Chapter 951: Nothing Goes According to Expectations (5)

Wang Jiho could say it with confidence.

-There’s a crazy person in our group!

No matter how he thought about it, “crazy” was the only word that fit.

-He watches magic tricks on MyTube and immediately copies them. Whenever he has free time, he learns some weird new technique... He even does stunt flights with paper airplanes! There’s seriously a strange guy in our group!

Their eldest member could copy almost anything after seeing it once.

Whenever Jiho watched their eldest brother receive love calls wherever he went, pride and confusion coexisted inside him.

What even is he?

It was the same now.

At some point, the chef had suddenly gotten excited and started going, “More! A little more!” while giving instructions, and Wooju actually pulled it off.

And then—

Why does Wooju hyung always look surprised by things he did himself...?

He was staring at the stew he had made with a shocked expression.

Sssss—

The smell drifting from the stew made the production staff murmur among themselves.

“The smell is insane.”

“How does that happen just because someone tells him what to do?”

“It’s Wooju. He should legally change his name to Plot Convenience.”

Beside them, even Dante Cellini looked dazed.

The chef picked up a spoon and tasted the stew Sun Wooju had made.

「Why does this taste good?」

「...Is it not supposed to?」

「No, that’s not what I mean, but....」

Cellini tilted his head.

「Even if I measured everything out for you, this isn’t a flavor a beginner should be able to produce.」

「I actually have quite a bit of cooking experience. My grandmother runs a restaurant, so I learned a lot from her.」

「So that’s why. I knew your fundamentals were solid.」

Dante Cellini crossed his arms.

「Your skills are not bad.」

「Whoa! Really?」

「If you spend about ten years rolling around in kitchens, you’ll become an excellent chef.」

「Thank you...?」

「That was high praise. Usually it takes thirty years.」

While Wooju debated whether he was supposed to feel happy about that, Jiho turned his head.

Chef Cellini’s daughter Luna was staring in shock.

Jiho asked, 「What’s wrong, Luna?」

「It’s my first time seeing Dad praise someone like that!」

「What’s he normally like?」

Luna crossed her arms and imitated her father.

「You idiot. I’ll give you thirty seconds to disappear from my kitchen. Thirty... twenty-nine.......」

「.......」

「And then if they really leave, he complains that they have no perseverance and drags them back in. Even though he’s the one who told them to leave....」

Saying she couldn’t understand her own father, Luna shook her head, and Jiho smiled like a proud uncle.

Meanwhile, Dante Cellini had begun showing exceptional interest in Wooju.

「Then let’s try this too.」

「Yes, Chef.」

The moment the chef suddenly started teaching Wooju additional secret techniques, Jiho quietly glanced toward someone else.

Biju hyung will be okay... right?

Vocals, dance, acting, and everything else aside—

Even if cooking wasn’t his main profession, it was practically part of Biju’s identity.

Jiho wondered if Biju might feel a little disappointed seeing Wooju receive all the attention.

“Whoa.......”

Biju had both hands pressed to his cheeks while staring at Wooju with dreamy eyes.

“As expected of Wooju hyung.”

He’s terminal.

“Seriously, how does Wooju hyung learn things so fast? Jiho, isn’t it amazing?”

He’s a severe Sun Wooju fanatic.

Jiho looked at Wooju with jealous eyes.

I want to become Biju hyung’s favorite too!

Jiho glared enviously at the eldest brother who monopolized Biju’s attention no matter what.

As the youngest-member disease of Please only look at me kicked in, Jiho slowly sidled over and clung to someone.

“Ri Hyuk hyung, you’re the best.”

“?”

So you should tell me I’m the best too!

At those words, Ri Hyuk whispered with absolute certainty on his face,

“You did something wrong to me, didn’t you.”

“.......”

Jiho hated his older brothers.

High praise from the world famous chef Dante Cellini.

-You have talent!

-Oh my! Goodness gracious!

But nothing like Therefore, you shall become the head chef of the kitchen...! happened.

「What unfortunate news.」

Chef Dante Cellini spoke.

「Your cooking skill and level of culinary knowledge are so mismatched... It’s like someone who doesn’t understand fluid dynamics but is somehow good at assembling aircraft. The gap between technique and theory is severe.」

In simpler terms, it meant: You’re good with a knife, but you don’t really understand ingredient combinations.

Which was only natural.

For someone who learned spicy pork stir fry from his grandmother with the words {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Seasoning is all about instinct, questions like What ingredients pair well with asparagus? were impossibly difficult.

But compared to me....

「For a salad with asparagus, I think strawberries would pair well with it.」

「Then what about the dressing?」

「Hmm... Maybe balsamic vinegar with olive oil, or perhaps just salt.」

「Excellent.」

Chef Cellini looked deeply satisfied with Biju’s model-student answer.

After having Biju try various dishes beside him, the chef smiled approvingly.

「Your technical skills aren’t bad either.」

「Thank you.」

「However, your true strength, Biju, is your creativity and problem solving ability. I especially like the way you identify problems and improve upon them.」

Biju smiled happily at Chef Cellini’s praise.

Receiving such warm compliments from a master chef he had always respected made both Biju and the rest of us puff up with pride.

「That is the most important quality for a head chef leading a kitchen. Unexpected situations constantly occur in the food industry. Biju, you are the ideal head chef because you can actively adapt to those situations.」

“Waaaaaaah!”

「Therefore, from this moment onward, everything that happens in this kitchen will be your responsibilit—」

Smack—

「There’s... no need to feel too pressured. Since you have technically outstanding fellow chefs beside you, things will proceed smoothly.」

Soon after, Chef Cellini assigned all of us our roles.

Cooking: Wooju, Biju

Kitchen Assistant: Jiho

Drinks: Ri Hyuk

Front Hall: Junghyun

We were all staring at the neatly organized work chart going Ooooh when—

「Now that I understand Wooju and Biju’s cooking skills, I’ll help recommend menu items as well.」

When we handed him our candidate menu list, Cellini started drawing stars next to each item.

From one to five stars.

Apparently, up to three stars was manageable for our skill level, while four stars and above were best avoided.

「Biju.」

「Yes?」

「Do you know this dish?」

「Yes, I do. Though I think this style of cooking would be difficult with my current abilities.......」

At the words difficult cooking method, Cellini had been about to draw four stars.

Then he looked at me.

And drew three stars instead.

I asked, 「Chef? Didn’t you just say the cooking method was difficult?」

「You can absolutely do it, Wooju.」

「Even though it’s difficult...?」

「If you’re someone who learned knife skills by watching MyTube videos, then you can do it. With that level of passion, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.」

Then, while about to draw four stars beside another menu item, Cellini glanced at me again.

「Possible.......」

「Chef?」

「This too... hmm... possible.......」

Menus that obviously looked like they would involve endless sweating and suffering kept stopping at three stars instead of four.

「This one is rather difficult... but possible.......」

「......Chef?」

「Biju, if something is difficult, have Wooju do it. Even if it’s hard for you, this friend will succeed.」

「Um, Chef?」

「This as well... hmmm... yes, possible.」

Ignoring everything I said while muttering to himself and refusing to draw anything above three stars, Chef Cellini made everyone burst into laughter.

“Good luck.”

Luna, a Souffle fan, patted me comfortingly.

Meanwhile, my awful younger brothers danced in circles while acting cute.

“Congratulations~ congratulations~”

“Congratulations on the suffering road ahead of you~”

“.......”

For some reason, it really felt like a road of suffering was opening before me.

Everyone was happy.

Chef Cellini left with a satisfied expression after taking photos with us, and Luna the Souffle fan left happily after receiving hugs from us.

The production staff were excited too.

“Wow. Dante Cellini appeared on our show.......”

“We seriously hit the jackpot. We might even break fifteen percent ratings at this rate. Alaska might actually happen now.”

The staff buzzed excitedly about how the most famous celebrity chef in the world had appeared on their broadcast.

And among them, the little lackeys were giggling too.

“Cellini praised our cooking.”

“Our NewBlack family has two chefs now...! Hyungs, this is truly a celebration! A celebration!”

The lackeys were thrilled, and Biju—who had received endless praise from the chef he respected most—looked absolutely ecstatic too.

Only...

Only I was staring sadly up at the evening sky over LA.

“Tch.......”

Why were there so many stars? Even the sky was being dramatic.

As I looked up at the beautiful LA night sky, the younger members suddenly clung to me.

“We trust you, hyung.”

“This is the younger brothers’ cuteness attack for the hyung who’ll handle the difficult dishes~”

“.......”

While looking over the menu candidates, I said,

“Guys, let’s be reasonable and only do two-star dishes.”

“Don’t you think we could manage three-star dishes too?”

“They call them three-star dishes, but there’s no way those are really only three stars.”

Steaks that burned easily and required precise control over medium and rare doneness were somehow labeled three stars.

While moving to the next restaurant, we discussed the menu together.

Thanks to Cellini ranking the difficulty levels for us, the decision didn’t take long.

“How about this one?”

“I vote for that too.”

“It seems manageable to cook... and I think we could differentiate it well too. It’s different from hamburger steak.”

“What did you guys choose? I’ll do that too.”

The dish we had all been considering from the beginning was selected.

A two-star dish.

[American Hamburger Steak]

It was a menu item that could appeal to everyone, from children to elderly customers.

And it was also the flavor of America we wanted to show our customers.

Because among everything we had eaten in America, dishes like these hamburger patties had been our favorites.

They were somehow different from the patties we ate in Korea.

The moment you bit into one, juice exploded out of it—and patties from genuinely great restaurants tasted absolutely heavenly.

“Guys, we’re here.”

“Oh...!”

A bright neon sign gleamed in the distance.

[New Orleans]

Today’s final destination.

A restaurant operated by the famous chef Bobby Ross.

-The greatest expert in Southern cuisine.

Unlike Dante Cellini, who was extremely famous even in Korea, Bobby Ross had somewhat lower recognition there.

But we had heard he was just as famous as Cellini in America.

His specialty was American comfort food.

When it came to frying or grilling, there was supposedly no one better.

He had earned the nickname King of Food Trucks after his LA food truck business became a massive success, and there was even a movie called Longest Day based on his life story.

Jiho and I had downloaded it on NetPlus and watched it together on the plane.

「Welcome!」

The moment we entered the restaurant, a gigantic Black man over two meters tall greeted us.

A Mario-style mustache.

He wore a white chef’s hat and white uniform, but beneath the clothing, muscles rippled visibly.

His left arm looked as thick as Biju hanging from it, and his right arm looked as thick as Ri Hyuk hanging from it.

「I’m truly delighted! Hahaha! I can’t stop smiling!」

And this man’s special trait—

He absolutely loved fame.

If Cellini was the refined Let us take a picture together type who quietly posted photos, this man was more like I!! MET!! NEWBLACK!! on social media.

「Now then, this way please! I’ve prepared incredible dishes specially for NewBlack today!」

「Thank you.」

「I heard you visited Cellini’s restaurant? While our establishment may not be fine dining, I guarantee—with the name Bobby Ross on the line—that you’ll feel just as satisfied!」

He looked unbelievably excited.

“Your energy is incredible.”

“That’s what happens when you meet celebrities. Your fans are about to invade this place asking for the exact dishes NewBlack ate.”

We burst out laughing at the honest answer.

Our fans really had been gradually increasing every time we moved restaurants.

「By the way, did you watch the fish stew video I uploaded last time?」

「Yes.」

When Biju’s braised fish had become a hot topic, Bobby Ross had recreated it on MyTube as a Mediterranean-style stew.

When we said we remembered him telling us to absolutely visit if we came to LA, he grinned brightly and nodded.

「This way.」

When we arrived at the specially prepared table, there was an absurd amount of food piled on it.

Onion rings and all kinds of perfectly crispy fried dishes.

Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.

Texas barbecue, and more.

「!」

As we froze in shock, Chef Bobby Ross declared,

「I didn’t know what you’d like, so I prepared everything.」

「Chef...!」

I suddenly started liking this man very much.

As we sat around the table, the chef gestured grandly.

「Go ahead and try it.」

「......!」

「The flavor’s incredible, right?」

「Yes!」

It was the best thing we had eaten all day.

Since it was the final meal of the day, it should’ve been less impressive, but strangely enough, it was the most delicious.

Chef Bobby Ross explained,

「I adjusted the seasoning to suit your tastes.」

「Wow....」

「I have a Korean friend. I asked him about the saltiness and oil levels Korean people enjoy. He also told me Korean people don’t like desserts that are too sweet. Was he right?」

「Yes, exactly.」

Maybe because he had been so thoughtful, everything matched our tastes perfectly.

Even the production staff who claimed they were too full to eat ended up continuously taking more bites after trying it once.

「I heard the mission for your TV show project is to adapt American cuisine to Korean tastes.」

「Yes, that’s right.」

「Have you decided what dish to make?」

When we told him we had chosen hamburger steak, he looked delighted.

「Excellent! I’ll teach you myself.」

「!」

「I have some excellent hamburger steak recipes. Of course, you’ll have to keep them secret on the broadcast....」

One of the most famous chefs in America was offering to personally teach us his own recipes.

Our eyes widened.

「We’re grateful, but.......」

After all, nothing in this world came for free.

Sensing the question in our eyes—What do you want in return?—Chef Bobby Ross shyly made his request.

「MyTube views....」

Nod.

As we stood and reached out our hands, his thick hand clasped ours.

Deal complete.

After wrapping up the American filming for the NewBlack Gourmet Tour episode like that—

The next time we met Chef Bobby Ross was the day after our Rose Bowl concert in LA ended.

After all, if we injured ourselves while learning to cook, it could interfere with the concert.

「Congratulations! I heard it was absolutely spectacular. All of social media has been exploding with your photos.」

Saying he would’ve gone too if he could’ve bought tickets, Bobby Ross made us laugh while we stretched our bodies.

“Ughhh.......”

“Urgh....”

We were exhausted after performing concerts three days in a row, but mentally we felt completely refreshed.

The end of the American tour.

It felt like the relief that comes after finishing the most stressful subject during midterms had spread through our entire bodies.

「While you all were happy, I was happy too. Hehehe. Sales jumped three hundred percent after your visit.」

「Three hundred percent...?」

「Your fans seem extremely serious about food.」

「.......」

For some reason, that felt oddly embarrassing.

W-Well... they kind of do have that tendency.

Souffle really should resemble our better qualities instead.

Bobby Ross thanked us and shook our hands before leading us into the kitchen.

「Now then, everyone, over here. Today I’ll teach you the fundamentals of hamburger steak.」

「Yes!」

「Stand here one at a time... Ah, Wooju, over this way.」

Bobby Ross called me toward a station piled with tasks that looked difficult at first glance.

Blinking, I asked,

「Um, Chef?」

「Yes?」

「Why is what I’m doing different from what the others are doing? This looks kind of difficult.......」

「Ahhh! So that’s what you were wondering!」

Bobby Ross laughed cheerfully.

「I heard you should be given difficult tasks.」

「Excuse me? Who said that?」

Just like every other profession, chefs had their own network.

Even world famous chefs were no exception.

[When I heard NewBlack was coming, I immediately said yes, but I don’t know what kind of personalities they have, so I can’t prepare properly. Are they picky? Logan Smith and his wife nearly drove me insane last time....]

[Same here. It’s my first time hosting celebrities at that level.......]

[Mr. Cellini, what were NewBlack like?]

While famous chefs chatted noisily over video call, Dante Cellini gave them advice.

What kind of personalities NewBlack had.

What food they liked.

Things like that.

“And there was one especially unusual thing.”

[?]

“There was a friend who absorbed everything the moment I taught it to him. One of the greatest talents I’ve seen in recent years. It made teaching enjoyable.”

Dante Cellini stroked his chin as he recalled the memory.

For a moment... it resembled Master’s knife work.

For an instant, Sun Wooju’s knife technique had reminded him of his old teacher.

As he explained the story he had experienced, the other chefs began showing interest.

[He learns anything immediately just by watching?]

[His passion for cooking is incredible too. Even while promoting as a singer, he studied knife skills through MyTube videos?]

[He definitely sounds like someone worth teaching.]

The chefs murmured among themselves with curiosity.

This should count as repaying the favor.

Dante Cellini smiled and nodded.

After NewBlack’s visit, reports had come in that sales had risen at all of his restaurants around the world.

I don’t understand why those fans are so serious about food, but.......

Surely this was repayment enough.

Because of his story, the other chefs had become interested and were talking about teaching Sun Wooju difficult techniques.

Wooju. I’ll help make your dream come true.

Thinking of NewBlack’s leader, who had been so passionate about cooking that he learned all sorts of techniques through MyTube videos, Cellini raised his wine glass as though toasting him.

Of course...

-Excuse me? Me?

-Yes.

-I like difficult things?

-Yes. That’s what Mr. Cellini told us.

-.......

The chef, naturally, had no idea that his words were causing someone to silently shed tears while everyone around him laughed themselves breathless.