Chapter 130
Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Off to the Jungle
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Screeech!
Lee In-cheol slammed on the brakes so hard that I nearly pitched forward.
Whoa, that scared me.
I grabbed my stiff neck and shot him a reproachful look.
"Drive safely, please."
Luckily, it was a red light anyway, so we had to stop, and there were no cars behind us. Still, shouldn't he ease into it more gently?
At my words, Lee In-cheol mumbled "Sorry, sorry" by way of apology.
"B-but, what did you just say? Did I hear that wrong?"
He dug at his ear with his finger and asked again.
"I could've sworn I heard something about the jungle? Ha, what a weird thing. Jungle? What are you, Tarzan or something?"
"Yep, the jungle."
"...Yep, my foot."
"I'm telling you, the jungle. Flying out in two days."
"...."
Lee In-cheol pondered for a moment, trying to make sense of what he'd heard.
No wonder. Jungle out of nowhere.
"...W-what, backpacking? I get that you're young and full of spirit, but if you wanna travel, wouldn't somewhere safer than the jungle be better?"
"It's not backpacking."
I'd already been to pretty much every worthwhile spot. I'd hustled all over the world just to taste local foods! ...Of course, after regressing, it was all like it never happened.
Anyway. With the company to run, I had no intention of risking my neck just for a trip.
"I got an offer to appear on a show. [Law of the Jungle]. You know it?"
"Oh~. Yeah, yeah. The one with that comedian Kim Hyung-man?"
"Yep. That's the one."
[Law of the Jungle]
A famous variety show that's been popular for years, where the cast heads to real jungles or remote corners of the world and suffers through survival challenges as the main content.
They visit indigenous tribes to learn about their cultures and hunt for daily food in all sorts of ways.
Real-deal variety.
The more they suffered, the higher the ratings, and they'd invited me to join this season.
"Wow. Song Woo-yeon, you're a celebrity now."
"Nah. The filming's so grueling they have trouble finding cast members. Must be why they reached out to me."
Probably because I'd built up decent popularity on [Cold Hair] and .
It wasn't a cooking show, so I hesitated a bit, but I could still cook in the jungle.
'In the end, the more face time I get, the more [The Song] gets free promo.'
As long as I stuck to the "cooking" concept and kept reminding people, it'd work. Going on something totally unrelated might be overkill, but this seemed fine.
On a show where you hustle for food, shelter, and clothing, meals take center stage.
Shelter? Kim Hyung-man whips those up like a pro. But feeding that many people three times a day is always the real hurdle.
"No, but what about your arm?!"
"Hmm. Talked it over with the production team. It's two days till departure, so backing out now isn't an option. Medical staff will be there the whole time, so if things get worse, I fly right back. That's the deal."
"What?! Drop it right now! Where do you think you're going with that arm?"
"Just keep it disinfected, and it'll be fine. Medical team's on standby 24/7."
"That doesn't make any sense! How much suffering goes on out there?"
Well... true. I might have to push the arm pretty hard.
"No issues with basic movement. Just keep the wound from reopening and pop antibiotics regularly."
"Hah."
Lee In-cheol clamped his mouth shut. He'd realized I'd made up my mind.
I'm pretty stubborn myself. Once I decide to push through, good luck changing it.
He'd worked with me long enough to know my personality.
'But it's a great opportunity. Too good to pass up just because my arm's a little inconvenient.'
In my book, it was safely doable. As long as I didn't dunk it in some filthy river.
If I thought it'd mess up the shoot, I'd have turned it down myself. After hashing it out with production, we agreed I could film safely with precautions—so we're good to go.
"Sigh. Do what you want. But you tell the others! Da-on's been worrying about you."
"Still in touch with Da-on?"
Jung Da-on started out part-timing at Lee In-cheol's Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap, but he'd moved to Happiness Snacks ages ago.
At my question, Lee In-cheol grinned.
"Kid's got a good attitude. Unlike some people."
What? Why do I feel like I just got dragged for no reason?
"Not just Da-on—even Yu Sol checks in often. They run [Song Coffee] next to Kim Jong-chun's place, so I see their faces whenever I grab coffee on the way."
"Even our Yu Manager?"
"She's your sunbae. Call her Sol unnie."
"Yu Manager said she prefers Yu Manager."
"You just can't help mouthing off."
A brief silence fell, then we both burst out laughing—puhahat. Once the laughter died down, Lee In-cheol muttered softly.
"...Who'd believe that until last year, you were just a part-timer slinging bowls at my gukbap joint? I can hardly believe it myself."
Fair enough. From his perspective, it'd hit even harder. Most folks met me after I founded [The Song]. He was the only one who'd hired me as a boss.
Now my company was blowing up, and here I was, hitting TV screens. No wonder it felt surreal.
"What, regretting it? Guess I should swing by the main Hapjae branch for a one-day part-time gig. Return to my roots."
"Nah, man. The other kids get uncomfortable. Everyone's got their spot."
Lee In-cheol stared straight ahead as he said it.
"I'm cut out to be a gukbap boss. Seeing my wife bust her ass next door? No thanks."
"Haha. Choi Yeo-hae must be swamped as president."
"And you, Song Woo-yeon."
"Me?"
"I'm not that busy."
"Just do what the part-timer's told, nice and steady. Why stir up all that fuss about boosting sales? Huh? Now we've got multiple servers, and when there's no work, they're clapping like it's a holiday."
"Haha...."
That's normal, yeah. Part-timers clock in their hours, get paid, done. No point expecting ownership—shouldn't even ask for it.
Me sensing potential at Hapjae? That was because of my pre-regression memories.
"Lately, I keep thinking people have their set limits. Sigh, I'm running a hot gukbap spot, but with real CEOs around me? Can't even brag!"
He said it like that, but I could tell it was subtle praise and comfort. Made me smile.
"Come back safe. No injuries."
"Will do."
"Jungle, my ass. What kinda jungle..."
Watching him sigh nonstop, I cracked up big again.
Rumble.
Dragging my suitcase into the airport, a few cameras tailed me. I gave a quick bow to the lens.
"Hello~."
Probably a freeze-frame there in the broadcast, with a quick intro about me. Mostly clips from [Cold Hair] and , I bet.
Heading where production directed with my suitcase, I spotted a few early arrivals.
"Huh? Whoa?"
One spotted me and went wide-eyed. I bowed again.
"Hello. I'm Song Woo-yeon."
Figured some might not know me, so I added:
"Culinary researcher and entrepreneur."
A female actress I'd seen in dramas jumped right in as I finished.
"I know you!"
"Oh, you do?"
"Yeah! I love your snowflake bingsu!"
"Ah~."
[Ice Confection] fan, huh. Oh Jun-hee, as she introduced herself, sparkled with excitement, raving about how delicious the new menu was too.
I responded warmly and glanced around.
Familiar faces: Tribal Chief Kim Hyung-man for starters. Plus one male variety star, one male idol, Oh Jun-hee who'd greeted me, and me—five total.
'Perfect number.'
Any more, and sourcing ingredients would've been hell.
"Wow~. With a chef here, we're eating good this time!"
"Sweet! No worries on food!"
Expectant looks from all sides. I just smiled humbly.
"Hahaha. I'll do my best."
Right then.
The sixth member arrived—totally unexpected.
"Whoa! It's him...!"
Oh Jun-hee clapped and beamed. Even from afar, his height stuck out head and shoulders above the rest.
I couldn't help widening my eyes either. Face way too familiar.
What are *you* doing here? I wanted to blurt.
The guy strode up, parked his suitcase, and bowed.
"Nice to meet you."
His gaze swept over everyone, pausing when it hit me.
"...I'm Andric."
Andric the chef!
Everyone went "Ooh~" in awe.
"[Cold Hair] rivals reunited!"
"Wow, two chefs? We're eating like kings!"
"Amazing~!"
Eyes sparkling all around—except me, who clutched my forehead. Guess Andric and I were treated like a package deal on variety now.
Ugh. I shot him a silent look; he whipped his head away.
Then a staffer called out.
"Everyone gather up—we're heading out! Time to board!"
"Yes~."
Off to the jungle at last!
Boarding the plane with all sorts of expectations.
At that point, I had no clue what was coming next.