Chapter 48
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: And So It Happened
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1.
Honestly, to someone who's an actual chef, it's not that impressive ;;; In fact, it's hilarious that she's getting worshipped for that level of skill lololol
'Look at this asshole?'
The title was blatantly obvious. Anyone could tell it was aimed straight at me. The upvote-to-downvote ratio was 6:4—not terrible.
I slowly scrolled down. I was curious about the comment reactions.
Then what about recreating Yura's mom's food and grandma's food???
You believe that shit lololo? It's obviously a rigged game of flower cards lol
I saw Yura's SNS post—she said Carrier gave her the recipe and she cooked for her mom??? Yura's mom even praised it saying it was just like grandma's cooking ㅇㅇ
That's why I'm saying don't believe it you dumbass lololol You're so fucking naive???
Separate from the recreations, her actual cooking skills seemed decent?
Not at all lolololol
'As expected.'
The comment section was a total shitshow, just like I'd figured. Countless people tangled up in arguments, throwing claims back and forth—it was utter chaos.
"What the hell is this asshole doing?"
The chilling voice from beside me made me jump. I turned to see my sister glaring at my screen, her face twisted in anger.
"...You saw it?"
I lowered my phone and gave an awkward smile.
"Of course I did. Why are you even looking at that crap? The world's tough enough without seeking out the bad stuff..."
"I just checked because someone was trash-talking Yura or you. I usually don't touch that stuff at all."
"Good. Hayul, you should never go near communities like that. There's nothing good to see there!"
"Says the community addict. That hits hard."
My sister's angry face froze, her mouth clamping shut. She glared at me for a moment, then pouted her lips.
"...I'm trying to cut back."
"I know. I just want you to focus on the good stuff too. And honestly, it's not all bad, right?"
Thanks to her, I stayed on top of all sorts of incidents quickly. Plus, she hadn't been streaming much lately, so she wasn't getting mentioned as often.
"Stop looking at communities. Let's search for Chef Kang Taeyeon info."
"Got it. But sis."
"Yeah?"
I showed her my phone screen.
"When I search for Chef Kang Taeyeon, tons of community posts come up... What do we do?"
My sister opened her mouth, then closed it silently. She looked utterly speechless.
"...Let's just look into it moderately ourselves."
"Yeah."
I chuckled and dove back into searching. Teasing her was always fun.
*
"Chef Kang Taeyeon has been secured."
I met PD Jung In-sun and writer Seo Nahyun at a café again. This time, they'd come all the way to my neighborhood.
"Already?"
I'd sent the contract through a lawyer just yesterday. Our first meeting was only three days ago. And they'd already locked it in?
"We're just as surprised. She had some conditions, but we didn't expect her to accept so quickly."
"We think Chef Kang Taeyeon might already know who you are, Hayul."
PD Jung In-sun scratched her cheek, and writer Seo Nahyun cautiously added.
"Chef Kang Taeyeon knows me?"
I tilted my head. How could she know me? We had zero connection.
"Yeah. Your cooking stream blew up so much. The views on the VTube videos you uploaded are insane."
"Well... true."
The videos Elena uploaded had surpassed 10 million views, and the ones my sister edited and posted had all hit 2 million.
Even more shocking, the views on my channel's videos were still climbing like mad.
"She probably saw your videos. Or maybe fellow chefs in the industry told her."
"Right. Your cooking stream caused a huge stir in the culinary world."
"I get that she might know me. But is that why she accepted the offer?"
"It's thanks to you. When I first contacted her, her tone was like, 'They're really contacting me for this? Brutal, brutal!'"
"...You have it rough too, PD."
"Gotta have thick skin to survive at the station."
PD Jung In-sun chuckled and sipped her espresso. She'd only drunk that last time too—was her stomach okay?
"Anyway, back to it: Chef Kang Taeyeon was hesitant at first. But when I mentioned you, her attitude changed."
"How so, exactly?"
"Her voice got brighter? She said she was interested in you lately. So I told her."
"What?"
"That you're not a 'person'—you're a 'Virtual YouTuber.'"
Her firm words left me stunned. What did I just hear?
"...Pardon?"
"Pardon?"
She tilted her head at my reaction. Writer Seo Nahyun next to her looked equally baffled.
"You said that? For real?"
"Yes. Vtubers are sensitive about terminology like that, right?"
"True, but... did you have to say it right then and there?"
I'd thought she was offbeat from the first meeting, but her brain worked in wild ways. Was that how you survived?
"Are you insane!?"
Writer Seo Nahyun shouted a beat late. Good thing the café was empty except for us.
"What if you offended Chef Kang Taeyeon?"
"Uwaaaah..."
She grabbed PD Jung In-sun by the collar and shook her back and forth. PD Jung In-sun flopped helplessly side to side. At least she'd set down her espresso.
"It could've happened. But considering your stream, Hayul, it was a necessary step."
"What do you mean?"
"...If you spout more nonsense, I won't hold back this time."
Writer Seo Nahyun warned sternly, but PD Jung In-sun continued unfazed.
"Your stream is in virtual reality, right? And you're a Vtuber's too."
"Yes."
"VR's common now, but plenty still have hang-ups. Especially about Vtubers."
"But am I really a Vtuber's? It's ambiguous."
"Depends on how you define Vtubing. What matters is 'how it appears.'"
She leaned forward.
"If someone uninterested in VR or streaming watches your stream, would they see you as a Vtuber's? Or a cooking show?"
"Primarily as a Vtuber's."
"Exactly."
PD Jung In-sun snapped her fingers.
"Someone like Chef Kang Taeyeon, who got Michelin three stars young, probably has zero interest here. Means she's all-in on cooking."
"Makes sense."
"Her doing a collab in VR with a Vtuber's? Risky, right? If she has biases, what then?"
"So you pointed that out?"
PD Jung In-sun nodded slowly.
"Yes. Basic vetting. And luckily, she humbly accepted my point."
"Luckily..."
I nodded, but something felt off. It seemed fine on the surface, but misaligned somehow.
"Hayul. Don't fall for the PD's tricks. There was zero, zero intention like that."
As I paused, writer Seo Nahyun sighed deeply and stepped in. She rubbed her face dry and continued.
"It was just... a thought that slipped out. She can't filter when she's tired."
I looked at PD Jung In-sun. She avoided my gaze, looking down, then forced a smile.
"But she said she'd study up on this stuff! And the collab happened anyway, so good is good, right?"
"Should we cancel this gig?"
"...Sorry."
I glared sharply, and she bowed her head immediately.
"I don't know if it'll happen again, but be careful."
"Yes..."
Yura almost got more undeserved hate. Anger flared again, but seeing the PD's dejected face softened it a bit.
"It could've ended on a warm note if you hadn't said unnecessary stuff..."
"How do you lie to someone who showed goodwill first? That's rude."
"Writer Seo Nahyun. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. White lies."
"I want to go back to not knowing you, PD..."
"Hehe. Why you gotta be like this~"
I stood up amid their banter. Their eyes naturally turned to me.
"I think we've talked plenty. I'll head out. Please handle it through to the end as contracted."
"No, we should be the ones asking. It's all on you now, Hayul. You'll satisfy Chef Kang Taeyeon, right?"
"........."
"Hey?"
"PD. Sometimes ignorance is bliss."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Her eyes shook wildly. Instead of answering, I bowed politely and headed for the exit.
"Hey!? What does that mean!?"
You try getting burned too.