I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 166



Only Noblemtl

166 You are not alone

Every time I visit Seoul, it gradually changes back to what I knew. The International Finance Center in Yeouido has just been completed, and the skyscrapers being built in Jamsil are starting to take shape.

Coming to Korea with my children brought me a new feeling. I looked back with a feeling of emotion and saw my children sitting in their car seats smiling at me.

“This is our country.”

Oh my god.

Now, older children are starting to speak one word at a time.

“Is this our country to them too? They might think of it as their mom and dad’s country.”

Joohee looks at the children and smiles as she speaks.

“It depends on how they are raised. When they grow up, they will choose their own nationality. But I hope they don’t forget their roots. Let’s raise them that way.”

I was worried that Asians would never be a part of the mainstream of American society, and that if they considered themselves Americans, they would experience endless identity confusion.

“I should come to Korea more often.”

Before we knew it, the car had arrived at its destination.

“Come in.”

As I got out of the car, the two people who had been contacted were already waiting outside.

“dad!”

After giving birth, the mother-in-law came to the United States for a short time, but this was the father-in-law’s first time meeting the children.

Chairman Seo hugs Joo-hee, who is happy to see him. Even though she is a mother, she is still just the youngest daughter of the two.

“Well done. You’ve worked hard.”

Joohee sheds tears as her emotions well up.

“You worked hard too.”

Abababa.

Both of their gazes turn to the back seat of the car where the car seat is.

“Nice to meet you. It’s Grandfather.”

Chairman Seo hugs the children with a broad smile.

We put the children to bed and bowed deeply to them. But their eyes never left the children.

Noah and Yuna, lying side by side, look around with anxious eyes, feeling awkward in the unfamiliar place.

“Oh, my babies.”

The mother-in-law caresses the children’s cheeks with loving eyes.

“Hammani.”

Yuna blurts out the words she taught him, remembering the girl who stayed with her for a while.

“Yes, Grandma. How smart.”

“Hammani, Hammani.”

Noah also reaches out to her.

Chairman Seo looks at the sight with envy and then hugs Noah.

“It’s Grandpa. Say ‘Grandpa’!”

ha ha ha.

Joohee smiles as she looks at the sight.

* * *

“Hello, viewers. Gourmet, a show that continues to develop through endless exploration with an endless passion for gastronomy!

“Today, we are here to meet you with some special guests.”

Clap clap clap.

The audience responds with applause to Hojin’s opening remarks.

“Today, we have a very, very special person visiting our studio. We have been sending out love calls for years to invite him, and he has finally come out. Chef Shin Je-hee has come out.”

Wow.

Applause and cheers are heard.

“It’s a completely different reaction than when I first came out.”

ha ha ha.

“He is one of the rising young chefs these days. We have Chef Park Ji-seok.”

Park Ji-seok comes out and bows his head to greet us.

“Chef Lee Ja-yeon, a leading female chef working overseas, has arrived.”

Clap clap clap.

The chefs sit down and greet each other.

“I heard that Chef Park Ji-seok and Chef Shin Je-hee know each other. Is that true?”

As the place gets organized, Ho-jin asks Ji-seok a question.

“Yes. He’s a CIA senior. I only heard about him through rumors when I was in school, but I never had the chance to meet him in person. I remember him greeting us at a party when his graduation was near.”

“What rumors have you heard?”

“From then on, Jehee was famous. He got perfect scores on both the practical and written exams. There probably weren’t many people like him in the history of the CIA.”

“You were already a celebrity back then. Now you’re even more famous, Chef Shin Je-hee.”

“You’ve given me gold on my face. Thank you for the compliment.”

“These days, the popularity of cooking shows is increasing day by day.

As the public’s interest in fine dining grows, we’ve received hundreds of questions from viewers asking chefs to share their thoughts. So we thought we’d bring in some young chefs to talk to. What do you think about this phenomenon?”

Hojin looks at Jehee and asks a question.

“I’ve heard that the number of students aspiring to become chefs has increased recently. However, there are more people giving up halfway through. If you come into this world with only the glamorous appearances you see on TV, you’ll definitely regret it.”

“What is so special about it?”

“It’s so hard. I find Chef Lee Ja-yeon quite amazing.

I heard you worked at El Bulli and Demi, and now you work at The Fat Duck in England. Both are world-class restaurants.

“Those places have an atmosphere that even the average man wouldn’t be able to endure. There’s fierce internal competition, and if you don’t do your job well, you won’t be given many chances.”

“Chef Lee Ja-yeon? What do you think?”

“Almost all chefs my age who are working overseas have been influenced by Chef Shin Je-hee. I majored in cooking in Korea, but I had no idea what to do.”

“okay.”

“But seeing Chef Shin go overseas alone and achieve success, I think I gained confidence and thought, ‘Ah! We can do it too.’”

“So, is this your first time meeting Chef Shin Je-hee?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m really nervous right now. Actually, I prepared a piece of paper and a pen to get your autograph, but I was so embarrassed that I put it in my bag.”

Nature blushes and says to Jehee.

“I am honored that you have gained courage because of me. I hope that we can continue to be close friends as colleagues walking the same path. I will give you as many autographs as you want.

The story is a little off topic, but I wanted to say that the working environment is that bad. Don’t be fooled by what you see on the cooking show.”

“That’s right. I actually cried a lot while working alone overseas. I started with Kkomi, but there wasn’t a day when I didn’t get scolded.

“I felt a lot of self-loathing, thinking, ‘Why am I so bad at cooking?’ Plus, the pay is low and the working hours are long….”

“When I get off work, there’s no place on my body that doesn’t hurt.”

Knowledge adds spice.

“That’s right. Working 14 hours a day is also part of my daily routine.”

Nature speaks with a gloomy expression.

“Isn’t this part the responsibility of the new chef? Segreto was successful and the chefs there were so cool on screen.”

Hojin looks at Jehee playfully and asks a question.

“I think it would be better for me to ask this question.

Among fine dining chefs, there are few who are after money. Most restaurants are running at a loss.

Do you guys watch a lot of home shopping?

You’ve probably seen a lot of chefs there baking dumplings and frying pork cutlets. They don’t go out to do that because they want to. It’s because they don’t have the operating funds.

However, in fine dining, you continue to do it because you have a dream and a dish you want to make. As in any field, only a small number of people succeed in this field.

If you want money and fame, I would definitely say that the other is more cost-effective.”

Nature nods her head to Jiseok’s words.

“When one person becomes very successful, they gain followers. It seems like a kind of Shin Je-hee effect, but it must be a heavy burden.”

“I will continue to work hard with a sense of responsibility.”

“Now, let’s talk about a Korean restaurant that has been a hot topic recently. They’ve turned New York upside down with Korean food.”

“It’s not to that extent, but it is true that we are getting a good response.”

“When you appeared on the phone last time, you said that the power of culture is important for food to become popular and that Korean food has all the conditions to succeed in that sense, but I didn’t know that you would keep that statement.

What is the secret? There have been many companies and chefs who have tried to expand overseas, and even though they invested a lot of money in promotion, it didn’t work.”

Ja-yeon interjects herself into Ho-jin’s question as if she has something to say.

“In fact, nothing Chef Shin has done is common sense. He became a sous chef at a Michelin 3-star restaurant in just 4 years, and he received a Michelin star the same year he became independent. He received 2 stars the following year.

In our view, Shin Je-hee herself is a miracle. Working overseas and experiencing it firsthand makes it even more real. To put it simply, it’s impossible.”

Nature speaks with a stern expression.

“I have known my senior for a long time, and I have been asked to cook with him several times.”

“Oh! That’s new. You worked together?”

“No, it’s not that. Before my senior became independent, he personally held a few dining events for special guests. We worked together at that time. Not only me, but also Pastry Chef Lee Ji-hye, who is currently working at Segreto, and Chef Jeong Gi-un, who is working hard in New York, were invited. It was a great experience.

Oh! That’s not what I was going to say, but when you cook together, you realize, ‘Oh! This person is not the same person as me.’

Sauces are a very difficult subject for chefs, but my senior finds out what’s lacking as soon as he tastes it and changes the mixture.

It may sound easy, but it actually doesn’t make sense. I felt a lot of self-loathing because I solved a problem that took me days to think about in just one minute.

“To continue working in the arts and culture world, it is important not to be discouraged when you meet a genius. I quickly recognized that.”

“I agree. Ferran Adria of El Bulli is also a renowned genius in the industry. When I see his recipes, other chefs are infinitely smaller.

I feel the same way every time I see the signature of a new chef featured in a magazine. But criminals have their own way. They just work hard and believe that they will get there someday.”

“Junior! You make sense!”

Jiseok suddenly stands up and asks to shake Jayeon’s hand.

“What? Should we even applaud?”

Ji-seok sits down with an embarrassed expression at Ho-jin’s playful words.

“So you’re saying that it’s not the success of Korean food, but of Shin Je-hee.”

“I think so. But it is definitely positive that Korean food is becoming more well-known and more in demand. It will create more opportunities for other people.”

Hojin nods his head at Ji-seok’s words.

“Thank you for your kind words. Now, let’s take some time to ask questions directly to the viewers.”

The broadcast was recorded successfully in a good atmosphere.

* * *

“Chef! Will you sign this for me?”

As I entered the waiting room after finishing the recording, Chef Lee Ja-yeon handed me a piece of paper and a pen.

Chef with experience at El Bulli and Fat Duck.

He is a CDP now, so in a few years he might become a sous chef at a Michelin 3-starred restaurant called Pat Duck.

Why didn’t I know of a chef with such a brilliant career in my past life?

There is no way I wouldn’t have known about this person. It would be reasonable to assume that my existence has changed someone’s future.

Because of me, Garosu-gil has become a mecca for fine dining, with many restaurants opening their doors, and young chefs who were not previously known are taking on challenges and producing results.

I was most delighted by this fact.

“Of course.”

“Chef, I’m always cheering you on. Please continue to make great dishes in the future.”

Lee Ja-yeon accepts the paper with a bright smile.

“I will be the one cheering for the chef’s future.”

I don’t have to do this alone.

I wish her future success, hoping that the dreams of many colleagues walking the same path will not be broken.