Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: November
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Na Gang-in stepped into the kitchen of the fusion restaurant buzzing with the wrap party.
"Excuse me."
Na Gang-in asked for a bit of those ingredients.
"I want to boil something separately."
The restaurant owner and head chef were both fans of the drama Blue Sky. The head chef readily agreed.
"The broadcast station rented out the whole place today, so feel free to use any ingredients here. They're prepped for cooking anyway. Haha!"
To prepare the ingredients, he needed a knife.
"Ah, my knife won't do... but if you're okay with the shared one over there, help yourself."
Na Gang-in borrowed the kitchen's chef's knife and cutting board to prep a few ingredients. Then he tossed them into a pot with some seasonings, got a bottle of hot water, and left the kitchen.
The restaurant owner was curious.
"That guy... his knife skills are no joke, right? I'm not the only one who saw that?"
The head chef nodded vigorously.
"Whoa, it's not just the speed. I could feel the touch of a true craftsman in every cut."
"A celebrity who can cook too."
"Is he really a celebrity? Never seen that face on TV."
"Probably some unknown actor working part-time here. Should we scout him for our restaurant?"
Na Gang-in set a portable gas stove on Lee Bo-ra's table.
Lee Bo-ra jumped in surprise.
"Ack! Gang-in oppa? When did you get here?"
"Just now."
Na Gang-in placed the pot on the gas stove. Inside were the prepped ingredients from the kitchen and a bit of seasoning. That alone wouldn't make a proper soup.
Shin Eun-ha asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Craving some broth, so I'm boiling something up."
Lee Bo-ra's eyes sparkled from across the table.
"Oh! Is it for me by any chance?"
"Just boiling it because I want some warm broth."
"Heehee. Yes! I'll cheer you on!"
Na Gang-in gathered more ingredients from the spread of dishes on the table.
Shin Eun-ha asked again,
"Why put sashimi in the pot? It's best raw."
"The meat's fresh enough for sashimi, so it's perfect for soup."
He added the other ingredients as well. When seasoning, AI Jeon Ji-in assisted by guiding his hand movements to measure precisely.
At the PC bang, he left the entire cooking process to AI Jeon Ji-in when selling food. But here, with just one pot, he didn't go that far.
He loaded all the ingredients and cranked the heat to max, as usual.
Field tactical cooking was all about mass-producing food quickly. Even for a small batch now, speed was key.
Once the ingredients had softened a bit, he poured in the hot water and boiled it down.
Na Gang-in said to Lee Bo-ra,
"It'll taste even better if it simmers longer, but it's edible now."
Lee Bo-ra scooped a ladleful of the clear fish soup into her bowl. She then took a spoonful and tasted it.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my!"
Her spoon moved faster.
"This is seriously delicious. It's spicy yet refreshing, clearing out my insides, and the broth has this deep umami. Plus this fish!"
She scooped up some of the now-cooked fish that had been sashimi, eating it with the broth.
"So clean-tasting! The broth isn't just spicy—it's hearty, stimulating the tongue perfectly, and the more you chew, the richer it gets. Melts in your mouth after a couple bites."
Shin Eun-ha grumbled,
"Look at you, restaurant critic."
Lee Bo-ra scooped another ladleful in admiration.
"It's really good. What's this soup called?"
That was the official Earth Union military designation. Na Gang-in replied,
"Mixed soup."
"Huh?"
"You throw in whatever ingredients are around, so it's mixed soup. Lots of seafood here, so seafood mixed soup."
"Ah, seafood mixed soup."
Shin Eun-ha reached out.
"Lemme try some too..."
Lee Bo-ra wouldn't let go of the ladle.
"It's mine."
"There's plenty! You can't eat it all alone!"
"Hmph."
Lee Bo-ra gave Shin Eun-ha exactly half a ladle. Shin Eun-ha grumbled at the sight.
"So stingy, just this much?"
"Don't want it? Give it back then."
"I'll eat it."
Shin Eun-ha tasted the seafood mixed soup. Then she whipped around to Na Gang-in.
"Something this good and you never made it before?!"
"You never asked."
"Oh. Right?"
PD Choi Jin-wook sidled over slyly.
"I've heard all about Na Gang-in's cooking skills. Mind if I have a taste...?"
Thanks to the drama's success, rumors swirled that the station was pressuring Choi Jin-wook for a quick follow-up project.
Lee Bo-ra quickly scooped him a ladleful.
"Here you go, PD Choi. Eat this and cast me in your next drama too."
"Haha, you bet. I owe you big time this round."
Drama writer Do Joo-hee also slyly held out her bowl.
"I'm writing the script for the next one..."
"Oh, Writer Do, you need some too."
"Pass the ladle. I'll serve myself."
Do Joo-hee took the ladle and loaded up on solids.
Both beamed after tasting the seafood mixed soup.
"Wow, it's really good!"
"Right? Hits my taste just right."
Their loud exclamations drew over a few actors and staff.
Do Joo-hee passed the ladle to them, saying,
"This is seriously good."
The newcomers each took a ladleful. Reactions were all positive.
The pot emptied way too fast. Yet plenty more actors and staff hovered with bowls, eyeing it hopefully.
Lee Bo-ra muttered softly,
"This was mine..."
Na Gang-in suggested,
"This one's for Bo-ra, but for everyone else, let's boil a big pot. There's an empty one in the kitchen."
Shin Eun-ha jumped in,
"I'm in! That way I can eat my fill."
Na Gang-in borrowed a large pot from the kitchen, loaded it with heaps of ingredients, and set it boiling.
The restaurant owner asked the head chef,
"Watching him cook for real... those knife skills are insane."
The head chef nodded.
"Just on knife work alone, he's better than me."
"What about that pre-stirring technique? Could you do it?"
"No way. He tossed all those ingredients in that pot and shakes it lightly like nothing. A normal person would flip it or dislocate an arm."
"Should we really scout him for our place?"
"He's beyond working under me. Could pass for a hotel Japanese restaurant head chef."
Na Gang-in returned to the hall where people partied.
"It's good to eat now. Even better if it simmers more."
A few impatient folks rushed the kitchen.
Na Gang-in sat in front of the two women.
"No one should touch Bo-ra's bowl now."
Lee Bo-ra was savoring her mixed soup carefully.
She asked,
"So the big pot one and this—are they the same?"
"No. Mixed soup uses whatever's on hand, but different ingredients mean different taste."
Hence the adjusted recipe.
"Which one's better?"
"This one's tastier."
Lee Bo-ra grinned widely.
The seafood mixed soup from the big pot emerged fully. Restaurant staff ladled it into bowls and passed it around.
"Kya, delicious."
"They say Na Gang-in's food is killer, and one taste of this soup proves the hype."
Choi Jin-wook and Do Joo-hee tried the big-pot version too.
Choi Jin-wook said,
"This is great too, but Bo-ra's soup edges it out."
"Probably 'cause it's mass-cooked. Hers was a single pot of pure care."
"That explains it?"
Field tactical recipes were designed for large batches. They usually tasted best made in volume.
Lee Bo-ra's was better not because of extra effort, but because that recipe inherently was.
Do Joo-hee asked,
"Should I go grab more from Bo-ra?"
Choi Jin-wook glanced at Lee Bo-ra.
"Uh... I was thoughtless scarfing it earlier, but now it feels wrong."
The hot, tasty soup fueled more drinking. The PD and writer were pretty drunk.
A tipsy actor said,
"PD, we won't have an explosion or anything, right?"
At the Sunny Day 10-million-viewer party, a drone crash had caused an explosion.
Choi Jin-wook laughed.
"That's why I booked a place with a roof. Haha!"
Shin Eun-ha overheard and worried faintly.
"If Director Son Tae-min hears talk like that here, he'll blow up."
Son Tae-min had been injured in the arm by debris then.
Lee Bo-ra chimed in,
"If Sena unnie were here, she'd flip the table. She was in real danger too."
Oh Se-na had nearly taken a work knife to the face.
"People sure run their mouths about others' business."
"They're all wasted."
Choi Jin-wook PD approached with a flushed, boozy face.
"Gang-in! We gotta do the next drama together! Can't give you lead, but a meaty role for sure! Do Writer's already got your character planned!"
Na Gang-in declined.
"I'm no actor."
"C'mon, heard you're great! Let's test on camera! If you're as good as rumored, bigger role! Even if not, no biggie—your physical stuff's top-notch, so minimal lines!"
"You're pretty drunk."
Choi Jin-wook laughed.
"Hahaha. Best mood tonight!"
The fusion sashimi restaurant wrap party rolled on in high spirits. More drunks piled up, though.
Bodyguard Min Young-hee, off to the side, was eating Na Gang-in's seafood mixed soup.
"What makes this so good? How'd you know my type's a guy who fights well and cooks?"
Shin Eun-ha eyed the crowd.
"Better head out before it gets louder."
Lee Bo-ra grabbed her bag.
"I'm done eating too, time to go home."
Suddenly, a loud crash erupted outside.
Min Young-hee tossed her spoon and dashed to Lee Bo-ra's side.
The inside was so noisy and boozy that many missed it, but not all.
"What was that?"
"Accident somewhere?"
Someone by the window said,
"Hey, car crash out there? Whoa, that truck's totaled."
A few headed out to gawk, actors included.
"Dude, great food, great drinks, and now SNS pic material?"
"Accident victims aren't props. Want the hate?"
"...No pics then."
Na Gang-in went out too.
A 1-ton truck was smashed against a pillar, cargo spilling from the busted bed onto the road.
Na Gang-in rushed to the driver's seat.
The cab was severely crumpled, driver pinned inside.
"Status?"
"Can we extract?"
AI Jeon Ji-in used to urge field emergency surgery over waiting for 119 in critical cases.
But now, she said wait.
"Guess this guy's stable enough for hospital surgery."
Na Gang-in told the crowd,
"Forcing the injured out of the cab could make it worse. Wait for 119."
Surgeon Kim Jung-seok ran up, yelling,
"I'm a doctor! Let me check."
Na Gang-in said,
"Bo-ra's cousin, right?"
"Ah, you're that guy from before. Step back. I'll take a look."
Na Gang-in moved aside.
Kim Jung-seok visually assessed the patient.
"Whoa, of all places... Forcing extraction would be disastrous. We wait for 119."
Kim Jung-seok stepped back from the cab. Without rescue gear, he was powerless.
Lee Bo-ra approached.
"Huh? Why's Jung-seok oppa here?"
"Why? Mom was worried, sent me."
Lee Bo-ra narrowed her eyes.
"You found out the wrap party spot and got an excuse to pretend-visit me while gawking at lady celebs, huh?"
"Uh... well..."
"Knew it."
Kim Jung-seok bellowed,
"Patient's right here—nothing else matters! I'm a doctor!"
A few who only caught that clapped.
"Whoa, guy's a doctor."
"Cool."
Lee Bo-ra muttered,
"Embarrassing. Shut it."
Na Gang-in let them bicker and moved to the truck's rear.
The cargo bed was badly smashed aft, some freight spilled on the road.
"What was he hauling? Frozen food would all be toast."
Na Gang-in peered in. A massive drum inside a torn cardboard box. He read the label.
"What's this? VTX?"
"What's that?"
"November? What's that?"
Na Gang-in panicked.
"Wait, why's bomb material trucking around on a truck?!"