Chapter 952: Nothing Goes According to Expectations (6)

I was someone who genuinely loved learning.

Because anything you learned eventually became useful.

Thanks to learning English at TJ Entertainment, I had benefited enormously during the college entrance exam period, and even now it was still a huge help during overseas promotions.

And what about composing?

The composition studies I had continued from my TJ days all the way through preparing for music school had played a major role in bringing both me and NewBlack to where we were now.

-In the end, everything becomes useful someday.

...That was my philosophy.

Right now, something might make you think, Why do I even need to learn this? But eventually, it would become a great asset.

However....

「The idea that I like difficult things is a huge misunderstanding.」

I didn’t have some bizarre hobby of intentionally increasing the difficulty level just to learn things.

The reason I learned cooking through MyTube videos was because it was a practical skill.

-Grandma. I saw someone making handmade noodles on MyTube this time... Look at this. I’ll make hand pulled jjajangmyeon for you.

-Where do you keep learning these weird things? 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

-Ta-da~

-You could tell people you’re the grandson of a Chinese restaurant owner and they’d believe it.

It was simply a hobby I picked up so I could make special dishes for Mrs. Kim Deoksun.

I only wanted to cook delicious food for her.

I wasn’t trying to get hired at a Michelin restaurant or anything.

「...That’s what I’m saying.」

「Hmmmm.」

At my explanation, Chef Bobby Ross crossed his arms.

The muscular Black chef thought for a moment before asking,

「Then should I teach you something easy?」

「No...!」

I immediately grabbed the chef’s hand as he tried to clear away the assignment in front of me.

「I want to learn it.」

「Just as I expected! Hahaha!」

「.......」

This was my problem.

The moment I saw an opportunity, I couldn’t let it go....

A world famous chef was personally offering to teach me advanced techniques.

There was no way I could refuse just because it sounded difficult.

「I just wanted to correct the misunderstanding. I don’t enjoy difficult things.」

「You simply have tremendous passion for cooking!」

「Well, that.......」

「Honestly speaking, Bobby Ross here is impressed. I know how busy top stars are. Yet despite schedules like yours, you still made time to study cooking techniques.」

「.......」

The annoying thing was that he technically wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t refute him.

My younger brothers immediately tattled to the chef like court flatterers.

“That’s right. While everyone else is asleep, he sits alone on the living room couch watching MyTube and learning random stuff.”

“He’s incredibly passionate. Please work him hard, Chef.”

I shot them a glare, but the younger members only giggled while egging the chef on.

As Bobby Ross laughed loudly and declared, “Leave it to me!”, I asked the chef a question.

「I have something I want to ask.」

「Ask me anything! Hahaha!」

「Chef Cellini apparently told other chefs that ‘I like difficult things’.......」

「He did.」

「How many people did he tell that to?」

I wanted to figure out how far this horrifying rumor had spread.

Bobby Ross held up three fingers.

「!」

Color immediately returned to my face.

As expected, the rigid and stubborn Chef Cellini probably didn’t have many connections in the culinary industry.

「Everyone except maybe three people.」

「.......」

「There are probably only about three chefs who don’t get along with him. Other than that, you can assume every famous chef in the world knows. Chef Cellini is one of the major figures in the World Chefs Association, after all....」

“We all have a network,” he said with a grin.

I stared blankly into space.

In my mind, I could already picture chefs shoving difficult assignments toward me.

-Hahaha! I’ve prepared difficult cooking techniques specifically for you, Wooju!

-I heard you like difficult things?

-This dish may be difficult, but with your skills, Wooju, you can absolutely do it. It’ll be hard enough to make you throw up, though....

Suddenly, it felt like my vision was turning blurry.

It wasn’t that something else was making me sad.

I was sad because I knew myself too well.

Even if it was difficult, the moment someone offered to teach me something new, I’d get tempted, learn it, suffer through it, and end up plastering pain relief patches all over myself.

“It’s okay.”

Ri Hyuk placed a hand firmly on my shoulder.

“You say that, but we all know you’ll do great anyway. And imagine how much the viewers would love it. People absolutely adore watching you suffer. Your tears are ratings.”

“That’s right. The more you suffer, the happier the viewers become.”

Hearing the younger members say that was strangely persuasive.

What couldn’t I do for ratings?

Thinking that, I glanced toward Producer Gu Jaeyoung.

“Hoh....”

Producer Gu Jaeyoung was muttering to himself with great interest.

“A beginner cook becoming a master chef... We could make Sun Wooju’s Extreme Occupation Challenge into side content.......”

“.......”

“This sounds insanely fun. Right?”

The production staff and our members nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Even Bobby Ross—who didn’t understand Korean but was simply happy to be doing something with the famous NewBlack—joined in.

“Haha! The ratings would explode!”

“What an amazing plan, PD!”

「I can already sense even higher view counts!」

“.......”

Everyone except me was happy.

「Alright! Rolling now!」

The slate clapped sharply as filming began.

Perhaps because he had so much television experience, Chef Bobby Ross immediately started speaking the moment the cue sign went up.

「Now then! Today, for NewBlack, Bobby Ross himself will be sharing a special recipe!」

“Waaaaaaaah!”

「Today’s menu is hamburger steak. Commonly known as Salisbury steak. The moment you cut into it with a knife, juices burst out—it’s truly a dish with incredible flavor.」

Chef Bobby Ross personally demonstrated the process.

「Before teaching all of you, I’ll first show you how it’s made.」

The Black chef cheerfully hummed METRO while skillfully chopping ingredients.

The caramelized onions he had prepared in advance released an amazing aroma as they cooked, blending with the meat mixture and various spices.

「How is it? Smells good, right?」

「Yes.」

「Bobby’s special recipe uses these caramelized onions, which gives the flavor even greater depth.」

“Ooooooh....”

Soon, the hamburger steak was complete.

After the cameraman filmed the insert shots, Bobby Ross picked up a knife.

「Take a look.」

The hamburger steak looked incredibly crispy on the outside.

But the moment the knife sliced into it—

Pop.

Juices spilled out immediately.

「Mmm~♪」

The chef flexed his muscles while doing a little dance of joy.

「This is one of those moments that makes you feel glad you became a chef. Go ahead and taste it.」

My younger brothers and I swallowed hard before poking it with our forks.

Then we took a bite.

「!!」

It felt like glowing letters spelling Delicious suddenly appeared before my eyes.

The savory aroma and rich juices seemed almost alive.

“T-This is insane....”

“Hyungs, this seriously tastes unbelievable. I feel like this would become a huge hit even without sauce.”

Without realizing it, our reactions came out in Korean.

We gave thumbs up to Bobby Ross, who was tilting his head in confusion.

The chef smiled.

「Hahaha! The happiest moment for a chef is when customers are happy. I’m glad you enjoyed it.」

“It’s seriously the best.”

「Did you see that, Souffle?」

Bobby Ross winked at the camera.

「Your singers personally certified the flavor. Don’t forget to order hamburger steak at Bobby Ross’s restaurant!」

“It’s seriously delicious, everyone!”

We pulled out star shaped chocolates from our pockets and handed them over like Michelin stars, making Bobby Ross burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, the hamburger steak had disappeared almost instantly.

Representing the production staff, writer Yang Mihyun took a bite and immediately gave a thumbs up.

“It’s good, right, Writer?”

“I usually don’t like hamburger steak because I prefer beef over pork. But this? This is completely beef.”

Seeing the writer enthusiastically giving a thumbs up, the chef smiled.

「Actually, this hamburger steak is only half complete.」

「?」

「It still needs sauce.」

「Ah...!」

It was so delicious that we had completely forgotten sauce was even necessary.

「I’ll teach you about the sauce too, but the part you all need to focus on first is the hamburger steak itself. That was what you wanted to learn in the first place.」

We nodded.

We planned to create our own Korean style sauce anyway.

「First of all, let me compliment you on choosing hamburger steak. It was an excellent decision.」

Bobby Ross continued,

「There are endless ways to adapt the recipe. You can serve it with sauce alongside rice or mashed potatoes, and if you place buns above and below it, then it becomes a hamburger.」

We nodded again.

Our goal was to appeal to both younger and older generations alike through both hamburgers and rice dishes.

「Fundamentally, hamburger steak is simple. It’s not an easy dish exactly, but with Wooju and Biju’s skills, it’s definitely manageable.」

“But it feels like a ‘however’ is coming.”

「Exactly.」

The chef winked.

「As they say, the devil is in the details. The true beauty of hamburger steak lies in those details.」

Pointing at the ingredients, he continued,

「How well you sauté the vegetables to maximize their flavor, how well you shape the patties, and most importantly! Please underline this part. Depending on how you grill it, the taste can vary dramatically.」

We hurriedly took notes.

「So from this point onward, I’ll teach you those details thoroughly.」

「Yes!」

At that moment, Jiho raised his hand.

“But I’m the dishwasher and kitchen assistant.”

「What if both Biju, the head chef, and Wooju, the second chef, injure their hands, Jiho?」

“Wouldn’t my heart hurt?”

Biju and I smiled warmly.

「......W-Well, yes. But what if both chefs become unable to cook?」

「Hmm.」

The youngest stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Then we’d suspend business for the day and distribute apology letters to the customers. We’d sincerely apologize in detail without making excuses, while also promising proper compensation.......」

「Correct! Exactly that!」

Bobby Ross nodded in approval before hurriedly correcting himself.

「N-No...! That’s not what I meant... Anyway, the point is that all three of you should know the recipe so you can help if needed.」

“Wouldn’t we need to nurse the hyungs if they got hurt...?” the youngest muttered.

Biju and I patted him affectionately.

“We can’t survive without our hyungs.”

Our precious youngest.

“If the hyungs aren’t around, then I’d have to work....”

Biju and I immediately pinched Jiho’s sides.

While the youngest yelped, Bobby Ross assigned roles to the others.

「And Wooju.」

「Yes, Chef!」

「From now on, I will personally teach you extremely difficult high level techniques.」

「......!」

Seeing my tense expression, Bobby Ross grinned.

「And that technique is....」

「Is...?」

「Sautéing and grilling!」

「?」

I blinked.

「Aren’t those just basic techniques?」

「You truly know very little about cooking, Wooju. Sautéing is one of the most difficult techniques there is.」

The chef burst into laughter.

「You’ll understand once you try it.」

He was absolutely right.

「How is it, Chef?」

「Hmm.」

「What about this one?」

「Hmmm.」

「Then what about this!?」

「Hmm.」

Every time I presented the results, the chef shook his head.

「Your timing for controlling the heat was poor. You used high heat when you should’ve lowered it, so the ingredients lost their flavor.」

I had no idea sautéing could be this difficult.

「Sautéing is about drawing out the flavor of ingredients. Just as music has rhythm and dynamics, sautéing has rhythm and dynamics too. You use high heat to remove moisture, and if things become too dry, you switch to medium heat to bring moisture back out.」

The chef had me practice not only with onions, but with all kinds of ingredients.

「Leafy vegetables like cabbage should be sautéed by cutting the stem and cooking the cross section first. Vegetables where the leaves contact the pan surface should be cooked quickly over medium heat. The timing for stopping depends on the color of the vegetables....」

It was genuinely difficult work.

Because this wasn’t something you could accomplish simply by learning motions.

It was all about timing.

Learning when to use high heat or low heat, and understanding exactly when something was done.

Thankfully, the chef praised me fairly quickly.

「Wooju would’ve succeeded even in another profession. I’ve never seen someone absorb feedback this quickly!」

「Thank you. So does that mean I’m done now?」

「Another three hours or so and you should become proficient. That’s incredibly fast progress! Hahaha!」

「.......」

I sautéed vegetables with a miserable expression.

It was early summer in June, and the weak air conditioning made sweat pour down my face.

Biju gently dabbed my forehead with a handkerchief.

“Biju. My nose bridge too.”

“Yes.”

“How is it? My nose is pretty high, right?”

“It feels like I’m looking at Mount Everest.”

“And you’re Annapurna right beside it.”

As Biju and I laughed together—

“Hohohohot!”

—the little lackeys nearby looked at us like they were witnessing something horrible.

Chef Bobby Ross patted my shoulder.

「It probably feels difficult right now, Wooju. Honestly, if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even have trained them this far. But once you master this, the quality of your cooking will improve dramatically.」

「Yes, Chef.」

At his words, I held out the frying pan.

「Then what about this?」

「Again.」

「.......」

As expected, the path of learning was long and cruel.

But I wasn’t the only one suffering.

Every time my younger brothers presented completed hamburger steaks, Bobby Ross laughed loudly and encouraged them.

「Again!」

「.......」

「You can do it! NewBlack! You truly can! If the Souffle fans behind you saw this...!」

Bobby Ross beamed brightly before suddenly freezing.

Seeing us drenched in sweat, his face immediately turned pale.

「...They’re not going to come kill me, are they?!」

He looked like a man who had already received one hundred thousand death threats.

We burst out laughing and reassured him.

“It’s okay.”

“We actually prefer learning like this.”

We had been sautéing and grilling for hours now.

Our faces were flushed red from exhaustion, and our clothes were soaked through.

But if we learned properly now, wouldn’t it save us suffering later?

Besides, no matter that this was for a broadcast, a world famous chef was personally dedicating his own time to teach us.

And it wasn’t just us suffering.

Even he kept wiping sweat off with a handkerchief.

「Then shall we continue?」

The chef smiled cheerfully as he instructed us to resume.

Of course, it still wasn’t easy.

Every time we presented the results, the chef shook his head.

Most of the problems were similar.

「Too cooked. Overcooked.」

「You overcooked it and all the juices escaped.」

The word Overcooked genuinely felt like it was floating around inside my head.

Every single time I thought, This looks perfectly cooked, the chef would say it was overdone.

But if I cooked it less, he’d say it was raw.

「It seems like everyone’s getting exhausted, so let’s take a short break.」

「Yes!」

While the camera crew changed memory cards, we gathered together in the kitchen with handheld fans, cooling ourselves off.

Silence.

We were all so exhausted that we just huddled together quietly.

“I think I’ve heard the phrase overcooked hundreds of times today.”

“Same.”

“Overcooked. Overcooked.”

We laughed together while repeating the words.

As I held the fan against my face making weird “wrrrrr” noises with the wind, I absentmindedly hummed.

「Overcooked~ overcooked~♬」

Ri Hyuk snorted with laughter at my humming.

Then he added,

「All I did was cook you just a little too much~♪」

The other younger members burst into laughter and joined in.

「Guess my love for you was just too intense~♬」

「Overcooked~ overcooked~♬」

We laughed together while messing around nonsense-style.

Even Bobby Ross and the production staff—who had been speaking English nearby—smiled fondly at us.

I gestured to the members and threw an arm around their shoulders.

“Let’s suffer just a little more.”

“Yup.”

“Until restaurant owners can look at us and go, ‘Alright. That level of effort is acceptable.’”

We were just about to finish our break and return to filming.

We were definitely supposed to focus on cooking practice again, but....

Suddenly, something lingered in my ears.

Overcooked~ overcooked~

All I did was cook you just a little too much~♪

My hand holding the frying pan froze midair.

The melody continued looping endlessly inside my head.

Like an addictively spicy dish.

“.......”

Still frozen in place, I turned toward the younger members.

It wasn’t just me.

Ri Hyuk, who was holding a hamburger steak patty.

Junghyun, who had been preheating the grill.

Biju, lost in thought.

Even the youngest, blinking in shock.

All of our eyes met.

“It’s not just me... right?”

The younger members slowly nodded.

As if we had just realized something incredibly important.

“.......”

“.......”

The melody continued echoing in our ears.

Time itself felt slower.

A breeze drifted in from somewhere, cooling the sweat on our skin, and suddenly I had the strange feeling that we would remember this exact moment for a very long time.

Gulp.

After swallowing nervously, we turned toward the production staff.

“By any chance....”

“?”

“Is it just us? Didn’t that song just stick in your head immediately?”

The staff tilted their heads.

Then they asked what we meant.

“Well, yeah... but isn’t that because it sounds like a famous pop song?”

“A famous song? You’ve heard it before?”

Suddenly, my heart dropped.

The staff shook their heads.

“No, I just meant it sounds like a famous song... Why?”

“W-We just made that up.”

“......?”

At first the staff looked confused, like What are you talking about?

Then realization slowly spread across their faces, and their eyes widened.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung immediately started grilling the staff.

“Did you film the break footage just now?!”

While chaos erupted around us—

The chef, who had been standing slightly outside all the commotion, approached us.

「Overcooked~ overcooked~♬」

The American chef hummed cheerfully before smiling.

「I really love the lyrics. Since all of you were singing it together, I assumed it must be a trendy song these days?」