Chapter 38 · 9 min

Chapter 38

Just One Bite!

“Okay okay! Don’t push and line up straight in one line! Coming out soon!”

In front of the iron plate fried rice cart.

Bong-gu who pressed the black hat deeply and covered more than half of his face with a black mask shouted at people.

At that time someone among the people who flocked in front of the cart tilted his head and asked.

“Eh? There! Aren’t you the Jin Myeong Gak employee uncle?!”

“Right! That large uncle who organized the waiting line in front of the restaurant!”

When people recognized one by one and began murmuring, Bong-gu’s pupils beyond the mask shook with fluster.

“Ah, no! You saw the person wrong! I’m just an ordinary street stall part-timer!”

Bong-gu waved his hands and jumped, but people snorted.

“What’s no! With that build and that voice, right!”

“Wow, clumsy, clumsy. How are you going to deceive.”

“Eh? Then the person cooking on the iron plate there···!”

People’s gazes all fixed inside the cart.

Similarly pressed the hat deeply, but the characteristic blank and languidly sunk eyes were visible.

“It’s Jin Myeong Gak chef!!”

“Heol, jackpot! Jin Myeong Gak chef is selling fried rice outside on the resting day today?!”

“Crazy, crazy! Jin Myeong Gak jajangmyeon chef’s iron plate fried rice!!”

When the identity was exposed people rather got more excited and pushed fiercely in front of the cart.

But.

The gazes of people who approached close to the front of the cart stopped at the price tag stuck on the counter.

[Iron plate cup fried rice – 10,000 won]

People’s eyes who confirmed that price widened round.

“Ten, 10,000 won?!”

“What street fried rice given in one paper cup is 10,000 won?!”

A student from the downtown academy district who had bought and eaten cup fried rice from this cart before was startled and shouted.

“Wasn’t this originally 5,000 won?!”

At people’s protest Bong-gu fake-coughed and shouted loudly.

“Not 5,000 won! 10,000 won!”

When Bong-gu shook his head and said, the waiting line murmured greatly.

10,000 won for street paper cup fried rice.

“Isn’t it too expensive?”

“Ah, stop. Burning 10,000 won on one cup rice. Not a fool.”

“Not eating, not eating!”

People who clicked their tongues seeing the price and left the line poured out.

“...Eh?! Eh?!”

Bong-gu flustered and paused.

In fact Bong-gu was the one who set the price of 10,000 won.

Even the junior who was the original owner of the cart freaked out seeing the 10,000 won price tag.

‘Hyung! Crazy?! Who will buy and eat street cup rice at 10,000 won!’

But the junior who ate the fried rice Jin Myeong made as a test completely changed his words.

‘Hyung··· even 10,000 won is cheap. Please receive 15,000 won. The fried rice I made all my life was just garbage!’

But people had no way of knowing that circumstance.

Onlookers who fell off saying expensive became nearly half.

However the reaction of those who knew the true value of real Jin Myeong Gak was completely different.

“10,000 won? That level isn’t bad!”

“Right! Cooking of the person who made that crazy jajangmyeon, is 10,000 won a big deal?”

Rather when the line decreased thanks to people leaving surprised by the price, the real fans who knew Jin Myeong Gak’s taste called for joy.

And among that fierce waiting line, Antoine and Sophie had also squeezed in close at some point.

“Ooo··· the smell···”

Antoine forgot even face and was staring piercingly inside the cart flaring his nose.

His eyes were full of tremendous expectation and curiosity.

“Chef, please calm down a bit.”

At Sophie’s words Antoine’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s Jin Myeong Gak chef’s new menu. How can I calm.”

“...”

Kaang! Chaeng!

Chiiik!

Every time Jin Myeong’s hands softly drew circles and crossed the iron plate spatula made cheerful metal sounds.

Fluid and no unnecessary hand movements.

At that appearance the people in front of the cart were to the point of losing their souls.

“How do the hands move like that?”

“Right. Like a dance danced with hands.”

People watching that wondrous hand movements began taking out phones and filming that appearance.

And soon.

“Okay, fried rice is out here! Next person!”

Bong-gu began quickly handing the fried rice piled thickly in paper cups.

“Uwat, the smell is killer!”

“Heuheuheu!”

People who received the fried rice made ecstatic expressions confirming the smell.

Then immediately scooped the rice with a spoon and pushed it into the mouth.

Umul.

“...!!”

His body stiffened.

Soon the customer who ate the fried rice screamed.

“Uwaaaak! Crazy! Crazy! This isn’t 10,000 won taste!!”

He lost reason and began scooping the cup rice like crazy.

“No, why stopping while speaking? What does not 10,000 won mean? Cheap, or expensive?”

Ugeok ugeok.

“Hey, speak and eat!”

Ugeok ugeok.

“Th, seems out of mind?”

“That reaction... then seems must eat unconditionally?”

“Ah, too curious about the taste!!”

In that way the cup rice began selling at a terrifying speed.

Finally a paper cup entered Antoine’s hand too.

‘Flashy but··· not special technique. What magic did he cast with those ordinary ingredients for such a smell to come out?’

He saw the cooking appearance directly right in front.

Not special sauce going in, nor expensive ingredients being input.

Strong aroma that absolutely couldn’t be accepted even though confirmed with eyes.

Antoine scooped the fried rice deeply with an expectation-filled expression and put it into his mouth.

Ujeok.

“...Eup!!”

In an instant, lightning struck Antoine’s whole body.

Each rice grain was coated crispy on the outside yet moist and chewy inside.

The explosive umami that cheap ham and frozen vegetables emit meeting the high heat of the iron plate formed perfect harmony to the extent even highest-grade fine dining stir-fry cooking became ridiculous.

“Magnifique···!!”

This, analysis or whatever was all unnecessary.

Antoine standing on the street began scooping the fried rice like crazy.

“Hururururuk! Tseup tseup! Ujeok ujeok!”

At that gluttonous appearance, secretary Sophie standing beside turned pale and stopped him.

“Che, chef! Calm down and eat slowly. What if you get indigestion...”

“Umul umul··· you, you also eat··· do!”

Antoine shouted with the mouth full of fried rice shoved in.

“...!”

Sophie looked at Antoine with a dumbfounded expression, then soon as if giving up lowered her gaze to the paper cup in her own hand.

Golden fried rice contained in the rough paper cup.

She carefully scooped a little rice with a plastic spoon and pushed it into her mouth.

Umul.

“...!!”

In an instant, Sophie’s intellectual two pupils widened as if they would pop out.

‘Th, this on earth what...!’

From Cantonese highest-grade fried rice to risotto with truffle ground in, she was confident she had eaten all renowned rice-made cookings.

But this was a different dimension.

Ingredients like junk food that are only cheap ham and frozen vegetable mix.

But the sweet taste and umami the ingredients held condensed to the extreme and burst like a bomb in the mouth.

Fantastic texture as if each rice grain is alive and breathing.

Her hand movements quickened like crazy for a moment.

Ujeok, ujeok, kkulkkeok!

“Keuhaa···!”

“Crazy! Really gone crazy!!”

Around the cart literally transformed into a rally of cup rice fanatics.

Exclamations of taste bursting from here and there.

As crowds who hesitated at the 10,000 won price and belatedly were entranced by people’s reactions and rushed joined, the front of the cart began raging to the extent control was impossible.

“Don’t push, don’t push! Okay okay pay money first!”

Bong-gu shoved the continuously flocking 10,000 won bills into the apron pocket, and was scooping the fried rice on the iron plate into paper cups like crazy.

Kaang! Chaeng!

At that time Jin Myeong’s iron plate spatula stopped exactly for a moment.

“······?”

Bong-gu who was collecting money looked back with a puzzled face.

Jin Myeong indifferently looked at the large rice container placed beside the iron plate.

Then spat out in a languid voice.

“Rice ran out.”

“Yes?”

Bong-gu was startled and looked down inside the rice container under the cart.

“Heok!”

Bong-gu’s two eyes widened as if they would pop out.

“Eh, eh?! Hyu, hyung! Really the rice already all ran out?!!”

“Eh.”

The surprised Bong-gu flusteredly took out the smartphone from his pocket and hurriedly made a call.

“Hey!! Where are you now!!”

-Ah, hyu, hyung! Cooling the rice and going now! Almost there!

And...

Buaaaang!

Kiiik!

One bike arrived at the empty lot entrance side.

The junior who pressed the helmet quickly unpacked the large ice box.

“Please move! Rice passing!”

The junior slung the large ice box on his shoulder, parted the crowd and approached the cart.

“Heok, heok··· hyu, hyung! Brought the rice···!”

The junior who raised his head catching breath up to the chin opened his mouth wide.

The tremendous line lined long in front of the cart, and the scene of the rice container that was fully filled just now being empty.

“Wha, what?! That much rice already all sold?!”

The junior couldn’t help being shocked.

“Even if I sell all month I couldn’t sell that much··· crazy, really!”

“I said so you! If our hyung touches it’s just game over!”

Bong-gu laughed heartily and poured the rice.

Amid that commotion, under the waiting tent of the huge broadcasting station set side.

Some staff who just bought cup fried rice from the cart across the street were gathered closely.

“Wow, shit··· jackpot! Really fucking delicious!”

“Crazy, this! The jajangmyeon eaten earlier doesn’t even come to mind!”

Choi Ji-hoon whose curiosity moved at the staff’s reaction approached them sneakily.

A-young and Ji-su also smacked their lips and stuck close behind Choi Ji-hoon.

“Hey, Kim PD. That delicious?”

“Yes, the taste is crazy, crazy!”

“...Give me just one bite of that.”

“Hyung, this is a bit...”

“Why being so stingy? Petty!”

“...Ah!”

Choi Ji-hoon shoved the spoon and scooped the youngest assistant director’s cup rice as if snatching and put it into his mouth.

“Street cup rice delicious at most how··· heol?!”

Umul.

In an instant, Choi Ji-hoon’s pupils expanded like crazy.

“...!!”

A-young and Ji-su watching that appearance also couldn’t endure anymore and clung to the writers beside making coquetry.

“Writer! Us too just one bite! Yes? Really just one bite!”

“Right, seems like dizziness from the smell!”

At the girl group members’ sticky entreaty, the writers who were desperately defending the fried rice in the end had no choice but to hold tears and lightly hold out the paper cups.

A-young and Ji-su sparkled their eyes and quickly scooped a generous spoonful of rice each and pushed it into their mouths with a ssok.

A-young and Ji-su who were chewing until their cheeks puffed also stopped exactly as if struck by lightning on the spot.

From the mouths of the two who faced each other with two eyes widened as if they would pop out intense screams burst immediately.

“Jackpot!! Unnie, what is this?!”

“Crazy! Really too delicious!!”

Umami exploding the moment it touched the tongue, and the texture of perfectly coated rice grains.

The taste of the high-class jajangmyeon the hotel chefs made evaporated from the mind.

“Cra, crazy this···! Hey! Manager!!”

Choi Ji-hoon lost reason and shouted toward his manager.

“Go there right now and buy this!! Quickly!!”

At Choi Ji-hoon’s scream, A-young and Ji-su who had lost their souls at the shocking taste also urged hitting their managers’ backs not to lose.

“Oppa! Mine too! I completely gave up diet today! Quickly quickly!! Have to buy unconditionally before sold out!!”

“Ah, okay! I’ll go!”

The manager flusteredly ran toward the cart.

But...

A large sound of the build was heard from the cart side.

“Okay okay, business is over! Today’s prepared ingredients all ran out!”