Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Purpose of the Table (1)
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Jin Ho-yeon had no intention of going easy.
Eighteen years in the comprehensive butcher business. From his clueless twenties all the way to now, staring down forty, his life had been a straight path in the food industry.
He had his own philosophy on the matter.
It was always admirable when young folks jumped into the cooking business. But if they wanted to make even a modest living, they needed real skill. Especially for a one-man operation.
'I'm sorry for testing you, bro, but it's all for your own good. If your skills seem lacking, I'll have to give it to you straight.'
'Even if you leave our shop, if it's just a pipe dream, I have to set you right as a senior in the food biz.'
Jin Ho-yeon took pride in his own palate. He believed that keeping his business, [Red Pig], afloat all these years was thanks to his taste buds and hard work.
Even in a butcher shop, he never skimped on the side dishes. Green onion salad, seasoned vegetables, even the complimentary stew.
All of them made with the shop's own secret recipes.
So he figured he knew a thing or two about cooking.
"Joo-hyun-ah, bro's hungry. How much longer?"
"Oh, no! It'll be ready soon~."
For once, Song Joo-hyun's voice cracked.
'What? Is he nervous 'cause he's cooking for me? Kid, if you're like this already, how're you gonna run a business?'
Jin Ho-yeon was already worried before even tasting it.
Meanwhile, Song Joo-hyun sensed a subtle change in himself. Dizziness hit, and he felt foggy like he'd been put under general anesthesia.
He thought he might pass out from anemia or something.
But nothing like that happened. Instead, a strange confidence welled up from his gut.
'What is this...? Why does standing in the kitchen suddenly feel so familiar?'
With no issues in his body, he decided to focus on the cooking. Getting rattled now would be a huge loss.
Jin Ho-yeon had pledged to help with the business. He didn't want to miss the chance to have him as an ally.
The first ingredient that caught his eye among the materials was a tomato.
The kitchen Auntieie had nagged the boss to stock Family Mart size ones for skin care, and they looked perfect for use.
'Tomatoes are killer when heated up, that umami is top-notch. Maybe... ramen with this?'
Ramen was hands-down Song Joo-hyun's most confident dish. Plus, it had endless variations.
What could beat ramen as a midnight snack anyway?
'This ramen's gonna be different from last time's bone broth one.'
As he peered closely at the tomato, all sorts of info flooded his mind.
'What? Why do I just know how ripe this tomato is?'
That level of deep knowledge wasn't in Song Joo-hyun's head before.
But the moment he held the red tomato, he intuitively knew its ripeness, like simple addition and subtraction.
Perfect ripeness.
If underripe, the acidity would overpower the ramen, but this was spot-on.
First, he coated the pot with olive oil.
Drizzle—
The thick olive scent pierced his nose. A reassuring aroma that relaxed his shoulders.
Medium heat.
Before the pan heated, he sliced the bacon.
Slice slice slice—!
'What? My knife skills feel even sharper?!'
Not just uniform thickness, but faster too. Jin Ho-yeon, peeking from beyond the kitchen, was mildly surprised.
"Oho, what's this, Song Joo-hyun? Nice knife work. Guess I taught you well."
He tossed in a casual comment and returned to his seat.
Must've been bored. Cute guy.
Dropped the bacon and a spoonful of minced garlic into the hot pan.
Sizzle—! The moisture from the ingredients evaporated against the oil.
A rebellious sound.
'This one's gonna need some onion and tomato to tame it.'
He alternated between stir-frying and chopping.
Skilled chef-like hand movements. Free and natural, like a veteran kitchen pro.
'Feels like I'm cooking better than usual?'
Onions fine dice, tomatoes chunky!
Onions first to infuse the oil with sweetness. Tomatoes later, plop—
The tomatoes melted in the heat, quickly turning mushy. The pan was soon swimming in liquid.
With soft browned bacon dotted throughout, it looked like some European countryside soup.
'Tomatoes have so much water, this alone could boil a full ramen.'
He added ramen soup base to the red tomato broth, now a lake of flavor. Taste verified.
Song Joo-hyun took a sip.
"Mm, fucking delicious."
He let a curse slip. Bacon, onion, garlic blending in oil, tomato flesh melting into a solid yet deep broth.
Dynamite-level umami!
The ramen base added saltiness and spice.
Broth alone was nearly perfect. Could even mix in rice.
'But something's 2% off. What's missing?'
.....
Egg.
Not raw, though. The answer was fried.
Lit another burner, grabbed a small pan.
Fry-up was easy.
But Song Joo-hyun wanted it half-done.
Cracked the egg gently onto the flat pan.
'Crack it on the edge and the yolk breaks, ruins my mood.'
Pepper mill out, grind grind!
The satisfying crack of peppercorns, dusting the half-cooked egg with cute specks.
Like first snow falling gently.
When the ramen noodles were perfectly chewy, he tilted the egg pan and casually plopped it atop the pot.
Visual complete.
Tomato Egg Ramen.
Song Joo-hyun's original creation.
An impromptu recipe, unsure if it'd suit Jin Ho-yeon's tastes, but the flavor was guaranteed.
He grabbed the hot handle with a towel and dashed to table one where Boss Jin Ho-yeon waited.
Chopsticks already set by Jin Ho-yeon.
"Hey, what, you whipped this up quick and it's just ramen? Kinda disappointing... What, you going into snack food?"
"Eat first, then talk."
Song Joo-hyun was firm for once.
He had that much confidence.
"The smell's killer, though. Sniff sniff— Wait, this isn't just ramen with bacon and a fried egg? Tomato...?"
Jin Ho-yeon was flustered but inwardly thought it wasn't a bad choice.
Tomatoes were fine raw, but in broth like this, the sourness faded, sweetness and umami ramped up.
'Honestly, I'm curious how it tastes... Ramen this late, I can't resist.'
Smartphone clock read [21:43].
Steam rising fluffily, tomato's gentle aroma wrapping his nose. Ripe off-the-vine scent.
Saliva dam about to burst. Tongue at risk of flooding.
He snatched chopsticks and stabbed the pot. Unavoidable. Hands moved on their own.
Scooped soft egg with noodles, slurp!
"Whoaaa... Fucking tasty, this."
He pondered a moment, then stood.
Straight to the shop fridge.
"Sorry. Can't hold back."
Grabbed a sales beer pronto.
Brought it to the table, hooked spoon on the lid, popped it with leverage!
Jin Ho-yeon's experience shone.
"Boss, you never touch the shop beer usually."
"Hey, you tried this?"
"Tasted it, yeah."
"Then you get it? How do you eat this and not crack a beer? I'll restock the fridge later."
Slurp— slurppp...
Jin Ho-yeon devoured it like melting snow.
Chewy noodles and soft egg textures tussling with molars.
Broth begging for lips, plus lingering buzz from yesterday's beer.
Had to gulp it down.
But opening another beer was a massive trap. Also unavoidable.
That's the taste.
"Hey, Joo-hyun-ah."
"Yeah?"
"Sell this. I'll come eat it all the time."
"Gotta think on that... Plus, this menu just hit me today."
"This is a menu you just came up with?!"
Jin Ho-yeon couldn't help but be shocked.
The combo was perfect.
Egg and tomato balance.
Onion, bacon, tomato chunks meshed like harmonious siblings, no clashing in the mouth.
But Song Joo-hyun wasn't the type to lie about that.
The process of making it was spontaneous too.
Mixing shop ingredients quick needed improvisation, sure.
Jin Ho-yeon had to concede, and next words burst out.
"Song Joo-hyun, you were born to run a restaurant, for real."
As sincere as the Tomato Egg Ramen.
**
[22:12]
Only the digital clock on the lock screen blinked stubbornly. That flicker felt like it was urging me on.
Talking with the boss made time slip by.
Normally the chat would've dragged longer, but mentioning Yoon-seule made him say it was best to head out today.
He even showed real intent to help properly.
Questions like,
"Where you planning to open, what neighborhood?"
"Gonna handle kitchen and floor solo?"
Core, crucial stuff he asked readily, seeming ready to scout around for me.
All important, sure, but my mind was preoccupied right now.
I'd left her at the used bookstore nearly half the day, so I felt bad for Yoon-seule and sorry to Uncle Kang.
Honestly, without my connection to Uncle Kang, it wouldn't have been possible.
Gotta treat him to a meal next time.
At least Red Pig and the used bookstore were a quick 10-minute walk.
Didn't take long to arrive.
Slide-clunk!
At the used bookstore, Yoon-seule and the uncle were playing with the toy car they'd set aside that morning.
Good. Her face didn't look too down.
"Yoon-seul-ah, sorry... I took too long, huh?"
"Uh... Oppa."
Thud thud thud—
Her rUnnieng steps seemed a bit listless.
Tired from waiting here all day?
She buried into my legs fluffily. Face right in my pant leg, like a puppy.
"Waited for Yoon-seule..."
"Aigoo, I made you wait too long? Sorry, sorry. Bored today?"
"Nah, fun."
"Fun~"
Yeah, figured.
Uncle Kang must've laid out all the shop's toys on the floor and played a round with her.
Even if she said that, he was probably bummed and worried deep down. Gotta take her somewhere nice later.
"Took a nap, woke up 30 minutes ago. Wasn't too wiped out."
Ah... Gave her a nap.
Looked like on the counter sofa.
The leather dipped just right where her little body had been.
But naptime this late? Hope she'll sleep okay at home later.
I scooped Yoon-seule up in both arms. Still five, light enough to carry.
Seemed half-asleep still, so straight home like this.
Lifted her up, she nestled securely against my neck. Chest tickled.
Physically. Emotionally.
"Uncle, thanks for watching her today. I'll treat you to a meal next time, come over to our place."
"Nah, no need for a meal. I like kids anyway, was happy to help."
"No, just grateful. Plus, got stuff I wanna talk about with you."
"? Well, sure. If Song Joo-hyun's treating, who am I to say no."
"Thanks! I'll hit you up next time!"
Wrapped up and left the used bookstore.
Grateful for the day's watch, of course...
But something bigger loomed.
"Decided on a restaurant, gotta pick the menu."
Gonna share some with our eating show prodigy Yoon-seule too.
Somehow, carrying her in my arms felt lighter than usual. That's why they say kids are "precious as the apple of your eye."
Sister, not kid, but still.