Chapter 1001: It Was Beautiful From Far Away.. (13)

“No.”

“This isn’t right...!”

As we sat collapsed on the cafeteria floor sobbing our eyes out, Producer Gu Jaeyoung asked—

“What isn’t?”

“This isn’t the picture we had in mind...!”

Of course we already knew business was difficult.

I was living proof of that.

I’d worked at Madam Kim Deoksun’s diner long enough to know exactly how brutal a 3D job it was.

No—at least, I thought I knew.

But....

-Welcome to the world of business, NewBlack.

Actually experiencing the food service industry firsthand was on another level entirely.

Back in high school, when I’d only briefly worked as a server, I had no idea it was this hard.

That was why the image my younger members and I had imagined looked something like this—

『Korea’s most handsome men working diligently together.』

『Their 모습 resembles young entrepreneurs striving toward their dreams. Ahhh...! Behold those beautiful drops of sweat!』

『Though exhausted, smiles never leave the faces of the owner and staff!』

Employees diligently wiping away sweat as they worked.

After closing the restaurant, everyone admiring a beautiful view together while drinking Zero Cola.

At our explanation, the production staff smiled.

“You really thought it’d turn out like that?”

“No....”

We stared off into the distance as we answered.

“We imagined it even though we already knew it wouldn’t happen.”

“We knew it would be hard. It’s just... it was completely different from what we imagined.......”

We thought the difficulty level would be around level 10, but it felt like we suddenly encountered level 30.

The chefs comforted us.

“That’s understandable. Today’s service was honestly way too difficult for beginners.”

“The only reason you survived at all was because you prepared so much in advance. Most beginners would’ve had the entire restaurant collapse today.”

“There were way too many customers too.”

The foreign chefs chimed in with comments of agreement.

Maybe because I was so exhausted, the English that normally flowed naturally into my ears seemed to scatter apart before my brain could even process it.

Chef Kim Hyunwook spoke on behalf of everyone.

“You really don’t need to worry so much.”

“Really?”

Come to think of it—

In reality, we probably wouldn’t receive this many customers all at once.

The restaurant in Gurye County wouldn’t be as large as our company cafeteria either.

The chef continued.

“There’s one thing I realized while watching all of you today. Crisis after crisis kept happening....”

“They kept happening...?”

“And yet somehow, you solved every single one.”

“.......”

“In real service, even if something harder than this happens, I think you’ll still manage just fine.”

Chef Kim laughed warmly.

Meanwhile, our eyes had gone blank and lifeless like Tibetan foxes.

The other chefs added their own comments.

“There were moments where things looked dangerous enough that I almost stepped in. I thought, Ah, beginners definitely can’t handle this one. But every time I tried to intervene, Wooju had already solved it.”

“There wasn’t really anything for us to advise.”

“That’s why we kept watching. We got curious about how you’d handle even harder situations.”

The chefs admitted they had intended to help but ended up simply watching because we handled things too well.

We gave vague, exhausted smiles.

Doing well doesn’t necessarily feel good.......

We probably would’ve suffered less if we were just mediocre....

After finishing the overall feedback session with the chefs—

We quickly wrapped things up using the industrial dishwasher while Junghyun cleaned the dining hall.

Meanwhile, we said goodbye one by one as the chefs headed home.

「Today was incredibly meaningful. Bobby’s recipe has truly been reborn magnificently. Hahaha!」

We shook hands with Chef Bobby Ross.

The other chefs extended their hands as well.

「This was enjoyable.」

「It’s been a while since filming felt this fun.」

Then Dante Cellini approached us.

「I watched today with great interest. If you continue operating the restaurant like this, you’ll definitely see good results.」

「Thank you, Chef.」

「All of you were impressive. Junghyun kept a broad perspective while monitoring the hall. Jiho moved smoothly between the kitchen and dining floor. Ri Hyuk showed excellent aesthetic sense in his dessert decoration. And Biju.」

「......!」

「You demonstrated real qualities as a head chef.」

「Thank you so much...!」

Biju beamed brightly in delight, and Chef Cellini smiled calmly in return.

Then he turned toward me.

「Wooju?」

「Yes, Chef.」

「Your cooking skills have improved again. It was definitely the right decision to introduce you to chefs and make you practice cooking.」

「......Thank you, Chef.」

Painful memories of suffering in kitchens here and there resurfaced vividly.

Still, as painful as it had been, my cooking ability had improved dramatically compared to before.

Honestly, if I hadn’t learned the techniques those chefs taught me, today’s kitchen work probably would’ve taken twice as long.

Chef Cellini continued.

「I’ll be staying in Korea for a while. If you need help with anything, contact me anytime.」

「No, really. We’re already grateful enough that you appeared on the show.」

「I’m not someone who says things I don’t mean. During this visit to Korea, I received even greater help.」

I understood what he meant.

We had introduced these internationally famous chefs—many of whom were interested in expanding into Asia—to the Korean food industry.

And today’s filming had also helped attract public attention toward them.

Any businessperson would understand the signal we were sending.

「If you ever need help, please contact me anytime.」

With those words, the chef abruptly turned and walked away.

We watched Dante Cellini depart with his lofty posture.

“Chef.”

「Hm?」

“You’re going the wrong way.”

「.......」

Chef Dante Cellini had been heading toward the exact opposite side of the exit before quietly turning around.

Jiho muttered—

“Maybe losing your sense of direction is a requirement for culinary genius. That scene looked strangely familiar.”

“The similarity between the world’s greatest chef and Kim Biju: neither can find their way around.”

Biju burst into cheerful laughter.

At its core, NewUniverse was a cable variety program.

Sure, it featured NewBlack—the biggest stars imaginable—but fundamentally, it was still a show produced by a tiny cable channel.

-NBS.

Until the first episode of NewUniverse aired a month ago, most people didn’t even know a channel called NBS existed.

Because of that, the dramas airing on NBS were mostly low-budget productions created primarily for later OTT launches.

Though after NewUniverse’s success, other programs were slowly benefiting from the attention too....

“In the end, we’re still fundamentally a cable channel.”

That was Producer Gu Jaeyoung’s conclusion.

“No matter how huge NewBlack is, getting 10% ratings right now is practically a miracle.”

“That’s true.”

“There are three reasons our ratings are doing so well. First, NewBlack. Second, the fact that we’re not uploaded to OTT platforms, so people have to watch the live broadcast or reruns.”

And lastly—

“Word of mouth.”

Public buzz.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung and the NewUniverse staff had put enormous effort into generating organic buzz.

Why had the driver’s license special become such a hit?

Because they released MyTube content showing NewBlack getting their licenses and invited various celebrities to participate in driving practice, naturally generating discussion.

-Did you see Lee Gyeonwoo’s SNS? He filmed a driver’s license variety show with NewBlack.

-I heard people spotted NewUniverse filming in Gangnam right now? Celebrity photos are already getting uploaded.

-Looks like NewBlack’s launching a variety show.

The result was explosive ratings.

After seeing how effective word-of-mouth marketing had been during the driver’s license special, the production team tried similar tactics again this time.

Outdoor filming locations that exposed the show to the public as much as possible.

Encouraging celebrities and ordinary people who appeared on the show to upload SNS photos taken with NewBlack.

Things like that.

Fortunately, the results seemed excellent this time too.

“The response is really good.”

“Really?”

“The internet’s already going crazy.”

In fact, things were far noisier online than even the production staff had anticipated.

[Current Situation in Seongsu-dong]

(Photo of world-famous chefs in short sleeves walking alongside NewBlack.jpg)

Looks like they’re filming NewUniverse

The first major factor was the chefs themselves.

The moment internationally famous chefs like Dante Cellini arrived in Korea, the public immediately took notice.

-Huh...? Why??

-Looks like they came to help with the restaurant opening

-Maybe they’re planning to start businesses in Korea since interest here is growing

-The casting power is insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Feels like NewBlack brings literally every famous foreigner to Koreaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Wooju-ah I wanna see the President of the United States next

-[3 years later] ???: You should never have said those words..

These were chefs famous enough to host their own television programs.

And now they were all standing beside NewBlack.

Whoa. Dante Cellini....

Isn’t Bobby Ross the guy from that food truck movie based on a true story?

Carlos Gonzalez...! I saw him on NetPlus Kitchen. He’s supposedly Argentina’s national chef.

Soon, eyewitness accounts began flooding in.

Stories from people nearby.

“Dude, I was wandering around Gangnam earlier and suddenly saw a giant crowd. Turns out it was NewBlack with all those chefs... seriously, they looked unreal in person.”

“You Souffles may have never seen NewBlack before, but this was my second time. Kuhahaha!”

“I saw your husband Kim Junghyun. And now he’s my husband. Hehe.”

Then came the endless stream of photos uploaded online.

[Current Situation at a Gangnam Shopping Mall]

[NewBlack introducing Korea’s food industry to the chefs]

[???: This is the country where all of you will soon be doing business]

Photos taken from a distance spread online.

In front of a famous burger franchise newly established in Korea, Wooju appeared to be giving some sort of business presentation while the chefs listened attentively.

-The vibe is literally startup investment presentationㅋㅋㅋ

-Are those chefs actually opening restaurants in Korea??? Pleaseㅠㅠㅠㅠ I still can’t forget what I ate in France

-Why do they have locations in Japan but not Korea.. Koreans love good food too

-The localization’s probably gonna suck so I’m not expecting muchㅎ

-Don’t worryㅋㅋㅋ those people are gonna come back weirdly knowledgeable about Korea nowㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Interest exploded from every direction.

The internet buzzed with speculation that those chefs were preparing to do something in Korea soon.

Then, as the final finishing touch, another post appeared.

[Chef Kim Hyunwook’s Instagramㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

The famous Korean chef uploaded a photo with the visiting world-renowned chefs and NewBlack at his restaurant.

The moment he added the caption—

One minute before tasting. I think I’m gonna die from nerves..

—public interest exploded.

This looks fun...!

Wait, they visited Korean chefs’ restaurants?

People burst into laughter at the sight of NewBlack leading a raid party of world-famous chefs into Korean restaurants.

Then late at night, new reviews started appearing.

“Huh? Hanbyul started a livestream?”

“Hm?”

Celebrities from Lemon Entertainment—including Scarlet and TNT’s Jang Hanbyul—started livestreams or uploaded Instagram posts.

[Today I visited the company cafeteria because they were doing a Goblin Restaurant simulation.]

[The meat was delicious and the staff were kind.]

[Seriously... if the simulation hadn’t limited us to one menu item per person, I would’ve ordered everything......!]

As reviews praising the hamburger steak spread, public interest exploded again.

-Does anyone know where to apply for audience tickets? Or visits? Or whatever???

-Honestly I wanna go more than a NewBlack concertㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Should I apply using all my family members’ names?

-Pleaseㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ let me eat there too

-This is definitely something you have to eat on-site. It’s not the kind of food that can become meal kits like NewBulbaek

Koreans had always been serious about food.

The same fiery enthusiasm that once created the legendary Hell Highway Rest Stop phenomenon began reviving once more.

And there were people observing all this with great interest.

“Oh.......”

“Oho.”

The internationally famous chefs who had appeared on today’s broadcast smiled with satisfaction.

Usually when visiting Asian countries, they occasionally heard reactions like—

Wait... aren’t you...?

But this was the first time they had ever been treated like pop stars.

There’s definitely business potential here.

In the eyes of chefs who operated restaurants all over the world, opportunity had appeared.

“To think a place like this existed in Asia.”

“A land of opportunity....”

The main reason famous Western chefs hesitated to expand into Asia was simple—

Recognition.

-People there probably won’t know who I am. What if nobody comes?

Opening a restaurant overseas wasn’t as simple as adding another branch location.

You had to consider local tastes and pricing.

You had to maintain Michelin standards and quality control.

Most importantly, the handicap of lacking name recognition was the biggest reason chefs hesitated to open restaurants abroad.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to enter Asia.

Many had simply already experienced opening restaurants in places like Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Singapore—only to withdraw a few years later after operating at a loss.

Did that mean their restaurants weren’t delicious?

Of course not.

-Without recognition, there’s no answer.

But now, the recognition problem had suddenly disappeared all at once.

The level of attention is almost frightening.

Dante Cellini clicked his tongue in amazement.

Every Korean who encountered him at the hotel recognized him and greeted him.

Some people even recognized his daughter because she was a Souffle.

This is truly an incredible opportunity.

What Dante Cellini was most interested in was the NewBlack brand itself.

If they partnered with the television program of singers who essentially led trends throughout Asia—

-Expansion into Asia.

They could enter a market with an unimaginably massive population.

This is worth serious consideration.

If you win over NewBlack, Asia comes attached.

While the chefs quietly tangled themselves in complicated calculations about using Korea as a forward base for Asian expansion—

“Uh.......”

“Uhhhh.......”

Silence filled the newly relocated office of the NewUniverse Project team at NBS.

Displayed before them was a number.

[873,781]

Click.

The page refreshed.

[874,139]

Producer Gu Jaeyoung and the staff blinked slowly.

“So this means.......”

“Yes. That’s the number of people who applied to visit the Goblin Restaurant in person.”

“.......”

“Producer. What do we do? We have to draw lots now to select visitors.......”

The staff stared blankly at the reality that they would need to conduct a lottery among nearly 900,000 applicants.

The number continued rising rapidly.

Fortunately—

“Oh? It stopped!”

“It stopp—”

It hadn’t stopped.

“Producer. The server crashed.”

“.......”

“.......”

The Goblin Restaurant project from NewUniverse had generated far too much buzz.

No. We never intended for this to become such a huge deal....

Maybe we didn’t need all that word-of-mouth marketing...?

While the production staff stared blankly at the frozen screen, cheerful laughter echoed through the office.

After finishing the Goblin Restaurant simulation—

Following several days of practice, we boarded a car headed for Gurye County in Jeollanam-do.

Today marked the fourth anniversary of the Souffles.

Maybe because of that, good news seemed to be arriving from every direction.

-Wooju & Cold Brown’s ‘Answer’ Becomes Billboard’s Longest Running #1 Song at ‘16 Weeks’

After spending sixteen weeks at number one, Answer finally fell to second place on the Billboard Hot 100.

The new number one song belonged to another famous rapper: Troy Kid.

He was the male rapper who had stolen all the attention at the VMAs by showing up in a pink dress while we wore astronaut outfits.

“Still, Answer really lasted forever....”

“Seriously.”

Sixteen weeks was four whole months.

After holding first place for nearly four months, there honestly wasn’t much regret left.

Biju commented—

“If only we’d lasted one more week. Then we’d have sole possession of the record instead of sharing first place with another song.”

“Right. Sole first is better than tied first.”

“It’s okay.”

I laughed quietly.

“We’ll break it with Overcook someday, Biju.”

“As expected, hyung already had a plan...!”

“Not really a plan. More like a small wish.”

As we chatted, I checked the news updates I’d been too busy to read earlier.

Junghyun spoke up.

“The Gymnastics Arena reopened after construction.”

“Oh, really?”

The gymnastics arena, which had been under renovation since 2016, had finally reopened.

Of course, we personally wouldn’t have any reason to perform there anytime soon.

Still, since we’d watched so many friends struggle because of the closure, the reopening felt welcome.

It was such a useful venue for concerts.

Capacity-wise, the gymnastics arena fit perfectly between Gocheok and Handball Arena, so the renovation had made scheduling concerts a nightmare for everyone.

“But apparently it’s called KSPO now? Not Gymnastics Arena anymore. Something called KSPO Dome.”

“...I don’t care. I’m still calling it the Gymnastics Arena.”

The renamed title sounded weird, but it was still good news regardless.

After looking through various updates—

“Hyung, did you see this? Our article finally came out.”

“Finally...!”

Biju and I smiled warmly.

-[Exclusive] NewBlack’s First Unit ‘Woobiz.’ Announces Surprise Debut

At last, articles about the unit song Biju and I had prepared started appearing.

It wasn’t really a full-scale debut so much as an event-style project, so the promotion was fairly low-key....

-Holy shit unitㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Gyuho we told you not to overwork the kids.. but honestly Gyuho’s no longer in a position where he can tell them what to do anymoreㅋㅋ

-NewBlack workload festival huh^^ fighting^^

-Woobizㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’ve been waiting since the Gunsan episode of Geumgangsan After Mealsㅠㅠ

Watching the Souffles cry tears of joy made me feel excited too.

Without realizing it, I found myself waving at the comment section while smiling.

As I sorted comments by most-liked and enjoyed the unusually clean atmosphere free of hate comments—

I noticed our maknae sitting by the window, chin resting in his hand, looking depressed.

“What’s wrong with our maknae?”

“It feels kind of empty not hearing sharp comments for once.”

Jiho answered with a lonely expression.

“I wish Ri Hyuk hyung had come with us to Gurye today....”

“Seriously.”

“Without him here, I don’t have anyone to tease.”

“What beautiful brotherly affection....”

Unfortunately, Ri Hyuk hadn’t joined today’s trip to Gurye.

He was still in Seoul practicing intensely for Saturday’s Mission Singer competition.

And after driving along the highway—

“We’ve arrived.”

“Yes~”

We stepped out of the car and smiled while breathing in Gurye’s fresh air.

“The smell of trees is amazing.”

“Hyung, I’m so happy.”

We laughed at Junghyun happily inhaling every scent around him.

As we climbed out of the vehicle, the NewUniverse staff, Gurye County officials, and various related personnel came to greet us.

“Hello! We’re NewBlack!”

“Ahhh, welcome. Hahaha.”

“We came to see our restaurant!”

As the staff member guiding us forward walked ahead, he asked—

“You’re excited, right?”

“Yes! We deliberately avoided looking at the architectural renderings because we wanted to be surprised.”

“You can absolutely look forward to it. We worked hard to reflect NewBlack’s opinions while finding the location and designing the restaurant.”

“Whoaaaaaa...!”

We followed behind with excited expressions while talking among ourselves.

“It’ll probably be modest, right?”

“Most likely.”

“I bet it’ll be small and cute. Like a healing-themed tourist restaurant.......”

A cute little Goblin Restaurant formed in our imaginations, making us smile.

After suffering so much serving that massive crowd in the cafeteria—

Those hardships were finally behind us now.

From here on out, we’d probably only serve around ten or so customers at a time, chatting leisurely while running the restaurant peacefully....

“Ohhh.”

“What’s that over there?”

In the distance, we spotted an enormous building.

A gigantic hanok-style structure that looked capable of seating over a hundred people.

Seeing a building standing there like a royal palace all by itself in such a quiet town instantly caught our attention.

“That place is huge. Is it a galbi restaurant?”

“Oh, really? It does look like one!”

We admired the appearance, which looked exactly like a large-scale galbi restaurant.

Then the staff proudly announced—

“Pretty large and impressive, isn’t it?”

“Yes!”

“That’s the restaurant where all of you will be running your business!”

“...Hrk.”

“Huh?”

Wobble—

“H-Huh?! Are you okay?!”

The production staff burst into laughter as our legs gave out beneath us and we collapsed to the ground.