Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Part 4. Other People's Feasts Aren't Always Enjoyable (2)
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The kitchen air was stifling, thick with heat rising from the hearths.
“How’s the abalone delicacy coming? Still got a ways to go?”
“We’re working on it now. Hand me those dried abalones over there.”
“Dinner’s not far off. We need to hurry.”
“Damn it! This is killing me. Whew!”
Groans escaped the lips of the master chefs toiling over the stoves.
They worked relentlessly in front of the blazing flames, their skilled hands producing dishes at lightning speed, as befitted seasoned professionals.
The problem was the sheer number of guests who had flooded into Hongam Mountain Lodge—far exceeding their expectations.
Senior Chef Song Hwan rallied the chefs.
“Counting the new arrivals today, we’ve got to prepare meals for fifteen hundred people. Everyone, pick up the pace!”
“Yes!”
The chefs responded with vigor, wielding their spatulas and ladles.
With every motion of their hands, enough food for several people materialized in an instant. Yet mountains of dishes still remained to be made.
“Thank goodness for that chubby guy, at least.”
“Yeah! Who’d have thought he’d handle cooking like such a pro?”
The chefs’ eyes turned to Bang Jin-bo, who was diligently preparing food in one corner.
Even in the scorching blaze that could sear flesh, a smile never left Bang Jin-bo’s face.
Sizzle!
He tossed beef into the red-hot wok. As it cooked, he added prepped vegetables.
Bang Jin-bo deftly maneuvered the wok, every sense attuned to the flames.
—Cooking is the art of fire. A true master chef must understand fire.
That’s what his father always said.
Only by comprehending and mastering fire could one truly step into the world of cooking.
Bang Jin-bo focused on sensing and understanding the fire dancing in the hearth.
When the flames surged, he pulled the wok back; when they weakened, he drew it close. The heat inside stayed steady, perfectly cooking the meat and vegetables.
Seizing the moment, he sprinkled in various spices.
The result was coin beef, a dish his father Bang Woo-gwang used to make him often.
The assistants couldn’t hide their awe at Bang Jin-bo’s swift mastery.
“Wow, incredible! Handling the fire like that.”
“Yeah, when am I ever gonna get that good?”
Envy now filled the eyes of the assistants, who had first eyed him with jealousy. But So Jin-seo was different.
‘If I just got the chance, I could do that well too.’
Slash slash slash!
He channeled his rivalry into his knife work, never letting it falter.
So Jin-seo’s cuts were lightning-fast and precise—something everyone in the kitchen acknowledged.
Even as So Jin-seo ground his teeth, the master chefs churned out dishes without pause, finally completing the fifteen hundred portions.
“Phew!”
“Done.”
As the last dish emerged, the chefs collapsed in place. Their faces had paled, as if the hearth flames had drained them entirely.
Bang Jin-bo slumped to the floor too. Sweat poured endlessly from his plump frame.
He looked like he’d shed at least a pound of fat; his cheeks even seemed a bit slimmer. But the exhausted Bang Jin-bo was too spent to notice.
“You okay?”
At Song Hwan’s question, Bang Jin-bo barely lifted his head.
“Yeah!”
“You did great. Thanks to you, we finished on time.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Senior Chef’s right. You gave us a breather. Thanks.”
Deputy Chef Woo Bok-gyeom joined the praise, draping an arm over Bang Jin-bo’s shoulder and ruffling his sweat-matted hair.
“Good work, kid. No more tasks for you today—go rest.”
“But there’s still cleanup...”
“Leave that to the assistants and servants.”
Bang Jin-bo glanced at the assistants. They were just as drained from the battle-like shift. He couldn’t bear to leave them with it.
But Song Hwan and Woo Bok-gyeom thought differently.
“Master chefs and assistants are worlds apart. If you’re walking the chef’s path, remember that.”
“Senior Chef’s spot on. Knife skills alone don’t make a chef. You’ve got to feel the fire for that. They’re still far from it—more training needed. The grunt work’s theirs until then. It’s all part of their practice.”
“Yes!”
In the end, Bang Jin-bo had no choice but to accept it.
Grunt work was practice too—just like what his father Bang Woo-gwang had taught him. Still, it sat uneasy with him.
“Go rest up. You’ll need it to cook again tomorrow. The real war starts then.”
“Are we cooking for this many tomorrow too?”
“Afraid so.”
“Won’t that be tough?”
“No choice—we do what we can.”
“What happened to the previous master chefs? Did they quit because it was too hard?”
“Who knows? They just vanished one day.”
“Huh?”
Bang Jin-bo’s eyes widened.
Song Hwan gave a wry smile.
“Bok-gyeom’s right. Not sure if it was the workload, but they disappeared without a trace. And they weren’t the type to quit.”
“Damn fools! If they were gonna leave, wait till the banquet’s over.”
Woo Bok-gyeom looked regretful.
They were chefs he’d poured his heart into training. Not weaklings to fold under pressure—and now this mess.
“Enough chit-chat. Go get some rest.”
“Yes! I’ll head out then.”
Song Hwan practically shoved Bang Jin-bo out of the kitchen.
“Everyone except the master chefs—clean this place up!”
Woo Bok-gyeom’s booming voice echoed behind him.
Looking up, Bang Jin-bo saw stars twinkling in the sky. It was already late. How had the day flown by so fast?
Heading straight to bed felt off somehow.
“I should make brother a snack.”
Bang Jin-bo remembered the premium dried sea cucumbers he had. He turned back toward the kitchen.
The place was dark—everyone had finished cleaning and left.
Bang Jin-bo pushed open the door and stepped inside. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
In one dark corner of the kitchen, flames suddenly leaped to life.
Sizzle!
Fire roared from the hearth, and a glowing-hot wok danced over it.
“Ah!”
The figure at the hearth was So Jin-seo, one of the assistants.
Oblivious to Bang Jin-bo’s entrance, he toiled away.
“Damn it! Understand the fire? How the hell do you understand fire?”
A dish was forming in the wok. But the smell, the look—nothing satisfied him.
Same ingredients, same method as the masters, yet his came out inferior.
“Shit!”
So Jin-seo hurled his spatula and wok to the floor. The wok clattered and stopped at Bang Jin-bo’s feet.
Their eyes met in the air.
“You?”
“Brother!”
“What’re you doing here this late? You fat bastard. Because of you, I...”
So Jin-seo stormed toward Bang Jin-bo, fists clenched like he’d swing any second.
Bang Jin-bo flinched but held his ground.
“If you hadn’t shown up, I could’ve cooked it.”
So Jin-seo glared, tears welling in his eyes.
“Brother, I’m sorry. Because of me...”
“Seven whole years. That’s how long I’ve trained here. So why you and not me? What am I missing?”
So Jin-seo vented his rage.
Bang Jin-bo closed his eyes at the tear-choked outburst.
He was just passing through this place. He might return someday, but not to work here.
For So Jin-seo, this kitchen was his life. Becoming a master chef and opening his own place in Nanju—that was his dream.
Bang Jin-bo was an insurmountable obstacle, someone he couldn’t help but resent.
Bang Jin-bo picked up the wok from the floor. It still radiated heat, but he endured.
His palms were thick with calluses—marks of his rigorous training.
So Jin-seo’s hands bore the same. He’d trained just as hard.
Bang Jin-bo pressed the wok into So Jin-seo’s hands.
“Brother, I’m leaving soon. Keep training hard, and you’ll be a master chef in no time.”
“What good’s that? If I can’t grasp the fire, I’ll never make it.”
“Feeling it comes before understanding.”
“What?”
“Father said so. Feel the fire first. Understanding follows.”
“How do you feel fire? That make any sense?”
“Come here, brother.”
Bang Jin-bo took So Jin-seo’s hand and pulled him to the hearth.
Intense heat hit them. So Jin-seo’s face flushed red instantly.
He recoiled, but Bang Jin-bo held firm.
“No matter how hot, don’t run from the fire. Love it. It’ll love you back as much as you love it.”
“...”
“Open your heart and feel the fire. Listen to what it’s telling you. It won’t be easy. But if you listen, it’ll whisper to you.”
“What?”
“Just try.”
So Jin-seo nearly snapped that it was nonsense. But Bang Jin-bo’s innocent eyes stopped him.
Reluctantly, he followed along.
The heat felt like it would cook his face. Sweat poured from his brow and cheeks; even breathing was a struggle.
His cheeks twitched. As he instinctively backed away, Bang Jin-bo’s thick palm pressed against his back.
“You have to endure.”
“But...”
“Cooking is fire’s art. Feel its breath, follow its will.”
“Mm!”
So Jin-seo found himself drawn in despite himself. Eyes closed, he began sensing the fire’s energy.
Bang Jin-bo smiled faintly at him. It reminded him of the past.
When cooking, his father had been especially strict with him. He’d resented it then, but now it was a fond memory.
Nothing more for Bang Jin-bo to do. It was up to So Jin-seo now. He left him and went to an empty hearth.
Bang Jin-bo lit the fire and prepped ingredients.
The star was dried sea cucumbers from Nanju’s market. He soaked them, then sliced them thin.
He cut vegetables to bite-sized pieces and blanched mushrooms.
With ingredients ready, he oiled the wok, stir-fried green onions, garlic, and ginger for aroma. Once seasoned, he added broth and boiled.
In another wok, he stir-fried mushrooms and soaked sea cucumbers.
The process flew by. The result was a riff on the abalone delicacy.
No actual abalone, and rushed, so simple filling—but it looked decent.
He pictured Dam Ho and Cho Yeon-un waiting eagerly.
“Better take it quick.”
“You look like you’re really enjoying yourself.”
“Huh, brother?”
So Jin-seo had sidled up, watching him. His face was beet-red from the heat.
He seemed a bit drained, but his eyes shone clearer than ever.
Bang Jin-bo’s talk of feeling the fire still felt vague. But he sensed he could grasp it.
More than that, what moved So Jin-seo was Bang Jin-bo’s smile while cooking.
Bang Jin-bo beamed with irrepressible joy the whole time.
Come to think of it, So Jin-seo had never smiled like that while learning. He’d been desperate just to impress Senior Chef Song Hwan with his skills, never once thinking of making others happy through food.
But Bang Jin-bo was different. He cooked imagining the delight on those who’d eat it. That feeling had rubbed off.
‘Total defeat!’
So Jin-seo shook his head.
Beating a guy who cooked with such joy? Impossible.
“Anyway, thanks. I’ll repay this favor someday.”
Without waiting for a reply, So Jin-seo turned and left—embarrassed.
Bang Jin-bo watched his retreating back a moment, then grabbed the plate of sea cucumber dish and dashed to the inn.
“I’m here! Hehe!”
Dam Ho was in the room.