The Red Flavor (2)
The taste of the North is monotonous.
It goes without saying that because the region was so impoverished, foreign spices could never make their way here, and even finding something sweet was no easy task.
Furthermore, due to the short summers and brutal winters, the variety of native herbs was pathetic compared to the warm South, and the crops that could grow well were severely limited.
No matter how brilliant a chef might be, they cannot create a full-course fine dining meal when the ingredients are subpar. It meant that the fact that Northerners hadn't awakened to the world of gastronomy was simply an unavoidable environmental issue.
That is why the sudden boom in all sorts of restaurants as soon as people became well-off enough to survive was a form of "revenge consumption." The desire for fine food, which had been suppressed for so long, had erupted all at once.
'The current trend is definitely sweet flavors, that's for sure.'
It was a trend you could recognize just by walking for a moment through the commercial district that had sprung up in front of the Lord's Castle. Regardless of age or gender, the North was currently in the grip of a "sweet fever."
And in such a situation, spicy food.
'It’s the complete opposite, after all.'
Aiden couldn't quite grasp how the stimulation of spicy food would be perceived by Northerners, who, if he had to be honest, had tastes much closer to those of children. Aiden, as usual, was underestimating his own influence.
“It’s going to be a hit, I’m telling you. It’s not just anyone—the moment the rumor spread that the Administrative Officer likes it, the result was already decided.”
Perhaps frustrated by his attitude, Jamie added with conviction as he gulped down the deep red meat broth placed before him.
“Ugh!”
Then, he let out what was practically a roar. Even though sweat was pouring down his face and his fingertips were trembling, he insisted on lifting the bowl and downing the broth once more.
“Don’t overdo it. You’ll upset your stomach.”
Aiden tried to stop him, but Jamie just spouted nonsense like, “Northerners don’t lose to things like this!”
“There are so many things to fight in this world, why on earth are you fighting with your food?”
Aiden, who believed that the most useless forms of pride were "alcohol tolerance" and "spice tolerance," shook his head and carefully sipped his own portion of the soup.
'Is it really that spicy?'
It wasn't even that bad. Thinking with the "Korean vibe"—where the spice tolerance scale had been completely shattered, perhaps because his body had fully assimilated with his soul—he finished his meal with the soup, a downgraded version of Yukgaejang.
He had been eating the same soup for several days now, but he showed no signs of getting tired of it. He didn't know for sure, but it seemed he had been missing the taste of home.
Meanwhile.
Melania had emerged as a major player in the Northern food industry. Starting with food delivery for officials, she had become a tycoon who now owned a ranch, a chicken farm, a proper restaurant building, and even an inn.
“Honey! No, I mean, Boss!”
“Did you get it?”
“Ta-da!”
Melania’s husband, who was successfully performing the role of secretary, puffed out his chest and opened the sack he had brought.
“Ugh!”
“Are you okay? Is the smell a bit too strong?”
“Is it supposed to smell like this, or is something rotten?”
What was in the sack were dried chili peppers and garlic. The very spices the Lord was so obsessed with lately!
“They say you can grind these finely to use them, or chop them into chunks and throw them in.”
“I need to start researching this right away.”
“Want me to help?”
“Could you just help me with the grinding?”
Melania was in a hurry. Surely, the chefs of other restaurants had heard the stories about the Lord’s red soup. It was certain, as the workers at the Lord's Castle seemed determined to spread the word.
'I absolutely have to be faster than the others.'
Ever since she started her delivery business, she had deeply realized the importance of being a first mover.
'But I can’t put something mediocre on the menu...'
Gulp.
She swallowed hard as she looked at the unfamiliar ingredients filling the sack. It was time to analyze this—not knowing what scent it would have or what taste it would produce—even if it meant staying up all night.
From that very day, Melania’s workshop was filled with a pungent odor.
“*Cough, cough!*”
“Is something like that really going to be a trend?”
“No, does the Lord really like something like that?”
Melania’s employees whispered, unable to even open their eyes properly due to the spicy smell. Some even doubted if the workers at the Lord's Castle had spread false rumors.
Melania, who was cooking, and her husband, who was tasting, were both getting increasingly exhausted.
“Honey, I think my stomach hurts... and my mouth is so numb...”
“I’m sorry. But let’s try just three more bites. Okay?”
“......”
Even though she felt sorry for her struggling husband, Melania would push the plate toward him as if nothing had happened. Her husband would stretch his lips from side to side, sit back down at the table with a heavy sigh, and pick up his spoon.
“Ah... *huff*... *s-sip*—! *Ha!*”
“Is it still very spicy?”
“Yeah. It’s too spicy. Can’t you put in a little less garlic and chili?”
“If I do that, it won’t get the right color...”
Her friend who worked in the Lord's Castle kitchen had definitely said so. The Lord was eating a red stew containing chili and garlic for all three meals lately. But to get the stew to that vivid red color, her husband ended up with his eyes half-glazed, not knowing what to do.
And every time she tasted it herself, she felt like her mouth was on fire.
“Honey, by any chance... that red broth. Could it be that it’s colored with something other than chili?”
“Something else? Ah!”
Realizing something at those words, Melania brought over the tomato paste from the corner of the workshop.
“Wait a second! I’ll try again!”
She then began to boil a stew with plenty of tomato paste. She added a handful of beef that had been boiled well and shredded along the grain, and finished it by adding only half a clove of garlic and half a spoonful of chili powder.
“It smells delicious!”
Color finally returned to the face of her husband, who had been coughing incessantly. Unlike just a moment ago, when the room was filled with a harsh scent, the sour and sweet aroma of tomatoes now spread through the workshop. It was a familiar scent.
“Do you want to try it?”
“Let’s see... *slurp!*”
Having seen the garlic and chili powder go in, her husband took a spoonful with some trepidation.
“Oh?”
After tasting it once, his eyes immediately sparkled, and he lifted the bowl to drink it.
“*Ah!* This is it!”
Her husband, who had emptied the bowl in an instant, gave her a thumbs-up with both hands.
“The flavor is definitely different because the spices are different! The aftertaste is a bit spicy, but I can handle this much! It’s more of a pleasant spiciness, isn't it? Haha!”
If a Korean had seen this, they would have been baffled, wondering how a pot that could easily serve four portions of ramen could have any flavor with just one clove of garlic and half a spoonful of chili powder. But again, let’s leave that aside, as the spice tolerance scale of Koreans is completely shattered.
In any case, seeing her husband scraping the bottom of the bowl, Melania was convinced that the secret to the red stew the Lord loved was tomatoes.
'That’s right. There’s no way he’d put that much of this harsh stuff in, no way.'
If she added a few more herbs and some root vegetables to make it filling enough that one bowl would satisfy the stomach, and then served it to customers?
'It’s a guaranteed success!'
The birth of a new menu item with a more intense aftertaste than a standard tomato stew. The couple celebrated their new creation.
'Ah, no!'
However, there was one employee watching the couple. A brown-haired woman, secretly pressing her ear against Melania’s workshop door, biting her nails.
So, she was a kind of industrial spy. Chained by debt.
The brown-haired woman quickly conveyed that the spice brought from a foreign land was literally just for enhancing the scent. The person who heard this, laughing at how they hadn't known something so simple, immediately gave the woman an order.
“They’re revealing the menu tomorrow?”
“Yes...”
“Hmm. Then our restaurant should reveal a new menu tomorrow, too.”
“...Yes?”
“*S-sip*—. But if we release the same food on the same day, people will be suspicious.”
The brown-haired woman’s face turned pale.
“Right, the problem is solved if the food is different!”
“But the recipe is the same...”
“Tomorrow, the recipe will be different.”
“......?”
“You can do it, right?”
“......!”
“Heh heh.”
The brown-haired woman squeezed her eyes shut. The boss was a good person. A person who had trusted her with everything, from start to finish, even though she had never done kitchen work before. To betray such a person.
'If only it weren't for the debt...'
However, if she refused this job, it was obvious that this terrifying creditor would take her children hostage. She had to prevent that at all costs.
'I’m sorry, Boss.'
In the end, the woman had no choice but to nod. Her eyes were still squeezed shut.
Cruelly, time does not wait for humans. Time flows equally for everyone.
“It’s not my first time revealing a new menu, but I’m a bit nervous this time.”
Melania headed to the restaurant she had recently opened with a face full of pleasant excitement.
“Here are the promotional flyers for the menu. We’re planning to hand these out on the street today.”
“Looks good!”
The name of the menu was none other than "The Lord’s Passionate Red Stew." It was a menu name that openly sought attention, but it was decided unanimously that there was no name more intuitive than this.
“Emma.”
“Y-yes! Boss!”
The brown-haired woman flinched at Melania’s call and broke into a cold sweat.
“Are you sick? You’re sweating.”
“Ah—. No, it’s just hot because I was in front of the fire...”
“Hmm, is that so? Take a break.”
“No, it’s, i-it’s an important day.”
Fearing she might be told to leave the kitchen and take a rest, the woman quickly waved her hands and entered the kitchen. Her hands were already soaked with sweat. She felt like she was going to cry, and she wanted to collapse right then and there.
“B-big trouble, Boss!”
How much time had passed? Suddenly, it became noisy outside.
“T-the Lord, t-the Lord is...!”
An employee who had been out on the street promoting the new menu rushed in as if having a seizure, and behind them, the idol of all Northerners appeared, surrounded by a halo.
“T-the Lord...!”
“A-Administrative Officer!”
In fact, this wasn't the first time Aiden had visited Melania’s restaurant. But today was the day they were revealing a menu with the incredible name, "The Lord’s Passionate Red Stew." Even though it was a name supported by all the restaurant staff, serving it in front of the person himself was a different matter.
“The... t-the Lord’s... I heard your new menu was out...”
Even the person himself couldn't bring himself to say the menu name like that, could he? The faces of the restaurant staff burned with embarrassment.
'Should I... change the name?'
Even Melania bit her lip.
“Is it one stew?”
“No, Boss. What, am I invisible to you now? That’s too much!”
Jamie grumbled and ordered two bowls of stew.
Soon,
“Y-your order is served.”
Emma brought out the dish in question, her chin trembling. It was that soup—so red it was practically crimson.
Just a moment ago, Emma had taken the soup the man had handed through the kitchen window and brought it out instead of Melania’s tomato stew. As soon as she set the bowl down on the Lord’s table, she regretted it.
'This isn't it!'
She had to stop him. She couldn't pass her misfortune on to her boss. The sight of the Lord picking up his spoon and bringing that crimson stew to his mouth seemed to slow down, as if time had stretched.
“A-ah, no...!”
She tried to stop him in a hurry, but—
Gulp.
It was too late. That ridiculous chili stew, which burst with a spicy scent even just by being near it, had finally entered the Lord’s mouth.
“Ah... I-I’m sorr—”
“*Haa*—.”
Emma burst into the tears she had been holding back and fell to her knees. She was about to slam her forehead into the ground to beg for forgiveness, when—
“......?”
An exclamation of clear satisfaction, which anyone could recognize, burst from the Lord’s lips.
“This is it. This is it. ...Oh, by the way, why are you doing that over there...?”
It was a chaotic situation that no one could understand.