Chapter 61: A Board Set for Me
Chapter 61: A Board Set for Me
“…What did you put in the donggeurangttaeng?”
“I chopped up some yuzu and added it.”
“…You added yuzu? Who puts yuzu in donggeurangttaeng?”
“…My mother does.”
“Ah.”
At that moment, Yeom Jaeho PD, who had been watching from the side, spat out the water he was drinking.
Go Junhyeok, clearly flustered, turned red all the way to the top of his bald head like a blanched octopus.
“No wonder it tasted sweet and tangy. I should try this at my restaurant later.”
His words and attitude were completely different from just moments ago.
What is this, Talula?
‘But still.’
Is putting yuzu in donggeurangttaeng really that strange?
I picked one up and took a bite, wondering whether it had somehow gone bad on the way here.
‘Mm.’
No.
It was still good.
The subtle, refreshing fragrance of yuzu spread through the savory pork juices.
So it wasn’t a cooking mistake.
‘Then…’
Could it be that my taste buds are the strange ones?
The others, out of curiosity, each picked up a piece of donggeurangttaeng.
“How does it taste?”
“It’s an interesting flavor!”
“Sunho, you must take after your mother. You’re very creative.”
An interesting flavor?
What does that even mean?
At that moment, one person continued eating without any change in expression.
Lee Yuna.
“It’s good, though?”
See.
My taste isn’t that strange.
“Oh, really? Eat a lot, Yuna.”
When Go Junhyeok scooped up a handful of donggeurangttaeng and placed it on her plate, I noticed Lee Yuna’s pupils tremble slightly.
I leaned closer and whispered quietly.
“Please be honest. It’s okay.”
“H-honest?”
“I might have to cook later. Be honest—like or dislike?”
“D-dislike.”
Mm.
It definitely didn’t suit other people’s tastes.
Then I’ll eat it all.
I moved even the pieces piled on Lee Yuna’s plate onto mine and finished everything without leaving a single piece.
I clearly saw the faint relief on her face.
“Hahaha, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Go Junhyeok flustered like that.”
“Flustered? What are you talking about…”
“Your scalp turned red.”
“…It’s a new personal talent.”
Still, the yuzu donggeurangttaeng seemed to have played a positive role.
The awkward first-meeting atmosphere completely dissolved, and the conversation became lively.
Yeom Jaeho PD had been laughing so hard that his gums were practically drying out.
‘…Was that a good thing?’
After chatting about various things and growing a bit closer, Yeom Jaeho PD began the real proceedings.
“Alright, now we’ll start picking teams. There will be two teams. Go Junhyeok and Choi Woojin will each serve as team leader. Through games, you’ll pick your teammates one by one.”
And so a light mini-game began.
Go Junhyeok secured the first victory.
His first choice was—
“I’ll pick Sunho.”
Me.
Everyone looked surprised at the unexpected choice.
…Is it really that surprising?
“Sunho?”
“He’s handsome. A part-timer just needs to be handsome and pretty.”
I’m a part-timer?
At least I thought I would be an assistant chef.
“You can’t cook— I mean, you’re fun. Start with washing dishes and work your way up.”
And just like that, I was designated the part-timer.
In the next game, Go Junhyeok lost and had his selection right taken away.
Thus, the teams were finalized.
“Go Junhyeok, Ryu Sunho, Lee Yuna. The three of you are one team.”
A chef-owner and two part-timers.
Somehow, an uneasy combination was formed.
“…Maybe I should’ve picked an assistant chef first.”
Go Junhyeok muttered under his breath.
Two days later.
It was the day of departure for France.
I arrived at Incheon Airport first and sat down. Soon after, Lee Yuna appeared.
We had sat next to each other during the pre-meeting, but we had not talked much one-on-one, so things were still awkward.
‘Still, we’re both part-timers. Shouldn’t we get a bit closer?’
I considered starting a conversation, but it did not seem easy.
It felt like she was wary of me.
At the previous shoot and yesterday as well, whenever our eyes met, she quickly looked away.
Then I should find some common ground and break the ice.
‘I don’t know much about music… and asking if she’s seen my movie sounds too arrogant.’
While I was thinking about how to start a conversation, Lee Yuna was staring intently at something.
‘Right. I’ll just talk about what’s in front of us.’
I followed her gaze.
At the end of it were two trash cans.
One labeled “Messi,” and the other labeled “Ronaldo.”
Above them was a question: “Who is the better player?”
She must have found the unusual trash cans interesting.
‘They’re using the nudge effect.’
A nudge literally means to poke someone with the elbow. It is a behavioral economics theory that encourages voluntary behavioral change through subtle intervention rather than forceful commands.
In this case, instead of a stiff sign that says “Throw trash in the bin,” they were using a worldwide sports debate to encourage people to throw away trash in a fun way.
‘But is this even still a debate?’
Naturally, the Messi bin was overflowing.
After Messi’s recent World Cup victory, the debate had tilted completely to one side.
By contrast, the Ronaldo bin was not even a quarter full.
Even someone like me, who does not know much about soccer, knows that.
‘But…’
For some reason, Lee Yuna’s expression looked intense, as if she were about to shoot lasers from her eyes.
Then she suddenly asked me,
“Do you have any trash?”
“…What?”
I did have the wrapper from the chocolate bar I had eaten earlier.
When she saw it, she stretched out her hand toward me.
“Give it to me. I’ll throw it away for you.”
“What? No, it’s fine. I can throw it away—”
“Which side are you going to throw it in?”
“…What?”
Her eyes looked unhinged.
My instincts told me not to answer carelessly.
In the end, I handed her the trash.
Lee Yuna did not just take mine—she gathered the trash scattered around as well.
Without hesitation, she dumped it all into the bin labeled “Ronaldo.”
I do not think I have ever seen such a fierce expression on her face.
‘…Is she possessed?’
While Ryu Sunho was boarding the plane, in an ordinary home somewhere on the peninsula, a college student named Park Sujin was lounging on the living room sofa.
“Ah, it’s Ryu Sunho again. He’s seriously everywhere these days.”
She muttered indifferently as Ryu Sunho appeared on the TV her mother had turned on.
After the film “Vacuum State” was released and became a hit, Ryu Sunho’s face was plastered across every kind of media.
“I don’t know why, but I just can’t get attached to him.”
She was about to change the channel with the remote when—
“Don’t switch it. I’m watching.”
At her mother’s words, Sujin reluctantly turned her gaze back to the screen.
The program airing was “The Manager’s Perspective.”
When Ryu Sunho appeared in the studio, Sujin let out a small gasp.
“Whoa… he is handsome.”
He had an unrealistically polished style.
He was not her personal type, but objectively handsome by anyone’s standards.
You have to admit what is true.
After the studio greetings, the prerecorded footage began, and someone introduced as Ryu Sunho’s manager appeared.
“…Is that really a manager? Not a gangster?”
In stark contrast to Ryu Sunho, the man had a fierce appearance, like a mixed martial arts fighter. Sujin flinched.
But that uncomfortable impression did not last long.
Watching him stiffly act conscious of the camera, Sujin burst out laughing.
“What is this? He’s charming. My type.”
Intrigued by the manager’s unexpected charm, Sujin put down her smartphone and began watching seriously.
The screen shifted to the GV event at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
“Huh? Wait. Isn’t that Quentin Marino?”
Sujin’s older brother, who had been passing through the living room, stopped.
Then he joined her in front of the TV.
“Hey, move your head. You’re blocking the screen.”
“At least I’m just blocking the screen. If your head were that big, it would block the whole living room.”
Their bickering lasted only a moment.
Quentin Marino took the microphone and asked Ryu Sunho a question in English.
Sujin naturally expected an interpreter to bridge their conversation.
But Ryu Sunho did not wait for an interpreter.
Without a hint of fluster, he smoothly picked up the microphone and answered in fluent English.
Sujin’s eyes widened.
“…What? He’s answering right away without interpretation?”
His pronunciation was clean, and his sentences were delivered without hesitation.
As an English literature major, Sujin sensed that his choice of vocabulary was not ordinary.
“This isn’t average level…”
Even more surprising was the depth of his answer.
At his thoughtful analysis of the character, Quentin Marino smiled in satisfaction.
Not only the studio panelists, but Sujin and her brother watching at home were stunned.
“…He’s an actor, right?”
“…He’s twenty-two, right?”
Looking from the shabby siblings back to the screen showing Ryu Sunho, their mother’s expression was complicated.
Anyway.
As the GV neared its end, Quentin suddenly went up on stage and placed his red cap on Ryu Sunho’s head.
“Huh? Why is he giving him a hat he’s been wearing all that time?”
As Sujin wondered, a caption appeared on the screen.
[Director Quentin’s signature, cherished red cap—never removed even at countless official events!]
At the same time, archival footage played, showing Quentin Marino appearing at various award ceremonies and official events without ever removing his red cap.
He even wore it with a tuxedo on the Academy Awards red carpet.
[And now… for the first time, he removes his alter ego-like cap and personally places it on a rookie actor…!?]
Sujin unconsciously gasped.
“Wow… was he chosen? At just twenty-two, acknowledged by a Hollywood director?”
“Sunho hyung… that’s insane…”
“He’s five years younger than you.”
“If someone’s more successful than me, they’re hyung.”
Once again, their mother shook her head.
In any case, just as the PD intended, a swell of national pride and vicarious satisfaction filled their hearts.
Near the end of the broadcast, the scene of Ryu Sunho winning Best Actor at the film festival’s closing ceremony appeared.
His acceptance speech followed.
He delivered a clean, concise speech and stepped down from the stage when the camera suddenly caught a corner of the audience.
A large-built manager was wiping away tears, his shoulders shaking.
“…Why is he suddenly crying?”
“…Did the manager give birth to Ryu Sunho?”
Though puzzled, they could not help laughing at the sight.
But then came the personal interview.
Under dim lighting, Manager Jeong Daeyeop scratched his head shyly and began to speak.
[Q. Why did you cry so much at that moment?]
[“Ah… well, I have a lot to be thankful to Sunho for. I’ve had a rough life. I quit sports after getting injured, was misunderstood a lot because of my size and appearance… and I’m terrible at work, too.”]
His rough hands awkwardly rubbed his knees.
The studio panelists listened seriously.
[“But… from the beginning, Sunho took good care of inexperienced me and treated me comfortably. It was his birthday, but he prepared a gift for me. Anyway, seeing Sunho shining in such a high place like that, I just… ended up crying foolishly…”]
The manager’s sincerity toward Ryu Sunho was enough to move viewers’ hearts.
Sujin’s eyes grew slightly moist as well.
“Hey, are you crying?”
At her brother’s remark, the tears disappeared instantly.
He was a high-performance tear dryer.
After the broadcast ended, Sujin, as if possessed, began searching for Ryu Sunho on her smartphone.
[‘The Manager’s Perspective’ Ryu Sunho effect, highest ratings ever]
Wow, today’s episode was legendary.
We’re even seeing Quentin on Korean TV lol.
But why is Ryu Sunho’s English so good?
└ For real, I got chills when he answered immediately without an interpreter.
Just the ultimate brainy guy… face, physique, acting, ads, English… what can’t he do?
How many bodies does he have? How does he do all that?
Soon, interest in Ryu Sunho naturally led to curiosity about his next move.
By the way, didn’t he leave for France today?
└ Why?
└ To film Yeom Jaeho PD’s new variety show.
└ Oh really?
└ Think he’s good at French too?
└ That’s too much lol. He’ll probably use English there.
└ Guess we’ll get to see English-speaking Ryu Sunho again!
After a long fourteen-hour flight, we arrived at an airport in Paris, France.
“France… PSG… Messi… enemy nation…”
I shook Lee Yuna awake as she muttered strange things in her sleep from the seat next to me.
She immediately bowed her head with a fresh, idol-like smile, as if she had not been sleep-talking at all.
“Oh, we’re here already. Thank you.”
From Paris, we took another domestic flight, then a bus for five more hours.
Finally, we arrived at Saint-Tropez Square.
A picture-perfect landscape unfolded before us: an emerald sea, countless yachts, and pastel-colored buildings lined along the harbor.
“Wow… this is insane. It’s so beautiful.”
Everyone’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the unfamiliar scenery.
But Yeom Jaeho PD did not give us time to admire it.
“Alright, this way.”
Where he led us, there were only two empty storefronts with no signs.
“…?”
As everyone looked puzzled, Yeom Jaeho PD smiled wickedly.
“Alright. This is where you’ll be running your business from now on.”
“What?”
“From this point on, you’ll use the capital provided to cover ingredient costs, additional equipment, and advertising expenses, and start your business.”
“Wait a minute. I understand the rest, but what do you mean by advertising expenses?”
“That means… you’ll handle all the promotion yourselves.”
While everyone else stood in shock, the corners of my lips lifted slightly.
‘This is a board set for me.’