the police or call reporters, I’ll expose every single corruption and dirty scheme you ordered from behind the scenes! Then you’re finished too!”
It was a desperate struggle born of malice.

—————

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

—————