Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: The Wife Who Loved Mackerel Sushi
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My fist clenched tight on its own. Was this guy treating business like a joke? The thought flashed through my mind unbidden.
And yet, for someone with that attitude, Lee Hyung-bae was glancing at me nervously, looking downright intimidated.
People who take things too lightly usually look down on even the so-called authorities in the field. But that wasn't the vibe I was getting from him.
Was there some backstory here?
Take An Dong-woo, for example—he'd unexpectedly inherited a chicken stew joint when his parents suddenly collapsed.
The world is vast, and everyone has their own stories. I couldn't just jump to conclusions based on a single glimpse.
I swallowed the sigh threatening to escape, reined in my emotions, and asked.
"Why did you do it?"
"......"
"It's not like you don't know how reckless it is for a beginner to learn Japanese cuisine for two weeks and then open shop."
Lee Hyung-bae's eyes darkened, as if weighing the years gone by.
Did he really not know what was obvious to everyone else? Even if people overlook their own flaws, someone at his level must have had friends or family trying to talk him out of it.
So why insist on this place?
That's what I was asking.
Lee Hyung-bae answered in a voice that trembled faintly.
"......My wife loved it."
It was an abrupt start.
"She devoured sushi, especially mackerel sushi. Even when she was pregnant with our first, despite the morning sickness, she somehow gulped down mackerel sushi like it was nothing."
The way he said it, his eyes looked so serene and happy.
"Back then, mackerel sushi wasn't as common as it is now. You'd have to hunt around everywhere just to find one place that sold it...... But that was fine. Seeing her eat well made it worth running to five or six sushi spots in the dead of night."
I could guess without him saying it. How agonizing it must be when your pregnant wife won't eat, and then pure joy when you find something she loves.
As he reminisced, Lee Hyung-bae's face seemed to transport him back to that time.
The worry lines etched deep like furrows smoothed out, his expression relaxed, making him look a full ten years younger.
I could faintly glimpse the young, awkward groom from back then.
"But then......"
His eyes clouded over.
"But......" He choked up, swallowing a sob. His eyes reddened as he tilted his head back, as if fighting it off, and apologized to me.
"Sorry. It's still hard for me to talk about this."
"It's okay. Take your time."
"Yes. Well...... It happened so suddenly. The moment I heard my wife...... had cancer, it felt like the world was collapsing."
Who could truly understand the regret laced into that low, subdued voice? It was a pain only he could know.
"I quit my job to care for her. I wanted to see her off properly on her final journey."
"......"
"After she was gone, everything felt so empty. What was the point of living? The future looked hopeless."
For someone who'd spent their whole life as a company man, what came next must have seemed utterly daunting.
"That's when our kid said, 'Why don't you try opening a sushi place like Mom loved? Then up in heaven, she'll be happy seeing the sushi you make......'"
A sniffle came from the camera director assisting with the shoot nearby. The control room was probably the same.
Lee Hyung-bae's earnest story had a power that tugged at the heartstrings.
He wasn't bawling dramatically or raising his voice for effect. That's why it hit even harder—some stories resonate precisely because they're told plainly.
"I should have researched more. I was just too hasty. They say the soul lingers in this world for 49 days after death, so I thought maybe she could taste the sushi I made before then......"
He added that he'd rushed to learn at a sushi shop and, from that day on, made sushi every day to offer at her modest ancestral rite table.
I saw tears streaming down the camera director's face beside me.
"......I see. So that's the story."
Now that I knew the inside story, it finally made sense.
Even why he'd rushed to open the sushi shop.
'He must have felt lost without a purpose in life, then suddenly found a new one.'
On top of that, his livelihood was uncertain. In his desperation to do something, he'd made a hasty decision.
It wasn't even a great location for business, let alone suited for sushi. But now I understood why he'd chosen sushi—and even mackerel sushi.
"Owner. To be honest, I came here to tell you to quit the sushi business."
"......!"
"It's not a menu a beginner should tackle. With something else, you might manage a decent imitation."
Korean food, at least—if you follow the recipe closely, it's not hard to replicate the taste.
Meaning, it's relatively easy to reach a level that satisfies the public palate. It's food we're all familiar with.
But sushi is different.
"Basically, forming sushi is close to simple repetition. You just put rice and fish in your hand and squeeze with consistent pressure."
Mimicking that basic motion isn't too hard. His grip wasn't bad, so the two-week crash course must not have been a lie.
"Using a standardized scoop for the rice to uniform the weight, and cutting the fish to consistent sizes, you could probably maintain a baseline quality."
That's how chain stores train part-timers to make sushi in no time.
"......Th-then,"
"But."
I'd cut him off coldly as hope lit up his eyes.
"There are so many delicate aspects—like rice density, fish placement, temperature, and texture—that beginners struggle with."
His sushi was a perfect example.
The rice was too sticky and fell apart because it wasn't formed properly. Grip it too loosely, and it crumbles; too tightly, and it turns into a mushy lump with no flavor.
"Rice doesn't always come out the same. Some days sticky, some dry. Adjusting the vinegar blend and squeeze strength based on the rice that day—that's the domain of master sushi chefs."
Even top sushi joints mess up the rice sometimes.
Because rice doesn't always turn out identical just from fixed rice-to-water ratios.
"Plus, sushi's details show right on the surface, so customers can easily spot the difference between a newbie and a pro. That's the biggest issue."
Kimchi stew would be more forgiving. A dash of MSG could fool the taste buds.
But not sushi. You can tell the quality of the form just by looking.
"I figured as much."
Lee Hyung-bae scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
It was a tone of resignation. He seemed ready to follow my advice to change the menu. He'd probably reached the same conclusion himself: this wasn't working.
"Should I switch to something other than sushi?"
"......That's what I planned at first. Yeah."
"Huh?"
He snapped his head up. He'd caught the nuance in my tone.
I still wasn't entirely sure if this was the right call. But I couldn't back out now.
"Owner. You really want to keep doing sushi, right?"
"O-of course! If I could."
"Desperately? Willing to do whatever it takes?"
He flinched, sensing my intensity. But the hesitation was brief.
"......Yes."
"Good. Then let's do this."
I ticked off my fingers one by one as I laid it out.
"First, simplify the menu and focus on popular sushi. Especially mackerel sushi—that's off-limits for now. Beginners can't handle it, and it's too labor-intensive."
He looked like he wanted to say something, but I ignored it and continued.
"But it's not banned forever. Once you've mastered the basics, you can make it anytime. If you want, I'll even give you the mackerel sushi recipe."
"Gasp! If you could do that, I'd be eternally grateful!"
"Only after the basics are perfect. Don't even dream of it before then."
His eyes sparkled as he nodded eagerly. Just the hope of someday achieving it seemed to thrill him.
"Second, like I said earlier, for consistent taste as a beginner, standardize rice weight, fish sizes, and so on. We'll set a basic sushi recipe and stick strictly to it."
"Got it."
"Finally, third."
This was the key.
"Practice forming sushi for at least six hours a day."
"Gasp!"
Lee Hyung-bae inhaled sharply without thinking.
"For the month we're implementing this solution, can you commit to doing it diligently, without missing a single day?"
For reference, forming sushi is more grueling than it seems. For someone his age, standing for six hours straight would be tough.
"If you're confident, I'll pull out all the stops to help—bring in an experienced chef for real-time feedback, supply practice ingredients, even line up stable suppliers."
"But. If you skip even one day for any reason, I'm out completely."
"......"
"If you're not sure, say so now. We can switch menus, and I'll give you recipes for those."
Lee Hyung-bae pressed his lips tight for a moment, weighing his options.
Then he lifted his head sharply and declared.
"I'll do it."