Chapter 56 : A Meal Worth a Legend

A few minutes earlier.

“I’m going to call Baek Yuseong now, so just wait a moment.”

Team Leader Go Jiheon of All Daily dialed Yuseong’s number.

Not long after, Yuseong answered the phone.

—Hello?

“Ah, Yuseong! I’ve heard the news. You achieved remarkable results in the recent Serpent Subjugation.”

—Yeah, right. Who’s this?

“Hahaha, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Go Jiheon, Team Leader at All Daily. Nice to meet you! Haha!”

—All Daily? Why are you calling me?

“I wanted to talk about a new project we’re planning for our clip content.”

—…Isn’t that Lee Yulhee’s responsibility?

“Oh, you probably haven’t seen the videos uploaded on our channel. I recently took over as the new team leader.”

Yuseong was silent for a moment.

Holding the receiver, Team Leader Go Jiheon narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the team members around him.

Everyone was watching him intently.

— I’m not really familiar with Mitube. Understood.

“Yes, yes. Um, Yulhee might be moving to another department or something. She felt quite burdened by the position she temporarily held. So, well, I took over instead. Haha.”

Despite Lee Yulhee being right beside him, Go Jiheon lied without batting an eye.

Yulhee frowned lightly.

But Go Jiheon only smiled bitterly and continued.

“So I called to introduce myself and to talk about a few things.”

— Go ahead.

Having taken over the whole team, Go Jiheon wanted to assert his authority in front of all the team members.

That was why he called Yuseong directly.

“Since you said you haven’t watched our channel, let me explain. The channel has grown a lot since you started exploring. Other famous adventurers have appeared, and many celebrities too.”

—Just get to the point. I’m eating right now.

“Oh…”

A vein twitched at the corner of Go Jiheon’s mouth.

“He’s just a sponsored adventurer under Cheonghwa, but he’s really rude.”

Yuseong’s bluntness was more than Go Jiheon expected.

However, despite his feelings, his tone remained soft.

“Haha, anyway, we’re planning to shoot another video to promote Cheonghwa. Since the channel grew thanks to you, wouldn’t it be good to shoot regularly? I heard you got some special part of the Serpent to eat.”

—…Yeah, the fatty belly cut.

“How about making a content piece about that fatty belly cut like last time? The promotional effect will be huge.”

Go Jiheon emphasized the words ‘Cheonghwa’ and ‘promotion’.

No matter how difficult Yuseong was, he was still an adventurer sponsored by the company.

He assumed that using the company’s name, they could manage him.

Yuseong hesitated for a moment, weighing the offer.

—So, what exactly do you have in mind?

Go Jiheon smiled with satisfaction.

He underestimated the depth of Yuseong’s relationship with Cheonghwa.

“We want to hold a tasting event similar to the Kongguksu Tasting Event.”

—A tasting event?

“Yes! But this time, instead of ordinary neighborhood elders, we’ll invite famous Mitubers and adventurers.”

“It’s unfortunate, but many people feel disgusted by eating monster meat. We’ll gather our channel subscribers, feed it to several people, and watch their reactions.”

—What?

Yuseong’s voice changed, but Go Jiheon, caught up in his own plan, didn’t notice.

“The segment will be called ‘Baek Yuseong and Volca Restaurant!’ First, we hide the fact that it’s monster meat, then reveal it afterward. Whether they like it or are grossed out, the viewers will love it—it’s provocative.”

“Haha, I know it’ll be tough for you, but we’ll give you a generous reward…”

—Get lost.

And the call abruptly ended.

“Uh…”

Go Jiheon stared at the phone in disbelief.

“Did I say something weird?”

“Not getting cussed out is a blessing, ‘Team Leader.’”

Lee Yulhee laughed beside him.

Thanks to her experience with Yuseong, she understood him pretty well.

Of course, this kind of reaction was expected.

Not only did Go Jiheon suggest sharing the precious Serpent fatty belly, but he also wanted to feed it to strangers and film them vomiting…

As soon as she heard the plan, Yulhee disapproved, but Go Jiheon was so caught up in his own idea that he ignored her.

“You should’ve listened to me.”

“Yulhee, are you going to keep going against your senior now?”

Go Jiheon’s scowl darkened the mood instantly.

But Yulhee stood her ground.

“Well, I’ve finished the handover. I’m leaving.”

“Hmph, what did you even do?”

“Well, it looks like the handover wasn’t very thorough. You should listen to the predecessor.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m leaving like this. Miracle Channel’s success is just luck, not skill.”

When the two started arguing, the team members rolled their eyes, unsure where to look.

Miracle, the channel launched with Yuseong’s content, quickly gained subscribers.

In this day and age, online platforms like Mitube have surpassed traditional media such as Channel 7.

For a small media outlet like All Daily, Miracle’s success was like a breath of fresh air.

But for Yulhee personally, it was not so good.

Although she had considerable experience and was a valuable leader for the team, the executives viewed her negatively.

In the end, it was Go Jiheon—All Daily’s true powerbroker—who took her place.

As the new team leader, Go Jiheon aggressively grew Miracle.

He nurtured not only Yuseong but other famous adventurers as well, repeatedly collaborating with other channels to expand their reach.

However, in the process, they attracted excessive trolls and spread fake news, turning the channel into little more than yellow journalism.

Finally, the day came when Yuseong was once again asked to shoot content.

Although Go Jiheon failed this time, Yulhee’s duty was over for the day.

She left the office with a cold expression.

Go Jiheon cursed under his breath as he watched her go.

“Ugh, damn it.”

At that moment, Kim Mincheol appeared, quietly trailing behind Yulhee.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going, you bastard? Sit down!”

Kim Mincheol flinched, quickly returning to his seat.

“Don’t slack off either. Get back to work.”

“W-What about the new project? I’ve already contacted other participants.”

One team member cautiously asked Go Jiheon.

Confident as he was, Go Jiheon was assuming Yuseong’s participation as a given.

“Don’t worry. I’m meeting with a high-up at Cheonghwa tomorrow.”

“Oh, then…”

“Yeah. If a sponsor orders it, even the most arrogant adventurer has to comply. No matter how cocky they are, they have to obey. They’re just a parasite living off a big corporation like us…”

Go Jiheon gave a sneering smile.

Though things weren’t going smoothly, Yuseong would eventually join the project.

“Who exactly are you meeting?”

“There’s someone at the very top of Cheonghwa.”

“Then…”

“The Director of Special Strategic Planning himself. Heh heh.”

Usually, only a big shot like the president of All Daily could meet such an influential executive, Chief Choi Jun Yeol.

Just one word from him, and Baek Yuseong wouldn’t be able to refuse.

***

At the top floor of CH Tower.

Chief Choi Jun Yeol of the Special Strategic Planning Office was wearing a polite, socially adept smile.

Before him, Yuseong listened with a dull expression.

“Haha, Yuseong, I’m really looking forward to the fatty belly cut this time. Hahaha!”

“Hmm, I’m writing.”

“Haha, I’m not in a position to demand anything, but I never got to try Kongguksu last time. Haha.”

Chief Choi had come to appreciate ‘the taste of food’ thanks to Yuseong.

But like most people, as a salaried employee, he was in a position where he couldn’t eat what he wanted even if he wished.

Now that Yuseong had secured an incredible ingredient, his curiosity was beyond control.

Seeing Yuseong’s lukewarm reaction, Chief Choi took out something he had prepared.

“This isn’t much, but please accept it.”

“Huh? Now?”

Chief Choi pulled out a wooden box.

At a glance, it looked old and elegant, as if it had endured many years.

Opening the box, Yuseong was surprised.

“This is…”

“A rare liquor called ‘Maotai.’”

Inside the box was a famous Chinese baijiu.

Yuseong was familiar with it.

“I studied and learned that good food requires good alcohol.”

“So that’s why you brought this?”

“Yes, I have connections in China, so I got it myself.”

Even before the upheaval, it was a precious famous liquor, making it difficult to put a price on it now.

However…

“It must have been quite expensive.”

“To be honest, I emptied my entire salary to buy it.”

Yuseong glanced at Chief Choi’s face.

Though young, Chief Choi was capable, so he probably earned a decent salary.

Still, as a salaried employee, he must have limits.

Yuseong was certain of this.

“This is fake.”

“Huh?”

“Maotai has many fakes.”

China was notorious for counterfeits.

Especially with something like Maotai, there were far more fakes than genuine bottles.

“The logo on the bottle cap is smudged, and here’s the genuine identification logo.”

“It’s black. It’s supposed to be silver foil. And above all…”

Yuseong unceremoniously opened the bottle and sniffed.

“It’s spoiled.”

“Sp-spoiled?”

Alcohol can spoil if not stored properly. The seal was loose, so the alcohol had almost evaporated.

Chief Choi’s face turned dark.

“Th-then how much did it cost?”

“Real Maotai would be much more expensive.”

“Damn these guys…”

He had just spent a fortune, only to be scammed.

Everyone wanted to include it in the fatty belly tasting event, but it was all for nothing.

To the disheartened Chief Choi, Yuseong said,

“Don’t be too disappointed. I’ll make sure you get some Serpent fatty belly.”

“R-Really?”

Chief Choi brightened immediately.

“If you help out well this time…”

“I’ll take full responsibility in the Lab and follow through.”

“Then I’ll trust you. Heh heh.”

Yuseong requested another special item from the Cheonghwa Lab.

The hardest part of the Serpent’s corpse—part of the horn.

“It holds cold energy and doesn’t get corrupted.”

“I’ll make it as quickly as possible. Haha.”

Other adventurers might have passed on this, but Yuseong saw it as natural.

As important as the best ingredients were the best cooking tools.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes, please be careful. I’ll contact you soon.”

As Yuseong stood, Chief Choi hurriedly rose as well.

After seeing Yuseong take the elevator down, he returned to the reception room.

Thinking about finally being able to eat the fatty belly, a smile appeared on his face.

He sat on the sofa and fiddled with his smartphone.

“Ah, tell them to come in now.”

Yuseong had suddenly visited and was chatting with him, but Chief Choi had a prior appointment.

Now that Yuseong had left, he called the next guest.

Not long after, someone knocked on the reception room door.

Knock knock.

“Ah, please come in.”

The man entering was middle-aged.

He had a slightly protruding belly and narrow, squinted eyes, giving a poor impression.

“This is my first time meeting you, Chief Choi Jun Yeol.”

“Yes, Team Leader Go. Nice to meet you. Please sit.”

It was none other than Go Jiheon of All Daily.

Go Jiheon looked visibly nervous meeting Chief Choi.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Tea…?”

“Yes, it’s very fragrant.”

Seeing the expensive tea offered so casually, Go Jiheon felt the weight of Cheonghwa’s influence.

His eyes widened, and Chief Choi smiled broadly.

“I’ve recently gotten into this hobby and have been slowly collecting tea with my salary.”

“Haha, it smells really good.”

Go Jiheon followed suit, drinking the tea cautiously.

Chief Choi checked his wristwatch and spoke.

“So, why did you want to meet me? You said it was to discuss a new content project.”

“Ah, yes… haha.”

There was no scolding to waste time.

Go Jiheon, feeling awkward, quickly got to the point.

He didn’t want to upset the powerful Chief Choi.

“We’re planning some great content, but there’s a bit of a stumbling block.”

“…A stumbling block?”

“Yes, we came up with a good plan to promote Cheonghwa’s pioneering business. But one person is very difficult, a bit… stubborn. Haha, it’s causing me a lot of trouble.”

“Who?”

“The adventurer Baek Yuseong.”

Chief Choi’s expression changed sharply upon hearing Yuseong’s name.

He was curious why Yuseong opposed the plan.

To Go Jiheon, Chief Choi seemed upset by Yuseong’s ‘rebellion’.

“Could I hear the explanation?”

Chief Choi asked politely.

Seeing this as a good sign, Go Jiheon excitedly began to explain.

“So, we want to capture the reactions of dozens of guests. The scale will be unprecedented and surely cause a sensation.”

As he spoke, Chief Choi’s expression darkened.

“Baek Yuseong seems to value that Serpent meat, but it’s still monster carcass. If this content succeeds, the benefit will be for Cheonghwa in the end, so… ha ha…”

Go Jiheon was intoxicated with his own rhetoric.

“So, if you say just one word to Baek Yuseong, it would really help.”

It wasn’t just about treating Yuseong’s food lightly.

The idea was to give the precious fatty belly to 100 strangers and film their disgust.

Chief Choi, who had just been happy about being able to eat the fatty belly, now showed a grim expression.

He was good at hiding emotions, but his face stiffened.

Sigh…

He let out a breath and forced himself to lift his first cup.

His hand trembled slightly as he drank the tea.

“E-excuse me, Director?”

Go Jiheon noticed something was wrong.

“I’m fine.”

“The first sip.”

The cup in his hand suddenly trembled with such force that it shattered.

The hot tea, worth tens of thousands of won per cup, spilled everywhere.

Yet Chief Choi seemed oblivious to the heat and spoke clearly.

“Is the first sip finished?”

Go Jiheon was completely taken aback.

He realized something was seriously wrong.