Stunned, Yoon Songi stared at the tofu steak, muttering, “I ordered tofu steak… but this tastes like meat?”
Kanghoon glanced at the customer, then nudged Sihoo with his elbow. “Your steak’s causing a stir.”
“What?” Sihoo blinked.
“I followed the recipe exactly,” he added, puzzled.
Sihoo stepped out of the kitchen, approaching the customer cautiously. “Is there a problem, ma’am?”
“Uh, well…” Songi faltered, her voice barely audible, flustered by the sudden attention. Pointing at the tofu, she asked, “This is meat, right?”
“No, it’s not meat,” Sihoo clarified, explaining it was tofu.
Songi, incredulous, stared at him. “Really? It’s tofu?”
“Yes, it’s definitely tofu. Is it not to your liking?” Sihoo asked, voice tentative.
She shook her head vigorously, her face flushing as she spoke quickly. “No, no! I thought it was meat at first. The juicy, meaty flavor surprised me. I’m on a diet, so…”
Sihoo smiled gently. “If it’s not to your taste, please let me know.”
Songi nodded like a bobblehead. “Will do.”
“Enjoy your meal,” Sihoo said.
“Okay, okay!” she replied, bowing her head and returning to her steak. “This is… tofu?” she whispered, stealing a glance at the kitchen. Meeting Sihoo’s eyes, she ducked her head again. So delicious. I could eat this every day and never tire of it.
She’d tried tofu steaks elsewhere, but none compared. Beaming with happiness, she savored each bite.
“Sihoo!” Kanghoon called.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know what you did to that tofu, but I’m impressed. Look at her face.”
Sihoo glanced at Songi, her expression radiant with joy. The effort of making tofu felt worthwhile, his fatigue melting away.
“She looks happy,” Sihoo said softly.
The weekend approached. During the week, Sihoo sold Kanghoon’s iron-plate tofu steak recipe. “You brought the ingredients, so you should make and sell it,” Kanghoon had said.
On the first day of Korean menu sales, Kanghoon prepared the tofu steak, then taught Sihoo the recipe for weekday sales. After the debut, Sihoo pondered new menu items. The previous weekend’s Korean set meal—grilled dishes, braised items, and sides—felt too similar to standard diner fare.
Surprisingly, male customers on dates ordered the Korean dishes enthusiastically, expressing a desire for unique options. Usually, 56804 was a hotspot for female university students. Male students were rare, their expressions often screaming, Another greasy diner meal? Ugh. But Sihoo’s Korean menu changed that. Couples ordered a mix of diner classics and Korean dishes. Hayoon noted customers mentioning at checkout, “A spicy jjigae or a light, refreshing soup would be nice…”
Sihoo mulled it over. “Spicy jjigae or a cool, subtle soup? Something for a hangover?”
His thoughts turned to soups. Entering his parents’ bedroom, he felt a cozy warmth, surprising for winter without the boiler. He left the door open and descended to the basement field.
Surveying the empty field, he was certain someone tended it. No matter how many beans he harvested, they regrew overnight. At first, their rapid growth shocked him. “Is there a fairy tending this?” he chuckled, pulling a radish-like vegetable.
Pop.
It looked identical to a radish. Sihoo brought it to the kitchen to test. Peeling it with his parents’ gifted knife, he sliced it evenly.
Chop, chop, chop.
He tasted a piece. His eyes widened. Juicy, with a sweet vegetable flavor. “This field’s ingredients are something else,” he murmured.
Thinking of a regular customer—a woman who ordered the tofu steak, her face bright while chatting with Kanghoon—he recalled her question over a glass of water: “Boss, do you mix diet pills in the food?”
Kanghoon’s face had shown confusion. She explained, “I’ve been exercising and eating your tofu steak, and I lost 5 kilos in five days!”
Kanghoon laughed playfully. “If we put that in our food, we’d be shut down. It’s your effort, ma’am.”
She shook her head, smiling. “No, I’ve eaten tofu steaks elsewhere while exercising—nothing worked. Your food’s different. It’s delicious, and I’m losing weight. Boss, another tofu steak today!”
Recalling their exchange, Sihoo smiled.
Yoon Songi visited 56804 nightly after work. It surpassed other places. Close to work, meaty tofu, incredible taste, and I’m losing weight. The staff, from the server to the young chef and the boss… that’s why I keep coming back.
Sipping water, she mused. Sizzle, sizzle. A server placed an iron plate before her. “Here’s your tofu steak. It’s hot, so be careful.”
Songi noticed a small salad plate with grilled vegetables. “What’s this?”
The server grinned. “Our chef noticed you’re a regular and added this as a complimentary service.”
Songi’s face lit up. “This is why I come here. These little touches. I need to spread the word, especially to dieters.”
She snapped a photo, posting it to her Instagram: [Korea Uni diner’s iron-plate tofu steak will blow your mind! #KoreaUniDiner #KoreaUniEats #OfficeNearbyEats #DietFood #NotMeatItsTofu]
After posting, she took a bite of steak and forked a salad vegetable. Crunch. “What’s this?” Her eyes shook.
Kanghoon nudged Sihoo. “Hyung, what?”
“Look. That’s the reaction to your new salad.”
Sihoo smiled at the regular’s delight. Kanghoon asked, “Where do you get these ingredients? Seriously.”
Sihoo couldn’t admit to the “other world field” in his basement, even at knifepoint. He just smiled, busily prepping salad vegetables.
“Oh, keeping secrets?” Kanghoon teased.
Sihoo grinned, arranging greens. Wow! A customer’s exclamation turned their heads. It was Songi, eating the tofu steak.
“Boss!” she called.
Kanghoon approached. She showed her phone. “I told you your food helped me lose weight.”
He nodded, recalling her earlier words.
“Not just me—others eating your tofu steak are dropping weight too.”
Kanghoon shook his head. “Nah, you’re all exercising and dieting. Our tofu just happens to be a diet food.”
In the kitchen, Sihoo’s head tilted. Made with field ingredients… could there be an effect? Beans for dieting? No way.
Songi pointed at Kanghoon. “Boss, you’ve gotten slimmer too, haven’t you?”
Kanghoon touched his jaw, tilting his head. “Now that you mention it…”
His double chin had been noticeable until recently. He drank beer nightly and ate Sihoo’s food without exercising.
Songi pressed, “You eat a lot running this place, right? Including the tofu steak daily.”
“Well, not always, but I eat my friend’s food every day,” Kanghoon said, pointing at Sihoo.
Songi blushed, glancing at Sihoo, then looked away. Other customers overheard, one speaking up cautiously. “I lost 4 kilos in three days eating the tofu steak.”
Songi snapped her fingers at Kanghoon. “See? I’m right.”
Kanghoon noticed other diners nodding. He glanced at Sihoo. “Is that why sales spiked?”
His eyes softened. “Thank you for the kind words, but I think it’s your hard work and dieting, combined with our tofu, a diet-friendly food.”
Songi tilted her head. I skip breakfast, eat lightly at lunch, and dine here… could it drop that fast?
Convinced the tofu steak aided weight loss, she smiled.
That evening, after closing 56804, Kanghoon, Sihoo, and Hayoon shared a beer. Kanghoon recalled Songi’s words. “Sihoo’s food causing weight loss? Makes no sense.”
Muttering, he stepped onto a scale.
“Whoa…”