Chapter 12

Chapter 12

This Is Happiness

“...!!”

The pupils of Myeondosa who fell into shock shook.

The extreme umami that strongly stimulated the taste the moment it touched the tongue.

It wasn’t the taste of common seasoning.

Moreover, fried in strong fire, the bitter taste disappeared and only the strong salty taste and sweet taste formed an amazing harmony.

The noodles themselves had nothing special, but the taste of the strong sauce filled everything and still left over.

“Th, this······ what?”

To the extent that the feeling came that the countless jajangmyeon he had eaten all his life were merely black flour noodles.

“Hururuk! Chwop chwop chwop!”

He slurped the noodles as if he had lost reason.

-There... Myeondosa-nim?

-Why are you suddenly filming a mukbang without speaking? ㅋㅋㅋ

-No, hey? Why are you doing the dishes when told to evaluate the taste?

-What, why is the expression like that? Seems not in his right mind?

Comments were pouring like crazy in the chat window.

But Myeondosa was only immersed in the jajangmyeon in front of his eyes.

Dalgeurak!

“Keuha...!”

The first bowl emptied in an instant.

Immediately Myeondosa shouted.

“Th, there! Boss! Two more double portion bowls here please!”

In an instant, the chat window stirred again at his words.

-What did I just hear?

-Two double portions? Didn’t he already empty one bowl?

-Myeondosa-nim seems crazy ㅋㅋㅋ Is it food fighter concept today?

-No, until just now he was criticizing it as a rip-off, why suddenly like that ㅋㅋㅋ

-Look at the eyes, the eyes. Seems like rolling eyes?

Soon, two more bowls of double portion jajangmyeon were placed in front of him again.

Myeondosa began swinging the chopsticks again like a possessed person.

“Hururururuk! Tseup tseup! Keueo!”

Not only around the mouth and under the chin but even to the tip of the nose covered in jet-black chunjang.

Even while pouring sweat, his chopsticks didn’t know how to stop.

In an instant the second bowl emptied, and soon the third bowl was also completely processed.

“···Kkeueoeoeoeok!!”

A sudden burp that popped out.

It was so loud that people’s gazes were drawn in an instant.

“...Eot!”

Myeondosa himself was also startled, hurriedly covered his mouth, and continuously bowed his head while glancing around.

“...”

The awkward embarrassment was only momentary.

A satisfied smile bloomed on Myeondosa’s face.

“Haa··· really crazy.”

He tapped his tightly swollen belly with both hands.

Then he deeply leaned his body on the chair back and stretched.

“This is happiness, damn...”

For a while he blankly looked up only at the restaurant ceiling like a dazed person while smacking his lips, then soon looked at the camera screen.

And only then remembering that it was during live broadcast, he was startled.

“Ah!”

-What knowing.. crazy!ㅋㅋㅋ

-Not coming to your senses?ㅋㅋㅋ

-Damn.. ㅋㅋㅋ

“···I’ll cancel all the words I said until just now.”

A completely different serious expression from before.

“13,000 won? No. I’ll be honest. This jajangmyeon is a taste that has nothing to say even if receiving 20,000 won, no, more than that. I’ve been to countless high-end Chinese restaurants and hotel dinings that are somewhat famous nationwide. But there was no jajangmyeon this delicious.”

At Myeondosa’s words, the chat window became chaotic.

-Wow... Myeondosa ended up eating money. ㅋㅋㅋ Seems the deposit was confirmed.

-How much did you receive? Over 20,000 won value for neighborhood Chinese restaurant jajangmyeon? Crossing the line. ㅋㅋㅋ

-Disappointing Myeondosa. The sight of defending a rip-off restaurant ㅉㅉ

-But that expression is an expression that can’t come from acting? Seems really delicious?

-Hey, have you seen Myeondosa eat three bowls of jajangmyeon? That hyung is famous for having a short mouth...

-Damn, it could be an amount too big to refuse.

The comment window instantly became a battlefield.

It’s back advertising.

Sold his soul for money.

Criticism-mixed writings poured, but on the other hand writings of people feeling curiosity because Myeondosa ate three bowls also rose not a little.

“Did I eat money? I’ll stake my entire fortune and say, it’s my own money. Honestly eating this kind of cooking for 13,000 won is sorry to the extent.”

Myeondosa continued speaking with a strange expression.

“Just come and try it. If you try it and think my words are wrong, you can delete the channel subscription. This is really... delicious.”

-Subscription deletion? Will that do? Maybe channel deletion.

-Taste is extremely personal, there could be people who find it tasteless.

-Even so, channel deletion for one jajangmyeon is a bit.

-Looking at that human being so confident, there seems to be something??

Even after the broadcast ended, the aftermath didn’t subside.

Along with the reaction of Myeondosa’s life jajangmyeon, the 13,000 won defense remarks rapidly spread to various communities.

Subscribers who expected the end of the rip-off restaurant began feeling bewilderment and curiosity at the same time at the unexpected praise.

***

A few days later, a local bank not far from the shop.

“Here, it’s the overdue interest from last month and partial repayment of this month’s principal. Please check if the amount is correct.”

A middle-aged woman sitting at the bank counter held out the bankbook to the employee.

She was the one who always stood in front of the counter with a face full of worry whenever the loan interest payment day approached.

A life driven to the edge of a cliff, sometimes even asking to delay the interest.

But today was different.

With the profit earned in just a few days, she was able to wipe out a considerable part of the debt.

The young female employee sitting at the counter received the woman’s bankbook with a habitual smile.

“Yes, customer. Just a moment.”

The female employee put the bankbook into the machine with familiar hand movements and began tapping the keyboard.

Tadak, tadak.

Dalkak.

A soft pleased color turned on the female employee’s face who was confirming the account information and repayment amount that appeared on the monitor screen.

“Oh my, not only the overdue interest from last month but also repaying this month’s principal quite largely? You must have relieved one worry. Really congratulations, customer.”

At the female employee’s sincere congratulatory greeting, the mother blushed her cheeks as if shy and smiled small.

“Ayu, yes. Fortunately business has been going a bit well these past few days···”

“Really great! These days self-employed people are all saying it’s hard.”

The female employee agreed and lowered her gaze to the keyboard again for the remaining computer processing.

Tadadak, tak.

The female employee’s finger who was comparing the business registration information and deposit history momentarily stopped dead.

Her gaze fixed on the business name.

[Jin Myeong Gak]

“······Eh?”

The female employee muttered small and blinked her eyes.

Jin Myeong Gak.

Exactly that name that had been making the whole neighborhood stir for the past few days, and that she had seen to the point of boredom on YouTube shorts on the way to and from work.

The female employee’s head slowly headed upward.

Her two eyes piercingly stared at the middle-aged woman sitting modestly in front of the counter.

A plain impression.

“······!”

The female employee’s two eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“Eh, oh my! By any chance···! There, by any chance are you the boss of Jin Myeong Gak?!”

At the female employee’s sudden fuss, the mother was surprised and flinched her shoulder but awkwardly nodded.

“...Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh my! I also saw that shorts and Myeondosa-nim’s broadcast! My boyfriend is making a fuss to go eat, but the waiting line is too long so I couldn’t even think of it. Really really congratulations! I’ll definitely stop by once soon!”

“Ayu, thank you.”

When the mother answered while smiling shyly, the highly excited female employee completely took her eyes off the monitor and poured out questions.

“But boss, the chef who appears in that video. The skill is really no joke, by any chance is he your son?”

“Ah, yes. He’s my son.”

“Waa, amazing! You know he’s super popular on the internet these days, right? Really envious, boss! Business is going so well, every day must be good.”

“Haha, ayu··· what. Just grateful that customers come a lot.”

The woman waved her hands.

But her expression was bright as if in a good mood from the son’s praise.

The female employee said in a highly excited voice.

“I really will unconditionally line up with my boyfriend this weekend, so you have to recognize me then! A bit of service too···!”

At that time.

“Keuheum!”

A middle-aged section chief from the seat right behind made a fake cough.

“Oh my!”

At the section chief’s stinging gaze, the startled female employee hurriedly closed her mouth tightly and held out the documents and bankbook to the woman along with an awkward smile.

“Bo, boss. The business is all processed, and here is the receipt···.”

“Yes, thank you. Good work.”

She warmly greeted the awkward female employee and turned around.

As soon as the woman called the boss of Jin Myeong Gak went outside, the branch manager who was organizing documents at the next counter and other employees crowded to the female employee’s seat with curious faces.

“Kim assistant, who was that ajumoni just now? What restaurant is it that you’ve been making a fuss since earlier?”

“Assistant manager! These days foreign tourists have suddenly increased in our neighborhood, right.”

“Right. It does seem like foreigners have increased a lot. But why is that?”

“That’s all because of that ajumoni’s Chinese restaurant!”

At the female employee’s words, the manager’s brow narrowed.

“Foreigners flock because of one Chinese restaurant?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Why on earth? Is there some killer dish?”

“Jajangmyeon, jajangmyeon. It’s a single menu there.”

“No, what’s so special about neighborhood jajangmyeon?”

“The taste is no joke. Looking at the taste reviews.”

“Is that so?”

“But it’s super expensive.”

“Expensive? How much?”

“13,000 won.”

“···What? 13,000 won?!”

The employees were shocked at the same time.

13,000 won for one bowl of jajangmyeon at a Chinese restaurant in the outskirts of a provincial neighborhood.

Everyone had expressions doubting their ears.

“Isn’t this crazy? 13,000 won? Does that make sense?!”

“Aei, no matter what, who eats jajangmyeon paying that money.”

When the employees raised critical voices while clicking their tongues, the female employee as if frustrated took out her smartphone.

Then she played the topic shorts video and Myeondosa’s mukbang highlights and shoved them in front of their eyes.

“Look at this!”

In the screen, the fire pillar surging like crazy and the flashy wok work, and Myeondosa’s shocking face slurping jajangmyeon out of his mind followed in turn.

“······.”

“······.”

The bank employees watching the video opened their mouths wide.

“Wow, crazy. Look at that person eating with eyes rolling.”

Kim assistant manager who was peeking at the screen from the side moistened his dry lips and muttered as if entranced.

At those words, other employees also sparkled their eyes and joined in.

“Assistant manager, shall we go there right away for lunch tomorrow? I’ll go out 30 minutes early and line up!”

“If it’s 13,000 won, we can try eating it.”

“No, do they really not do takeout or delivery there?”

“Delivery is known not to be possible.”

“Regrettable.”

The employees began having a heated discussion while showing curiosity.

The atmosphere of calling it a rip-off had disappeared at some point.

But right at that time.

“Keuheum!”

The sound of a nervous fake cough.

“...!”

“...!”

The middle-aged section chief who was behind raised his glasses and was tapping his own palm with the approval document file with taks.

“What are you all doing now? Lunch time has already passed and gathering in threes and fives watching jajangmyeon mukbang. What if customers come in right now?”

At the section chief’s scolding, the shoulders of the employees who had been highly excited momentarily shrank sharply.

“Ah, so, sorry!”

“Sorry!”

The awkward employees quickly scattered to their respective counters.

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