Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Episode 16. The Same Menu

Two pieces of pork were placed on each side of the counter.

They were cuts of pork loin taken from the same box. Their weights were similar, as were their thicknesses. Standardized meat ordered from headquarters. At a glance, it was difficult to find any differences.

Jung Seoyoon stood one step away. Her tablet was on, but she had not written anything yet.

Jang Minseok stood near the kitchen entrance with his arms crossed, while Kim Jinman glanced between the two men.

“The recipe is the same.”

Kim Jinman spoke.

“Obviously, adding ingredients or changing the proportions is strictly forbidden. You must not deviate even slightly from the Fragrant Spiced Fried Pork Loin on the menu.”

“Yes.”

Jinho and Yoon Heeseong answered simultaneously. As soon as Yoon Heeseong picked up his knife, he began moving quickly.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of chopping continued at a steady rhythm.

His speed was impressive. He divided the meat into the prescribed sizes, pressed the thicker sections flat, and quickly removed any protruding tendons. In a kitchen, speed was also a skill.

Judging by that alone, Yoon Heeseong was proficient.

The problem came afterward.

Yoon Heeseong wiped the surface of the meat once and immediately added the preliminary seasoning. The prescribed amounts of salt and white pepper went in, and the meat was quickly mixed.

Jinho did not immediately begin cutting. There was something he needed to do first.

‘The membrane is a little thicker on one side, isn’t it?’

He used the tip of his knife to remove the thin membrane. Texture was important, but something like this would get caught between the teeth while eating.

And that was not all. It could also affect how quickly the meat cooked.

As Jinho carefully made his cuts, Yoon Heeseong chuckled beside him.

“Are you performing some kind of ritual over that meat?”

Jinho did not answer. Jung Seoyoon’s pen stopped for a moment before moving again.

Jinho took a fresh paper towel and pressed it against the surface of the meat. He did not rub it. He pressed it. He wanted to remove the moisture without damaging the surface.

There was a difference in how they handled the batter as well.

Yoon Heeseong put the meat into the batter and quickly mixed everything together. It was a method he was accustomed to. Jinho, on the other hand, separated the pieces of meat and added them to the batter one by one.

Yoon Heeseong frowned.

“Are you going to do that during peak hours too?”

“I'd appreciate it if you focused on your own work, senior.”

Jinho spoke without stopping his hands. Yoon Heeseong looked angry at those words, but he said nothing more.

Instead, he moved in front of the fryer.

Sssssizzle.

The batter bloomed.

His hands moved quickly. He pushed the pieces apart to keep them from sticking together, swept the bottom with a skimmer, and lifted them out at the prescribed time. His movements were clean.

Yoon Heeseong’s first-fried batch was placed on the tray without any major problems. He had finished remarkably quickly.

“...”

Only afterward did Jinho’s meat enter the fryer.

Sssssizzle-

The batter puffed up almost instantly. Jinho gently pushed the pieces apart using only the tip of his skimmer, then quickly lifted them out.

Thin streams of oil dripped from the pieces he had removed. While the oil drained, Jinho prepared the seasonings.

Meanwhile, Yoon Heeseong had already placed his wok over the flame.

Garlic, scallions, dried chilies, Sichuan pepper, black vinegar.

The order was exactly as specified in the recipe.

He moved confidently. He heated the wok intensely, added the fried pork and seasonings, and tossed everything vigorously. As the red chilies and Sichuan pepper came into contact with the fried coating, a strong aroma burst forth.

“Of course, you need to bring out a strong aroma.”

Someone muttered quietly.

As though he had heard it, Yoon Heeseong raised the corner of his mouth ever so slightly before plating the food on the white plate assigned to him.

It was red, intensely seasoned, and appetizing from the smell alone.

At that moment, Jinho added his fried pork to the wok. The spices clung to the surface of the coating. There was not much sauce. It only needed to moisten the food slightly.

Whoosh.

Flames rose once. Jinho swung the wok vigorously. His movements were not perfect, but he followed what the system showed him.

Before long, the Fragrant Spiced Fried Pork Loin was placed on a black plate.

Kim Jinman looked at the two plates.

“Send them both out.”

Yoon Heeseong raised his head.

“Aren’t you going to taste them?”

“Wasn’t the customer supposed to be the judge?”

Hyeongseok soon carried the dishes away.

Yoon Heeseong wiped his hands irritably and spoke.

“Customers like that just eat according to the atmosphere anyway, don’t they? There are plenty of people who think something tastes good just because a column says it does.”

No one answered.

______________

Inside the private room, Oh Junmo was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

“Then, let the evaluation begin.”

The manager spoke.

“What are you, a judge?”

“Life is one big evaluation.”

“Where do you learn things like that?”

“I just made it up.”

Oh Junmo picked up a piece of Fragrant Spiced Fried Pork Loin from the white plate and ate it. Then he nodded.

“Not bad.”

The manager also tried a piece.

At first, the aroma of chilies and Sichuan pepper rose sharply. There was also the savory flavor of fried pork. It was not bad. In fact, it was slightly better than what one might expect from a franchise Chinese restaurant.

Oh Junmo took a sip of water.

“This tastes like something you’d expect to find on the menu, right?”

“Because it is something on the menu.”

The manager spoke.

“True.”

This time, Oh Junmo looked at the black plate.

He picked up a piece and ate it. Then he closed his mouth.

The manager raised her eyebrows at his reaction.

“Why?”

“Hold on.”

Oh Junmo picked up another piece. But this time, he did not drink any water. Instead, he kept his mouth closed for a moment, as though examining the lingering spicy aroma.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“It’s definitely fried, but the coating is thin and crisp?”

He spoke while recalling the words from the column. The manager also took a piece from the black plate.

At first, the aroma of chilies and Sichuan pepper rose. But then the savory flavor of fried pork came rushing in.

And yet it was not greasy. It was not quite strong enough to be called sour, but it felt as though something had cut through the oiliness.

The texture was distinctive as well. Despite being fried pork loin, it was not dry.

“I can see why the reviews have changed lately.”

The manager spoke.

“Right?”

Oh Junmo picked up another piece. At that moment, Han Jaeyul spoke quietly.

“This is it.”

Both of them turned toward him. Han Jaeyul was silently eating the Fragrant Spiced Fried Pork Loin from the black plate.

He was not eating particularly quickly, but the plate was steadily emptying.

Oh Junmo watched him for a moment before laughing softly.

“Captain, it’s even scarier when you quietly finish the entire plate like that.”

Han Jaeyul did not answer.

He merely picked up the last piece and put it into his mouth. Then he used the tip of his chopsticks to pick up a tiny amount of the spice crumbs remaining on the plate.

Oh Junmo’s eyes widened.

“Wow.”

The manager also looked at him in surprise.

Han Jaeyul was not normally someone who ate like that.

It was not that he was picky about food. Rather, he was the type who did not attach much importance to meals. During operations, he sometimes got through an entire day on energy bars, and even at company dinners, he would eat a moderate amount before putting down his utensils.

Yet someone like that was even eating the spices left on the plate.

Just look at him. He had practically ignored the rest of the meal served alongside it and eaten only the dish on the black plate.

Before long, Han Jaeyul put down his chopsticks.

“Let’s order more of this.”

Oh Junmo understood immediately.

“How many?”

“Six? Let’s have one here and ask them to pack the other five.”

Han Jaeyul looked toward the empty chairs.

“That way, our colleagues can each have one too, don’t you think?”

_____________________

The plates returned thirty minutes later. The white plate still had food remaining, while the black plate had barely any seasoning left on it.

But everyone in the kitchen already knew the outcome of this contest.

How could they not? The guests had ordered more of the dish from the black plate and even requested five additional portions to go.

No one could bring themselves to say anything. They merely watched Yoon Heeseong’s expression. His face was turning red and pale by turns.

He had lost to a fledgling newcomer.

Jinho was just thinking that his working life was going to become even more difficult from now on.

“Jinho hyung.”

Hyeongseok, who had taken the packaged dishes to the private room, returned to the kitchen.

Jinho raised his head.

“That guest says he’d like to see you for a moment.”

Jinho glanced at Kim Jinman. The head chef nodded briefly.

“Go ahead.”

Jinho wiped his hands and went out to the dining area. Inside the private room, Oh Junmo was holding a bag of packaged food. The manager was sending someone a message on her phone.

Han Jaeyul was standing. When Jinho approached, he took something out from inside his jacket.

It was a business card made of black paper with silver lettering.

Han Jaeyul, Captain of the Taesan Guild’s Second Raid Team.

Jinho did not know exactly how significant that title was. But he heard Hyeongseok draw a quiet breath behind him.

Han Jaeyul held out the business card.

“I enjoyed the meal.”

“Thank you.”

Jinho instinctively accepted the business card with both hands. Oh Junmo winked at him from beside Han Jaeyul.

“Things are a bit chaotic on our end today. We’ll come back for a company dinner sometime. You’ll cook for us again then, right?”

Although they had not told him the results, they seemed to have already figured out who had made the dish on the black plate.

Watching this, the manager added.

“Once things settle down a bit.”

Things?

‘Is something going on?’

However, no explanation followed. As a result, Jinho could only blink and watch them leave.

All that remained in his hand was the black business card.

_____________

When Jinho returned to the kitchen, Yoon Heeseong spoke first.

“You even got a business card?”

Before Jinho could answer, Kim Honggyu interrupted.

“If you have time to spout nonsense, go clean up.”

Having silenced Yoon Heeseong with a single remark, Honggyu asked.

“What did they say?”

“They said they wanted to come here for a company dinner sometime.”

“When?”

“They said once things settle down, but I don’t know what they meant by that.”

At that moment, Jung Seoyoon spoke.

“Something is happening in the hunter industry right now. You don’t need to know the specifics.”

Her expression was no different from usual. However, for a brief moment, Jinho noticed the title of a note remaining on one side of her tablet screen.

- Possibility of External Supply

Jung Seoyoon turned off the screen.

“Mr. Kang Jinho.”

“Yes?”

The question came so suddenly that Jinho paused for a moment.

“Would you be able to visit headquarters sometime?”

“Headquarters?”

“I’d like to discuss the menu with you a little further.”

She put her tablet into her bag.

“It’s nothing to be afraid of. After seeing how you cooked today, I became curious about the recipe that was submitted to headquarters again. Well, there are other things too.”

“...”

Jinho could not answer immediately. Monday was his only day off.

Ever since becoming a full-time employee, he had even less free time. Kitchen work was six days a week. The more established an employee was, the harder it was to take time off, and there was no avoiding peak hours.

Normally, his single day off was spent doing laundry, catching up on sleep, buying groceries, and preparing to endure another week.

And now, something else had entered that one day.

Gates.

He needed to make more of Today’s Menu.

Jung Seoyoon watched his silence before speaking.

“I’m not telling you to use your day off.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll speak with the restaurant. We can try arranging a substitute day off.”

Jang Minseok raised his eyebrows.

“Headquarters is willing to go that far?”

Jung Seoyoon answered calmly.

“I’ve determined that it’s necessary.”

Jinho bowed his head.

“Understood.”

“I’ll send the schedule through the restaurant.”

Jung Seoyoon gave a brief farewell and disappeared outside the restaurant.

_______________

Meanwhile, inside a Taesan Guild vehicle.

Oh Junmo had placed the bag of packaged food on the seat beside him.

“How do you think this will taste once it gets cold?”

The manager spoke.

“Why are you worrying about that now?”

“Flavor is always a matter of great importance.”

Han Jaeyul was looking out the window. Oh Junmo laughed quietly.

“Captain.”

“Yes.”

“If you like it that much, how about recruiting him into the Taesan Guild? If we put him in the employee cafeteria, you could eat his cooking every day. With your seniority, surely you could arrange something like that?”

Han Jaeyul did not answer immediately.

The car fell silent.

Oh Junmo was about to make another lighthearted remark, but this time he stopped himself. Instead, he muttered quietly.

“I hope things get sorted out soon.”

The manager spoke softly.

“That system... It’ll be difficult to let it slide this time, won’t it?”

Oh Junmo did not answer. Han Jaeyul spoke instead.

“There hasn’t been an official announcement yet, but the possibility is very high.”

“...”

“It was a system created to help train newcomers, but the newcomers barely used it. Other people were too busy taking advantage of it.”

“Well, they used it to funnel performance records to each other and entertain their connections. Personally, I can't help thinking they got what was coming to them.”

Oh Junmo spoke. However, Han Jaeyul’s expression was heavy.

“Let’s leave it at that. Fixing the system won’t bring the dead back to life.”

After those words, no one among the three spoke again.

The car followed the dark road toward the Taesan Guild headquarters.