The pigs raised at Brothers Clean Farm are first sent to a designated slaughterhouse.
Usually, President Shim transports them himself, or a pickup vehicle from the slaughterhouse comes for them. At the slaughterhouse, the meat undergoes primary processing after slaughter and emerges as a carcass. However, it isn’t in a state where we can sell it immediately.
The next step is Majang-dong. Yu’s Specialty Cuts in Majang-dong handles tasks like deboning, trimming, and separating the specialty cuts. They precisely divide the meat into sections such as pork belly, neck, front leg, and hind leg, performing all processing steps right up to the point before it is packaged for sale.
Finally, it is delivered to each location of Jun-ho’s Butcher Shop. Temperature control is, of course, a given, and it must be done as quickly as possible to maintain freshness.
This was why a professional delivery company like CEO Yoon’s was necessary. Until now, I had gone to Majang-dong myself to pick up the meat, but as the volume increased and we moved toward regular transactions, it was far more efficient to leave it to a professional.
“Ah, from the slaughterhouse to Majang-dong, and then from Majang-dong to the shop — all of it?”
“Yes. Instead of me going to pick it up every time, I was wondering if you could manage the entire route on a regular basis. That includes the Busan location as well.”
“I’d be grateful! I would absolutely welcome a regular volume like that!”
While I called it a regular delivery, the volume wasn’t quite something to brag about yet. However, CEO Yoon looked as happy as if he had landed a massive contract. I started to feel a bit bashful.
“But the scale isn’t that large yet…”
“What are you talking about? Unless you’re the son of a billionaire, every business starts out that way. Anyway, if we make this a regular transaction, I can give you a better unit price. It’ll be much more efficient if my company manages the entire logistics process.”
Seeing CEO Yoon sincerely rejoice and encourage me actually made me feel a bit apologetic. Still, I felt good being able to help him. It felt like I was slowly paying back the debt of gratitude I owed him.
“So, we only need to go to Haeundae today, right?” CEO Yoon confirmed once more.
“Yes. It’s the soft opening of the Haeundae branch, which is our largest location.”
“That sounds like a pretty important day.”
“It is. There’s an event this afternoon where we’ve invited some Japanese influencers. Oh, and Chef Kang Min-seok suggested that we stay for a meal…” I looked over at CEO Yoon. “Why don’t you have a meal with us and then head back to Seoul before the event starts? You should get some rest before you leave.”
“I’d love to. When else would I get the chance to eat food prepared by a famous chef? Haha.”
The truck was already entering the city of Busan.
*Buzz buzz*
My phone vibrated. It was PD Kim Tae-hyun.
“President Jeong, hello.”
“Ah, yes, PD Kim.”
His voice sounded a bit excited.
“Our internal meeting ended yesterday, and it’s been decided to cast you as a regular guest.”
I stole a glance at CEO Yoon. When the word “PD” left my lips, he leaned in with interest.
“Really? Oh, that was a fast decision.”
“The reaction from the executives who saw the recorded footage was excellent. We are currently in a meeting to decide how to set up and utilize your character. We plan to finish the concept meeting today and go straight into production, so keep that in mind.”
I could feel the enthusiasm in Kim Tae-hyun’s voice.
“Once the recording date is set, you’ll need to clear your schedule. I’ll contact you as soon as today’s meeting is over.”
“Thank you for the good news.”
When the call ended, CEO Yoon smiled from the side and asked, “If you’re talking to a PD, does that mean you’re going to be on TV?”
“Ah… yes.”
“Wow, you’re really becoming a celebrity now. I should get your autograph in advance. I wonder if I can sell it for a high price later? Haha.”
I laughed along with his joke. But in a corner of my heart, excitement and nervousness about the new challenge coexisted.
***
The truck stopped in front of the commercial building in Haeundae. After we unloaded the meat and went up, Kang Min-seok came out of the kitchen. Wearing an apron, he looked incredibly busy.
“President Jeong, CEO Yoon! You both worked hard.”
“Hello, Chef.”
Kang Min-seok looked satisfied as he checked the meat we brought.
“It arrived perfectly again. This should be… enough for today’s event.”
“How are the preparations going?”
“They’re almost done, but to be honest, I have a bit of a concern.”
Kang Min-seok’s expression turned serious.
“The Japanese influencers coming this afternoon are very familiar with Wagyu. I’ve already finished the menu composition for today, but…”
“What kind of menu did you prepare?”
“I’ve put together a seven-course Hanwoo omakase. Starting with a Hanwoo tartare amuse-bouche, followed by aged tenderloin carpaccio, galbi confit, striploin steak, bulgogi, tail soup, and finally, Hanwoo shabu-shabu.”
Kang Min-seok continued while looking toward the kitchen.
“I applied the most appropriate cooking methods for each cut, and I designed it to highlight the characteristics of your aged meat. I’m confident in the food itself, but…”
“You’ve prepared quite a lot.”
“Yes. But the problem is that the guests are likely to think, ‘How is this different from high-end Wagyu omakase?’ I need a decisive move that can show a clear point of differentiation…”
The traces of his long deliberation were evident on Kang Min-seok’s face.
“Chef, would it be okay if I tried the food first?”
“I was planning to treat you to a meal anyway, so making it for you isn’t difficult… but is there a specific reason?”
“No special reason. I just want to see if there’s anything I can do to help before the tasting guests arrive this afternoon.”
“Ah… I see.”
“It is meat that I brought, after all. Wouldn’t I know it best? Seeing how it’s prepared might give me some ideas.”
Kang Min-seok nodded repeatedly, seemingly thinking it made sense.
“Yes, yes, that’s true. It would be a huge help if you tasted and evaluated it yourself. After all, no one knows meat as well as you do, President Jeong.”
CEO Yoon watched with interest from the side.
“Thanks to coming with you, President Jeong, I get to enjoy the luxury of being the first person in Busan to eat a famous chef’s cooking.”
“Haha, then I’ll prepare something simple for you. A full seven-course meal takes a long time, so I’ll show you a few of the core items first.”
Kang Min-seok winked as he headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll prepare the highlights of today’s menu for you.”
***
Once Kang Min-seok entered the kitchen, CEO Yoon asked, “But President Jeong, I’ve heard the name Wagyu plenty of times, and I know Australian Wagyu well because I’ve distributed it a few times… but since Japanese Wagyu is banned from import, I’ve never had a chance to encounter it, so I really don’t know much about it. Do you know a bit about it?”
CEO Yoon was right. Since the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in Japan in 2001, Korea had completely banned the import of Japanese beef.
Initially, it was purely out of safety concerns, but over time, economic and political reasons were added. There was the aspect of protecting the Hanwoo industry, and diplomatically, there was no perceived need to rush the opening of the market.
Japan didn’t aggressively push to enter the Korean market either. The production of Wagyu in Japan is limited, and their domestic demand plus existing export markets like America and Europe were enough to consume it all.
With neither side having a strong will to sell or buy, the status quo continued. That was why even distributors like CEO Yoon had experience with Australian or American Wagyu but had never handled real Japanese Wagyu.
“I studied it a bit in the past. Hmm… Japanese Wagyu is on a completely different level than the Australian version.”
I replied as I sat down. CEO Yoon pulled a chair up across from me.
“You probably know better than I do, CEO Yoon, but Australian Wagyu has significant marbling. However, the Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef from mainland Japan are much more delicate.”
“True. Wagyu certainly has great marbling.” CEO Yoon nodded. “But the Wagyu raised and sold outside of Japan, like in Australia or America — aren’t those all crossbreeds?”
“Exactly. They are F1 and F2 crossbreeds. That’s why Japanese people treat their own Wagyu and the Australian version as entirely different classes.”
The pride Japanese people have for Wagyu is truly immense.
To them, Wagyu isn’t just food; it’s a symbol of national pride. The three major brands — Kobe, Matsusaka, and Ohmi — each have their own dedicated breeding standards and certification systems, managed just like luxury brands.
In fact, even in Japan, eating real Wagyu is considered a special experience. Many people believe it’s a flavor one must experience at least once in a lifetime, even if it costs hundreds of thousands of won for a single meal.
This pride was clearly evident when they traveled abroad. No matter how good the beef was in another country, they would usually judge it as inferior to Wagyu.
“What kind of difference is there that makes the Japanese people fuss so much? Have you eaten a lot of it?”
“To start, the delicacy of the marbling is definitely different. The Japanese version is called *shimofuri* because it looks like snowflakes; the fat and lean meat are intricately intertwined like a spiderweb.” I gestured with my hands, drawing a delicate mesh pattern as I explained. “And the fat has a low melting point, so it melts just from body temperature. Australian meat is tender, too, but the Japanese version practically disappears the moment you put it in your mouth.”
“Oh, come on… isn’t saying it melts at body temperature a bit of an exaggeration?” CEO Yoon looked at me skeptically, thinking I was joking.
“No, it’s true! Because Japanese Wagyu is high in unsaturated fatty acids, its melting point is around 30 degrees Celsius. Since our body temperature is 36 to 37 degrees, it melts easily in the mouth. In Japan, when they promote Wagyu, they actually use the term *kuchidoke*, which means it melts in the mouth. There’s a scientific reason for it…”
When I put on an aggrieved expression, CEO Yoon quickly changed his tune.
“Oho, so that’s why they use that expression. The phrase ‘melting in your mouth’ that we often use isn’t an exaggeration when it comes to Wagyu.”
“Right. General American or Australian beef has more saturated fatty acids, so it melts at a higher temperature than Japanese Wagyu. That’s why the chewing texture is different as well.”
“Wait, but President Jeong, you seem to have eaten a lot of that expensive Japanese Wagyu. You don’t sound like someone who just learned it from a book or the internet.”
In the year 2157, a series of cultured meats based on traditional Japanese Wagyu was quite popular. As cultured meat technology advanced, it became possible to perfectly replicate Wagyu’s marbling and texture, and many people still preferred that soft mouthfeel. Especially in Japan, there was a strong nostalgia for traditional Wagyu, so there were active attempts to recreate the exact same taste with cultured meat.
I remembered tasting it often back then.
“I had… a few opportunities to try it in the past. So I know the difference clearly.”
CEO Yoon nodded as if he understood.
“If someone like you acknowledges it, President Jeong, then it really must feel different. Even when I was distributing Australian Wagyu, people sought it out because it was soft. But from a seller’s perspective, I quit because the profitability was so bad.”
“I see… The problem Chef Kang is currently thinking about is that Japanese people tend to evaluate all meat based on Japanese Wagyu. Chef Kang’s worry is likely that they will try to evaluate Hanwoo the same way.”
“Man, that’s a difficult problem. What kind of strategy would be good?”
I could see the restaurant staff busily moving in and out of the kitchen.
“First, let’s taste Chef Kang Min-seok’s food. Once we’ve actually tasted it, more specific ideas will come to mind.”
Wagyu, the meat Japanese people take pride in as being perfect.
Something I felt while tasting cultured Wagyu several times in 2157 was that Wagyu’s biggest problem lay exactly in that perfect tenderness.
The first drawback was that Japanese Wagyu was excessively soft, meaning there was no joy in chewing. Because it melted the moment it entered the mouth, the satisfaction of eating meat didn’t last long.
Furthermore, because of the excessive fat content, it became greasy if eaten in large quantities. For this reason, even high-end restaurants often served Wagyu in small portions. If they served a large amount, customers might find it overwhelming.
Another disadvantage was the simplicity of the flavor. Since tenderness and sweetness were the main components, it lacked deep and complex layers of taste. While the first bite was impressive, one often grew bored as they continued to eat.
Hanwoo possesses characteristics that can compensate for these weaknesses of Wagyu. This is especially true for aged Hanwoo. It isn’t as soft as Wagyu, but while it provides the joy of chewing, it is also tender to a certain degree, and it possesses a deep flavor without being greasy.
The problem was how to highlight these strengths of Hanwoo in Kang Min-seok’s restaurant.
***
A moment later, Kang Min-seok came out with the food.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve prepared four core items from today’s menu.” He explained as he placed the plates on the table one by one. “The first is the Hanwoo tartare amuse-bouche. I finely minced fresh tenderloin and finished it with yuzu oil. The second is carpaccio using fresh striploin. I sliced it thinly and finished it with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. The third is aged striploin steak. I grilled it medium-rare so you can best appreciate the flavor of aged meat. Finally, this is aged galbi confit, which has been cooked at a low temperature for a long time to maximize its tenderness.”
As expected of an experienced chef, the explanation was excellent. CEO Yoon and I tasted them one by one.
“Wow, this is really delicious.” CEO Yoon let out an exclamation with every bite. “I’ve never eaten food like this. Until now, I only knew how to sell meat; I didn’t know how to cook it properly. My goodness.”
“Please, eat slowly. Haha.”
Just as CEO Yoon said, the food was incredibly delicious. It didn’t seem like anyone would complain about the taste. Kang Min-seok’s culinary skills were beyond doubt, and the quality of the aged meat I brought was perfect.
However, the problem was that today’s audience was Japanese influencers. People interested in gastronomy would surely use Wagyu as their benchmark for evaluation. From that perspective, Kang Min-seok’s dishes weren’t showing a significant difference between Wagyu and Hanwoo.
The tartare and carpaccio, being raw meat, would be directly compared to Wagyu’s tenderness, and since the galbi confit was made tender through low-temperature cooking, one could do the exact same thing with Wagyu.
I put down my fork and looked at Kang Min-seok. How should I say this?
My deliberation began.
Kang Min-seok must have read my expression, as he asked cautiously, “President Jeong, what do you think?”
“…”
It isn’t an easy thing to evaluate a chef’s food. Especially for a top-tier chef like Kang Min-seok.