Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: "Bingsu Genius" Song Woo-yeon Proves It Again… Actually a Cooking Genius?
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-"‘Bingsu Genius’ Song Woo-yeon Proves It Again… Actually a Cooking Genius?
-"‘Raid the Fridge’ Why Is Song Woo-yeon Showing Up Here? Everyone Laughed It Off… But the Results Earn Rave Reviews
-"‘Raid the Fridge’ Song Woo-yeon’s Bold Challenge Defeats Anderic
Faced with the flood of internet news articles, I let out a hollow smile.
‘Sure, I went on the show to grab some attention… but isn’t this effect a bit too much?’
Maybe it was because the plagiarism controversy had already set the internet ablaze once. Or perhaps because I stood out as the only non-professional chef among them.
Or could it be because I’d snatched victory right from the first matchup despite all that.
‘All three, probably.’
No need to rank them. Thanks to it all, I suddenly felt like an overnight star.
‘Have I ever stepped out front like this before?’
I’d always hidden behind the company name. I made a point of avoiding the spotlight in the media.
The “young CEO” label brought more downsides than upsides.
But because of that, when the giant Hyunmu tried to crush me, there was no one to help. Being detached from the public eye meant exactly that.
So yeah, I’d decided it was time to step out in front of people properly when the moment was right…
But staring at the pouring articles, I felt strangely numb. Unreal, almost.
Bzzz-.
Right on cue, my phone buzzed.
[Kim PD]
It was Kim Seol.
I hit connect immediately.
“Hello?”
-Hey, Chef Song. Sorry to call so early~. You must’ve had a tough time with the shoot last time?
“Nah, it wasn’t bad for me. The staff had it way worse with all the editing.”
-Aw, even saying that is appreciated.
Kim Seol laughed brightly, chiming in. Her voice brimmed with excitement.
-The first episode aired last night. Did you watch?
“A little.”
-A little?
“Watching myself on screen was too embarrassing.”
I’d only just realized how hard it was to look at my own face. It was supposed to be a milestone, so all the [The Song] crew planned to watch together, but I bailed midway.
-Why? You looked great on camera. Not quite as good as the real thing, though~.
“Haha. Thanks for saying so. Felt awkward as hell to me.”
-Lots of people feel that way~.
“Anyway, the internet articles are blowing up. What kind of magic did you work in editing?”
-Oh, you didn’t see that, huh.
‘That’?
A vague unease crept in. Kim Seol giggled before continuing.
-No, we reviewed the footage, and there were so many fun moments? Like that little spat between you two in the waiting room. Chef Ahn had his mic on, so we caught all the audio.
Ah. She didn’t mean…
-The world’s gotten so easy these days. Sell gukbap and snacks, and they call you a chef.
-Thanks to that, we pulled out a great storyline.
No way.
-First they won’t acknowledge you and underestimate you, then you catch them off guard and land a hit! And only then do they finally recognize you. Perfect arc. Like something straight out of a comic.
“…So that’s how you edited it.”
-With source material this good, any PD who doesn’t use it is disqualified. Or should I say chef disqualified? Hahaha.
I pressed my brow at Kim Seol’s voice. Sure, making the show entertaining was a PD’s job, but I never thought I’d be the ingredient.
-Don’t worry too much. We focused on your brilliant ideas and creativity. Barely touched on the expertise stuff.
“You know exactly what I’m worried about.”
-Of course. The public’s sensitive to deception.
Right. So no backlash coming my way. That was a relief.
-Anyway~, you seem more chill than I expected. Some people freak out way more.
“I’m not that bad. Not sure about Chef Ahn, though.”
-Ah! Should’ve recorded that. Too bad~. I checked in with him earlier, and he didn’t sound thrilled. Haha. Can’t be fun having your loss broadcast nationwide, right? Might be extra prickly next shoot.
“I’ll have to watch out.”
-Yeah, do that for me. Ahaha!
Kim Seol laughed in her signature caw-like way, full of energy.
-Huang Wei’s episode will air in two parts. We’ve got next week locked in, and I’ll touch base soon about another shoot date.
“Got it. See you then.”
-Okay, take care~.
Click.
Hanging up with Kim Seol left me with a faint fatigue. Her energy was a tad overwhelming.
Knock knock.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
Jo Yi-ruk slid the door open and stepped inside.
“Were you on a call? Should I come back later?”
“Nah, it’s fine. Just wrapped up.”
I gestured for him to come in.
“It was the PD. She asked if I watched yesterday’s episode, so I said I bailed halfway through embarrassment.”
“We stuck around and watched it all. Pretty fun. Looking forward to next week’s too.”
“Everyone together?”
“Yeah. Everyone.”
“…I’ll pass.”
Ugh. Sure, our matchup was in the first episode, so the rest would focus on other chefs. Still, catching glimpses of my face was torture.
“What if the boss skips? We’re gathering to see your face.”
“I’m the one you see every day. Why watch it on screen too? You’d get sick of it.”
“Guess it’s a face that doesn’t get old.”
Jo Yi-ruk tossed the joke lightly. When did he get so cheeky?
“Phones keep ringing off the hook for you anyway. Park Deputy will compile and pass them on later.”
“Hm? For me?”
Weird. As I tilted my head, Jo Yi-ruk dropped the surprise.
“Mostly offers to appear on shows.”
“…Pardon?”
Me?
“You’re hot right now.”
He smiled like it was nothing. Wow. The power of TV.
“We’re holding most of them for now. How should we handle?”
“Compile them for me. But I’ll probably turn down most. Hint that deals might fall through.”
“Got it.”
No plans to hop on every random show yet. Time to focus on growing the company.
One fridge raid shoot was already plenty. Felt like I needed two bodies as it was.
Jo Yi-ruk plunked down some docs and fired up a PPT.
“Today’s update on the new franchises?”
“Yeah, right.”
Blinds down, projector on—created a decent vibe.
“As you see, the new stores are mostly running smooth. Sales spiked post-opening, dipped a bit, but now trending up again.”
Opening hype fades, some drop-off’s inevitable. The graph wasn’t bad.
I nodded, and he flipped slides.
“We did some undercover checks and caught a few bad apples. No terminations, but we warned and retrained them.”
“Good work. You explained the three-strike rule leads to immediate boot, right?”
“Yeah. Been clear since training.”
No issues then.
“You’re managing well. Things are going smoothly. Hitting double digits per brand already…”
“Focusing expansion on Seoul for now. Some provincial inquiries trickling in—we’ll handle those steadily.”
I nodded, satisfied. Jo Team Leader nailed it. New store locations were spot-on.
“No hitches, so regular reports ongoing.”
“Yeah. Oh, tell No Team Leader to come right after?”
Jo Yi-ruk nodded and fetched No Se-hee.
“Watched the episode. Killer stuff.”
First words on entry. I ducked my head, embarrassed.
“You’re teasing me on purpose…”
“When else would I get to rib the boss?”
Fair point.
“Couldn’t hide my joy watching. Nearly cheered out loud.”
No Se-hee’s eyes sparkled at me.
“Not sure if you planned it, but the timing was perfect.”
“Tell me about it.”
Even I was shocked.
I knew the [Raid the Fridge] concept early, but not the fine details.
Then bam—the challenge was exactly what I needed. Talk about grateful.
“Here’s the interior concept for the new outlets you mentioned. Narrowed to three options. Main color unified as red.”
The project name on the first slide gleamed under the light.
[Shanghai Spot]
Our fourth franchise: a Chinese restaurant chain.
The new item I’d tipped off Jo Yi-ruk about early. Even pre-regression, this chain raked in solid sales from small spots, like a golden goose.
“The Chinese pork stir-fry noodles from the show. And spicy jjajang with chili on top. Those two as signatures. Locations settled with Jo Team Leader.”
“Franchisees?”
“Training wrapping up. Three top performers graduating soon. Interiors done, they can open right away.”
Prep complete.
All that’s left is launch.