NOVEL NEXT 71
“Hello~!”
“Nice to meet you!”
With the two MCs’ energetic greetings, the program finally raised its curtain.
“I’m Jang Seong-jun, one of the MCs.”
“And I’m Jeong Young-do.”
“It’s great to see you all!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Accompanied by the audience’s applause, the two MCs began with their typical introductions.
“Ah, we’re not alone here today. We have some truly remarkable guests with us~”
“Oh my, it’s incredible. I heard rumors that our PD was extremely serious about the casting? They say he stayed up for three days and nights just for the recruitment.”
The audience chuckled, finding it amusing.
Oh, you people. This is no joke.
“Well then, let’s introduce our chef lineup~!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
This time, an even more enthusiastic round of applause erupted. I assumed this was where they’d insert the chefs’ introduction video in the broadcast.
‘I wonder how they’ll introduce me.’
Although I hadn’t particularly wished to be called a chef, being lumped into that category felt a bit awkward.
“Ah~ Chef Bong. I heard rumors that you’ve opened a new restaurant in Itaewon?”
“Haha. Has that news spread already?”
“Your two restaurants are facing each other, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Wow. Rivals in business and rivals here on ‘Raid the Refrigerator’ too~”
The MCs took turns asking each chef a few predetermined questions, guiding the talk.
They even helped shape characters for the chefs new to broadcasting. It seemed the show writers had their own editing direction in mind.
Soon enough, it was my turn. Jeong Young-do looked at his script and began my introduction.
“Ah, this person is hot these days! A frontrunner on social media. You’ve had a massive hit with your Snow Flower Bingsu, and recently, you’re dominating YouTube with your Nuclear Chicken Feet challenge~ Yes, the young blood! Chef Song Woo-yeon!”
Clap, clap, clap.
“It’s nice to meet you all~”
I bowed with a smile, and here, the chefs returned my greeting warmly.
“Everyone probably knows her from Snow Flower Bingsu, but Chef Song Woo-yeon is the CEO of ‘The Song,’ which owns three franchise brands: ‘Hapjae Soup,’ ‘Happy Snack,’ and ‘Bingwa.'”
“Yes, that’s right. Actually, that’s why I feel quite hesitant about being called a chef along with everyone here. You can just call me Song instead of Chef Song if you’d like.”
“Ah, how casually can we address you?”
“Well, you could even say ‘hey, you’ if you want…”
Hahaha!
The audience responded quite well when I skillfully caught Jeong Young-do’s line. I imagined they might add a caption like ‘The woes of being the youngest’ in the final broadcast.
As we continued with this trivial banter, a sketchboard was raised from the production team’s side.
[Guest Introduction]
It seems they’ve finished filming the opening segment. The MCs quickly checked the sketchboard and delivered their next lines.
“Ah, let’s welcome the historic first guest of our ‘Raid the Refrigerator,’ or ‘Naeng-teol.’ Please come out!”
Clap, clap, clap. With applause, a man walked out from inside the set. His neat suit and well-styled hair made quite an impression.
He looked familiar, as if I’d seen him somewhere before.
“Hello, nice to meet you all. I’m Hwang Wei.”
“We’ve invited Hwang Wei-ssi, who’s been active as the Chinese representative on ‘Non-Summit’~!”
Ah, so that’s who he is.
This was around the time when ‘Non-Summit’ was at the peak of its popularity. Even though I wasn’t particularly interested in TV, I’d seen the faces of those cast members once or twice. That should tell you how incredibly popular it was.
The two MCs chatted briefly about Hwang Wei’s recent activities before asking a few questions related to the program.
“Hwang Wei-ssi, is there anything you’d like to request from our ‘Naeng-teol’ chef squad?”
“Well… I’d like to serve Chinese cuisine to my Korean friends, but some of them feel uncomfortable because Chinese flavors can be quite strong.”
“That tends to be the case~ After all, each country has very different spices.”
“So, I’d like to learn some fusion Chinese dishes that would be good to make for Korean friends. Or any dishes that would be good to make for friends, really.”
“I see~ That’s what Hwang Wei-ssi is hoping for. Chefs, are you all taking notes? Chef Bong, I can see your hand isn’t moving~?”
“Ah, I’m writing, I’m writing!”
It seems Chef Bong Kang-min has been cast as a character who’s fun to tease.
Anyway, fusion Chinese cuisine, huh.
‘There were two Chinese cuisine chefs among them, right?’
One was Jeong Ha-neul, and the other was none other than An Derek.
Sure enough, I could see An Derek’s eyes light up. He must be excited that his specialty cuisine came up.
That’s right. That’s what makes it fun to beat you.
“Now, for the core of our ‘Naeng-teol’! We’ve brought Hwang Wei-ssi’s refrigerator here in its entirety!”
Whoosh!
As the cloth covering the refrigerator was pulled away, a fairly large refrigerator revealed itself.
“The refrigerator is quite big. The contents must be substantial, right?”
“Hwang Wei-ssi, do you often cook at home?”
“No, actually. I’m so busy that I don’t get many chances to do so.”
“That’s understandable~ You must be busy these days.”
“Haha. That’s why I’m actually worried about the refrigerator. Some things might have gone bad.”
Well, isn’t teasing about such things part of the charm of ‘Naeng-teol’?
“Ah~ This is scary. I wonder what we’ll find inside this refrigerator?”
“I really hope we don’t see any horrifying sights. I have a weak stomach, you know. I might actually throw up right here~”
The two MCs teased Hwang Wei as they put on white gloves.
“Alright then, we’re opening the refrigerator~!”
The refrigerator door swung open wide, and the MCs began to pull out and check the contents one by one.
“Ah, we have tuna here. Instant rice and spam. This is a complete bachelor’s set.”
“Oh, it looks like there are some Chinese sauces too.”
“What’s with the cabbage? That seems really random.”
“I heard it’s good for dieting…”
“Ah, is it for dieting?”
“Yes…”
As Hwang Wei laughed awkwardly, the audience burst into laughter.
“There’s ramen too. And this. You know, that knife-cut noodle set they sell at supermarkets.”
“It’s perfect for hangover recovery.”
“Ah, do you eat knife-cut noodles for hangovers?”
“Yes. The broth is delicious, isn’t it?”
Hoo. Is that so?
“There are more useful ingredients than we expected! This is pretty good~”
“There’s meat in the freezer too! Pork belly, pork neck! Are you sure you’re trying to diet?!”
Hahahaha.
“That’s right. Everything underneath is chicken breast!”
“I see. Alright, there is chicken breast underneath. But if it’s at the bottom like that, it might be hard to take out~”
The MCs thoroughly teased Hwang Wei as they raided the refrigerator, and the ingredients were roughly sorted out.
“Okay, I think we’ve seen everything in the refrigerator. Chefs! Have you all thought about what you’re going to cook?”
“Roughly.”
“Ah~ This is difficult. Fusion Chinese cuisine. I don’t know much about Chinese cuisine.”
“Isn’t this topic too advantageous for Chef Jang and Chef An?”
As the chefs grumbled, the MCs cut them off sharply.
“Meeting the right guest is also part of your luck~ There’s nothing we can do about it!”
“The set time is 15 minutes. The key is to decide on a dish you can make within 15 minutes! And remember, someone before you might use the ingredients you were planning to use~ Keep that in mind!”
“How do we decide the order?”
“Right now~! We’ll do a ladder game!”
Oh ho. It’s completely down to luck.
Numbers from 1 to 8 were neatly written on a pre-prepared panel.
“Who would like to choose first?”
“Let’s go by age, starting with the eldest.”
“Alright~ Then Chef Jang, you’re up first!”
That naturally puts me last. It doesn’t really matter since it’s all luck anyway.
One by one, they chose their numbers, with exclamations of joy and sighs of despair heard here and there.
“Well then, Chef Song, the last remaining chef, automatically takes the 2nd position!”
“Wow. That’s quite high.”
With this position, I shouldn’t have to worry about losing the ingredients I want, right? Those pushed to later positions were fidgeting nervously, worried that all the good ingredients might be taken.
They’re all so competitive. Desperate to win.
“Ah~ But being second isn’t always a good thing. The opponent you face is crucial!”
“Chef Song’s opponent is Chef An, who drew number 1!”
At the MC’s words, An Derek and I looked at each other simultaneously. Oh ho. This has become interesting.
As I grinned, An Derek slightly furrowed his brow, seemingly displeased about something.
“Chef An is one of the strong candidates for winning, along with our Chef Jang~! Among our 8-chef squad, these two are the only Chinese cuisine specialists.”
“How about it? Should we offer you a chance to change the order?!”
“Haha. It’s fine.”
I declined politely with a smile.
“Oh! Chef Song, you seem quite relaxed?!”
“The others are in a frenzy trying to figure out what dish to make in 15 minutes. But Chef Song, you alone seem completely at ease.”
“Is that so? Hmm.”
This might be a good time to create a scene worthy of the preview, as a courtesy to PD Kim, right?
“In a restaurant, 15 minutes is more than enough to prepare a single serving. I’ve never worked in a high-end restaurant, so I’m not sure about those.”
“Ah~! You’re confident!”
“Yes. I suppose so. After all…”
I looked directly at An Derek and smiled broadly.
“I don’t think I’m going to fail.”
This was a clear provocation.
“Everyone has different thoughts about 15 minutes, you know. Haha.”
“Ah~! Chef Song! You’re making some fiery statements, quite unlike your appearance!”
“Are you saying that unlike us, 15 minutes is plenty for you? Is that what you mean?!”
The MCs, sensing a broadcast-worthy moment, pounced on the opportunity.
This should be enough for the preview. I bowed slightly to An Derek, who struggles with controlling his expressions, and said:
“We’ll see when the time comes.”
The ingredients should be just right too.
It’s time to pull out my secret recipe.
And I’ve never seen anyone say this dish isn’t delicious.