The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 83

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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 83. Worries and Beginnings
A week had already passed since I completed the expansion construction and began operations.
Time had flown by so quickly.
The greatly expanded Factory Canteen had now perfectly established itself.
“Let’s work hard today too!”
“Work hard!”
“Let’s brew some proper coffee!”
“Yes!”
“Hong Kong Restaurant, fighting spirit! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
“Let’s go!”
To match the expanded scale, I hired several more staff members to manage the hall at each restaurant.
And the position overseeing all those hall staff members.
Jin-woo was confidently promoted to manager of the restaurant.
It was a good thing.
Nothing releases dopamine quite like growth.
It was during this time that we had a family dinner.
When I insisted we all eat dinner together tonight, Jin-woo reluctantly made time for it.
“I got promoted. I’m a manager now. Ha ha.”
“Manager, huh. Well, congratulations on the promotion.”
Father opened his heavy mouth after hearing Jin-woo’s words.
At the end of his congratulations hung a thick layer of worry.
“But Jin-woo.”
“Yes?”
“No matter how much you put on airs about being a manager, in the end you’re still serving in a restaurant hall, aren’t you? That’s not something you’ll do for the rest of your life, is it?”
“Father, it’s not just simple serving. I schedule the hall staff, manage the overall workflow, and handle all customer complaints myself. The store has grown so much.”
“That’s just the restaurant growing bigger.”
“No, we’re growing together. I got promoted, didn’t I?”
“…Didn’t you say your friends are starting to enter proper companies now?”
“Ah….”
A family dinner after a long time. And a promotion.
Jin-woo, who had been excited about it, finally understood the meaning of this gathering.
‘So that’s what this was. That’s why he called me here.’
Unlike foreign countries, the social perception of restaurant servers in our country remained rather harsh.
Despite its importance, it was usually looked down upon.
Parents who had hoped for employment at a respectable company.
From their perspective, the fancy title of manager was ultimately just work at someone else’s restaurant.
‘Something difficult to do for a lifetime, something to pass through. That’s probably how they see it.’
Jin-woo gripped his spoon tightly and answered, making excuses.
“I’m not planning to be a server forever. I’m also learning to cook in the kitchen.”
“You’re learning to cook?”
“Yes. I’ve always dreamed of cooking. And lately, my knife skills have improved quite a bit—the owner praises me constantly for it.”
“Right, knife skills. Didn’t you say the same thing last month?”
“W-well, yes, I suppose I did?”
This time it was his mother speaking.
“When exactly will you produce real cooking of your own? Are you actually improving?”
“….”
“Slicing radish, cutting scallions. That’s kitchen assistance, not being a chef. Can you even create a dish that bears your name?”
His mother’s words carried worry.
Those words came flying like sharp thorns.
“Jin-woo, your mother isn’t wrong.”
“That’s right. We believed in you and supported you when you said you’d become a proper chef, but you come home late every night exhausted, and it seems like you’re just going in circles on the floor. It’s frustrating.”
“….”
Jin-woo felt the bitter taste of blood on his tongue from biting down so hard.
‘No, I really am growing…’
He wanted to burst out and defend himself.
To speak loudly about how much the owner recognized his palate.
To proclaim how extraordinary our restaurant is.
But he couldn’t.
“Jin-woo… we’re worried about you.”
“…I’ll do well. I’ll do well, and we believe that. But shouldn’t we start seeing some results soon?”
What lay beneath those sharp reproaches.
He couldn’t possibly not understand that it was deep regret and love for his son’s youth.
‘I know too. I’m anxious too!’
In that moment, the atmosphere at the dinner table, which should have been warm, sank heavily.
His older brother, who had been quietly watching from the side, could only remain silent when trying to take his side.
Silently tapping his knee was the best his brother could do.
Only the sound of the stew bubbling filled the silence.
Jin-woo sat with his head bowed, quietly pushing rice around his bowl.
“…I really will do well. Once I perfect my knife skills, the owner said he’ll let me work the stove next.”
“Really? When?”
“I have to do well first. And I’ve been recognized as having the best palate. Truly.”
“Right. We believe in you.”
“You’re our son, so you’ll do well….”
Even as they said this, a long, heavy sigh escaped from his parents’ lips.
Sigh.
That deep sigh they tried so hard to hide.
That sound pressed down on Jin-woo’s chest like a massive stone.
‘…I know too.’
Jin-woo’s eyes, looking down at his rice bowl, grew red.
Injustice and desperation.
And frustration with myself.
Multiple tangled emotions rose to the back of my throat.
‘My brother said he trusts my palate. I can do this too. I’ve completed the dish hundreds of times in my head.’
Spinning the wok before the blazing flame.
The scene of drawing gasps from customers with my own recipe.
I dream of becoming a chef every single night.
But in my parents’ eyes, I’m still just a junior carrying trays and prepping someone else’s ingredients.
A child showing no growth whatsoever.
‘…I really want to cook too. Not just trimming other people’s ingredients in the corner of the kitchen, but standing proudly before my own flame cooking my own dishes. My own cooking! Me too!’
On the surface, I forced myself to appear calm as I spooned the stew into my mouth.
But the taste of the stew on my tongue felt gritty like sand.
Inside, Jin-woo’s emotions were boiling hotter and more desperately than ever before.
* * *
“Wow, the broadcasting station is really something else.”
Before the KBN Broadcasting Station Headquarters, its massive floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting sunlight in an overwhelming display of grandeur.
Jin-woo’s jaw dropped as he watched the throngs of people and busy broadcasting staff moving about.
“Brother, I never thought I’d actually visit the headquarters of a national broadcaster!”
“Jin-woo, don’t act so unsophisticated.”
“But brother, aren’t you nervous at all?”
“Nervous? Why would I be? This is fun.”
“Man. You really do have nerves of steel from way back.”
Unlike Jin-woo, whose eyes were wide with wonder as he looked around.
Haran beside me calmly adjusted her knife bag strap.
Even stepping away from the restaurant into this unfamiliar battlefield, her gaze remained unwavering and composed. Perhaps it was the innate sharpness of a swordmaster.
‘Haran is true to form.’
We walked with confident strides toward the security gate in the lobby.
A stern-faced security guard approached us.
“What brings you here?”
“Here.”
I showed the pass hanging around my neck.
[KBN Special Participant]
It was the pass PD Ga had sent in advance.
A kind of access permit. Jin-woo and Haran were also wearing matching passes.
“Ah, you’re here for a broadcast appearance.”
“Yes.”
“Please come through here, film your segment, and you’re all set.”
“Thank you.”
Beep! Beep!
The barrier opened with a cheerful recognition sound.
I was walking down the corridor following the staff’s guidance.
Jin-woo, with his sharp instincts, pointed at a door ahead and cheered.
“Chef! Look over there!”
“Hm? Why?”
“It’s the waiting room. Your name is right there!”
“Oh. That’s surprising.”
In front of the waiting room door that Jin-woo pointed to.
[Special Participant: Chef Kim Seon-woo]
A nameplate with those words was prominently displayed.
‘Isn’t this the kind of thing they put up for celebrities?’
Seeing my name on a public broadcast waiting room made me realize just how much bigger the stage had become.
“Should we go in?”
“Yes!”
* * *
As I opened the door and stepped inside.
The people already occupying the room stood up from their seats.
“Chef! Over here, over here!”
“Hello!”
It was Im Ha-yun and Sonny, who had finished their glamorous preparations.
The two queens of mukbang content greeted us with playful yet expectant eyes that sparkled with anticipation.
I already knew that Sonny was coming along with Ha-yun.
‘She’s on my side.’
She was also someone PD Ga had prepared for us.
“You both arrived quite early.”
“Of course! We’ll be sitting in the judges’ seats today with our stomachs completely empty and ready, so Chef, just focus on the cooking.”
“If you serve us anything mediocre, we’ll unleash harsh criticism right there on the spot, broadcast or not.”
I chuckled at Sonny’s sharp joke and replied.
“Ha. You don’t need to say that—I’m always sincere when it comes to cooking.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You can have high expectations. Today I’ll make sure to fill both your stomachs completely!”
“That sounds great!”
Ha-yun laughed at my confident answer.
Sonny laughed heartily in a way that was uncharacteristic of her.
‘This woman really is so different when the cameras are rolling versus when they’re not.’
While I was taken aback, Ha-yun threw open the waiting room door wide.
“Well then, shall we skip the introductions and room tour and head to the studio?”
“Right now?”
“Yes. The broadcasting station headquarters is so vast that it’s easy to get lost. Since I’ve got some broadcasting experience under my belt, I’ll specially escort you to the main studio. Follow me!”
Under Ha-yun’s skillful guidance.
We made our way toward the studio where the real showdown would unfold.
* * *
The studio I arrived at was breathtaking.
“Wow….”
“It’s amazing.”
A colossal battlefield unlike anything I had ever experienced stood before me with its mouth agape.
As I turned my gaze away from Ha-yun and Sonny’s greetings, an overwhelming spectacle unfolded.
Hundreds of main lights hung from a dizzingly high ceiling, blazing with such intensity that it hurt to look at them.
‘Just the lighting alone is intense.’
Beneath them, dozens of staff members scurried about like soldier ants in organized chaos.
“Camera 3, adjust that angle a bit more!”
“Like this?”
“No, that won’t focus properly! You idiot! Again!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Lighting crew, there’s a shadow over there!”
“I’ll fix it right away.”
“Are the ingredients set up?”
“All confirmed and ready.”
“Are the cables checked? The movement paths aren’t obstructed?”
“The cables are fine, but the paths are….”
“You fool! Do you want to cause a disaster and clean up the mess?”
“I’ll check and fix it right now!”
“Good. Get moving!”
“Yes, sir!”
A man stood at the center of the main stage, commanding the set with a resonant voice.
It was PD Ga, wearing a loose jacket with a headset around his neck.
‘Wow, he’s completely different from usual. So this is what a true professional looks like.’
Gone was the slovenly figure who had stumbled to my store late at night.
He commanded dozens of staff members with perfect synchronization, running the massive set without a single error.
He was a flawless field commander.

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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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