Chapter 24 · 8 min

Chapter 24

Topicality Explosion

Namgung Wi’s personal office.

“...”

In the darkness, Namgung Wi was sitting on the sofa with arms crossed submerged in deep thought.

Only the wrinkles deeply formed on his brow made one guess his complicated mind.

“Haa...”

A sigh as if it would extinguish flowed from his mouth.

It seemed like he would go crazy right now from shame and humiliation, but what was driving Namgung Wi even crazier was separate.

The aftertaste of jajangmyeon was still circling in his mouth even now.

‘I··· I didn’t properly grasp one neighborhood jajangmyeon?’

He had never once doubted his own taste since birth.

He had confidence to analyze any cooking in the world.

But his pride was smashed by the jajangmyeon that fellow made.

Of course Namgung Wi clearly felt it.

A fine crack in taste.

“...”

But the problem is that he still doesn’t know what it is at all.

If he retreats like this he will be forever trapped in the yoke of that one bowl of jajangmyeon.

‘I must find out.’

Self-loathing arose but at the same time fierce competitive spirit also boiled up.

Chief Choi was loitering in front of the office door with a stiff expression.

“Haa, going crazy. How many hours has he been like that already...”

Namgung Wi who usually doesn’t express emotions well is continuously cooped up in his room.

This kind of case is an appearance even he has never seen until now.

So there was no way not to worry.

“...Shouldn’t I go inside?”

Cameron who was lying long on the lounge sofa humming a tune waved his hands.

“Just leave him! He’s having alone time after a long time.”

“What alone time? His mental must be completely gone now.”

“That’s why, it’s necessary.”

“Doesn’t Mr. Cameron worry either?!”

“Ayu, the fuss is really.”

Cameron raised his body and sat and clicked his tongue.

“Living, a person can slip once or so. How can he be perfect every day?”

“Chef is perfect!”

“Tsk tsk, people like Chief Choi make chef like a cult leader!”

“Cu, cult leader?!”

“Yeah. Unconditional reverence.”

“...”

“Rather seeing such a human appearance puts my mind at ease. Our chef is also a person. And because he’s like that, there’s charm too.”

“Yes? Charm?”

When Chief Choi made an absurd expression, Cameron rather giggled.

“I really saw our chef’s such expression for the first time! The person who always threw venom at cooking others made being so flustered. At that moment I wanted to tightly hug chef because he was too cute?”

“...”

“Moreover that Jin Myeong Gak chef was no joke either? Did you see him having a momentum fight without even blinking one eye even in front of chef? Even though young he’s completely a testosterone man, testosterone man!”

Chief Choi’s nape stiffened rigidly.

“Mr. Cameron. Are you taking that chef’s side in this situation now?”

“It’s not taking sides, just talking about what I saw.”

“Haa... really. Chef is suffering like that...”

“Ayu, I know, I know! But if I cry and scream here will chef’s mood get better? At times like this even we should emit positive energy!”

“...”

Chief Choi firmly pressed his temple thinking words don’t get through.

But at that time a young employee of the PR team entered with an urgent face.

“Chi, chief!! Big problem!”

“Tsk, don’t make a fuss and speak quietly. What’s the matter?”

Chief Choi furrowed his brow and said as if warning.

But the employee suddenly shoved the tablet PC in front of Chief Choi’s eyes.

“You have to see this now! Complete chaos on the internet!”

“Chaos?”

Chief Choi looked down at the screen with a displeased expression.

And the next moment.

“······!!”

Chief Choi’s eyes widened.

[Venomous NamXX, humiliation at neighborhood Chinese restaurant?]

[Jajangmyeon chef who blocked Master Chef N’s mouth ㄷㄷ]

[Famous cooking judge education scene direct cam!! Seems mental breakdown while evaluating taste ㅋㅋㅋ]

“Th, this is all what···?!”

“What, what?”

Cameron who was lying on the sofa also hurriedly approached and looked into the screen.

“Look at this.”

The employee hurriedly played one shorts video with the highest views.

In the screen, the quality was somewhat shaky and crude but where the place was could be known at a glance.

The kitchen of Jin Myeong Gak they visited during the day today.

In the video someone among the customers on site secretly filmed and uploaded.

The appearance of Namgung Wi and the young chef looking at him indifferently.

Although the upper part of Namgung Wi’s face and Jin Myeong’s face were lightly blurred due to portrait rights issues, there would be no one who doesn’t know who he is.

Due to the murmuring of the hall the exact conversation content of the two in the video wasn’t heard.

But the appearance of Namgung Wi getting flustered after the momentum fight.

And the highlight of the video was the scene of Namgung Wi hurriedly escaping as if fleeing.

“······.”

Chief Choi’s face froze as is.

An enormous number of comments below the video.

-Wow crazy ㅋㅋㅋ Usually treats others’ cooking as garbage but he himself can’t explain either?

-Venomous Namgung Wi humiliationㅋㅋㅋ

-Look at the sight of getting momentum fight stripped by a 20s chef at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant and fleeing.

-Hearing the site story he tried to pick a fight saying balance whatever and failed and fled ㅋㅋㅋ

-That restaurant was originally popular with foreigners. In such a situation Namgung Wi even certified so now I won’t be able to eat at all. ㅠㅠ

Namgung Wi’s image until now had the image of a flawless venomous person.

Cornering chefs was his specialty.

But due to this incident he rather became people’s laughingstock.

And that as the appearance of being flustered in front of the young chef of a neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

“Ah, this can’t be...”

Chief Choi staggered as if his legs gave out.

If it continues like this there was a high possibility that even the public’s trust built up so far would break.

Cameron also said with a face that became tearful.

“What to do with this...”

“What, you said this level is fine?!”

“I also thought it would be fine.”

“What are you going to do!”

“What can I do? You’re forcing.”

“Damn...!”

Chief Choi looked at the office door with a stiff expression.

‘...What to do?’

***

K broadcasting station entertainment department conference room.

The main PD yelled.

“Au, really really!!”

On the large TV in front of the conference room the Namgung Wi video in front of the Jin Myeong Gak kitchen was being repeatedly played.

“What if we noticed first! It’s already all spread on the internet! Right now real-time search words from 1st to 10th are all Namgung Wi and Jin Myeong Gak!!”

They were tracking behind because Namgung Wi said he’d rest for a while.

But related videos already burst.

“Haa··· shit.”

The conference room atmosphere chilled.

While everyone was only glancing at the main PD, he opened his mouth.

“Namgung Wi said he’d miss a few days for personal circumstances right?”

“Yes··· he didn’t say exactly how long.”

The main PD who was pondering said with an expression as if he decided something.

“The currently progressing one takes a tempo rest. Next week broadcast full revision!”

“Yes? Suddenly?”

“If you do that suddenly...?!”

Even while everyone was flustered the main PD continued speaking.

“Organize it as a special feature episode. The theme is ‘jajangmyeon survival’! Gather all the renowned jajangmyeon masters hidden in every corner of the country and hold a cooking competition. And··· participate that chef of Jin Myeong Gak there!”

“Jja, jajangmyeon?!”

The main writer and staff inhaled in freak out.

The main writer who came to his senses first urgently said.

“PD, PD. Isn’t that too much of a gamble? Will the existing survival participants competing to go up to the main round stay still? They’re receiving attention now and a sudden jajangmyeon special. Complaints will obviously flood!”

Another writer also added.

“Right! Moreover will the fun and volume of survival come out with one single menu of jajangmyeon? There will be many Chinese restaurants with decades of tradition nationwide right away. So how many jajangmyeon masters are there. Just inserting one young chef sparkling on short form, will competition happen?”

The assistant director also nodded and added.

“The writer’s words are right. If it just emptily drops out in the first round, the meaning of special organization also disappears.”

But despite the staff’s concerns the main PD snorted.

“Topicality!! The most important now is that topicality is exploding!”

The conference room quieted for a moment.

At that time, one assistant director who was glancing carefully opened his mouth.

“But PD. What if Namgung chef says he won’t appear at all? He publicly suffered such humiliation, would he try to appear as a judge on a special episode where that chef who gave him humiliation appears?”

At those words the main writer also nodded with a serious expression and added.

“If we rashly call that young chef to catch topicality, and Namgung chef completely leaves the program··· special or whatever the program itself flies entirely. This is too dangerous a gamble.”

Sighs of agreement flowed from here and there.

But despite the staff’s concerns the main PD rather flashed eyes full of madness.

“Renowned masters nationwide? Existing participants’ complaints? That kind of thing doesn’t matter at all! The Namgung Wi of the world suffered humiliation. The guy who made that taste genius Namgung Wi flee! Is it something broadcasting station guys say to just leave a person with such a crazy story!”

“...”

“And Namgung Wi will leave? That’s words because you don’t know Namgung Wi. How strong that human’s pride is.”

He continued speaking while chuckling.

“But that chef walked into the broadcast studio with his own feet? And still refuse judging? Absolutely not. Rather he’ll rush with eyes blazing!”

“...”

“‘The young chef who subdued Namgung Wi, clash with national jajangmyeon masters!’ With just this one title viewership is already over! Whether that young chef writes a miracle by defeating renowned masters, or gets miserably smashed by Namgung Wi’s venom, however it rolls our program topicality is set to burst at an all-time level!”

It was completely using the viewers’ curiosity and Namgung Wi’s pride.

“Right now list up all renowned jajangmyeon restaurants nationwide and send casting! And youngest!”

“Yes, yes!”

The youngest assistant director Kim PD was startled and jumped from his seat.

“Eh, you! Go to that Chinese restaurant right now! Before other broadcasting station guys or YouTuber trash stick, by any means cast that young chef and bring him! Got it?!”

“Understood!”