Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Ad Shooting (2)
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Kim Woo-jin, who ran a mukbang channel with 300,000 subscribers, tilted his head when Oju Foods' marketing employee explained the collab.
"The channel you'll be collabing with is a cooking channel called Sky and Kite."
He knew just about every major cooking YouTuber out there, but he'd never heard of this one.
A quick search revealed it was a fledgling channel with 60,000 subscribers. The average views were a solid 100,000, sure, but the channel itself was way too small-scale.
He couldn't fathom what Oju Foods was thinking, handing an ad gig to a newbie channel like that.
"The cooking looks decent enough, but I can't fully trust it."
If it had been a vetted chef, he'd have relaxed and waited for collab day. Delicious food naturally pulled genuine reactions without forcing it.
But Sky and Kite was unproven.
Visual appeal didn't guarantee taste, and the one guy who'd tried it, Park Su-han, seemed totally scripted.
Common sense said peanut butter kimchi fried rice couldn't possibly taste good.
Maybe Oju Foods shared his doubts, because they sent a heads-up.
"Even if it doesn't taste great, please give the best reactions you can. Viewers won't taste it anyway, so just say it's delicious."
Kim Woo-jin, a veteran YouTuber, knew the drill. He'd skipped dinner last night and starved himself since.
Grrrrumble.
'Gotta nail this.'
His stomach pounded against his ribs, begging for food. But Kim Woo-jin's focus stayed glued to Kim Haneul sorting ingredients.
Even as a mukbang pro, faking reactions to bad food had limits. Viewers weren't idiots; they'd spot it.
"Alright, let's start cooking. First up..."
Contrary to Kim Woo-jin's worries, things went smoothly.
A few knife chops and wok tosses from Kim Haneul, and dishes piled up. The camera blocked the plates, but the aromas were insane.
Sniff sniff.
"Can Stam really smell this good?"
Stam was processed meat. No matter how you cooked it, the scent stayed uniform. But the kitchen air carried rich meaty notes instead of that artificial factory whiff.
While Kim Woo-jin marveled, Kim Haneul moved to the next dish.
Sizzle. Pop.
This time, he fired up three burners at once. Kimchi fried rice and egg mayo rice bowl, side by side.
Kim Woo-jin knew his way around cooking, so he appreciated the difficulty.
Kimchi ripens faster than eggs, and each dish needed different heat levels. Timing, wok intensity—all had to sync perfectly.
Most folks struggled with two hands; Kim Haneul wok-tossed while ripening ingredients like a pro. It looked effortless.
'Is that guy for real? Hope the kimchi doesn't burn or the eggs stick.'
Worries mounted. Was he just posing for the YouTube upload? What if he botched it? How to react then?
They peaked when Kim Haneul pulled out whiskey.
"I can't handle booze. You know that, right?"
"No worries. The alcohol evaporates at high heat anyway—it's just to infuse the bourbon aroma into the meat. No boozy taste."
With that, he poured the whiskey. Flames erupted sky-high.
Kim Woo-jin, not expecting a fire show in the studio, jolted upright. He scrambled for an extinguisher, but his chair leg caught the table—he crashed down.
Thud crash.
"F-Fire extinguisher! PD? The extinguisher..."
"It's fine. Folks at home, don't try this..."
Unlike the overreacting Kim Woo-jin, Kim Haneul calmly pan-fried the meat with a relaxed gaze. Feeling foolish, Kim Woo-jin cleared his throat and sat back down.
Cooking wrapped up, and Kim Haneul wheeled over a cart loaded with dishes.
Eight massive plates, veiled in silver trays, crowded the table. A glance at the clock: all done in under an hour.
Kim Woo-jin's stomach roared again.
"That's part one. Now we'll shoot part two for your channel."
Grrrrumble.
Lee Juyeon cut the camera. Time for footage destined for Kim Woo-jin's channel.
Kim Woo-jin greeted his own camera.
"Hey, subscribers! It's Kim Woo-jin. Stam hit me up for an ad collab today. And... sniff. I was gonna explain why here, but I'll cover it while eating. Stomach's killing me right now."
No exaggeration. He was starving.
Chopsticks in both hands, he stared at Kim Haneul.
"Haneul?"
"Quick intro first. Starting with the Stam jerky as an appetizer. You haven't tried it yet?"
"Gritted my teeth and held out. Gotta keep the food's tempo—can't interrupt midway. Hurry with the intros."
"Next, Stam sandwich with crispy seared edges. Then, salad tossed with cream dressing, lettuce, and Stam fritters."
Kim Haneul unveiled trays one by one. Aromas wafted with each reveal.
"Finally, Peach Bourbon Ham Steak. Bourbon-infused meat, finished with thick sauce. Pair with the grilled peaches."
"Let's dig in!"
The second Kim Haneul finished, Kim Woo-jin shoved in jerky. After eons of waiting. His basal metabolism was high enough; skipping dinner had his stomach lining shriveling.
Crunch.
He chewed. The sugar coating shattered, delivering crisp texture. Stam's salty savor enveloped his tongue. Parsley aftertaste lingered as it slid down.
Sweet-salt harmony on point.
He'd planned a quick taste before mains, but paused.
"This is insanely good. No way Stam pulls this off? Just an air fryer run?"
Eyes wide, he speared more pieces. He savored the crunch with each bite, then moved on.
'Sandwich'll taste like sandwich.'
No big expectations—he bit in. And marveled.
Lettuce crunch meshed perfectly with Stam's crisp. Seasoning balanced, not greasy at all. Light enough for breakfast.
Kim Woo-jin polished off the sandwich before proceeding.
"How do I eat this? With the greens?"
"Yeah. Tasty solo, but better together."
Honestly, he hated greens. Skipped salads unless stuffed.
But Kim Haneul recommended it, so he speared dressing-coated lettuce and Stam fritter together.
Crisp. Crisp.
Fresh lettuce crunched, then Stam juices flooded his mouth. Not greasy—egg batter mixed with cream dressing for nutty depth.
"No way it's this savory?"
Typical ham fritters tasted salty ham with faint egg. Like most egg-dipped fritters—meat pancakes, zucchini ones.
"I double-dipped the egg batter to amp up the egg ratio. Fine with one layer solo, but since we're eating Stam nonstop, adjusted to avoid palate fatigue."
"You planned this?"
"Of course."
Having devoured nonstop till now, Kim Woo-jin had to concede.
Kim Haneul could cook.
From jerky to fritters, flavors balanced impeccably. Even sequenced cold and hot dishes to maximize stimulation.
"On to the next. Mix the rest into the pasta cream."
Kim Woo-jin ditched his anxieties.
No more fretting over bad taste or fake reactions. He focused. Pasta, Stam mayo rice, kimchi fried rice—gone in seconds.
"Ugh... so damn good. Cola rinse."
Kim Woo-jin washed down all the Stam dishes with cola.
"Been eyeing that since earlier. Wonder what Stam tastes like after the whiskey fire show."
1.5cm domino-thick Stam slices, topped with uniform peach chunks. Glossy brown sauce below reflected lights. Diamond grill marks on the ham teased saliva.
Kim Woo-jin forked ham and peach. Sniffed close.
Sniff sniff.
"Complex aroma upfront. Peach notes, subtle sweetness, whiskey's woody oak barrel vibe. Stam scent surprisingly absent?"
"So far, I focused on harmonizing Stam with sides. This one's about transforming Stam's flavor entirely."
"Transformed flavor."
Stam was cheap canned ham—usually reeked of it. But not here. Premium whiskey notes dominated instead.
Chew. Chew.
Crisp exterior, juicy core. Stam juices gushed, mingling with black sauce. Bourbon smoke and oak bloomed.
"Whoa..."
Flavor explosion choked his words.
Kim Woo-jin closed his eyes, savoring over forcing commentary.
Texture, taste, aroma, aftertaste. He chased every Peach Bourbon Steak sensation.
Definitely Stam. Processed meat chew, even well-seared. But the seasoning? Unreal. Forced cheap Stam into luxury ham territory.
Swallow brought gentle peach finish.
A chef in his early twenties made this? Depth no restaurant busboy that age could muster.
Starving since yesterday over worries felt idiotic. Instinct screamed Sky and Kite would explode overnight.
People obsessed over geniuses. Kim Haneul fit the bill perfectly.
Young, handsome, killer cook. No reason he wouldn't blow up.
Kim Woo-jin opened his eyes and gushed.
"...Unbelievably good. Best ham dish I've had. The earlier ones were great, but this defies Stam logic. First bite..."
He inhaled meat nonstop. Last piece, sauce-drenched.
Kim Woo-jin eyed Kim Haneul wistfully.
"That's the end? Sigh. Before you head home, mind whipping up more sauce?"
"Easy. I'll make some—but don't eye the leftovers I saved for the PDs."
Only then did Kim Woo-jin's crumpled face smooth out.