***
“Yes. Then let’s do that. Yes. Yes. I understand.”
As soon as Jang Ilsu hung up the phone, the writers and Shin Miyoung, who were waiting for the college entrance exam results like students, rushed to ask about the outcome.
“What did he say?”
“Did he say yes?”
“He said he’ll do it?”
“Oh. He said he’ll do it.”
“Yes!”
“Nice.”
Cha Hae-jun agreed to appear on the show on the condition that a separate restaurant would be set up for him.
It wasn’t just a matter of location, but also because Jang PD’s sincerity had finally gotten through to him after visiting him several times and politely asking him to appear on the show.
“What should we do first? Since the cast has been set, should we have a general meeting? No. Should we first look for a place to film?”
“Writer Shin, calm down. First, let’s find a restaurant in a good location.”
Jang Ilsu said, trying to calm Shin Miyoung down.
It didn’t have to be a restaurant. If the surrounding atmosphere was good and the size was suitable for filming, it didn’t matter if it was an empty space, as they could just redecorate it.
“I understand. I’ll look into everything.”
“If possible, Yeonnam-dong or Itaewon would be good. It has to be a trendy place. I’ll ask the set team to design it. And Maknae and Ji-eun, contact the actors’ managers and coordinate the meeting schedule.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I understand.”
There was a lot to do, from set design to remodeling.
They had to film the entire process of transforming an empty store into the set of Midnight Restaurant, so time-lapse photography was also essential.
‘During the first meeting, we can naturally set up a walkthrough cam and explain the concept of the store and what needs to be done.’
“Where will the meeting be held?”
“Should we find a nice cafe? We could rent it out for two or three hours when it’s not busy in the afternoon.”
“Hmm… Wouldn’t a cafe be a bit too stiff? The atmosphere should be more relaxed.”
“If we talk while eating food at the chef’s restaurant, the atmosphere will be more lively.”
“We can’t help it. He hates leaving his store.”
“I don’t understand that part. Everyone else is trying to get on the show somehow, but Chef Cha Hae-jun refuses.”
“That’s right.”
“Right. Right.”
Seolgi and Ji-eun nodded in agreement with the main writer.
Jang Ilsu thought the same way, but he decided not to bring up Cha Hae-jun’s restaurant anymore.
“Anyway, I think it would be nice to eat. Why don’t we rent a restaurant and talk while we eat? If we lightly have a drink with it, the atmosphere will liven up.”
“That’s a good idea. Maknae.”
“Yes, Author-nim.”
“You rent a good restaurant.”
“What about the menu?”
“Anything is fine. If we just have a cozy meal and meeting, the picture will be good.”
“I’ll make a list and show it to you.”
The ‘Late-Night Restaurant’ conference room regained its vitality after a long time.
Once the undecided main chef was decided, the work progressed rapidly.
***
The moment the phone hung up, Hae-jun felt sorry for the cheers he heard over the receiver.
“They like it so much. Should I have just said I’d do it from the beginning?”
He was worried that the passage to Cha-won’s farm would be revealed, but he was uncomfortable all the time because the PD visited every other day.
Besides, Min-ju seemed to want to appear implicitly.
“Anyway, it’s done, so it’s all good. Then, should I go to the farm?”
He was curious to see how the doenjang, and Red chili pasehe had made last time had turned out.
The newly planted spices as well.
“Oh!”
From the entrance of the farm, various scents that he had never smelled before stimulated Hae-jun’s sense of smell.
The spice pouch that Captain Mulvia gave him contained various spices.
From familiar spices such as coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and laurel to spices with difficult pronunciations such as cumin, cardamom, and cayenne pepper, there were up to 10 of them.
Hae-jun planted them all in the field.
Expecting a B-class crop to appear among these crops.
“Got it.”
<Turmeric - B-class>
While digging for turmeric that looked similar to ginger, he obtained the B-class turmeric he wanted.
And then some messages popped up.
<10 B-class crops have been successfully produced.>
<Occupation has evolved from ‘Intermediate Farmer’ to ‘Proficient Farmer’.>
<The Blessing of the Earth has become stronger, and the quality of crops grown in the field improves one step further.>
‘The quality improves one step further?’
I got a really good buff.
With my current farming skills, it was very difficult to harvest B-class crops, but I thought it would be a little easier from now on.
‘I often produced C-class ingredients.’
“By the way, what am I going to do with all these spices? Should I add a little bit to my food? It might make it taste even better. But is there even that much I can use? It would be nice if I could find a place to use a lot of it at once...”
After pondering for a moment, the first purpose of his hurried visit to the farm came to his mind.
“My soybean paste!”
He hurriedly ran to the cave.
Three jars lined up side by side.
With a very tense face, he opened the lid of the first jar.
A savory and musty aroma wafted from the soybean paste jar.
The surface was covered in white mold like flour spilled on dirt.
He lightly scooped it away with a spoon, revealing the yellow ripened soybean paste underneath.
The second jar contained soy sauce.
When he poured it out, a clear and transparent black liquid dripped down beautifully.
“Ugh, it’s salty.”
Curious, he dipped his finger in and tasted it, and he felt a dizziness in the back of his throat from how salty it was.
“But it’s a bit sweet?”
He felt a slightly sweet taste after the saltiness.
It was a similar feeling to when he first ate rock salt.
It wasn’t just salty, but he could feel various flavors along with the saltiness.
The soy sauce was the same. No, he could feel a more complex savory taste and aroma than the salt.
“Is this what they mean by deep flavor?”
Somehow, his appetite was whetted.
He wanted to put a fried egg on freshly cooked warm rice, pour soy sauce over it, and mix it up to eat.
Before he started elementary school, whenever he refused to eat rice and ran around, his mother would always make soy sauce egg rice, wrap it in seaweed, and put it in his mouth.
He imagined the harmony of rice grains coated in the yolk of a soft-boiled egg and the salty soy sauce, and his mouth started to water.
Gulp-
Hae-jun swallowed his saliva and opened the lid of the third jar.
“It’s beautiful.”
The most beautiful red color in the world.
That’s how he wanted to describe the Red chili paste.
Just by looking at the color, he could tell that it was a success.
Soybean paste, soy sauce, and Red chili paste, He suddenly felt like eating Korean food today.
“Okay. We’re having Korean food tonight.”
***
“Yes. Then let’s do that. Yes. Yes. I understand.”
As soon as Jang Ilsu hung up the phone, the writers and Shin Miyoung, who were waiting for the college entrance exam results like students, rushed to ask about the outcome.
“What did he say?”
“Did he say yes?”
“He said he’ll do it?”
“Oh. He said he’ll do it.”
“Yes!”
“Nice.”
Cha Hae-jun agreed to appear on the show on the condition that a separate restaurant would be set up for him.
It wasn’t just a matter of location, but also because Jang PD’s sincerity had finally gotten through to him after visiting him several times and politely asking him to appear on the show.
“What should we do first? Since the cast has been set, should we have a general meeting? No. Should we first look for a place to film?”
“Writer Shin, calm down. First, let’s find a restaurant in a good location.”
Jang Ilsu said, trying to calm Shin Miyoung down.
It didn’t have to be a restaurant. If the surrounding atmosphere was good and the size was suitable for filming, it didn’t matter if it was an empty space, as they could just redecorate it.
“I understand. I’ll look into everything.”
“If possible, Yeonnam-dong or Itaewon would be good. It has to be a trendy place. I’ll ask the set team to design it. And Maknae and Ji-eun, contact the actors’ managers and coordinate the meeting schedule.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I understand.”
There was a lot to do, from set design to remodeling.
They had to film the entire process of transforming an empty store into the set of Midnight Restaurant, so time-lapse photography was also essential.
‘During the first meeting, we can naturally set up a walkthrough cam and explain the concept of the store and what needs to be done.’
“Where will the meeting be held?”
“Should we find a nice cafe? We could rent it out for two or three hours when it’s not busy in the afternoon.”
“Hmm… Wouldn’t a cafe be a bit too stiff? The atmosphere should be more relaxed.”
“If we talk while eating food at the chef’s restaurant, the atmosphere will be more lively.”
“We can’t help it. He hates leaving his store.”
“I don’t understand that part. Everyone else is trying to get on the show somehow, but Chef Cha Hae-jun refuses.”
“That’s right.”
“Right. Right.”
Seolgi and Ji-eun nodded in agreement with the main writer.
Jang Ilsu thought the same way, but he decided not to bring up Cha Hae-jun’s restaurant anymore.
“Anyway, I think it would be nice to eat. Why don’t we rent a restaurant and talk while we eat? If we lightly have a drink with it, the atmosphere will liven up.”
“That’s a good idea. Maknae.”
“Yes, Author-nim.”
“You rent a good restaurant.”
“What about the menu?”
“Anything is fine. If we just have a cozy meal and meeting, the picture will be good.”
“I’ll make a list and show it to you.”
The ‘Late-Night Restaurant’ conference room regained its vitality after a long time.
Once the undecided main chef was decided, the work progressed rapidly.
***
The moment the phone hung up, Hae-jun felt sorry for the cheers he heard over the receiver.
“They like it so much. Should I have just said I’d do it from the beginning?”
He was worried that the passage to Cha-won’s farm would be revealed, but he was uncomfortable all the time because the PD visited every other day.
Besides, Min-ju seemed to want to appear implicitly.
“Anyway, it’s done, so it’s all good. Then, should I go to the farm?”
He was curious to see how the doenjang, and Red chili pasehe had made last time had turned out.
The newly planted spices as well.
“Oh!”
From the entrance of the farm, various scents that he had never smelled before stimulated Hae-jun’s sense of smell.
The spice pouch that Captain Mulvia gave him contained various spices.
From familiar spices such as coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and laurel to spices with difficult pronunciations such as cumin, cardamom, and cayenne pepper, there were up to 10 of them.
Hae-jun planted them all in the field.
Expecting a B-class crop to appear among these crops.
“Got it.”
<Turmeric - B-class>
While digging for turmeric that looked similar to ginger, he obtained the B-class turmeric he wanted.
And then some messages popped up.
<10 B-class crops have been successfully produced.>
<Occupation has evolved from ‘Intermediate Farmer’ to ‘Proficient Farmer’.>
<The Blessing of the Earth has become stronger, and the quality of crops grown in the field improves one step further.>
‘The quality improves one step further?’
I got a really good buff.
With my current farming skills, it was very difficult to harvest B-class crops, but I thought it would be a little easier from now on.
‘I often produced C-class ingredients.’
“By the way, what am I going to do with all these spices? Should I add a little bit to my food? It might make it taste even better. But is there even that much I can use? It would be nice if I could find a place to use a lot of it at once...”
After pondering for a moment, the first purpose of his hurried visit to the farm came to his mind.
“My soybean paste!”
He hurriedly ran to the cave.
Three jars lined up side by side.
With a very tense face, he opened the lid of the first jar.
A savory and musty aroma wafted from the soybean paste jar.
The surface was covered in white mold like flour spilled on dirt.
He lightly scooped it away with a spoon, revealing the yellow ripened soybean paste underneath.
The second jar contained soy sauce.
When he poured it out, a clear and transparent black liquid dripped down beautifully.
“Ugh, it’s salty.”
Curious, he dipped his finger in and tasted it, and he felt a dizziness in the back of his throat from how salty it was.
“But it’s a bit sweet?”
He felt a slightly sweet taste after the saltiness.
It was a similar feeling to when he first ate rock salt.
It wasn’t just salty, but he could feel various flavors along with the saltiness.
The soy sauce was the same. No, he could feel a more complex savory taste and aroma than the salt.
“Is this what they mean by deep flavor?”
Somehow, his appetite was whetted.
He wanted to put a fried egg on freshly cooked warm rice, pour soy sauce over it, and mix it up to eat.
Before he started elementary school, whenever he refused to eat rice and ran around, his mother would always make soy sauce egg rice, wrap it in seaweed, and put it in his mouth.
He imagined the harmony of rice grains coated in the yolk of a soft-boiled egg and the salty soy sauce, and his mouth started to water.
Gulp-
Hae-jun swallowed his saliva and opened the lid of the third jar.
“It’s beautiful.”
The most beautiful red color in the world.
That’s how he wanted to describe the Red chili paste.
Just by looking at the color, he could tell that it was a success.
Soybean paste, soy sauce, and Red chili paste, He suddenly felt like eating Korean food today.
“Okay. We’re having Korean food tonight.”
