Cheat day

Western Cuisine (2)

“Today, all four of you can eat.”

“Really?”

“What’s going on?”

“What’s the mission?”

“It’s the Sky Cycle.”

PD Park Sang-cheol has always schemed to prevent at least one person from eating each week.

This week, he wants us to ride the Sky Cycle installed at Mukho Port’s Dojjaebi Rock.

The cycle is connected by a thin wire several dozen meters in the air, and we have to ride a bike across it. Just standing at the starting point made my knees weak.

“If you make it back after the turnaround, you succeed. Easy, right?”

“Seriously, this is infuriating. How is this a meal for everyone?”

I complained, and Baek Woo-jin sat on the ground, holding my legs and howling.

“I can’t do it! I really can’t ride this! How do you ride this?”

The wheels are wrapped around a thin wire, and even though there’s a safety device, we have to cross several dozen meters in the air.

It’s something you’d expect to see at a circus.

“If you just ride it, you get to eat?”

“That’s right,” replied PD Park Sang-cheol nonchalantly when Cha Ji-chan asked.

“Easy, just don’t look down.”

Cha Ji-chan put on his helmet and strapped on the safety gear as he got on the bike.

“What good is a helmet? If you fall, it’s still the same death!”

I totally agree with Baek Woo-jin.

If you fall from this height, a helmet wouldn’t matter at all.

“There’s a safety device attached. You’re just being a coward.”

Cha Ji-chan set off first, followed by Ju Ji-seung, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“This is fun.”

That guy has some serious guts.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to get on the bike, but Baek Woo-jin wouldn’t let go of my legs.

“Don’t go! Hey, you can’t go!”

“Let go! I’m going to eat katsu.”

“You crazy! Is katsu more important?”

“It is! You haven’t been able to eat katsu for a long time because of the team, right?”

“I don’t need that kind of thing!”

“Today’s is really delicious. You’ll regret it if you don’t eat!”

“No way. Don’t go.”

“Let go. I’m going to eat katsu.”

“If you die, you can’t eat!”

“I’m not going to die!”

I pushed Baek Woo-jin away and got on the bike.

I intentionally looked straight ahead, trying to avoid looking down to prevent dizziness.

The winter wind was strong, causing the wire to sway, and my heart dropped.

“Uaaaah!”

After reaching the turnaround point and getting help from the staff to turn the bike around, Baek Woo-jin screamed as he got on his bike.

“I can’t do it! I really can’t! Back! Back! Reversing!”

“Pedal!” Ju Ji-seung shouted.

“I can’t! I can’t do it!”

“If you stop, it’ll be more dangerous!”

“Ughhhh.”

Baek Woo-jin cried as he pedaled.

“I think I’m going to pee. I think I’m going to pee!”

“Hahaha!”

“Don’t laugh!”

Today’s episode was all about Baek Woo-jin.

When he reached the turnaround point, he insisted he couldn’t do it, but the staff convinced him he had to return.

In the end, Baek Woo-jin kept repeating that he wanted to kill PD Park Sang-cheol as he returned to the starting point.

***

S Restaurant, located in Cheongok-dong, Donghae City, stood seven stories tall near the beach, offering a great view.

It opened when I was in middle school and has been around for nearly 20 years, so the taste is guaranteed.

“Aren’t you ordering the children’s set?”

“There isn’t one!”

Cha Ji-chan teased Baek Woo-jin again.

It’s entertaining.

“The view is nice.”

Ju Ji-seung said as he looked out the window.

The open view overlooking the winter sea is exceptional.

“You’ve been here often, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, I used to come here a lot when I was young. But I haven’t been here in about ten years.”

“Then hasn’t the taste changed?”

“Come on, running a place for nearly 20 years isn’t easy.”

“That’s true.”

As we chatted about this and that, the owner brought out the soup.

It was just like the old-style Western restaurant soup, topped with three corn puffs. Sprinkling pepper on it brought back a rush of memories.

“Wow.”

“This is really old-school. It’s been ages since I’ve had this!”

After finishing the soup, the main dishes were served shortly after.

“Oh.”

“Wow.”

Clockwise, the plate was neatly arranged with shrimp tempura, potato tart, baked beans, katsu, hamburger steak, fish katsu, rice, bread, cabbage salad, macaroni, spaghetti, and pickles.

The harmonious colors and generously sprinkled sauces made my heart race with excitement.

I was relishing the luxurious dilemma of deciding what to eat first.

I decided to start with the hamburger steak.

I picked up the fork and knife, sliced it, and took a bite, releasing juicy flavor from the tender meat.

“It’s delicious!”

Ju Ji-seung exclaimed in admiration.

“So soft. Wow.”

“Right? This is the flavor of hamburger steak. It’s so good.”

“Yum.”

Baek Woo-jin also expressed his delight, while Cha Ji-chan was busy cutting the katsu, fish katsu, and hamburger steak.

He seemed to be the type who focuses on preparing everything before using the fork to eat.

“I really like the baked beans.”

“Me too. I don’t like beans, but these are tasty.”

The unique aroma and texture of baked beans paired intriguingly well with the distinct atmosphere of the Western restaurant.

“But isn’t baked beans a British dish? There are some delicious British dishes, huh?”

“People say mint chocolate is good.”

Baek Woo-jin said.

“Is mint chocolate British food too?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why didn’t you say that during the discussion about the set meals?”

“What are you talking about?”

“British food is tasteless. Mint chocolate is British food. Therefore, mint chocolate is tasteless. I can’t think of a rebuttal.”

“……”

Baek Woo-jin thought for a moment, then took out his phone and started writing something down.

“Baked beans were originally food eaten by Native Americans. They spread to New England and then to British immigrants there.”

“Oh.”

“So it’s not originally a British dish, huh?”

“Is that why it’s tasty?”

“Yeah.”

British food is tasteless.

“The katsu is super tender, isn’t it?”

Ju Ji-seung exclaimed in admiration again.

I tried a piece of katsu, and indeed, the tender and moist texture was different from the katsu I usually ate.

I realized that for some time now, I had mainly been eating Japanese-style katsu.

It must have been during high school or college when I thought that Western-style katsu was outdated and that Japanese katsu was tastier.

But after a long time, enjoying the generously sauced Western-style katsu reminded me that they just have different styles.

It’s incredibly tender and delicious.

The prejudice that fried food must be crispy was completely shattered by sweet and sour pork, seasoned chicken, and now Western-style katsu.

“Isn’t this salad good too?”

“Yeah.”

Everyone agreed with Baek Woo-jin’s comment.

Although it was a bit disappointing that there was no ketchup, the old-fashioned salad with thinly sliced cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers was also excellent.

Even though I don’t like cucumbers and carrots, I eat them when they come like this.

“This kind of salad used to come when you ordered fried chicken.”

“Right. You don’t see these kinds of salads much anymore, do you?”

“They’re delicious, so why aren’t they selling them?”

“Is it too much trouble to make?”

“Cutting a lot of cabbage and managing the quality so it doesn’t spoil would be a hassle.”

“It’s delicious, though.”

“Really. I prefer cabbage with ketchup and mayonnaise over pickled radish.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Speaking of which, didn’t we used to choose between bread and rice?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I also remember debating whether to eat bread or rice.

“Didn’t they serve rice on a plate?”

“Oh. That’s right. It was flattened.”

“I always chose bread. The bread served at Western restaurants was tastier.”

I liked rice too, but I completely agree with the opinion that the bread was delicious.

The slightly toasted bread served before the meal was crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside.

The bread here gives off that same feeling.

“In our area, we used to have a choice of soup, like vegetable or corn.”

Baek Woo-jin said.

“Oh. You went to a nice place.”

“My family was well off.”

“Exactly. An elementary school kid taking friends to eat set meals.”

Baek Woo-jin glared at Cha Ji-chan, then quickly snatched a shrimp tempura and popped it into his mouth.

“You!”

“Yum~ This is delicious.”

Baek Woo-jin savored the shrimp tempura while teasing, and this time, Cha Ji-chan took Baek Woo-jin’s fish katsu whole.

“Ah!”

“This fish katsu is also delicious. Yum. Oh!”

Baek Woo-jin again took a piece of the katsu that Cha Ji-chan had cut, dipping it with his fork.

I can’t understand how they can’t sit still and keep fighting like that.

“Isn’t it nice to see you all sharing?”

As I looked at the camera to ease the situation and then turned my gaze back to my plate, I realized my shrimp tempura was gone.

The one shrimp tempura I had saved to eat last had gone straight into the mouth of someone wicked.

“Who took my shrimp tempura?”

Turning my head, I saw Baek Woo-jin with the shrimp head in his mouth and Cha Ji-chan with the tail.

When our eyes met, they hurriedly shoved it into their mouths.

This is ridiculous.

“What the heck are you doing?”

They didn’t respond and just mumbled.

“Why are you eating that? Huh? Don’t chew. Why are you eating it? Open your mouth. Spit it out!”

As I strained to open Cha Ji-chan’s mouth, he turned his head away, firmly refusing.

Having already swallowed it, I rushed to Baek Woo-jin, trying to salvage at least the head, but it was no use.

“I’m really at a loss here. Why are you eating that? Huh? Tell me. Why are you eating it?”

“Hehehehe.”

“Huh? You’re laughing?”

“Hu-hah-hah-hah.”

Cha Ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin laughed at each other.

I grabbed Cha Ji-chan by the collar and shook him.

“Give me back my shrimp tempura! Hand it over!”

“Eat some beans. Beans. You like beans, right?”

“Even if the beans are delicious, they’re still just beans! Give me my shrimp tempura!”

Closed on Mondays.

After finishing the manuscript, I realized too late that the filming date for the set meal overlapped with the restaurant’s day off.

Yes, I am an idiot.