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After finishing a combative lunch, we prepared drinks and sat at the table for a meeting.

The menu to be showcased at the Monster Restaurant. Deciding on it was the biggest task at hand.

“Do you have any menu ideas in mind?”

“Yeah, we’ve picked out a few on our own.”

“…Guess you guys aren’t just freeloaders after all.”

“We, we ate to understand what monster meat is like, not because we couldn’t resist our gluttony…”

“Then you don’t need to eat anymore, right? You should have a good idea by now.”

“Wait! There are still so many types of monsters we haven’t tried.”

In the meantime, it seemed like they had studied monster meat, knowing there were many monsters they hadn’t tasted yet.

“…Anyway, tell me what you’ve come up with.”

“First, definitely steak! It’s number one because it maximizes the original flavor of the meat. There’s nothing better than steak to showcase the taste of monster meat.”

Yuna strongly advocated for steak, and her reasoning matched my thoughts.

Since the Monster Restaurant aims to promote the taste of monster meat, steak, which best expresses the original flavor, was our top priority.

“I was also thinking of going with steak. What’s next?”

“How about burgers? Homemade burgers with monster meat patties. Just hearing about it makes me happy.”

“Burgers… It seems like it would be really painful to store burger buns if they don’t sell well. I’ll think about it.”

“How about Texas BBQ? The brisket was delicious.”

“You know that takes over ten hours just for smoking, right?”

“…It takes that long?”

It was undeniably appealing, but setting up separate facilities for smoking would complicate things.

Naturally, we passed.

“Tacos! I love tacos!”

“Pork ribs? It’s a menu item you always order with steak at family restaurants.”

“Lasagna! I want lasagna too!”

“Roast beef!”

“How about Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng? They’re Indonesian dishes and super tasty!”

Even CNN acknowledges how delicious Nasi Goreng is.

But is this really what people who said they picked out a few are suggesting?

Aren’t they just saying whatever dish they feel like eating right now?

I thought these people were surprisingly competent when Yuna advocated for steak… but after seeing the random menu items that followed, I felt hopeless.

‘…The Monster Restaurant seems doomed already.’

But in the midst of misfortune, there’s a silver lining.

All the cast members who suggested these menus will be assigned to serving.

We won’t let them near the kitchen.

“If we’re going with steak as the main… how about pasta? If we go with Bolognese, we can also include the lasagna Winter mentioned. If we top it with steak using cheaper cuts, whether it’s cream, oil, anchovies, or cod roe, it can’t possibly taste bad.”

“Wow, Cheol-su! You seem different somehow!”

“Wow! Does Scorpion Oppa also cook well?”

“Isn’t cooking a basic skill for heroes?”

No way.

Scorpion was suspiciously knowledgeable about Western cuisine.

“Instructor, were you a chef before?”

“Not a chef, but… I did learn a bit in a restaurant kitchen when I was young.”

It seems he did some vegetable prep in a Western-style restaurant.

Scorpion’s suggestion to add pasta was reasonable.

If we make the ragù sauce in advance, we can use it for both Bolognese and lasagna.

For other pasta sauces, we can buy pre-made ones and mix in various ingredients.

We can also pre-cook the noodles and coat them with olive oil to use for a long time.

It’s a menu that pairs very well with steak.

“Let’s go with steak and pasta for now, and add other items later. But… like all dishes, especially those requiring precise heat and timing, we’ll need one more person in the kitchen.”

Actually, I could handle it alone; with telekinesis training, multitasking is almost at a computer’s level.

I can flip multiple steaks simultaneously with telekinesis, using several tongs with almost no energy consumption, so even with multiple orders coming in at once, I can handle it alone.

‘There are only four stoves, though.’

But being alone in the kitchen would naturally be boring.

There’s a lot to prepare in advance, like ragù sauce and vegetable prep.

Even if we pre-cook the noodles, if we run out, we’ll have to boil water and prepare more, which is the most annoying thing when busy.

In many ways, having a kitchen assistant would be good.

It’s absolutely not because I don’t want to do the dishes.

Really.

“Me! Me! I’ll do it! I’ll assist Winter!”

“No.”

“Whyyy! I can work hard!”

“Working with you would be too noisy.”

The kids have changed so much from their first impressions.

Now their chattering is more ear-piercing than cute.

“I want to do serving. Talking with customers seems fun.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to suggest. Uncle Guk-min is the most approachable and friendly.”

A monster restaurant where heroes cook.

A monster restaurant where celebrities serve.

It’s already a special restaurant, but it needs to stand out from others.

Having Kim Guk-min, a nationally known MC, chat and counsel with customers would be great.

Winter and Yuna are too noisy, and kitchen work is tougher than serving, so I don’t want to bring them in.

The customers coming to see them would be the most, so hiding them in the kitchen seems a bit off, right?

That leaves only two people.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Scorpion Instructor Kim Cheol-su and Han Seo-jin.

“I don’t particularly want to serve or work in the kitchen, so I don’t mind going into the kitchen… but would I be helpful? I’d be lucky not to be a hindrance.”

“Right, I need someone to assist me, not someone I have to take care of.”

Han Seo-jin is a hothouse flower who can’t even chop properly.

I’ve never once considered using Han Seo-jin.

‘If Han Seo-jin is in the kitchen, there’s bound to be an accident someday.’

Whether it’s starting a fire, cutting a finger, or getting plastic in the food.

I have a strong feeling that a major accident will happen.

Naturally, Han Seo-jin is a pass.

“…Then only I’m left?”

“Actually, I was thinking of Scorpion Instructor when I said that.”

“What! You already had someone in mind? Is this hiring corruption?!”

Ignoring Winter’s nonsense, I continued.

“Anyway, it’s best if someone who knows a little something comes. Do you want to work in the kitchen?”

“Given that I’m the only one left, and my childhood dream was to be a chef, I can’t dislike kitchen work.”

“Then it’s decided. The kitchen will be me and Scorpion Instructor.”

“Whether it’s oppa, uncle, or mister, let’s drop the ‘Scorpion Instructor’ title now.”

“Should we? Uncle?”

“….”

He seemed stunned, not expecting to be called ‘uncle.’

“Just kidding. Oppa is a bit much, so I’ll call you uncle. You can speak comfortably too.”

“Let’s do that. Just saying, you didn’t bring this up because you wanted to be called oppa, right?”

Even without saying it, I knew what he meant, but saying it made it suspicious… but I won’t point it out.

“So, are we all serving then?”

“That’s how it’ll be. But instead of strictly dividing roles, I hope you can help out in the kitchen too.”

“Of course, I’ll help out whenever I have time.”

We’re not professional chefs, and they’re not professional servers, so helping each other is natural.

‘Actually, the kitchen won’t have time to help the dining area.’

For example, the dining area can wash used utensils and cups when they have time.

They can handle drink orders on their own.

If the dining area helps with that, kitchen work will be much smoother.

In return, the kitchen can provide more delicious meals for the staff.

It’s not like we can wear hats, aprons, and gloves and come out to help in the dining area.

We probably won’t even have time for that.

Even if we prepare in the morning, there’s a limit.

No matter how much we estimate and prepare, it’s impossible to be exact.

Running out of sauce while cooking.

Running out of noodles while cooking.

Running out of vegetables while cooking.

Situations will keep arising.

And we’ll be busy dealing with them.

“Then… we’re roughly done. We’ve decided on the menu, picked the kitchen staff, assigned positions. The dining area can handle themselves. I’ll be busy enough with the kitchen.”

“Don’t worry, Winter. We’ll take care of the dining area.”

Kim Guk-min confidently declared.

Somehow, it only made me more anxious.

‘The most reliable person is the most unreliable… what a mess.’

Today’s meeting ended, and I explained the kitchen work to Scorpion.

The cast members in charge of the dining area worked on creating menus and organizing orders.

They were preparing diligently.

And then came the coin game.

Guess the song title after hearing one second of it.

“Hey, I’ve done this a few times on other shows… but isn’t it too advantageous for Winter’s team if it’s the latest songs?”

“For balance, there’s an equal mix of older songs and the latest hits, randomly selected.”

“…If that’s the case, then fine.”

It seems they think older songs favor Scorpion’s team.

As the game progressed, Winter and Yuna swept the latest hits… but they didn’t even react to songs from before they were born.

“What on earth is this…”

“We’ll give you a chance to guess.”

“…Does Scorpion’s team know this?”

“Of course we do.”

Winter’s team seemed confident they couldn’t guess.

Even though they knew the answers, they didn’t guess and teased us instead.

‘But… I only know the older songs, not the latest hits.’

Given the chance, I had to take it.

Winter and Yuna swept the latest hits, and I competed with Scorpion’s team, back and forth, so Winter’s team had to win.

They overwhelmingly won all three rounds and earned 1500 coins.

“Hey… can I say one thing?”

“Yes? What is it?”

After the game, Kim Guk-min, who hadn’t said a word, spoke up.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you buy me a bottle of water?”

“….”

 

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