I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 100



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I got the omnipotent tongue 100

Copycat

Ring ring ring

The phone, which had rarely rang since she came to Korea, rings. Soyoung, who came out of the shower, was startled by the sound of the phone suddenly ringing.

‘There probably aren’t many people who know the number.’

“hello?”

-Hello. My name is Wonwoo Lee, the team leader of Brain Consulting. Are you Soyoung Yoo?

The man who introduced himself in a polite voice even knew Soyoung’s name.

“Yes, that’s right. What’s going on? More importantly, how did you get my number?”

Where did the leak come from? Soyoung felt uneasy.

– I’m sorry I can’t tell you because it’s confidential. However, our company has pipelines in various fields. It may be unpleasant, but I hope you will accept it as proof that we are a capable company.

“What’s going on?”

-There is a company that wants to hire Yoo So-young, so they asked us to do headhunting. If it’s okay, I’d like to talk to you.

“I don’t want to change jobs.”

– I don’t know exactly what Ms. Yoo So-young’s current annual salary is. But I can assure you that this offer is a figure that she would never receive at her age. It wouldn’t hurt to hear about it once.

“···All right.”

Money is important in life. Even if she had no intention of changing jobs, Soyoung was happy that someone recognized her worth. It would be okay to listen to her story.

Soyoung made an appointment and met him. The place was a private cafe in a busy area of ​​Seoul.

“Nice to meet you.”

A young man with a cool impression greeted her and offered her a seat. Soyoung thought he was younger than she thought. She had expected him to be in his 40s since he was a headhunter, but he looked to be in his 30s.

“yes.”

“Thank you for contacting me so suddenly. I know it may be rude of me to call you, but I thought it would be more difficult to see you when you return to the United States.

“I just came out because I was curious what you were talking about.”

“I understand. Since you seem busy, I’ll keep it brief. Currently, a certain company is exploring entering the restaurant industry. They are currently recruiting talent with the goal of making a major investment and creating a proper fine dining establishment. The Michelin Guide has been published in Japan, and the general opinion is that Korea is not far behind. You can think of it as an effort to take the lead in the market.”

“But?”

“I would like to hire you as a manager there. Ah… In foreign countries, you can think of it as a position similar to that of CDP.”

He whispers as if he is talking about something very secret.

“I’m a chef now?”

It wasn’t even a year since he started working as a chef. Soyoung couldn’t figure out why he had been offered this.

“I know. So it’s an exceptional treatment. And the salary will be even more surprising. The investor promised Yoo So-young a salary of at least hundreds of millions. Depending on performance, it could go up even more.”

“A salary in the hundreds of millions? Is that possible in Korea?”

Even in the US, chefs are treated poorly. The situation in Korea is probably worse. The stories I heard from my seniors when I was in culinary school were so heartbreaking that I couldn’t help but cry. But a salary in the hundreds of millions? Even in the US, only chefs with outstanding experience and skills can receive that amount.

“It is possible. There are some conditions, though.”

He raises his index finger and speaks in a firm tone.

“What are the conditions?”

“This is a condition for actively sharing the menu of the restaurant you are currently at.”

“What did you say?”

“And there was an opinion that we should benchmark Segreto’s operating method. Since you are an employee, you must know a lot. If you actively express your opinion, you will be able to receive a salary in the hundreds of millions without any problems.”

Hehehehe

Soyoung lowers her head and smiles.

“Ah. This is driving me crazy. Then why would you trust someone like me?”

After a while, Soyoung raises her head and wipes away the tears in her eyes with her fingers.

“Did you feel uncomfortable?”

“No. On the contrary, I feel refreshed. I used to wonder if I had become a star chef without even knowing it. I came here worrying about what to wear when I go on TV.”

Soyoung laughs heartily.

“It will happen soon.”

He soothes Soyoung with a soft voice.

“That may be true. I heard you well. So, that’s the price for learning the head chef’s recipe and Segreto’s operating system that you set? Please tell that investor. I’m telling him that he’s trying to eat me up too much. I’m not asking for more money. It’s no use asking you, who’s not even a chef, so I’ll go now. Please delete my number.”

“The investor is a child of one of the top 10 conglomerates in Korea. Are you really going to refuse?”

As So-young tries to get up from her seat, he speaks urgently. His tone is forceful, as if telling her not to do something she will regret. So-young suddenly feels that he is childish. Then she realizes that she had forgotten for a moment. The adults she knows are originally dirty childish and emotional.

“I don’t know much about that because I’m young, but your business is really dirty. Are there really no good chefs in Korea? Then why don’t you bring them in from abroad?”

Soyoung got up from her seat. She stopped by Starbucks on her way back. She was going to order an Americano like she usually does, but her eyes suddenly turned to the espresso that Jehee was drinking today.

“A double espresso, please.”

I take a sip of coffee.

“Ah! Seriously! Is this the taste of life?”

For some reason, she felt like an adult. As she walked along the street in the cool breeze, her head gradually cooled down. Soyoung took a deep breath and drank the espresso that had cooled down completely in one gulp.

“Ahhh, wow. It’s so bitter.”

She frowned and threw the empty cup in the trashcan and returned to the hotel. As she was getting ready and resting, Ella knocked on the door.

“Ella? What’s going on?”

“I saw you in the lobby, but your face didn’t look good.”

Ella looks at Soyoung with worried eyes.

“Wow! You’re a ghost, Ella. How on earth do you know that?”

“If you look after your younger siblings often, you will naturally learn such things. I couldn’t just leave him alone because his expression was like a puppy that got wet in the rain.”

Ella takes a listening posture as if to tell him what’s going on.

“It’s nothing. I got a headhunter. They said they’d pay me $100,000 a year.”

Ella chuckles after hearing that.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No. I just thought you were like that too.”

“Did Ella do that too?”

“After I won MasterChef, I got a lot of offers to open restaurants and invest in them. Of course, I was happy. It meant they recognized my worth. But after Segreto got a Michelin star, the offers changed.”

“how?”

“I’ve been getting more and more offers from fine dining restaurants to become a chef.”

“Isn’t it because Ella is a chef who suits that?”

“I had no intention of moving, but I thought I’d try it out just in case, so I said I wouldn’t use Segreto’s menu. Then, like a ghost, he withdrew his offer. I’m sure it’s not just you and me. I bet Dominic and Sam got similar offers, too.”

“and!”

“Isn’t it great?”

“Our chef is truly amazing.”

“That’s how much attention Segreto and the chef have received from the industry. I didn’t know I would receive a Michelin star so quickly.”

“But you rejected the offer.”

“You too.”

“Why did you refuse? Doesn’t Ella need more money?”

“I need it. If I accept their offer and say I’m going to move, the head chef will probably let me go without any regrets. And Segreto will soon become the best restaurant without me. I can’t stand not having my place there. And I’ll become a shameless copycat who sells the head chef’s dishes. I’ll be so embarrassed that I won’t even be able to look the chef in the face. That’s the scariest thing.”

Only then did Soyoung fully understand why she had stormed out without even listening to their offer.

“That’s scary.”

“Yeah. Are you feeling better now? We were handpicked by that chef. We can be successful without having to accept such shady offers.”

Soyoung’s troubled mind calmed down. She slept well as usual and greeted the morning of the opening ceremony.

* * *

It was November. At this time of year when people walking down the street were gradually adding more outerwear, the inside of a building behind the National Museum of Korea was boiling with heat.

Jerome, who started as a trainee and has just become the 3rd cook at Segreto, was just amazed by all this. He never expected that he would cross the Pacific Ocean to come to a foreign country to cook. And this kitchen was strange but familiar at the same time. He was surprised by himself, moving and working without any sense of awkwardness.

‘The structure is similar.’

Only then did Jerome understand why.

Clap clap

The head chef claps his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

“We start preparing finger food 30 minutes before the reception starts.”

“Yes! Chef!”

Everyone answered loudly and started preparing the food. The head chef does not hide the recipe. And whenever he had the chance, he made the staff taste the food he made and remember the taste. And he said this.

‘I don’t need someone who only wants to grow himself and hinders teamwork, but I also don’t need a chef who doesn’t have a desire to improve. Try to see and steal my techniques as much as possible, and actively ask questions if you don’t know something. And grow.’

This person is not stingy when it comes to sharing. His experience, knowledge, and even know-how.

No, maybe it’s a display of confidence. No matter what you do, you can never catch up to me.

Jerome thought that his guess was probably right. The head chef spouts out dozens of recipes that would be treasured as gems if you knew just one or two. What on earth is the secret?

“Jerome! Don’t think about anything else. Concentrate.”

“Yes, Chef!”

Jerome came to his senses and cleaned the oysters and abalone.

* * *

At the reception, the leaders exchange brief greetings. Food is a minor element in a gathering of more than 20 leaders from different countries. Unless you are very hungry, you will not be interested in finger food.

What I have to make is a dish that makes you reach for it. The visuals are important. And it has to arouse curiosity. When you eat it, you have to be surprised and exclaim. So that you can forget about your tension and fatigue for a moment and enjoy it.

What I chose was Korean autumn pumpkin. The sugar in old pumpkin is easily digested and absorbed. And it goes well with seafood, which is in season now. Above all, it is a dish that allows you to show off your skills.

Cut the pumpkin in half. Scrape out the seeds inside and sprinkle salt, thyme, and olive oil on top and bake in the oven. This will soften the fragrant pumpkin and activate its sweetness. Scrape out the flesh of the pumpkin and grind together isomalt, salt, icing sugar, citrus zest, and citrus pulp. Once the sticky pumpkin paste is complete, lay a rectangular baking sheet on the bottom and spread the paste widely and spread it on top.

When the pumpkin paste is spread out like paper and slowly heated in the oven at a low temperature, the sheet is completed. Roll the sheet into a small cylinder to make a mold. Put the flesh and intestines of white shrimp and the filling made by stir-frying abalone with white wine inside, and finish with sea urchin. Garnish with a young basil leaf and a roasted pumpkin seed to complete.

I picked one up and tasted it to make sure there was nothing wrong with the dish.

The first taste is the sweetness of pumpkin. Soon after, the freshness of citrus spreads in the mouth. Then, as the sheet melts and disappears in an instant, the intense taste of abalone and shrimp hits the tongue. Then, as the taste fades, the taste of sea urchin rises and the sea dances in the mouth.

The following finger food is a dish made with Min Bong-seop’s ham.

Slice the ham thinly, then add the stir-fried carrots, sliced ​​pears and radish, and radish sprouts, and roll them up. Cut the ends cleanly and stand them up, and it looks like the radish sprouts are growing in a flowerpot made of ham. Spread a sauce made by mixing homemade mayonnaise, soy sauce, mustard, minced garlic, and lemon juice on the bottom of the plate, and place the dish on top. It is a finger food made by applying Korean yukhoe and kimbap.

In addition to this, we have carefully prepared more than five kinds of food. Before the main course begins, these dishes will sufficiently raise the expectations for tonight’s dinner.

It’s 10 minutes before the reception.

“Start serving!”

The servers carefully begin to lift and move plates of finger food. They have had enough practice. The food will be served without a hitch.

“All the leaders have arrived.”

A voice announces the progress outside. The dinner will begin soon.