A New Talent Opens
A small Japanese restaurant in Namyangju, just a little over twenty pyeong in size.
It was a real restaurant, but today the place had been cleared out for a film shoot.
“Hello. I’m Kang Seo-jun, here to film as the chef.”
“Oh, yes, yes. The director told us. This way, please.”
The assistant director greeted me politely and led me in.
Once I stepped inside, I spotted the man busily directing the crew and handling the set.
“Senior. Actor Kang Seo-jun is here.”
“Oh, Seo-jun. Good to see you here.”
Director Shin Seung-won.
It was the same man I’d met at the campsite.
He spread both arms in welcome and shook my hand warmly.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. Of course. Still, seeing you on set changes the whole feeling.”
“Is that so?”
When I’d seen him at the campsite, he had just seemed like an ordinary middle-aged man with a scruffy beard who didn’t bother to shave.
But here on set, he looked more professional, more like some artist tormented by his own thoughts.
There was a reason people said a place shaped the person.
“The person you were with last time...”
“That guy’s the location manager, so he doesn’t come to the set.”
“Ah, I see.”
I glanced around just in case and asked, “Could I ask something?”
I’d wondered whether Choi Kang-san might be here, sticking his nose where it didn’t belong again.
Fortunately, there wasn’t even a shadow of him anywhere.
“Is there something you’d like to know?”
“No, I was just wondering if I knew anyone here.”
“...”
“Anyway, I just need to cook over there, right?”
“That’s right. As we explained ahead of time, we’ll keep cutting and restarting for the shots, but you don’t need to worry about that. Just keep cooking like you would in a real restaurant kitchen.”
“Got it. Just like I’m in a real kitchen.”
“Exactly. We’ll time the insert shots and arrange the filming around that. The assistant director over there will give you the cue, and you’ll just provide the food to the actors then.”
“Understood. I’ll get ready.”
“Yes. We’re counting on you.”
As I went into the kitchen alone, three staff members trailed in behind me.
“Chef, would you need any equipment from us for the setup?”
“No, this is fine. I can work with what’s here.”
“Yes...”
The way they treated me felt somewhere between chef and actor, and it was oddly complicated.
Kind of nice, kind of embarrassing.
It really is different from when I came as an extra.
If I was going to deserve that treatment, I had to do this without making a single mistake.
Instead of a fryer, I poured oil into the iron pot and turned on the heat.
Fwoooosh!
Sure enough, since this had been a functioning restaurant, the heat was no joke.
While the oil warmed, I looked out at the set.
The cast really is different.
I’d heard that even though this was a commercial film, the budget wasn’t exactly huge.
In the drama I’d appeared in last time, there had been plenty of famous faces, but here most of the actors were people I didn’t know at all.
Some of them I’d only seen as supporting characters on TV, and if I looked up the names, they turned out to be newcomers.
Still, there’s one person I do know.
Actor Kim Mu-hwan, who played the lead in this film.
He was around forty-nine or fifty this year, I guessed.
Among middle-aged actors, he was fairly well known.
He usually played fatherly or older man roles.
Whatever else he is, I remember one thing for sure: his acting is top-tier.
Whether it was sitcoms, serious dramas, or historical pieces, he always turned in a strong performance.
He even spoke dialect fluently, moving easily between Jeolla and Gyeongsang styles.
But the reason I’d come to know him in the first place was something else.
“Hyung, there’s this actor I really like, and that’s senior Kim Mu-hwan. He’s a genuinely great guy too... especially because his wife runs a really huge business in all sorts of fields, so I’d love to introduce him. But that hyung of mine doesn’t really like meeting new people. If I get the chance later, I’ll definitely make it happen.”
That was how many times Choi Kang-san had gone on and on praising Kim Mu-hwan.
If Kang-san approved of someone, there was no way they could be anything but a solid person.
I’d been curious, and now I was meeting him like this.
Still, he had such a strong aura that he looked hard to approach, let alone get friendly with.
He was completely focused on his role, and I got the feeling I shouldn’t interrupt him for no reason.
Even now he was looking over the script and concentrating hard, mentally preparing himself.
According to today’s scene, Kim Mu-hwan, a director at a large corporation, was having a secret meeting with a junior employee from his own line.
I didn’t have the full script before or after, so I couldn’t say exactly what was going on.
Still, it probably had something to do with office politics.
Honestly, that part didn’t matter.
From my perspective, all I had to do was fry the food.
Sizzle.
“Oh, crap.”
Smoke had started rising from the oil before I knew it.
I’d gotten so distracted watching the set that I’d let my guard down.
I added more oil and lowered the temperature to a proper level.
All right. Let’s get serious.
***
Actor Kim Mu-hwan had over thirty years of experience.
If I had to describe him in one phrase, he was a fortress of an actor.
Usually, as actors got older, they grew complacent or arrogant and started neglecting script study, but he was the opposite. He was the type who studied and dissected every line with even more effort than a rookie.
His acting was also textbook perfect.
He had never once improvised.
He performed only what was in the script.
He never overdid the emotion, and he never underplayed it either.
He carried out the director’s instructions with complete discipline.
This production was no different.
He followed the script faithfully, nothing more and nothing less.
“Ready... action!”
A tavern far from the company.
Kim Mu-hwan, an executive director at a major corporation.
And Park, his man.
It was a meeting with a trusted aide he’d worked with for over a decade, but the mood was grim.
“You didn’t know that bastard in the executive office was up to something dangerous?”
“I’m sorry. I should have paid more attention...”
“He’s moving through Sales Team 2. You’re in Team 1. You should’ve been watching him more closely, shouldn’t you?”
Kim Mu-hwan let his anger burn hot.
“You should’ve put on the director title by now too. How much longer are you going to keep dragging this out?”
“...”
The atmosphere was vicious.
It wouldn’t have been strange if he’d smashed a bottle right then and there.
“Haa...”
Kim Mu-hwan let out a deep sigh and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Director, I’ll work harder.”
Trying to smooth things over, Park carefully lifted his glass.
“Let’s steady ourselves and have a drink.”
Kim Mu-hwan picked up his glass as if reluctantly conceding.
At just the right moment, the chef, Kang Seo-jun, held out a plate of fried food.
This was the moment where, while eating the tempura, an incredible idea would suddenly occur to him, one that could somehow break them out of their current bind.
Park carefully took a piece with his chopsticks and placed it in Kim Mu-hwan’s mouth.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and bit down on the tempura.
Crack!
It was so crisp that even the sound of it crunching made the sound director smile without meaning to.
But that wasn’t the whole story.
“!?”
The real problem was Kim Mu-hwan himself.
The seasoning on the tempura was perfect.
He hadn’t even dipped it in soy sauce or salt, but the crispness was so flawless it was like it had been brined, and the texture teased his tongue.
At the same time, the rich savoriness of shrimp flooded his mouth.
It was plump and springy, with a texture that somehow seemed to combine the chewy bite of raw shrimp with the juicy bounce of cooked shrimp.
Maybe that was why.
“What the hell is this?” Kim Mu-hwan shouted without thinking.
“Why is it this good?”
He stared so wide-eyed that he had to look away from the camera and at the tempura itself.
“What on earth is this tempura...”
And at that exact moment.
“Cut! NG!”
The director called for a retake.
“Ah...”
Only then did Kim Mu-hwan come back to his senses.
I was in the middle of filming...
The instant he bit into the tempura, his reason had simply flown off somewhere.
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Mu-hwan bowed quickly.
“It was so delicious I lost myself for a moment.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Watching that, Director Shin Seung-won only smiled.
He knew exactly how good that tempura tasted, so even Kim Mu-hwan’s shock was easy to understand.
The rest of the staff, of course, were another matter.
Actor Kim Mu-hwan is reacting like that?
I’ve never even seen senior Mu-hwan swear before...
That dignified old-school veteran?
No way. Is it really that good?
It does look amazing.
And the sound is insane too.
They were curious, of course.
“We’ll go again right away.”
At the director’s cue, everyone focused back on the shoot.
The acting flowed smoothly on.
“Director, I’ll work harder. Let’s steady ourselves and have a drink.”
The same moment that had gone NG before.
Crunch.
Kim Mu-hwan bit into the tempura and smiled again.
The same wave of awe returned, but this time he was expecting it, so he wasn’t startled.
Wait, once I think about the frying...?
Fortunately, there was no second mistake, and the line was delivered perfectly.
But the problem wasn’t solved.
Crunch!
The actor playing Park took one bite from the tempura across from him, and immediately.
“...”
He stared blankly, his mouth hanging open as though he’d slipped into some kind of blissful trance.
Kim Mu-hwan looked at him, but...
“...”
Park seemed to have no intention of saying his line at all and simply closed his eyes, savoring the tempura.
“Cut, NG!”
He didn’t even seem to hear the director’s signal and just kept reveling in the food.
“Actor Park Seong-taek? Seong-taek? Seong-taek!”
Only after the director called his real name did he answer one beat late.
“Yes?”
“Ah... Sorry. I got so lost after eating the tempura...”
Only then did everyone’s gaze turn toward the kitchen.
Churrrrrrr-!
Even now, the tempura was frying into a perfect golden color.
Just how good is it, exactly...?
Both Kim Mu-hwan and Park Seong-taek are losing their minds over it?
Gulp.
I’d settle for just one bite.
In the end, because of the tempura’s effect, it took three takes before...
“Cut, okay!”
The shot finally passed.
“Take fifteen minutes, then we’ll go into the next scene.”
Normally, this was when the staff would head to the restroom or the waiting room.
But as if they’d been waiting for it, they all crowded into the kitchen.
Golden tempura was steaming gently.
But because of the break, no one could eat it, and it was cooling down fast.
Even so, the staff still couldn’t quite bring themselves to take a bite.
On a film set, food was a prop too, so if you handled it carelessly, it could cause real trouble.
Seeing that, Kang Seo-jun scratched his head.
“Ah, if we leave it for fifteen minutes, the tempura’ll get cold and won’t taste good.”
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Director, can we give this to the staff?”
At his words, Director Shin Seung-won came over as if he’d been waiting for the question.
“Do you have enough ingredients?”
“Yes, plenty.”
“Then by all means.”
Kang Seo-jun smiled and held out the tempura.
While the staff exchanged glances, Director Shin was the first to take one and eat it.
Nom.
“It really is delicious...”
Starting with him, the staff instantly reached for the tempura too.
“Thank you for the food.”
“Thank you!”
“I’ll eat well!”
The staff crowded in and grabbed tempura.
And at that moment...
Delicious...
They were swept up in the burst of savoriness exploding in their mouths.
Yeah, no wonder the actors kept NG’ing...
One of the staff members asked with a genuinely curious look.
“Chef, may I ask which restaurant you work at? I’d really like to go and eat there.”
“I’m not a chef. I’m just an office worker...”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yes. It’s just a hobby.”
“Amazing...”
It wasn’t only the staff enjoying the feast.
“You’re Kang Seo-jun, right?”
Actor Kim Mu-hwan had also come over at some point and was eating the tempura.
“Sorry, but do you not do this professionally? Like, a pop-up store or something...”
“I don’t have plans like that.”
“That’s a real shame. I’d love for my family to taste this too...”
Looking at Kim Mu-hwan’s expression, I could tell he meant it.
He looked so genuinely disappointed that I almost felt bad for him.
This might be a chance to get closer...
Since he was someone Choi Kang-san had praised so highly, I’d wanted to meet him in private at least once too.
“Then would you maybe like to stop by my workshop sometime?”
“Your workshop?”
“Yes. It’s a private studio, and I can cook there too.”
I showed him a few photos I’d taken beforehand.
“There’s even a draft beer machine... and, well, a bunch of other stuff.”
“I’m really allowed to go?”
Kim Mu-hwan asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Of course. By the way, do you know actor Choi Kang-san?”
“You know Kang-san?”
“We’re close, like brothers. I thought it might be nice if the three of us got together sometime.”
The wariness vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by warmth.
“Ah, then even better.”
Kim Mu-hwan became even more eager.
“I’ll get a date through Kang-san and contact you.”
“Yes. That sounds good.”
Another connection had been added to the list.
Still, he’d said his wife ran a big business. I wondered what field she was in.
***
Should I make business cards?
I’d been feeling the need for them for a few days now.
If I was meeting people through my main job, a card that said “Kang Seo-jun, Assistant Manager at HR Vision” explained everything.
But when I met people through side jobs and had to set up meetings, giving out my phone number and workshop address one by one was pretty annoying, not to mention embarrassing.
That tedious process was exactly what business cards were for.
Now that I’ve even set up a corporation, there’s no reason I can’t have business cards too.
Still, printing Side-Hustle Bear Co. CEO Kang Seo-jun on them felt deeply awkward.
It was only a one-man business, after all. Calling myself president felt a little too red-faced.
But I do want to keep the feel of a side hustle...
After thinking it over for a while, I came up with a decent name.
Okay, let’s go with that.
A few days later, the package arrived.
[Side-Hustling Kang Seo-jun]
- Contact: 010-xxxx-xxxx
- Workshop Address: Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul...
- Business Proposal Email: [email protected]
I’d even put my SNS and YouTube addresses on it.
That’s how everyone did it these days.
I’d been debating whether to print cards or not, but I think they came out well.
Holding the new cards, I liked the crisp, firm feel of them.
It almost felt like I had a new affiliation outside my main job.
“Now this is a proper side hustle.”
Since I’d even made business cards, what kind of side job should I try next?
As if answering that question for me.
Ding-!
A new notification rang out.
Eleventh talent unlocked.
Driving.
“...Huh?”