I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 158



Only Noblemtl

158 Everyone’s Dream

“It is shameful, but it is true. I believe it is right for me to resign from this position as a person with serious moral flaws. I sincerely apologize to the president, the senior officials, and the ruling and opposition party lawmakers who trusted and recommended me.

And I sincerely bow my head in apology to my child who was abandoned at birth and had to face the harsh world alone without the love and protection of his parents.”

Reporters frantically panned their cameras. The broadcasters who were relaying the news hurriedly put up subtitles.

[Deputy Prime Minister-designate Song Min-seok reveals he had an extramarital affair with his college sweetheart.]

Song Min-seok stands up and bows his head at a 90 degree angle.

After standing there for a while, he raises his head and walks out of the meeting room with a relieved expression.

“No! Look here! What will happen if you go out like that?”

“Please sit down!”

“Candidate! Come back!”

The lawmakers tried to catch him, but his steps were unstoppable.

* * *

-Why did you do that?

Min-seok, who arrived home, cut off all contact with the outside world. However, he couldn’t ignore her calls.

“Is it weird?”

-Of course it’s strange. A person whose career is his life has now thrown his future into the gutter.

“Yeah. That wasn’t like me.”

-What happened?

“I met your son. He’d be furious if he heard about it. A son…”

-I thought so.

“He said he didn’t blame me or curse me. He just said he was like a dandelion seed blown by the wind and bloomed somewhere. He said there was no need for me to feel guilty or responsible. So he said that we should continue to live as strangers to each other like we do now.”

-That’s typical of that kid.

“His voice was so calm. I guess I was secretly expecting it. I thought that if you resented me, I would accept all your harsh feelings.

“I know I can’t fix our relationship, but I wanted to at least do that. To ease some of the tension.”

-We can’t ask anything of that child.

“I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t say a word. I only found out why after he left.”

-What is it?

“I have never had the slightest responsibility for that child in my life. I have never suffered any harm.

Actually, I’ve thought about that child many times throughout my life. How is he living? Is he even alive? But I didn’t want to face the guilt deep in my heart.

“If I had found out about the orphanage through you and gone there and done a little research, I could have found it right away. But I didn’t do that. I was just being selfish. I didn’t want to lose my elite bureaucracy, my happy family, or anything.”

-then….

“Yes, it is a kind of punishment. It is something I am giving to myself. It is 30 years late, but at least I am taking some responsibility now.”

-It’s meaningless self-satisfaction.

“I know. But let’s just abandon the child once and for all. I feel at peace for the first time in a long time.”

* * *

When I returned to New York, I explained to Joohee what had happened. She listened to my story quietly and then hugged me gently.

Ebebe.

The children reach out to me for a hug when they see me for the first time in a long time. I stroke their heads and hold them in my arms. The sweet smell of babies calms my mind and body.

Ababa.

“Yeah, I missed you too, my babies.”

I love the babies squirming in my arms.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“Nothing. I just want a peaceful life.”

I said this, but my heart is still in turmoil. Who was this decision for? Should I forgive them and restore our relationship at this point?

There’s no need to rush. I plan to take my time and do whatever comes to mind.

“How’s business?”

She’s expanding her business at a rapid pace. I don’t want to interfere too much, but I wanted to give her a little help in setting the direction.

“Um… Actually, there is a bit of a problem.”

Her expression darkens.

“What’s the problem?”

“I was thinking of building a dairy plant to eat into the market, but then I got a call that the bill that was pending would be passed by the end of this year.”

Listening to her, I remembered the raw milk price linkage system that was eating away at the domestic milk market.

“I read an article about a bill that guarantees farmers the cost of producing raw milk. I heard they split the quota among companies.”

“That’s right. Now the company is forced to buy crude oil at a high price. I’m starting to doubt whether we should enter this market.”

“It’s not a business with no merit unless you directly establish a ranch to lower the cost of production. In the future, the higher the cost of production, the more advantageous it will be for ranches to negotiate with the government. The more they try to reduce prices, the lower the purchase price will be. However, if they do the processing themselves, it’s a different story. The profit margin will be greater.”

“I’m already worried about that. Should I just take over the ranch and jump in? That’s the only way to proceed according to the roadmap I’ve already established.”

“Whatever you decide, you’ll do well.”

“Jump in? Or stop?”

She looks at me and asks playfully.

“One thing is for sure. It’s a place where development is slow. It’s a place where market economic logic doesn’t work. If you give them a taste of capitalism and economies of scale, they’ll just collapse helplessly. It’s a place that’s never had proper competition.”

“That’s because the demand for milk in our country is not sufficient. Powdered milk sales are also gradually decreasing.”

“Instead, the demand for butter and cheese will continue to rise.”

She listens to me and then starts thinking deeply about something.

“Okay! I’ll give it a try.”

Knock knock.

She opens her laptop and writes an email, seemingly determined.

By the 2020s, Korea’s dairy industry was already in shambles.

The cost of producing crude oil was more than twice that of Australia or the United States. Considering that the country was entirely dependent on imports for feed, it was incredibly uncompetitive. This was because the government guaranteed the cost of production no matter how expensive it was.

The public began to turn away from expensive milk, and this affected the confectionery and bakery industries that essential dairy products, and the damage was passed on to ordinary citizens.

Since the industry’s inaction was compensated for with taxes, the public’s view toward them was also cold.

Anyway, due to the FTA, tariffs will be zero on cheese and butter from the US and Europe starting in 2026. It would be better to improve our constitution now than to die then.

* * *

Segreto has finished its renovation. The staff, who have returned from a short vacation, are all gathered in the hall.

“Did you have a nice vacation?”

“yes.”

“It’s too short.”

“I felt restless because I didn’t have any work to do.”

The staff laugh and chatter without exception. After receiving two Michelin stars, everyone’s attitude changed. The chefs, without even saying anything, started putting their heart and soul into each and every dish they made.

The hall staff also voluntarily receive training and strive to provide service befitting their reputation.

Of course, this work ethic comes from money. I gave them a significant raise.

The CIA and ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) sent us interns. We picked the ones we liked from the resumes sent in from culinary schools, and this season we had six interns.

Clang.

“Martha! How can you pick up a plate from a dish warmer with your bare hands? You don’t have a head?”

Dominic looks at the intern with a dumbfounded expression.

“Ouch!”

I heard a scream and turned around in surprise to see one of the interns bleeding from his hand. It looks like he hurt his hand while peeling potatoes.

“Here, give me your hand.”

Ella takes her hand, disinfects it, puts a bandage on it, and gives her a pair of latex gloves.

“When peeling potatoes, you need to first set up where to hold them. You need to secure a space where your thumb won’t get hurt.”

Sasa Sak.

Ella picks up a potato and quickly peels it with a knife. In fine dining, they don’t peel potatoes with a peeler because it doesn’t look good.

“If you mix the dough like that, it will stick to your hands and make a mess. Mix it by centering the egg and gathering the flour in the center.”

Kim is teaching me how to knead dough.

Just as university hospitals train their interns, restaurants have a responsibility to train their freshmen.

The chefs at Segreto are starting to realize that the number of chefs aspiring to be fine-diners is decreasing every year. They also know that pubs and restaurants are much more profitable places to make money.

We must do our best to nurture these few students and ensure a continuous infusion of young blood into the industry.

“Jehee!”

I turned my head and saw Jenny waving at me. What could it be? I followed her up to the office.

“What’s going on?”

Jenny’s face looks anxious.

“Do you know a man named Horace Milton?”

“You’re a critic.”

He is one of the best-known food critics in the United States, and is a major industry figure with regular columns in both Flavor, the No. 1 food magazine in the United States, and Food & Wine.

“I got a call from you, but I feel a little uneasy.”

“what?”

“You suddenly asked me to change the owner. That’s why I told you to tell me because I’m Maitreya Deen.”

“however?”

“They said that if I showed sincerity, they would put a good article in the magazine.”

Both Flavor and Food & Wine have hundreds of thousands of regular subscribers across the United States, and their influence has not diminished even in the age of the Internet.

“Are you asking for money?”

“I didn’t really understand it at first either. I thought he was asking me to be more careful with the food than usual, so I asked again. Then he said it was $30,000 per page.”

“Are you crazy? So what did you say?”

A critic in collusion with a restaurant? It’s laughable.

“Of course I refused! But Jehee, I’m so anxious. What if they publish a retaliatory article?”

I can understand how she feels.

Restaurants are not for everyone. It is easy for a false article to be published, but it takes ten times more effort to correct it. Chefs must have been afraid of this and had no choice but to accept his offer, crying and biting mustard. Fighting only leads to losses.

“Now that my name is known, the bugs are starting to swarm me. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Did you record the call?”

When I started my restaurant, the first thing I did was to install CCTV without blind spots and set up a system to record all calls. I knew that this alone would solve many disputes. It was not technically difficult and did not cost much.

“Yeah. But it wasn’t me. It was a woman’s voice. Will it work?”

As expected. No one would ask for money directly unless they are stupid.

“jenny!”

“huh?”

“Have I ever said that I could do something that I couldn’t do even once?”

“There wasn’t any.”

“It’s the same this time. Don’t worry about it. We’ll just work hard like usual. Okay?”

“Okay! Got it.”

Her expression brightens.

Segreto is no longer just my dream.

Everyone had worked hard since the beginning of the restaurant to achieve its current reputation. She was afraid that this would be tarnished.

And a few days after we started normal business, he came to visit us.