Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Meat Jjamppong

A few days later, Jin Myeong Gak.

“Please line up properly! It shouldn’t interfere with passage!”

A loud voice echoed through the alley.

As the video of the broadcasting station staff being chased out rode explosive viral, the crowd looking for Jin Myeong Gak had swollen to a degree incomparable to before.

Thanks to that the ones making the biggest smiles were the surrounding neighborhood merchants.

“Aigo, I don’t know how many boxes of bottled water I’ve sold today already!”

“Our cafe is also full of seats from morning thanks to waiting customers. Completely a lucky charm!”

“These days business is really worth doing!”

The dying neighborhood commercial district had perfectly regained vitality because of Jin Myeong Gak.

“Boss! I picked only the best ones among the fruits I got at dawn today. Eat one each when bored while working!”

“Thanks to Jin Myeong Gak our house bread also sells like hotcakes! Make sure to feed our Jin Myeong chef when hungry. I’m grateful so don’t refuse.”

“Ayu, what’s with all this··· too thankful!”

The mother didn’t know what to do at the baptism of gifts.

The merchants’ kindness even extended to the customers standing in the waiting line outside the restaurant.

For the customers getting tired because of the long line, neighborhood supermarket and restaurant bosses loaded cool bottled water and simple drinks like yogurt on carts and began distributing one each for free.

“Aigo, you must be thirsty so drink this!”

“Oh my, is this free? I’ll drink well. Thank you!”

Moreover the neighborhood merchants’ association voluntarily set up a large parasol in front of the restaurant and laid dozens of simple chairs long so waiting customers could sit and rest.

“Wow, this neighborhood’s kindness is really no joke.”

“Completely a neighborhood festival atmosphere!”

“Everyone seems really thankful to Jin Myeong Gak.”

“Right. These days it’s teeming with people of this neighborhood. Foreigners are many too.”

“This is a hotspot.”

The entire neighborhood was literally like a feast house.

And one of the unexpected phenomena.

Exactly Bong-gu’s fandom.

“Oh my! I saw in the video it was completely cool! Can’t you take one photo together?”

When young female customers standing in line giggled and shoved smartphones, Bong-gu scratched the back of his head unfitting for the build.

“Haha! My face is a bit fierce so it doesn’t receive screen well···”

“No, it’s fine! Cool!”

“Haha, is that so?!”

“Me too! Please take a photo together!”

“Au, it’s an honor!”

Bong-gu made a good-natured smile and took photos with people.

“There, by any chance··· can I take one photo with the chef cooking inside too?”

“No.”

Bong-gu’s eyes that had been laughing heartily until just now sharpened for a moment.

“Our master hyung must concentrate only on cooking. Be satisfied with photos of me alone.”

“Ah, yes...”

The situation inside the restaurant was also a continuous series of new records every day.

*

“Hururururuk!...Huh?!”

The regular customer slurping jajangmyeon paused.

Because of a taste that had changed somehow from before.

“By any chance did you guys feel it too?”

He asked seriously toward the workplace colleagues sitting opposite while furrowing his brow.

“Yes? What?”

“This taste is different from last week.”

But the colleagues who were stuffing noodles until their cheeks burst swallowed and made bewildered expressions.

“Aei, manager too really. The taste is still crazy?”

“Right. It’s just the same.”

At that reaction the manager hit his own chest as if frustrated.

“No, no! If before it was a feeling of strongly hitting the taste, now the taste has become much deeper. A feeling of sticking more to the mouth than before!”

“...?”

“...?”

“Don’t know?”

“Isn’t the manager too sensitive? It’s just the same?”

“Right.”

“...”

At that time.

Bong-gu weaving through the hall suddenly intervened and agreed.

“Keuhahat! Customer! Indeed your taste is amazing!!”

When Bong-gu responded to his words, the manager’s expression brightened sharply.

“Eh? The employee also thinks so?!”

“Of course! Actually it has become more delicious too!”

The manager nodded his head with an excited face.

“Somehow, I knew it would be! The feeling came pak as soon as I ate! The taste has really been upgraded!”

“Keueu! Isn’t that exactly our master hyung’s class. Jin Myeong Gak’s jajangmyeon is evolving every day!”

“Isn’t Jin Myeong Gak chef really a genius?”

“Not a genius!”

“...Yes?”

“The god of gourmet, god!”

“Right, right! Hahaha!”

“Hahahaha!!”

At that noisy and pleasant appearance the customers eating at surrounding tables also burst out laughter as if fun.

Even some customers vigorously agreed.

“I also felt it was more delicious than last time!”

“Right, right! I can’t exactly pinpoint and explain, but it really became much more honey taste!”

The inside of the hall instantly became noisy.

The one excited by such atmosphere was still the manager.

“Hahaha, the young chef here is really amazing!”

“Right!”

The ones who found such atmosphere burdensome were the employees sitting in front of the manager.

“···Isn’t the manager doing that super embarrassing?”

“Shh. Don’t make eye contact. Just pretend not to know and eat.”

“...Yes.”

In that way the two began concentrating only on eating jajangmyeon.

*

4 PM.

[Business closed today.]

As always, the storm-like day finished.

“Okay okay, Bong-gu young man, eat and finish.”

“Yes, madam!”

Jajangmyeon came out as a late lunch.

Recently eating Jin Myeong’s cooking every day Bong-gu’s taste had also been sharpened incomparably sharper than before.

“Hururuk! Hururuk!”

Whether eating or slurping.

Half of the double portion jajangmyeon went into Bong-gu’s mouth.

Bong-gu who was chewing said with an admiring expression.

“Today’s jajangmyeon is also really crazy! This doesn’t even get tired of!”

At those words the parents also agreed.

“Right. Seems more delicious these days.”

“Are you getting better ingredients these days?”

“Always buying from the same place. You know too.”

“Even so why does it keep feeling more delicious?”

“The reason is natural right? Hyung’s skill has gotten better. Hahaha.”

“Right, right.”

Bong-gu who scraped the bowl bottom clean in an instant smacked his lips and carefully asked.

“There... can I eat more?”

At those words Jin Myeong who finished the meal answered indifferently.

“None.”

“Ah...”

At those words Bong-gu’s shoulders slumped.

Jin Myeong who was indifferently looking at that regret-filled expression slowly stood up from his seat.

Then he immediately moved his steps toward the kitchen.

“Eh? Ah, no, no! Hyung! It’s fine! You don’t have to make more on purpose because of me!”

Bong-gu was startled and urgently waved his hands, but Jin Myeong didn’t even pretend to hear and entered the kitchen.

The father laughed heartily and intervened while looking at the restless Bong-gu.

“Bong-gu young man, just leave it. Our Jin-myeong isn’t a personality who does things forcibly because someone tells him. Him entering the kitchen means he’s doing it because he wants to so be at ease.”

“Ah··· still he suffered all day today, because of me···”

“I said it’s fine...”

“...”

Bong-gu glanced toward the kitchen with a face mixed with apology and emotion.

Jin Myeong who entered the kitchen stood in front of the cutting board and lightly loosened his neck.

In fact it wasn’t only that he entered forcibly for Bong-gu.

Making only one jajangmyeon all day every day, even he had reached a degree hard to endure now.

Moreover feeling it was time to handle the fire taste of a new cooking not jajangmyeon while testing the newly mastered operation of qi.

‘Shall I try a spicy broth cooking···’

Jin Myeong recalled jjamppong, the cooking he had simulated countless times in his mind while piercingly observing YouTube videos in spare moments from a few days ago.

However the ingredients of current Jin Myeong Gak were matched only to jajangmyeon so there were no seafood like squid or mussels at all.

‘If no seafood, it’s enough to see the match with the thick meat juice of meat.’

Jin Myeong took out pork, green onion, onion, and cabbage without hesitation.

Tata tatata tatatak!

After julienning the ingredients with light knife cuts, he immediately raised the fire of the gas stove to the maximum.

Hwaaaaaaaaak!!

He oiled the wok with lard and put in green onion, garlic, and pork.

Chiiik!

The fat of the pork melted in the strong flame and emitted a savory flavor.

Here he slightly circled soy sauce to maximize the fire aroma, then scooped in coarse red pepper powder generously.

Red pepper powder if the temperature is too high burns instantly and gives bitter taste, if low gives raw smell.

But Jin Myeong transmitted fine internal energy to the end of the wok and regulated the temperature while extracting chili oil.

Then he dropped the sliced vegetables.

Chwaaaaaak!!

The moment he poured hot plain water and boiled it, the spicy fire aroma extended beyond the kitchen to the hall.

“Is this another traditional Chinese cooking I haven’t seen this time?”

The mother opened her eyes round and peeked into the kitchen.

But Bong-gu’s eyes who smelled it had widened as if they would pop out.

“Ooo! Madam, isn’t this jjamppong?!”

“Right.”

Bong-gu shed tears.

“Jja, jjamppong! Heueueuk!!”

Imagining the jjamppong Jin Myeong made emotion surged.

“Hyung for me...”

“So... Jin-myeong is doing it because he wants to himself.”

“Just leave it. Just.”

“Ah...”

“Hyung... I was moved.”

“...”

“...”

Soon the sound of the broth boiling vigorously subsided, and the cooking was completed.

Seeing that appearance the father hurriedly entered the kitchen and rinsed the noodles pulled in advance with hot water and prepared them.

When he put the noodles in a large bowl, Jin Myeong poured the broth on top.

The father carefully held the large bowl containing jjamppong and went out to the hall.

Tak.

“······!!”

The meat jjamppong placed in the center of the table.

The spicy yet deep smell that spread sharply paralyzed the three people’s reason.

“Jin-myeong’s first made jjamppong...”

“Even though the stomach is full appetite arises.”

Just when everyone lost their souls and was about to lift spoons and eat the broth.

“Ah, just a moment!”

Bong-gu quickly ran to the shelf on the kitchen side and brought front plates and a ladle.

Then he carefully scooped broth, meat, and noodles with the ladle and first pushed them in front of the parents’ seats.

“Okay, boss, madam!”

“Ayu, Bong-gu young man thank you.”

“Hyung’s too.”

“...”

Finally Bong-gu who filled even his own front plate gulped dry saliva.

Soon the three carefully began scooping and eating the red broth.

And...

“Keueueup···!!”

A beast’s exclamation burst from Bong-gu’s mouth who drank the broth.

It was a different kind from the refreshing and light taste unique to ordinary jjamppong with seafood.

The thick meat stock drawn from lard and pork entangled with the spicy red pepper powder and fire taste and wrapped the mouth like crazy.

Explosive umami!

“Ho, honey··· how is the broth this deep and thick?! Even though spicy the spoon keeps going!”

“Eheo! Feeling like the insides are completely opened!”

The parents also continuously spat out exclamations and drank the broth.

But the one making the most fuss was by far Bong-gu.

He even picked up a handful of noodles soaked in red broth with chopsticks and began slurping like a vacuum cleaner.

“Hururururuk!! Keok, eueoeoeo! Hyung!! Really this··· haa, doesn’t make sense! How can such a crazy broth taste come out?!”

Even while sweating on the forehead Bong-gu’s chopsticks didn’t stop.

He even lifted the front plate with both hands and began gulping the remaining red broth.

“Keuhaaaa! Killer really!!”

Watching Bong-gu’s noisy reaction, Jin Myeong silently turned his gaze to the front plate he had set aside for his own share.

Seuk.

Jin Myeong lifted the spoon and scooped a little broth and carefully pushed it into his mouth.

The moment it touched the tip of the tongue the spicy and hot energy spread sharply, and following that the thick meat aroma drawn from lard and pork filled the mouth.

Umul umul.

Soon Jin Myeong’s brow who slowly chewed and swallowed even the noodles holding the broth narrowed very finely.

‘···The temperature of the fire wasn’t bad, but filling the empty space where seafood is missing perfectly with only the meat juice of meat the balance is a bit regrettable.’

He should have pulled the momentary timing when the red pepper powder holds oil and burns a little more, and the time the vegetables’ moisture comes out also had to be regulated more precisely to revive the refreshing and cool finish of the stock.

‘Still for the first time making an unfamiliar cooking··· it’s quite satisfactory.’

Though not perfect it was quite a decent achievement for the first jjamppong.

Jin Myeong propped his chin and fell into his own deep contemplation of how to fix the fat ratio of the pork and the timing the soy sauce burns in to supplement these shortcomings next cooking.

Even amid that the three people eating out of their minds.

“Hururururuk! Haa, spicy but can’t stop the spoon!”

“Honey, try eating a bit more meat here. How is the fried meat this tender?”

“Keueok! Big problem! Can’t stop this!”

“...”

Jin Myeong looked at that scene with a strange expression.

© 장성필#15r3d