Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Steak of Tears

Large internet communities were burning brightly with huge controversy from the morning.

[Title: Jin Myeong Gak 100,000 won new menu real?]

[Content: Neighborhood Chinese restaurant selling Australian tenderloin steak at 100,000 won. Limited 30 a day. Now completely openly exceeding the line.]

As soon as the post went up hundreds of comments began running like crazy.

-Wow, 100,000 won? Putting a burden and now went all the way.

-Even if skill is good selling steak made with imported beef at 100,000 won at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant severely exceeded the line.

-With that money go to A*baek, who would be crazy and eat steak at a Chinese restaurant? ㅋㅋㅋ

At first mockery and dislike reactions about the shocking price were the main.

But soon comments that completely overturned the situation began appearing one after another.

-Hey, aren’t you guys reverse-capping now?

-That sold all 30 instantly as soon as opening today ㅋㅋㅋ not that there are many rich black cows but because there is a reason worth eating.

-Right! You guys enter this link and see the video. Someone on site just now filmed a direct cam and uploaded. [link]

People who entered through the link couldn’t help being shocked.

In the video one foreign old gentleman eating Jin Myeong Gak’s steak and pouring French exclamations like crazy even welling tears.

And on that video, text someone on site ran real-time AI translator and uploaded was embedded.

[Unbelievable! Amazing!]

[What on earth is the refreshingness of this sauce? Feeling my lifetime cooking philosophy is denied!]

[Even Paris’s highest-grade restaurants will have to kneel in front of this cooking!]

When this content spread the community was literally flipped.

-Heol crazy! That grandfather, isn’t it Antoine Rochefort?!

-Antoine? That venomous grandfather of Hell’s Kitchen?!

-Wow··· steak Antoine acknowledged? Seems almost never seen steak that grandfather acknowledged.

-Jackpot incident ㄷㄷ now Antoine chef, completely hooked on that Jin Myeong Gak cooking and long-term staying at a hotel nearby there.

-ㄹㅇ. Says stamps attendance at Jin Myeong Gak unconditionally once a day. Originally decided to come out as judge on Chef’s War broadcast then ate Jin Myeong Gak jajangmyeon and gained enlightenment and left the broadcast and settled there ㅋㅋㅋ

-Crazy really··· Michelin 3-star master ate 100,000 won steak and was shocked like that, is that expensive? Rather a bargain!!

-Ah shit, I also want to eat to the point of going crazy!

At the story that it’s taste Antoine guaranteed the price controversy disappeared like snow melting instantly and rather exploded as tremendous viral marketing.

*

Next day afternoon.

Jin Myeong Gak hall had no room to even step from flocking customers.

“Next four waiting, please come inside!”

With Bong-gu’s loud voice guiding the order outside the restaurant door, a group of young women wearing deeply pressed cap hats and large sunglasses carefully entered inside the restaurant.

Aura that just looking is unusual.

“I’ll escort to this empty seat··· eh?”

Bong-gu who was about to guide to the table paused.

Overwhelming beauty and flashy silhouette pouring out even though covering half the face.

‘...Celebrities?!’

In fact their identity was A-young and Ji-su of girl group Luminous who filmed at the Emperor Palace broadcast set across the street a while ago, and those accompanying were other members Mina and youngest So-yeon.

“There··· by any chance is steak still remaining?”

A-young asked in a small voice glancing around.

“Ah! Remaining is 2 servings.”

“Ah...”

Deep sighs of regret flowed from the members’ mouths simultaneously.

They ran splitting the schedule but can’t do 1 person 1 steak, expressions of collapsing insides.

At that time, youngest So-yeon who pressed the cap hat deeply quietly shook her head.

“You three unnies share and eat. I’m fine since no appetite anyway.”

“What are you saying! Still have to taste even a little! There, then 2 servings of steak and one jajangmyeon, one meat jjamppong please.”

A-young hurriedly finished additional orders.

Then the unnies sent worried gazes toward So-yeon.

“So-yeon, when food comes out later really taste even just one bite. Okay?”

“...Yeah.”

So-yeon nodded casually and blankly looked down only at the table.

In fact, even though Luminous members were in a period they had to diet hard the real reason they came here determined was separate.

Exactly because of youngest So-yeon.

Recently So-yeon completely lost appetite due to extreme stress.

Because of that showing early symptoms of anorexia and unable to swallow rice at all she was drying up thinly differently every day.

Worried reactions mixed from fans poured at the appearance change noticeable even in recent training videos, and the agency was also in emergency.

But since the person herself dry heaves just smelling food smell she couldn’t be force-fed.

Ji-su and A-young recalling the taste of the iron plate fried rice eaten at the time of filming brought So-yeon all the way here with a just-in-case heart.

‘Really even though such delicious smell comes out appetite doesn’t come···.’

The unnies swallowed a deep sigh inwardly.

A moment later.

“The ordered tenderloin steak came out first!”

Bong-gu put down two large plates on the table.

In an instant, the smell harmonizing butter and meat juice, fruit aroma covered their sense of smell.

“Wow, crazy···!”

“The smell is really jackpot! Aren’t we really ruining diet?”

Even living with diet worries in their mouths, A-young and Ji-su’s eyes were already half rolled toward the steak.

Just when the two whose patience hit the bottom lost their souls and were about to reach the fork toward the plate.

“You guys really...!”

Mina gave a signal to the two.

“Ack···!”

“Keuheum, eung···.”

Because of that A-young and Ji-su flinched their shoulders and hurriedly withdrew the forks they reached.

The two let out awkward laughter as if embarrassed and only smacked their mouths trying hard.

Soon Mina carefully held out the softest inner meat cut small in front of So-yeon.

“So-yeon. Really just one bite. Taste. Yeah?”

“Unnie··· I’m really fine. Just you unnies eat.”

So-yeon slightly furrowed her brow and refused.

But Mina didn’t give up and said with a strange expression.

“So-yeon. You usually struggle starting with dry heaves in front of meat like this. But know you’re extremely calm now?”

“Eh···?”

At those words So-yeon’s two eyes rounded.

Hearing that it was so.

Even though meat smell is vibrating, the stomach doesn’t churn at all.

Other members also nodded as if realizing then.

“Right···! You look extremely comfortable in expression even smelling now?”

“Let’s eat just once. Yeah? Unnie’s wish!”

“...”

“Yeah?”

“...”

At Mina’s earnest request So-yeon couldn’t refuse more and forcibly opened her mouth with brow slightly wrinkled and received the meat.

“Ai, our So-yeon is good.”

Umul.

So-yeon began chewing the meat with a dry expression.

But So-yeon’s jaw who chewed once, twice continuously didn’t stop.

At So-yeon’s appearance continuously chewing and chewing again, A-young and Ji-su watching opened their mouths as if frustrated.

“So-yeon, swallow. Until when are you going to chew?”

“How’s the taste? Not delicious? Just so-so?”

“Leave her.”

When Mina furrowed her brow and said A-young and Ji-su flinched and shut their mouths tightly.

And the two only glanced at each other’s faces holding their breath.

In the end A-young who couldn’t endure fiddled with the knife and carefully asked in a crawling voice.

“Th, there then··· shall we eat first?”

“Eh? Eoeo. If cools it won’t be delicious··· let’s eat quickly too.”

Ji-su also mumbled and lightly glanced at Mina’s eyes.

When Mina let out a small sigh as if unavoidable and nodded, the two only then relieved and quickly moved their hands toward the meat.

Seuk, seueuk.

The moment the knife touched the meat split softly along the grain without even the feeling of being sliced.

“Wow, the meat is extremely tender.”

“Right.”

The two pushed the meat into their mouths with forks with faces full of expectation.

And...

“······!!”

“Heol!”

The two’s two eyes who received shock from the taste widened as if they would pop out and were shocked.

Amazing meat juice and strong fire taste.

The two began slicing and swallowing the meat as if possessed.

“Jackpot! Completely super super jackpot!”

“Oh my, what’s this?!”

Mina watching the two’s noisy fuss shook her head as if absurd.

“...”

They were two who had large and exaggerated reactions even usually.

Thanks to that sticky reaction they go out on various broadcasts.

But now it’s not even broadcast so is it a matter to raise tension that much.

In that way Mina regarded it as nothing special, cut one small piece of meat and pushed it into her mouth with the fork.

Umul.

“······!”

And Mina also fell into tremendous shock.

She who didn’t enjoy the unique texture of meat especially thick steak usually and didn’t eat well.

But this tenderloin steak was different.

Surprised by the softness melting in the mouth and the refreshingness of the sauce.

“How such taste...!”

While doing so her knife work was also gradually quickening.

Just when all three were deeply immersed in the crazy taste of Jin Myeong Gak steak.

Change was gradually occurring to So-yeon who was still only chewing the meat.

Umul, umul.

While chewing the meat, the moist meat juice that burst softly was gradually stimulating her taste.

The refreshingness of fruit and fire aroma that warmly wraps the tongue.

Memories that the act of eating something itself was pain and stress.

Those hard times were softly washed away, and one piece of meat that entered the mouth was blowing vitality into her whole body.

‘Delicious, it is···.’

The happiness and joy felt when eating food that she had completely forgotten until now began gradually waking like a lie.

And beyond the esophagus, thirst wanting more something surged.

Seuk.

So-yeon gripped the fork placed on the table without realizing herself.

Then she poked one piece of steak placed on the plate with a kok, and pushed it into her own mouth with a ssok without hesitation.

“······!!”

“...Eh?!”

“...!!”

The three members’ mouths who were watching that scene holding breath opened wide.

So-yeon who refused shivering at food, put food into her mouth herself!

The three’s gazes concentrated on So-yeon as if seeing a miracle.

Ujeok, ujeok.

Under So-yeon’s large sunglasses who was chewing and swallowing the meat, transparent water drops fell with a tuk.

“Heueuheuk··· heueuk···.”

At that unbelievable scene Mina covered her mouth with both hands and froze on the spot.

The youngest is eating food herself.

So-yeon didn’t stop the fork work even in a state of face covered in tears.

Continuously poking meat and putting into mouth, chewing and pouring tears without rest.

The heartache of until now anxiously trying to feed something even forcibly and secretly shedding tears and worrying passed through the mind.

At the youngest’s appearance crying profusely while chewing food, the unnies’ eyes who were watching holding breath also reddened instantly.

“...Delicious?”

“...Yeah.”

“Fortunate.”

“...”

“...”

Ji-su in the end couldn’t endure and burst tears and buried her head on A-young’s shoulder.

A-young also continuously wiped the tears flowing along her cheeks, and Mina beside silently warmly stroked So-yeon’s back.

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