I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 106



Only Noblemtl

I got the omnipotent tongue 106

Over-the-air news

“Myungjin.”

Kim Se-hwang enters the bar, looks around, finds Cha Myeong-jin, and greets him.

“Oh, bro. It’s been a while.”

When Se-hwang, a close friend from New York University, returned to Korea, Myeong-jin made plans to meet him for a drink after a long time.

“Yeah. I’m tired of living in America now. I like Korea.”

Se-hwang sits down, loosening his tie as if he is tired.

“That’s probably because your father’s tricks don’t work there.”

Se-hwang, the son of the chief prosecutor, was fed up with living in America, where his father’s influence had diminished. He found it unbearable to be one of the new lawyers at a large law firm, no different from anyone else.

“Even if you talk like this, why is a guy who graduated from an engineering school working in the restaurant business?”

“There’s someone I want to beat up.”

Myungjin’s eyes turned cold as he thought of someone. He spoke while pouring alcohol into a glass.

“Shin Je-hee? You said you wouldn’t leave it alone then, but now that it’s America, there’s nothing you can do?”

Myungjin didn’t like Jehee, but his abilities in America could only be used in a very limited scope.

“It looks like they’re planning to open a fine dining restaurant in Korea. I heard that construction on the restaurant has already been completed.”

“So you want to go into that business too?”

“At first, I was thinking of taking all my employees and opening a restaurant, but the chefs aren’t moving because the pay is better than I thought. I’m thinking of another way.”

“You’re a tough one. What did he do to you? Why are you so upset that you can’t catch him?”

Se-hwang looks at Myeong-jin as if he doesn’t understand and speaks.

“attitude.”

“hmm?”

“I don’t like your attitude. And your eyes.”

From the first day he saw her face, Myungjin didn’t like Shin Jehee. It was because he couldn’t find any meanness in her appearance. Myungjin couldn’t understand why he was so confident when he had nothing.

“What does that mean?”

“Dude. People respect the chaebols even when they curse them. Or maybe they’re in awe of them. Or maybe they’re in fear of them. They know that if they mess up, their lives will be ruined. But this kid, from the day he first met me, looked me up and down like I was some kind of kid. Even though I introduced him properly.”

Even though he made it clear that he was the second son of the Daeyoung Group, he treated Myeongjin like the son of a neighborhood supermarket owner.

“If you’re dating Seo Joo-hee, what’s the big deal about being rich?”

“If I were married, then yes. But not yet, so it doesn’t matter. So I plan to clearly show who I am. I don’t know about America, but in Korea, you can’t do whatever you want.”

Myeongjin drinks the alcohol in one go.

“So you’re wasting your time doing something useless like that?”

Se-hwang couldn’t understand why Myeong-jin, who majored in chemistry, entered the restaurant industry.

“Brother. This world is all about capital. Politics, business, everything else runs according to the logic of capital. So there’s no reason for me to lose to Shin Je-hee. It’s not useless.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I knew where Shin Je-hee would open the restaurant. That’s why I bought the building in front of it. And I’m planning to open a fine dining restaurant right in front of it. Originally, I was going to scout the Segreto staff and open it right away, but that strategy didn’t work out, but that doesn’t matter. I’m going to scout all-star chefs in Korea and put them in the spotlight.”

Myungjin laughs bitterly. It doesn’t matter if it’s childish or if it’s just venting anger.

“Are you thinking of playing chicken?”

Se-hwang sticks out his tongue with a tired expression.

“Of course. Capital always wins. Let’s see how long we can sustain deficits.”

“Will Seo Joo-hee just watch her boyfriend get ruined?”

“Then it’s even better. If you’re a pillar of honor, you should act accordingly. Chairman Seo will know this too. After all, that kind of person is far from being a match for Joo-hee.”

And I hope that he realizes how helpless he is. Then, Myungjin thought, he will be a little more polite the next time they meet.

“You still haven’t given up on Seo Joo-hee?”

“No. That’s not the point. What’s important is that I can have anything I want. If I throw it away, I throw it away.”

“I envy your confidence, but it’s also scary.”

* * *

“The owner of the restaurant has finally come into the restaurant.”

Minhyuk removes the curtain and shows me around a restaurant on Garosu-gil. This recently completed restaurant took three years to build.

“I didn’t know that I would open in the US first. But in the end, it was fortunate. I was able to open with a Michelin star and a reputation.”

“When do you plan on opening?”

“We have to hire employees, train them, localize the menu, and even stock the wine. It will take several months at the earliest. Once we hire employees, we plan to bring them to the U.S. headquarters and train them while they work.”

If possible, I would like to offer the same menu in Korea as in New York. I get a lot of messages on Instagram. Many of them are requests to offer the same menu in Korea.

“You’ll be busy going back and forth between the US and Korea for the time being?”

“It’s time for a proper dining establishment to open in Korea. But this restaurant has a strangely similar atmosphere to Segreto in New York.”

I’ve been feeling a strange sense of foreboding for a while now, but upon closer inspection, I see that there are many parts that resemble Segreto, from the exterior to the interior.

“I took some note of it when I was finalizing the final touches. We’re going to be putting up the same sign, right? It would be good to have some level of uniformity.”

Minhyuk says with a smile.

“I appreciate you taking care of the part I missed.”

I was so busy opening Segreto in New York that I barely paid attention to Korea. I am grateful to him for taking care of me. I never knew he was such a thoughtful and delicate man before.

“No problem. But is that okay? I heard that Daeyoung bought the building in front of me. It looks like they’re thinking of opening a fine dining restaurant.”

He says, looking at the building across the street. It’s a stylish new building.

“I think it’s actually a good thing. More customers will come here looking for a place to eat. Actually, I don’t have any other worries. I just hope that other restaurants, not just mine, will do their best. The important thing is to grow the pie.”

The dining scene can’t mature if I do well alone. I sincerely hope he doesn’t fail.

“Yeah. Even if you’re worried, they’ll have to do it. But since they have a lot of capital, there might be cutthroat competition.”

“Haha. It doesn’t matter. Chicken games bring in customers. I want to welcome them.”

I know that Cha Myung-jin tried to steal our staff from behind the scenes. I don’t know what grudge he has with me, but whatever it is, it won’t go as he wants.

I thought about how I should promote my newly opened restaurant. I think there is nothing better than broadcasting. I have been holding back, but I have to do it when necessary.

* * *

The broadcast appearance was decided quickly.

“Attorney Jang?”

I hired an agent. He is a licensed attorney. He is a one-man company, so to speak, and he handles lawsuits for many celebrities and provides legal advice. He is a unique person who is somewhere between a legal advisor and a manager.

-Yes. I was waiting for your call.

“What’s going on?”

-No. There are so many places looking for the new chef. I was holding off on appearing in the media because it seemed like he didn’t like it.

“Which one is the biggest among them?”

– There was a request to recreate a dish that was featured on G20 on SikSinRoad, and there is a SBB News celebrity invitation seat. The guest seat will be broadcast live for about 15 minutes.

“That would be great. Please accept my invitation to the guest seat. I will appear.”

I have already done cooking on TV a lot, so I want to show the public a different side of me. We are still in an era where the influence of public broadcasting is absolute. An invitation to such a public broadcasting news is the perfect stage to announce my return.

-Really? It’s been a while since I’ve had something to do. Okay.

Considering my departure schedule, I was scheduled to appear the next day. I was a bit surprised by the sudden schedule, but since I didn’t have to prepare much anyway, I readily agreed. I received an email with things to know before the appearance and expected questions. And then, a day later, the broadcast appearance day came.

When I opened the closet in the dressing room, I saw that it was filled with suits that I didn’t know about. Joohee must have gone around here and there on her own and bought clothes for me. I took one out and tried it on. It seemed to fit my body perfectly, so it was tailored. I tried on the clothes, chose a suit, shirt, and tie, and put on a watch. When I looked in the mirror, I still looked okay.

Dingdong

Suddenly the doorbell rings. I open the door and see a man in his early to mid 30s wearing a suit holding a basket of fruit.

“Who are you?”

“Hello. I am Song Chi-won, the director of SN Entertainment. You recently signed a monthly rental contract with us. I came to say hello.”

He hands me his business card in a polite manner.

I was allotted two apartments at Hangang The Hill a few years ago. I live in one, but I didn’t want to leave the other empty, so I asked the agent to look into leasing it for me.

“Nice to meet you. But why do you have to come here to greet me? I should go instead.”

“Since we are a planning company, we plan to use this place as a dormitory for actors and idol singers. Since there are no permanent residents, we are always greeted by the landlords like this because we feel a sense of urgency. We will use the house cleanly. Thank you for letting us have your house.”

In the case of luxury apartments, landlords seem reluctant to lease to agencies. They may be reluctant to let unspecified numbers of people use the apartments. And if residents get involved in gossip, they may be exposed to the media, so it is understandable that they avoid signing contracts with agencies.

“No. I appreciate it. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

There aren’t many tenants who can afford to pay monthly rent for expensive apartments. I hope they stay for a long time.

“When my kids say that Chef Shin is the owner of the house, they are all excited. In reality, I think it would be good for him to be an actor. If he appeared on TV more actively, he could utilize his looks. Oh, I’m sorry. I guess because it’s his job, I only think about it in that way.”

He says with an awkward smile.

“I have a guest appearance on the news tonight anyway. That’s why I was trying on clothes.”

“Are you really planning on leaving in that condition?”

Was it a sudden professionalism? He looked me up and down with his eyes looking at the product.

“Is it strange?”

“It’s not strange. The clothes look nice, but your hair and styling are so careless. You don’t even have makeup on.”

“What kind of makeup does a man wear?”

I often apply sunscreen when I go on business trips to hot countries, but I have never worn makeup.

“Haha. Makeup isn’t just the full makeup that idol male singers wear. There’s also makeup that evens out your skin tone and softens your impression without being noticeable. And if you trim your eyebrows and style them properly, you’ll look much better on screen. Why don’t you visit the shop we have a contract with?”

Listening to him, it seems like your hair needs a trim. But you can probably go to another salon.

“There are hardly any people around at this hour. Please try it. Our company will pay for it.”

Despite his continued urging, I pretended not to be able to resist and followed him.

After driving for a while, I see a familiar alley. If I go a little further, I will find my restaurant. As I enter the alley, I see a fancy building with a gold-colored exterior. A beauty salon that takes up an entire building in this expensive Gangnam is a world I do not know.

“I didn’t know there was such a large beauty salon in Korea.”

“It’s probably the most profitable hair salon in Korea. Even celebrities can’t get their hair done unless they make a schedule in advance. It doesn’t matter to Chef Shin since he’s going to get his hair done by the director anyway.”

As you enter the lobby, you will see profile pictures of many celebrities adorning the walls on both sides. It looks like they took their pictures here after getting their hair and makeup done. You can see pictures of some of the country’s most famous stars and athletes.

“There are so many customers.”

“The director here has practically conquered Korea with hair and makeup. She has also done makeup for many famous fashion shows overseas. She is currently the most successful hair designer in Korea. Since I came without an appointment today, you can get your hair done by another instructor.”

I went up the stairs. There were pictures of actors and idols hanging in every hallway. I couldn’t tell if this was a beauty salon or a talent agency. When I went up to the second floor, Director Song went to the desk, chatted for a while, and then quickly registered.

I looked around while waiting. There weren’t many seats. It felt like a boutique rather than a beauty salon. There were hairdressing chairs scattered about in a large space, and there were partitions to ensure privacy while getting your hair done. After looking around for a while, someone came to see me.

“Chef Shin Je-hee?”

“hello.”

“I am Shin Hyeon-a, the director of this place. Nice to meet you.”

She is a woman with a sophisticated appearance. I couldn’t tell if she was in her 30s or 40s.

“Nice to meet you. This is my first time here, so I feel a little awkward.”

“Everyone is like that at first. After coming here two or three times, you’ll quickly get used to it. Are you going to get your hair done today?”

“Yes. But I heard that the director is busy and receives it from another teacher?”

“I just happened to finish my schedule and had some time off. I’ll do the men’s haircut soon. Actually, I enjoyed watching the show that Chef Shin appeared on. He did a great job for the country this time, so I should do it for him.”

“thank you.”

I followed her and sat down in the hairdressing chair. She looked at my face for a moment, nodded, and started cutting my hair with brisk movements.

“I feel like cutting hair because the original is good. Why haven’t you taken care of it like this before?”

“Because it’s a difficult job to manage.”

“I guess there will be a lot of difficult things?”

She nods as if she understands.

“Because you have to be in a hot place all day long. It’s hard to wear nice clothes because the smell of food sticks to your clothes, and putting anything on your skin is taboo for chefs.”

“Oh, I didn’t think about it. Female chefs can’t even wear makeup.”

“You can’t apply it at all.”

“I’m learning something new again. You said you’re going to appear on TV today, right? Then I’ll make you look completely different today.”

“You don’t have to go that far.”

I think she’s overly ambitious. I just came to get my hair cut. And I hate sitting in the salon for too long.

“Actually, I do this because I like it. It’s not often that I get to meet customers who are worth decorating.”

After I cut my hair, she dried it and led me to the makeup room.

“and!”

I never imagined there would be a space like this in a salon.

“Isn’t it surprising? When women first come here, they all have the same reaction.”

Entering the boutique-like room, there was only one chair that could seat one person. And in front of it, hundreds of brushes were neatly arranged. Next to the brushes, countless types of colored cosmetics and beauty products filled the room.

“Please sit here.”

She sits me down in front of a mirror and thinks deeply.

“Since you probably haven’t worn makeup before, I’ll just tone up your skin tone and eyebrows so that you won’t feel uncomfortable. And I’ll emphasize natural makeup so that it’s not noticeable. When you look in the mirror after putting on makeup, you might think it’s a bit too much, but it’ll show up well on the screen.”

I could sense confidence in her words. I decided to trust her.

“Please.”

After washing my face, she carefully applied cream to my face and started to tone it up. Then she applied color with a brush and groomed my eyebrows.

30 minutes later I looked in the mirror. An unfamiliarly handsome man was staring at me.

“Much better, right?”

I can definitely see why she’s the best.

I looked back at the sudden gaze. Pretty women who looked familiar from somewhere were watching me get my makeup done.

“You know? It’s from Girlhood. Are you a fan of the chef?”

“What about me? I’m not even a celebrity.”

“You have more fans than I thought. There are a lot of photos of you on the internet saying you’re a handsome chef. I’ve seen them too. And you’re such a good cook.”

She laughs, covering her mouth.

“thank you.”

After finishing setting up and trying to leave, two members of the group that had been watching me earlier came and spoke to me cautiously.

“Excuse me, Chef. Could you please give me your autograph?”

“Of course. What is my signature?”

I signed the papers they had prepared right away so that they wouldn’t feel embarrassed.

“Can I ask for a photo too?”

He smiles shyly as he brings up the subject, perhaps out of embarrassment.

Only after taking a picture together like that was I able to leave the shop. Maybe I’m more famous in Korea than I thought.

Now it’s time to make the news.