The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 74

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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 74. Heat Between the Cracks
‘Why on earth did such a proposal come up?’
No matter how I looked at it, the situation made no sense.
Even if the set meal I’d prepared had impressed him, it was still a factory building of considerable size, empty though it may be.
‘And he’s telling me, a complete stranger, to buy it outright.’
Even for someone like me who rarely gets flustered, I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Unable to hide my bewilderment as I stared blankly, the Old Gentleman added his reasoning in a calm voice.
“I think you’d be capable of it.”
“Capable of what, sir?”
“Someone who invests so much care and affection into this restaurant would be able to preserve this space entirely. Even if, as you say, its form changes.”
“Ah….”
His words carried deep melancholy alongside unwavering trust in me.
Rather than hand over the foundation of his lifetime to an unreliable son and watch it crumble to pieces.
He’d rather entrust it to someone who truly understood its value.
‘He’s made a difficult decision.’
For a choice made over a single meal, his vision was remarkably expansive.
“Still, purchasing the entire factory outright might be too much of a burden for you right now.”
“Yes. That’s the reality. I could get a loan, but… I haven’t saved that much.”
I earn well. But I have just as much to repay. I’m still barely paying off the loan for the remodeling costs. Jang Owner and Older Brother are in similar situations. We’re only now starting to have some breathing room.
A purchase on top of all this.
It’s difficult.
That’s the reality.
“I understand. So how about this? Pay it off slowly, like monthly rent.”
“…Like monthly rent, sir?”
“Yes. I won’t take a single won in interest. I’ll transfer it to you interest-free.”
“Huh….”
I swallowed a short sigh without realizing it.
This too was an unexpectedly generous proposal.
To pay the building purchase price divided into installments like rent, without a single won of interest.
It was the Old Gentleman’s desperation and sincerity—his desire to hold onto me and entrust this space to me by any means.
‘He really wants to preserve this.’
His weighty heart came through clearly.
I took a deep breath and bowed respectfully.
“…The proposal is too significant. I’m afraid I can’t give you a definite answer right away. Could you give me some time to think it over?”
At my response, the Old Gentleman’s furrowed brow softened, and he offered his usual warm smile.
“Heh heh. Yes, of course. You can’t decide something like becoming a building owner in a single breath. Take your time and think it through.”
The Old Gentleman left me standing there in a daze, heading back alone.
* * *
“I’m going to lose my mind.”
The smoking area on the rooftop of KBN Broadcasting Station.
PD Ga held a cigarette between his fingers—one he’d quit years ago.
Without lighting it, he simply exhaled deep, heavy sighs.
“Ugh…. Damn. Damn it….”
“What are you doing? You were bragging about quitting smoking. Why are you here?”
A familiar, casual voice.
I turned to see Choi Yang-rok PD, the main producer of “What I Want to Know in 60 Minutes,” approaching me.
“Aren’t you supposed to be flying around preparing for the new entertainment show launch? You even recruited Im Ha-yun, the mukbang queen, right? So why are you here sighing like the world’s ending? Did someone else’s project fall through?”
“It’s not that, damn it. Listen to what I’m saying!”
“Why are you getting upset again? I clearly helped you out when I exposed those ruffians last time.”
“Helped me? Ah… yeah, you did.”
PD Ga smacked his lips bitterly.
‘That guy put in effort too.’
Come to think of it, Choi PD wasn’t the type to help people easily.
He was a zealous, eccentric guy obsessed with exposing social issues, and he absolutely despised wasting broadcast airtime for personal gain.
It just so happened that the cyber ruffian case he was digging into aligned perfectly with the factory canteen terror incident I’d brought to him, so he moved on it.
‘But the truth is, I received considerable help from it. Damn.’
Thanks to that exposé broadcast, I was able to get an opportunity.
It was a debt, plain and simple.
“If you received help, you should be grateful!”
“You’re always taking credit. You also easily released the exclusive source thanks to me and hit it big with ratings.”
“That’s true. You’re right.”
“Quick to admit things, aren’t you?”
“That’s one of my few strengths. Ha ha.”
Choi PD chuckled and readily agreed.
“…You’re quick. Real quick. Whew. Some people would be dying over this.”
“Anyway, why are you really sighing like that? Did a project proposal fall through?”
“…Ah. This damn sponsor has latched onto me like a leech.”
“Oh. The entertainment industry’s helping out? Once sponsors start pouring in early, you don’t have to worry about production costs and work becomes easier, right?”
“Usually, yeah?”
“Why the hesitation? You’d even get that unlimited ingredient supply you’re always talking about. Isn’t this good?”
“No. They want me to completely overhaul the concept.”
“What?”
PD Ga ran his hand roughly through his hair, raising his voice.
“They want to flip the healing-through-cuisine concept and do competition instead. A bloody survival competition!”
“Competition?”
“Yeah. Flip the concept, and first run it as a pilot program. Then if the response is good, we go regular… Plus there’s a holiday break coming up soon, so the timing’s perfect, right?”
Choi PD stroked his chin and nodded.
“That actually makes sense in its own way?”
Competition works better than healing in this era.
Trend-wise, it checks out.
“You bastard. Whose side are you even on?”
“Fair point. You’re right. Surviving on public broadcast variety shows is brutal these days, so proposing a pilot during the holiday break is exactly the kind of stance the higher-ups would naturally approve of.”
“…Damn it. Yeah, that’s the legitimate reason.”
“What can you do? If the sponsor holding the purse strings wants it, the broadcast station people have to bow down and comply.”
Choi PD was right. Under normal circumstances, PD Ga would have coolly accepted such a pilot proposal.
Public broadcast scheduling was no joke.
With solid funding, the standard move was to crush the ratings with a pilot and transition to a regular series.
This was actually the textbook approach for the entertainment division.
Whether it was healing or survival content, if you could extract entertainment value, that was all that mattered.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
The issue was that they weren’t changing the format simply for broadcast entertainment value.
“But that’s not the problem. The intent behind changing the format is so transparent it’s revolting.”
“What do you mean?”
Crack—
PD Ga shoved the broken cigarette he’d been holding into the trash bin with force, grinding his teeth.
“Do you know who this insane sponsor is that’s putting up the budget?”
“Who? It’s not like you and I haven’t dealt with problematic sponsors once or twice while doing broadcasts.”
“Jang On-gyu.”
“…What?”
The moment he heard that name.
Choi PD’s face contorted miserably, as if he’d bitten down on an insect.
“Jang On-gyu, I said!”
A rotten bastard who carries the title of business genius but in reality manipulates cyber ruffians with money.
He was the very person whose dirty true nature Choi PD had personally exposed through an investigative program not long ago.
“That son of a bitch is your sponsor? Hell, a survival competition? He’s planning to drag in the Factory Canteen Owner and publicly crush him on broadcast.”
“…Yeah. Clearly he’s trying to bring him in this time and make it look like he’s taking him under his wing. Showing how generous he is. Embracing him. Making him look good again. That’s it, right? Is that what this is?”
“No, damn it.”
Crude profanities burst from Choi PD’s mouth.
PD Ga also nodded with a hardened expression.
“Sigh….”
“Sigh… This is going to be a mess.”
Both their voices were filled with sighs.
* * *
‘A buyout. A buyout, huh…’
The Old Gentleman’s remarkably generous proposal.
Repaying the purchase price interest-free like monthly rent, making the factory completely mine.
By any measure, this was a stroke of fortune that had rolled in, a massive opportunity to scale up my business life.
But it was also a heavy decision to make on my own.
After closing for the day, I called Jang Owner and Older Brother separately.
And I laid out everything I’d discussed with the Old Gentleman.
“Purchase? You mean buying the entire building outright, not renting it?”
“Good heavens… Interest-free installments? This is practically a steal, isn’t it?”
“For now, yes.”
Both older brothers widened their eyes in astonishment.
But as their shock subsided, the weight of practical calculation settled heavily across their faces.
“Brother… This is a much bigger undertaking than I thought?”
“That’s right. No matter how interest-free it is, two buildings would easily cost tens of billions. To pay that off every month… it means we’d have to pour nearly everything we earn into it.”
My older brothers were right.
We were recording explosive sales right now.
But it would only be possible if we poured most of that profit entirely into the building payments.
Jang Owner ran a dry hand over his face and spoke bitterly.
“To be honest… it’s not easy for us to take such a big risk right now. You understand, don’t you?”
“I do….”
If only seizing an opportunity were as simple as when it arrives.
But reality always catches us by the ankle.
“Both I and Older Brother have families depending on us. And we’re still paying off debts we’ve been carrying since the Food Truck days….”
“Right. We need to bring home plenty for living expenses right now, but if we tie up all our earnings in buying the building, it’ll be impossible to manage.”
Apology and regret crossed the faces of the two men as they hung their heads.
We’d grown the Factory Canteen together with enthusiasm and effort.
But the wall of reality was cold and heavy.
I knew all too well the weight of responsibility a head of household carries.
‘What should I do….’
I folded my arms and sank into quiet contemplation.
Naturally, the three restaurants joining forces to purchase the building together would have been the most ideal scenario.
Thinking of the future ahead, that would have been right.
But I couldn’t impose unreasonable sacrifice and risk on my older brothers.
I gazed thoughtfully around the space.
The worn kitchen we’d polished until it gleamed with our own sweat.
Green plants growing lushly along the stark concrete walls.
And the tables that held the laughter of our customers.
I couldn’t abandon this space or my family.
Finally, all the calculations in my mind reached their conclusion.
“…Yes. I’ve decided.”
My resolute voice pierced through my lips, and both older brothers lifted their heads.

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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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