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Chapter 330: Table of Mukbang (2)

Jo Jae-Kyung refused to admit wrongdoing and was stubbornly unwilling to offer compensation.

Eventually, Park Sang-Cheon, the head of CK Entertainment\'s legal team, took the lead and spoke up. "Mr. Jo! We can\'t resolve the issue like this. The overdue directing fees must be paid, and you need to settle the assault case with the talent agent. That\'s the simplest way!"

Jo Jae-Kyung smirked while digging his ear. "How much are those directing fees anyway? Just whip up some documents and cover it up! We can use the LA branch like last time."

"If you do that, it will only escalate the situation."

"Didn\'t we handle the company funds that went into the casino smoothly back then? You guys are getting paid to handle stuff like this, aren\'t you?"

Park Sang-Cheon had broken into a cold sweat trying to cover up the previous incident where the CK Entertainment LA branch had recklessly filled in the financial gaps. After all, it was a clear case of the owner\'s family member committing an illegal act.

Of course, one of the CK Inc. lawyers\' duties was to keep the owner\'s family\'s scandals from going public.

"That\'s why we fired everyone at the LA branch after that! We even had to give them extra severance pay to keep them quiet!" Park Sang-Cheon lamented.

Jo Jae-Kyung looked at him with eyes full of annoyance. "So what? Are you saying you can\'t do it?"

Park Sang-Cheon gritted his teeth and tried his best to hold back his anger. Despite being a scoundrel, Jo Jae-Kyung was still part of the owner\'s family.

Park Sang-Cheon tried to compromise by suggesting they resolve at least one issue. "Then let\'s at least settle the smaller matter. With the talent agent\'s two-week medical certificate, it\'s barely worth a lawsuit. We can handle it quickly if you pay around 10 million won in settlement. Their lawyer will likely be satisfied with that amount."

"10 million won?" Jo Jae-Kyung scoffed. He ground his teeth and lashed out angrily, "Do you think I\'m made of money? There\'s no way I\'m paying! Absolutely not! Especially not to that bastard—not a single penny, got it?"

Just then, Park Sang-Cheon received a call on his phone. Upon seeing the caller ID, Park Sang-Cheon immediately stood up to answer.

The call was from Son Hyung-Tae, the president of CK Entertainment.

"Yes, sir. Yes. Understood."

After hanging up, Park Sang-Cheon let out a sigh. He then turned to the other lawyers present. "We\'ve been ordered to return to headquarters."

The other lawyers looked puzzled. "But what about Mr. Jo\'s case?"

"We\'re to halt everything and head back immediately. It\'s the president\'s order, so let\'s get moving."

Hearing that it was the president\'s order, Jo Jae-Kyung looked shocked and hastily asked, "Wh-What about me?"

Park Sang-Cheon struggled to suppress a smile as he replied, "You\'re to settle the issues today and go to the company tomorrow. Otherwise, it seems like Mr. Son is prepared to sever ties with you. If you have doubts, feel free to call him yourself."

After delivering Son Hyung-Tae\'s message, Park Sang-Cheon bowed one last time.

The other lawyers began closing their laptops and packing up.

Jo Jae-Kyung asked with a trembling voice, "What? Are you seriously... leaving?"

As the lawyers bowed and exited, Jo Jae-Kyung finally realized that the situation was far from ordinary. "What the hell... Who the hell is this Jung Yoon-Ho anyway?"

***

[Caller ID: Legal Division Team Lead Kwak Moo-Hyuk]

The anticipated call came through.

"Yes, Mr. Kwak," I answered the call.

-Luckily, Son Hyung-Tae acted as you predicted.

"Thank you for your hard work."

-Hard work? Not at all.

Through Kwak Moo-Hyuk, I conveyed the message to Son Hyung-Tae that I would unconditionally settle the assault case involving Jo Jae-Kyung. I also included a belated apology for not considering Son Hyung-Tae\'s dignity earlier.

-But Team Lead Jung, you missed out on a chance to make some big money.

"What could I get from settlement money with just a two-week medical certificate anyway? Ensuring Haru doesn\'t face unfair treatment in the competition is far more important."

-Right. Anyway, you\'ll need to meet with President Son tomorrow, so contact me as soon as the competition wraps up.

"Understood, Mr. Kwak."

As soon as I hung up, I clenched my fist tightly.

Jung Sang-Bong beside me asked, "How did it go?"

"We\'ll probably get an update soon. Let\'s wait and see."

Shortly after, the phone of Lee Yoo-Yung, the head writer inspecting the set, rang. "Yes, yes, sir. Ah, understood. I\'ll inform PD Jo Han-Ill as well."

Looking flustered, Lee Yoo-Yung approached Jo Han-Ill and whispered something in his ear.

Upon hearing her, Jo Han-Ill quickly began issuing instructions. "ADs, stop what you\'re doing and gather up! Writers, everyone come over too!"

The staff swarmed around Jo Han-Ill in an instant.

"See that?" I gestured.

Jung Sang-Bong looked at me in awe. "Wow. This is amazing."

Soon, Jo Han-Ill instructed them to revise the cue sheet. "Cancel the revised version and revert to the original plan. Get the set in order quickly and remove the game board! Hurry!"

The staff looked confused, but they started reorganizing the set.

Meanwhile, Haru, now done with his makeup, approached me. "Hyung, when did you get here?"

Haru greeted me with his usual smiley eyes and brimmed with joy.

I smiled back. "I got here just now. By the way, are you feeling confident today?"

"I\'m not sure. Now that we\'re down to the final contestants, everyone\'s cooking is at a professional chef level..."

Today, Haru planned to cook charcoal-grilled bulgogi using pork fed with Andong apples and aged white kimchi stew.

I added, "Will you be able to finish in time though? I heard you need to prepare side dishes too,"

"Since I\'m doing two main dishes, I\'ll only serve a few sides—fresh kimchi, pickled onions, and just perilla leaves and lettuce."

"That\'ll definitely save you some time. And what about the dipping sauces?"

Haru answered confidently without hesitation, "I\'ve prepared a fish sauce dip, soybean powder sauce, and a special ssamjang. It\'s good on its own, but I prepared three options because I wanted to cater to the judges\' tastes."

"Good. Don\'t be too nervous and just think of it as serving delicious food to the elders back home. Got it?"

"Yes, hyung!"

I cheered him on. "Just do what you always do. Haru, you got this!"

Haru clenched his fist before heading over to his cooking station.

As the contestants took their places, Jo Han-Ill announced the instructions. "We had initially planned a game to switch ingredients, but it has been canceled due to inadequate preparation. I apologize for the confusion caused to the contestants and the hosts."

Thankfully, everything was back to normal and Haru began wiping down his station in anticipation of the competition.

"Alright, please get ready to start cooking."

Haru, along with Lee Jin-Taek from TK Entertainment, Park Joon-Seo from TNT Entertainment, and Jung Jin-Soo from Ace Entertainment, began checking their ingredients with tense expressions.

Moments later, the judges entered the panel area: Baek Jong-Suk, the head of a franchise, Lee Soon-Ja, a culinary researcher, and Yeo Won-Hee, the president of the Traditional Food Preservation Association.

Once the judges were seated, MC Kim Jin-Tae arrived and apologized. "I\'m sorry for being late."

Kim Jin-Tae put on his mic and reviewed the cue cards handed to him. He quickly flipped through the cue cards and gave an OK sign.

Jo Han-Ill gave the cue to start filming. "Alright, everyone~ standby. We\'ll begin in five seconds. Ready... Action!"

Kim Jin-Tae grabbed the mic and exclaimed, "Finally, today is the semifinals of Mukbang\'s Table..."

Following Kim Jin-Tae\'s introduction, Baek Jong-Suk announced today\'s cooking challenge. "Today\'s theme is a full meal prepared with pork."

After talking at length about the benefits of pork, Baek Jong-Suk announced the start of the competition. "The four contestants who have made it to the final stage are allowed 60 minutes of cooking time! You may begin now!"

At that moment, the four contestants broke into a sweat, each striving to present their best dishes within the time limit.

***

My mouth grew dry with tension as I watched Haru and his competitors cooking.

The contestants who had made it to the semifinals all possessed skills that could rival professional chefs. In particular, Lee Jin-Taek had attended a school for culinary geniuses, so he was no pushover.

Since the theme had been provided in advance, the menus the competitors prepared were no ordinary dishes.

Lee Yung-Jin asked with a worried expression, "Mr. Jung, it seems like everyone got their recipes from professional chefs. Isn\'t Haru\'s dish a bit too plain?"

"Just wait and see," I replied.

Haru\'s dish, charcoal-grilled pork and aged white kimchi stew, were what his Russian mother often made. However, they looked like something you\'d find in a simple diner, and that was why Lee Yung-Jin was concerned.

"Ah, this is nerve-wracking. Kimchi stew tastes best when made with well-fermented red kimchi. I hope that pork doesn\'t taste too gamey," Lee Yung-Jin remarked.

"Are you trying to jinx Haru into losing?" I questioned.

Lee Yung-Jin waved his hands. "N-no, of course not!"

However, Lee Yung-Jin was not the only skeptic. The other competitors also sneered at Haru\'s dishes. After all, the dishes probably looked too simple to them.

Nonetheless, Haru continued cooking steadfastly with an undeterred expression.

There was only one minute left on the clock.

Haru began plating his charcoal-grilled pork on a rectangular plate.

\'There are only 30 seconds left now,\' I thought.

Sweating profusely, Haru carefully transferred the well-simmered aged white kimchi stew onto a round plate.

Ding~

"Time\'s up! Please take your hands off your dishes now."

Just as time ran out, Haru lifted his hands from his dishes, which signaled the end of the competition. Haru was drenched in sweat from head to toe after having cooked two main dishes within an hour.

\'You did very well, Haru,\' I remarked inwardly.

Regardless of the outcome, I was determined to congratulate Haru for his hard work.

Baek Jong-Suk took a moment to gaze at the dishes prepared by the four contestants before heading first to Lee Jin-Taek\'s dish.

Lee Jin-Taek\'s pork dish was an exquisite steak that you\'d expect to find at a top-tier restaurant.

Lee Yung-Jin whispered a small complaint as he observed the situation, "It probably just looks good, nothing more."

However, Baek Jong-Suk\'s evaluation went against Lee Yung-Jin\'s expectations. Baek Jong-Suk cut a piece of the steak and took a bite, nodding with satisfaction.

"As always, it seems like the Master of Mukbang audition was a turning point for you, Mr. Jin-Taek. Your food has transformed entirely. This is a magnificent dish that\'s well worth paying for," Baek Jong-Suk commented.

Lee Jin-Taek bowed his head. "Thank you."

Culinary researcher Lee Soon-Ja and Yeo Won-Hee, the president of the Traditional Food Preservation Association, also nodded in agreement before offering praise.

Next, it was Jung Jin-Soo\'s and Park Joon-Seo\'s turns to be evaluated.

Though their evaluations were slightly below Lee Jin-Taek\'s, they were commended for showcasing their unique styles.

Finally, it was Haru\'s turn.

Baek Jong-Suk licked his lips in anticipation and approached Haru\'s table. "It\'s been a while since I\'ve had charcoal-grilled pork. Let\'s give it a try, shall we?"

Haru\'s table presented a traditional Korean set meal with steaming white rice, charcoal-grilled pork, aged white kimchi stew, and a few side dishes.

On the rectangular plate, the charcoal-grilled pork was garnished with shredded green onions and pickled onions, while the round plate featured aged white kimchi stew with pork wrapped in cabbage, served with a light broth.

Haru pointed to the sauces as Baek Jong-Suk approached to taste his dish. "You can dip the pork in the sauces. You can also wrap it in fresh kimchi or lettuce."

Baek Jong-Suk smiled. "Which sauce do you recommend, Mr. Haru?"

After hesitating for a moment, Haru pointed to the soybean powder sauce. "I recommend you try it with soybean powder."

"Alright, then I\'ll eat it as you suggested."

"And please make sure to have it with the green onions and the pickled onions. It\'s best that way."

Baek Jong-Suk nodded in agreement. He placed some green onions and sliced onions on the soy-marinated charcoal-grilled pork, then dipped it generously into the yellow soybean powder sauce before bringing it to his mouth.

"Hmm~"

With the first bite of the charcoal-grilled pork, Baek Jong-Suk crossed his arms and slowly savored the taste.

Moments later, he exclaimed, "Huh, this is interesting!"

The judges beside him nodded in agreement.

Lee Soon-Ja promptly concurred. "Right? It looks just like charcoal-grilled pork... but I can\'t quite put into words how it tastes."

Yeo Won-Hee also agreed. "It looks like regular pork bulgogi, but the seasoning is entirely different."

At that moment, Baek Jong-Suk grinned and picked up his spoon. "This seems like it would pair perfectly with rice. Just a moment."

Baek Jong-Suk scooped a generous amount of rice into his mouth, followed by another piece of pork dipped in the sauce.

At that moment, his face instantly lit up with delight. "Everyone, try it with rice."

However, Lee Soon-Ja and Yeo Won-Hee decided to try it differently, wrapping the meat in lettuce and perilla leaves. "Wow~ this is definitely a dish that makes you crave more rice!"

Baek Jong-Suk then turned his attention to the aged white kimchi stew. "Alright, now let\'s try the aged white kimchi stew. This is quite a rare treat..."

He picked up the neatly rolled piece of aged kimchi with pork and popped the whole thing into his mouth.

Chewing thoughtfully, Baek Jong-Suk\'s expression shifted to one of pleasant surprise. "Oh, my goodness."

Simultaneously, Lee Soon-Ja and Yeo Won-Hee who had just swallowed their bites exclaimed in unison, "Oh my! Oh my goodness!