Chapter 73
Cha Mu-jin's chilling warning remained in one corner of Hong Man-gi's heart like bitter sediment at the bottom of a teacup.
However,
the waves of reality gave him no time to sit and think deeply.
The reason?
The aftermath of winning "Blue and White Cooking King."
[Jingle.]
"Owner! One Spicy Cream Jeyuk Rice Bowl, and one Skate Samhap Croquette to go!"
"Table four's Doenjang Cheese Risotto is ready! Yu-han, serve it!"
"Yes, Hunter!"
It was already well past lunchtime, yet the Full Moon Restaurant was still overflowing with people.
The restaurant was filled with loud conversations, cheerful clattering of dishes, and delicious aromas.
Outside, the line of customers who had come after seeing the broadcast stretched down the alley.
It almost resembled a fan signing event for a famous idol.
"Chef! Aaaah! The customer at table seven is angry because we don't have 'Garden of the Future'! He says he's a fan of Chef Edward Kang!"
"Wh... why is he asking for that here...?"
"Exactly! Hiiing!"
Poming cried out with a miserable expression as she flew above her special workstation in the corner of the kitchen.
Her tiny body was unbelievably busy as she monitored the cooking process.
"Politely tell him that's not our menu! Give him a free Monster Slime Jelly instead!"
"Is it really okay for ordinary people who aren't Hunters to eat that?"
"Well... we'll probably need to change the name."
Hong Man-gi, soaked in sweat, skillfully spun a huge wok.
Red stir-fried pork danced together with flames in his hands.
After awakening again as a Gourmet Alchemist, his cooking skill seemed to have reached another level entirely.
"Hunter! The customers at table five said my Yu-han Special Ramen is amazing, and they want my autograph! What do I do?"
Lee Yu-han called for help, his face bright red.
After being promoted to D-rank and appearing on television, he was now being treated as a proper celebrity chef.
The awkwardness from his F-rank days had disappeared.
His face carried confidence and even enough composure to enjoy the busy situation.
"An autograph? Give it to them. Just make sure you write something promoting our restaurant too."
Hong Man-gi grinned.
The kitchen resembled a battlefield.
Yet their faces showed more pride in their growing restaurant and companions than exhaustion.
Unfortunately, their happy struggle did not last forever.
The ingredients began running out.
"Hunter! Pork! This is the last of it!"
"The rice... we're completely out of rice!"
"Even Poming's precious secret strawberry jam is gone! Sob, now we can't make dessert!"
Emergency reports came one after another.
Eventually, Hong Man-gi put down the wok and released a deep sigh.
"Looks like this is it for today."
He wiped away his sweat with his apron and stepped outside.
Dozens of people were still looking at him with hopeful eyes.
Hong Man-gi bowed deeply and sincerely.
"I'm truly sorry, everyone. We've run out of all the ingredients we prepared today, so we can't continue serving. You've been waiting since early, and I'm very sorry for making you turn back."
Disappointed voices rose from among the customers.
"Aw, come on! I waited for two hours!"
"Prepare twice as many ingredients tomorrow, owner!"
"At least we got to see your face! We'll come back tomorrow!"
Although disappointed, most customers accepted his apology and turned away.
Hong Man-gi bowed to them several more times.
Then,
from the very back of the line came a particularly dissatisfied and rough voice.
"Isn't someone running a business being a little too arrogant? You've got customers waiting like this, and you're telling us you ran out of ingredients? What kind of excuse is that?"
Everyone looked toward the speaker.
A man wearing a hood pulled low over his head stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Hong Man-gi.
Hong Man-gi frowned slightly.
'What is this guy's problem...?'
"I'm sorry, sir. If you come back tomorrow, we'll take extra care of you to make up for today's wait."
Hong Man-gi apologized once more.
The man showed no intention of leaving.
Instead, he stepped forward.
"Tomorrow? I'm someone who only has time today. And I heard this place doesn't even function properly without a B-rank Hunter. Guess the rumors were true."
His voice became more provocative.
"Looks like the chef can't even handle this many customers by himself."
Lee Yu-han became angry and stepped forward.
"What kind of rude thing are you...."
Hong Man-gi raised a hand and stopped him.
Then he smiled at the crookedly standing man.
"You're right. We can't run properly because our B-rank Hunter isn't here."
Hong Man-gi slowly walked toward him.
"And since that B-rank Hunter is standing right here slacking off, I guess we really can't continue today. Right, Kang Jae-min?"
At Hong Man-gi's words, the man pulled off his hood.
Kang Jae-min's familiar face appeared beneath it, wearing a mischievous smile.
The heavy cast that had once covered his arm was gone.
Only a light support brace remained.
He looked completely recovered.
"Chef! Or should I call you my fellow B-rank now?"
Kang Jae-min grinned and suddenly pulled Hong Man-gi into a hug.
"Jae-min!"
"Hunter Kang Jae-min!"
Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han shouted his name at the same time and happily welcomed him.
"Wow, you really recovered. Didn't the hospital tell you to stay a few more days?"
Hong Man-gi patted his shoulder.
"Come on, lying around in a hospital over an injury like this would be a disgrace to a B-rank Hunter."
Kang Jae-min smiled.
"And when I thought about Chef suffering here alone, how could I keep lying around doing nothing? Looks like quite a lot happened while I was away. Am I right?"
"Hmm... you're not wrong."
Kang Jae-min pointed toward the restaurant.
"Judging by the mess, things must have been chaos without me. Well, that's only natural. The true ace of the Full Moon Restaurant is none other than me, Kang Jae-min."
Lee Yu-han immediately became offended.
"What are you talking about?! Hunter and I did perfectly well! And I'm D-rank now too! I'm the ace!"
"D-rank? Wow, our Yu-han really moved up in the world. Still got a long way to go before catching up to your B-rank hyung."
"That's not true! But... weren't we speaking politely to each other before? Ah... weren't we?"
"Uh... uh... were we...? Ah, whatever. Let's just speak casually."
"What?"
Their childish argument made Hong Man-gi laugh.
Even the people nearby joined in.
Team Hong Man-gi was finally complete again.
The alley in front of the restaurant filled with warm, lively energy.
"All right, enough. Let's go inside first."
Hong Man-gi led the two inside.
He also remembered to flip the "Sold Out" sign on the door to "Cleaning Inside."
Kang Jae-min looked around the restaurant with fresh emotion.
Compared to the old food cart, the space was much larger and more comfortable.
He could almost feel the sweat and effort his companions must have put in to fill the gap left by his absence.
"Wow... we really have our own restaurant now. It still feels like a dream."
He walked into the kitchen and naturally picked up an apron.
Then he looked toward Hong Man-gi with playful eyes.
"So, Captain. What's the first mission for your returning ace? Washing dishes? Peeling a hundred onions? Just give the order."
Hong Man-gi laughed and shook his head.
"No. Everyone worked hard today. Let's rest."
He smiled.
"But starting tomorrow, it's going to be a real war."
Hong Man-gi wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders.
"There's nothing we can't handle now, right? The whole team's back together."
Kang Jae-min and Lee Yu-han looked at each other and smiled brightly.
"Of course!"
"No problem!"
The next morning, the Full Moon Restaurant became a battlefield again the moment the sun rose.
Even before opening, the alley was filled with a line stretching beyond sight.
The instant the doors opened, chaos began.
"Orders exploding! Table one, large Yu-han Special Ramen! Table two, Skate Samhap Croquettes with makgeolli! Table six is a group, five Spicy Cream Jeyuk Rice Bowls and three Doenjang Cheese Risottos!"
Lee Yu-han's voice echoed endlessly through the kitchen.
"Huff... huff... wait, wait! I'm making the stir-fried pork and risotto sauce at the same time! I only have two hands!"
Whatever confidence Kang Jae-min had shown on his first day back disappeared completely.
Sweat poured from his body as he screamed.
He handled two frying pans at once, stir-frying onions while boiling sauce.
Yet even his B-rank agility struggled against the speed of incoming orders.
"Mr. Kang Jae-min! Focus! The risotto rice is sticking to the pan! How many times does Poming need to tell you to cook while thinking about the soul of every grain of rice?!"
Poming circled over his head, bombarding him with complaints.
Her tiny hands practically looked as though they were holding red traffic batons as she pointed out every small mistake.
"You think it's that easy?! Fighting an A-rank dungeon boss would be easier than this! Agh, hot!"
Kang Jae-min jumped after burning his hand on a hot pan handle.
There was no sign of the dignity of a B-rank Hunter.
He looked exactly like a beginner kitchen assistant in a panic.
Hong Man-gi patted him on the back and picked up another pan.
"I'll handle the jeyuk, you focus on the risotto. Yu-han, taste the broth one more time before table one's ramen goes out!"
Like the conductor of an orchestra, Hong Man-gi calmly controlled the chaotic flow of the kitchen.
The frantic lunch rush passed like a storm.
Only in the late afternoon did the restaurant finally gain a short moment to breathe.
"Haa... haa... I seriously thought I was going to die today."
Kang Jae-min collapsed into a chair.
His clean apron was now stained with sweat and every kind of sauce.
Hong Man-gi handed him a glass of cold water and laughed.
"You got a proper welcome ceremony on your first day back."
At that moment,
[Jingle.]
The restaurant door quietly opened.
Hong Man-gi naturally looked toward it.
The customer entering was an elderly man with completely white hair.
His clothes were not expensive, but his shirt and pants were neatly pressed.
His shoes were polished clean.
Yet a dark, gloomy cloud seemed to hang over his face.
