Cheat day

Ye-chan (5)

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The four-hour shoot finally wrapped up.

Although it couldn’t quite compare to Choi Eun-sam’s spicy braised ribs, I was relieved to find that considering the price and convenience, it was definitely worth buying.

“You’re an eating show host, so it ended quickly. That was great.”

The CF director said with a friendly smile.

“I had no idea what was going on. Thank you for guiding me.”

The director and the advertising manager nodded in agreement.

“You worked hard too, sir.”

Ham Seok-ho bowed his head in response to the compliment.

“You should have a wrap party.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I have another shoot right after this.”

When I looked flustered, the advertising manager shook his head.

“No, it’s better if you’re busier.”

He probably meant that my increased recognition as an advertising model would yield greater benefits.

After saying my goodbyes, I turned to Ham Seok-ho.

“Sir, if you have any free time next week…”

“Oh, really?”

I had previously mentioned wanting to meet, so he was pleased.

“You seem very busy. Is Wednesday okay?”

Wednesday is the day when Baek Seung-yong trains at the Jimggun Sadang branch.

If I could skip it, I could do anything within legal boundaries.

“Of course. Where should we meet?”

“Let’s meet at our restaurant. I’d like to hear your opinion on our new menu.”

“New menu, sir?”

“It’s nothing grand.”

Ham Seok-ho smiled sheepishly.

“Would it be okay if we filmed it? For YouTube.”

“Honestly, that makes me a bit uneasy. What if your subscribers view it negatively?”

“That’s unlikely. I’m counting on you.”

“Okay, then let’s do it this way. You film our restaurant, and I’ll film you.”

“Are you appearing on the sir’s YouTube channel?”

Ham Seok-ho runs a channel called “Chef Ham Seok-ho,” which has a straightforward name.

He has about 200,000 subscribers, but it is one of the most reliable sources for cooking information, so the ratings are quite good.

“Not interested?”

“Of course, I’m very interested. Please make it happen.”

Exaggerating a bit made Ham Seok-ho laugh heartily.

“Alright.”

“Yes. I’ll see you at the shoot on Tuesday. Please drive safely.”

I’m so excited to try Ham Seok-ho’s new dish next week.

“Sunbae, let’s call it a day and head back.”

Despite my junior’s insistence, Lee Chan-seok remained immovable.

“Once the teacher calms down, I can talk, right? Am I going to spend the night here?”

“Be quiet.”

Lee Chan-seok had spent the entire day moving back and forth between his mentor, Bae Seung-ho’s restaurant and office, demanding an opportunity to explain himself.

However, Bae Seung-ho had ignored him, whether he was moving a frying pan or going to the bathroom, even now when the store was closed.

Lee Chan-seok was on the verge of panic.

After finishing as the runner-up in the “Paldo Jinmi” competition, he had been running his own place with the title of Bae Seung-ho’s protégé, building recognition from the competition.

But with the airing of the fourth round of “Korean Food Praise,” he had sullied Bae Seung-ho’s reputation.

The criticism directed at him was relentless, and people who had watched “Korean Food Praise” were leaving negative reviews for the restaurant he operated.

He couldn’t let it all fall apart like this.

He was on the brink of a successful life as a star chef, and he needed to turn the situation around somehow.

To do that, he first had to soothe Bae Seung-ho.

“Sir!”

Lee Chan-seok called out to Bae Seung-ho.

“Please listen to me! It’s a misunderstanding!”

As he had all day, Bae Seung-ho showed no reaction.

Looking at the tightly shut door, Lee Chan-seok squeezed his eyes shut.

He had no idea what to do. In the midst of his despair, a surge of anger began to swell.

Ham Seok-ho, who had not only scolded him in front of many people but had also brought up his mentor’s name.

Park Jung-ah, who had mocked him, and the PD Choi Young-man, who had deliberately distorted the entire scene in the broadcast.

And Banchan-yong, who knew nothing about cooking but spewed out flattery.

He resented them all.

As Lee Chan-seok clenched his fists, the tightly closed door opened.

A stubborn-looking elderly man with thick white hair stood there, his shoulders squared, chest and forearms muscular.

His eyes, resembling a tiger’s, made Lee Chan-seok remember past experiences and become very tense.

“Sir.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Sir, it’s a misunderstanding. The broadcast PD edited it maliciously.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I need to clear up the misunderstanding.”

Bae Seung-ho glared at Lee Chan-seok, erupting in anger.

“What about your restaurant? Are you just going to mess around here all day?”

Lee Chan-seok flinched.

His junior, who was with him, quietly backed away, and Bae Seung-ho scolded his disciple once more.

“If you put your name on it, you need to stand your ground! How long has it been since you opened? You can’t just leave it to others!”

“But—”

“I clearly told you that no matter how much you talk on TV, if people who have eaten your food are not satisfied, it’s all useless.”

Lee Chan-seok recalled what Bae Seung-ho had said before he participated in the Paldo Jinmi competition.

“Is it just because it hasn’t even been six months since you opened that you can’t hold your ground? And all you’ve done is act arrogantly in front of people with more experience than you?”

“Experience isn’t everything. Some of them have run their businesses solely based on experience without any systems or theories. Some don’t have even that.”

Bae Seung-ho’s face twisted in disgust.

His once bright and talented disciple suddenly appeared utterly foolish.

“You’ve got some serious misconceptions.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you think running a food business is easy? If you lack skills, you won’t survive three months; if you lack reputation, you won’t last a year; and if you lack luck, you won’t last three years. Do you look down on those who have held their ground in their regions for 10 or 20 years?”

“Isn’t it true that mistakes were made?”

There were definitely aspects that Choi Eun-sam and Park Seong-chil overlooked.

“Be quiet!”

When Bae Seung-ho yelled, Lee Chan-seok was practically screaming with frustration.

“You’ve never had any business experience? That kid over there has years of street vending experience right next to his mom. I heard the bald-headed guy cooked in front of a million people. How could someone like that possibly be worse than you?”

“Of course, they would be!”

Lee Chan-seok protested.

“I learned from the best chef in the country. Even though I came in second because of popularity in the competition, I’m confident that my skills are top-notch.”

“What did you say?”

“Right now, the competition is entertainment. There’s not a serious bone in it. They say they’re showcasing the best Korean cuisine, but in reality, it’s just kids playing around, pretending. They serve dishes that could easily make it to a family dining table, so what am I supposed to do? The Korean cuisine I know is far beyond that!”

Lee Chan-seok was sincere.

The Korean cuisine he learned from his mentor, Bae Seung-ho, was different from the ordinary dishes presented in “Korean Food Praise.”

Bae Seung-ho never slacked off, whether it was selecting ingredients or plating the dishes.

He even considered every aspect so that diners would be satisfied both in their mouths and stomachs after a meal.

Having learned from a master who elevated Korean cuisine to the level of art, Lee Chan-seok took pride in being his protégé.

Handling inexpensive ingredients like bean sprouts and mackerel was pitiful, but he could tolerate it.

However, he was completely turned off by participants who dealt with capsaicin and even processed meats like Spam.

He wanted to prove that the food he learned from Bae Seung-ho was the best.

“I don’t understand where it went wrong.”

Bae Seung-ho never imagined that his disciple, who had opened his own restaurant after finishing as the runner-up in last year’s Paldo Jinmi, would be out here acting like this.

“Now I see why you lost to that Park Jung-ah.”

Lee Chan-seok’s face hardened.

He recalled the woman who ran a rice bowl shop with her parents without a proper mentor.

She proudly served poor-quality dishes like stir-fried pork and kimchi stew, bringing down the quality of the competition program.

For being pretty, she caught the judges’ and viewers’ attention and stole Lee Chan-seok’s place.

To him, Park Jung-ah was a trigger.

“Why are you acting like this, even sir?”

The twisted feelings he had bottled up burst forth.

“In last year’s Paldo Jinmi finals, I presented the autumn course that you created!”

Autumn was Bae Seung-ho’s signature seasonal menu at his traditional Korean restaurant.

With decades of experience and knowledge, it was a masterpiece, so Lee Chan-seok was confident he would win.

However, when Park Jung-ah served kimchi stew and bulgogi, everything began to unravel.

“It couldn’t possibly happen without cheating! There’s no way that the autumn course we created together with you, Sang-hyuk, Jae-hyung, and Mi-kyeong could lose to a meal that could be served in a common diner!”

Bae Seung-ho looked at his desperate disciple with pity and shook his head.

“I clearly taught you wrong. It’s my fault. It’s my mistake.”

Bae Seung-ho passed by his disciple.

With his last refuge lost, Lee Chan-seok could only stand firm with his resentment.

***

“Plastic surgery?”

Mugunji was taken aback and asked again, “What do you mean by plastic surgery?”

“No, no. It’s just a procedure. Filler?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Mugunji turned away.

“I noticed during the CF shoot that your nose bothered me a bit. It seemed too flat.”

Mugunji frowned.

“I was looking in the mirror, and Haim told me that if it bothers me, I should get plastic surgery.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Listen to me. I said no, and then Haim suggested I try fillers instead.”

This time, Mugunji pouted.

It was clear she was quite displeased.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Chanyong.”

Mugunji took my hand.

“Since you came from a fantasy world to the human world, it’s understandable that you’d be more concerned about your appearance.”

“What do you mean?”

Mugunji stared at me.

Seeing her lack of a response, it seemed she couldn’t think of the right words or expressions.

Sure enough, she started speaking again.

“It’s nice to see you taking care of yourself, buying new clothes, getting skincare, and visiting the salon more often than before.”

“Exactly.”

“However, I’m against surgeries like that. I like you just as you are. If you’ve gained or lost weight due to health issues, that’s something to address, but I hope you don’t feel the need to change your original appearance.”

She meant that while changes from weight gain or loss should be addressed, altering one’s original looks was unnecessary.

“…I see. When did I start feeling like this?”

Honestly, I had started to feel uplifted since I began hearing compliments about how handsome or cool I looked.

Although I believed people shouldn’t be judged by their appearance, it seemed that I secretly wanted to look better myself.

As I started hanging out with Haim, I became more interested in styling my clothes and hair, and I naturally began to gather information about procedures and surgeries.

“Please make it clear to Haim that you’re not interested in plastic surgery or procedures.”

“…Okay.”

“Are you really not interested?”

“I can’t say I have no interest at all. I keep thinking that if I fix this, it might look better.”

“Who put that thought in your head? Or was it just you thinking that?”

“I can’t say it was just me thinking it.”

“Was it Baek Woo-jin?”

I shook my head.

“Was it Haim?”

I nodded.

“She said she had a lot of work done too. You know her face. When I see her up close, I’m also amazed.”

Mugunji narrowed her eyes.