Chapter 1009: It Was Beautiful From Far Away.. (21)

Late morning on a busy weekday.

“Manager, did you see this? Apparently this is the crowd that gathered in Gurye this morning.”

“Whoa, are all those people?”

“I saw the article too. Gurye’s apparently gone completely insane right now. Just because people want to see NewBlack’s restaurant.......”

Office workers sat in front of their laptops sipping coffee and chatting.

“What about Haein’s mom?”

“She went to Gurye today. She won a reservation for that NewBlack restaurant.”

“Oh my gosh, really??”

“The kids were apparently so excited because they were going to see Rabbit Uncle. I was honestly jealous after hearing about it yesterday.”

Parents with bags casually slung over their shoulders while waiting to put their children on kindergarten buses.

“Oppa, should we go to Gurye too?”

“Why Gurye all of a sudden~?”

“Never mind. I don’t want to anymore.”

“Ah, come on. That joke wasn’t mine, it was Sun Wooju’s~”

Couples searching for date locations, and countless others besides.

From early morning onward, Goblin Restaurant had become the hottest topic on everyone’s lips.

Then a post appeared on an online community.

[Real-time Goblin Restaurant commute]

The roads are blocked, so they’re commuting by bicycle

People burst out laughing the moment they clicked the post.

Because the attached video showed NewBlack riding tricycles.

-LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

-They seriously gave me the biggest laugh first thing in the morning LOL

-So freaking cute

-Why are the helmets so adorable

As netizens scrolled through the comments, they slowly tilted their heads in confusion.

Because suddenly the mood in the comment section shifted.

-???

-Isn’t that Junghyun..??

-What just went past

-What the hell just zoomed by

At that exact moment, the people reading the comments heard voices from the still-playing video.

[What was that? Was that a person?]

[Huh?]

They quickly dragged the playback bar backward.

In the video, people inside cars waved while shouting, “Guys!” and the NewBlack members waved back like they were part of a parade.

But immediately after—

[Uh...?]

—the phone camera suddenly shook slightly, almost like a camera installed behind a soccer goal.

Probably because of the wind.

When the camera steadied again, something zipped off into the distance like a tiny dot.

Because of the blurry quality, it looked almost like a moon bear.

‘A moon bear...?’

But after looking carefully, it was clearly a person.

People replayed the clip again with stunned expressions.

-Junghyun??

-Why is he the only one in a different genre LOLOL

-He’s freaking fast

-Junghyun said he ran 100 meters in the low 11-second range back in high school

-And he’s not even riding a bike alone LOOOOOOL just calmly running

Eventually someone even uploaded an analysis claiming Kim Junghyun’s speed looked to be around 37 kilometers per hour.

“Did you see this??”

“Hey, did you see Junghyun running?”

“Our track team begins special training starting today. We can’t seriously be slower than an idol, can we?”

The opening day of Goblin Restaurant.

As always, NewBlack was trending for reasons that were... slightly strange.

Following the police motorcycle escort, we safely arrived at Goblin Restaurant.

“Thank you!”

“Oh no, don’t thank me. I should be the thankful one.”

The traffic officer in a white helmet and reflective vest waved his hand dismissively.

Then he glanced around and spoke.

“Uh... if it’s alright with you, could I get an autograph?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Somewhere the citizens can’t see us... yes yes, right there’s perfect. I feel like I’d get complaints if people saw a police officer asking celebrities for autographs.”

When I signed something for his daughter and handed it over, a huge smile spread across his face.

After bowing politely to the Gurye Police Station officer as he fastened his helmet strap and drove away waving—

“Jiho, let’s go inside.”

“Heh heh heh.”

We called over the maknae, who was sitting alone on the tricycle taking selfies in various poses.

Whatever had him so happy, he was grinning nonstop.

“I’m definitely posting this on Instagram. Don’t I totally look like the protagonist of Wind Breaker right now?”

“Is that some new game?”

“No.......”

Jiho smiled warmly, looking like he’d completely given up trying to have conversations with his hyung.

“I’m used to this now. Last time I mentioned Love Revolution, Ri Hyuk hyung asked if I meant the Russian Revolution.”

“?”

“Being a fan among ordinary people really is hard....”

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just shrugged and headed into the restaurant.

The camera directors who had arrived early to prepare the set spotted us.

“We’re here~ Good morning!”

“Huh? Why did you guys get here so early?”

“We rode bicycles.”

“......?”

Soon, the directors burst into laughter after seeing the tricycles parked in front of Goblin Restaurant’s main gate.

One of the filming directors asked,

“But why are there only two bicycles?”

“Junghyun ran here.”

At that, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Junghyun.

“?”

The director stared blankly at Junghyun, who was smiling comfortably without a single drop of sweat on him.

Junghyun laughed awkwardly.

“But Director Joo is still faster than me.”

“No, I used to be an actual athlete....”

That’s right.

Director Joo—the man who had once outrun Junghyun while being chased by Daegil, the tyrant king of Yeoncheon, during Living Together.

The former college track athlete said,

“There’s one major difference between Junghyun and me. I’m someone who sweats. Junghyun doesn’t get tired.”

“I see....”

“Junghyun, do you even sweat? I heard not sweating isn’t actually a good body type.”

We answered,

“He does sweat.”

“Really...?”

“Yes. It’s just that ordinary things don’t make him sweat....”

“.......”

“You know how you don’t start sweating just from taking a walk? That’s basically what this is for him. Right now, it’s more like he just took a stroll.”

As everyone focused their attention on him, Junghyun laughed bashfully while the director and I exchanged warm smiles—

Then a bright yet chilling voice rang out.

“Kim Junghyun.”

“!”

Junghyun instantly froze stiff like prey spotting a predator.

While checking supplies, Biju turned toward him with a gentle smile.

“Looks like you forgot the thing I told you to bring earlier~?”

“Uh... uh.......”

“Come over here and check.”

“Hey, I... uh... did I really leave it behind?”

Drip drip.

Cold sweat immediately began forming across Junghyun’s forehead.

The director and the rest of us nodded.

“He sweats during moments like this.”

“I see....”

Watching the warm friendship between the same-age friends, I glanced around the restaurant hall.

After one final inspection to make sure there were no issues, we loosened up lightly before gathering together.

“Alright.”

Ri Hyuk adjusted his outfit and spoke.

“Sanitary masks.”

“Checked!”

“Aprons.”

“Checked!”

“Everyone, hold out your hands.”

After thoroughly checking hygiene procedures like handwashing, Ri Hyuk nodded and gestured for me to speak.

“Alright then. My beloved underlings, let’s give today’s service everything we’ve got!”

“Fighting!”

After cheering loudly in front of the counter where Goblin Restaurant’s business license hung proudly, we headed into the kitchen.

Jiho and I took prepared ingredients from the refrigerators.

Ri Hyuk prepared shaved ice while simultaneously preheating the coffee machine.

Junghyun lowered the chairs that had been stacked onto the tables and set up the dining area.

Biju checked whether all the seasonings, sauces, and cooking utensils were properly arranged.

“Ri Hyuk. Let’s check the orders.”

“Yes. Right away.”

“Battery levels okay?”

“They’re at 99%. I also prepared three backup units.”

We also checked the ordering program running on the tablets Junghyun and Ri Hyuk would carry around.

If we trusted machines blindly and they suddenly malfunctioned, it would become a disaster.

That was why we’d also implemented manual confirmation procedures.

Ding dong!

After testing various combinations and confirming the orders processed correctly, I looked toward the Souffle clock hanging on the wall.

Cuckoo!

The winged Souffle popped out and announced 6 o’clock sharp.

“Time’s going by insanely fast.”

“Hyung, we need to hurry.”

Even Biju—someone who almost never rushed people—was urging us to move faster, which meant there was truly a mountain of work left.

As I arranged the cooking tools, I spoke.

“The best way to overcome nerves really is preparation.”

“I think you’re right.”

Preparing the restaurant made me realize how similar this was to performing on stage.

It’s nerve-racking.

Just like how anything can happen on stage, restaurant service was also filled with unpredictable variables.

No matter how many scenarios you prepare, things often refuse to go the way you expect.

That’s why you’re always nervous.

And there’s no magical way to overcome that tension.

The only thing you can do is prepare thoroughly enough to lessen it.

“Mmhmhm~♬”

Still, maybe because we’d prepared so thoroughly, I found myself humming excitedly before opening time.

I was excited.

It felt like I was finally showing everything I’d built up until now.

Tak tak tak-

As I rapidly chopped green onions with the knife skills I’d learned from the chefs, a smile naturally spread across my face.

I always loved moments when I could learn something and then actually use it.

Even though variety show limitations meant we’d only learned for a short time, using the techniques and know-how taught by world-class chefs to prepare ingredients made me strangely happy.

“Hyung, you’ve seriously improved...!”

“Right?”

It wasn’t just about copying movements.

I’d genuinely put effort into studying how to apply the theories the chefs taught us in an actual kitchen—

No no, that sounded way too much like Ri Hyuk.

‘Kyaaak!’

Alright, inner Ri Hyuk, get back inside.

Anyway, all the time spent wondering how to implement everything I’d learned from the chefs had truly been worth it.

“Wooooow....”

Watching me work, Biju placed both hands against his cheeks.

“Can I take a picture?”

“Wait a second.”

“?”

I tapped the sink lightly with my pinky and dabbed some water onto my forehead.

“Ta-da. Fake sweat for dramatic effect.”

“!”

“Make sure it looks good. I need to send it to Kim Deoksun too.”

Holding his phone camera, Biju burst into delighted laughter.

Soon, I took photos of Biju cooking and sent them to his mother through KakaoTalk as well.

Looking around the restaurant kitchen made me smile too.

Beyond the skills I’d learned from the chefs, Goblin Restaurant contained traces of everything we’d built up together until now.

-Je vous souhaite bonne chance! (I wish you good luck!)

Chairman Georges Wenger of LeBlanc, where I served as an ambassador, had sent premium French olive oil to wish our business success.

“Junghyun. How does the meat look?”

“It’s perfect.”

Thanks to connections formed while serving as ambassadors for the Pyeongchang Olympics, we’d secured contracts with Korean beef farms through Pyeongchang County.

The chairman of the Korean Pork Association—whom we’d met during New Bulgogi Baekban—had also helped tremendously this time.

Back then, there’d been a campaign to increase pork consumption.

We’d signed an incentive agreement promising unlimited pork based on sales performance, and because we’d exploded in popularity at the time—

-How... long did you say?

-Two years and three months.

-.......

-Wow! So until the end of 2018!

That’s right.

Of course, after receiving pork once at the beginning, we’d never actually requested any more shipments.

But perhaps because the contract lasted until the end of 2018—

-We wish NewBlack explosive business success!

Through the association chairman’s introduction, we’d managed to contract with a supplier famous for top-quality products.

It hadn’t reduced physical costs in any dramatic way, but Grandma always said the most important costs in business weren’t physical ones.

-The hardest thing in the world to earn is trust. In a world full of nothing but scammers, what matters is finding people you can rely on.

By signing contracts with trustworthy people, it felt like we’d reduced the cost of uncertainty itself.

“Kyaaarrr!”

Ah. That just now sounded incredibly businessman-like.

Sometimes I genuinely impressed myself.

Cuckoo—

As the Souffle bird flapped around like a sparrow from the clock, Ri Hyuk announced:

“One hour until opening!”

“One hour!”

Stretching with my fingers interlocked, I smiled.

Preparation was perfect.

Feeling everything running smoothly, I looked toward the others in the distance.

“Check the cameras one more time. And if there are visitors on-site, let them know there’ll only be a lottery if canceled tables appear.”

“Yes, PD.”

“And where did Jaeyoung go? We still need to set up the waiting tents for the guests over there.......”

Our New Universe production crew had become experts at managing massive projects ever since Living Together.

The Gurye County officials monitoring the outside situation.

Our dependable underlings.

“We can do this.”

“We can do this!”

The crowd outside buzzed while waiting to enter.

Right before opening, overwhelming confidence surged through me as I declared to my underlings:

“Underlings.”

“Yes!”

“No matter what trials await us today, we will emerge victorious.”

“Heh heh heh heh heh!”

“Uhu hu hu! Let us begin!”

Goblin Restaurant.

At last—

Business officially began!

Finally, opening time arrived.

A New Universe staff member gestured toward the long line of waiting guests.

“You may enter now.”

“Yes....”

The first group in line consisted of college students.

The four winners who matched the restaurant’s maximum table size screamed while shoving one another forward.

“Hey, you go first~ Aren’t you a Souffle fan?”

“I’m a fake Souffle fan.”

“Ah, I’m so nervous.......”

The first guests swallowed hard and stepped through Goblin Restaurant’s front gate.

“Oh.”

“It seriously looks like some high-end galbi restaurant....”

They gasped at the stone garden and gently flowing pond.

Passing through carefully planted trees designed to make偷拍 difficult, they finally reached the main Goblin Restaurant signboard.

“!”

“!!”

Through the glass doors stood five unbelievably handsome young men.

“Holy....”

“Hey, hey, there are cameras.”

The members waiting for them in aprons were handsome enough to make profanity slip out unconsciously.

“Waaaaaah~!”

The nation’s top idols welcomed the guests as they entered.

“Until now, there has never been a taste quite like this..☆”

“Welcome to Goblin Restaurant!”

They even placed flower garlands around the necks of the first guests.

While the stunned college students blanked out in place, NewBlack greeted the rest of the first-round customers streaming in behind them.

“This is our first day of business!”

“Please take good care of us!”

The guests laughed warmly.

“Oh my, it’s so nice to meet you!”

“My daughter applied for this for us. Hahaha.”

A middle-aged couple whose child had entered the lottery for them.

“Haein, this is Rabbit Uncle’s friend.”

“Hewwo.”

“Haeseong, you should say hello too.”

“......Uh... uh...... wow. Hello.”

A family of four with a kindergarten daughter and elementary-school son.

As various guests entered, the NewBlack members split up to their positions after greeting everyone.

“Here’s your water.”

A handsome man with a sturdy physique approached in an apron, drawing admiring gasps.

“Oh my.”

“The utensils are in the compartment beside your table. Let me confirm your order one more time.”

After winning the reservation lottery, guests had previously been contacted and asked to select their menu choices in advance.

Once Junghyun and Ri Hyuk finished confirming the orders table by table—

The dishes already being prepared began arriving one after another.

“Holy.......”

“Wooooow.......”

“Wow.”

Bulgogi Steak topped with a glowing egg yolk.

The moment a knife lightly pierced the egg, the yolk slowly spilled downward and blended into the thick sauce.

Slice slice-

As the meat was cut, juices flowed out while steam rose into the air.

People wearing glasses found their vision briefly fogging over.

All around the restaurant, guests blew on hot food while crying out:

“So freaking goooood...!”

Forgetting there were cameras present, genuine reactions burst out naturally.

‘Holy crap.’

‘The chefs weren’t complimenting them just to be polite.’

‘Wasn’t this supposed to be a variety-show restaurant?’

Nobody had expected too much from what they assumed was just a novelty restaurant for entertainment purposes.

But this was genuinely restaurant-quality food.

Recipes refined together with top chefs using premium ingredients.

People who had initially played it safe by ordering only Bulgogi Steak began eagerly scanning the menu again.

“Look at that. The Buffalo Wings look amazing.”

“Wow.”

Not frozen delivery-shop wings, but authentic American-style Buffalo Wings.

“That Bulgogi Pasta looks good too.”

“Excuse me... could we ask a question? How well do you think it pairs with the tomato sauce?”

“It’s amazing. You should try it.”

The beautiful Tomato Hamburg Pasta sparked conversations between tables.

“Even though it’s vegetarian, that looks good too.”

“The Mushroom Burger?”

While guests admired the main dishes—

“We’d like to order!”

“Us too!”

Ding dong!

Junghyun and Ri Hyuk approached the guests pressing the service bells to take additional orders.

Meanwhile, the kitchen operated flawlessly.

The maknae assisting inside the kitchen grinned brightly.

“Hyung, hyung, our start is going really well.”

“Seriously.”

“The orders are more manageable than expected... maybe we worried too much.”

The members smiled as the restaurant operated smoothly—

Then Biju called out to his friend.

“Junghyun, the milanesa is ready.”

“Yes~”

As Junghyun prepared to serve it—

Wooju spoke to him.

“I’ll go too.”

“?”

“It’s the children’s menu.”

“Ah.”

Milanesa—the famous Argentinian dish similar to Korean pork cutlets.

On top of the “Children’s Milanesa” menu item, sauce had been carefully shaped into Rabbit Uncle’s face.

Rustle rustle.

Wooju slipped a puppet glove onto one hand and followed Junghyun.

“Eek...!”

Six-year-old So Haein, gripping her fork and spoon with both hands, widened her eyes.

“Uncle...!”

[Hello, little friend!]

Rabbit Uncle wriggled energetically while greeting the child.

[Uncle prepared a special children’s menu just for you! You must eat well!]

“Yes!”

[And listen carefully to your mommy and daddy.]

“Yes—!”

While the parents filmed their kindergarten daughter meeting her favorite character and repeatedly thanked them—

The other guests quietly watched Rabbit Uncle’s premium service.

“.......”

“.......”

The customers exchanged looks.

‘Go?’

‘Go.’

Nodding to one another, they began pressing the service bells.

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“We want the children’s menu too!”

Childlike innocence bloomed wildly inside the hearts of the guests.

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

The children’s menu order count rose across the electronic display at insane speed.

It felt like a movie operator shouting:

“Enemy aircraft ahead! Ten... one hundred... impossible to count!”

The members blinked blankly.

“.......”

“.......”

Everyone slowly turned murderous eyes toward the root cause of this disaster.

The breathtakingly handsome eldest member timidly clasped both hands against his chest and read the room.

“Uh... guys.”

“.......”

“Sorry.......”

The eldest hyung who had personally flung open the gates of hell while trying to help the members enjoy manageable business operations.

Somewhere in the distance, it almost sounded like the whispers of a six-member group asking:

‘We’re screwed, right?’

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

Before their eyes—

Rabbit Hell had begun.