Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: Reaching Hyunmu's Pinnacle
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Hyun Jeong-hu.
The man who became 's chairman after Hyun Moo-jung, following the quintessential elite path.
He clawed his way to Hyunmu's successor seat by any means necessary, amassing achievements no one else could rival.
And those 'achievements' were... wrung from the blood of others.
[The Song] had withered away as just another line in Hyun Jeong-hu's ledger.
I had no intention of letting it stand. To Hyun Jeong-hu, nothing—not even family—was more precious than that vaunted company.
Snatching was the ultimate revenge I could deliver.
I flashed a grin at Hyun Ye-won, whose eyes were wide with shock.
"Too sudden, right?"
"......No."
Hyun Ye-won nodded as if steeling her resolve.
"I'd sort of suspected. You knew all about that bastard Hyun Tae-seong, and you seemed to know inside and out, which was odd."
As expected. She wasn't completely oblivious.
"The reason... You never spelled it out clearly, but I get the gist. My father—the chairman—is a man with many enemies."
That was the part she'd hated most, deep down.
"Whatever it is, the chairman must be in the wrong."
Her lips curved into a refreshing smile.
"I never imagined. But talking with you, President, has cleared my head a bit."
I listened quietly as I applied ointment and stuck a bandage on her knee.
"......I want to try."
Hyun Ye-won murmured softly.
"Hyunmu, which I hated so much... I can change it myself."
If it's you, as I've seen, you definitely can. I murmured to myself.
Even when you were just a pawn for Hyun Jeong-hu, you never fully surrendered to Hyunmu in your heart.
"Help me, President."
Hyun Ye-won looked me straight in the eye and placed her hand over mine.
"So I can reach the very top of Hyunmu."
I knew instinctively. All the changes to come would stem from this very moment.
I savored the instant and smiled broadly.
"Of course."
"Oh man, President Song!"
Off in the distance, PD Kim Hee-seong came dashing over in his socks. He'd been talking with the scriptwriter. Was it okay for him to just bolt like that?
I found it odd but bowed my head in greeting anyway.
"Hello, PD. Hope you've been well."
"Ay, I've been fine. And you, President? How's the body holding up?"
"Fine aside from needing these crutches."
I wanted to shrug, but the crutches made it impossible. Kim Hee-seong grimaced at the sight.
"But still, my injury messed up the broadcast schedule. What a hassle."
"Nah. We've got plenty of pre-filmed stuff, so it's not so bad. Just air a special for one week and you're golden—no need to worry!"
My injury had halted filming entirely, so now it was all about catching up.
"And I probably shouldn't say this, but......"
Kim Hee-seong glanced around furtively and whispered.
"Even the reruns are pulling decent ratings."
"Hahaha! No sweat. I don't mind."
The revelation that Kim Jun-seo—the guy who attacked me—was in the alleyway food shots had sparked huge interest.
They were rerunning that episode nonstop. They'd edited out as much of him as possible, but bits of Kim Jun-seo still popped up here and there.
People seemed to find even that pretty entertaining.
"It's all drawing in viewers. High buzz means ratings keep climbing~."
"We'd better nail it today."
The food truck episode was a surefire hit thanks to Kim Jun-seo. But to carry that momentum to the next one, this shoot was make-or-break.
"Ay, with President Song here, no worries."
Kim Hee-seong laughed heartily and went to clap my shoulder—then froze.
"Whoops. Force of habit."
As Kim Hee-seong winced sheepishly, the scriptwriter—who'd been watching anxiously—patted his shoulder and shoved him aside.
"I'll take the PD, so rest up and prep for the shoot~."
"Hey, why? I was just chatting for a sec."
"Yeah, yeah. Come over here and talk with us."
It was hilarious watching him get dragged away, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Huh? Woo-yeon!"
This time, Do-kyung greeted me warmly. Im Hye-eun beside him gave a polite bow.
"Your leg!"
"Yeah. Still on crutches."
"You sure it's okay to film?"
"I'm fine. This aside."
Even as I said it calmly, Do-kyung stared at me with worry.
"Thanks for your concern, both of you. Appreciate you caring amid your busy schedules. And forgiving the schedule shake-up because of me."
"Of course!"
"How could we not, with you hurt like this."
Im Hye-eun smiled and waved it off.
"At least you look healthier than when we were worried sick."
Walking on crutches, it felt like I'd gotten a lifetime's worth of concern. Starting to get annoying.
I smoothly changed the subject.
"By the way, today's solution spot looks pretty interesting."
I picked up the script. I'd already gotten the rundown beforehand.
My interest boiled down to one thing.
"There's a sushi place."
First time for that on an alleyway food shoot.
"Sushi? Why?"
"It requires real expertise. From prepping the fish, seasoning the rice, to shaping the pieces... It all hinges heavily on the chef's hands."
Even with the same ingredients, sushi tastes worlds apart depending on who's making it.
That's why there's such a thing as a sushi master.
"Most places are opened by veterans with decades of experience. No reason for them to show up here."
With apprenticeship traditions, they usually have a specific mentor.
That mentor has decades of know-how—no need to come ask me on a show like this.
And yet they applied... Hmm. Better go taste it myself.
"Should be fun to try together later."
"Huh? Me too?"
"Yeah. Young folks love sushi."
"Ooh~ Finally, a tasty meal for Do-kyung?"
Im Hye-eun tossed in a playful jab with a grin.
Ah, I'd seen that online. I only called Do-kyung for food I was iffy on.
*'Fans were ripping me apart for feeding him all the bad stuff...'*
As our gazes turned to him, Do-kyung waved his hands frantically.
"Ah, no! I'm not complaining!"
"Your fans seem to disagree?"
"Please let this sushi be good so I don't get flamed. Right?"
I chimed in, and Do-kyung shot me a wounded look. So much fun teasing him.
Truth be told, I didn't care much about online hate. No hard feelings.
"You'll see. Looking forward to this sushi joint."
And,
Shortly after saying that,
I had no choice but to regret it.
"......"
"......"
Do-kyung and I looked up in unison, our eyes meeting. No words needed—we knew exactly what the other was thinking.
*...It's bad!*
Shockingly bad.
We struggled to finish the assorted sushi set, but it was no easy feat.
"Boss."
I called out to the sushi shop owner, who'd been watching our ordeal from the control room.
"Fundamentally, the ingredient quality is poor. Even with all this ginger, the fishiness isn't masked—that means the mackerel isn't fresh."
Not just the mackerel sushi; the freshness was uniformly lacking across the toppings.
They were trying to hide it with wasabi and soy sauce scents.
"The slices are too thin, breaking the harmony between neta (fish) and shari (rice). Overall finish is way off."
Their balance is basically what makes sushi sushi. The rice-shaping skill screamed amateur from the start.
"Especially the shari—the rice is too sticky. After mixing in the vinegar, you need to flip it frequently to let it absorb evenly. Right now, the rice and vinegar are playing separately."
That's why it crumbled and fell apart every time we picked it up with chopsticks.
"The shrimp, tamagoyaki, flounder—those are edible enough... but the mackerel? No way."
Identical mackerel pieces sat untouched side by side on our plates.
*'Mackerel in an assorted set is rare anyway. It divides people hard because of the fishiness. Eel would’ve been safer.'*
Still, including mackerel sushi—maybe there was intent behind it?
The owner's confidence in his mackerel specialty?
"Sigh. Alright, I'll give it a shot."
Whatever the reason, it was served, so at least pretend to eat. Trembling, I grabbed the mackerel sushi with chopsticks and popped it in.
The signature fishiness mingled with ginger meant to tame it, dancing on my tongue. A faint smoky note lingered too...
"Ugh!"
Dry heaves hit; I spat it out before swallowing.
I spit the barely chewed mackerel onto a tissue, folded it neatly, and rinsed my mouth with green tea. The fishy aftertaste clung stubbornly.
*'I'm dying.'*
I came to and looked up to see Do-kyung staring at me, pale as a ghost.
A lone mackerel sushi stood defiantly on his plate.
"......"
Looked like his fans would flame me after all.