Chapter 39 · 10 min

Chapter 39

Withdraw, Withdraw!

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

When Bong-gu shouted, people all despaired.

“Ah, no!”

“Really over?”

“Can’t you bring more ingredients and sell?!”

Desperate voices poured from all sides.

But Bong-gu shook his head and drew the line.

“Sorry but today is up to here!”

Sighs burst from all sides.

Even people who were already eating cup rice spat out sighs from regret to that extent.

“Ah... should have bought one more bowl.”

Of course Antoine Rochefort was also mixed among that group.

“Regrettable...”

He smacked his lips scraping the bottom of the empty paper cup.

But regret was momentary.

Antoine approached the cart with large strides unable to hide excitement.

Then he said politely toward Jin Myeong who had just locked the gas valve and put down the spatula.

“Master chef, today’s cooking was also really··· impressive beyond imagination.”

Sophie quickly approached and interpreted those words.

But Jin Myeong as always lightly looked at him once with an indifferent face and only tilted his head.

“...”

If it were usual Antoine he would have said one word to a chef showing such attitude.

But already had experience of being ignored by Jin Myeong, and in a situation acknowledging him as a skilled person it didn’t bother much.

Rather the mood got better at reacting to his own words.

“Thanks to that I received tremendous inspiration.”

Antoine looked at Jin Myeong with a strange face and added.

“If there’s anything needed by any chance, don’t hesitate and contact me.”

Sophie who finished interpreting took out something from her inner pocket and politely held it out to Jin Myeong with both hands.

“Chef’s business card.”

“...?”

Jin Myeong’s gaze lightly stayed on the tip of Sophie’s hand.

A silver metal business card.

On the surface ‘Antoine Rochefort’ name and personal phone number were engraved in intaglio.

“...”

When Jin Myeong received the business card without any answer, Antoine nodded pleased as if satisfied enough with just that.

Soon Antoine also lightly bowed to Bong-gu who was organizing the cart beside, then left the place without lingering.

Sophie also lightly lowered her head to Jin Myeong and Bong-gu and followed behind Antoine.

At the sudden polite greetings of the two Bong-gu bowed his waist in a daze.

“Ah, yes. Elder go carefully.”

Bong-gu who was watching the two receding looked back at Jin Myeong.

His gaze stayed on the metal business card in Jin Myeong’s hand.

“Wow, said famous chef but certainly the business card is different too.”

“...”

Jin Myeong shoved the metal business card into his pants pocket with a seuk and said to Bong-gu.

“I’m going first.”

“Ah, yes! Go carefully, hyung!”

“Go carefully!”

When Bong-gu greeted, the junior who had been glancing beside also lowered his waist.

The junior who was watching Jin Myeong’s receding back soon approached close to Bong-gu’s side and lowered his voice and asked.

“There, hyung···.”

“Why, you.”

“Been curious from earlier··· that hyung. No matter how I look seems very young, excuse me but how old is he? Seems much younger brother than me···”

Peok!

The junior who was punched by Bong-gu screamed.

“Ack! Why are you doing that?!”

“Why? If young trying to talk back?!”

“Ah, no! Am I crazy! Just the face looks too young so purely curious···”

“Saw the cooking appearance? That person is just unconditionally hyung! Got it?!”

“Yes, yes! I’ll keep it in mind!”

The junior soon nodded vigorously recalling Jin Myeong’s wondrous iron plate skill just now.

Certainly thinking of that tremendous skill and pressure age or whatever didn’t matter.

“Quickly organize and go.”

“Yes!”

While Bong-gu and the junior organized the cart taking the gas tank and utensils, Bong-gu’s gaze headed toward the trash can placed beside the cart.

The trash can was already full as if it would burst with empty fried rice paper cups and plastic spoons people threw.

“Hey, tightly tie that bag and load on the cart, take out one new volume-based bag and tie it to the pillar there.”

At Bong-gu’s instruction the junior quickly tied the bag full of trash and cleaned it, took out a large new large volume-based bag and tied it with the mouth widely open on one side of the place where the cart was.

Bong-gu shouted in a loud voice toward the surrounding people still wandering holding cups chewing fried rice.

“Okay okay! Empty cups and spoons you finished don’t throw carelessly on the street, please throw them all in this trash bag here! Don’t mess up the neighborhood!”

Just when Bong-gu and the junior who neatly finished even the surrounding cleanup were about to leave this place dragging the cart.

At that time, people urgently approached the two.

“There! Will the fried rice come out tomorrow too?!”

“Can you tell what time it comes out tomorrow?!”

At those words Bong-gu furrowed his brow as if difficult.

“...”

This cart business is something Jin Myeong started impromptu.

To begin with a situation Jin Myeong said nothing.

So there were no words Bong-gu could say.

“Eh... th, well.”

Bong-gu avoided his gaze and roughly mumbled, then pushed the junior’s back and hurriedly left the place.

“Okay okay, passing! Please make way a bit!”

When Bong-gu and the junior hurriedly left the place dragging the cart, people faced each other with dumbfounded expressions.

“Eh? What did he just say? Well??”

“Then doesn’t know whether coming out tomorrow or not?”

“Aei, no way. Business was that amazing today, no way not coming out. Have to row when the water comes in.”

“Right?”

“Ah, want to eat again.”

“Me too...”

Kkiik.

Jin Myeong quietly entered inside through the restaurant back door.

The father seemed fatigue from until now gathered and was deeply napping in the room unaware of the world, and the mother was sitting at the hall table drinking warm tea and leisurely watching TV drama.

“Oh my, son came? Finished the sightseeing?”

The mother only knew Jin Myeong came back from sightseeing the broadcasting station set with Bong-gu.

Jin Myeong lightly nodded with an indifferent face.

“Yeah.”

“People are extremely many right? Must be hungry so shall mom make some snack?”

“Ate.”

“Ate with Bong-gu young man and came in?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Actually roughly filled the meal with test fried rice.

When the mother smiled as if relieved and turned her gaze to the TV again, Jin Myeong plopped down at the corner table of the hall.

Then he familiarly turned on the smartphone and began indifferently scrolling various food-related videos on YouTube as usual.

“Huu···.”

At the same time he was carefully drawing up internal energy from the dantian inside the body.

Just now, because he poured tremendous internal energy in a short time to control extreme firepower on the old iron plate cart and blow energy into each rice grain.

Because of overdoing the muscles were stiff and the qi and blood were slightly tangled, but a very faint smile was hanging on the corner of Jin Myeong’s mouth.

‘Quite an interesting experience.’

Jin Myeong gradually operated the internal energy immersed in his own deep satisfaction.

“Okay··· standby! Camera rolling! 3, 2, 1, action!”

The afternoon recording barely resumed after passing the originally scheduled time by a long time.

But···

The atmosphere of the set had changed 180 degrees from earlier.

The heat of the opening that was excited and harmonious was nowhere, and heavy air was flowing on site.

Dalgeurak, dalgeurak.

The chefs were mechanically slicing and frying ingredients, but their pupils had long lost focus.

The aftereffect of their pride being shattered by one street cup rice.

“Come to your senses, senses!”

“So, sorry!”

Because of that shock the chefs couldn’t concentrate on their own cooking at all and made clumsy mistakes in succession.

It was the same for the hosts in charge of tasting.

“Okay, this time special jjamppong with plenty of seafood! The broth taste is very··· eum, yes, refreshing.”

“Ah, yes··· the noodles are also really··· chewy··· haha.”

“Really... delicious...!”

MC Choi Ji-hoon and A-young, Ji-su forcibly raised the corners of their mouths and squeezed out reactions, but unconcealable regret was stained on their expressions.

Because the umami of the fried rice eaten just now was still vividly circling on the tip of the tongue.

Because of that the jjamppong in front of the eyes felt bland to that extent.

“...”

A situation where the hosts’ tension hit the bottom.

So there was no way the response of people surrounding and watching would be good.

“Ah, even from the smell can’t compare to that fried rice earlier.”

“Seeing the expression the taste seems just so-so.”

“Not being able to eat the fried rice earlier is a thousand autumns’ regret, really.”

Onlookers murmured glancing only at the empty lot where the fried rice cart left rather than the cooking.

The recording site was rolling vaguely with energy completely drained.

“······.”

The main PD’s face who was staring piercingly at the monitor screen distorted.

The dead pupils and forced smiles of the hosts in the screen, and even the chefs’ blank hand movements.

This wasn’t a level that could be revived with editing.

“You crazy bastards!!!”

At that time, Seo Tae-jin who couldn’t endure jumped out in front of the camera and shouted.

“Not doing the broadcast properly?! What are chef bastards doing with souls left! And the MC guy can only do reactions that way?!!”

“...”

At Seo Tae-jin’s anger explosion the site froze coldly as if cold water was poured.

Seo Tae-jin panted and looked around with a face turning red and blue, then soon kicked the set with his foot and shouted.

“Put it all away! Withdraw, withdraw!! Withdraw right now!!!”

Bong-gu’s junior’s one-room studio.

“Hyung··· this, this isn’t a dream right?”

The junior’s voice trembled.

“Exactly how much?!”

“Hyu, cash only 1.83 million won···.”

“And what came into your terminal and account?!”

The junior confirmed his smartphone banking app screen with a trembling hand.

“Ca, card and pay settled only 1.22 million won...”

“All together?!”

“Total··· 3.05 million won···.”

A heok sound burst from the junior’s mouth.

3.05 million won.

“Hua, crazy...”

Bong-gu burst out a hollow laugh as if dejected.

“Ingredients cost generously about 250,000 won so... subtracting that··· net profit only 2.8 million won, hyung.”

The junior muttered with a face full of shock.

“Not even sold all day··· money earned in just a little over one hour is this much···? Really that hyung’s identity... what is it?!”

“Of course the god of cooking.”

“...”

Bong-gu who collected the cash on the floor said to the junior.

“You said the money stamped with terminal and phone payment is 1.22 million won?”

“Ah, yes! Right.”

“There the rice price you brought today, ingredients cost 500,000 won you eat. The remaining 720,000 won shoot to my account right now.”

Net profit of 250,000 won that arose for free even subtracting cost 250,000 won.

Since scraped the terminal card payment fee or tax in the name of VAT that will be caught later have to be subtracted, but anyway a small street stall so all together at most tens of thousands of won unit.

Business where more than 200,000 won remains purely even subtracting all that.

A tremendous windfall for just cooling some rice and lending the cart once.

“Hyu, hyung! Really can I take even 500,000 won?!”

The junior nodded like crazy and took out the smartphone.

“Of course. Shoot quickly.”

“Yes! I’ll transfer right now!”

Ttiriing.

Immediately 720,000 won was deposited into Bong-gu’s account.

The junior whose mood got better carefully asked.

“Hyung, by any chance doing business tomorrow too?”

“Well.”

“No, it went that well, why? If selling tomorrow will earn more than today!”

“To begin with started to feed one punch to the broadcasting station guys. And you saw the atmosphere over there earlier?”

“Yes. Just looking seemed the recording would be a mess.”

“That is enough. Moreover our hyung’s main base is Jin Myeong Gak. Not a person who will continuously make cup rice outside.”

At Bong-gu’s words the junior slumped his shoulders.

“Regrettable...”

“You, nothing to regret. You clearly saw our hyung cooking with both eyes today?”

“Yes! It was completely art.”

“Refer to that and practice. Things like the rhythm or timing handling the iron plate. Won’t be able to follow even hyung’s toe, but still will become much more delicious than what you made before.”

At those words vitality turned in the junior’s eyes again.

Because just engraving Jin Myeong’s movements in the eyes was tremendous study.

“Yes. Right! I’ll also try harder recalling what I saw today!”

“Yeah. Do hard.”