Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Chocolate Budae Jjigae
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Hyun Ye-won huffed and stormed toward the door. The auntie who had been helping serve the food came rushing out after her.
“Leaving already? The meal isn’t even fully out yet.”
“......Something urgent came up. I’ll head out first.”
No need to air the family’s dirty laundry. Hyun Ye-won steadied her breathing and mumbled a half-hearted excuse.
“If you’re going, at least take some side dishes. I made some braised beef and banchan. You love them.”
“Auntie, nobody knows your cooking better than me. ......But I didn’t drive today. I’ll grab them next time.”
Just as she said that and turned to step outside—
“Hyun Ye-won.”
She turned at the voice calling from behind. Whoosh!
“!”
She reflexively snatched the flying object out of the air. Looking down, it was a car key, emblazoned with the logo of a familiar luxury foreign make.
Lifting her gaze, she saw a familiar face. It was Hyun Tae-seong.
Her half-brother, exactly two years her senior.
“Take this. It’s a company car.”
“......”
“Grandpa told me to give it to you. Don’t look at me like you suspect something shady.”
Only then did Hyun Ye-won nod in understanding with an ‘aha.’ She knew Hyun Tae-seong wouldn’t lift a finger for her unless it was at Hyun Moo-jung’s command.
“Got it. I’ll drop the car off when I have time later.”
“Whatever works for you.”
“Auntie, could you pack up those side dishes? I’ll enjoy them gratefully.”
“Oh my, just wait a sec. I’ll wrap them up quick.”
As the auntie bustled off to pack the banchan, Hyun Ye-won and Hyun Tae-seong were left standing awkwardly in front of the kitchen.
Hyun Ye-won shot him a pointed glance.
‘What are you still doing here?’
Hyun Tae-seong shrugged at her blatant stare.
“What’s the point of going back in? All I’d see is Mom and Dad fighting like cats and dogs.”
“Fair enough.”
By now, a tense battle of wills was probably unfolding at the dinner table. Her father pushing Hyun Tae-seong into the company, her mother scheming to carve out a spot for Hyun Ye-won.
The two of them no doubt pulling out all the stops to sway Hyun Moo-jung.
Just imagining it was exhausting. And the most lamentable part? She was right at the center of it all.
“Still, thanks.”
“For what?”
“For telling them you’re not interested in Hyunmu. It’s made things a lot easier for me.”
Hyun Tae-seong didn’t hide his ambitions. Everyone knew he was eyeing the successor spot at Hyunmu. Nothing new there.
“Think what you want.”
Hyun Ye-won replied indifferently, which seemed to irk him, furrowing his brow sharply.
“Why not go all the way? Get your name scrubbed from the family registry. That’d be a real help.”
“Haha. Mom would beat me to death.”
“Or convince Grandpa yourself.”
Hyun Tae-seong muttered in a sharp tone.
“It’s plain as day to me that he still sees you as number one. Don’t you see it? Or are you just playing dumb? Sitting back and waiting for the pumpkin to roll right in on the vine?”
“Ease up. I don’t have time for your griping.”
Hyun Ye-won shot back with equal edge.
“If you want Grandpa to name you successor outright, prove yourself. Why whine to me?”
“Whine? That’s what this sounds like to you?”
Hyun Tae-seong didn’t back down. He growled low.
“You’re always Grandpa’s top pick without lifting a finger. Ahead of me slaving away. Why? Because you’re the legitimate daughter and I’m the mistress’s bastard son?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“Any other reason? I’m older, the firstborn by the books. I graduated business, studied abroad to learn management. And you?”
Hyun Tae-seong glared at Hyun Ye-won with blazing eyes.
“You coasted through some mid-tier Seoul uni, humanities no less, doing whatever you please. And now? The Song? You pick the lamest hole-in-the-wall......”
“I said watch your mouth!”
“Hah, fine. There’s a limit to childishness.”
Hyun Tae-seong let out a deep sigh and raked his dry fingers over his face. He swept back his hair, then spoke in a irritated tone.
“What do you think’s the point of dragging the whole family together once a month for dinner? Team building? As if. Didn’t you hear them bring up company business on purpose?”
“......”
“This is successor training. You’re getting company know-how drilled into your head without even realizing it.”
Nonsense.
Hyun Ye-won scowled.
“Don’t talk crap. A family dinner needs some grand ulterior motive?”
She snapped back sharply, annoyed at his nitpicking. But Hyun Tae-seong pressed on.
“Hyun Ye-won, you still don’t get our family? ‘Family dinner’? Does that even fit us?”
No. Not at all.
That realization only made Hyun Ye-won feel more pathetic.
Hyun Tae-seong smirked mockingly as he continued.
“You have no idea.”
Just then, the auntie emerged with a bundle of packed banchan.
“Whew. This should do it. If you need more, just say the word anytime.”
“......Thanks.”
Hyun Ye-won took the banchan and shoved the car key into her pocket.
As she opened the door and stepped out, Hyun Tae-seong murmured low at her back.
“Pick a side. It’s better for both of us that way.”
Slam.
The door shut, and Hyun Ye-won stood there for a moment.
How strange. It wasn’t supposed to be that cold out. So why did her chest ache like this?
‘Cold.’
Thinking that, Hyun Ye-won trudged away.
Oddly, a hollow emptiness lingered in one corner of her heart.
Day two of filming for [Song Woo-yeon’s Alley Secrets].
It had been about two weeks since the last shoot. Familiar faces popped up amid the bustling staff.
“Hey, President Song~!”
I bowed politely to Im Hye-eun as she waved enthusiastically. Do Kyung grinned brightly beside her, welcoming me too.
“Keeping well?”
“Oh yeah~! You, President Song—did you get home okay after the afterparty? You knocked back a fair bit.”
“Paid for it with a brutal hangover the next day.”
“Knew it~ Told you so.”
Im Hye-eun chatted warmly. Soon, PD Kim Hee-seong appeared with a greeting.
“Chef Song, good to see you~ Today’s the real deal with the solutions. Got those new recipes ready?”
“No worries.”
I couldn’t hide my grin and flashed a smile.
“Brought some really fun ones.”
“Ooh, can’t wait already? You wowed everyone with those wild dishes on [Fridge Raid].”
“I do like going bold with presentation.”
A bit too bold sometimes, though.
I once tried copying Chef Andreik’s sauce art, but my disastrous drawing skills turned it grotesque.
‘Wish they’d stop replaying that clip.’
It was still a staple in [Fridge Raid] legend compilations. Mortifying.
“Today, we’ll do solutions for the other spots first, save the budae jjigae place for last.”
“Shooting order’s different from last time?”
“Figured it’d land best in the back half. With you walking that alley, bright or dark lighting might feel off to viewers.”
So basically, just know the budae jjigae spot’s dead last. I nodded.
No biggie.
“Let’s have a great shoot today~.”
“Yep.”
“Filming starts soon!”
Moments later—clack!
The real shoot kicked off.
The kimbap shop and pork cutlet place went smoothly.
Chatting about customer service, cost ratios, and such flew by in a flash.
That left just the long-awaited Mother-Son Budae Jjigae House.
“Off I go~.”
I bowed and headed down the alley to the shop.
“O. New sign.”
First thing I noticed: the sign swap. The old one name-dropping Uijeongbu was gone, replaced by a fresh name.
‘Mother-Son Budae Jjigae.’ Simple, straightforward—solid choice.
Nailing what the place sells covers half the battle.
The show would plug it as ‘Mother-Son Budae Jjigae’ anyway, so matching that helped brand recognition.
Nodding to myself, I stepped inside.
“Welcome... oh!”
Right away, I bumped into the son of the mother-son duo, Park Jun-beom.
I smiled warmly and checked in first.
“Keeping well? Looking sharp today.”
“Ah, yeah...... Thanks to your advice last time. Trying to stay neat.”
His sheepish smile was endearing. Holding it together this long was impressive.
“Good job. Looks way cleaner.”
It built instant trust.
“Oh my, who’s this? President Song!”
From the kitchen, the mother of the duo, Choi Mi-seon, came out beaming.
“President~ Keeping well? I saw those menu dev pics.”
Heard from production she’d sent photos multiple times a week, deep in new menu trials.
I’d skimmed them pre-shoot. Some clever ideas.
“You’ve got new menu candidates ready, right?”
“Yes, narrowed it down to two or three.”
“Perfect. Shall we eat and chat more?”
Curious about the finished products. I’d seen ingredients, not the results.
“Sure. I’ll prep.”
I sat in the dining area. Soon, Choi Mi-seon brought out a pot on a gas burner.
Clack.
The budae jjigae she set down...... huh?
If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, that broth color and aroma were unmistakably......
Choi Mi-seon introduced the first new menu with a determined face.
“Chocolate budae jjigae.”