Chapter 41 · 9 min

Chapter 41

Unexpected Cooking

“Stupid bastard, don’t want to see the sight so get out right now!”

Soon the chairman’s office door opened, and Seo Tae-jin came out staggering.

Because he was beaten by his father Chairman Seo, Seo Tae-jin’s lips were swollen ugly and blood was flowing under the nose.

It was a quite familiar daily life for him since childhood.

“Di, director!”

The chief secretary who was waiting outside the door was startled and hurriedly took out a handkerchief from the suit pocket and approached.

He reached out his hand to wipe the flowing blood, but Seo Tae-jin nervously shook off that hand.

“Put it away, this bastard!”

“······.”

When the secretary flinched and stepped back, Seo Tae-jin roughly wiped the nosebleed with the back of his hand and walked with large strides toward the private elevator.

“Shit···!”

He who got on the elevator burst his anger looking at his own miserable sight reflected in the mirror.

When he arrived at the underground parking lot, the secretary quickly prepared the highest-grade sedan.

Seo Tae-jin opened the door and got on the back seat nervously.

“...Eh, where shall we go?”

When the secretary in the driver’s seat carefully glanced through the rearview mirror and asked, Seo Tae-jin said in an irritated voice.

“To Ruby Room.”

A high-class bar he often goes to usually.

The secretary who confirmed the time glanced at the room mirror and carefully opened his mouth with a difficult expression.

“There, director. It’s still before business starts though···.”

At those words Seo Tae-jin’s eyebrows crumpled sharply.

“Shit, then call the madam and tell her to open the door! What’s business hours got to do with me going!”

“Ah, yes! Understood.”

The secretary answered flusteredly and glanced, and began urgently making a call somewhere with one hand holding the steering wheel.

While the car slid out of the parking lot and ran on the road, Seo Tae-jin continuously trembled his legs and grumbled.

“Au, shit! Why do I have to suffer this kind of humiliation because of one neighborhood jjangaeng house bastard! Really shitty!”

The secretary with the phone to his ear couldn’t even make a breathing sound and was only holding the steering wheel silently.

Just when the car was passing the downtown.

“···Eh?”

Seo Tae-jin’s gaze looking outside the window fixed on a small stall set up on the roadside.

It was an iron plate fried rice cart of the exact same form Jin Myeong sold on the street.

The moment he saw that irritation surged sharply on Seo Tae-jin’s face.

“Stop the car!”

“Yes? Director, this is a road···”

“Stop I said!!”

When Seo Tae-jin yelled, the secretary hurriedly turned on the hazard lights and stopped the car on the shoulder.

Seo Tae-jin kicked the door open and got out, then immediately walked with large strides toward that iron plate fried rice cart.

“Di, director! I’ll buy it!”

The secretary who got out late urgently stopped him, but Seo Tae-jin waved his hand.

“Shut up!”

Seo Tae-jin standing in front of the cart looked down at the chef frying rice on the iron plate with a crooked gaze and gestured with his chin.

“Welcome!”

“Hey, give one iron plate fried rice.”

“Ah, yes!”

The chef filled the fried rice thickly in a paper cup and handed it.

The secretary who followed asked urgently.

“How much?”

“5,000 won.”

The secretary opened his wallet and paid 5,000 won.

“...”

Seo Tae-jin received the cup rice with a plastic spoon stuck in and looked down at it with a strange face.

He had never put such street food in his mouth in his life.

In an instant, the appearance of people enthusiastic about Jin Myeong’s fried rice rose.

“Damn...”

What on earth how great can street fried rice or whatever be delicious.

Of course the jajangmyeon he made was delicious.

No, it was extremely delicious.

Yeah, I acknowledge.

It was fucking delicious.

Still he couldn’t accept that even that kind of fried rice is delicious.

He lifted the spoon with a frown and pushed the rice into his mouth.

Umul.

“······.”

Then soon Seo Tae-jin’s face distorted ugly.

Rice grains flying dry, the cloying sweet taste of cheap seasoning, and the disgusting greasiness floating in the mouth.

“Shit, is this being sold for people to eat now?!”

Peok!

Seo Tae-jin threw the paper cup he was holding onto the street floor as is.

Fried rice scattered on the floor and rolled.

At that appearance the surprised cart chef opened his eyes wide and shouted.

“No, what are you doing now?! Why are you throwing that?!”

But Seo Tae-jin turned without lingering and walked toward the car.

“Eh, hey! Hey! That has to be cleaned up!”

When the chef frowned and tried to chase out, the secretary hurriedly took out two 50,000 won bills from the wallet and held them out to the chef.

“So, sorry! Just let’s pass it as cleaning fee!”

“······Wha, what, not even ignoring people.”

The chef said that yet put the 100,000 won into his pocket.

Then clicked his tongue and lifted the broom.

“Damn, throwing like this what are they trying to do...”

“What are you doing?! Not departing?!”

“Ye, yes! Going, director!”

The secretary flusteredly returned to the driver’s seat and got on the car.

Buaang.

The car departed again.

Seo Tae-jin in the back seat was looking outside the car window leaning his body deeply on the seat.

Even though he confirmed the terrible taste of street food, rather the mood was getting dirtier.

“...Damn!”

***

The day before Jin Myeong Gak resumes business again, dawn.

“Hyung! There’s a speed bump on the right! Be careful!”

Deolkeong!

Kung!

“...Ack!”

Bong-gu who hit his head on the ceiling screamed.

“What be careful.”

“...Ahahaha!”

Bong-gu laughed awkwardly.

“...”

Jin Myeong’s gaze headed toward Bong-gu.

The appearance of the large build crouching fully in the driver’s seat of the narrow small van was ridiculous.

Jin Myeong said to rest, but he followed forcibly.

“Today trust me and purchase the necessary ingredients generously.”

“I’ll buy a little.”

“Ah...”

“...”

“More than that hyung, shall I escort to the agricultural and marine products market we usually go?”

At Bong-gu’s question Jin Myeong spat out the necessary ingredients in an indifferent voice.

“Beef tenderloin, clear milk oil (butter), red fruit wine (red wine), and western aromatic herbs (herbs).”

“···Yes?”

Bong-gu holding the steering wheel blinked his eyes.

They weren’t ingredients used when making jajangmyeon or jjamppong usually.

“Hyung, those ingredients aren’t sold at the dawn market we usually go!”

“Yeah?”

“Yes! Have to go to a large mart specializing in imported ingredients or special part meat shop.”

“Then there.”

“Understood!”

Bong-gu turned the steering wheel.

A moment later, the place they arrived was a huge imported ingredients specialty wholesaler located on the outskirts of the city.

Jin Myeong followed behind Bong-gu leading with the cart and examined every corner of the counters.

The modern logistics warehouse piled with exotic rare spices and ingredients like mountains was strangely stimulating Jin Myeong’s desire to explore.

In fact the reason trying to purchase these ingredients was curiosity to implement those exact ingredients Antoine used in his own way.

Standing in front of the meat corner he fiercely scanned the packaged beef tenderloin chunks, and in one go sorted only the chunk with the most perfect marbling and aging state like a ghost.

Then he picked up butter and red wine, and even herbs emitting unfamiliar aroma without hesitation.

Bong-gu rolled his pupils busily while picking up the ingredients Jin Myeong chose into the cart one by one.

‘What on earth is he trying to make?’

But knowing Jin Myeong wouldn’t answer even if asked, Bong-gu was only faithful to the porter role.

Rather laughter leaked seulleok seulleok at the corner of his mouth thinking he might be able to taste the new cooking hyung creates with such rare ingredients first.

Soon in front of the checkout.

The wholesaler employee stamped all the barcodes and called the amount.

“Total 385,000 won.”

As soon as payment finished Bong-gu lifted the heavy ingredient boxes and bags full in both hands and walked ahead leading.

“Hyung! I’ll go first and open the car door!”

A moment later, the two who loaded the ingredients full got on the van and departed toward the restaurant.

While the rattling old van ran on the quiet road, at some point the morning sun was brightening outside the car window.

Kkiik.

The van entered the familiar alley and stopped in front of Jin Myeong Gak.

But someone was standing in front of the shop.

A man in neat suit with cold eyes.

It was Namgung Wi.

He felt a presence and slowly turned his head and looked at Jin Myeong getting off the van.

“······.”

Bong-gu full of luggage in both hands frowned sharply and stepped forward.

“Didn’t you read the one stuck in front of the door? Business is from tomorrow.”

At Bong-gu’s blunt words Namgung Wi answered calmly.

“I know.”

Namgung Wi’s gaze who said that headed toward Jin Myeong.

“...”

“Hyung, shall I chase him away?”

At Bong-gu’s words Jin Myeong scanned Namgung Wi once with an indifferent gaze and spat out.

“No, stop.”

Saying that he glanced at Namgung Wi with a seuk.

“Come in.”

“Th, that person?”

“Yeah.”

When Bong-gu opened the locked door, Jin Myeong entered.

Bong-gu who glanced back frowned sharply and said.

“Go in.”

In that way Namgung Wi followed behind Jin Myeong and entered the restaurant.

“Came back well? Yeah what are you trying to buy...”

Just when the mother who opened the room door in comfortable clothes came out, confirmed the unfamiliar visitor’s face and freaked out and stopped.

“...Eh?!”

Since Namgung Wi followed behind the son she couldn’t help but be surprised.

“...Hello.”

When Namgung Wi bowed his head in a daze and gave a greeting, the mother who had lost her soul was also startled and flusteredly bowed facing.

“Ah, yes! Eh, welcome···!”

A bizarre situation of exchanging awkward greetings with each other.

Leaving the surprised mother behind, Jin Myeong pointed at an empty chair in the hall with his chin as if nothing special and said to Namgung Wi.

“Sit.”

“······.”

Namgung Wi slowly pulled the chair and sat, and looked at Jin Myeong with a strange expression.

“Not asking why I came.”

At his question, Jin Myeong who was tightly tying the apron around his waist answered indifferently.

“No interest.”

Ending with that dry one word, Jin Myeong entered inside the kitchen without lingering.

Namgung Wi sat alone in the hall, staring at Jin Myeong beyond the closing kitchen serving window.

“...”

Bong-gu holding heavy ingredient bags and boxes full in both hands entered inside the kitchen following behind Jin Myeong.

“Hyung! Where shall I unpack the luggage?”

Jin Myeong pointed at an empty cooking station with his chin.

“Put it there.”

“Yes!”

When Bong-gu carefully put down the luggage on one side of the cooking station and stepped back, Jin Myeong took out the bought ingredients one by one on the cutting board.

Beef tenderloin, butter, red wine, and western herbs.

How to reinterpret the harmony of that cooking Antoine showed in his own way.

“...”

Jin Myeong’s eyes shone.

Tatatatatatak!

Jin Myeong’s kitchen knife moved nimbly.

Crushing the herbs, lightly tapping the surface of the tenderloin with the back of the knife to relax the meat texture.

Then he put the pan on the burner.

Hwaaaaaaaaak!!

A powerful gas flame wrapped the pan and rose.

Jin Myeong coated clear oil on the pan, then when the heated temperature reached the extreme he threw the tenderloin in without hesitation.

Chiiiiik!!

He seared the outer surface instantly as if burning and completely locked the meat juice.

In that process Jin Myeong’s fine internal energy was transmitted through the wrist to the pan and uniformly penetrated the heat deep into the meat.

The following sauce cooking.

Jin Myeong the moment he poured red wine and broth blew away the moisture in one go with a strong flame and dynamically bounced the pan.

Chareureureuk!

A blue flame danced on the frying pan, and fire taste was added to the sticky sauce.

“...!”

Namgung Wi sitting in the hall flared his nose finely.

The moment he smelled the smell flowing from the kitchen, his pupils began shaking greatly from shock.

‘Th, this smell··· tenderloin steak?’

Namgung Wi flustered by the completely unexpected cooking stared blankly toward the kitchen.

“...”