Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: I'm Not a Stalker, For Real (2)
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I returned to the restaurant, my hands full of bulgogi meat from the market.
It was time to start prepping for the lunch rush.
"Oppa, should Yoon-seul help out a little?"
"Nah, I'm good today."
"Got it."
My little sister was in the corner of the dining area, pulling a toy car out of a drawer and rolling it around on the table.
This was how she played by herself when I couldn't keep her company.
Our shop had toys scattered around for all sorts of reasons, so the 5-year-old didn't have much chance to get bored.
The pork belly prep was second nature now, so I could handle it solo.
The real priority was.
"Green Onion Bulgogi prep."
It was the menu I'd settled on from the start—simple, with a guaranteed solid flavor.
I could've just called it bulgogi, but I added "green onion" up front because I wanted to make the green onions taste just as good as the meat.
The green onions took precedence over the bulgogi.
I trimmed the roots off the green onions and sliced them at even intervals.
About 5cm each.
Once they were cut, I eyeballed them next to the 5-year-old, who was off playing by herself.
"If there are twenty-one of these, they'd be just as tall as our little one at home."
I lined up the vertically sliced green onions and made dense crosshatches from the top down. Tedious, boring repetition.
But.
"This keeps the texture alive."
No way I was skipping it out of laziness.
It was the first day back to business after vacation.
I wanted to showcase a menu I'd put real effort into.
Especially these green onions—they'd get a light char on the outside and served as a garnish-like flourish on the plate.
That made me want to pay extra attention.
Bulgogi was similar to pork belly.
I sliced it into bite-sized pieces and marinated it briefly in soy sauce and sugar.
The sugar in there relaxed the tension in the top round cut used for the bulgogi meat, softening the texture.
Once lunch prep was done and it was time to open,
A customer peeking in from outside the door caught my eye.
We still had about five minutes till opening, but no need to ignore them outright.
"Yoon-seul, could you tell that customer to come in and wait inside? It's hot out there."
"Yoon-seul accepts mission!"
She gave a crisp salute, set down the toy car, and headed for the entrance.
The AC was on inside the restaurant, and with August weather outside, this way they'd sweat less.
"Come on in!"
- Huh? You're not open yet.
"It's fine! Come on in! Oppa says it's okay."
- Oppa? Oh, you're talking about the boss prepping ingredients inside. In that case, excuse me. Cutie.
"I'm not a cutie, I'm Yoon-seul."
- Right, Yoon-seul. Hmm... Yoon-seul? Nice name. Note... note...
The customer, a guy with a bushy head of hair, hurriedly typed something into his smartphone as he ambled inside.
His fingers were flying.
"Welcome."
- Yes, hello. Whoa, that AC feels amazing! I can breathe again.
Quite the unique greeting.
Even as he spoke, his eyes stayed glued to his phone—like someone who couldn't let go of it even on the subway.
"Want to order ahead?"
- Ooh, yeah. That means I get to eat first, right?
"Looks like it."
He was the only one waiting outside.
It wasn't even noon yet, so not peak hours.
Around noon plus five minutes, office workers and locals with jobs nearby would start pouring in, and that's when things got busy.
- Then, the daily special, please. I heard this place is super popular around here? They say the boss's cooking is top-notch.
"Ah... not really. I'll make it as tasty as I can."
- I'm hyped. Don't let me down, or everyone bails.
"Bails?"
- Oh, I mean... just nonsense.
"Ah, sure."
You usually said "bail" when getting off a bus or something. What was he trying to say?
Or maybe he meant dropping a serial story midway. Was that it?
Hard to tell.
He settled at the counter, still fiddling with his phone nonstop.
I pulled out the marinated bulgogi, set it aside, and stir-fried the green onions first.
The 5cm chunks went into an oiled pan, rolling around until they browned appetizingly with Maillard reaction notes.
Plus, the scallion oil was fragrant.
Add the bulgogi on top and stir-fry to finish.
I'd mixed pepper into the marinade, so it'd have a nice kick.
Green Onion Bulgogi complete.
I served it to the customer.
- Whoa, killer presentation. Mind if I take pics? Cool?
"Yeah, go ahead."
I said take your time, but.
Click.
Click-click.
Click-click-click.
Multi-angles, even burst shots a few times.
At first, I pegged him for a blogger.
- The visuals are all in the green onions. Bulgogi's just bulgogi, but these fat chunks charred brown like that? Makes it look way tastier.
"Haha. Enjoy."
He twitched his eyebrows, voice buzzing with excitement as he critiqued the dish.
Not many customers this lively—definitely unique.
"Our Oppa's food is the best. This uncle knows his stuff!"
Yoon-seul nodded from the side.
Then licked her lips like she wanted a taste.
"Yoon-seul, tell me when you're hungry later. I'll make you some."
"Good."
One fluent "good" in English, plus a thumbs-up banked.
The customer ate greedily yet swiftly.
Reminded me of when I gave Rui an apple slice.
After snapping all his pics, he grabbed chopsticks and spoon in both hands and inhaled.
Pausing every bite to exclaim in wonder.
Crunch crunch on the green onions.
- Mmm! Green onions! Why so tender?
Smack smack on the meat.
- Ooh... premium meat? No off-flavors at all. Real deal.
He came alone but sure talked a lot.
Normally, Yoon-seul sidled up to solo diners for chit-chat.
Not today.
He was muttering to himself, eating happily—no easy opening.
He switched to a spoon and polished off the bowl in five minutes flat.
Our record for longest solo meal was held by big eater Baek Su-in.
This guy was gUnnieng for shortest.
- Mmm! Delicious. Boss, it was seriously good, so... mind if I ask a favor?
"Sure, what's up?"
- Where to start... This Green Onion Bulgogi— you haven't patented it or anything, right?
"No way, it's standard. Recipes don't have copyrights anyway."
- Right? That's what I figured. So, could you share the recipe?
"The recipe?"
- Yep! Curious how you get this texture and flavor.
He clasped his hands together and bowed his head.
Polite enough, but his freshness made me wonder his age.
Just then, Yoon-seul crossed her arms, lips pursed in clear displeasure.
Something definitely rubbed her wrong.
"He comes to our shop to eat, then asks for recipes elsewhere. Oppa's cooking is what makes it tasty!"
- No, no, that's not it. I'm not gonna open a shop with it or anything. Or just eat it at home.
"Hmm? Then what?"
- Check this first? Both of you.
He set his phone on the counter.
Notes crammed every which way.
File names all quirky.
[Character Sculpting]
[Memorable Payoff]
[Manuscript Plot]
[Next Work Ideas]
"Oppa, what's this?"
"Not sure... Do you write novels?"
- Bingo! Nothing to brag about, but that's why I want the recipe. Working on a manuscript heavy on cooking elements. Wanna feature this dish.
Random, but kinda fun.
Wasn't some special recipe anyway.
Still, imagining my exact method in a novel sounded cool.
Plenty of time before the next wave, so no issue.
"Sure, I'll tell you. Not complicated."
- Awesome, thanks!
I focused on key steps from the prep.
Dense crosshatches preserve scallion crunch. Char them like burning to max aroma.
- Wow, cooking really is science. Every step has a reason. Crosshatching sounds tedious.
"Sometimes it is. But you loved it, right?"
- Yeah, totally.
"That's what matters. I'm in it for the long haul. Customer satisfaction over my hassle."
- Dang, cool. More than just good looks.
[Onui Tycoon!]
[Customer moved by service.]
[Fantasy Web Novel Writer Hwang Chi-ho: Restaurant satisfaction up 26%!]
[Total Satisfaction: 26%]
Nice satisfaction boost.
Atmosphere had leveled up a few times before, so it jumped an extra 6% beyond normal.
- I just moved nearby. Quiet neighborhood, super nice.
"Yeah, we're not locals, but after a few months here, I get it. Great walks, market close by, big mart not far."
- Right? Feels like a smart pick. Last place was first floor—manuscript work was noisy hell.
Good personality.
But a tad too chatty.
Personality test? First letter E for sure. Extroverted novelists weren't the norm.
- Oh, and take this.
Hwang Chi-ho rummaged in his wallet and handed me a gift certificate.
Looking close.
"Huh? Isn't this for local use around here?"
- Yep. But only at the market. Government thing to boost market trade. I skip markets, so use it for ingredients or whatever. You shared a recipe, after all.
This guy.
Talky, quirky, but solid.
Handing over a 50,000-won certificate like that.
"Ooh! Oppa can buy more meat with this."
"Yeah. Thanks!"
As Hwang Chi-ho paid and headed out,
A massive exhaust roar echoed from afar.
I'd heard it enough times to know who it was—me and Yoon-seul both.