Chapter 22 · 8 min

Chapter 22

How Such Harmony...?

Broadcasting station entertainment department conference room.

“No, suddenly resting the broadcast, what kind of bullshit is that?!”

At the main PD’s shout the writers and assistant directors gathered in the conference room simultaneously shrugged their shoulders.

“Per, personal circumstances arose··· contact came through Chief Choi that participation in recording will be difficult for a while.”

“Haa, going crazy, really!”

The main PD roughly messed up his own hair.

The cooking survival program raising the highest stock price recently.

Of course the empty seat could be filled somehow with other judges.

The problem was viewership and topicality.

Broadcasts with Namgung Wi and broadcasts without him were a completely different dimension from viewership of course to YouTube clip views.

But saying he’ll miss recording for a while?

“What on earth personal circumstances? Is he sick somewhere? Or family matter?”

“That··· I don’t know exactly···.”

The youngest assistant director who had been glancing carefully opened his mouth.

“Recently Namgung chef seems to have gotten firmly hooked on something.”

The main PD was startled.

“Hooked? On what?”

“I heard Cameron saying that these days in the waiting room he continuously watches only some cooking videos on the phone all day.”

“Ah, this bastard really! Shorts are originally like that. Watching without any thought!”

“It didn’t seem like that.”

“No?”

“Yes. Not long ago there was such a time during the broadcast. Namgung chef. Being blank.”

“Ah, I remember. But why is that?”

“I heard in passing, it seems he can’t concentrate on work continuously because of that video.”

“...”

At those words the eyes of the main PD who was getting irritated flashed for a moment.

‘A cooking video Namgung Wi got hooked on?’

Something flashed in the PD’s mind.

The genius of taste who harshly criticized even the cooking of quite well-known chefs without restraint.

Because of that even ordinary chefs get tense if he says he’ll taste.

To that extent the person chefs also avoid is Namgung Wi chef.

Such him is obsessed recently to the extent of puncturing recording?

Tak. Tak. Tak.

The main PD lightly tapped the conference room table with the end of the ballpoint pen and sank into thought.

“Hey··· something smells here?”

“Sme, smell?”

The youngest assistant director opened his eyes round and asked back.

The main PD lowered his voice toward the writers and staff.

“Right. The Namgung Wi of the world punctures the broadcast for personal circumstances? And that without informing any reason?”

“Well that’s true··· because chef is absolutely not a person who treats broadcast schedules carelessly.”

The main writer also nodded and agreed.

“Moreover you said earlier right? In the waiting room he piercingly replayed only some video on the phone all day.”

“It’s not that I saw it, Cameron said that...”

“Anyway!”

At that answer the main PD clapped.

“Then the answer is obvious! Not that somewhere is sick, nor that family trouble arose. If it’s a video that Namgung Wi watches lost in a daze?”

“...Cooking?”

“Yeah, cooking!”

“...”

“Moreover you know that guy’s personality. A human who can’t endure what he’s curious about!”

“Ah, there lower the voice a bit...”

“Uh, eum...”

The paused main PD glanced around and continued speaking again.

“Nine out of ten, he went looking for something in that video for sure!”

“...Ah!”

As the situation connected into one as if a puzzle fitted, the eyes of the staff in the conference room also began fluctuating all at once.

The main PD clapped excitedly.

“If we can broadcast that something Namgung chef got hooked on···!”

“...Oh!”

“Indeed...!”

“...!”

“This is completely a jackpot! Jackpot! No need for a plan either! The cooking that bewitched the Namgung Wi of the world! The unknown chef who made the absolute taste kneel! How is it? The picture comes out exactly?!”

“Oh, really! Just hearing it is a jackpot? I also get curious to the point of goosebumps! What on earth cooking is it that Namgung chef abandons even the broadcast and runs!”

“Wow I want to know too!”

“Me too...”

When the staff made a fuss and agreed, the main PD slammed the conference room whiteboard with a kwang and shouted.

“So dig through both Chief Choi and Cameron sides! Whether coaxing or threatening or buying a meal, by any means thoroughly shake them! Unconditionally find out where chef has gone now, whose cooking he went to confirm!”

***

The alley in front of Jin Myeong Gak.

10 AM.

A highest-grade van with deep tinting was quietly stopped in a secluded place where people’s gazes don’t reach well.

“Au, really dying of frustration!”

The back seat of the vehicle.

Cameron wearing a flashy shirt grumbled in an irritated voice.

“No, why do I have to be like this inside the car too!”

“······.”

Namgung Wi sitting beside him with arms crossed and eyes closed gave no answer at all.

Cameron pouted his lips and opened his mouth again.

“Chef. It’ll take a long time for Chief Choi to come, shall I go buy one iced americano from the convenience store in front?”

“Not eating.”

“Then I’ll eat alone.”

“No.”

“Ah, why? Why can’t I?”

“If coffee smell soaks inside the car the sense of smell dulls. My taste now has to maintain the most sensitive state.”

“Ayu, really! The fuss is really, anyone seeing would think you came out on a secret mission to a Michelin 3-star restaurant.”

Cameron grumbled and turned his gaze outside the window.

The place his gaze went was in front of Jin Myeong Gak.

Watching the appearance of people gathered Cameron furrowed his brow.

“Tsk, more people than when I came before. From now on it’ll get harder and harder to eat.”

“...”

The very front of Jin Myeong Gak’s waiting line.

Chief Choi who had been lining up from long before opening time finally stepped inside the restaurant.

“Welcome!! Customer, how many people?”

“One.”

“I’ll guide you to this empty seat!”

A man employee of bear-like build wearing a waist apron approached greeting vigorously.

To such him Chief Choi carefully said.

“There, I’d like to request takeout of jajangmyeon.”

“Ah, customer. Sorry but our restaurant doesn’t do takeout.”

Bong-gu waved his hands with an awkward expression.

Because it interferes with the busy hall turnover and to begin with takeout containers themselves weren’t equipped in the shop.

But even at the refusal words Chief Choi didn’t get flustered and carefully held out a silver cylindrical object in front of Bong-gu.

It was a thermal container specially made of highest-grade stainless steel.

“I prepared the takeout container myself. So you just need to put the food in this container. The compartments are separated so noodles and sauce don’t mix so there won’t be any trouble.”

“...”

At the sparkling container he was seeing for the first time Bong-gu blinked his eyes as if amazing and looked.

Then he said in a loud voice toward the mother who was cleaning the hall just then.

“Madam! This person brought the takeout container himself?”

There was no reason to refuse when the customer brought the container himself and requested.

“Yeah, got it. Give it here.”

The mother received the container and approached the kitchen serving window.

“Honey! This customer says he’ll takeout himself. Put it in here.”

“Got it.”

Inside the kitchen. The father received the silver container and neatly rolled the chewy noodles just rinsed in cold water and put them in.

“Jin-myeong, this is takeout.”

When the father placed the container on the shelf and shouted, Jin Myeong raised the wok he had just finished cooking.

Chwaaaak!

Jet-black chunjang sauce was poured on top of the container.

A moment later.

“Here it is. Enjoy your meal.”

“Aigo, you worked hard. Thank you.”

Chief Choi who finished payment carefully supported the container with both hands.

“Goodbye!”

Chief Choi came out of the restaurant and began walking the alley with quick steps.

“Eh? What, that person? Taking out?”

“Takeout is possible here too?”

“Seems like a container he brought himself?”

“Shall we takeout next time too?”

“Still eating right away is the most delicious.”

“Right...”

Deureureuk.

The van door opened and Chief Choi carefully entered the car.

“Brought it. Chef.”

“······!”

Namgung Wi opened his closed eyes wide.

His eyes fixed toward the silver container in Chief Choi’s hand.

Namgung Wi’s dry saliva gulped from tension.

The container was placed on the high-grade simple table installed inside the vehicle.

“Oh my gosh! Finally!”

Cameron made a fuss beside and stretched his neck long.

Chief Choi carefully turned and opened the lid of the container.

He lifted the sauce contained in the upper compartment and poured it on the noodles contained in the lower compartment.

Chwaaaak.

“······!!”

At that moment.

A crazy smell of strong fire aroma and savory chunjang, and sweet onion and lard mixed spread inside the van.

“Waaa··· crazy, the smell is really crazy!”

Cameron covered his face with both hands and struggled.

But Namgung Wi said nothing.

The smell is great, but he doesn’t shake with this level.

His gaze was fixed only on the jajangmyeon.

“Ah, smelling it I want to eat again.”

“...”

Chief Choi was the same feeling.

To that extent the smell of jajangmyeon smelled in such a narrow space was fatal.

Seuk.

Namgung Wi lifted the chopsticks with a tense face.

“...”

And he immediately began mixing the sauce and noodles.

A pleasant friction sound.

Soon the mixing hand stopped.

Namgung Wi stared at the mixed jajangmyeon with a strange gaze as if entranced.

Excellent visual and smell that calls appetite like crazy.

Soon he picked up the noodles and put them into his mouth with a seuk.

Umul.

At that moment.

“······!!”

Namgung Wi’s two pupils began shaking as if an earthquake occurred for a moment.

‘Th, this······.’

Ordinary ready-made chunjang, common pork, and noodles pulled by machine.

But how can such harmony be drawn out.

The flustered Namgung Wi paused then soon his hand quickened.

“Hururururuk!! Ujeok, tseup tseup!”

“Th, there chef...?!”

“...!”

Chief Choi and Cameron opened their mouths wide with shocked faces.

Namgung Wi the gourmet who always ate any food elegantly and coldly analyzed the taste.

Such him was slurping jajangmyeon out of his mind like a person who starved for several days.

The two also already tasted the jajangmyeon and knew how great that taste was.

But this kind of reaction.

“Hururururuk! Tseup tseup!”

“······.”

Chief Choi and Cameron froze with mouths wide open.