I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 155



Only Noblemtl

155 Hundred Dishes

Pwaaaang.

Yuna starts to cry as Joohee holds Noah.

“Okay, okay. Just wait a minute.”

Puaaaaaaaaaah.

“Oh, man. I told you so.”

Joohee held Noah with one arm and Yuna with the other. Yuna finally smiled brightly as she was held in her mother’s arms.

“You like Mom that much? Mom, too.”

Sitting on the sofa, holding the baby in her arms, she feels like she has the world. Feeling the pleasant weight, Joohee gently rocks the baby. Then she sings a soft lullaby.

“Sleepyhead, close your eyes,

Mother’s right here beside you

I’ll protect you from harm,

You will wake in my arms.

Guardian angels are near,

So sleep on with no fear.”

‘Sleepy baby, close your eyes.

Because your mom is right next to you.

Mom will protect you.

You will wake up in my arms.

Don’t worry and sleep soundly, your guardian angels are near.’

The two children’s eyes slowly closed and they fell asleep.

“I put him to sleep, but what do I do now?”

When she was put down on the floor, she woke up like a ghost and started crying again. Joohee found this situation burdensome, but at the same time, she found it funny.

‘Did my mom raise me like this?’

There was something I realized only after I had a child. I had never really felt the love my parents had given me without reserve.

side.

Kiss kiss.

Joohee took turns kissing the children on the cheeks and looked at her watch. It was getting close to the time for the meeting.

“Mom, I’m going to work for a bit, so be quiet.”

After carefully placing the children on the sofa, I tied my hair up, put on my glasses, and opened my laptop.

“Report it.”

As I launch the video conferencing app, a bespectacled employee bows his head to say hello.

“We have rejected STC’s offer. They seem to be unhappy with our lowering prices. Is it okay for us to continue like this?”

“That proposal is just a pressure to quietly pick up the crumbs that fall. I have no intention of doing that. We will expand the market with minimal margins until we secure at least a 20% market share. Leave the logistics to LK and submit the proposal to the dairy cooperatives. They are already squeezed and will welcome us.”

“All right.”

“How is the acquisition of the dairy plant going? You can’t get market share with just sterilized milk. You have to produce it yourself.”

“We are in contact with three companies, and they all seem to be open to acquisition. The performance is not good because they keep lowering the delivery price.”

“Okay. What about the flour mill?”

“There are no properties for sale here. Most of them have parent companies and are in good management condition.”

“In the worst case scenario, please proceed with the mindset that you will be starting from scratch. In any case, consumers will buy the cheaper product if the quality is the same. We win.”

She was also thinking of taking over an American flour mill and then moving back into Korea if that didn’t work out, because distribution alone wouldn’t be enough to break up the cartel.

“We opened our 12th offline store. We initially opened primarily in department stores, which was effective in establishing a premium image.”

“That’s great. Please continue to expand in the future.”

“Yes. Okay.”

Joo-hee closes her laptop and smiles. She has already heard that the cartel has confirmed her intention through her father. She has no ill feelings toward them. In a capitalist society, pursuing maximum profit is a natural goal for a company.

‘So you don’t blame me either?’

She, too, intended to maximize profits, which would eventually lead to the collapse of cartels and fair competition, but in the end, capital would win.

Pwaaaang.

Joohee looks back in surprise.

“Peekaboo. Mommy is here.”

Kyaarruk.

The children look at Joo-hee and smile prettily as if they have never cried before. Seeing that, Joo-hee forgets her fatigue and holds the children in her arms to comfort them.

* * *

“I don’t like the color.”

Logan was on site, wearing a hard hat and directing the work. He opened the door to Segreto and came in, and he was working on a panel on the first wall he saw, but he was grimacing as if he didn’t like something about it.

[MICHELIN 2012 ☆☆]

“How can I change it? I tried to make it as similar as possible.”

This was the second rejection. The designer asked as politely as possible, suppressing his anger.

“Extract the colors directly from the Michelin Guidebook and reprint them.”

Segreto has been undergoing extensive renovations since being awarded two stars in the Michelin Guide. The intention was to expand the amenities that Segreto had been lacking and to add a touch of luxury to the hall, solidifying its premium image.

“Logan! You came out yourself.”

Jehee gets out of the car, sees Logan, and runs over to say hello.

“You are a VIP client of our office, so of course I should come. The construction can be completed within a week. Please wait with confidence.”

“Haha. I didn’t come here to rush you. I was wondering if I could ask you one more favor.”

Jehee takes out a file from his briefcase.

“This time it’s a different concept.”

“Please show me.”

Logan looks at his portfolio, flipping through the files with a serious expression.

“It seems like a design inspired by oriental architecture, or rather, Joseon Dynasty architecture.”

“I see. That’s right. I want to incorporate Korean colors into a modern interior. It’s not urgent, so please take your time with the design.”

“I will do my best.”

Another big project.

After designing and building the iconic Segreto in Greenwich Village, the firm had been seeing an influx of clients. But then came another exciting project that was hard to get elsewhere. Logan was determined to seize the opportunity.

* * *

The effect of the broadcast was greater than I expected. Among the people who sent in their resumes, there were some whose resumes really stood out.

“Chef Lee Sang-beom.”

He is a chef with 20 years of experience in charge of Korean cuisine at the Royal Hotel.

Why would someone with this level of experience send me a resume? I won’t know until I meet them anyway. I checked the resumes one by one and narrowed down the people I wanted to bring. Then I made an interview schedule. I was worried about leaving the place because my children were still young, but my mother-in-law was scheduled to come soon.

Since Segreto was also temporarily closed for remodeling, I asked for Joohee’s understanding and headed to Korea.

Segreto Seoul has been screaming with customers since I won two Michelin stars in New York. The reservation page is closed within three minutes of opening, and the tables set aside for offline customers are filling up in an instant. It is a real reservation war.

Since the Michelin Guide has not yet been introduced to Korea, the public has a vague fantasy. As it became widely known that Segreto offers a menu similar to that of New York, the fact that they can experience high-quality fine dining without having to go abroad really appealed to the wealthy.

“Jonghyun!”

Could it be because I came without telling you in advance? Jonghyun is surprised to see me.

“Chef!”

“No problem, right?”

“It’s fine, except there are too many customers. A lot of celebrities come here these days.”

“Are you having a hard time?”

“Oh, man. Don’t be ridiculous. But things have gotten a little better since I blacklisted guests with bad manners, as the chef said. Now, they’re somewhat more cautious.”

“Okay. I don’t need the truth. Is Rachel doing well?”

Although we receive reports every week, there are things that can only be learned on site.

“Yes. I think you’re in a good mood these days. You’re doing a lot of interviews.”

Rachel is making a name for herself here, as a rare female head chef, and with the added benefit of the name Segreto, she’s made headlines.

After greeting the staff, I checked the management status of the sales office. So far, it seems to be running without any problems.

I stood at the pass and tried each dish the chefs prepared. The sauce was fresh, made today, and the ingredients were in good condition. Rachel also gave up her stubbornness and prepared dishes that were faithful to my recipe.

I spent the whole day in the hall greeting and welcoming guests.

* * *

Before the interview, I stopped by the Royal Hotel Korean restaurant and had a meal because I wanted to know about his food.

Let’s order the most expensive course and the food starts to be set up. Various salads and side dishes are served, and the main dish, galbijjim, is set up. When barley gulbi and stone pot rice are served, the whole table is finally served.

I counted and there were 20 side dishes. Adding two main dishes and stone pot rice, it was a satisfying meal.

I tasted the side dishes one by one.

The vegetables are both domestic and Chinese. Even for a hotel, the pressure of cost is unavoidable. However, the seasoning itself was just right and the cooking skills were impeccable.

The kimchi was a southern style with a strong salted seafood flavor. There were many variations, including pickled vegetables and white kimchi. The gulbi was not as chewy as I expected. The gulbi made in the traditional way is too expensive. It was probably salted and then dried in a freezer. However, I liked that it was steamed so that it didn’t lose its moisture.

After finishing my meal, I waited until he finished work to meet me.

“Hello, this is Lee Sang-beom.”

A well-groomed man in his forties greets me politely.

“This is Shin Je-hee. I was surprised when you sent me your resume.”

“Haha. Actually, it wasn’t easy to make up my mind. But I thought of it as my last chance and wrote it with all my heart.”

As he said, it was a detailed resume reminiscent of a new employee, including his detailed education and career, and the dishes he wanted to make in the future.

“I can’t help but ask why. Why did you decide to change jobs?”

“I am a high school graduate. I started from the bottom and worked my way up to chef with just my skills. That was the pride of my life, but suddenly it felt empty.

A while ago, a junior came to visit me and bought me a drink. He said that he earns about 20 million won a month these days. My monthly salary is 3.5 million won.

Of course, being self-employed means there are risks, and I’m not stupid enough not to know that. But it was hard to accept that after working my way up through the ranks in a hotel restaurant, I was only getting treated this way.”

Chefs are really underpaid. But the head chef takes good care of them, but Royal doesn’t do that.

“My children are about to enter middle school. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t even afford to pay for the children’s tuition, let alone renting a house. But I also didn’t think I had the ability to start a business. That’s why I looked for someone who would treat me the best.”

I liked his honest answer. For office workers, dreams and self-realization are only two options. There is no motivation more important than money.

“You have to live in New York, is that okay?”

“I work at a hotel, so I can speak basic English. Later, when I get settled, I can educate my children in the US, and it won’t be bad for us. By the way, what kind of restaurant are you aiming for?”

He doesn’t know my plan. Even if I paid him a lot of money, he, as a chef, wouldn’t want to spend the whole day making hotteok.

“Ah! I didn’t tell you in advance. It’s not a fine dining restaurant. I’m thinking of opening a restaurant that’s a bit more mainstream. I’ve already decided on the concept and the name.”

“What is your name?”

“Hundred Dishes.’

He hears the name, thinks for a moment, then smiles.

“It’s a restaurant serving plain rice. The meaning is a little different though.”

Baekban (白飯) originally meant white rice. However, I think that the meaning of 100 side dishes (百飯), that is, a variety of side dishes, is more appropriate than the original meaning. That is why when I decided to try authentic Korean food in New York, I did not even consider any other name.

“That’s right. I think the essence of Korean food lies in Baekban. It’s a meal that you can’t find anywhere else in the world, with side dishes and soups that change every day, and a variety of side dishes and main dishes. I really want to introduce this to New York. Of course, there are a few things that need to be changed.”

“What is an example?”

“Western people are reluctant to share side dishes. So, I would like to prepare a table for each person, just like in the past when we each received a small plate.”

“That’s a great idea. I like the idea of ​​a white plate too.”

“Fine dining has a very limited customer base. But mass-market restaurants have an infinite customer pool, depending on their ability. I plan to make this restaurant the hottest place in New York. A place where you can’t go in without waiting in line.”

“Just leave it to me. I am confident in everything from side dishes to main dishes. After hearing the chef’s vision, I feel a strong desire to contribute to it.”

“I have a bit of a picky tongue. It won’t be easy for you to finish the menu. However, the treatment will be incomparable to before. You can look forward to it.”

“My heart is pounding with excitement at this new challenge at this age. Please take good care of me.”

I can feel his determination in his tightly held hand. I can finally proceed with the Korean food project that I have been waiting for for a year.