Ch.125Korean Food’s Spiciness?! Japan Was Shocked!

Spicy pork, tonkatsu, rice soup.

The three soul foods of Korean office workers,

and the reason they maintain their top three positions is simple.

‘Because they come out quickly.’

If the preparations are somewhat in place, they really come out in no time.

And among them, spicy pork was number one in convenience.

‘No need to cut it to eat, no need to cool it down.’

Just eat what’s served quickly and leave, that’s it.

Sometimes they serve it with lettuce wraps,

but that’s optional, so you can skip it if you want.

That’s why Korean office workers and spicy pork had an inseparable relationship,

and Choi Seokho, who could be considered somewhat experienced in social life, was no exception.

‘I’m actually quite picky about spicy pork.’

With at least 20 years of spicy pork dining experience.

Having eaten quite high-quality spicy pork since childhood,

he couldn’t be completely generous when it came to spicy pork.

‘I’m actually quite picky about spicy pork….’

Even while thinking this, Seokho nodded at Kim Donghu’s words.

“Sure, I’m curious about our landlord’s cooking skills. Please do it!”

How good a cook would Donghu be?

Contrary to his thoughts, there was an underlying expectation of ‘if it’s Donghu.’

That’s because Donghu hadn’t failed at anything he confidently claimed he could do.

‘If he’s good at this too, just how multi-talented is he?’

So from the beginning, the point of expectation was ‘how good will he be?’

Being good was too obvious, and he was curious about just how high that ceiling might be.

Tok tok tok tok tok.

The knife work began on the cutting board.

As if there was a steady beat.

That sound, which felt like a rhythm, dilated Seokho’s pupils.

‘Huh?’

A familiar sound yet unfamiliar at the same time.

The sound that comes when a skilled chef prepares ingredients.

The knife sounds of chefs at restaurants rumored to be delicious.

Why was that coming from Donghu?

“Would you like it slightly spicy, hyung?”

“Huh? Y-yeah, that would be great.”

“Then I’ll season it that way, it’ll take a little over 30 minutes because of the marinating time.”

“Y-yeah, okay.”

The glimpse of expertise made Seokho even more confused.

‘Has he professionally learned cooking?’

He acts, exercises, and learns languages.

‘And now he cooks too.’

Come to think of it, he can play the piano too.

‘He won the Golden Bell quiz show… and his test scores were top-tier….’

Is a person like an onion?

How can more strengths emerge the more you peel?

“Donghu, isn’t it unfair that you have such a great personality on top of everything else?”

“What?”

“I feel like the standard for Korean actors is about to rise dramatically.”

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Should I say I’m realizing once again how fortunate I am to have met you in my life?”

“…”

After 30 minutes of pointless conversation,

Whoosh!

With a flashy fire show, the spicy pork stir-fry was quickly prepared.

“Can I eat it right away?”

“Just need to sprinkle some sesame seeds on top… there. Now you can eat.”

Gulp.

At Donghu’s signal to eat, Seokho unconsciously swallowed.

‘What is this presentation?’

It was obvious that freshly made food would be delicious.

But the food in front of him now was on a completely different level.

‘It’s supposed to be just ordinary spicy pork, it should be.’

Why did it look like high-end restaurant food?

It wasn’t just about being good at cooking,

the plating, as they call it, was perfect.

Plus.

‘What’s with the thoughtful touch of two fried eggs?!’

Even the egg service that perfectly captures an office worker’s heart.

He couldn’t help but get goosebumps at the detail.

‘The taste?! Don’t tell me the taste too?!’

Seokho nervously picked up his chopsticks and.

Munch.

The moment he put the spicy pork in his mouth without hesitation.

“…Donghu, should we start a business when we get old and retire? I’ll put up all the money.”

He felt the urge to invest his entire fortune.

++++++

‘A great success.’

Watching Seokho hyung eat like a man possessed,

I smiled contentedly inside.

‘But now the menu seems a bit lacking.’

With this level of cooking skill,

it felt a bit disappointing to stick with the menu in the current script.

‘Especially the ramen.’

Tonkatsu could be made Western-style,

and spicy pork and kimbap depend on the cook’s touch.

But ramen definitely felt lacking.

‘Wouldn’t tteokbokki be better?’

Regular tteokbokki would be fine,

or even non-spicy royal court style tteokbokki wouldn’t be bad.

Of course, I didn’t want to completely remove ramen.

That’s because Korea had one secret weapon.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t you say Miju noona is coming?”

“Huh? Who? Miju? Ah, right. Originally it was just the two of us, but since we’re filming, of course the stylist needs to come.”

“She’s arriving tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, why? Do you need something?”

“Yes, what I need is….”

Seokho hyung was surprised when he heard my list of items.

“What?! Really? But that’s… well, I guess it’s still introducing food….”

“If we’re introducing Korean food, it would be a shame to leave it out, right?”

“True, that’s true. I’ll check with the airline and see what I can do.”

“Yes, please do.”

“But this spicy pork is really delicious, won’t people be shocked tomorrow?”

Just as Seokho hyung predicted.

“D-did you really make this, Donghu?”

“Ehh… I can’t believe it, really? This is so delicious!”

“To have skills exactly as described in the script… wow, this is something.”

When I showcased the food at the pre-meeting location,

the entire production team of The Noble Gourmet was shocked.

“Wow… this is the first time I’ve had such delicious Korean food.”

“This is too good to be eaten just by Toro-san alone.”

“A restaurant with food like this would definitely succeed!”

“Shouldn’t we change this to a restaurant with long lines?”

Fortunately, I had made food in large quantities just in case.

Otherwise, there might not have been enough.

‘Anyway, I think I’ve clearly demonstrated my cooking skills now.’

Now, let’s move on to negotiations.

“Thank you all for enjoying the food.”

“No, thank you. The food is really delicious… wow, this spicy pork is so appealing, though a bit spicy.”

“Would you perhaps be interested in other dishes?”

“Other dishes? But we already… um, decided on tonkatsu, kimbap, and ramen, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but I find the ramen a bit disappointing.”

“Do you have an idea?”

“Yes, I was thinking of adding a bit more spiciness.”

As I said this, I took out the ingredients I had received fresh today.

“These are… peppers?”

“Yes, cheongyang peppers, similar to Japan’s… takanotsume.”

“Eh, then they’re extremely spicy.”

“But Japan and Korea use peppers differently, so I thought we could show that aspect.”

“…What do you mean by different, specifically?”

Swish.

I immediately took out another food item from my bag.

“What does it say?”

“Cheongyang pepper gochujang.”

“So… it’s a sauce made from those peppers?”

“Yes, that’s right. And in Korea….”

We dip cheongyang peppers in gochujang.

Dip.

As soon as I dipped the pepper in the gochujang, the Japanese people were shocked.

“Why on earth…?”

“Dipping a spicy pepper into a sauce made from spicy peppers….”

This is a true cultural difference.

The production manager,

Aitake Ura, nodded seriously as if inspired by something,

and catching this, I immediately added:

“So I thought we could include this aspect in the cooking. After all, the setup is that the son is temporarily running the restaurant, and customers arrive during that time.”

“A different menu from usual… Ah, yes, since the son is cooking, the menu would be different.”

“Yes, and the son would naturally have a different repertoire than his Michelin-starred parents.”

“But I’m worried this might be too spicy. Could I perhaps taste how spicy it is?”

Aitake Ura said this while picking up a cheongyang pepper.

‘But the production manager said even the spicy pork was a bit spicy.’

Can he handle this?

Dip.

While I was thinking this,

the cheongyang pepper was dipped into the cheongyang pepper gochujang.

“I’ll just try a very, very small bite. Challenge!”

A sudden variety show atmosphere.

Under a gaze that conveyed desperate determination.

Crunch.

The cheongyang pepper went into Aitake Ura’s mouth and.

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

A sudden scream echoed through the pre-meeting venue.

“Do Koreans really, really eat like this?! I can’t believe it!”

While everyone watched in disbelief as Aitake Ura struggled in pain.

“Donghu, what’s he saying?”

“Ah, he’s asking if Koreans really eat like this… he says he can’t believe it.”

“Really? Hmm… Miju, show them.”

“Huh? Well… that’s not difficult.”

Our stylist,

who could eat even the spiciest level of Yupki Tteokbokki without batting an eye,

Miju noona, proceeded to eat the cheongyang pepper.

Crunch, crunch.

‘Wow… she really eats it well.’

Amid such admiration.

Under shocked gazes thinking, “So Koreans really do eat like that?”

“This… I’ll discuss it with Toro-san, I mean, Matsusage-san.”

They concluded they would coordinate in advance,

and finally, on the day of filming.

“…Stomach medicine, digestive aid, and milk, I’ve prepared perfectly for this day.”

With eyes like a samurai about to go to war,

I greeted The Noble Gourmet’s lead actor, Matsusage Yukata.

“But actually, it’s not that spicy.”

“No, no, I don’t trust Koreans’ definition of ‘not that spicy.’ That and… a little garlic.”

Actor Matsusage Yukata seemed to know a bit about Korean culture.

He added jokingly:

“I’m looking forward to Donghu-san’s cooking. Including the… fearsome cheongyang peppers.”

“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”

After this warm greeting,

I immediately headed to the restaurant to prepare for cooking.

+++++

As the actors and staff moved to prepare for filming,

The Noble Gourmet’s production manager,

Aitake Ura, who was quietly observing, fell into brief contemplation.

“Hmm….”

What would be a good subtitle?

‘The spiciness of Korean food?! Even Japan was shocked!’

Of course, they weren’t just showcasing spiciness.

But is this stimulating enough?