Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Recipe Perfected and Bet Won
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With a soft creak, the door opened, and Kim Jong-chun stepped inside.
" What's got you in the kitchen instead of the dining room today, Woo-yeon... Holy shit?"
Kim Jong-chun took one look at the kitchen and freaked out.
"What the hell is this?! Why'd you drag out all the ingredients?"
"You're here, Jong-chun..."
Lee In-cheol waved weakly, his face heavy with exhaustion.
Beside him lay bowls and spoons he'd tasted from, scattered amid a sprawl of ingredients.
[U+ffe6]Yeah, I should've tidied up as I went, but it's been a while, so I guess I lost track.
Scratching the back of my head, I answered the stunned Kim Jong-chun.
"I quantified the official recipe."
"The recipe? Didn't we already have one?"
"It's all instinct territory. The Owner's been in the food game forever with a sharp palate, so he can season on the fly, but that's tough for most folks."
"I-I see."
"That's why I made this mess—to nail down the most delicious single serving recipe."
I shrugged. After tasting the gukbap over and over, my stomach felt like it was about to burst.
"And this is the final-final-final version that the Owner and I hammered out together: [Hapjae Gukbap]."
I slid a steaming stone pot bowl toward him from the side.
"Give it a try."
"Uh, sure."
Kim Jong-chun took the spoon I handed him and sipped the broth.
"Damn, it's good every time. Mmm."
"How is it?"
At Lee In-cheol's question, Kim Jong-chun tilted his head.
"Tastes great. But I can't spot much difference from the usual."
"That's the thing about taste. Not many people pick up on subtle differences."
Truth be told, we didn't need to go this hard. But Lee In-cheol kept flipping the table with "This ain't the best yet!" and delayed us way beyond schedule.
Rubbing my temples, I pressed on.
"The key to a restaurant recipe isn't the single serving."
"Then what is?"
"Recipes for 10 or 20 servings matter way more. You need consistent flavor whether you're cooking for one or a crowd."
"Hmm? Can't you just scale up the single serving?"
How could anyone say something so clueless? It was pure rookie thinking.
"N-No?"
Kim Jong-chun grinned sheepishly as Lee In-cheol and I stared in disbelief. How to explain this...
"Hey, mister. You make a killer single serving of ramen, right?"
"Like a pro."
"What about 10 servings?"
"...Never tried that many."
"Exactly. But if you just multiply the water by ten for 10 packs, you think it'd taste good?"
"Ah!"
He seemed to get it now. He'd probably boiled 3 or 4 servings at some point, even if not 10.
Boil three straight up as 1x3, and you end up with Han River ramen.
"Got it. Things do change bit by bit."
"Especially with our place's blended stock. The ratios shift slightly per serving size."
Kim Jong-chun nodded along. Lee In-cheol clicked his tongue.
"That guy... Probably the type to dump water in two cup ramens and wait six minutes..."
"Hey! I'm not that bad!"
"That's exactly your level, man!"
While Lee In-cheol and Kim Jong-chun bickered, I shot up from my seat.
Clap!
I clapped to grab their attention, then flashed a grin.
"So, shall we get ready to open?"
Time flew by.
During business hours, I'd handle the dining room hustle. At night, I'd watch Kim Jong-chun take cooking lessons from Lee In-cheol.
Having avoided the kitchen his whole life, he was pretty much a total beginner, as expected.
Still, the quantified recipes let him replicate the flavors decently enough...
But the little details bugged us, so the training stayed brutal.
The big day: March 31st.
Exactly three months since the Owner and I started our bet.
We finished closing up and gathered around the central table in the dining room. Tension hung thick in the air.
The Owner and I sat facing each other, with Kim Jong-chun squeezed awkwardly between us.
"Song Woo-yeon. You confident?"
"Of course."
Truth be told, I was a bit nervous. I had a rough sense of sales, but since the Owner handled the numbers, I hadn't checked daily and didn't know the exact figure.
'Plus, the place is too damn small.'
I'd maxed out turnover, but table count set a hard limit.
No way I'd let that show, though. A real merchant keeps his cards close.
"If we don't hit 30 million won, it looks like the Owner's been embezzling."
"Hey now, kid. I don't mess with numbers!"
Lee In-cheol pulled cash from the register and piled it on the table.
"Alright! Adding today's take, let's tally this month's sales..."
He perched what might've been reading glasses or a magnifier on his nose and started counting bills.
Rustle rustle.
The sound of money filled the shop.
Thud.
After a stack circled through his hands, Lee In-cheol set it down.
"Song Woo-yeon..."
Don't lower your voice like that, Owner. My palms were sweating from the suspense.
"What the hell are you, really?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Monthly sales... Over 35 million won!"
35 million... 3,500,000 won?!
"Woooah!"
Kim Jong-chun whooped a beat late.
"We did it! Sales times ten!"
"Ha ha ha ha! Yeah, we nailed it! In just three months!"
Lee In-cheol roared with laughter. I wiped cold sweat and played it cool.
"See? Told you it'd work."
"Kid, I saw your fist clenched tight."
"You were wearing those glasses—when'd you spot that?"
"Glasses?! Hey, these are my specs!"
He yanked them off to show me, yelling.
"Figured someone your age needed readers."
"You little punk—treating me like some geezer!"
Lee In-cheol huffed in mock rage. Watching him eased my tension too.
"Haa..."
Guess I'd tensed up more than I thought. My shoulders ached like hell—probably sore till tomorrow.
As I rolled them out, Kim Jong-chun, who'd been eyeing me slyly, jumped up.
"Right! On a day like this, I can't just sit! Woo-yeon, let me treat you to a hot bowl of gukbap. Hang on!"
"Ha, timing it for when I'm in a good mood?"
He chuckled at my call-out.
"All strategy, kid. Strategy."
"Fine by me. You know I judge food cold, mood or no."
"Of course...!"
Kim Jong-chun nodded vigorously and dashed to the kitchen.
"Good work. Song Woo-yeon, this is huge. Who turns a dying gukbap joint around in three months? Hell, if someone told me, I'd have called bullshit."
"I don't take bets I can lose."
"Look at you, all puffed up now that you won!"
Couldn't argue, so I grinned. Heh. Pre-regression, it'd taken two years to hit this level. This time? Three months.
Strong start.
Keep the momentum, and someday even those Hyunmu bastards...
Thud.
Daydream cut short. Kim Jong-chun set a bowl of gukbap before me.
"Here's your gukbap, sir~."
I glanced at him standing there like a kid awaiting homework grading.
Steam rose invitingly from the bowl.
I stirred it with the spoon. Through the milky broth, meat, rice, and scallions peeked then vanished.
"Mister."
"Yeah?"
"Scallions are too thick. You practicing knife work, right?"
"I am, but..."
He smiled awkwardly.
"Truth is, my wife still doesn't know I work here. She figures late nights are just industry standard. Practicing knife skills in the kitchen suddenly? Kinda suspicious. So I squeeze it in when I can... Still pretty rough, huh?"
Tch. Hard to critique that.
Given the situation, lack of practice time made sense. I nodded easily.
"Your knife work's not bad now. But open kitchen means customers see everything."
"Right, right."
"Most places pre-chop scallions anyway. Nail the ladling show, and it's eye candy. You're good."
Chinese spots dazzle with flame shows, sushi joints with master chefs molding pieces.
For gukbap? Massive stock pots and slick ladling.
Nail that, and customers think, 'This is a real deal gukbap house.'
Slurp.
I scooped a big spoonful and shoved it in. Chewing slowly to savor, I looked up—Kim Jong-chun hovered way too close.
"...How's the taste?"
Gulp.
Even after swallowing, I pondered.
"Tastes bad?"
Lee In-cheol butted in impatiently. Kim Jong-chun waved him off.
I leaned back, crossed my arms, and tapped my elbow.
"Mister."
"Y-Yeah?"
"...Time to come clean with your wife soon."
"Huh?"
Eyes wide like I'd spoken alien. I smiled and continued.
"Before you quit and start your own place with severance, you gotta talk it over with her, right?"
"......!"
Catching the green light, Kim Jong-chun clapped hands over his mouth. His eyes welled with emotion.
"Perfect timing. Bet's done today, and you've got the basics down to start your shop."
Talk about right place, right time.
"Now we hash out contract details."
The moment had come for [The Song], the food empire I'd built before, to launch.