I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 64



Only Noblemtl

his stubbornness

Lee Byung-min’s shirt collar was soaked with sweat.

While hosting Korean food-related events, I have prayed for many guests to come, but this was the first time I thought, “I wish they would just come a little bit.”

‘How long are they going to keep coming?’

Lee Byung-min was still exhausted by the endless line. Washing vegetables and moving charcoal and packaging containers was harder than he had thought. But he couldn’t just turn away and say he couldn’t do it. Anyone could see that at this point, at least one more hand was needed.

“You. Go quickly and get more chopsticks and spoons. I think we’re going to run out soon.”

He gives a task to an employee who is taking a moment to catch his breath.

Everyone is working hard, sweating profusely. But their expressions aren’t all gloomy.

They also know. It has been two years since the government started the globalization project of Korean food. But the event was always a mess, and they were becoming more and more accustomed to the shunning of foreigners. But today, they are finally holding an event that is worthy of the name of globalization.

Lee Byung-min looks at Chef Shin Je-hee, who is skillfully directing the scene.

“He really is an amazing person.”

He muttered to himself without realizing it. The event that had always been in the red and failed was completely transformed by Shin Je-hee. He racked his brain to see if the next booth he would host in Boston would be as successful.

“It won’t work.” He shook his head as he thought about how he could somehow tie Shin Je-hee to the foundation.

“Hey, hurry up and bring your camera and take pictures of the food. Take pictures of the customers standing in line and also take pictures of foreigners smiling and eating. After you take the pictures, get permission to use them.

No. Just think of it as taking pictures all day long and taking pictures of everything. And then contact the broadcasting station.”

You never know when a day like this will come again. You have to keep as many records as possible. You have to write articles and detailed reports to create favorable results for your future contract renewal.

Shin Je-hee is a person who brings a lawyer with her even for simple consulting contracts. She is not someone they can just use without any effort. He thought about what he could do for him with his authority. However, he did not think that he would need his power since he was already successful.

* * *

The second day of the convention is coming to an end. As expected from a world-class exhibition, many people visited the convention.

Thanks to this, the food booth that properly enjoyed the trickle-down effect was a huge success. I made food that could not be ignored, so this was a natural result for me, but seeing the other staff members’ impressed faces, it seemed like they had different thoughts.

I wanted to serve Korean food that was a little closer to the original. However, the influence of Korean culture is still a little lacking. It would be enough to wait 10 years. The day will come when you can eat rich pork soup in Manhattan, New York.

I see Soyoung and her friends laughing and cooking together. It doesn’t seem like much time has passed, but it seems like a lot of time has passed since I graduated. Everyone except Soyoung is having a hard time with me.

“Mr. Baek Jun-ho. How much material do you have left?”

He looks like a bandit and he grills meat, so he looks strangely suited to it. He wears a white apron and a hood, so people passing by look at him every once in a while.

“We’re almost out. Should we order some more?”

“No. When we run out of ingredients, we will put up a sign saying ‘Ingredients sold out’ and close the store.”

Yesterday and today, we already sold enough. In this case, it would be better to finish a little early.

“Is that okay? Thailand is still selling it.”

He must have been concerned about the rankings too. He looked at the Thai booth with worried eyes.

“It’s okay. Everyone worked hard for the past two days.”

“I didn’t know it would sell this well. We also had the most expensive price.”

“It’s not the price that matters. It’s the food that’s worth the price.”

“I think so. I learned a lot from the chef over the past two days.”

He looks at me and bows his head to express his gratitude.

“Well then, that’s good.”

The foundation staff also look exhausted. They have probably never been physically active like this before.

I would like to ask them how they felt after making them work for free, but I don’t want to ruin our relationship by venting my anger for a moment. I just hope that when they plan their next event, they won’t have such bad thoughts about making someone work for free.

“Chef, I heard the rankings will be announced soon.”

Soyoung looks at me and says.

“Focus on the food. Can’t you see that there are still customers lined up?”

“Yes, chef.”

After selling food for about 30 minutes, all the meat was gone.

Since we calculated the remaining quantity and informed people in advance, no one had to wait in line and turn back.

And just as we were finishing up, the convention staff started setting up the stage.

“Let’s start with the ranking announcement. First place will receive $5,000 in prize money, second place will receive $3,000, and third place will receive $1,000. And the top three teams will be given booths at our next convention at base price without a bidding process.”

The rankings are announced immediately after a brief presentation by the officials.

“France came in third place, with a total of 2,243 votes.”

People applaud. The French staff also smile brightly and give each other high fives. Since the line of customers on both the Thai and Korean sides was so long, they were probably aiming for third place.

“We will announce the 1st and 2nd place winners at once.”

The Korean staff are nervous. The Thai side is also looking at the host with expressions full of anticipation.

“Korea is number 1, Thailand is number 2.”

The Korean staff cheered in unison. The foundation staff also smiled and shook hands with each other.

“Korea received a total of 7,210 votes. Thailand received 6,921 votes. Congratulations to both teams.”

CIA students clap and hug each other. It must not have been as easy a part-time job as they thought, since many people visited the booth. Still, I am grateful that they did their best. Baek Jun-ho and Park Hyun-woo also have haggard faces from grilling meat for two days. The smell of meat will probably linger on their bodies for a while.

Reporters are coming to film the awards ceremony after hearing the news. Director Lee Byung-min is seen being interviewed. It looks like there will be an extremely exaggerated article in Korea tomorrow.

“Chef Shin Je-hee.”

While I was organizing, Lee Byeong-min, who had finished the interview, came to me and spoke to me.

“yes?”

“Thank you very much. I really didn’t expect to win first place like this. If there was anything that upset me while I was preparing, please forget about it. That’s how it is with all things in the country.”

“Haha, I understand.”

If the result is good, then everything is good, right? But I don’t want to waste my emotions unnecessarily.

“So, since we won first place, wouldn’t we have been invited to the next convention? We’ll be there together too..”

“I refuse.”

Perhaps because of my determined expression, he hesitates and cannot continue speaking.

“I’m busy, so it’ll be hard for me to participate. But you can use the dishes I made here. If you make something similar, you’ll be able to at least avoid a deficit wherever you go.

But remember, a chef who doesn’t get paid can never make a good dish. And good ingredients make a good dish. Please keep that in mind when you’re planning your budget.”

“All right.”

He answers with a complicated expression. Sorry, but I don’t have enough time to do my work.

“And we’re planning to have a meal together with the prize money. Is that okay?”

“Huh? I think we’ll have to put that back into our budget.”

“Have you seen our sales figures? We’ve already made a considerable profit. Even if we use the prize money to buy a company dinner, there will still be a lot left over.”

“···All right.”

“The foundation staff who have suffered together with us will also join us.”

“I bet the employees will like it.”

“Then, to increase sales, let’s have a company dinner at Hyunwoo’s store.”

We all moved together and had a meal at Park Hyun-woo’s restaurant. The CIA students were going crazy because they had been drinking soju for a long time.

Park Hyun-woo brings out pork belly, kimchi stew, and various jeon. College students in their early 20s have their own emotions. They are drinking like crazy. I wanted to stop them. A bottle of soju costs more than 10 dollars.

“Thank you, Chef, for introducing me to a great part-time job. It was rewarding and great.”

Students came to me and offered me a glass. I closed my eyes tightly and took the glass. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to go home safely today.

“If something like this happens again, I’ll ask you to help me then too. I survived because you guys came.”

“We worked for two days and got paid $400. And I didn’t tell you earlier, but I’m a huge fan. I want to be like you, Chef.”

A young man who looks like he just got out of the military smiles and offers me a glass. I hope these young chefs grow up quickly and support our country’s dining scene.

“You all have a hard time in a foreign land. There’s nothing I can do for you, but if you’re having a hard time, come visit me. I’ll buy you a drink or two.”

“Really? You promised?”

The students all handed me their cell phones. I wrote down my number and promised to buy them drinks. The reason I treat them so well is of course because they are pretty and it is a way to build connections, but there is another special reason.

Because there is one future named person here.

Benjamin Kim.

Ten years later, he became a pastry chef who won two of the world’s top three baking competitions. I remember that it was a big issue in Korea because he was Korean. He later opened a huge bakery in Manhattan, and that store became the most famous bakery in New York.

Wouldn’t working with me help him develop his talents a little earlier?

“Benjamin. You’re a second-generation Korean, but you speak Korean well?”

“At home, my parents always speak only Korean. I also speak Korean with my younger siblings.”

“How did you end up here working part-time? You’re a pastry chef.”

“How did you know? Well, I’m pretty good at cooking. Soyoung said there was a good part-time job, so I just followed her. It was hard, but I’m satisfied because she paid me a lot.”

“When is graduation?”

“This fall. I guess I’ll be able to attend the graduation ceremony next year. We’re in our fifth semester, so this kind of thing happens a lot.”

“Where do you plan to work after graduation?”

“I’m thinking of going to a French restaurant and working in the pastry section. My dream is to eventually open my own bakery, but I’m still lacking in the skills.”

“Then how about we try it together?”

“With the new chef? Is that okay? I don’t have any experience.”

“Of course I won’t let you do all the pastry by yourself. I think French bread is the best. It would be nice if someone like you who specializes in French bread came.”

“I am honored.”

“Then deal.”

“Deal.”

I handed him a business card.

I went to almost every bakery in New York to find a pastry chef, but I had no luck. Most of the delicious shops are run by owner pastry chefs, so it wasn’t easy to scout them.

How good is Benjamin now? He will be trustworthy in 10 years, but not now. Still, it would be right to buy a lottery ticket that is certain to win.

* * *

The event is over and now it’s time to start preparing for the Master Chef.

I heard that the advertisement attracted so much attention that the number of applicants was twice as much as the producer Paul had expected. So, instead of the first preliminary round, we had no choice but to negotiate a plan to select 200 people through self-introduction and portfolio screening and then broadcast them from the second preliminary round.

Ring ring ring

While I was lost in thought, my phone suddenly rang.

“hello?”

-Jehee. I’m not Anna.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

There is concern in her voice. What on earth has happened to the spirited Anna?

-David decided to become independent this time.

“That’s great. That’s something to celebrate.”

-Not at all. They insist on doing British food. And the main dish is steak and kidney pie.

No. What does this mean?

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