Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: The Ten-Thousand-Calorie Burger
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“Wow~!”
Choi Jun-hyeok’s eyes sparkled as he looked around. Seeing the kitchen packed with all sorts of facilities made his heart race without him even realizing it.
I could understand. I’d probably react the same way.
“This is the kitchen used by The Song’s new menu development team, and this over here is our team leader, Baek Jae-ha.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Choi Jun-hyeok bowed deeply to Baek Jae-ha, who looked younger than him at first glance. He didn’t hesitate to show respect.
“The pleasure’s mine.”
Baek Jae-ha responded with a more mature demeanor than usual.
“I heard the CEO praised your skills highly. I’m the one looking forward to learning a thing or two.”
“You’re too kind.”
While Baek Jae-ha and Choi Jun-hyeok exchanged polite platitudes, I approached Choi Min-hyeok, who stood there with his mouth agape, glancing around.
“Long trip. You must be tired.”
“Huh? Nah. We’re the ones who should be grateful. The kitchen at the shop’s so cramped it was tough on my brother, and now you’re lending us your company facilities too.”
Choi Min-hyeok scratched the back of his neck as he spoke.
‘He said he hadn’t gotten his license yet because he’d been so busy since returning from the States.’
With all the luggage and public transport taking forever, it made sense that Choi Min-hyeok had come along today.
“Trying out different techniques is key when developing a new menu.”
Plus, on weekends, hardly anyone besides Baek Jae-ha used this place. Borrowing it for a bit was no big deal.
“Since it’s a signature menu, it’d be meaningful for you to participate directly in the recipe development. And it’s our company’s facilities anyway, so no need to worry... What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Choi Min-hyeok mumbled with a strange expression.
“Just hits me now... You’re really a full-fledged boss.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I knew it, but seeing this kitchen be yours and meeting your employees makes it feel real.”
Fair enough. I was used to it now and didn’t think much of it, but achieving this kind of success at our age wasn’t exactly common.
I playfully patted Choi Min-hyeok’s shoulder, acting all chummy.
“You’ll see. If your brother wants, he’ll have a kitchen like this in no time.”
“Huh?”
“Mark my words. Once the show wraps, handmade burgers will have him building his own building.”
Choi Min-hyeok’s eyes went wide at my words. He clearly hadn’t even imagined such a future.
Struggling to pay rent with no customers right now, the idea of erecting a building with handmade burgers must’ve sounded unbelievable.
But the handmade burger I’d tasted was worth every bit of that.
I glanced over at Baek Jae-ha and Choi Jun-hyeok. They were already chattering away about cooking.
“Driaging—you dry-age it to really amp up the meat’s flavor and texture.”
“Wow. Where do you cook patties like that? Grill? Or charcoal?”
“Oh, charcoal’s tricky at the shop, so I’ve experimented with pretty much every grill on the market...”
If I left them to it, Choi Jun-hyeok’s patty masterclass would be next.
Clap!
I clapped my hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Alright, then. Shall we kick off the signature menu meeting?”
All eyes turned to me. Choi Jun-hyeok swallowed hard with a ‘here it comes’ look. Baek Jae-ha, the veteran, raised his hand first.
“Should we start with brainstorming?”
“No.”
“?”
Baek Jae-ha tilted his head. Normally, we’d toss out ideas verbally, pick the good ones, and test them out, so it was natural he’d be puzzled.
But this time, I had ideas of my own.
“I already have a recipe in mind for the signature menu.”
“Already?”
“Hold on. Seeing is believing, right?”
They’d get it once they tried it. I pulled the prepped meat from the fridge and said,
“I’ve got the basic recipe down, but the details need refining.”
“What menu are you thinking of?”
I smiled brightly at Choi Jun-hyeok’s question.
“The Ten-Thousand-Calorie Burger.” ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The savory aroma of meat wafted through the air. My stomach growled in response.
‘Come to think of it, I skipped proper lunch.’
Worried about being late, Choi Jun-hyeok had been in a frenzy. Choi Min-hyeok had gotten up early too for the drive.
I hadn’t noticed hunger amid the tension earlier, but now that things were easing up...
‘Felt a bit intimidated at first.’
Choi Min-hyeok glanced around the kitchen again. The gleaming machines left him clueless about their purposes.
‘I dropped out of school and latched onto my brother’s shop, while Woo-yeon...’
No. Don’t go there.
Choi Min-hyeok quickly reined in his sinking mood. It wouldn’t change anything, and there was no point in tormenting himself.
‘Besides, if my brother’s shop does well, I benefit too, right?’
Maybe they’d even open a franchise branch like Song Woo-yeon. Then Choi Min-hyeok could snag a manager spot.
That’s when it happened.
“You’re the CEO’s classmate, right?”
A unfamiliar voice suddenly addressed him.
Turning, he saw a man with a “Team Leader Baek Jae-ha” name tag staring intently.
He looked as young as Song Woo-yeon but already a team leader—not ordinary at all.
He had the face of a band vocalist or idol trainee, not some office worker.
“Yeah. Middle school classmates.”
Choi Min-hyeok tried to play it cool. Baek Jae-ha scooted his chair closer, looking intrigued.
“Really? Wow. That makes you practically a VIP customer for the CEO.”
He flashed a bright smile. It felt a tad too close when—
“I’m curious. Hard to picture the CEO having a childhood.”
“Woo-yeon? Yeah, he’s got that vibe.”
He got it immediately.
Makes sense. Song Woo-yeon seemed like he could’ve been born saying, “Mother, are you well?”
His maturity didn’t match his age. Even Choi Min-hyeok sometimes wondered if the kid he knew was a dream.
“He wasn’t much different in middle school. Just had a different aura from the other kids.”
“Really?”
“He rarely got rattled.”
Choi Min-hyeok dredged up old memories. Song Woo-yeon always hung back, observing the other kids.
Some found it off-putting and pranked him, but he never showed it fazed him.
‘...Except that one time.’
But Choi Min-hyeok swallowed the rest. Not the story for here.
As Baek Jae-ha opened his mouth with a suspicious look, Song Woo-yeon cut in.
“What’s this? You two getting chummy without me?”
“Haha. We just clicked.”
Baek Jae-ha lied smoothly. After prying about Song Woo-yeon’s school days, he played innocent perfectly.
“Save the chit-chat. This food needs your full focus to appreciate.”
Good. Finally time to see it.
‘The Ten-Thousand-Calorie handmade burger, huh?’
Truth be told, expectations weren’t sky-high.
The name alone was off-putting!
‘Even if burgers scream junk food, calling it Ten-Thousand-Calorie from the start? Instant turn-off.’
Sure, it’d taste good.
Calories were battle power for flavor, after all.
But tasty didn’t mean appetizing at first glance.
With Choi Jun-hyeok—the man himself—sitting quiet, Choi Min-hyeok couldn’t butt in.
“Alright, everyone close your eyes.”
At Song Woo-yeon’s urging, they all shut their eyes.
Three, two, one...
“Ta-da~!”
Opening them revealed a shocking visual that left mouths agape.
“Gasp!”
“Wow.”
“W-what is that?”
Choi Min-hyeok couldn’t help blurting in shock.
This was a handmade burger? Nothing like what he knew.
“This is...”
He swallowed.
“Way too big!”
Exaggerating a bit, the burger was nearly as big as Song Woo-yeon’s torso. Its sheer size was jaw-dropping.
And how many patties? It looked like several burgers smashed together.
No way you could eat this by hand!
“This is a handmade burger?”
Choi Min-hyeok hesitated. His common sense was shattering. He instinctively checked Choi Jun-hyeok’s reaction.
Knowing how serious his brother was about handmade burgers, he worried about offending him.
“Hmm.”
But Choi Jun-hyeok stared seriously at the Ten-Thousand-Calorie Burger before speaking.
“Indeed. Now that’s a signature menu.”
Song Woo-yeon grinned. Pleased that Choi Jun-hyeok nailed his intent.
“Unforgettable at first sight, right? With your skills, the taste’ll pass muster. The issue is the location—not burger-friendly turf.”
Choi Jun-hyeok knew that pain all too well.
“And it’s not easy to get to. No bustling areas or attractions nearby.”
“Exactly.”
“One option left.”
Song Woo-yeon pointed at the tower-like burger.
“The handmade burger becomes the attraction.”
“...”
“Imagine people driving an hour just for this one item.”
Song Woo-yeon exuded confidence, as if this outlandish size was a surefire hit.
“The Ten-Thousand-Calorie Burger—that’s what grabs attention. Right?”
A textbook aggro menu.