Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: A Fresh Start in the Kitchen
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The chairs and tables, which had clearly shown the passage of time, had been completely replaced with brand new ones. Without the worn-out leather, just that alone created a fresh new atmosphere.
It would have been even better if they'd changed the wallpaper too. But even this much had erased a lot of the old attic-in-the-countryside feel.
"Wow."
I walked around heavily, inspecting every corner carefully. It was as if they'd completely removed all the furniture and put it back in.
The dust that had settled on the small utensils was gone, and even under the drawers was spotless.
"Owner. What kind of magic did you use?"
I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. How could it change this much in just a few weeks?
"Come on, take a close look here too."
Lee Hyo-soon led me to the kitchen. This was the place I'd scolded her the most about before, but there was no hesitation in her confident strides.
"Wow."
The kitchen was the most impressive.
Everywhere my eyes landed gleamed with a silvery shine. It was so clean, you could believe a fly would slip off if it tried to land.
If you brought your face close, you could almost see your reflection.
The kitchen utensils, which had been caked in grime, were now unrecognizably new-looking. Scrubbing off the stains and polishing them had completely transformed their appearance.
"You completely overhauled everything?"
"Don't even ask. You have no idea how much I suffered washing these things."
On Lee Hyo-soon's face as she said that was a mix of pride and a touch of embarrassment.
She probably felt it the most while cleaning this place. How badly she'd been neglecting the kitchen all this time.
It was moving to see even the dust and mold in the corners completely cleared away.
"I have to check this out too."
I tapped the freezer and fridge, and Lee Hyo-soon immediately responded.
"Go ahead and open them."
Opening the freezer first revealed a spotless interior without a single ice crystal. The pork was neatly stacked and organized, with dates neatly labeled on them.
I took one out to check its condition.
The meat quality was much better than before.
"Did you change the meat supplier guy?"
"I made a huge fuss."
"Good job. There are bad guys who sell cheap meat to owners who don't know better. You have to inspect it with fire in your eyes, or you'll get ripped off while wide awake."
How nice it would be if the world always ran honestly. But life can't always be crystal clear without a speck of dust.
To protect my shop and my customers, I have no choice but to keep my eyes wide open. No one will do it for me.
"The freezer's good. Let me see the fridge now."
This time, I was a bit tense too. My last memory was it full of rotten kimchi.
I hesitated a little before flinging the door open.
Whoosh.
"Oh."
First off, the kimchi containers that had filled it to the brim were all gone.
"Let me open one."
I took out a nearby one and opened the lid. A sour smell wafted up.
Sniffing it, the smell passed. It was the aroma of well-fermented kimchi.
"Can you give me some gloves?"
"Yes, here."
I put on the vinyl gloves, cut a piece of kimchi, and put it in my mouth.
Chew chew.
The more I chewed, the clearer it became. It was just delicious, well-fermented kimchi.
"H-how is it? I brought some from my parents' house."
"It's delicious."
Lee Hyo-soon's face lit up brightly. Besides kimchi, there were other ingredients in the fridge, some looking like leftovers.
Noticing my gaze, she hurriedly added,
"Oh no. This is what I used for practice. I forgot to throw it out."
"It's fine. Leave it. It's ingredients; that's where they go."
"But still..."
"Really, it's okay. There's nowhere else to put it anyway."
She was sweating bullets making excuses, so I wrapped it up.
"Owner."
I turned and looked her straight in the eye.
"Why did you contact me directly?"
"..."
"You begged me to come back and inspect it again. You said whenever I had time, please come."
"...Yes."
"Looking at it now, I can tell you've put in a lot of effort. This isn't easy to do."
As I continued, her eyes wavered. Soon, a tear rolled down from her moistened eyes.
"Oh dear. Sorry. I'm just being silly in my old age."
She sniffled and wiped her tears.
"CEO. I thought about it a lot."
Her voice trembled slightly at the end.
"After you scolded me, sitting alone in the shop. I realized how pathetic I'd been all this time."
She continued in a calm but sincere voice.
"The regrets from the past stung, and I wondered if it was too late for me to start over."
"..."
"But what good is sitting on my butt? I know that if I want to change now, I have to give it my all, live or die."
"..."
"So I turned the shop upside down, threw out all the ingredients, and reorganized everything with the mindset of starting completely anew."
Her hands, fiddling with her apron, were rough and calloused. To make the kitchenware shine like that, she must have used harsh chemicals.
The traces were still on her hands.
"I've been researching the recipe thinking of it as brand new. But this one thing wouldn't change easily because of old habits."
She cautiously lifted her head.
"That's why I contacted you, even knowing it was shameless. CEO, I'll work really hard. Just help me once, please? Okay?"
Her eyes, filled with desperation, looked at me.
She looked at me like I was her lifeline. I could also see her firm resolve mixed in.
I get that she's made up her mind to change.
'But there are countless people like that.'
People use their sick mother's name to get through crises, then pretend not to know you afterward—isn't that human nature?
I've been disappointed countless times, to the point of resigning myself that things like 'reformed sinners' are just illusions.
What about Kim Jong-chun? That's a one-in-ten-thousand case.
Overcoming one's inertia and becoming a new person is like the odds of being struck by lightning.
And since I've already seen the rare case of Kim Jong-chun after regressing, the chance of seeing another in a year is practically zero.
"..."
Even so.
I couldn't ignore Lee Hyo-soon.
"You said you were developing a new recipe?"
"!"
"Let me try it. I'll tell you what to fix after tasting it."
When someone's on the edge of a cliff, just someone extending a hand can prevent the fall.
If even those who want to change are abandoned, who can change?
Even if you extend your hand a thousand times and fail 999, you have to do it one more time for that last one.
So those 999 failures aren't in vain.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
She bowed deeply in thanks.
"I'll make it right away. Please wait just a moment!"
"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
"Yes!"
I sat down near the kitchen and watched Lee Hyo-soon's busy back as she worked.
After a short wait,
Thud.
A full meal was neatly placed in front of me. Pork kimchi stew, white rice, and simple side dishes.
'Since I refused to taste before, this is the first time I'm eating it.'
I picked up the spoon. First, to taste the broth of the pork kimchi stew.
Slurp.
One sip, and the unique umami and savoriness filled my mouth.
"H-how is it?"
Unable to hold back, she asked hurriedly. Silently, I scooped a big spoonful of rice topped with kimchi and pork.
Chew chew.
"How... is it?"
She urged again.
Gulp, I swallowed largely and smiled.
"It's delicious."
Of course, there were a few parts I'd tweak, but her effort and thought came through fully.
So I decided to trust her one more time.
"Until the next filming day, refine the recipe a bit more."
"Yes!"
"Increase the meat amount and reduce the onions a bit. The sweetness seems to come from the onions. And do you blanch the meat first?"
"Yes, yes."
"You don't use the blanching water as is, right?"
"Right."
She answered while frantically taking notes.
"Don't blanch the meat; put it in from the start and boil together."
"Yes?"
"That way, the fat from the pork melts into the broth, giving that savory flavor."
"Ah~."
"Do that, and if I see the kitchen messy next inspection, I'll cancel the support immediately. Got it?"
"Yes! Understood!"
I smiled and offered a handshake.
"Let's do well from now on. Together."
"..."
"Yes!"
Clink.
As the man set down his glass, the ice inside clinked softly.
The shadow overhead seemed to obscure his face.
Across from him, the other person was tense, watching his expression.
The man pursed his lips in thought, tracing the rim of the glass with his fingertip.
"Yes. So there's a rumor like that going around."
"Yes. We haven't confirmed where it started yet. But we'll investigate the truth as quickly as possible and report back."
"Ah, good. I'd like to hear it soon."
He muttered while putting an ice cube in his mouth.
"Who the hell has the guts to sell off this JC's name."
Crunch.
The ice shattered in his mouth.