Im Jeongmyeong, a white-haired elderly gentleman in a navy suit who visited Narae Snacks, was sixty-seven years old and planning to open a restaurant.
He had purchased a building in Yulmunri to use as a restaurant and had already completed the interior remodeling.
But a problem arose.
The head chef, who was supposed to run the restaurant with Im Jeongmyeong, suddenly backed out.
Im Jeongmyeong had relied solely on that person for preparations, so being abandoned right before the opening was no small inconvenience.
In truth, he wasn’t someone who lacked money.
He had enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
Im Jeongmyeong simply wanted to create a restaurant where visiting customers and working staff could be happy.
So, he put out a job posting for a head chef while visiting various restaurants to taste their food.
Several chefs had applied so far, but none met Im Jeongmyeong’s standards.
They all lacked a heart for the customers, focusing only on the restaurant’s vision or their own salary.
In the worst case, Im Jeongmyeong was even prepared to take the helm in the kitchen himself.
He wasn’t trying to open a restaurant relying solely on a chef without any culinary knowledge.
He had a decent amount of knowledge about cooking.
The problem was that his hands couldn’t keep up with his knowledge.
So, if it came to it, he planned to open a bibimbap specialty restaurant, which would be relatively easy to prepare and serve if ingredients were prepped in advance.
With that in mind, he visited various restaurants in Chuncheon known for their bibimbap, which led him to Narae Snacks.
He had tried the bibimbap here once before, so he didn’t have high expectations.
However, a post about their bibimbap suddenly appeared on a local foodie cafe, making him wonder if the restaurant owner had hired a part-timer.
But since the head chef might have changed, he visited just in case.
Even up to the moment he mixed the bibimbap and took a spoonful, he felt no particular excitement.
But the moment the bibimbap touched his tongue,
“…My.”
A deep flavor he hadn’t experienced in a while exploded.
The first bite was swallowed quickly, caught off guard by the unexpected taste, without time to fully appreciate it.
Im Jeongmyeong immediately took another spoonful and put it in his mouth.
This time, he savored the taste, texture, and flavor of the bibimbap slowly.
First, the rice was excellent.
A diner like this wouldn’t use high-end, expensive rice.
That meant the rice was cooked exceptionally well.
The perfectly fluffy yet sticky rice grains provided an ecstatic texture, releasing a sweet flavor the more he chewed.
Next, the balance of the toppings was outstanding.
Bibimbap requires all ingredients to assert their presence without any one overpowering the others.
If the balance is even slightly off, some toppings might lose their flavor, or others might dominate too much, making only their taste stand out.
This diminishes the overall taste of the bibimbap.
Bibimbap is delicious when the right amount of various ingredients is added relative to the amount of rice in the bowl.
Simply piling on toppings isn’t the answer.
The last time I came, the excessive pile of toppings made the taste overwhelming.
Im Jeongmyeong clearly remembered the taste of the bibimbap he had at Narae Snacks before.
The toppings were one thing, but what particularly bothered him was the excessive gochujang.
If they couldn’t balance it, it would be better to serve it separately so customers could adjust to their taste.
But today, the amount of gochujang was just right, and the nutty aroma of sesame oil was perfectly subtle.
In short, everything was perfect.
Among them, the standout was undoubtedly the fried egg.
Even though the fried egg was already broken up and mixed into the bibimbap, it undeniably asserted its presence in the mouth.
The well-cooked, springy egg white had a great texture.
The nutty yolk played a role in harmoniously blending all the ingredients.
It was so satisfying that he wanted to order an extra fried egg separately.
Meanwhile, Yoo Mirae, who was chatting with Irim in the kitchen, saw Kim Daewon return and quickly scurried away.
She knew she’d get scolded if caught idling in the kitchen.
Kim Daewon, back from his call, had a slightly flushed face.
“Did you serve the bibimbap well?”
He asked Irim in a curt tone for no reason.
“Yes.”
“No mistakes, right?”
“Yes.”
Hearing Irim’s response, Kim Daewon glanced at the hall.
He saw Im Jeongmyeong eating the bibimbap deliciously.
“Looks like you did it well. Bibimbap is just dumping ingredients in, but if you can’t even do that, you should quit.”
No praise ever came from Kim Daewon’s mouth.
But Irim didn’t take offense and just let it pass.
Im Jeongmyeong finished the bibimbap in no time.
He raised his hand, and Kim Soonyoung, who was cleaning empty tables, approached.
“Yes, sir. Do you need something?”
“Um, has the head chef here changed?”
Im Jeongmyeong clearly remembered Kim Soonyoung’s face.
She had been working in the hall the last time he visited.
So, if the head chef had changed, she would know.
Kim Soonyoung shook her head.
“No. Why? Does it taste off?”
“No. It’s much tastier than before. Heh heh.”
“Really? The customers who came for lunch yesterday were all saying that too.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Especially those who had bibimbap or fried rice dishes said the taste was much better than before. Ho ho.”
“The chef’s skills must have improved.”
Kim Soonyoung shrugged and continued cleaning the tables.
After hearing her response, Im Jeongmyeong was deep in thought.
Can someone’s skills improve so much in such a short time?
While pondering and looking at the empty bowl, Yoo Mirae approached and whispered.
“The bibimbap you ate wasn’t made by the chef.”
“What? Then who…”
“It was made by the new kitchen assistant oppa from yesterday.”
“My, is that so?”
Im Jeongmyeong’s gaze turned toward the kitchen.
At that moment, Irim, ready to leave, came out of the kitchen and greeted the restaurant staff.
“Boss, I’m heading out. Soonyoung nu, noona. Mirae-ssi. I’ll go first.”
Oh Chunsik only nodded curtly at Irim’s greeting.
In contrast, Kim Soonyoung and Yoo Mirae warmly responded, saying they’d see him tomorrow.
As Irim left the restaurant, Yoo Mirae gave Im Jeongmyeong a heads-up.
“The person who just left is the kitchen assistant oppa.”
“Ah, I see.”
Learning that Irim was the kitchen assistant, Im Jeongmyeong stood up and hurriedly paid.
Then he rushed out of the restaurant.
But Irim was already gone.
Drat. I wanted to talk to him.
Im Jeongmyeong felt regret for missing Irim right in front of him.
No choice. I’ll have to come back tomorrow.
Determined to talk to Irim tomorrow, Im Jeongmyeong drove the car parked in front of Narae Snacks to his own restaurant.
While driving for a while, he tilted his head and muttered to himself.
“But… why would someone with such skill work under someone less capable?”
That was truly puzzling.
***
As soon as Irim returned home, he logged into Real’s fan cafe.
Searching for posts with the keyword ‘Rice’, more posts than expected appeared.
The total number of posts found was 15.
The posts were found because the keyword ‘Rice’ appeared in titles, content, or comments.
Irim clicked through the posts one by one.
The main topics were Rice’s appearance times, current locations, and the price and taste of his food.
Since food was scarce in Real, some who had tried Irim’s cooking posted about it.
But most people didn’t bother to share this information.
Since only one person made the food, if too many people knew and crowded, the food meant for them might go to someone else.
So, such posts on the cafe weren’t always welcome to those people.
Of course, Irim was simply thrilled.
Most of the reviews from those who posted said the taste was good.
Many said they found a gourmet spot in the world of Real, where decent food was hard to come by.
As such posts continued, even a new term, ‘game gourmet’, emerged.
Wherever Rice appeared became a game gourmet spot.
The term ‘game gourmet’ was only used by a few, feeling like their own little league.
Irim, in a good mood, kept reading the posts.
Then, a post written by the ID ‘Melina’ caught his eye.
[Everyone~ I finally tried Rice-nim’s cooking!]
With a sense of excitement, Irim clicked on the post.
[Everyone~ I finally tried Rice-nim’s cooking!]
Really, truly, legit jmt…… ã… ã…
Rice-nim’s cooking is way tastier than sloppy restaurants in reality.
If you haven’t tried it, you must buy it when you meet Rice-nim.
The last place I met him was the Spider Forest.
Ha, only those who’ve eaten it will understand, really. b>_<d
While reading the post, Irim kept thinking of Melina’s face, voice, and manner of speaking.
She was a really cute and pretty woman.
Of course, linking a game avatar to a real person wasn’t the point, but since they’d likely never meet in reality, it didn’t matter.
Irim also read the comments on the post.
– AegyoMing: I tried it too. The emotion from eating a fried egg after just cracking raw eggs in the newbie zone…… Ugh! ã… ã…
– AbsoluteTaste: I confidently say I have the best taste in my neighborhood. Honestly, eating Rice-nim’s cooking is better than most restaurants.
– MusclePark: But why does he only cook? lol
– Freebird: Seems like a famous chef in the food industry hiding their identity, playing the game to see if people will enjoy their food!
– BbiRiBbo: ↑This person’s conspiracy theory is wild.
– CoverBro: Y’all tried the lizard skewers? Don’t talk if you haven’t.
– PenguinHeir: The chicken thigh steak was amazing too. (Gulp)
– Slas: Ugh, I want to try it too. ã… ã…
– CriticGenius: lololol Eating good food in a game, what’s the point.
– FishermanJade: Rice-nim, if you see this post, please announce your login times. I really want to try it. I eat heartily.
After reading all the comments, Irim chuckled.
It didn’t feel like a game story but like reading reviews or feedback for a real restaurant.
Reading the cafe posts, time passed quickly.
Putting down his smartphone, Irim drank Connection Water, put on the Connector, and lay down.
It was time to shine as Rice in the world of Real again.