Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Episode 14. Inspection

When Jinho returned to the kitchen after a short break, the atmosphere was different from usual.

Kang Jinho came down the stairs and stood in front of the kitchen door, pausing for a moment with his hand on the handle.

There were certain sounds he expected to hear inside. The clang of a wok against the burner, the sound of knives striking cutting boards, someone opening and closing a sauce container. Just before peak hours, the kitchen was always noisy in much the same way.

But not now.

The sound of the woks was subdued. The chopping had stopped. Instead, he could hear phone notifications and voices speaking in hushed tones.

“This is our restaurant, right?”

“There aren’t any pictures, but judging by the description, I think so. We handed out samples a while ago, remember? Isn’t it that?”

Samples?

Jinho blinked as he started to open the door. Something must have happened while he was away on his break.

‘But why are they making those faces?’

The people in the kitchen looked as though they had suddenly discovered an unfamiliar dessert in the refrigerator.

Whose is this? Can I eat it?

Those kinds of expressions.

“Put your phones down.”

Head chef Kim Jinman spoke in a low voice.

“Aren’t you going to prepare for service?”

His tone was the same as always. But his expression was different. Kim Jinman was staring at a printout lying on the counter without even folding it. Beside him, Yoon Heeseong looked over his phone screen again and chuckled.

“Isn’t this a good thing? It’s praise.”

Kim Jinman did not answer immediately. Jinho asked while tying his apron strings.

“What happened?”

Yoon Heeseong waved his phone.

“You know that sample you made the other day? It got featured in a column.”

“A column?”

“Something about it being more memorable than the regular menu. Something about it being fried meat but not leaving a heavy aftertaste. Good grief, looks like we’ve got ourselves a star.”

Jinho paused for a moment.

One dish immediately came to mind. The first batch of guobaorou that Yoon Heeseong had ruined. The exterior had hardened excessively, while the moisture inside had escaped, leaving the meat tough. Fried food that could not be served as a regular menu item but seemed too wasteful to simply throw away.

The dish they had handed out to customers in small, single-bite portions that day.

It was not even an official menu item, and naturally, it did not have a name.

And now it had appeared in a column?

Jinho took the phone Yoon Heeseong held out.

The title caught his eye first.

[The Small Plate That Lingered Longer Than the Main Menu]

Part of the article was visible beneath it.

[The last thing one expects at a franchise Chinese restaurant is an unexpected bite. It is especially rare for a small plate offered almost as a complimentary service to leave a more lasting impression than the dishes listed on the menu.]

[The fried dish certainly contained oil, yet it did not leave a heavy finish. The pork fibers were tender, and the acidity beautifully rounded out the aftertaste.]

[It would be difficult to say that every regular menu item at this restaurant meets that standard. However, that one small plate alone made me want to return and try it again.]

Jinho stared down at the screen, then closed his mouth.

‘Fuck, this is bad.’

It was praise. Definitely praise.

But there was a sting hidden in that column.

‘It would be difficult to say that every regular menu item at this restaurant meets that standard.’

That was also why Yoon Heeseong had been smiling.

When something like this happened, would they blame a columnist whose face they could not even remember? Or would they blame the person who had done something ‘unnecessary’ with food that could simply have been thrown away?

“They took a swipe at our restaurant’s overall quality too.”

Someone muttered quietly.

This restaurant had never been particularly well-rated or poorly rated.

It was decent enough for company dinners, reliable enough for delivery, and somewhere people might occasionally visit for lunch.

But if an article like this came out, what would people who knew nothing about the restaurant think?

“Well, they didn’t exactly say our restaurant is amazing, but at least they made people want to visit.”

Yoon Heeseong spoke sarcastically. Kim Jinman looked at him.

“Does that sound reassuring to you?”

“There’s no reason to take it badly. It’s better than being criticized.”

“Even if headquarters said they’re coming because of this?”

Owner Jang Minseok responded as he emerged from the office. Yoon Heeseong was momentarily speechless.

“Headquarters?”

Jang Minseok slipped the phone he was holding into his jacket and spoke.

“They’re sending someone to investigate a quality issue.”

“Quality?”

Yoon Heeseong reacted immediately.

“Why would quality be an issue when we were praised?”

Jang Minseok looked at him.

“It would have been nice if we’d only received praise.”

He turned off his phone screen.

“The column isn’t the only problem. Customer complaints have been piling up, haven’t they? Food arriving late, inconsistent frying quality, unpleasant staff attitudes, poor handling of reservations. Headquarters hates it when the same kinds of complaints keep coming in. They could even terminate our franchise agreement. They were already looking for an excuse to cut us loose, but then suddenly we started turning things around. Customers say the food is delicious, and now we’ve appeared in a column. If you were headquarters, wouldn’t you be curious what the hell these people have been taking to change so suddenly? Right?”

Yoon Heeseong’s expression stiffened.

“That’s not all my fault.”

“Right. I’m sure it’s not all your fault.”

Jang Minseok gave a very brief laugh.

“But your name comes up the most. Especially in the customer complaints.”

Someone in the kitchen cleared their throat as though issuing a warning. Yoon Heeseong closed his mouth. Jinho lowered his head for no particular reason.

He had vaguely heard that the reviews had been improving over the past few days. Comments about the fried food being lighter, the texture of the meat improving, and the food smelling less greasy.

Those kinds of comments had been appearing.

But Jinho could not remember doing anything particularly special. He had simply paid a little more attention to removing moisture from the meat, checking the tendons more carefully, and timing when the ingredients entered the fryer.

After awakening, he had begun to notice those things.

Even with the same pork, he could see differences in the grain. Even with the same batter, he could see how different temperatures would produce different results. He could also cut ingredients more consistently, in the proper direction, without making mistakes. That was all.

But what if those small differences were the reason the food had not tasted right before?

Either way, it made sense that headquarters would be curious.

“Please, let it be anyone but Jung Seoyoon.”

Someone spoke quietly. Jinho raised his head.

“Who’s Jung Seoyoon?”

Yoon Heeseong gave Jinho an incredulous chuckle.

“Ignorance is bliss.”

“Is she famous?”

“She’s the head of the Quality Strategy Team at headquarters.”

“A team leader comes out to inspect individual branches?”

“That’s why we’re praying it isn’t her.”

A senior cook beside them added in an even lower voice.

“There are rumors she’s related to the CEO of headquarters.”

“Is she a nepotism hire?”

“The problem is that nobody can say that to her face.”

“Why not?”

Yoon Heeseong jerked his chin toward the refrigerator.

“You can only criticize someone for being incompetent if they actually are. That woman is too good at her job. She doesn’t just pretend to inspect things. She really tears everything apart.”

“How thoroughly?”

“There’s a legend that she inspected the refrigerator, freezer, sanitation conditions, and quality standards in twenty minutes, then had time left over, so she even pulled apart the refrigerator door seals.”

Jinho unconsciously looked toward the refrigerator door.

The rubber seals. A place people barely touched when opening and closing the refrigerator.

‘She even took those apart?’

At that moment, the bell in the dining area rang.

Ding.

It was the sound of the door opening.

Everyone turned their heads at once. Jang Minseok went out to the dining area first. Not long afterward, a woman wearing a neat jacket stood at the kitchen entrance. She held a thin file and a tablet in her hands. Her hair was tied low, and her makeup was light. She looked younger than expected.

She looked around the kitchen once and spoke.

“I’m Jung Seoyoon from the Quality Strategy Team at headquarters.”

No one answered immediately.

Jung Seoyoon bowed her head briefly.

“I’m here to investigate the quality issue.”

_____________

She turned on her tablet.

“I’m not here to take issue with the act of providing samples itself. That falls within the authority of the restaurant manager.”

Jang Minseok’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

But Jung Seoyoon’s next words made them tense again.

“If there’s a problem, it would be that the recipe was not approved by headquarters. It seems you submitted the recipe afterward, but... When we tested your recipe, the resulting dish was nothing that would warrant such an enthusiastic reaction.”

Jung Seoyoon looked at the printed column on the counter.

“In any case, headquarters has decided to settle this particular matter with a single warning. There have been a lot of issues lately, so it seems they don’t want to devote too much attention to this. However...”

The kitchen fell silent again.

“They do want to confirm whether service standards have been properly maintained.”

Her tone was neither gentle nor harsh. But the distinction was clear.

“I’ll start with the refrigerated storage records.”

Preparations for service continued as normal. The evening reservations would not disappear simply because someone from headquarters had arrived.

Meat was being coated in batter on the counter, oil was bubbling in the fryer, and the dining area staff were setting up tables for large groups.

But everyone’s attention was subtly focused on one person.

Ingredient labels, the condition of storage containers, separation of cutting boards, grease buildup around the fryer...

Jung Seoyoon inspected every corner of the kitchen with Kim Jinman accompanying her. Wherever her gaze passed, the shoulders of the people working there stiffened slightly.

She passed the refrigerator and stopped in front of the fryer.

“Is this where you do the first frying?”

“Yes.”

Her gaze shifted toward the trays beside the fryer.

On the stainless-steel trays lay fried pork that had just completed its first frying in preparation for the evening reservations. The pieces had been divided between two trays.

Jinho and Yoon Heeseong had each prepared one of them earlier.

At a glance, the two looked similar.

Jung Seoyoon picked up a piece with a pair of tongs.

Tap-

After breaking it apart with her hands, she picked up another piece from the other tray.

Crunch-

This time, the sound was different. Unlike the previous piece, the batter adhered properly to the meat.

Jung Seoyoon placed the two pieces side by side.

“Were these two trays prepared using the same process?”

Kim Jinman’s eyebrows moved ever so slightly.

“Yes. The same recipe.”

“But one is good and the other is bad. Judging by the temperature, it looks like they were prepared at the same time.”

She pressed the tip of her tongs against the cross-section of one of the first-fried pieces. Jung Seoyoon’s gaze turned toward Yoon Heeseong.

“Who is responsible for the first frying?”

“Usually, I am.”

Yoon Heeseong answered.

“Usually?”

“When we’re busy, other people help with it too.”

“Who are these other people?”

His answer was delayed.

Kim Jinman spoke instead.

“Today, Kang Jinho handled it.”

Jinho raised his head.

Jung Seoyoon’s gaze settled on him.

“Mr. Kang Jinho.”

“Yes.”

“Which tray did you prepare?”

Jinho answered briefly.

“The one on the right.”

Everyone in the kitchen turned their attention toward him.

Jung Seoyoon was silent for a moment.

She set the two pieces down again and wrote a line on her tablet.

“Good.”

It was impossible to tell whether that was praise or merely acknowledgment.

Jung Seoyoon raised her head.

“I’d like to see how the two of you work. Would that be possible?”

At her words, Yoon Heeseong frowned.