NOVEL NEXT 75
-‘Bingsu Genius’ Song Woo-yeon proves herself again… Is she actually a cooking prodigy?
-Why is Song Woo-yeon on ‘Raid the Refrigerator’? Everyone scoffed, but… the result was high praise
-‘Raid the Refrigerator’: Song Woo-yeon’s bold challenge, victory over An Derek
I smiled wearily at the flood of internet news headlines.
‘I did go on the show to attract attention… but isn’t this effect a bit too good?’
Perhaps it was because I had already set the internet ablaze with the plagiarism controversy. Or maybe it was because I stood out as the only non-professional chef among the chefs.
Or could it be because I clinched victory in the very first battle despite that?
‘Probably all three.’
There was no need to prioritize which reason came first. Thanks to this, I felt like I had suddenly become a star overnight.
‘Have I ever been in the spotlight like this before?’
I was always someone who hid behind the company name. I tended to avoid appearing directly in front of the media as much as possible.
The label of a young CEO brought more disadvantages than advantages.
But because of that, when I was trampled by the giant called Hyeonmu, there was no one to help me. It also meant I was a figure detached from public interest.
So this time, I did think that I should step out in front of people when the right time came, but…
Looking at the flood of internet articles, I felt somewhat dazed. Should I say it felt a bit surreal?
Buzz-buzz.
Just then, my phone rang.
[PD Kim]
It was Kim Seol.
I immediately answered the call.
“Hello?”
-Ah, Chef Song. I’m sorry for calling so early in the morning~ You must have been tired from the broadcast filming last time, right?
“Not at all. It wasn’t much trouble. The staff must have had a much harder time editing.”
-Oh my, thank you for saying that.
Kim Seol laughed brightly and agreed. There was excitement in her voice.
-We had our first broadcast yesterday. Did you watch it?
“A little bit.”
-A little?
“It was embarrassing to watch myself directly.”
I never knew it would be this difficult to watch my own face. We had all planned to watch it together with the members of ‘The Song’ as it was a momentous occasion, but I ended up running away halfway through.
-Why? You looked good on screen. Of course, not as good as in person~
“Haha. Thank you for saying so. I found it too awkward to watch.”
-Many people feel that way~
“By the way, there’s been an enormous flood of internet articles. How did you edit it to make it like this?”
-Ah. You didn’t see that.
‘That’?
A strange sense of unease crept over me. Kim Seol giggled and continued.
-Well, when we were reviewing the filming tapes, we found some interesting scenes. The part where you two had a slight argument in the waiting room. At that time, Chef An was wearing his microphone, so all the audio was recorded.
Ah. She couldn’t be talking about that time, could she?
-The world’s gotten so easy. Sell some soup rice and snacks, and they call you a chef.
-Thanks to that, we got an interesting narrative, you know.
No way.
-At first, he doesn’t acknowledge you and looks down on you, then you take advantage of his carelessness and strike! After that, he finally acknowledges his opponent. It’s the kind of development you’d only see in manga, you know~
“…So that’s how you edited it.”
-With such good source material, it would be a failure as a PD not to cook it up. Or should I say, a failure as a chef? Hahaha.
I pressed my fingers between my eyebrows at Kim Seol’s voice. Sure, it’s a PD’s job to make the broadcast interesting, but I didn’t expect to be the ingredient.
-You don’t need to worry too much. We mainly edited to highlight Chef Song’s brilliant ideas and creativity. We barely mentioned anything about professionalism.
“You seem to understand well what I’m worried about.”
-Of course. The public is sensitive to deception, after all.
I see. So there’s no risk of backlash on that front. That’s somewhat reassuring.
-Anyway~ You seem to be handling it better than I expected. Some people get really nervous about this kind of thing.
“It’s not that bad. I’m not sure about Chef An, though.”
-Ahahah! I should have recorded this too! Ah~ what a shame. I contacted Chef An earlier, and he did seem a bit upset. Haha. I guess having your defeat broadcast nationwide can be a bit tough, right? He might be even more prickly during the next filming.
“I’ll have to be careful.”
-Yes, please do. Ahahah!
Kim Seol laughed with an extremely excited voice. It was a unique laugh that sounded like a crow cawing.
-Hwang Wei-ssi’s episode will be split into two parts. We’ve secured enough for next week’s broadcast, and I’ll contact you soon about another filming date.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll see you then.”
-Yes, take care~
Click.
As I ended the call with Kim Seol, a slight wave of fatigue washed over me. She’s someone whose high tension makes her a bit challenging to deal with.
Knock knock.
Just then, I heard a knock at the door.
“Yes, come in.”
Jo I-ruk slipped in as the door opened.
“You seemed to be on a call. Should I come back later?”
“No, it’s fine. I just finished.”
I gestured for him to come in.
“It was the PD. She asked if I watched yesterday’s broadcast, and I told her I ran away before I could see it all.”
“We stayed and watched it well. It was interesting, wasn’t it? We’re planning to watch next week’s episode too.”
“All together?”
“Yes, all together.”
“…I’ll pass.”
Ugh. Of course, since my battle with An Derek was in the first episode, the following episodes would mainly feature other chefs. Nevertheless, seeing my face appear even briefly was torturous.
“How can you skip it when you’re the CEO? We’re gathering to see your face.”
“Why watch a face on screen that you see every day? It’s tiresome.”
“I guess it’s because your face never gets old.”
Jo I-ruk tossed out a light joke. When did he become so glib?
“By the way, your phone keeps ringing with calls for you. Park will summarize and relay them to you later.”
“Hm? For me?”
Strange. As I tilted my head in confusion, Jo I-ruk said something unexpected.
“Most of them are offers for broadcast appearances.”
“…Pardon?”
For me?
“It’s because you’re trending.”
Jo I-ruk said with a casual smile. Wow. I had no idea the power of broadcasting could be this strong.
“We’re putting most of them on hold for now, but how should we respond?”
“Compile them and submit them to me. But let them know subtly that most will likely be declined and might be difficult to arrange.”
“Understood.”
I had no intention of appearing on various programs haphazardly right away. It’s still time to focus more on expanding the company’s scale.
Even filming one episode of ‘Raid the Refrigerator’ is overwhelming. Even now, I feel like I need two bodies to keep up.
Jo I-ruk placed various documents in front of me and opened a PowerPoint presentation.
“We were going over the status of new franchises today, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
As he lowered the window blinds and projected the beam, it created quite an impressive atmosphere.
“As you can see, most of the new stores are running smoothly. Sales surged right after opening, then dipped slightly, but now they’re showing a gradual upward trend again.”
There’s bound to be a slight drop after the initial opening boost. Looking at the graph, it wasn’t unreasonable.
I nodded, and Jo I-ruk moved to the next slide.
“Also, as a result of our own undercover inspections, we were able to catch several substandard franchises. While it didn’t warrant expulsion, we gave them sufficient warnings and re-educated them.”
“Well done. You explained that three accumulated warnings would result in immediate termination, right?”
“Yes, we’ve been informing them of this from the education stage.”
Then there should be no complaints.
“You’re managing things well. At this rate, it seems to be going smoothly. The numbers for each brand are now maintaining double digits…”
“We’re currently focusing on expanding franchises in the Seoul area. We’re getting inquiries about openings in other regions too, so we’re planning to gradually pay attention to those areas as well.”
I nodded with satisfaction. As expected of Team Leader Jo. Somehow, the locations of the new stores are uncannily good.
“If there are no issues, I’ll give you the next regular report as scheduled.”
“Yes, please do that. Oh, could you also ask Team Leader Noh to come in right after?”
Jo I-ruk nodded and immediately went out to call Noh Se-hee in.
“I watched yesterday’s broadcast well.”
This was her greeting as soon as she entered. Somehow feeling embarrassed, I lowered my head.
“You’re teasing me on purpose, aren’t you…”
“When else would I get the chance to tease you, CEO?”
Well, that’s true.
“I couldn’t hide my joy while watching yesterday’s broadcast. I almost shouted out loud.”
Noh Se-hee’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“I’m not sure if you intentionally led it that way or not, but the timing is impeccable.”
“I know, right?”
I was surprised too, I tell you.
I knew the concept of ‘Raid the Refrigerator’ early on, but I couldn’t remember all the specific details.
So I was incredibly grateful when the challenge task turned out to be exactly what I needed.
“About the interior design concept for the new establishment you mentioned. I’ve narrowed it down to three options. The main color is unified as red, of course.”
The project name written on the first page seemed to sparkle as it reflected the light.
It was the Chinese restaurant franchise that would become our fourth brand.
This was the very new item I had mentioned to Jo I-ruk earlier. Even before my regression, this Chinese restaurant franchise had played the role of a golden goose, bringing in substantial revenue even from small stores.
“We plan to push two signature menus: the Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon that appeared on the broadcast, and spicy black bean noodles topped with hot peppers. I’ve finished discussing the locations with Team Leader Jo.”
“What about the franchisees?”
“The training is in its final stages. About three people are expected to complete the training with excellent results. As soon as the interior work is finished, they can start business immediately.”
All preparations are complete.
All that’s left is to begin.