A month has passed since the YouTube incident.
In the meantime, there have been many changes around Hae-jun.
First, his level in the Dimensional Farm has increased by 4 levels to level 14.
His job remained the same, but his stamina, skills, and fame increased evenly, giving him more leeway in his stats.
If he wanted, he could produce more varieties and quantities of crops and hire villagers.
The next change was the increased number of customers compared to before the incident.
After the incident, the number of customers increased, so he increased the limited sales quantity and the lunch business was so busy that it was impossible to handle the customers.
Hae-jun may be happy to do it, but the employees will be different.
He promised Min-ju and Dong-sik that he would hire new employees soon and gave them a generous bonus.
'The problem is still that noise though...'
Hae-jun's gaze turned to the crowd of customers swarming around the store.
Even when it wasn't open, people were swarming around Sunflower.
People started lining up to eat the limited-edition fat sandwich before the morning business hours.
Sometimes they said they lined up in front of the store even earlier than Dong-sik, who came to work early in the morning.
It would be fine if it was a downtown area or a commercial district, but this is a residential area.
It could be a nuisance to the people living there.
After thinking about how to solve it, Hae-jun decided to regularly distribute the pork belly of the black pig produced in the Dimensional Farm to the nearby residents.
Anyway, it was difficult to consume all of it with the farm and Sunflower's family dinner.
He gave the black pork belly to the nearby residents with a sorry heart and apologized to them one by one. Most of the residents said that it was okay and that there was no big damage, so they encouraged him to do business diligently. Except for the old man in front of me right now.
"I was just about to complain because it's too noisy."
The old man from the detached house next door, who was neatly dressed, put on his magnifying glasses and spoke bitterly to Hae-jun.
"I'm sorry. So, as an apology, this..."
Hae-jun handed out the prepared styrofoam box.
Since it was a detached house like this, he thought there wouldn't be many family members, so he put the pork belly in the most generous box. However, the old man looked at Hae-jun up and down with a sullen face, as if something was wrong.
"Are you trying to shut me up with this little bit of food?"
"That's not it. I'll come up with a solution soon."
"How?"
After discussing with several people, several ideas came up.
Whether to make a reservation system through the phone or to get a new waiting area nearby. All of them were methods that had their own pros and cons, so they couldn't decide on a method.
He explained the ideas that came out as politely as possible to the old man.
After listening to Hae-jun's story, the old man threatened to file a complaint with the district office if he didn't resolve it quickly and slammed the door shut.
"Would you like some grilled pork belly?"
-No. I don't eat it, so take it back!
"······."
Hae-jun, who had been turned away, returned home as it was.
Anyway, he had no choice but to say anything because he was the one who caused the damage unintentionally.
The last place to arrive was a small 8-unit townhouse. Starting from the 3rd floor, I handed out pork belly with words of apology.
'This is the end.'
Hae-jun stood in front of the semi-basement entrance and rang the bell.
A moment later, a child's voice was heard.
"Who is it?"
"I'm the uncle who runs the store next door. Are your parents not home?"
"Yes. They both went to work."
"Can you open the door for a minute? I have something to give you."
The door opened cautiously.
A girl who looked about ten years old was seen through the crack in the door. Next to the little girl in a stretched shirt and worn-out pants was her younger brother, who was stuck like a gumdrop.
"You were the only two? Here, this."
"What is this?"
"Pork belly. Pork belly, right? Grilled meat."
Hae-jun knelt down and talked to her, meeting her eyes, and the child nodded her head slightly.
"Grill it when your parents come."
"···Yes."
"Then goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Hae-jun waved his hand in greeting, but the shy child closed the door with an awkward smile.
Hae-jun shrugged and turned around and returned to the store as it was.
"Have you delivered everything?"
Dong-sik, who was finely chopping vegetables for omelet rice, asked Hae-jun.
At first, the clumsy knife work became quite brisk.
Can I smell the scent of a master from Dongsik now?
He cut his hand several times with a sharp knife, but his skills improved that much.
Knock, knock, knock, knock-
"Yes. But, hyung, your knife skills have gotten better."
"Haha. Is that so? I think I'm getting used to cutting it every day."
Dong-sik worked as diligently as Hae-jun.
He said that he was really grateful that he had chosen him, who was a fool, and that he always worked hard with the thought of not causing any trouble.
"Hyung. Would you like to try cooking too?"
"You want me to hold the pan? It's okay. I'm not confident, and the chef should do the cooking."
I realized something from the YouTube incident.
The fact that no matter how good a restaurant is, customers turn their backs in an instant.
People come to find Hae-jun's cooking skills. If he touches the food awkwardly and rumors spread that it tastes bad, sales may drop even more than during the Youtube incident. That's why he can't cook.
However, Hae-jun thought differently.
If he had thought of using him only as a kitchen assistant, he wouldn't have offered Dong-sik a job.
Ultimately, he had a strong desire to run the kitchen together.
"If you're burdened, how about making staff meals for now? And help me make sandwiches in the morning."
Hae-jun makes all the sandwich bread and the ingredients that go inside.
If it's just a level of help that assembles, Dong-sik can do it without any burden. Also, if you practice with meals that we eat among ourselves, it's okay even if you fail.
"To that extent..."
"Then I'll do it. Thank you, boss."
Dong-sik was really grateful for Hae-jun's consideration.
"Then, from today's afternoon, hyung will make it himself."
"Yes? From today?"
“What? Starting today?”
"They said we pull out the bull's horn at once. You should try it now."
“But still…”
“Just try it. I’ll have the pork cutlet. Min-ju, what do you want to eat?”
Haejun called out to Min-ju, who was setting the table.
“Cheese cutlet~!”
“I’ll have a pork cutlet and a cheese cutlet. Hyung-nim.”
Hae-jun disappeared from the kitchen with a grin.
Dong-sik, who was left alone in the kitchen, stood in front of the counter with a serious expression.
He knew all the recipes for every menu at Sunflower. He had watched Haejun cook over his shoulder from time to time. Of course, he had never made them himself.
‘Let’s not get nervous. I just have to fry it since I have the sauce. It’s not that hard. Just pound the meat thin, coat it with flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs as thinly as possible, and fry it in oil at 170 degrees.’
Dong-sik took a deep breath after reciting the recipe in his head.
“Whew…”
Then he turned up the temperature of the fryer.
While the temperature was rising, he put salad and rice on a plate as usual. Then he took the meat out of the refrigerator.
“Flour, egg, bread.”
He muttered the order and coated it in that order before putting it in the fryer.
Sizzle-
There was a pleasant frying sound.
The white coating of the fried food gradually turned light brown. The pork cutlet floated up slightly, and the bubbles subsided. It was a sign that it was okay to take it out now.
Dong-sik took out the browned pork cutlet, placed it on a wire rack for 3 minutes, and then completed the pork cutlet.
Dong-sik took the finished food out with a nervous heart.
It looked similar to Hae-jun’s, but how would it taste?
Dong-sik’s gaze turned to Min-ju’s mouth.
Crunch-
“Oh~! It’s delicious. It tastes just like the one Hae-jun oppa made, ahjussi.”
“Haha. R, really?”
“Yeah. Look. My nostrils.”
When Min-ju eats the most delicious food, her nostrils and eyes widen, and her eyebrows flutter.
“The fried coating is crispy, and the moist flavor is well-preserved.”
“I’m glad.”
“It’s totally the best.”
Min-ju, who gave a thumbs up, moved her fork repeatedly with a funny expression.
Hae-jun also ate Dong-sik’s pork cutlet. It tasted as good as if it had been served to a customer, just as Min-ju had said. The only thing that was disappointing was that the fried coating was a little puffy.
“Press the breadcrumbs down more firmly when you coat them. That way, the fried coating won’t puff up like this. Use as little flour as possible. Press the breadcrumbs down firmly! Do you understand?”
It was a precaution written in the recipe notebook.
It’s easy to say, but it won’t be easy since it’s a feeling that you have to learn with your fingertips.
Still, he believed that with Dong-sik’s sincerity, he would catch up quickly.
“Yes, boss.”
“You did very well for your first time.”
“Thank you.”
After a brief evaluation, the three of them had a pleasant meal.
Dong-sik thought he should practice a lot over the weekend.
***
-Please order 40kg of salt. I’ve already used up all the salt I bought last time.
As soon as he returned to the Dimensional Farm, Neri from Jamón’s shop requested salt.
Anyway, since the salt stock was almost empty, he decided to visit the cliff once.
He hurriedly harvested the fully grown crops and planted new seeds.
“Mongchi. Are you going too?”
“Meow.”
Haejun, who packed a large sack, headed to the cliff east of the farm.
He climbed the rock wall as usual and reached the top. At first, he was tired just by climbing up, but not anymore. He could feel that his stamina had improved.
“It’s light.”
He climbed to the top and looked down at the farm.
The scenery was much different from before.
In the distant grasslands, black pigs were eating in groups, and the goat farm and chicken coop had also grown considerably in size.
Under Chloe’s direction, two villagers were hired to help take care of the livestock.
These days, Chloe was engrossed in making cheese. She made cheese while traveling between the goat farm and the cave, and she made various types of cheese in addition to simply flavorful cheese.
“Should we start collecting salt?”
“Meow.”
He dropped the rope towards the cliff and climbed down.
Mongchi arrived at the salt mine in a few jumps, faster than Hae-jun.
Hae-jun dug up the salt and divided it into 10kg portions in a sack, then carried the sack back up the cliff. He repeated this process several times, and soon his whole body was soaked in sweat.
He wiped away the sweat and checked the salt he had dug up.
“Will five sacks be enough?”
He would sell four to Neri and use one sack for Sunflower.
That’s enough for today. He didn’t need to be greedy since he could dig it up and use it whenever he needed it.
Did I think it was too easy? I was almost down the cliff, as my hands slipped because of sweat.
Slip-
“Ah, eek~!”
Thud-
He fell on his shoulder on the ground and suffered a minor injury.
The surprised farm family came running at the loud noise.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh, I’m okay.”
The herbalist Haas checked Hae-jun’s wound.
“There’s a wound on your shoulder. Wait a minute.”
Haas, who checked the wound, disappeared somewhere and then appeared with an armful of herbs.
He crushed some of them and applied them to the wound, and then boiled some medicine and fed it to Hae-jun.
“Fortunately, you’re not badly hurt. You’ll be fine if you rest for a few days.”
“Thank you.”
“But it’s better not to work in the fields for the time being. I’ll take care of it, so tell me if you need any crops.”
Even though he said he was fine, Haas kept repeating that he shouldn’t overdo it and that he should leave it to him.
***
Monday dawn.
Hae-jun got out of bed and turned his right shoulder around.
After a day of rest on Sunday, the wound on his shoulder had healed a lot.
It seemed that the medicine Haas had made was quite effective. There was no problem with his daily life, but he felt a slight pain when he exerted strength.
‘Hmm… It seems like it’ll be hard to make omelet rice.’
I could make fried food or sandwiches, but it seemed like it would be difficult to make omelet rice by turning the pan due to the pain.
“What should I do?…”
I wondered what to do.
A month has passed since the YouTube incident.
In the meantime, there have been many changes around Hae-jun.
First, his level in the Dimensional Farm has increased by 4 levels to level 14.
His job remained the same, but his stamina, skills, and fame increased evenly, giving him more leeway in his stats.
If he wanted, he could produce more varieties and quantities of crops and hire villagers.
The next change was the increased number of customers compared to before the incident.
After the incident, the number of customers increased, so he increased the limited sales quantity and the lunch business was so busy that it was impossible to handle the customers.
Hae-jun may be happy to do it, but the employees will be different.
He promised Min-ju and Dong-sik that he would hire new employees soon and gave them a generous bonus.
'The problem is still that noise though...'
Hae-jun's gaze turned to the crowd of customers swarming around the store.
Even when it wasn't open, people were swarming around Sunflower.
People started lining up to eat the limited-edition fat sandwich before the morning business hours.
Sometimes they said they lined up in front of the store even earlier than Dong-sik, who came to work early in the morning.
It would be fine if it was a downtown area or a commercial district, but this is a residential area.
It could be a nuisance to the people living there.
After thinking about how to solve it, Hae-jun decided to regularly distribute the pork belly of the black pig produced in the Dimensional Farm to the nearby residents.
Anyway, it was difficult to consume all of it with the farm and Sunflower's family dinner.
He gave the black pork belly to the nearby residents with a sorry heart and apologized to them one by one. Most of the residents said that it was okay and that there was no big damage, so they encouraged him to do business diligently. Except for the old man in front of me right now.
"I was just about to complain because it's too noisy."
The old man from the detached house next door, who was neatly dressed, put on his magnifying glasses and spoke bitterly to Hae-jun.
"I'm sorry. So, as an apology, this..."
Hae-jun handed out the prepared styrofoam box.
Since it was a detached house like this, he thought there wouldn't be many family members, so he put the pork belly in the most generous box. However, the old man looked at Hae-jun up and down with a sullen face, as if something was wrong.
"Are you trying to shut me up with this little bit of food?"
"That's not it. I'll come up with a solution soon."
"How?"
After discussing with several people, several ideas came up.
Whether to make a reservation system through the phone or to get a new waiting area nearby. All of them were methods that had their own pros and cons, so they couldn't decide on a method.
He explained the ideas that came out as politely as possible to the old man.
After listening to Hae-jun's story, the old man threatened to file a complaint with the district office if he didn't resolve it quickly and slammed the door shut.
"Would you like some grilled pork belly?"
-No. I don't eat it, so take it back!
"······."
Hae-jun, who had been turned away, returned home as it was.
Anyway, he had no choice but to say anything because he was the one who caused the damage unintentionally.
The last place to arrive was a small 8-unit townhouse. Starting from the 3rd floor, I handed out pork belly with words of apology.
'This is the end.'
Hae-jun stood in front of the semi-basement entrance and rang the bell.
A moment later, a child's voice was heard.
"Who is it?"
"I'm the uncle who runs the store next door. Are your parents not home?"
"Yes. They both went to work."
"Can you open the door for a minute? I have something to give you."
The door opened cautiously.
A girl who looked about ten years old was seen through the crack in the door. Next to the little girl in a stretched shirt and worn-out pants was her younger brother, who was stuck like a gumdrop.
"You were the only two? Here, this."
"What is this?"
"Pork belly. Pork belly, right? Grilled meat."
Hae-jun knelt down and talked to her, meeting her eyes, and the child nodded her head slightly.
"Grill it when your parents come."
"···Yes."
"Then goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Hae-jun waved his hand in greeting, but the shy child closed the door with an awkward smile.
Hae-jun shrugged and turned around and returned to the store as it was.
"Have you delivered everything?"
Dong-sik, who was finely chopping vegetables for omelet rice, asked Hae-jun.
At first, the clumsy knife work became quite brisk.
Can I smell the scent of a master from Dongsik now?
He cut his hand several times with a sharp knife, but his skills improved that much.
Knock, knock, knock, knock-
"Yes. But, hyung, your knife skills have gotten better."
"Haha. Is that so? I think I'm getting used to cutting it every day."
Dong-sik worked as diligently as Hae-jun.
He said that he was really grateful that he had chosen him, who was a fool, and that he always worked hard with the thought of not causing any trouble.
"Hyung. Would you like to try cooking too?"
"You want me to hold the pan? It's okay. I'm not confident, and the chef should do the cooking."
I realized something from the YouTube incident.
The fact that no matter how good a restaurant is, customers turn their backs in an instant.
People come to find Hae-jun's cooking skills. If he touches the food awkwardly and rumors spread that it tastes bad, sales may drop even more than during the Youtube incident. That's why he can't cook.
However, Hae-jun thought differently.
If he had thought of using him only as a kitchen assistant, he wouldn't have offered Dong-sik a job.
Ultimately, he had a strong desire to run the kitchen together.
"If you're burdened, how about making staff meals for now? And help me make sandwiches in the morning."
Hae-jun makes all the sandwich bread and the ingredients that go inside.
If it's just a level of help that assembles, Dong-sik can do it without any burden. Also, if you practice with meals that we eat among ourselves, it's okay even if you fail.
"To that extent..."
"Then I'll do it. Thank you, boss."
Dong-sik was really grateful for Hae-jun's consideration.
"Then, from today's afternoon, hyung will make it himself."
"Yes? From today?"
“What? Starting today?”
"They said we pull out the bull's horn at once. You should try it now."
“But still…”
“Just try it. I’ll have the pork cutlet. Min-ju, what do you want to eat?”
Haejun called out to Min-ju, who was setting the table.
“Cheese cutlet~!”
“I’ll have a pork cutlet and a cheese cutlet. Hyung-nim.”
Hae-jun disappeared from the kitchen with a grin.
Dong-sik, who was left alone in the kitchen, stood in front of the counter with a serious expression.
He knew all the recipes for every menu at Sunflower. He had watched Haejun cook over his shoulder from time to time. Of course, he had never made them himself.
‘Let’s not get nervous. I just have to fry it since I have the sauce. It’s not that hard. Just pound the meat thin, coat it with flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs as thinly as possible, and fry it in oil at 170 degrees.’
Dong-sik took a deep breath after reciting the recipe in his head.
“Whew…”
Then he turned up the temperature of the fryer.
While the temperature was rising, he put salad and rice on a plate as usual. Then he took the meat out of the refrigerator.
“Flour, egg, bread.”
He muttered the order and coated it in that order before putting it in the fryer.
Sizzle-
There was a pleasant frying sound.
The white coating of the fried food gradually turned light brown. The pork cutlet floated up slightly, and the bubbles subsided. It was a sign that it was okay to take it out now.
Dong-sik took out the browned pork cutlet, placed it on a wire rack for 3 minutes, and then completed the pork cutlet.
Dong-sik took the finished food out with a nervous heart.
It looked similar to Hae-jun’s, but how would it taste?
Dong-sik’s gaze turned to Min-ju’s mouth.
Crunch-
“Oh~! It’s delicious. It tastes just like the one Hae-jun oppa made, ahjussi.”
“Haha. R, really?”
“Yeah. Look. My nostrils.”
When Min-ju eats the most delicious food, her nostrils and eyes widen, and her eyebrows flutter.
“The fried coating is crispy, and the moist flavor is well-preserved.”
“I’m glad.”
“It’s totally the best.”
Min-ju, who gave a thumbs up, moved her fork repeatedly with a funny expression.
Hae-jun also ate Dong-sik’s pork cutlet. It tasted as good as if it had been served to a customer, just as Min-ju had said. The only thing that was disappointing was that the fried coating was a little puffy.
“Press the breadcrumbs down more firmly when you coat them. That way, the fried coating won’t puff up like this. Use as little flour as possible. Press the breadcrumbs down firmly! Do you understand?”
It was a precaution written in the recipe notebook.
It’s easy to say, but it won’t be easy since it’s a feeling that you have to learn with your fingertips.
Still, he believed that with Dong-sik’s sincerity, he would catch up quickly.
“Yes, boss.”
“You did very well for your first time.”
“Thank you.”
After a brief evaluation, the three of them had a pleasant meal.
Dong-sik thought he should practice a lot over the weekend.
***
-Please order 40kg of salt. I’ve already used up all the salt I bought last time.
As soon as he returned to the Dimensional Farm, Neri from Jamón’s shop requested salt.
Anyway, since the salt stock was almost empty, he decided to visit the cliff once.
He hurriedly harvested the fully grown crops and planted new seeds.
“Mongchi. Are you going too?”
“Meow.”
Haejun, who packed a large sack, headed to the cliff east of the farm.
He climbed the rock wall as usual and reached the top. At first, he was tired just by climbing up, but not anymore. He could feel that his stamina had improved.
“It’s light.”
He climbed to the top and looked down at the farm.
The scenery was much different from before.
In the distant grasslands, black pigs were eating in groups, and the goat farm and chicken coop had also grown considerably in size.
Under Chloe’s direction, two villagers were hired to help take care of the livestock.
These days, Chloe was engrossed in making cheese. She made cheese while traveling between the goat farm and the cave, and she made various types of cheese in addition to simply flavorful cheese.
“Should we start collecting salt?”
“Meow.”
He dropped the rope towards the cliff and climbed down.
Mongchi arrived at the salt mine in a few jumps, faster than Hae-jun.
Hae-jun dug up the salt and divided it into 10kg portions in a sack, then carried the sack back up the cliff. He repeated this process several times, and soon his whole body was soaked in sweat.
He wiped away the sweat and checked the salt he had dug up.
“Will five sacks be enough?”
He would sell four to Neri and use one sack for Sunflower.
That’s enough for today. He didn’t need to be greedy since he could dig it up and use it whenever he needed it.
Did I think it was too easy? I was almost down the cliff, as my hands slipped because of sweat.
Slip-
“Ah, eek~!”
Thud-
He fell on his shoulder on the ground and suffered a minor injury.
The surprised farm family came running at the loud noise.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh, I’m okay.”
The herbalist Haas checked Hae-jun’s wound.
“There’s a wound on your shoulder. Wait a minute.”
Haas, who checked the wound, disappeared somewhere and then appeared with an armful of herbs.
He crushed some of them and applied them to the wound, and then boiled some medicine and fed it to Hae-jun.
“Fortunately, you’re not badly hurt. You’ll be fine if you rest for a few days.”
“Thank you.”
“But it’s better not to work in the fields for the time being. I’ll take care of it, so tell me if you need any crops.”
Even though he said he was fine, Haas kept repeating that he shouldn’t overdo it and that he should leave it to him.
***
Monday dawn.
Hae-jun got out of bed and turned his right shoulder around.
After a day of rest on Sunday, the wound on his shoulder had healed a lot.
It seemed that the medicine Haas had made was quite effective. There was no problem with his daily life, but he felt a slight pain when he exerted strength.
‘Hmm… It seems like it’ll be hard to make omelet rice.’
I could make fried food or sandwiches, but it seemed like it would be difficult to make omelet rice by turning the pan due to the pain.
“What should I do?…”
I wondered what to do.
