Chapter 998: It Was Beautiful From Far Away.. (10)

Dante Cellini.

The Italian American chef considered the greatest in the world possessed countless titles.

The chef with the second-highest number of Michelin stars in the world.

America’s greatest chef.

The most successful restaurant businessman.

He was a global superstar who had seized both wealth and fame.

Hollywood celebrities waited in line to taste his food personally, and every time he launched a new television show, trends across the culinary world shifted.

As a result, Dante Cellini spent summers vacationing with his family on a private Caribbean island named after himself, and winters resting in the French château he owned.

Which also meant that whenever he traveled somewhere, he naturally traveled by private jet.

And yet...

[Welcome aboard Koreana Airlines!]

Sitting inside a Korean airline cabin, Dante Cellini stared blankly ahead.

‘Why am I here?’

Of course, he had happily accepted NewBlack’s request.

Chef. Sales at our restaurants in Asia have surged. NewUniverse is apparently an incredibly successful show over there right now.

For someone whose restaurants mainly operated throughout America and Western Europe, Asia had long been close to barren territory.

But the Asian market was enormous.

This businessman had already begun seriously considering expanding operations throughout Asia through his collaboration with NewBlack.

‘From that perspective, collaborating with NewBlack is an excellent opportunity.’

But.

There was an even more fundamental reason.

Daddy’s the best!!

His youngest daughter, Luna Cellini.

When the request came for additional filming with NewBlack, his daughter had jumped around the house in excitement.

Even the chef who’d made countless cooks cry couldn’t defeat his own child.

“Daddy, Daddy.”

At the voice beside him, he turned his head and saw his daughter seated between himself and his wife.

“Look! It’s NewBlack!!”

“R-right?”

At his daughter pointing toward the monitor, he shifted his gaze.

The reason he’d specifically chosen a Korean airline despite being fully capable of taking his private jet to Korea—

“Ladies and gentlemen...”

Ri Hyuk from NewBlack appeared on the in-flight safety video.

The idol with catlike eyes carefully demonstrated how to fasten a seatbelt.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

Unable to contain her excitement, his elementary-school-aged daughter smacked the armrest repeatedly.

Dante Cellini had chosen Koreana Airlines because Luna insisted every Souffle traveling to Korea absolutely had to watch this.

‘Is it really that good??’

Watching his daughter passionately fangirl, he chuckled quietly before turning his attention toward the report his secretary had prepared.

《Analysis of NewBlack’s Popularity and Status in Korea》

A detailed report explaining exactly what kind of status NewBlack held in Korea.

But Dante Cellini couldn’t believe it.

“Ridiculous.”

What kind of boy band enjoyed popularity on this level?

Being globally popular, he could understand.

But the public treating them as warmly as neighborhood kids while they also possessed overwhelming mainstream popularity?

‘Impossible.’

The report was filled with unbelievable nonsense.

If all this were true, then South Korea practically sounded like the Kingdom of NewBlack.

However, by the time the plane departing from LA finally landed at Incheon International Airport after thirteen hours of flight—

While going through immigration, a Korean employee smiled and said,

“I really enjoyed the show you appeared on with NewBlack.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

The chef answered stiffly before adding in a humorous tone,

“I hope more people watched the episode I appeared in. It’s my first time in Korea, so it would be nice if people recognized me.”

“Don’t worry. Every Korean person watched it.”

“...?”

At first, he didn’t understand what that meant.

But the moment he stepped into the arrivals hall on the first floor, he understood exactly what “every Korean person watched it” meant.

“Whoa... holy crap, that’s Dante Cellini!”

“Oh my goodness, isn’t he that famous chef?”

“Hey, if you speak English, go talk to him!”

The moment he appeared, Korean people began whispering excitedly while staring at him.

Holding Luna’s hand, Dante Cellini became wary.

‘What is this?’

Then the Koreans started holding out their phones toward him.

“Could we maybe get a photo?”

“Of course.”

“Wow, thank you so much!”

Dante Cellini felt dazed.

He had visited East Asia recently when opening a restaurant in Tokyo, but he’d never experienced this kind of chaos at an airport before.

“I really loved your NewBlack episode!”

“What are you here for? Filming with NewBlack again?”

“So you’re Luna. I’m Souffle too. Souffle forever.”

There was even a woman in her twenties giving Luna a thumbs-up in recognition.

The information his secretary had written floated through his mind.

『Koreans regard NewBlack with the familiarity of neighborhood boys』

People genuinely spoke about NewBlack as comfortably as though talking about kids from next door.

After finishing what had basically become a mini fan meeting, Dante Cellini climbed into the limousine with a flushed face.

‘I feel like I’ve become a pop star.’

Then, on the road toward Seoul, countless advertisements passed by outside the window.

『February of this year, testimony from Pyeongchang Olympic athletes: “NewBlack was everywhere.” “We joked there wasn’t a single place without NewBlack until we entered a bathroom and found them staring at us from a public service poster on the wall.”』

Various images flashed by.

Cute NewBlack. Funny NewBlack. Serious NewBlack. NewBlack doing handstands...

“...Huh?”

There were even stranger ones mixed in as advertisements continuously appeared.

NewBlack on top of buildings. NewBlack at bus stops. NewBlack on public service posters...

“......”

Dante Cellini slowly began feeling afraid.

Meanwhile, songs drifted into the limousine from outside.

Luna brightened instantly.

“It’s a NewBlack song!”

“Really?”

Then one block later, another NewBlack song started playing.

“This one’s NewBlack too!”

“R-right?”

『The artists who produce the most annual hit songs on Mango, Korea’s most-used music platform. Their music can frequently be heard throughout Korean streets.』

Everywhere he looked, there was something related to NewBlack.

“...What’s that?”

At his question, the interpreter accompanying them answered.

“Ah, you know Uncle Bunny, right? Since it’s NewBlack Friday, department stores are apparently opening Uncle Bunny stores.”

“NewBlack Friday...?”

“It’s an event they have.”

『An event called Souffle Week is currently underway, though ordinary citizens commonly refer to it as “NewBlack Friday.”』

He made a decision.

‘I need to raise my secretary’s salary. Where in the world did she even gather information like this?’

And thus, somewhere in the world, the salary of a secretly active Souffle fan who had successfully pretended to be an ordinary employee before her boss increased dramatically.

Less than one hour after arriving in Korea, Dante Cellini’s stiff attitude had already become noticeably polite.

‘This is NewBlack’s home ground.’

No matter how successful a global star he himself was, this was NewBlack Kingdom, ruled by Grand Duke Wooju of the SpaceShip faction.

Therefore—

“Good afternoon.”

“Chef??”

Dante Cellini now wore a gentle smile instead of his usual stern expression.

The five members blinked in confusion.

“Chef...? Why did your way of speaking suddenly change...?”

“I have always spoken this way.”

“No, your tone just feels kind of......”

NewBlack looked bewildered by the chef’s sudden kindness.

What was going on?

I exchanged glances with the others.

‘Was he always this nice?’

‘Seriously...?’

When we met him at the restaurant in LA, he’d shown a stubborn old-school personality.

Now he wore a soft smile.

It felt similar to Ri Hyuk suddenly smiling kindly.

“What’s wrong with me?”

“......”

We deliberately avoided answering and looked away.

While Ri Hyuk grumbled, “Why do you guys always stop talking halfway through?!” the remaining chefs gradually arrived.

“Haha! It’s been a while!”

A Black chef approached while proudly flexing his massive muscles.

I greeted Chef Bobby Ross with a handshake as his chest muscles bounced enthusiastically.

“It’s good to see you again, Bobby.”

“Bobby is extremely excited! I can’t wait to see how the hamburger steak recipe I taught you has changed! And...”

In a barely audible whisper, he added,

“I’m also curious how Overcook turned out. The song born in my kitchen!”

The chef stared at me with sparkling eyes.

“It’s basically complete now. We still need to film the music video and finalize the visual work, though...”

“Really? Wonderful! Hahaha! I can’t wait to hang a sign saying ‘Birthplace of Overcook’ in my restaurant.”

“Chef, it’s supposed to be secret, so maybe lower your voice a little...”

“Ah, right!”

Eventually, all four promised chefs arrived.

Since they were all world-famous chefs, they greeted each other warmly while simultaneously looking surprised.

The atmosphere felt like:

‘Why are you here...?’

Biju, who loved cooking programs, had stars in his eyes.

“This is a historic moment, hyung.”

“Really...?”

“These people almost never appear together on the same program. They’re all so famous that each of them launches television shows under their own names... Seeing them all in one place is honestly incredible.”

I didn’t watch cooking shows much, but they definitely seemed amazing.

Even our production staff looked dazed.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung swallowed nervously.

“Producer, don’t be nervous.”

“O-okay.”

“Remember this. You’re someone who has filmed with the greatest boy group in the world, NewBlack. You can’t get nervous over this.”

The production staff burst into laughter.

In the middle of the lively atmosphere, we began filming the opening sequence at a café in Seongsu-dong.

Jiho shouted while dancing.

“Gob gob~ goblin~!”

“NewBlack serves viewers the foods they tasted overseas! The Goblin Restaurant special of NewUniverse!”

Biju clasped his hands together with a bright smile.

“Now that NewBlack has finally completed the gourmet special, we’re beginning preparations for our restaurant. To properly inspect the dishes we’ve prepared over the past few weeks, we’ve invited some very special guests today.”

“Waaaaaaaah~!”

One by one, the famous chefs appeared.

After introducing their titles—

“Before introducing the dishes we’ve created, we thought it might be nice to spend some time showing you around Korea first.”

Since the chefs had rushed directly into filming immediately after arriving in Korea, we decided to first introduce them to the country itself.

There were basically two reasons.

Spread word about NewUniverse.

As we walked around streets and shopping malls together with the chefs, crowds gathered like clouds even in the middle of a weekday afternoon.

“What’s going on?”

“Is this NewUniverse filming?”

“Holy crap... those are famous chefs!”

Everywhere we went with the chefs, pedestrians immediately raised their phones.

Some called people saying things like, “Honey, NewBlack is here...” while others furiously typed messages on their phones.

Among them was a middle-aged man greeting me enthusiastically.

“Oh, it’s our comedy king Sun Wooju!”

“Comedy king Sun Wooju has arrived~☆”

When I puffed out my cheeks and flashed a V-sign, people burst into laughter.

The man who’d called me comedy king grinned broadly.

Then someone raised a hand amid the noisy laughter.

“So who won between Ri Hyuk and Wooju?!”

“Yeah, who won?!”

Ri Hyuk and I exchanged glances before answering.

“Well, that is. B...”

“Watch the broadcast?”

“Yes.”

“Aww~ I knew it.”

As everyone reacted with disappointment, the chefs looked astonished by how familiar Koreans seemed with them.

“I feel like I’ve become a pop star.”

“How do Korean people recognize me...? Was this really such a famous show?”

“You appeared without knowing that? Well, I also appeared without knowing.”

Leading the bewildered chefs around, we introduced Korean food to them.

“This is gomtang.”

“This is called budae jjigae, and reactions to it are really good. If you can handle spicy food, you should try sundubu jjigae too.”

“And this is samgyeopsal.”

We mostly introduced dishes that had historically received strong reactions from foreign celebrities.

At the same time, we also showed them how overseas franchises operated after entering Korea.

That was our way of repaying the chefs for appearing on the show.

Introduce them to the Korean market.

At this level of fame, these chefs were closer to businessmen than ordinary cooks.

So we introduced them to the Korean market.

While they carefully examined overseas franchises operating in Korea, we explained things.

“Localization is extremely important in our country.”

The chefs listened attentively as I continued.

“Sometimes famous franchises enter Korea thinking, ‘We can just do things the same way we always do,’ without researching the market properly.”

“And then what happens?”

“They disappear.”

How many times had we watched this happen?

Hyungs! Look at this! Teen Spirit says that burger place we ate at in America opened a branch in Cheongdam-dong!

Really?

Then you actually visited and discovered it really did taste exactly like America.

A flavor so salty it felt like your tongue was dissolving.

The taste stayed the same, but somehow the portions mysteriously became smaller because they thought, ‘Asians probably eat less.’

Then a few years later, they’d cry:

“Korea discriminates against foreign businesses!”

...before withdrawing entirely.

“If you plan on opening restaurants in Korea someday... you’ll definitely need to think about localization.”

“I have a question.”

The chefs raised their hands.

At first they’d listened to my explanation lightly with amused smiles, but after seeing the atmosphere in Korea, they seemed to have changed their minds.

A burger franchise common in America now had lines of Korean customers waiting eagerly to try it.

For a while, detailed questions about the Korean market poured in endlessly.

‘Heh heh heh.’

‘Sales pitch successful.’

The others and I smiled happily.

If these chefs later opened fine dining restaurants or chains in Korea?

[Chef Bobby Ross opening restaurant in Korea ㄷㄷㄷ]

Wouldn’t people praise us afterward saying:

“Good job, Blackies!”

After finishing the honest Q&A about the Korean market—which would definitely get edited out of the main broadcast—

Chef Bobby Ross spoke up.

“I think we’ve learned plenty about Korean food. I’d also like to meet Korean chefs now.”

It was finally time to naturally introduce the Korean chefs too.

We headed toward Chef Kim Hyunwook’s Italian restaurant in Seongsu-dong.

Inside the car, I asked Biju,

“What kind of person is Chef Kim Hyunwook?”

“Hmm....”

Back when Biju’s braised fish dish became a trending search topic after appearing on the fishing show Honey, Let Me Go Fishing, he’d appeared on several cooking programs himself.

“I met him during HBS Amazing Cuisine. Based on my impression... he’s someone with really quick instincts?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He seemed really good at judging situations. He’s a culinary expert, but his variety sense is excellent too.”

A star chef beloved by the public for his confident and refreshing personality.

Aside from Chef Park Jaewoo during Patisserie Korea, this was practically our first time meeting famous domestic culinary figures.

And when we finally arrived at the restaurant—

“Biju.”

“Yeah?”

“Was that person always... like that?”

“...No.”

Standing before us was what looked like a walking skeleton.

Not the confident figure from television, but someone who seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

His cheeks were hollow, and dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes.

“Hello....”

He greeted us weakly.

“It’s nice to finally... meet you.... I’m Kim Hyunwook.”

“Are you alright? You don’t seem to be in good condition......”

“I stayed up all night.”

And it wasn’t just him.

The other cooks under him wore similar expressions.

Chef Kim Hyunwook explained,

“Chef Dante Cellini is my mentor. I learned Italian cuisine from him... and now he and other famous chefs are coming to taste my cooking.”

“Ah......”

“I feel like I’ve gone back to being a rookie chef again. Haha.”

While saying that, the chef warmly greeted the chefs getting out of the vehicles behind us.

Then he greeted Dante Cellini—

But the expression on his face looked exactly like a graduate student meeting the professor who once supervised his thesis, making me feel weirdly guilty.

After everyone entered the restaurant—

“Hoo....”

Chef Kim Hyunwook took a deep breath while attaching his microphone.

We apologized.

“We’re sorry. Because of us......”

“No.”

Chef Kim Hyunwook answered confidently.

“Today, I’m going to show them the power of Korea.”

“Ooooh.”

“Every chef visiting today will end up praising my food.”

His confidence filled us with anticipation.

‘The power of Korea...!’

The world-famous chefs adjusted their napkins.

The cooks of Korea’s famous restaurant The Kitchen stood nearby with tense expressions.

One by one, the head chef personally brought out the dishes and placed them before us.

“This is the appetizer.”

“And for the main dish, we prepared seafood.”

The foreign chefs’ faces turned serious.

Meanwhile, the underlings and I let out delighted cries.

“That looks amazing...!”

“Whoa......”

Mediterranean-style seafood stew.

Pasta topped with slightly spicy meat.

The chefs inhaled the aroma while observing dishes that beautifully combined Korean and Italian cuisine.

Clink. Clink.

The sounds of forks and knives echoed through the restaurant.

After taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully, Dante Cellini called for his former student.

“Thomas.”

“Yes, Chef.”

“You’ve improved greatly. You’ve truly become a proper chef now.”

“...!”

Swirling wine around his glass before tasting it, Cellini continued.

“The pairing with the wine is excellent as well.”

“Thank you.”

“And the seafood stew is excellent too. I can taste the flavor of Naples. However... there are still some disappointing aspects.”

Dante Cellini spoke his mind fearlessly regardless of cameras or television.

“The flavor is extremely stimulating. The spice balance...”

While the chefs of The Kitchen listened attentively with folded hands, the other visiting chefs also appeared ready to offer comments.

Then Cellini asked,

“By the way, this seems to contain elements of home-style cooking... Is this your own recipe?”

“Ah.”

Chef Kim Hyunwook answered.

“No, actually. I adapted the braised fish recipe created by NewBlack’s Biju. Haha.”

“Pfft...!”

“Most of the dishes you’re eating today actually use recipes developed by NewBlack’s Biju. Since NewBlack was visiting, I wanted to prepare something special.”

“Cough! Cough!”

The chefs all choked simultaneously.

And then—

“......”

Creak—

Dante Cellini froze in place and slowly looked toward the camera area behind us.

Behind the cameras, Luna quietly dragged a finger across her throat in warning.

The corners of Dante Cellini’s mouth slowly curled upward.

“...Upon reconsideration, perhaps this was simply my own ignorance regarding Korean cuisine.”

“Chef?”

“It was an excellent recipe. My earlier comments may have reflected my prejudice due to unfamiliarity with Korean food.”

The production staff burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, the other chefs who had clearly been preparing critical opinions abruptly changed their tune.

“What an absolutely wonderful flavor!”

“Magnificent!”

The others and I blinked in confusion.

Chef Kim Hyunwook’s earlier words echoed through my mind.

Today, I’m going to show them the power of Korea.

Chef Kim Hyunwook proudly explained that all the dishes drawing applause and admiration from the chefs were actually based on NewBlack recipes.

‘Huh?’

‘The power of Korea...?’

Something felt very strange.