Gil Mok Restaurant (4)
“Wow!”
Hong PD let out a half-scream.
It was because of the appearance reflected on the broadcast camera.
S-rank Hunter Murakami Shion.
An unmistakable figure.
“W-wow.”
A siren blared loudly in Hong PD's head.
This is a scoop!
The reactions in the Gil Mok Restaurant office were no different. Nonsense echoed there.
“Th-that person?”
“Hah. Isn't that Miss Shion?”
“I-is it?”
It was rare not to recognize Shion. After all, she was a hunter with the title of 'the world's best.' It was only natural that she'd been featured in several media outlets multiple times.
“Bu-but how did Miss Shion... end up here...?”
Shion hadn't even been to Korea once before. Moreover, she was a mysterious figure who rarely appeared on Japanese TV.
‘What on earth...?’
After the initial excitement came bewilderment.
The filming crew and the on-screen personalities were flooded with questions in their minds.
Baek Jong-eon said to me without hiding his excitement.
“How did this person find out about our place and come here, yu?”
“Well, obviously to eat noodles.”
After pouring the broth over the noodles, I placed the tray on Shion's table. Shion said 'I'll eat it with pleasure' and started slurping it down.
“That’s something you can see and know! I’m curious how the famous young lady ended up here, yu.”
“Hmm, we have some acquaintance... I was thinking about how to handle this crisis.”
Shion is eating the noodles enthusiastically. Still, I had to keep my promise.
I let out a deep sigh.
“Um, representative.”
“Yes?”
“Is there a way to prevent this from being aired on broadcast?”
Jong-eon looked very bewildered. Then he nodded slightly.
“Of course. This is something outside our territory.”
“Really?”
I was even more surprised. After all, from the perspective of the broadcaster, this situation would be tempting.
“What do you think of people? If this airs on broadcast, it's obvious what will happen. We're the ones helping the president, not the ones causing trouble, yu.”
“Wow...”
This is the mindset of a successful person?
Impressive. I looked at him with genuine respect...
Slap!
He patted my back and said.
“But you have to charge for the noodles!”
He stuck to his will!
Shion finished the noodles and stood in front of the counter.
“Shopkeeper. Check.”
“Eh. It's fine.”
Offering free noodles to Shion wasn't empty talk. Because the benefit to her was enormous.
But Shion shook her head.
“No. If you ate, you have to pay.”
“...Well, it's fine. After all, you gave it to me for free.”
“Shion, I have money. No need to worry.”
Shion's Korean language skills were improving. Not perfect, but she could use sentences to some extent.
That was that.
There was no reason not to accept the money being offered. I nodded.
“If you want to, pay. It's your free will.”
“Yeah.”
Shion inserted her card, then pressed the number.
1. 0000000…….
?
She pressed a huge number of zeros.
A beep sounded, and a receipt was printed.
I looked at the receipt with confused eyes.
One, ten, hundred, thousand...
Thousand?
Shion calculated ten million won!
“Yah, this crazy...”
No matter how much of a villainous president I was, I couldn't receive ten million won.
Confused, I tried to argue, but Jong-eon seemed even more bewildered and instead argued for me.
“Hey. Can I ask just one thing?”
No. Upon closer look, this was not just bewilderment, but 'interest'.
“What? Shion. Busy.”
“...Please.”
“...Understood.”
Shion looked at him as if asking what?
Jong-eon said.
“Do you think this noodle shop's noodles are really worth ten million won? Or did you see the value of this person?”
An ambiguous question. Shion answered without hesitation.
“The noodles were delicious. That's all.”
“...Eh?”
“...Hmm.”
Shion covered her mouth with her small hand and muttered.
“Of course, there are other things too.”
“Other things?”
“...When you eat noodles here, your stats increase.”
“...!”
“Yah, this...!”
I hit my forehead with a thud.
Shion looked up at me with pure pupils.
It was just that I gave her a stat increase potion as a bonus because I was grateful, but she spilled it?
“...I see. That means it was that impressive, right?”
“Yeah. It was impressive. Delicious.”
Jong-eon looked at me with a serious face and said.
“Seonghun.”
“Yes?”
“...Can you give me one bowl of noodles?”
“Noodles, I can give you, but you already ate one bowl...”
“Not that.”
He said firmly, like a shaman.
“Give me something proper. Until I finish eating that, I can't move a single step from here.”
Then he sat at the table with a firm face and started eating.
'As expected, a master from the underworld...!'
It seemed he realized that the noodles I gave were roughly made.
It was an action that stimulated a man's pride. I entered the kitchen with my eyebrows twitching.
'I need to show some skill.'
Honestly, I was a bit sorry.
Offering just ordinary food to a personally liked person.
Anyway, if I request editing, it would be fine.
I need to serve a proper dish.
I rolled up my shirt sleeves.
“The dish you ordered is ready.”
I placed the noodles lightly on Baek Jong-eon's table.
“Thank you, yu.”
Baek Jong-eon stared at the noodles with wide eyes.
“It's different.”
“Yes?”
“The color of the broth.”
'Did you notice that?'
Honestly, I was a bit surprised.
Visually, it didn't differ that much.
As expected, S-rank chef Baek Jong-eon.
“It was boiled longer, and the concentration is different. The noodles seem to be made more chewy. It should taste good. You don't have to eat it to know. How could this noodles not taste good.”
“But please try it. It will be a bit different from the noodles you ate before.”
“I was thinking of trying it anyway, yu.”
He nodded, then took a big spoonful of broth and ate it.
And then, after a moment of surprise, he started slurping the noodles without saying anything.
The inside of the store was filled only with Baek Jong-eon's chopstick sounds and slurp sounds.
“Um, representative?”
The camera director, unable to bear it, looked at Baek Jong-eon.
“...You need to give a line.”
“...”
But Jong-eon kept eating the noodles as if he couldn't hear the voice.
And.
-Clack!
He placed the cleanly emptied bowl on the table.
I watched the scene with a warm feeling and quietly opened my mouth.
“Did it suit your taste?”
“...It was delicious, yu.”
“I'm glad.”
“President.”
“Yes?”
“How did you do that?”
Baek Jong-eon narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
“This noodles. As far as I know, the broth is boiled only with anchovies. Why does it have more umami than regular noodles? Did you add something else? Also, it relieves fatigue a bit and gives energy. Did you use medicine? How did you catch the smell?”
It was completely different from what I'd seen so far.
He had a face full of excitement.
“I made it with my own care, isn't that right?”
'...I can't tell the truth.'
The noodles I cooked just now contained a lot of the precious potions I brought last time.
Not only fatigue recovery, but also stamina increasing potions.
Since he ate it as a normal person, the effect would be maximized.
Since he's my fan, I gave a small gift.
“Is it a secret? Good. I won't get slapped on the back.”
He gave a bitter smile for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
“President.”
“Yes?”
“I'll be direct. Will you do business with me?”
“...Business?”
“I have a piece of land in Jeju Island. I want to open a noodle shop there and run it? I can guarantee it will do well. Later, you might have to eat in front of the shop with a tent, yu?”
“Thank you for the words, but I'll decline.”
'Why do such tiring things?'
No matter how good the money is, a free life is the best.
Of course, freedom comes from money, but I already have economic freedom.
...More importantly, until Chae-won graduates, I can't leave this neighborhood.
“It's a shame. I ate well today.”
He smiled as if he knew that, piik.
“That means the filming is over here, right?”
“Yeah. It seems there won't be any solution for me here.”
'Yes!'
I cheered inwardly.
It was the word I wanted to hear the most from Jong-eon.
If it was the original plan, I would have become the villain and prevented him from coming to the shop.
Or I was going to receive a solution abandonment diagnosis.
But with just one bowl of noodles, the solution became unnecessary.
'I should have given a bowl of noodles earlier. This is too simple.'
“Ah, representative. The filming portion today is not going to be aired, right?”
Since Gil Mok Restaurant is Baek's representative.
With his influence, it would be enough not to air it.
“Don't worry, yu. It will be completely edited. There won't be any trouble for the president.”
“Thank you. Representative.”
Baek Jong-eon representative said 'it's okay' and walked towards the entrance.
“Since you ate, you have to pay, right?”
“You don't have to. I'm grateful just for coming.”
He ignored my words and started inputting 0 on the card machine.
-Beep beep!
Many beeps sounded, but it was hard to see exactly how much was entered.
A receipt came out with a long beep, and he handed me the receipt.
'Crazy! 5 million won?'
I rubbed my eyes and looked at the receipt.
The amount on the receipt was 5 million won.
I didn't open the noodle shop with the intention of making a lot of money.
Somehow, it seems like I'm making more money than when I decided to make money.
“Keep this as a memento. The amount is not much, but.”
“No, it's a lot. I don't need to pay this much...”
“These days, people call this 'friend fee,' right? It's to mean we'll see each other often, so don't be burdened, yu.”
He smiled kindly and waved his hand.
“Now, I'll go. If I become popular later, you have to give me one of my noodles separately, right?”
I smiled and bowed my head.
“Don't worry. Thank you.”
“See you later, yu.”
When Jong-eon was about to wave his hand and leave the store.
“Representative. Can't we just eat one bowl of noodles each? We're very hungry.”
The filming staff's eyes sparkled.
“Eat it at the next filming location. No time.”
“...”
Late at night.
SPS Broadcasting Station editing team.
“...It's a shame.”
“What's the shame?”
“If we just air the filming portion today, the ratings would be amazing. Baek Jong-eon representative showing such a reaction is the first time... In addition, S-rank Hunter Shion.”
“Don't be ashamed, it's already broadcasted.”
“...No choice.... Huh?”
“I said don't be ashamed.”
“No, not that, the next sentence.”
“It's already broadcasted?”
The man jumped up from his chair and shouted loudly.
“Senior! What are you trying to do? Clearly, Baek Jong-eon representative said to cut all the broadcasting portion today!”
“Yah, brat, Baek representative is a business owner. Not a broadcasting station writer or PD.”
“But if Baek representative finds out, he might resign from the program!”
Editing responsible Hong Junsik smiled and crossed his legs.
“Already, the PD and director have finished talking. I just did as instructed from above.”
“...Then?”
“The broadcast will air as is. That shop will now pay for it. Gil Mok Restaurant will achieve record-breaking ratings. Win-win, right?”
“What will Baek representative say if he finds out... but is this okay...?”
Hong Junsik crossed his arms and smiled wickedly.
“What do you know? The owner of that noodle shop will like it. Where is there a person who doesn't like becoming famous?”
“That's true.”
Neither of them knew what impact this incident would have in the future.