The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 84

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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 84. The Professionals (1)
Every time he reached out his hand, the jimmy jib camera suspended in mid-air moved like a living creature.
Like a massive mechanical dragon. Smoothly.
PD Ga’s eyes gleamed as he watched the screens changing moment by moment.
“Wow… hyung, are those all cameras? How many are there? Some are suspended in the air? Look at that one rolling on the rail!”
Jin-woo stared upward with his mouth agape, alternating his gaze between the ceiling and the stage.
Jin-woo kept letting out exclamations of amazement.
Beside him, Haran, who was usually composed, swallowed hard at the unfamiliar pressure.
But her tension soon melted away.
The moment she turned toward the food ingredients, tension gave way to fighting spirit.
It was the gaze of someone looking at prey.
‘She was born for this.’
For her, this place was a battlefield.
Jin-woo belatedly looked toward the food ingredient warehouse.
“Wow. Look at the size of that ingredient warehouse. It’s like they moved an entire large-scale supermarket in here.”
“They actually cleared out an entire mart for it, I heard. Pretty impressive, right?”
“Yeah. It really is impressive.”
Following the trembling tip of Jin-woo’s finger, I shifted my gaze.
There stood an enormous food ingredient warehouse, filling an entire wall of the studio, displaying its grandeur.
The sheer size alone was awe-inspiring.
‘How did they even manage to bring something like this inside and install it?’
Beyond the scale, the quality was astounding.
Inside transparent refrigerated display cases frosted with ice.
Premium Korean beef hung by cut, displaying its brilliant marbling.
In the large tank beside it, massive lobsters and live fish thrashed about in abundance.
‘How many kilos are those… Wow. The sizes are extraordinary. Hmm… are those wild-caught?’
And that wasn’t all.
Rare vegetables gleaming like jewels, expensive truffles, and caviar containers were piled up like mountains.
It was, frankly, a scene of excess.
‘Magnificent.’
A sight I’d never seen in my life.
A stage where the massive capital of broadcast television had been poured out entirely—incomparable to the cramped kitchen of my modest one-person restaurant.
‘So this is the true power of broadcast entertainment.’
This was what real power looked like.
“Even for a pilot, this level of setup… it seems like PD Ga really pulled out all the stops.”
“Exactly. He really did. And as you know, that power came from….”
“Over there. From that direction. Haha.”
* * *
“That’s right. That’s the place.”
The direction where I turned my gaze.
At that very moment, the people who had contributed to building this massive game board were just stepping through the studio entrance.
“Ahem….”
“….”
As they entered the studio, the admiration and murmuring that had filled the space vanished instantly.
In a heartbeat, everything froze as if doused with ice water.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of dress shoes echoing across the vast studio floor.
It was because of a group of people walking in from the opposite side of the studio.
Jang On-gyu, dressed in a leisurely tailored suit.
Followed by star chefs with familiar faces.
‘Does Jang On-gyu know those people too?’
Jang On-gyu, who had just spotted us.
The corners of his mouth curled up in a fishy smile.
The two standing beside him stood out the most.
Ern Kim, owner chef of a Michelin two-star restaurant.
Oh Tae-sik, well-known as the overall director of a major franchise.
The arrogant and scornful gazes of the chefs behind them all fixed upon us in unison.
‘Interesting.’
Their eyes seemed to ask: what could you possibly accomplish?
The contrast between our team with our crude knife bags and their brilliance created a suffocating silence that pressed heavily down on the studio.
A taut and sharp tension filled every corner of the space.
“Oh my, you’ve arrived early.”
“Yes. We believe in being punctual.”
“Haha. By the way, is that all your luggage?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, no. What problem could there possibly be?”
The crude knife bag hanging awkwardly.
A fleeting glint passed through Jang On-gyu’s eyes as he looked at it. There was clearly mockery in that gaze.
“You’ve probably never even laid eyes on premium ingredients like these in your entire life.”
“I’ve seen them before. But using them directly is a first for most of them. Thanks to you, my skills will improve quite a bit.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes. Thank you. My hands will be well-treated because of this.”
“…That’s fortunate.”
Perhaps because I showed no concern.
The ends of Jang On-gyu’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Then Ern Kim’s voice was heard.
“Did you hear? They said using these is a first for them?”
A quiet voice.
But loud enough to be heard in this silent place.
He even raked his eyes up and down with blatant mockery.
“That’s right. This is a good opportunity to educate them on what kind of stage this is, and what class means.”
“Educate?”
Oh Tae-sik chimed in with an equally arrogant smile.
“Yes. Education. Haha. It feels like we’re doing volunteer work on the side, doesn’t it?”
“Kkhh… You’re absolutely right!”
So this is what it meant to be among one’s own kind.
‘Jang On-gyu isn’t this blatant about it. This is actually entertaining.’
I genuinely found it amusing.
There was no reason for me to get upset about being part of this.
So I answered politely.
“We appreciate your concern for our skills in a survival competition.”
“It’s not concern….”
“Come now, surely you’re not the type of low-class people who come to a place like this just to mock others?”
“Khm… Well, that’s….”
My calm and sharp response.
Their faces hardened in an instant.
Our rough team and their brilliance clashed starkly.
To anyone’s eyes, it was an overwhelming weight difference.
The studio grew heavy under a suffocating tension that filled every corner so sharply that even the air felt cutting.
It was Park Min-soo, the assistant director standing center stage, whose urgent voice broke that breathless silence.
“Everyone, please take your positions! We’re starting filming soon!”
The moment we stood at our positions in front of the main cutting board, dozens of cameras lit up with red lights in unison.
The lenses gleamed as they turned toward us all at once.
PD Ga, standing behind the main camera, took a deep breath.
Clap!
He raised his hand sharply and shouted with a ringing voice.
“Alright, we’re rolling! Standby… Action!”
* * *
Whoosh! The red light came on in the main camera.
That was the signal.
MC Jang Han-su, standing center stage, gripped the microphone with his characteristically high-energy voice. I’d seen him before at a regional festival cooking competition.
‘The last show didn’t go well. This time it has to succeed.’
He raised the energy from the start.
“Alright! The fierce chef survival competition to determine South Korea’s finest palate! We’re now beginning the long-awaited first round! First, we’ve invited some very special judges to preside over today’s competition!”
As Jang Han-su guided the proceedings skillfully, the camera panned to the judges’ table.
There sat Lee Sae-rom, who had been with us at the regional festival, along with Im Ha-yun and Sonny, the two queens of mukbang content.
“Sae-rom, how did you get here?”
“Of course I drove!”
“Wow. So it’s less than two hours away?”
“Of course! Even like this, I’m someone who lives close to the broadcasting station.”
“Haha. Lucky you made it! If you’d been just a bit later, you wouldn’t have gotten here!”
“Oh my! Starting right off like this!”
“Come on, you said your determination was different today, right?”
“Ah…! Hitting and running like this!”
“So, your determination!”
“Of course! I’ve been starving since yesterday evening because I really want to eat a ton of delicious food today. I’m going to devour every single dish that comes out!”
Lee Sae-rom’s spirited declaration of intent.
At that, Im Ha-yun burst into laughter and took the microphone.
“Sae-rom, you really emptied your stomach, right?”
“I really did empty it!”
“Come on. Still doesn’t seem like enough. If you only half-emptied it, you’ll have trouble keeping up with those two over there.”
“Hey, I eat quite a bit too! I’m confident I won’t lose to their eating broadcasts.”
At Lee Sae-rom’s bold response, Sonny playfully chimed in with her chin resting on her hand.
“Really? You seem to have dressed up all nicely to eat pretty on camera!”
“Ugh! Sonny! Is this how you attack from the start? I thought you were on my side!”
“Hehe. Where do I have a side? If I did…”
Sonny looked at Ha-yun with a subtle glint in her eyes.
“It’s definitely not with you.”
“What!? You’re doing this?”
Ha-yun’s rejection came back.
She answered with a sly smile.
“Where do I have a side? I only take my own side.”
“Hehe. You really should have sided with me, shouldn’t you?”
“I don’t know!”
“This, this judge’s seat is already on fire. If we burn through energy like this, then later when we eat… no wait! We’ll be able to eat even more deliciously!”
“”Of course!””
Both agreed simultaneously.
“Oh dear. Both of you in perfect unison! Sae-rom, you better hang in there!”
“Really, I need to! I don’t have anyone on my side here!”
Lee Sae-rom was a natural on broadcast. With her, Sonny and Ha-yun played their parts perfectly.
‘This is starting well? This broadcast is going to do great.’
The warm back-and-forth banter gently ventilated the heavy atmosphere of the studio.
Jang Han-su also lifted the mood with an easy laugh.
“Hahaha! Great atmosphere!”
“Not good at all!”
“Well, but I think this soft atmosphere ends here.”
“Oh, why!”
“Today, we’ve invited a special guest to judge this stage. The overall menu development director of a major franchise and a trendsetter in the dining industry! Please welcome Chef Oh Tae-sik!”
“Hello. I’m Oh Tae-sik.”
Oh Tae-sik. Unlike Ern Kim, he took his place at the judge’s seat.
The moment the camera’s red light came on, the arrogance and mockery that had filled Oh Tae-sik’s face in the waiting room vanished without a trace.
He held the microphone with a warm, genuinely kind, and thoroughly professional smile.
“It’s an honor to be part of such a meaningful occasion.”
“Oh my! We’re the ones honored to have you here! You’re someone we have to work hard to get on the show!”
“Wow, you’ve got some bite to you!”
“Haha. I’m someone who makes a living with words, after all.”
“Hahaha. In any case, thank you for having me.”
Oh Tae-sik’s stock was actually quite high.
He was someone the broadcasting industry frequently sought out.
“Well, you’re hardly someone who needs an introduction at this point, so why don’t you share your judging criteria and your resolve for this?”
“My resolve? As you know, I’m thoroughly results-oriented. I only seek out dishes that consumers desire and that are perfect enough to become actual products.”
“…Exactly! That’s certainly an expert’s sharp standard!”
Jang Han-su managed to insert his agreement at just the right moment.
“But I also always think about the hardships of small business owners.”
“Hardships?”

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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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