Then What Should We Do?
The cold dawn air wrapped around West Lake. Though the heated fervor of yesterday’s preliminaries had yet to fully cool, the West Lake Number One Inn greeted an ordinary, quiet morning as always.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The steady rhythm of a knife came from the kitchen. Kang Yeon was preparing breakfast as usual. Still bearing the title of assistant chef, Muk Hyang-ru carefully prepped ingredients at his side. Not long ago, as the Food God’s chief disciple, his pride had soared to the heavens, but the man standing there now was completely transformed.
“It’s been a while since I prepped ingredients myself. Brings back the old days. Feels good.”
He remembered the passionate days when he first learned to cook. Back then, simply being able to cook had made him truly happy.
“But the dishes we sell here are a bit unfamiliar. Is this the right way to prep the ingredients?”
Muk Hyang-ru asked carefully. Kang Yeon nodded.
“Yeah, you’re doing fine. For the chives, clean the root end a little more thoroughly. If any dirt remains, it’ll feel gritty when you chew.”
“I see.”
It had been so long since he handled ingredients himself that such small differences had not caught his eye. Muk Hyang-ru trimmed the chives with even greater care. After spending a full day watching Kang Yeon as an assistant chef, he had realized that what deepened a dish was precisely this kind of meticulous attention.
Just then, Jo Seol entered the kitchen, yawning.
“Ugh… Oppa, you’re already at it? Ah, Muk Hyang-ru-nim is here early too.”
Sleep still clung to Jo Seol’s face, but her expression soon grew serious.
“Oppa, this is really the last competition. Aren’t you going to prepare for real? I heard the other contestants are going crazy trying to win.”
Kang Yeon cracked an egg as he answered calmly.
“I’m not the type to cram at the last minute.”
Jo Seol shook her head as if he were hopeless.
“Honestly… I can’t do anything about that easygoing personality of yours, Oppa.”
“Seol-ah.”
Kang Yeon gently cut her off.
“What have I always told you? Cooking is about the heart. If you force something, you end up losing the original flavor.”
Muk Hyang-ru nodded.
“That’s right. After watching all day yesterday, I can see it clearly. At the foundation of Chef Kang’s cooking lies a sense of peace.”
Jo Seol still looked anxious.
“Even so, I’m worried… maybe something special…”
“Special dishes?”
Kang Yeon chuckled.
“Every dish I make is special. Because I put my whole heart into making them for the guests.”
Just then, Jin Mu-gyeong came down from the second floor. He seemed to have gotten up earlier than usual; his hair was a bit mussed.
“Yeon-ah, let’s talk for a moment.”
Jin Mu-gyeong’s expression was unusual. Kang Yeon washed his hands and nodded.
“What’s going on?”
“I gathered some information last night… Geumsudo is preparing a secret dish.”
Jin Mu-gyeong lowered his voice.
“They say he obtained a legendary fish called the Golden Dragon-scale Fish. A precious thing that appears maybe once in a hundred years.”
Muk Hyang-ru looked shocked.
“Golden Dragon-scale Fish? That’s an ingredient even the imperial court has trouble obtaining…”
Jin Mu-gyeong nodded.
“That’s not all. Chef Cheong-yeon obtained a thousand-year snow lotus, and Baek Mi-rang strengthened her secret seasoning from the old shop even further.”
Jo Seol grew even more worried at that.
“Then we should get some special ingredients too…”
“No need.”
Kang Yeon said firmly.
“I already have the finest ingredient. Sincerity.”
Muk Hyang-ru looked impressed.
“At this point, it’s admirable. So this was the mindset…”
“However.”
When Kang Yeon spoke, everyone paid attention. He grinned.
“If it becomes necessary, I have plenty of useful ingredients myself.”
Just then, a commotion could be heard outside.
“Huh? What is it?”
Jo Seol approached the window. Her eyes went wide.
“Oppa! Look outside!”
Everyone crowded to the window. In front of the inn stood a luxurious carriage adorned with lavish decorations—golden borders, silk curtains, and four fine horses pulling the massive carriage.
“Isn’t that… an imperial carriage?”
Jin Mu-gyeong looked surprised.
“Why would an imperial carriage come here at dawn?”
A person alighted from the carriage. Wearing a deep head covering that hid the face, the identity was unknown, but the dignified gait and luxurious attire made it clear this was someone of considerable status.
Knock knock knock.
Though it was not yet opening time, a knock came at the inn door. While everyone tensed, only Kang Yeon opened the door as usual.
“Welcome. What would you like to eat?”
The figure, who also wore a mask over the covering, quietly entered the inn and sat in the most secluded seat.
“It’s rather early, but is Chef Kang Yeon prepared?”
It was a calm voice laced with authority. Kang Yeon nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Only then did the figure reveal their identity. Instantly, the inn fell silent.
“Yun… Lord Yun Tae-ho!”
Jo Seol cried out in shock. The Imperial Gourmet Appraiser Yun Tae-ho had come to the inn in person. Nang Hyeon and Muk Hyang-ru stood frozen, and even Jin Mu-gyeong could not hide his fluster. But Kang Yeon remained natural as ever.
“Greetings, Lord Yun. What brings you to our inn?”
“Isn’t the reason obvious if one has come to an inn?”
Kang Yeon asked.
“It’s before business hours, you see. So what shall I make for you?”
Yun Tae-ho smiled faintly.
“As expected… just as the rumors said. You don’t even flinch at the sight of me.”
This was, after all, the Imperial Gourmet Appraiser. Any other inn would have been thrown into complete chaos by now.
“A guest is a guest. High status or low, it makes no difference to me. I simply do my utmost to serve the best dish.”
At Kang Yeon’s calm reply, Yun Tae-ho nodded.
“An excellent attitude. In truth, I wanted to taste Chef Kang’s cooking once more on a personal basis.”
“What dish would you like?”
Yun Tae-ho thought for a moment before speaking.
“Make me the most ordinary food. Nothing fancy.”
It was an unusual order, but Kang Yeon nodded as if it were only natural.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Kang Yeon headed to the kitchen and began taking out ingredients. Soybean paste, tofu, green onions, radish… utterly ordinary ingredients.
Yun Tae-ho looked toward the kitchen and said,
“Make it delicious. I’m rather hungry, you see.”
Muk Hyang-ru approached Kang Yeon.
“Are you really going to cook with this?”
“Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?”
“No… but even so…”
Kang Yeon grinned.
“It’s fine. This is someone who can encounter lavish cuisine anytime he wants.”
“Well… that is true.”
Kang Yeon began boiling soybean paste stew. Along with the bubbling sound, a savory aroma filled the inn. Yun Tae-ho inhaled the scent and closed his eyes.
“This smell… it reminds me of my childhood.”
“Your childhood, sir?”
Jo Seol asked carefully.
“Yes. I come from commoner origins, you see. It’s very similar to the smell of the yellow paste stew my mother used to make.”
What Kang Yeon was making was doenjang, not yellow paste. But since the two pastes shared a similar base, Yun Tae-ho had thought of it as yellow paste.
Yun Tae-ho’s eyes grew moist.
“After gaining power and status… I had forgotten this ordinary taste.”
Presently, Kang Yeon brought out the soybean paste stew and barley rice. It was an utterly humble spread, yet deep sincerity was contained within it.
“It’s ready. Please try it.”
“Very well.”
Yun Tae-ho took the first spoonful and put it in his mouth. In that instant, his pupils trembled.
“This… is not simple yellow paste stew? The taste is somehow different.”
As expected of the Imperial Gourmet Appraiser, Yun Tae-ho’s palate was sharp. He had sensed the difference between yellow paste and doenjang.
“It’s a special paste fermented in my own way. The flavor is deeper and more savory.”
Yun Tae-ho tried another bite and spoke in a moved voice.
“It feels as if you tailored yesterday’s nostalgia dish to me. My mother’s cooking… the warmth of home… everything is contained just as it was. Truly remarkable.”
“It’s the taste I always pursue. A taste that warms the heart even if it isn’t flashy.”
As Yun Tae-ho continued eating the stew, he said,
“You are truly a special chef. But in the final match… you may face more difficult opponents than expected.”
“What do you mean?”
Yun Tae-ho wore a meaningful expression.
“Sometimes elements other than cooking can intervene, is what I mean.”
“Ah. Are you referring to that incident when someone tried to interfere while I was heating the oil?”
Yun Tae-ho looked slightly surprised.
“You noticed that as well?”
“Of course. When someone tries to play tricks using internal energy, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice.”
“Hmm… so that was it. But be careful. You may have trained in martial arts yourself, but the opponent is truly formidable…”
Fearing any further words might influence the competition, Yun Tae-ho stopped speaking. Kang Yeon answered calmly.
“It wouldn’t do for me to hear words that could affect the judging here. And if something like that happens again, I’ll deal with it then. All I can do is cook to the best of my ability.”
Yun Tae-ho nodded.
“Excellent. But remember just one thing.”
Rising, Yun Tae-ho spoke seriously.
“Do not lose your culinary philosophy. No matter what wealth or glory appears before your eyes, I hope the heart that creates this cooking never changes.”
“Don’t worry. My cooking will never change.”
Yun Tae-ho smiled in satisfaction.
“Then that’s settled. The final match… I shall look forward to it.”
Yun Tae-ho put the mask back on and stood. Then he handed Kang Yeon a small pouch.
“For the meal.”
When Kang Yeon opened the pouch, there were ten nyang of gold inside. An enormous sum for a single bowl of soybean paste stew.
“You’ve given far too much.”
“No. For a dish that moved me this much, it is a fitting price.”
At the door, Yun Tae-ho turned back one last time and said,
“I hope you win. Ah. Of course, the judging will be fair.”
After the carriage disappeared, a deep silence settled over the inn. Jin Mu-gyeong spoke first.
“Yeon-ah, I suddenly have a hunch. Something complicated is going to happen.”
“Mm. I agree.”
Kang Yeon recalled the subtle energy he had felt that day. At the time he had thought someone was playing a small prank, but hearing Yun Tae-ho’s words, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“It probably won’t be something that affects you much. Still, I’ll look into this part separately.”
“Please do.”
If Jin Mu-gyeong took it on, even if someone was up to no good, they would be found out quickly.
“Just trust me. Whoever it is, if there’s some fool playing useless tricks, I’ll catch them all.”
Hearing the conversation, Jo Seol said worriedly.
“Oppa, does that mean this isn’t just a simple cooking competition?”
“Well… according to Lord Yun, it might be?”
“Then what should we do?”
Kang Yeon answered with his usual calm expression.
“No matter what comes, my cooking doesn’t change. That’s all I can do, and that’s enough.”
Muk Hyang-ru looked at Kang Yeon and said,
“Even in a situation where Lord Yun himself is giving a warning, you’re amazing. To remain unshaken even like this.”
“There’s no reason to be shaken. I simply do the best I can.”
Kang Yeon headed back to the kitchen.
“Alright, let’s get on with proper breakfast prep. The guests will be waiting.”