Chapter 257
Chapter 257
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 257
Chapter Title: The Injury Teaser
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-(Beep) It looks like the owner has seriously injured his hand.
The camera shook wildly, capturing the inside of a hospital. Shouts echoed from all directions, the chaos plain to see.
Then all the noise faded,
and in the ensuing silence, a voice rang out.
[-If I don't do this, I'll regret it.]
The calm yet resolute tone revealed the speaker's ironclad determination.
The screen went black, and the preview ended.
Gong Tae-min sat there in a daze until a cheerful toy commercial with upbeat background music came on.
-Touch, Peeniping~!
"Ah."
Only after the vibrant Peenipings appeared and giggled did he finally snap out of it and turn off the TV.
'What the hell did I just watch?'
He'd tuned into Alley Secrets just to laugh and have a good time, but this sudden human-interest docu left him reeling.
"Whoa, what was that? Wasn't it an accident? He got hurt bad, right?"
His mom, sensing something was off, stomped her feet anxiously.
"That sushi place from earlier! It's still temporarily closed, isn't it!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Guess so?"
"The owner must've gotten hurt! Man, talk about bad luck."
She clicked her tongue repeatedly, unable to hide her pity.
Gong Tae-min figured the same. Even though the name was beeped out, it had to be the sushi shop owner.
'Sure, a hand injury's inconvenient for anyone. But for a sushi place? Fatal.'
That must be why the production staff called Song Woo-yeon in such a panic about the hand injury.
The place was still temporarily closed, too. Everything lined up perfectly.
'If it's true... damn, that's rotten luck.'
Gong Tae-min felt a surge of sympathy despite himself.
At first, he'd thought the guy was all ambition with no skill, but learning his backstory and now this misfortune flipped his opinion completely.
His mom seemed to feel the same, muttering under her breath.
"He was just getting back on his feet... how does this happen..."
Normally she'd switch channels right after to catch the next drama. But today, she just sat there mumbling.
"Nothing beats good health. You too—stop wandering around at night and get home early! Got it?!"
"Why the sudden nagging?"
"You got it?!"
"Yeah, yeah, Mom."
Sensing a lecture incoming, Gong Tae-min backed away stealthily.
He slipped into his room and shut the door, hearing his mom's mutters from the other side.
If he'd stuck around, he'd have had to endure the whole thing.
"Whew."
With a sigh of relief, he checked his phone. Sure enough, the community forums were total chaos.
[What the hell was that? What?? What???]
What????
[Those clowns are unhinged lololol]
Bet next week's ep is "Owner slices hand while prepping fish" or some BS
Hype machine in overdrive lololol
→Count me in
→You guys still fall for network tricks? lol
→Falling for this?
→Hospital footage tho?
→→Deep cut needs stitches, sure, but it's just a quick break
[But if it's really bad, guy's life is over]
F in chat lololol
[Not my problem as long as it's not me~~~]
Not my problem x3
→People like that suck ass
[When did they film that? Place still closed?]
Hand cut shouldn't mean closed this long?
→At least a month ago probs
→Personal reasons or practice maybe?
→Couldn't hit arm-quality yet so Song sent him packing? lololol
[Every other shop open but sushi place closed?]
1. Actually hurt bad
2. Broke promise, got dumped
3. Switching menus?
Which?
→22222
→Got dumped lol
→People don't change easy. Bet he couldn't stick to a month of practice, pissed off Song, no more help. Quitting biz altogether?
[Honestly, sob story bullshit]
All these competition shows full of sob-story contestants
Alley Secrets turning into Human Theater ffs lololol
When do we ditch the tearjerker melodrama?
→Yup yup
→Outdated af
→Cr1nge lol real talk lololol
[Y'all embarrassed you trashed him earlier?]
Details next week, but
Preview straight-up says major injury and y'all mocking?
Wait for next ep, roast if it's hype—plenty of time
Outlets blurred his face and name, so you mock and get sued—no complaints
→lol lawsuit joke
→Nah? Trash now, fact-check next week, retract then—not late
→→Yup lololol
The board was a total mess—sushi defenders, mockers, wait-and-sees, you name it.
Had it ever been this lit?
'This is gonna split hard depending on next week.'
If it was just ratings bait like predicted, backlash city.
If legit injury, the haters eat crow.
'Wonder how it'll play out.'
Gong Tae-min stared at Song Woo-yeon's face on a top banner ad.
Even the program's star wouldn't escape unscathed.
"Wow. Congrats."
I clapped for Kim Hee-sung.
"Ratings were insane, right?"
"Heh heh. Shouldn't be thrilled, but somehow it turned into a huge positive."
Kim Hee-sung blurted it out, then shot a 'whoops' glance at Lee Hyung-bae and quickly added,
"Of course, best if no one got hurt. You know what I mean, right?"
"Haha. Sure do."
Lee Hyung-bae laughed heartily.
"Anything that helps the show is a win."
"Don't even get me started. It's blowing up online. You getting calls too, Owner?"
"Old coworkers I haven't heard from in forever are checking in. Asked if I'm okay—I brushed 'em off."
"Good call."
Kim Hee-sung gave double thumbs up.
"Anyway, Owner, don't go too easy on 'em. That's why they show up unannounced with cameras today."
"Aw, c'mon, CEO~."
Kim Hee-sung grinned slyly, smile spilling over.
"Was supposed to be just us, but they asked to film. Owner, say the word if you wanna scrap it now."
"It's fine. My face is already out there."
Lee Hyung-bae joked that the appearance fee wasn't chump change either.
Good for him.
"Set's ready~."
The cameraman called from behind, and Kim Hee-sung jumped up.
"Alright, let's roll. Just be natural!"
Natural!, he tossed over his shoulder retreating.
Seriously.
"Camera rolling, sound rolling. Action!"
The second Kim Hee-sung finished, I locked eyes with Lee Hyung-bae.
"How's the body holding up?"
"Much better now. Not 100%, but I can move fine."
"Sushi gripping still tough?"
"Tried, but the feel's off—super hard."
Lee Hyung-bae grinned good-naturedly.
"But I've got this right hand."
He flashed his right hand with confident flair.
"Gonna treat you right today."
"Looking forward to it."
Lee Hyung-bae rose and headed to the kitchen. Slices of fish were neatly stacked in order, vinegared rice prepped to one side.
Fish uniform thickness, rice perfectly seasoned—not sticky, not dry.
He moved with pro ease, like thousands of reps ingrained.
Big change: the hand gripping the rice.
Right hand lightly formed the rice into an oval. Even a few tries looked solid.
Left hand spread the topping, placed the fresh shari on top.
Right hand pressed down firm, perfecting the shape.
Rinse and repeat—bam, a plate of assorted sushi done in seconds.
"Assorted sushi."
Slide.
Vibrant sushi appeared before me.
Mouthwatering, especially the trendy long-tail toppings.
"Fast, and the shape's spot-on."
"Thanks."
"Can tell how hard you've worked."
Gone was the total newbie vibe. Now it reeked of seasoned pro.
"But the real test is taste, right?"
I grabbed the flounder sushi first with chopsticks—classic start, light and tangy.
"Mm."
Closed eyes, savored. Clean perfection.
Net and shari balanced—no notes, pure harmony.
Then right to left, one by one.
With each bite, tension crept onto Lee Hyung-bae's face.
Sweet-sauced eel to finish, miso soup to cleanse.
Clink.
Setting it down, he asked in a shaky voice.
"...How was it?"
How was it?
Plenty to say, but no need to drag. I summed it up short and sweet.
"Ready to learn mackerel sushi?"
"......!"
Lee Hyung-bae's face lit up wordless joy. Bet the grind flashed before his eyes.
"......Hic."
Eyes welled up right then.
"Thanks, CEO..."
He wiped them, muttering nonstop.
"Thanks... thank you..."