episode_0278

“That is….”

Chef Lee Geum-hoo felt a sense of dismay as he looked at Soo-ah’s dishes. Wasn’t he someone who could tell everything about food at a glance? Even a quick look showed that the dishes were excellent.

‘Damn it, if this happens, my plan…!’

Lee Geum-hoo’s face crumpled in frustration.

It was the moment his plan fell apart.

In fact, Lee Geum-hoo could have made more dishes at once, but he deliberately didn’t. There was a meticulous calculation behind only making *bulgogi* and *kimbap*.

Why? For the sake of the broadcast time!

He deliberately only made a few dishes, and if the reaction was good, he would make more. If he dragged it out like this, it would be perfect for taking up broadcast time, right?

What’s more, he could be the center of attention by cooking with Soo-ah standing beside him like a background screen.

But now that plan was completely ruined.

The premise that Soo-ah would be standing like a screen was already wrong. Soo-ah appeared with the rest of the dishes, and everything on the plates looked good.

‘No way. How is this possible?’

Lee Geum-hoo was puzzled until the very end.

She didn’t spend much time, and she made the rest without any help or assistance?

Seriously, is she even a chef?

Of course, this shock wasn’t limited to Lee Geum-hoo. The panelists and staff who didn’t know how to cook were also just blankly holding their places.

“Wow…. Did Soo-ah *ssi* just bring out what Lee Geum-hoo *ssi* made?” “No. Soo-ah *ssi* made it herself.” “It looks so delicious.” “I heard the sound of the knife earlier, and it was no joke. Was it all captured on camera? I have to watch it later.” “What? Was Soo-ah *ssi* also a cooking expert?”

Would that ever be the case?

The most flustered person was PD Kang Hyun-sung. He cast Chef Lee Geum-hoo because he thought Soo-ah didn’t know much about cooking, but suddenly she’s showing this side of herself?

In the end, Kim Sun-il was the first to speak in the midst of the confusion. Sun-il was relatively immune to Soo-ah’s reversals. Perhaps it was thanks to watching her from the distant past.

“Everyone, let’s try a bite first.” “Ah, that’s right!” “Yes! Let’s eat first and then talk!”

Seeing everyone grabbing their chopsticks, Soo-ah took a deep breath internally. Let’s call it Soo-ah nervous?

‘Ugh, I’m nervous because it’s my first time feeding foreigners!’

First up was Cho Jung-jung, a Chinese panelist. She brought *tteokbokki* rice cakes and fish cakes to her mouth at the same time.

And.

“…!”

After chewing once, she suddenly froze.

The other panelists were just curious.

“Huh?” “Jung-jung *ssi*? What’s wrong?” “What is it? Tell us.”

But Cho Jung-jung didn’t say anything after that, and the other panelists had no choice but to try the food.

And the reaction of those who tasted Soo-ah’s food was…

“Huh?” “Wow.” “Wow, amazing.”

In the end, it was the same as Cho Jung-jung.

They suddenly froze in place like statues.

After a while, they started moving like crazy.

“I, I want to try the *tteokbokki* too!” “I want the *japchae*!” “I’m going to try the *bibimbap* with *samgyeopsal*!”

The panelists made such a fuss that the staff, who were still unsure, were given a chance to try a bite each, and soon the maknae writer, a.k.a. the epitome of a punching bag, came out and tasted it.

And the maknae writer quietly gave a thumbs up.

“…It’s insane?”

The maknae writer, who has no talent for acting, is showing such a realistic reaction? After that, the other staff members also poured out compliments on everything they ate.

And as a result, Soo-ah’s shoulders rose like mountains.

Let’s call it Soo-ah smug!

‘Woohoo! This is my cooking! Soo-ah cooking!’

Meanwhile, mischievous PD Kang Hyun-sung was surprised by the taste of Soo-ah’s food but also felt uneasy. Why is this so delicious?

He even chatted with the camera director next to him.

“…Soo-ah *ssi* is this good at cooking?” “There was no reason to cast a chef.”

At that moment, one of the panelists found something and shouted.

“Oh? Soo-ah *ssi* also made *bulgogi* and *kimbap*?” “Really?”

Now that they looked, Soo-ah hadn’t just made the missing dishes. She had also made what Chef Lee Geum-hoo had already made.

Soo-ah scratched her head.

“Ah, it’s just that there were a lot of overlapping ingredients when I was making them.”

She just did it while she was at it. She pretended it was a coincidence but…. Of course, there was a calculation behind it.

‘Chef Lee Geum-hoo? He was openly ignoring me, so let’s compete with cooking. I’m confident I won’t lose either? Why are you looking at me like I’m a complete pushover?’

Soo-ah thought that she might be an idiot, but she wasn’t a pushover. Isn’t there a saying that even a worm wiggles when you step on it? It’s her turn to wiggle now.

Lee Geum-hoo mumbled, looking at Soo-ah’s *bulgogi*.

“*Bulgogi*? Did I leave any extra? No, I don’t think so? This isn’t the sauce I made….”

There was a lot of talk, but anyway, he picked up a piece of *bulgogi* and ate it. And immediately made a “huh” sound.

“PD Kang Hyun-sung *nim*, you’re really too much.”

Lee Geum-hoo turned his gaze to PD Kang Hyun-sung.

“Were you planning to make me a scapegoat from the beginning? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have given Soo-ah *ssi* all sorts of advice, would I?” “Hmm.” “This is enough to put on a cooking program. She’s at a level where she wouldn’t lose even if she competed with chefs…. Ah, only I’ve become ambiguous. This is driving me crazy.”

“I didn’t know either.” “…?”

Then everyone’s eyes turned to Soo-ah.

Soo-ah just shrugged her shoulders as usual.

“I didn’t think my skills were good enough to brag about. Unlike someone else.”

Chef Lee Geum-hoo pursed his lips tightly.

He had nothing to say, and his head throbbed.

How much hate would he get from Soo-ah’s fans after the broadcast? How much would his image be ruined? He should have acted more carefully. Late regret surged.

◈◈◈◈◈

The next day.

There was a huge crowd of people in front of a newly opened restaurant. What was noticeable was that there weren’t just a lot of customers, but there were also a lot of filming staff.

The reason was simple.

‘Star Summit’ doesn’t fill the broadcast time with just studio screens.

There will also be footage of actually feeding foreigners food, and the panelists watching their reactions.

Therefore, it was written on the sign in front of the restaurant.

[ Star Summit Restaurant ]

Cameras were already placed throughout the interior, and foreign customers who had been filtered through prior application were already filling the seats.

Foreigners of various races chattered in their own languages.

“En fait, je n’aime pas trop la cuisine coréenne, mais j’espère que ça changera d’avis.”

(I don’t really like Korean food, but I hope my mind will change as a result of this.)

“Sounds fun! I’m looking forward to it!”

As they were talking, Kouassi, a Congolese panelist with a ‘Star Summit’ name tag, was serving.

A Congolese person serving Korean food is a rare sight. Anyway, scenes that were good at capturing the viewers’ attention continued.

“Please try it!”

“Thank you.”

When Kouassi recommended the food in fluent Korean, the foreigners ate it. The reaction was obvious.

Soon, hot words like volcanoes erupted from all directions.

“It’s delicious!” “It’s not as spicy as I thought it would be?” “That’s right! It’s sweet!” “Who cooked this, anyway?”

The exclamations related to taste naturally led to ‘Who cooked it?’, and every time, the Congolese panelist Kouassi smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth.

And pointing to the special poster on the wall with his index finger.

“You know Kim Yu-han? Soo-ah *nim* made it!”

. . . . .

Meanwhile, outside the ‘Star Summit’ restaurant.

While ‘Star Summit’ was securing external footage, Kim I-seo was waiting in the van in the parking lot.

Of course, it doesn’t mean she was playing mobile games or just sleeping to pass the time. Soo-ah’s schedule is so packed that she needs to manage it all day.

“Let’s see….”

Kim I-seo narrowed her eyes while looking at the calendar.

Can it really be this packed?

It’s like a high school senior’s notebook before the college entrance exam. “…Is this advertisement going to extend the contract or not? They said they would contact me today.”

Just then.

─♩♪♬

Kim I-seo’s phone rang.

The caller was none other than Director Lee Chang-wan.

Kim I-seo realized that she had pushed the negotiation too far. She should have called him back at least once.

“Hello?”

Therefore, she answered the phone very cautiously.

However.

The words that came back were far beyond her expectations.

“CEO Kim I-seo? I’ve come to Korea to meet Soo-ah *ssi*. Where should I go?”

“…Excuse me?”

She couldn’t help but be shocked. It meant that Director Lee Chang-wan, who was aiming for the Venice Film Festival beyond Korea, had returned to Korea solely to meet Soo-ah.

◈◈◈◈◈

That night.

Yang Ha-rin’s house.

Yang Ha-rin still couldn’t fall asleep. She wasn’t suffering from a fever, but she was experiencing similar symptoms. She couldn’t sit still on the bed and just groaned.

[ Caller: CEO of CT Entertainment ] ▷ No reply? ▷ Only one day left? ▷ Are you confident?

She’s anxious. It bothers her. Her hands are trembling.

At first, she thought about sending tens of millions of won, but at the same time, Yang Ha-rin knew the personality of the CEO of CT Entertainment. Even if she gave it to him once, he would definitely ask for something similar again.

Is there no way to break this cycle?

“….”

…I don’t know.

Even if there was a way, she couldn’t think of it with her own head. Then, could she get help from someone? Is there anyone who can help her?

‘…Ah?’

One person.

Only one person came to mind.

A person who finds answers in any situation.

Yang Ha-rin immediately made a call.

The other person was none other than Lee Soo-ah.

“Hello?” “Yeah. It’s me, Yang Ha-rin. Hey, are you busy?”

“Huh? Well…. Um… I’m kind of busy….”

Soo-ah stuttered as she answered.

It wasn’t a lie. Why? Because Soo-ah was actually playing a mass-produced game that was being advertised. Such junk games were just fun for Soo-ah’s intelligence….

Anyway!

Yang Ha-rin continued.

“I have an important concern.” “An important concern?”

At this point, Soo-ah’s radar was activated.

An important concern?

Is it something that could affect her grade?

Thinking that, she opened the special ability window.

‘Huh?’

She was flustered by a sight she had never seen before.

[ Yeoncheon Crystal Compendium ] [ 1. Kim Sun-il: Yeoncheon Crystal ─ Reconciliation ] [ 2. Seo Yeon-ju: Yeoncheon Crystal ─ Ardent Love ] [ 3. Hong Ye-ji: Yeoncheon Crystal ─ Courage ] [ 4. Yang ■■ ]

[ Crescendo From Tomorrow ] ▶ Sufficient Implementation Elements ▶ Grade: Special ─ Legendary

‘What? What’s going on?’

She couldn’t help but say that.

Yang Ha-rin’s Yeoncheon Crystal was fading as if it would disappear at any moment, but rather ‘Crescendo From Tomorrow’ had its grade raised. This was also the first time she had experienced something like this.

‘If it’s going to rise, both should rise, and if it’s going to fall, both should fall. What’s going on here? What is it?’

It was the first time she was facing modified questions from past exams.