Crispy on the Outside, Chewy on the Inside

After returning to the academy with the constables of the Podo-amun and the investigation team from the Murim Alliance, we headed straight for the Maeunghojeon.

The remnants of the Double Axe Sect were locked up in the prison in Poeun County, while the most important figures—the merchant guild's branch leader and the Drunken King, Hapdan—were detained at the Maeunghojeon.

Thus, Constable Leader Jang Chil and Investigation Team Leader Zhuge Bi bickered back and forth as they dragged the branch leader into an interrogation room.

"My question comes first!"

"Ahem, step aside, Constable!"

"How old even are you?!"

"What does age have to do with any of this?!"

The sharp voices of the two men interrogating the branch leader leaked through the door.

Geez, even the academy freshmen wouldn't play around so childishly.

"How are those two doing?"

While waiting for the interrogation to finish, we asked the nearby Tiger Brigade Leader.

Contrary to the image conjured by her title as the academy's security chief, the Tiger Brigade Leader was a woman, standing slightly taller than Seonwoo Seol.

Though she possessed the delicate features of a woman in her late twenties, her build was exceptionally athletic and well-disciplined.

"The branch leader has his mouth shut tight, and as for that Drunken King fellow... well, I don't know..."

"Is there a problem?"

"He looks like an old man who has spent his entire life in forced labor. He doesn't answer a single question, and he can't even feed himself, so my squad members have to spoon-feed him thin gruel."

Since his dantian had been shattered, his body—which had been sustained by demonic arts—must have completely broken down. He was technically alive, but it would be difficult for him to function like a normal human being.

"Did you say the demonic art the Drunken King learned was the Shadow Soul Undying Palm?"

"Yes. I went to the place where he was staying just a moment ago, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the manual for the demonic art."

"Hmm. Team Leader Zhuge must be having a rough time."

"Do you know Team Leader Zhuge Bi?"

"Of course. He was a student here at the academy, so I know him well. I've watched him since the day he first enrolled."

"Is that so? He seemed to have quite an age gap with Instructor Jegal Mu."

At my question, Seonwoo Seol chimed in.

"Instructor Jegal Mu and I were in the same year. We weren't particularly close, though. I heard Zhuge Bi graduated before I even entered the academy."

Wait a minute. Let me do some quick math.

Since Seonwoo Seol and Jegal Mu were in the same year, that meant the two instructors were in their eighth year since entering the academy, right? And Zhuge Bi graduated before Jegal Mu and Seonwoo Seol even enrolled. But if the Tiger Brigade Leader saw Zhuge Bi enroll...

"Brigade Leader. By any chance, your age... or rather, your esteemed age is..."

"Head of the Inner and Outer Dining Halls."

"Yes?"

"One does not carelessly ask a lady her age."

True to her nature as a martial artist, the Tiger Brigade Leader was practically radiating bloodlust toward me. If I pushed any further, she wouldn't just lock me up; she would slaughter me on the spot.

"Ah, right. Of course."

Ahem, better change the subject.

"Anyway, it's about time for lunch. Aren't the members of the Tiger Brigade eating?"

In truth, if this were the Inner and Outer Dining Halls, lunch would have already ended. However, knowing that the Tiger Brigade ate later than everyone else, I asked.

"It is indeed almost time to eat. But the signal is a bit late today."

"Ah, you mean the bell?"

"Can you hear it all the way from the academic halls?"

"Of course. You can probably hear it from the Outer and Inner Dining Halls too, right, Chef Yoon?"

"Yes, sometimes we even hear the thundering footsteps of the Tiger Brigade running along with the sound of the bell."

I probably shouldn't mention that every lunch and dinner, the Tiger Brigade members sprint while shouting, "Hell yeah, food!"

The Tiger Brigade didn't belong to the student body or the faculty; they were more like the academy's standing army. As such, they didn't eat at the Inner and Outer Dining Halls but had their meals prepared separately at the Maeunghojeon. The bell was the signal that their food was ready. For the record, it wasn't a light, tinny clanging, but a heavy, resonant *gong*.

Yet, there was no sound of the bell today. It should have rung by now.

As Seonwoo Seol, the Tiger Brigade Leader, and I waited in silence, someone suddenly rushed out of the Maeunghojeon carrying another person on his back.

"Out of the way! Out of the way! Emergency patient!"

"Oh dear, Officer! Please, hurry!"

"I'll show you the true speed of my lightfoot technique!"

Looking closely, a Tiger Brigade member was sprinting out with a civilian on his back.

What on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠earth is going on?

While Seonwoo Seol and I stared blankly, the Tiger Brigade Leader pinched the bridge of her nose and shouted.

"How disgraceful in front of our guests... What in the world is all this commotion about?!"

"Ah, Brigade Leader!"

A young squad member, who had been following the one carrying the civilian, scurried over to the Tiger Brigade Leader.

"Well, the chef was trying to prepare Water Snake Porridge when he got bitten by a viper!"

"He got bitten by a snake while trying to make what? Water..."

"Water Snake Porridge, ma'am."

Judging by the way she tilted her head, the Tiger Brigade Leader had clearly never heard of the dish before. I had only heard of it in passing myself.

"Chef Yoon, do you know what that is?"

"Uh... I've only heard the name, but it refers to a porridge made with snake meat. It's said to be excellent for stamina and restoration. They eat it quite often in Guangdong."

"It tastes similar to chicken. But it has too many bones, making it a hassle to eat."

"Huh? You've tried it too, Lady Seonwoo?"

"Yes. They said it was good for the body."

Seonwoo Seol's form is insane. I guess you have to eat snake meat to rise to the position of the Little Heavenly Demon.

"Stop looking at me with those weird eyes! Don't look at me like I'm some kind of freak!"

"When did I ever look at you like that? Then, have you tried rat meat too?"

"I don't eat things like that! I only forced myself to eat the snake meat because they said it was good for building internal energy!"

Meanwhile, the Tiger Brigade Leader stroked her chin with a look of pity, seemingly worried about the carted-off chef.

"I did ask him to prepare something healthy since the scorching summer is just around the corner, but I certainly didn't expect snake porridge."

The Tiger Brigade Leader shook her head, her voice tinged with slight aversion. It was understandable; people from regions that didn't eat snake meat usually found it off-putting.

Wait, isn't this a serious problem?

I pointed out the one glaring issue that everyone else had overlooked.

"Brigade Leader, now that the Maeunghojeon chef has been carried away, who is going to cook?"

"Hmm?"

The Tiger Brigade Leader stared blankly at my words before her jaw dropped as realization struck her.

"Ah!"

"Treating viper venom will take at least half a day. No one will be able to cook until dinner."

Since the physician in the infirmary was also a martial artist, they could cure it in half a day by infusing internal energy. But they probably wouldn't go that far unless it was a dire emergency.

"It's impossible to find a replacement chef on such short notice..."

Food was equivalent to combat power. For the Tiger Brigade Leader, who understood the vital importance of meals, the presence of a chef was crucial.

Yet, Seonwoo Seol simply shrugged, completely unbothered by the leader's distress.

Is she going to tell them to just starve for a few days, like a true Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult?

"But a replacement chef is right here, isn't he?"

Huh? Seonwoo Seol suddenly pointed at me.

"Chef Yoon, get back to your day job."

"Hey, I finally managed to get some time off. You want me to cook here too?"

"Complaining like that doesn't work at all when you're grinning, you know?"

Ah, did she catch on?

To be honest, I had been bored out of my mind while staying in the infirmary for the past few days. There was a famous quote about practice left behind by a certain maestro: If I don't practice for one day, I know. If I don't practice for two days, my wife knows. If I don't practice for three days, the audience knows. I had been thinking that resting for too long wasn't good and wanted to cook something simple, though I hadn't expected to do it in someone else's kitchen.

"Is anyone inside?"

"Oh, Head of the Inner and Outer Dining Halls! What brings you here?"

When I entered the kitchen, a few kitchen hands were standing around with their hands folded, looking lost.

"I came to help investigate the recent incident... and heard your chef got bitten by a snake."

"We repeatedly warned him that he had to choose a non-venomous snake for the Water Snake Porridge, but he insisted that venomous ones have better medicinal effects..."

"That chef isn't from Guangdong, is he?"

"No, sir..."

I could easily picture it. He had probably bought a snake thinking it would be good for the body, and then *chomp!* got bitten while trying to prep it. The physician at the academy's infirmary was highly skilled, so since he was taken there immediately, he wouldn't die. And having brushed past death, he probably wouldn't pull a stunt like this again.

Looking around the kitchen, which somehow reminded me of a military mess hall, I scanned the neatly arranged utensils and asked,

"Do you have any other ingredients besides snake? Meat, preferably."

"As it happens, a fresh batch of plump chickens arrived today. Quite a lot of them, too."

"Chicken, huh?"

Chicken is a universal ingredient. It has been a beloved source of food from ancient times to the present, used in almost every culture unless meat-eating was strictly forbidden. Consequently, countless ways to prepare chicken exist: boiling, grilling, poaching, braising, steaming, stir-frying...

"And deep-frying?"

"Pardon? Chief Chef, what do you mean by that?"

I had spoken my thoughts aloud without realizing it. Since a certain dish had crossed my mind, I decided to see if it was feasible.

"Ah, no, nothing. By any chance, do you have wheat flour and starch?"

"The Tiger Brigade members love wheat-based foods, so we keep a larger stock of flour here than other places. I'll have to look for the starch, but we should have some."

"What about cooking oil?"

"We have two mal of soybean oil."

"May I use it?"

"Who dare stop you when the Chief Chef himself wants to use it?"

Even if the Mutual Righteousness Academy had a massive budget to spare, soybean oil was fundamentally expensive. Since I was using it of my own accord, I would have to reimburse them later. Regardless, two *mal* of soybean oil would be more than enough.

After slicing open the raw chickens and washing them thoroughly, I gave instructions to the kitchen hands.

"First, let's chop the chickens into pieces."

The chickens of this era were a bit tough. While tearing into a whole roasted chicken with bare hands had its own wild appeal, cutting them into bite-sized pieces would be best. Seeing the size of the pieces I cut, the kitchen hands followed suit and chopped the rest of the chickens to match.

Next was the garlic. Grabbing a handful of garlic that someone had meticulously peeled, I enclosed it tightly in my hands, leaving no gaps.

*Sssssss...!*

Just as I had roasted the bracken ferns before, I infused the garlic with my Yang energy. Pure white steam hissed out from the gaps of my rapidly heating hands. It was the moisture escaping from the garlic.

"Cough, cough!"

Wow, that is incredibly pungent. Tears welled up in my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes. Doing this transformed the garlic into shriveled, dried cloves. I squeezed my hands shut, crushing them completely into a fine powder. Repeating this process three or four more times, I gathered a heap of garlic powder and mixed it thoroughly into the flour prepared by the kitchen hands. Adding salt and starch to the mix, the batter powder was finally complete.

"Could it be...?"

"You get the picture, right?"

The kitchen hand nodded vigorously.

It would have been even better if I had brined the meat beforehand, but since we're short on time, this will have to do.

"Bring me a large tray and a strainer to drain them."

Now, all that was left was to coat the chicken pieces evenly with the batter powder and drop them into the boiling oil.

"This seems a bit different from the usual cooking methods."

"Preparing it this way makes it an absolute delicacy. It's also delicious if you mix this powder with water to make a wet batter before frying."

Though the preparation was relatively simple, the cost was astronomical. Even kings during the Joseon Dynasty could rarely afford to eat *pogye* regularly.

*Ssssssssshh...!*

The chicken pieces turned a beautiful golden-brown inside the black cauldron. At a glance, they were frying up so beautifully and crisply that they looked like modern crispy fried chicken. Only by thoroughly wiping away the moisture from the raw chicken could one achieve this flower-like, flaky crust.

Looking at this makes me want to hoard all this chicken for myself.

As the freshly fried chicken was piled onto the trays, forming a mountain that resembled a small hill, the kitchen hands swallowed hard. The fried chicken, reborn in the Central Plains—or as they called it here, *jakgye*—was complete.

"Chicken... I mean, jakgye doesn't taste good once it gets cold, so go ring the bell quickly."

"Yes!"

As the kitchen hand ran off to ring the bell, the Tiger Brigade members, who had been waiting eagerly, rushed in and took their seats in the dining hall.

"Wait, the chef was carried away, so who cooked this?"

"I heard the Head Chef of the Inner and Outer Dining Halls made it himself."

"Whoa, we finally get to taste his legendary cooking?"

"Serving the jakgye! It's piping hot, so watch out, everyone!"

Alongside the kitchen hands, I carried the trays and set the chicken down on the tables. Just then, Seonwoo Seol and the Tiger Brigade Leader entered, their eyes widening in shock at the sight of the massive mountain of chicken piled high on the tables.

"Ch-Chef Yoon! Are you telling me all of this is jakgye?"

Her voice was a mix of bewilderment and distress. As the person responsible for the Tiger Brigade's budget, she couldn't seem to accept spending such expensive ingredients on a single meal.

"When else would you get to eat something like this? I'll cover the cost of the soybean oil and flour, so please, eat to your heart's content."

"W-Well, if you say so, but..."

"Brigade Leader, let's just forget about all that and eat. Like Chef Yoon said, when else are we going to get a chance like this?"

At Seonwoo Seol's coaxing, the Tiger Brigade Leader finally gave in and sat down. However, the Tiger Brigade members didn't immediately pounce on the chicken. I had expected a chaotic feeding frenzy, so why were they holding back?

"Why aren't you eating?"

When I asked a nearby squad member, he whispered back.

"We can only eat after the Brigade Leader takes the first bite..."

Ah.

As expected, they're basically a military unit. The subordinates couldn't touch the food until their superior did.

"Everyone, begin your meal."

"Yes, ma'am!"

With those words, the Tiger Brigade members lunged at the chicken.

*Crunch, crunch!*

The sound of shattering crispy crust filled the Maeunghojeon.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Yet, no one spoke a word. Everyone froze for a brief second before suddenly turning into beasts, grabbing the chicken in front of them and inhaling it endlessly. Wondering why they were so quiet, I looked around, only for a nearby squad member to mumble with his cheeks stuffed full.

"I wish... this jakgye would never pass down my throat."

"Is it really that good?"

He nodded vigorously. Not only that squad member, but all the others sitting nearby nodded in unison.

Thinking they might be exaggerating, I picked up a piece and took a bite, only to instantly understand why. A shattering, crispy crust unlike anything ever tasted in the Central Plains. And hidden beneath that crust was a perfectly salty, savory, and sharp kick. They say anything tastes good when deep-fried, but the marriage of chicken skin and crispy batter had to be at the absolute pinnacle of all fried foods.

Furthermore, instead of the young, tender chickens commonly eaten in Korea, these were older, free-range chickens with a naturally chewy texture, making the meat incredibly springy and firm. Combined with this robust meat, it created a fried chicken with an exceptionally satisfying bite. Even though I was the one who made it, the result far exceeded my expectations.

"This is absolutely mind-blowing."

The garlic powder was truly a stroke of genius. The spicy, pungent garlic completely cut through the greasy richness that could have easily become cloying. The outcome was spectacular. Seonwoo Seol, who kept muttering, "It's just fried chicken, so why is it this delicious?" was devouring it, and even the Tiger Brigade Leader was eating like a woman possessed.

Ah, if only I had some cold beer to go with this. And maybe some sweet and spicy sauce to dip it in.

Next time, I would have to make seasoned spicy chicken—starting from scratch by fermenting the red chili paste properly.

As the sound of crunching chicken echoed throughout the Maeunghojeon and a warm sense of pride washed over me, a voice called out from outside.

"Chef Yoon, are you in there?"

It was Jang Chil calling for me.

Wondering what was going on, I stepped outside the Maeunghojeon, only for my expression to instantly freeze. For standing before me was someone I had never expected to see so soon, yet had desperately wished to find.

"I heard from the Head of the Western Hall... that you wanted this man, Chef Yoon. Is that correct?"

"..."

A man was kneeling beside Jang Chil. At first, I couldn't even recognize him. His ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠topknot was completely disheveled, and his hair hung down, obscuring his entire face. I reached out and brushed the matted hair aside, and only then did his identity become clear.

"Geum Ho...?"

Bound tightly in red arrest ropes, Geum Ho knelt before me. Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey, Geum Ho."

"Y-Yoon Gomyung..."

Geum Ho replied in a trembling voice. The man who used to obsess over keeping his appearance pristine looked no better than a beggar.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean for things to turn out like this..."

"It's fine, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Geum Ho."

I nodded slowly, speaking in a gentle, understanding tone.

"Anyone can make a mistake."

"Are you... forgiving me...?"

"Forgiveness?"

Do I look like I've lost my mind, you bastard?

Clenching my left fist, I whispered softly to Geum Ho.

"You have to pay for your crimes."

"W-Wait a minute...!"

I wasn't going to hold back anymore. No, I couldn't. Before Geum Ho could utter another word—

*CRACK!*

"Gah!"

I shattered his jaw with a devastating punch.