The Hotel Has a Famous Restaurant
Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon spent a good while reading the Ilhyeon Hotel feature in the magazine with clear amusement, then read one of the articles aloud.
Ilhyeon Hotel of the Republic of Korea is home to a restaurant that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Michelin, the global standard for fine dining. The food here is of world-class caliber and has raised our country's gourmet scene by a full step.
He lifted his gaze to Chief of Staff Hwang Do-beom.
"Is this Michelin thing really that impressive?"
"I only learned about it while looking into this myself. It carries considerable authority—restaurants are even ranked by the stars Michelin awards them."
"But the restaurant at Ilhyeon Hotel hasn't received any of those Michelin stars yet, has it? Doesn't that mean it isn't quite at that level?"
"No, sir. Michelin simply hasn't entered Korea yet, so the place hasn't been listed in the guide. That was the consensus among most gourmets. In terms of pure quality, they say it would rank among the very best even within Michelin itself."
"So the food really is that good, then?"
"Yes. That much, at least, is certain."
Hearing Hwang Do-beom's answer, Lee Tak-hyeon tossed the magazine onto the desk.
Thud.
Similar magazines lay scattered beside it. Every open page carried a story about the restaurant at Ilhyeon Hotel.
Lee Tak-hyeon swept his eyes across the spread and spoke.
"Did Son-in-law Kim put these out?"
"Yes. An associate of his—an Assistant Manager named Jo—contacted each media outlet and handed them the Ilhyeon Hotel pieces."
"Handed them the pieces?"
Lee Tak-hyeon murmured a fragment of Hwang's report, then looked at him again.
"So you're telling me Son-in-law Kim fed the press the story material himself?"
"Yes. That's what I was told."
"Haha."
Lee Tak-hyeon gave a light, amused laugh. He looked down at the open magazines once more.
"Knowing how to handle the press… the boy has some skill."
The corner of his mouth curved upward.
"It's not simply asking them to write something. Handing them the material yourself is another level entirely."
"I'm still astonished that Director Kim even thought of it. Anyone who didn't know better would have sworn he had a decade of media experience."
Hwang Do-beom ran a hand across one of the magazines as he continued.
"And he didn't plant it in just one outlet. Every paper and magazine ran the story at the same time."
He shook his head as if the feat still impressed him.
"Normally a man asks a reporter for a favor and simply checks that the piece appears. Director Kim designed everything—from the content of the articles down to the exact timing of their release. Looking only at his media handling, he feels less like a ten-year veteran and more like a twenty-year one."
Lee Tak-hyeon listened with that same amused smile.
"You seem thoroughly impressed by this one, Chief Hwang. Do you like Son-in-law Kim's choice this time?"
"'Like' doesn't begin to cover it. If it were up to me, I'd pull him into the secretariat this very day and put him to work beside me."
"Is that so?"
Having kept Hwang Do-beom at his side for so many years, Lee Tak-hyeon knew the assessment was no empty flattery. This was not a casual "well done"—it carried the weight of genuine, almost moved admiration.
Sensing that feeling, Lee Tak-hyeon looked down at the magazines again.
"Interesting. So it's really that delicious, is it?"
Still gazing at the magazines, he gave the order.
"Make a reservation."
"Where shall I book, sir?"
"We'll start with Chinese. Reserve a table at the Chinese restaurant."
"Understood."
As Hwang Do-beom confirmed the order, Lee Tak-hyeon murmured to himself,
"A hotel whose restaurant is growing famous… how entertaining."
The corner of his mouth lifted once more as he studied the photograph of the chef printed in the magazine and quietly smiled.
"Dad, how long has it been since we came out together like this?"
Lee Gyeong-eun linked her arm through Lee Tak-hyeon's with a bright, happy face as they entered the hotel. Chu Suk-ja followed close behind and immediately began surveying the lobby.
"Nothing special about it."
She clicked her tongue as if the place looked no different from the last time she had visited.
"Tsk. Everyone kept saying it had changed so dramatically, so I came expecting something… What exactly has that Kim boy done?"
"Mother."
Still on her father's arm, Lee Gyeong-eun turned and frowned at Chu Suk-ja.
"Please don't. Seong-ho has been working so hard for this hotel. Even you heard the stories about how much better it's become, didn't you? If the news reached your ears, you can imagine how hard he must have pushed. Don't talk that way about someone who's been working himself to the bone."
"You…"
Chu Suk-ja was about to snap at her daughter when she spotted a group approaching them and swallowed the rest. She lowered her voice instead.
"Stop defending only your husband."
Displeased by the open favoritism, she delivered the rebuke and then fixed her hurried gaze on the general manager who had come rushing over.
The general manager bowed deeply to Lee Tak-hyeon.
"Chairman. You've arrived."
"Yes. It's been a while. You've been well, I trust?"
"Thanks to the Chairman's consideration, I have been."
Lee Tak-hyeon answered the greeting with a light smile and cast an eye around the hotel.
"There are definitely more people than the last time I came."
"Since Director Kim overhauled the hotel, it has been growing steadily. Every employee at Ilhyeon Hotel is aiming for the absolute best. We will reclaim the title of Korea's finest hotel and present it to you before long."
"Good."
Lee Tak-hyeon nodded, then looked past the general manager.
"And Director Kim? Is he busy?"
"Yes, sir. He's in a meeting about selecting a new supplier for the hotel. He said he will come straight to the Chinese restaurant the moment it ends, so please allow me to escort you first."
"Hahaha. I hope I haven't barged in while he's buried in work."
"Not at all. The Chairman's visits are always welcome."
The general manager bowed again and extended a hand forward.
"Then allow me to show you to the restaurant."
"Lead on."
Lee Tak-hyeon nodded and followed him toward the Chinese restaurant. When they arrived, every chef—from the executive chef in charge down to the youngest cook—had lined up to greet him.
"Making a fuss just because I was coming. Listen, General Manager."
"Yes, Chairman."
"Don't do this next time. What will the other guests think?"
"My apologies. It will not happen again."
The general manager apologized, waved the staff back to their stations, and guided Lee Tak-hyeon into a private room.
Settling into his seat, Lee Tak-hyeon looked around with open satisfaction.
"You put this together better than I expected. It looks very much like a restaurant I visited in Beijing."
Pleased by the appearance of the Chinese restaurant, he offered the praise first, then placed his order at once.
"You know my palate, General Manager?"
"Yes, sir. I do. We'll begin by preparing the gyoza right away."
"Good."
The general manager swallowed dryly. The very reason Lee Tak-hyeon had stopped visiting Ilhyeon Hotel years ago had been the gyoza. After tasting them once, the Chairman had simply never returned—and from that moment the hotel had begun its long decline. Determined never to let history repeat itself, the general manager bowed and left the room.
Once he was gone, Chu Suk-ja surveyed the private room and gave a dismissive snort.
"Well… they did make it look decent enough."
"It's famous among my friends these days too. They even ran a special feature in the magazines—didn't you see it?"
"What good is a hotel if the food tastes good? The rooms have to be excellent. And…"
Chu Suk-ja trailed off and glanced sideways at her husband. Too many harsh words might bring Lee Tak-hyeon's wrath down on her head, so she bit back the rest of what she wanted to say.
"Forget it. Let's stop."
Lee Gyeong-eun had no desire to quarrel with her mother in front of her father either; she turned her face away as if in agreement. Mother and daughter looked out the window for a moment. Shortly afterward the door opened and the executive chef himself entered carrying a plate of gyoza.
"The gyoza you ordered, Chairman."
He set the plate carefully before the three of them, then stepped back and waited like a student awaiting a grade.
Lee Tak-hyeon examined the dumplings from every angle before speaking.
"Hand-made?"
"Yes. Two hundred pieces a day—from the wrappers to the filling—everything is done by hand."
"Only two hundred. If you don't come early, you might never taste them."
"Yes. They're sold as a limited quantity and usually sell out during lunch service."
"I see."
Lee Tak-hyeon nodded, lifted his chopsticks, and picked up a dumpling. He placed it in his mouth and began to taste it. Chu Suk-ja and Lee Gyeong-eun followed suit.
"Oh my!"
Lee Gyeong-eun covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide with surprise. Chu Suk-ja too opened her eyes wide and stared at the executive chef. Smiling faintly at their reactions, he began to explain how the dumplings had been made.
"Director Kim ordered us to buy every famous gyoza in the country and completely reverse-engineer them."
"Reverse-engineer?"
Lee Tak-hyeon wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and looked at the chef. The man continued under that gaze.
"We analyzed everything—the size of the meat pieces inside the dumplings, the types of vegetables, even the condition of the water used in the steamer."
"Every famous dumpling house in the country?"
The general manager, who had been listening quietly, added a quiet word of support.
"Not only the entire country. We also examined every renowned dumpling from Taiwan and mainland China."
"Taiwan and China as well?"
Lee Tak-hyeon gave a light laugh and looked across the table at Chu Suk-ja and Lee Gyeong-eun. While he had been speaking, both women had already finished every dumpling on their own plates and were now eyeing the ones still sitting in front of him. Watching the two of them instinctively covet his share, Lee Tak-hyeon let out a short chuckle and pushed his plate toward Lee Gyeong-eun.
She accepted it with a delighted face, then shot a sidelong glance at her mother. Under Chu Suk-ja's silent demand for a share, Lee Gyeong-eun wore a look of reluctant sacrifice, split the remaining dumplings with her mother, and proceeded to finish even her father's portion.
The executive chef watched Lee Tak-hyeon give away his own share and asked in a voice full of worry,
"Did they… not meet your expectations?"
He had heard that Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon's palate was famously exacting; for a moment he feared even these dumplings had failed to satisfy it.
Lee Tak-hyeon looked at the tense chef and shook his head.
"No. They were excellent."
After that brief verdict he turned to the general manager waiting behind him.
"There's a Japanese restaurant next door, isn't there?"
"Yes."
"Bring me a few pieces of sushi from there."
"Understood."
The general manager found the request odd—Lee Tak-hyeon had made a proper reservation like any other guest when he came to the Chinese restaurant, yet now he was casually ordering sushi from the Japanese side—but he erased the doubt and hurried off.
By the time he returned carrying a plate of five pieces prepared by the Japanese restaurant's executive chef, Kim Seong-ho had already arrived in the room. Kim Seong-ho rose, took the plate from the general manager, and gave him a quiet look of thanks. He set the sushi before Lee Tak-hyeon and explained it himself.
"The sushi was handled the same way—thickness and weight of the fish, stickiness of the rice and number of grains, amount of wasabi inside, even the soy sauce served with it. We researched every famous Japanese restaurant and created the sushi that best suits Korean tastes."
Kim Seong-ho lifted the chopsticks and held them out to Lee Tak-hyeon.
"Please try one. I believe you'll be pleased."
Looking at the confident face of Kim Seong-ho, Lee Tak-hyeon picked up a piece of sushi.