Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Why a Strange Displeasure...

[Cut! Good work!]

The lights went out and the director’s shout announcing the end of recording of the cooking survival program echoed through the huge studio.

“Good work, chef!”

“Today’s judging comments were really the best! Good work!”

The tension on site released in an instant, and dozens of staff began moving busily all at once.

Not only the main PD but also the camera director and assistant directors, even the youngest writers organizing the script approached Namgung Wi and greeted affectionately.

At their polite greetings, Namgung Wi also lightly bowed and moved his steps to the back of the set.

Behind his back, the complaint-mixed voice of a famous chef who had heard harsh bad reviews in the blind judging just now and was eliminated was heard.

“What does a mere fellow know··· acting arrogant just because he was born with one tongue well.”

As if intending to be heard, it was quite intentional.

The assistant chef beside him turned pale and urgently pulled his arm.

“Che, chef! Lower your voice. What if he hears!”

“Let him hear! Shit, did I say something wrong?! How much cooking has he done to insult like that!”

The chef panted and got irritated from anger and humiliation.

Because of that, Chief Choi who was following behind Namgung Wi glared at him.

“Tsk. If the skill is terrible, at least the personality should be good.”

In an instant, the surrounding staff glanced.

But the person in question Namgung Wi didn’t stop his steps as if uninterested.

Because he had no interest in the loser’s petty inferiority complex.

Namgung Wi who entered the waiting room deeply leaned his body on the highest-grade leather sofa.

“Huu...”

Chief Choi who followed in quickly approached and opened the lid of a cool mineral water bottle and handed it.

“Good work, chef. Today’s judging comments were also very sharp and perfect. The staff were all admiring too. Looking at the site atmosphere, the viewership will be very good this time too.”

The quick-witted Chief Choi diligently matched the mood with his characteristic affectionate attitude.

But wrinkles formed greatly on the brow of Namgung Wi who moistened his mouth with a sip of mineral water.

“...Garbage-like foods.”

Namgung Wi grumbled in an irritated voice.

“Full of fellows who forgot even the basics just because they became a bit famous. Thinking it’s enough to plaster expensive ingredients like truffle or caviar on plating full of only superficial style. What special chef are fellows who don’t know harmony? Ridiculous things.”

At the venom pouring from his mouth, Chief Choi poured cold sweat and smiled awkwardly.

“Haha··· because chef’s standards are so high. How would those fellows dare keep up with chef’s taste.”

Just when Chief Choi was glancing trying to somehow ease the atmosphere.

“Oh my! Our Wi chef. Today’s broadcast was completely ice! Goosebumps rose while watching the monitor!”

The waiting room door opened and a man holding a cosmetics pouch in one hand entered making a noisy fuss.

It was Namgung Wi’s dedicated stylist.

Despite being a man, a flashy silk shirt clinging to the body, dangling earrings, and a feminine tone of voice full of nasal sounds.

He entered swaying his butt and plopped down in one corner of the sofa without taking his eyes off his smartphone screen.

“But that chef who received judging earlier and went out, he looked a tiny bit pitiful. He’s said to be an owner chef with his own shop, but being broken so openly on a national broadcast, his pride must have pierced to the bottom. Right?”

The stylist who took out a mirror from the pouch and reflected his face here and there while chattering annoyingly.

Chief Choi’s brow narrowed sharply.

“What’s pitiful! In the world of pros, the one with terrible skill being weeded out is an extremely natural principle. Chef only gave an accurate evaluation. Putting out garbage-like cooking and talking about pride or whatever, whining is rather a disgusting act, isn’t it?”

When Chief Choi spoke as if shooting, the stylist flinched and pouted his lips.

“Ayu, okay, okay! Who badmouthed our chef? Our Chief Choi is really born not to let even a drop of blood out even if stabbed, and doesn’t distinguish water or fire when it comes to chef’s matters. Scary so where can I speak comfortably, really.”

The stylist grumbled and clicked his tongue and sent his gaze to his smartphone again.

Then as if he had completely forgotten the talk just now, he suddenly stamped both feet and let out a fussy scream.

“Anyway I’m definitely going there on the weekend! Ah, really too curious I’m going crazy!”

“···Where is there that you’re making such a fuss?”

When Chief Choi asked, the stylist answered while smiling hugging the smartphone to his chest.

“No, there’s a place that’s completely chaotic on YouTube these days! Black Noodle Chef! A neighborhood Chinese restaurant in the provinces, foreigners are doing open run and it’s chaotic! I really like jajangmyeon too.”

At those words, Namgung Wi who was resting with eyes closed snorted.

“Neighborhood jajangmyeon?”

“Oh my, chef! It’s not just jajangmyeon. Moreover one bowl is a whopping 13,000 won!”

At the stylist’s words, the corner of Namgung Wi’s mouth twisted and a sneer flowed out.

“Got fooled by viral marketing. Frying something just coated with cheap oil on chunjang or whatever for 13,000 won. Going crazy over such garbage.”

But the stylist didn’t yield and shoved his smartphone in front of Namgung Wi.

“No I say! Chef, look at this wok turning a bit!”

“Put it away.”

Just when Namgung Wi furrowed his brow and was about to push the screen away.

Hwaaaaaaaaak!!

A pillar of fire surging up as if exploding.

And beyond that flame, the appearance of the young-looking chef lightly tossing the large wok stuck into Namgung Wi’s view.

“······.”

Namgung Wi’s hand paused in the air.

That’s not a cheap performance that can be done just with wrist snap.

Perfect wok work as if becoming one with fire and water to draw out the original flavor the ingredients possess.

It was a pole-star movement that could never even be imitated unless a master who trained in front of fire for decades.

Moreover what captured Namgung Wi’s gaze more was the strange gaze of that young chef looking at the fire pillar.

An outer appearance that looked blank and languid as if everything was bothersome.

But the gaze of that moment handling the fire was sunk surprisingly deeply.

A gaze with a bizarre degree of conviction about his own cooking.

‘What, that gaze?’

Namgung Wi’s heart beat irregularly.

How long has it been since this kind of feeling.

“How is it? No joke, right? The form of cooking is completely art!”

Stylist Cameron chattered excitedly.

At that fuss, Chief Choi standing beside furrowed his brow and threw one word with a tuk.

“Is the form of cooking art, or did you fall for it just because of the decent face.”

At those words Cameron was startled.

“Oh my my! Chief Choi!”

The flared-up Cameron put both hands on his waist, raised his eyes and shot back.

“What are you seeing my eye as to say such a hurtful thing?! I’m nominally Namgung chef’s exclusive, would I praise such a cheap Chinese restaurant cooking just looking at the face?!”

“···Well. I said it because you’ve been enlarging and looking at the chef’s face rather than the cooking since earlier.”

“Of, of course! The dark and sleek appearance is exactly my style! But that’s additional, the movement handling the fire and the rhythm is art!”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

“It’s real I say!”

“I said I understand.”

“Real!”

Cameron panted and only fanned with his hands.

Then he looked into the smartphone screen again and added.

“But this chef, the name is a bit fun. Looking at the comment window the name is Lee Jin-myeong. Oh my, the name is rustic Jin-myeong or whatever, Jin-myeong~ hohoho!”

“······!”

At that moment, Namgung Wi paused.

“······What did you just say?”

“Yes? Ah, the name is rustic~.”

“The name. What is the name?”

At Namgung Wi’s sharp voice, Cameron who was laughing and chattering flinched.

“Lee··· Lee Jin-myeong I think······.”

When Cameron answered in a crawling voice, Namgung Wi checked the video again.

Jin Myeong.

It was clearly the face of a youth he had never seen in his life.

The name also wasn’t particularly special.

But, why on earth.

An unknown bizarre déjà vu wriggled in Namgung Wi’s mind.

“···Lee Jin-myeong.”

He’s just a neighborhood Chinese restaurant chef.

But why does a strange displeasure arise.

It was a matter he absolutely couldn’t understand.

At that time Chief Choi intervened while smiling strangely.

“Honestly from Cameron’s position you shouldn’t say it’s rustic. Your real name is Lee Chun-bae...”

“Hey! Chief Choi! That’s not my name anymore!”

Cameron shouted and tried to run at Chief Choi.

At that time.

Tak!

Namgung Wi roughly threw Cameron’s smartphone he was holding onto the table.

“Oh my, ack! My phone!!”

Because of that Cameron freaked out and jumped up.

He picked up the smartphone in a hurry with a pale face and examined it here and there.

While doing so he immediately shouted toward Namgung Wi.

“Chef! No, even so how can you throw someone else’s phone so carelessly! This is the limited special gold edition that just came out this time! Something you can’t get even paying extra, and I didn’t even put a case on, what if there was a scratch, really!”

Cameron made a crying face while gently rubbing the phone with the end of the luxury shirt sleeve, fearing if there was a crack on the screen or a scratch on the edge.

“Chief Choi.”

“Yes, yes! Chef.”

Chief Choi who had been glancing at Cameron hurriedly answered.

“That restaurant. Find out where it is right now.”

“Yes?”

*

Noon with sunlight pouring down stingingly.

One black high-end sedan stopped as if sliding.

Soon the driver’s seat door opened and a man in a neat navy suit with sharp eyes, Chief Choi, got out of the car.

“Aigo, look at the sunlight stinging! I’ll get freckles, really!”

From the passenger seat, a man who raised the collar of a flashy luxury pattern shirt high and wore large sunglasses got out making a fuss.

It was Cameron, Namgung Wi’s exclusive stylist.

“...”

Chief Choi furrowed his brow.

He was on the way out under Namgung Wi’s instruction to investigate the true nature of the restaurant.

But the existence of this talkative uninvited guest who forced himself along was very annoying.

“Mr. Cameron. There was no need to follow along.”

But Cameron took out a large fan and continuously fanned with his hands while snorting.

“Oh my my, scary. I followed because I was afraid Chief Choi would eat the delicious thing alone. Moreover since it’s a place chef is keeping an eye on, isn’t it natural for this Cameron at the forefront of trends to confirm directly?”

“...”

At the comfortable words Chief Choi firmly pressed his throbbing temple.

At that time, Cameron who slightly lowered the sunglasses and looked ahead made a fuss.

“Oh my my! Chief Choi, look at the line there. What on earth is all this?”

At Cameron’s scream-mixed voice, Chief Choi’s brow who looked inside the alley crumpled sharply for a moment.

Despite weekday daytime, dozens of people were forming a long line in front of the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

Moreover more than half of the waiting line were foreigners.

“...”

Irritation surged in Chief Choi.

He absolutely couldn’t understand why Namgung Wi chef instructed to investigate such a cheap Chinese restaurant in the outskirts neighborhood.

Because of one shorts video that became a topic on the internet?

In this era such viral marketing was overflowing.

A shallow trick of a few pennies.

The fact itself that Namgung Wi was hooked by such a thing was a shameful and irritating matter to Chief Choi.

“Ahyu, what to do! Makeup will all collapse from sweat. Looking at SNS here, if ingredients run out they close the door without mercy? Are we going to just waste effort in this heat and not be able to eat?”

Cameron shoved his smartphone screen and stamped his feet.

At those words Chief Choi’s face furrowed more.

“Tsk···”

Honestly he wasn’t curious even a bit about the taste of jajangmyeon of such a shabby restaurant.

Even without eating it was obvious.

It would be a stimulating and vulgar sweet taste made by pouring lots of cheap chemical seasoning.

But having come down this far under Namgung Wi chef’s instruction, returning empty-handed without even tasting due to ingredients exhausted is absolutely something that cannot happen.

“Just shut your mouth and line up. Since it’s ordered work, we have to confirm, right.”

A full hour.

“Sorry. Please come in.”

After the boring wait, they entered the restaurant.

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