Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Shocking Kitchen Inspection
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“Hello, Owner! Please have a seat right here~.”
Im Hye-eun greeted Lee Hyo-soon with a bright, eager smile. Do Kyung stood up from his seat beside her and bowed politely as well.
“Oh my goodness! I know you. Weren’t you the MC on that TV show I used to watch? The health program that airs Tuesday nights~!”
“Yes, that’s me. Wow~. Thank you so much for recognizing me.”
“Of course I’d recognize you! My goodness, you’re even prettier in person than on TV! Oh? I should’ve told Song Woo-yeon the same thing—that he looks way better in real life than on screen too.”
Lee Hyo-soon looked ready to dash right over, so Im Hye-eun quickly held her back.
“Ahaha, I’ll pass that along later. For now, please come this way.”
As Lee Hyo-soon walked forward, her eyes met Do Kyung’s, and she raised her voice again.
“Oh my~. And who’s this handsome young man looking so radiant? Sorry, I just didn’t recognize you.”
“Do... Do Kyung, ma’am.”
“Right, right.”
But as soon as she heard the unfamiliar name, her interest seemed to fade, and she brushed past him. Do Kyung, a fairly famous idol himself, could only sit back down awkwardly at the chilly reception.
“Alright then, let’s connect the screen. I can’t wait to hear what Song CEO thinks of the tasting.”
Im Hye-eun hurriedly moved things along. Otherwise, they might miss the live tasting altogether.
Song Woo-yeon’s face appeared on the screen linked to the restaurant.
In front of him sat pork kimchi stew, rolled egg omelet, and kimchi pancake.
“Oh~. You ordered the side dishes too? Wow, they look so appetizing. Nothing beats rolled egg omelet as a drinking snack.”
“Right? We make them extra big for the price. Our regulars love them.”
Do Kyung half-listened to their chatter while focusing intently on Song Woo-yeon on the screen.
‘Something’s off.’
By now, he should’ve taken a bite and shared his thoughts. But Song Woo-yeon just sat there motionless, the food untouched before him like he was presiding over some solemn ritual.
It wasn’t like him at all.
‘Normally, he’d say it tastes best fresh and hot, and take a bite before anyone could even finish talking.’
Do Kyung had seen firsthand just how serious Song Woo-yeon was about food while working on the show together.
He’d also learned from Song Woo-yeon how impressive it was to approach any field with such passion and dedication.
‘Is something wrong?’
As his suspicions grew, Im Hye-eun and Lee Hyo-soon seemed to notice something odd too.
“It’s not frozen, is it? Or some issue with the video feed...? Oh, no?”
Im Hye-eun even asked the staff if something was malfunctioning.
That’s when Song Woo-yeon finally moved.
Clack.
He set down the spoon he’d picked up and pushed the chopsticks aside too. Then he slid the tray forward and said,
—I can’t eat this.
“...!”
Do Kyung doubted his own ears for a moment. But no further words followed, even after waiting.
Im Hye-eun reacted a beat later.
“Uh... If I didn’t hear that wrong... it sounds like Song CEO has refused to taste for the first time ever. Is that right, Song CEO?”
—Yes. That’s correct.
Song Woo-yeon nodded once more and confirmed it.
—I try to eat just about anything. I even finished that chocolate budae jjigae. But this... I just can’t.
“Song CEO, what on earth is the reason...?”
—A reason?
Song Woo-yeon let out a short laugh and stood up. The screen shook briefly as the camera followed.
—The reason? You’ll see when we check the kitchen. Owner, let’s start with the kitchen.
With that, he strode straight toward the kitchen.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn. Song Woo-yeon had never skipped a tasting review before.
‘What do we do?’
Do Kyung and Im Hye-eun exchanged glances. But they didn’t dwell on it.
‘Keep going.’
It was Song Woo-yeon, after all.
He probably had something in mind. The production crew looked flustered too but let it roll, figuring it made for good footage.
Swoosh.
He opened the door to a somewhat cramped kitchen.
‘Doesn’t look like anything special.’
Of course, Do Kyung was no expert on kitchens. But from what he could see on screen, nothing seemed terribly wrong.
At least on the surface.
—Owner.
“Yes?”
—Do you clean up at closing every day?
Lee Hyo-soon flinched at Song Woo-yeon’s sharp question. That’s when Do Kyung knew for sure.
‘Hygiene issues.’
That’s why he hadn’t eaten.
The realization was short-lived as Lee Hyo-soon stammered an excuse.
“Y-Yes, of course. We clean every day.”
—Every day?
Song Woo-yeon scoffed in disbelief. He then wiped his hand along the duct near the stove.
A sticky black residue clung to his fingers, visible on screen.
—You clean every day, and this kind of grime builds up here?
Do Kyung’s eyes widened. The visible areas had looked clean enough.
—Get a close-up here. The inside. This is where grease accumulates the most.
The cameraman zoomed in on the spot Song Woo-yeon pointed to. The screen filled with thick, blackened gunk caked inside the duct.
“Ugh.”
Do Kyung grimaced involuntarily. Glancing at Lee Hyo-soon, he saw her face pale and frozen.
—You said you clean at closing every day, but you didn’t check in here?
“Oh... I must’ve missed that spot.”
—Missed it? Owner, that’s not going to fix it. This isn’t a day or two’s worth of buildup. This is serious.
Song Woo-yeon warned her with a grave expression, but Lee Hyo-soon’s face had somehow taken on a strangely nonchalant air.
“Come on, you’ve run a business before. How many places keep every nook spotless...?”
—Excuse me?
Do Kyung could picture it without seeing—Song Woo-yeon’s piercing glare.
—Owner, you can’t run a business with that mindset. ‘Everyone else is dirty, so I can be too’? People who think like that are in for big trouble.
Song Woo-yeon laid into her.
—This all ends up in the food your customers eat. Don’t you think about that? It could make people sick!
“Yes... I’m sorry.”
Lee Hyo-soon mumbled an apology half-heartedly.
But Song Woo-yeon didn’t let up. He began scrutinizing every corner of the kitchen without restraint.
When he opened the freezer, it was a sight to behold—layers upon layers of ingredients stacked haphazardly.
—Well, what’s this?
Song Woo-yeon let out a hollow laugh and pointed to one side of the freezer.
—Look at those icicles. You’re supposed to clear these out during daily cleanings.
Long icicles dangled from the edge of the freezer. And behind the food, layers of built-up ice.
It showed just how long the freezer had been neglected.
—Daily closing cleanings? I don’t know what kind of ‘cleaning’ you’re doing, but it’s all wrong. You need to start over from scratch. How does a freezer look like this if you clean it every day?
Song Woo-yeon frowned as he pulled out items one by one to inspect.
—There’s more than one or two cuts of pork here. Do you really have the turnover to use it all? Owner, when did you get this meat?
“Yesterday.”
—Yesterday?
Song Woo-yeon unwrapped one piece and examined it closely. He sniffed it, then spoke with firm conviction.
—This isn’t yesterday’s meat.
“It is. Yesterday, our regular delivery guy brought it over, like always.”
—It’s not fresh. I guarantee it. Pork slaughtered yesterday or the day before wouldn’t smell like this.
Song Woo-yeon’s anger only grew.
—In a restaurant where pork kimchi stew is the main dish, using frozen pork? And meat where even you don’t know the exact slaughter date?
“...”
—It’d be more surprising if it didn’t smell off.
Lee Hyo-soon’s smile vanished at Song Woo-yeon’s biting criticism. She’d been so chatty when she first arrived, but now her lips were sealed tight.
—If the freezer’s this bad, the fridge must be terrifying.
Song Woo-yeon closed the freezer door and headed to the refrigerator. He flung it open with a troubled look, revealing a truly wretched state.
—Isn’t this kimchi? And not even in a kimchi fridge—why’s it in a regular one...?
Song Woo-yeon opened the kimchi container lid and trailed off. Green mold bloomed across it, hardened solid.
“Owner, there’s mold on the kimchi? Have you been using it like this?”
Im Hye-eun asked in horrified tones. Half the kimchi showed signs of being used.
Lee Hyo-soon hurriedly replied.
“No, it might look like that, but the inside’s fine~! Don’t misunderstand. Kimchi’s still edible even with a little mold.”
—You can’t eat this.
Song Woo-yeon cut her off the moment she finished.
—Usually, those white grains on kimchi aren’t mold—they’re ‘golmaji,’ and you can scrape them off and eat it. But this is green.
Song Woo-yeon held the container up to the camera.
The suspiciously viscous brine and the suspiciously mushy cabbage were on full display.
—This is rotten.