Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Churros
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Churros.
That snack, similar to yet somehow different from twisted donuts, was one of the foods that symbolized amusement parks alongside candy apples on a stick.
Amusement park commercials on TV always made sure to include a shot of a kid munching on churros.
They say anything fried tastes good—even shoes—but a delicious batter deep-fried and coated in sugar? No way it could taste bad.
The memories from my childhood were still vivid.
I'd stand glued in front of the massive screen, mesmerized by the flashy ads spilling out, replaying the same scene over and over.
"Hey, what're you doing there?"
"......"
"Amusement park? You wanna go there?"
"Yeah."
"I went with my dad last weekend. The carousel and bumper cars were fun, but the rest was meh."
Even with my classmate's words, I couldn't shake the fantasy. The sight of kids clutching their parents' hands, grinning ear to ear as they headed inside—it all seemed like a pipe dream to me.
If I'd just experienced it once, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. But the anticipation for that unattainable paradise only grew stronger.
Especially that promo video where the kid took a massive bite out of the churro, beaming with delight. It looked so damn good.
"So, did you try it too? The churros?"
"Huh? Of course~."
"What do they taste like?"
"What kinda question is that? Delicious!"
"No, I mean... it's fried food coated in sugar, right? Like a hot dog?"
"Hot dog? Nah, totally different."
"Then what?"
"It tasted different! Not just sweet. Like... that smell from the tea my mom drinks a lot!"
"Tea?"
"Yeah! You know, the one with egg yolks floating in it!"
"Ssanghwa tea?"
"Yeah, something like that. I dunno the name. But can we play tag now?"
"You lost all your stickers yesterday, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Here, have these."
I always carried extra stickers to lend out—with interest—to kids who'd lost theirs all in games.
"Whoa! For real?!"
"Yeah. But no tag. Let's play twenty questions instead. About churros. Deal?"
"Sounds boring."
"Don't want the stickers?"
"Fine!"
I pinned down my sticker-loving, jumping-for-joy friend and extracted a few more clues about churros.
They had a 'ssanghwa tea' kind of aroma. So, probably cinnamon.
But just sniffing it didn't sound all that tasty, yet my friend insisted it was sweet and delicious. Well, slathered in sugar, how could it not be?
'Yeah. That's how I pieced together what churros were like, bit by bit. I finally tried one myself in high school, I think. We went to the amusement park for field trip photos...'
Until then, I'd never even seen one up close.
'Baek Jaeha probably had it the same.'
Amusement parks were for families making special memories. Kids without families had no choice.
A kid who'd never properly tasted kung pao chicken, wondering what it was like? I could guess how distant amusement park churros must've felt.
'Were churros trending at this time? Can't quite remember.'
But from some point in the future, churro and candy apple shops started popping up everywhere.
It meant those amusement park exclusives had gone mainstream.
'Truth is, even after all that imagining, when I finally tried one, it wasn't as amazing as I'd built it up to be. Lost interest after that.'
That's how these snacks usually go. High expectations lead to disappointment.
I never sought them out again, so I don't know exactly when they blew up.
But they had enough potential to become commercialized someday.
"Shall we give it a shot?"
I grinned.
"It's got that strong amusement park vibe, but churros are tasty on their own. If we upgrade it a bit and sell it, could be good, right?"
"Really?"
Baek Jaeha's eyes sparkled at my positive response.
He looked like a kid who'd just gotten a new toy—I couldn't help but chuckle.
"What do you think, Team Leader Jo?"
"Utterly repulsive, sir."
"Pardon?"
"My apologies. That was out of line."
What did he just say?
Before I could ask again, Jo Yi-ruk cleared his throat and spoke in a more serious tone.
"It's a viable idea. The cooking process isn't complicated, so it should be easy to manualize. Since the test store is meant for bold experiments anyway, kicking off with something novel seems fine."
"'Korea's first churro specialty shop'—that's a solid hook. I'll slip it into my interview with Reporter Kang Yuha."
Promoting like this during an interview should be fair game. She'd pick up on it from a casual question and cover it nicely.
Sharp as ever, that one.
"Alright, then we'll hash out details when we bring in the chef. Jaeha, you think more about churro upgrades too."
"Got it."
"Will do!"
Perfect. That wraps it up.
I nodded firmly.
"Oh, right. What were you two talking about earlier?"
I'd forgotten for a sec, but now that the idea session was done, curiosity hit again.
At my question, Baek Jaeha and Jo Yi-ruk exchanged glances and grinned.
What the hell? Had they bonded in that short time? There was this sticky camaraderie, like they shared a secret. Kinda absurd.
"There's that."
"Yep."
They clammed up like they'd rehearsed it.
"Chae-rangis, hi~! It's Chaechae!"
Shim Chaeyoon winked one eye as she dropped the cringey line like it was nothing.
A mukbang YouTuber riding high on her fame wave, she'd taken a leave from college to focus full-time.
Her hair was newly bleached flashy, outfit unique, vibe transformed—but that bubbly energy was unchanged.
"Ooh, everyone's jumping in quick. Wondering why live today? Can't *not* go live here~!"
- Chaeha
- lmao surprise live what's up
- Isn't today your day off?
- Chaeha~!
- What're you eating today, Chaechae?
Shim Chaeyoon grinned as she read the incoming chats one by one.
"You all know I'm a huge Song Woo-yeon fan, right? I've hit up every franchise launch for reviews. Not like we're super close or anything. But he's just such a great guy. Supported me from my total newbie days... Anyway, enough of that!"
She whipped the camera around. In the corner of the famed 'Song Woo-yeon Alley' lined with [The Song] brands stood a new sign.
[Song Kitchen ~Today's Menu~]
"Ta-da~! First look for everyone?"
- What is it
- Song Kitchen? Another franchise from Song Woo-yeon?
- What do they sell lol
- Kinda remember seeing it in news. Test store? That thing
"Ooh, correct! Someone got it! This is a test store run by Song Woo-yeon's [The Song]. They preview new menu items here. Sell 'em out first, good response? Move to test brand and prep for full franchise!"
- Does it all
- Wild
- What you eating today?
- Say my nick pls
- So what do they sell
Ignoring the viewers' prods, Shim Chaeyoon smoothly kept rolling.
"Ah~. Y'all impatient. This test store—Song Kitchen—isn't open to the public yet. Soft opening phase, and they opened special for me today!"
Gone was the amateur awkwardness; she was full pro mukbanger now.
"So today's content~! Full Song Kitchen menu wipeout, let's go~!"
- Song Woo-yeon doomed lol
- Real talk declaration
- Breaking) Chaechae declares war on Song Woo-yeon, massive controversy blah blah
- How many items you wiping lol
- Test store? Gotta sell everything? Curious af
Shim Chaeyoon slowly pushed open the [Song Kitchen] door.
"O~."
The sleek, stylish design screamed it from outside.
Aiming experimental menus at youth? Whole vibe targeted young crowd.
"Hello!"
"Hi~."
"Eek! Owner niim!"
Shim Chaeyoon's eyes went wide. Inside, the most unexpected guest.
Song Woo-yeon appeared with a beaming smile, and the chat exploded upward.
"No way, Owner! What're you doing here? Aren't you busy?!"
"Busy or not, had to come for Shim Chaeyoon. Or should I say Chaechae?"
"Aww, whatever's comfy! Heard you'd lend the place, but didn't expect you personally~."
"Only right I handle Chaechae's visit myself."
Song Woo-yeon nodded with grim resolve.
"I'll defend with everything I've got today."
"No, Owner. I'm not here to wipe you out."
The chat filled with 'lololol', 'kinda is tho', 'Owner gets Chaechae perfectly' amid the natural banter.
"Have a seat here first. Menu incoming."
"Awesome!"
Shim Chaeyoon's eyes sparkled.
"I've been hyped! I hit your franchises all the time. Tasty, great value. Been buzzing since last night—what menus this time!"
"Haha, really? Now I'm nervous. Hungry much?"
"Yesss!"
Song Woo-yeon scratched his cheek awkwardly and handed over the menu.
"What to do. The lineup we prepped... is mostly desserts."
"......!"
As Shim Chaeyoon despaired, Song Woo-yeon continued helplessly.
"I'll whip up something filling with what we've got. Wasn't planned, but..."
"No way. Too good!"
Amid her ecstatic jumps, the chat unanimously tsk-tsked.
- You'll regret...
- Run~~
- And so another good owner falls. Amen.
Song Woo-yeon vs. Shim Chaeyoon
Round two of 'Maker vs. Eater'—the battle of the century—was underway.