Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Boneless Chicken Feet
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"It's too slow."
"Ugh..."
"Fifteen minutes have already passed."
Han Mi-ae made a tearful face at my words.
"The smaller the shop, the more turnover rate matters. And when it gets busy with customers, it'll be chaos."
Han Mi-ae slowly nodded at my words.
"You have to practice making large batches quickly in advance."
It's advice I always give to newbie owners.
You start by practicing to cook one serving quickly and accurately. Once you're used to that, you scale up to five servings, ten... and so on.
Depending on the shop's size, once you can handle up to thirty servings quickly, you'll have a lot more time to breathe.
'Plus, when you're rushed, the taste can easily change. Practicing large batches is essential to prevent that beforehand.'
I'd pushed her to cook twenty servings in fifteen minutes, and Han Mi-ae was starting to hit her physical limit.
"...Can I take just a short break?"
"Hmm."
I glanced at the clock. It was pretty late. After a moment's thought, I nodded.
Han Mi-ae let out a deep sigh and finally leaned back against the chair.
"Oh man, my bones are killing me."
"You've worked hard~."
Right on cue, Kim Jong-chun opened the shop door and came in. Han Mi-ae's face lit up at the takeout coffee cup in his hand.
"Have some of this while you rest."
"Oh, thank you. You're already doing me a huge favor by lending me the shop, and now you bring this every time..."
"No need to mention it. We help each other out."
Kim Jong-chun grinned good-naturedly.
"And Woo-yeon can be a bit Spartan, right? You need something like this to catch your breath."
Han Mi-ae nodded enthusiastically in agreement. I'd been a little tough on her, but complaining over this much?
"Right before I opened my shop, Woo-yeon taught me the recipes. Whew, I couldn't even talk about it."
"Really? You're amazing. I can barely handle fifteen servings..."
"That's the tough spot. Once you break through fifteen, twenty and twenty-five are a breeze."
"Wow, I hope so."
Han Mi-ae and Kim Jong-chun chatted away, bonding over shared suffering. Was it really that hard? Hmm. Latte could whip up thirty servings without even blinking.
'Well, thanks to the uncle here, she's getting through this grueling training okay.'
Franchise owners naturally develop a camaraderie, whether they realize it or not.
Even if the businesses differ, riding the same ship called [The Song] is enough to build that sense of solidarity.
I watched Han Mi-ae chatting excitedly with Kim Jong-chun, then slipped into the kitchen.
Perfect timing.
Time to show them my secret weapon while they're both here.
"...And that's how I ended up running a gukbap joint now. You never know what life has in store."
"Tell me about it. I never imagined I'd meet Woo-yeon like this... Fate is such a mysterious thing."
Han Mi-ae murmured while clutching her coffee cup tightly.
She used to call me Owner Song politely, but after I said it tickled and to just use my name, she did. Still, in her heart, she always thought 'Owner Song' with respect—and she had good reason.
The tteokbokki recipe Woo-yeon taught her was similar to hers but far deeper in umami.
If her old one felt like homemade tteokbokki that was a bit bland, Woo-yeon's version was closer to the stuff you crave to buy out.
"This the tteokbokki you just made?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Haha. Thanks to you, I've been eating tteokbokki nonstop lately."
Kim Jong-chun picked up some with chopsticks and popped it in his mouth.
"Wow. I'm not big on tteokbokki, but this is seriously good."
Han Mi-ae couldn't hide her proud smile.
"What's the secret? I want to try making it at home."
"Nothing too secret. Season the broth with stock water, and use more gochugaru than gochujang."
"Oh, really? I thought tteokbokki flavor came mostly from gochujang."
"The broth does rely a lot on gochujang. I used more of it at first too. But Woo-yeon suggested trying more gochugaru, and it tasted way better."
Kim Jong-chun nodded in quiet admiration, devouring the tteokbokki.
"Mmm, delicious. Do you add a ton of MSG? I have some at home."
"It goes in, but not as much as you'd think. Apparently MSG doesn't impact sweet sauces as much. Sugar's the key instead."
"Ah, got it~."
Kim Jong-chun beamed, thinking of making it for his wife at home. Seeing him enjoy it so much boosted Han Mi-ae's confidence in her cooking.
With this hard work, she started feeling a vague optimism that things would go just as well after remodeling and reopening.
It motivated her to practice harder and sharpen her skills.
Just as she thought it was time to stop resting and head back to the kitchen—
"Huh?"
A delicious spicy aroma tickled her nose.
"Woo-yeon, what are you... Huh?"
Peeking into the kitchen, Song Woo-yeon was just plating food. No idea when he'd started cooking.
'We weren't chatting that long. He made this much in the meantime?'
It was shockingly fast.
"This is..."
"Boneless chicken feet."
Song Woo-yeon smiled and set the plate on the table. It brimmed with appetizing red broth, neatly arranged chicken feet that could look gross but didn't.
"Give it a try."
"Whoa, chicken feet out of nowhere?"
Kim Jong-chun reached out in surprise but without hesitation, grabbing one and eating it.
"Whoa, spicy!"
A sharp spicy hit assaulted his tongue. Song Woo-yeon silently handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down.
Han Mi-ae hesitated, then tried one.
'Spicy!'
As expected, the intense heat brought tears to her eyes first. But that wasn't all.
'Spicy in a delicious way. Chewy texture, no off-flavors at all.'
Offal like this is tricky to debone properly. She wondered how he'd done it.
"Whew. It's spicy, but I can't stop."
Kim Jong-chun kept reaching for more despite chugging water. Han Mi-ae was the same.
The chewiness was irresistible.
"Tasty, right?"
"Perfect with soju! If my shop wasn't opening tomorrow, I'd have a drink right now."
Kim Jong-chun eyed the chicken feet wistfully. Han Mi-ae agreed. Ideal soju snack.
Too stimulating for a rice side dish, though.
"But why chicken feet all of a sudden?"
Song Woo-yeon grinned like he'd been waiting.
"This is going to be [Happiness Snacks]'s signature item."
"Huh?"
Chicken feet at a snack bar?
"The new menu item?"
"Yep."
Song Woo-yeon nodded and continued.
"Snack bars like this target office workers and students. To expand the customer base, you need booze-friendly snacks like this."
"Ah...!"
"Around here, there are lots of families, so selling just tteokbokki for dinner won't cut it. Otherwise, you'd stay open late for ramen second- or third-round customers, but then lunch suffers."
"I see."
"So this is my solution."
Song Woo-yeon pointed to the chicken feet.
"Selling chicken feet at tteokbokki places isn't new—it's not that out of place. And it's perfect for evening drinks."
"Come to think of it, some places in Sindang-dong sold it together back in the day."
"Not just there—street markets often do too."
How does this kid know about Sindang-dong tteokbokki and market stalls? Han Mi-ae was amazed again.
"Delicious... I'd come back for this."
"Right?"
Song Woo-yeon replied like he'd expected it.
"Woo-yeon, I thought you only mastered gukbap and tteokbokki. When did you learn chicken feet?"
When Kim Jong-chun marveled, Song Woo-yeon thought for a moment before answering.
"Around... twenty-eight?"
"What?"
"It's a thing."
The kid was nowhere near twenty-eight, so Kim Jong-chun and Han Mi-ae dismissed it as his usual silly joke.
"Alright, shall we get back to it?"
Song Woo-yeon clapped to liven things up.
"You need time to master this recipe too."
"......"
Only then did Han Mi-ae realize she'd have to replicate these chicken feet too. They were delicious, sure, but...
"Ahem. Guess I'll head out. Can I take the leftovers, Woo-yeon?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Thanks. Hang in there, Owner Han!"
Kim Jong-chun slipped away tactfully. Han Mi-ae envied his retreating back.
"First up, I'll show you how to make the sauce."
"...Okay!"
Han Mi-ae nodded reluctantly.
The hellish training resumed.
The chill had eased, but mornings and evenings were still brisk.
Song Woo-yeon warmed his fingers with a warm breath.
"One fish cake, please."
"Sure~."
He got the fish cake and broth, sipping a mouthful. Warmth spread through his body.
As he exhaled again—
"...One fish cake, please."
A gloomy voice came from beside him.
Unkempt hair that hadn't seen shampoo in ages, thick Coke-bottle glasses. Frayed jacket, baggy training pants with worn knees. Even slippers for shoes.
From that shabby appearance, Song Woo-yeon easily recalled the neat office worker from his memories.
Found you.
Become my colleague.