Chapter 45
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Shit, Fuck!
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1.
Meanwhile, as the mother and daughter shared a warm moment of reunion, the online communities were in an uproar.
Yura << Watch her describe the food. How the hell do you recreate food from the past and reproduce it exactly just from that???
Anyway, you're saying it's similar??? How do you even do that?
You believe that???
What you believe is up to each person lol
The controversy centered on whether this broadcast was real or staged. There were just too many suspicious aspects for it to be a genuine recreation of food from the past.
Staged broadcast this time? Or real? What do you think???
Just saying idk why you flipping out????
This debate wasn't confined to specific galleries. It spread simultaneously across various communities.
And for good reason—right before Carrier ended her broadcast, the viewer count had exceeded a whopping 40,000.
Some communities outright declared it manipulated, while others said to wait and see.
Their atmospheres and claims differed, but their conclusions were all similar.
Suspicious as hell but can't be sure. She said she'd find a way to prove it, so let's wait till then before flaming?
*
"That's the situation."
My sister spoke from behind me as I boiled curry for breakfast. Not Japanese-style, but Korean-style curry.
"What do you think?"
"From an outsider's perspective with no clue, yeah, it looks staged. I'll probably have to step up and explain eventually."
Personally, I wanted to ignore it and move on. But if I did, the backlash would eventually turn toward Yura.
"But how do you plan to prove it?"
I spread rice wide across a large plate. Then slowly poured the steaming hot curry over it. The spicy aroma whetted my appetite.
"Hmm?"
I carefully placed the plate on the dining table and pulled kimchi from the fridge.
"I do need to prove it. A few methods come to mind, but they're tough for me to pull off..."
"What's the most solid way, in your opinion, Hayul?"
I pondered for a moment. I scooped up a spoonful of curry and popped it in my mouth. The spicy kick made my lips curl up.
"Bring in someone with real credibility? Someone with no reason to lie. If they say 'it's real,' people might buy it."
"Got anyone specific in mind?"
"Nope. I don't even care about celebrities—how would I know?"
I shrugged.
"Still, if we look, there might be someone whose family made food they miss from the past."
"Sure, we'd find some. But would they even cooperate with us? Hell, even contacting them would be impossible..."
"That's the problem. It's the most objective way that viewers would accept, but it's dead in the water from the start..."
"It'd be nice if they reached out to us first. Not gonna happen, though."
"Yeah."
My sister sighed and picked up her spoon. Her eyes widened round as she took a bite of curry. She covered her mouth with her hand and exclaimed in admiration.
"This is seriously delicious. Way better than that Japanese curry from yesterday."
"Made it perfect for Korean tastes. Try it with the kimchi. It'll blow your mind."
My sister immediately topped her curry with kimchi. As the spoon went into her mouth, she flashed a big smile and gave a thumbs-up.
"The best. The absolute best."
"Right?"
We focused on eating in silence for a while. After polishing off the curry, I grabbed the dishes and started washing up.
Clink clank—
A quiet afternoon. The soft sound of water and clinking dishes filled the kitchen.
"Eek!"
A scream from the living room. I spun around in surprise to see my sister half-fallen under the sofa. Even after tumbling, her eyes were glued to her phone.
"What? What happened?"
I quickly used magic to rinse the dishes and yanked off the rubber gloves.
"L-Look at this...!"
My sister waved her phone excitedly, pointing at the screen. I took it and checked. It was a single email she was staring at.
『Hello. This is PD Jung In-sun.』
The email was straightforward.
She'd stumbled upon our recent broadcast by chance and felt bad about the community backlash, so she reached out.
"So, this PD Jung In-sun is offering to introduce us to someone credible via email?"
"Yeah."
"...Why the hell?"
The offer itself was appreciated, but questions naturally arose. There was no reason for her to go out of her way.
"Any other proposals? Like appearing on a show or doing an interview?"
"She did write that she'd like to meet in person for a chat. But it's not for a broadcast appearance—just a personal meeting."
"Hmm."
"What do we do?"
"Tough call."
If what the PD said was true, there'd be no easier way to quash the controversy. The issue was the offer felt fishy.
'Is this really just pure goodwill?'
Why would she help me out of the blue? No connection, nothing. No matter how I thought about it, it didn't add up.
And she was from the broadcasting world, no less. The kind of industry that'd do anything for ratings—would someone from there make this offer out of kindness?
'No way.'
I didn't know her motives, but the proposal was worth considering. We did need help resolving this mess.
"Let's say we'll meet in person and talk."
"...For real? You wanna meet her?"
"Isn't that why you showed me, sis?"
"Yeah, but... now that it's happening, it feels off."
I chuckled and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. Even if she's up to something, we can handle it."
"Got it. I'll reply asking to meet ASAP."
"Cool."
2.
A cafe in Gangnam.
Jung In-sun sat by the window, staring blankly outside. Numbers floated above the heads of passersby beyond the glass.
'That one's a 4. That side's 6.2...'
A broadcasting instinct for evaluating people's value. A sixth sense she'd honed over years as a PD.
"PD-nim. Is this really okay?"
Jung In-sun turned her head quietly. A hazy '5.0' floated above the woman next to her.
Average broadcasting value. Nothing more, nothing less.
Well, that's why she was working with her as the main writer for the 'Grand Chef' program.
"What?"
She asked in a flat tone. Her head tilted, letting her hair fall.
"Is it right for us to step in and help some streamer? Do we even have a reason to?"
"No special reason."
"Then why contact her?"
"'Cause it's fun? Kinda nagging at me."
The writer's face twisted. Wasting time on something this trivial amid a busy schedule?
"And you said it yourself, writer-nim. For the program to succeed, we need fresh faces. The current cooking shows are too stale."
"...True, but we don't know if she's broadcast material. Her cooking skills are questionable too."
"That's why I'm here to check myself. If she's got broadcasting value. And her cooking seemed solid enough."
The writer sighed and shook her head. She chugged her coffee, then crunched the stranger's leftover ice.
"Do what you want."
"I will. It's all to make our show a hit, right?"
"...I know. That's why I'm here dragging my feet."
Jung In-sun PD sipped her espresso. The intense bitterness filled her mouth, but her expression didn't change.
"Who knows? She might be broadcasting gold. And she could actually recreate the dish Chef Kang Tae-yeon wants."
"Yeah right. Both conditions? Fine, if she nails it, I'll do whatever you say."
"Promise?"
"But if not, don't waste my time like this again. You know we're swamped."
"You'll be busier once shooting starts. What then?"
"Don't change the subject."
"Tch."
Jung In-sun PD clicked her tongue and averted her gaze. A prick of remaining conscience stabbed at her.
Her head turned casually by chance. Her eyes naturally drifted toward the window.
『10.0』
A person with a bold 10.0 above their head walked by. Jung In-sun PD shot up reflexively.
Bang!
"Wh-what the hell?"
Her knee slammed the table, but she ignored it. All she could think was catching that person.
Jung In-sun bolted out of the cafe. On the street, she whipped her head around frantically. But the person was already gone.
"Ha... shit..."
She raked her hair roughly, muttering a low curse.
10 points.
A number she'd never seen in her PD career. Not even once, despite crossing paths with countless celebs...
'Letting someone like that slip away...'
She had a gut feeling.
She'd regret this moment forever, chewing on it like cud. Blaming her pathetic body for not running faster, replaying it endlessly.
"Guess I should head back..."
Jung In-sun pulled a cigarette from her pocket and stuck it in her mouth. Screw the meeting—she wanted to ditch it all, but manners.
Tap tap—
Just as she lit it, glass tapping sounded behind her. She turned to see the writer gesturing, with a '5.0' above her head.
After spotting that 10, seeing half of it again made everything feel cheap.
The writer was saying something, hand over her mouth.
"...Next to?"
Reading her lips, Jung In-sun turned naturally. That's when she saw the woman's face—and the number.
『10.0』
"Shit, fuck!"
The cigarette in her mouth crumpled.