“Ugh…”

Even though I didn’t drink, I feel like I have a hangover.

About an hour after the production team joined.

Winter and Yuna, drunk, kept acting cute and whining, so I couldn’t help but feel exhausted.

Even if they go all out all day, they’ll probably wake up in perfect condition the next day…

Seems like handling drunk antics isn’t a matter of physical strength.

The drunks were deep in sleep, and I left the accommodation early in the morning to recover my condition.

The Scorpion Instructor, who doesn’t usually drink, was already warming up in the yard.

“You’re up early?”

“Well, I didn’t drink much. By the way, are those two okay?”

“…Not sure. They’re in such a deep sleep, they wouldn’t notice if you carried them away.”

“Haha, they drank more than you guys, so it makes sense.”

I didn’t know, but Kim Guk-min and Han Seo-jin were celebrities famous for their drinking.

They always rank within the top 5 in the entertainment industry’s drinking rankings.

But…

Even though they drank enough to admit they were drunk, Winter and Yuna kept going.

The main camera had retreated, but mini cams were still set up… Do they not care about their image?

That’s probably something PD Choi and their agency will handle.

I couldn’t help but feel envious.

I tried to secretly pour soju into a water glass, avoiding people’s eyes from angles not caught by the camera… but I couldn’t escape the Scorpion’s gaze.

This guy, despite being A-Class, caught every soju bottle I tried to hide.

Recalling the stormy night, I was stretching next to the Scorpion when PD Choi also joined us in the yard.

The production team had booked the accommodation closest to the Monster Restaurant, so PD Choi had woken up earlier than us.

“PD, you drank a lot too, but you’re up early?”

“Even on days like this, I can’t slack off… it’s work. I have to coordinate everything from start to finish, so I usually wake up first.”

“Impressive. I thought you were just a sly, cunning old man.”

“…What?”

“Oops, my inner thoughts slipped out.”

Ignoring PD Choi’s dumbfounded look.

I continued my telekinesis training with weight plates.

I still carry weight plates wherever I go, even when staying out.

‘Even if I’ve reached Transcendent level, I can’t get complacent. Who knows when I might drop dead.’

Even in the Demon Realm, all the lords are Transcendent Beings.

In the Middle Realm, there are at least three confirmed: Jeong Ha-yul, the Queen, and me. There might be more unregistered Awakened Ones.

And they could be villains.

Unless my ability is to come back from death, I have no choice but to train until I die.

PD Choi, who had been checking around the Monster Restaurant and its surroundings, seemed to have finished his morning tasks and was watching the Scorpion and me train.

“Nothing else to do?”

“Yeah, just finished everything.”

“Then, could I ask you a favor?”

“Sure, if it’s possible.”

“Could you ask if anyone absolutely can’t eat monster meat?”

At my words, the Scorpion flinched.

Maybe he has bad memories of monster meat.

But Winter and you are top priority.

Even if you say you can’t eat it, I won’t let you off.

“Why? I can guess, but…”

“We’re making breakfast with monster meat. If someone can’t eat it because it’s gross, we’ll have to exclude them. Just like some people can’t eat dog meat, some might not be able to eat monster meat.”

“Got it. I was wondering when to ask, now seems like the best timing.”

Then he flashed that sly smile again.

That unique smile is so annoying.

“Ah, and could you bring some monster meat? Just this once, as a service. The program planning went smoothly thanks to me.”

“I admit, the monster meat butchers only agreed to help because of Hero Jeong Gyeoul’s name. There’s a small amount already prepared at the production team’s accommodation, so I’ll have the latecomers bring it.”

“Oh, you even prepared in advance? Do you have Red Jaguar or Iron-Shell Wild Boar meat?”

“Of course, they’re the most popular monster meats. I set aside a bit of each as samples, I’ll bring both.”

Our conversation probably won’t make it to the broadcast.

It might look like the program is being manipulated by an individual.

There’ll be all sorts of rumors online, like PD Choi caving to the Association’s pressure.

The broadcast will probably show us waking up and doing morning training, then cut to the other cast members waking up.

The monster meat provision will likely be framed as the production team’s consideration.

After all, the people who have to cook and sell monster meat should know what it tastes like.

Anyway, preparations are done.

Now it’s time to serve the monster meal.

Keep calling it a monster meal, and the image of a bizarre meal gets stronger.

But it’s just a monster’s meal.

Western cuisine is Western food. Japanese cuisine is Japanese food.

Monster cuisine is monster food… or rather, monsters as food…? Whatever. Let’s just call it monster food.

***

After a refreshing morning workout.

Jeong Gyeoul entered the Monster Restaurant.

She was preparing the simplest and most basic dish for those who had overindulged in alcohol the previous night.

The best way she thought of to introduce the taste of monster meat.

Why not add monster meat to a flavor everyone knows?

Jeong Gyeoul, who would become the main chef of the Monster Restaurant, had a different mindset than usual.

Not food she wanted to eat, but food for others.

Considering what people went through the previous day and their current state.

‘This is the weight of a chef!’

Already, her heart was filled with pride.

Then, a car sound came from afar, and she went out to receive the monster meat the production team was bringing.

“Ah, PD. Where did you put the ramen we were going to cook yesterday?”

“It’s inside the restaurant.”

“Oh, why are you being so cooperative today?”

“…What kind of image do you think I have?”

As she was about to explain her image of PD Choi in detail, the car with the production team arrived.

She took the meat and quickly headed back into the Monster Restaurant.

Jeong Gyeoul put on prepared boots, a hat, an apron, and entered the kitchen.

Like a doctor about to perform surgery, she meticulously washed her hands, pretending to dry them with a towel while using magic to evaporate the remaining moisture.

‘If I don’t do this, putting on gloves is a pain…’

In her previous life, though not long, she had experience in the food industry, so she knew this much.

After finishing her preparations, Jeong Gyeoul found a large wok in the kitchen and placed it on a large stove.

She looked for a lighter but couldn’t find it, so she gave up.

Glancing at the kitchen camera, she subtly moved to find an angle that would block the camera.

‘They didn’t say not to use magic… but since they suppressed magic during the game, it seems like they don’t want us to use it…’

She generated a fine amount of magic on her middle and thumb fingers and snapped.

A spark flew, and the stove ignited.

She didn’t think about the ceiling camera filming everything.

But actually, she didn’t need to worry about the camera.

It was a misunderstanding because she forgot the program’s premise of showcasing dishes made by heroes using magic and superpowers.

As she heated the wok and lightly oiled it, Winter and Yuna came down.

They looked clean, not like the drunks who had overindulged the previous night.

‘Idol groups… might be more impressive than I thought.’

The rhythmic sound of Jeong Gyeoul’s Chinese knife hitting the cutting board echoed.

“Wow, what’s with the knife skills? You look like a chef!”

“It’s been a while since I used a short knife, so it feels a bit awkward.”

Since being possessed by Jeong Gyeoul, she had only wielded a short sword, so a Chinese knife shorter than her forearm felt unfamiliar.

But contrary to her words, she quickly sliced two onions and then chopped some green onions.

The monster meat was set aside, drained of blood.

The onions and green onions were chopped.

Confirming the preparations were done, she cleaned the cutting board.

“What’s today’s menu, Chef?”

“Just planning to cook some ramen, for hangovers.”

“Anything’s fine, as long as it’s got red broth.”

I briefly thought, ‘Back in my day, no matter how much I drank, I never needed hangover food…’ but I couldn’t say it out loud.

I just smiled and focused on cooking.

The wok was heating up, and smoke was about to rise.

I lightly oiled it and added the chopped onions.

I turned the heat to max and started stir-frying.

Following Jeong Gyeoul’s wrist snaps, the onions moved in beautiful trajectories.

This was the process of infusing the so-called ‘fire flavor.’

When the onions were partially charred and translucent.

I added the drained monster meat and minced garlic to the wok and stir-fried.

This was to reduce the gamey smell and enhance the aroma.

A process Koreans can’t do without.

As the pork cooked and turned close to white, I added half of the prepared green onions.

The white part, mainly responsible for the broth’s flavor, called the ‘leaf sheath.’

Finally, I stir-fried a few more times to infuse the meat and green onions with the fire flavor.

“Wow, the smell is insane…”

“Can we eat now? Just let us eat now!”

Even though the ramen wasn’t in yet, the smell of the green onions, meat, and onions frying in oil was intense.

For the already hungry Winter and Yuna, it was a huge stimulus.

As a bonus, Han Seo-jin and Kim Guk-min came down, probably smelling it from the accommodation.

Around this time, PD Choi finished his survey on monster meat, using interviews as an excuse.

Fortunately, the responses were all positive.

After infusing enough fire flavor, I added the powder soup and water and waited for it to boil.

Meanwhile, I set the table with spoons, chopsticks, side dishes, and side plates.

Thanks to Winter and Yuna quickly helping, I had some breathing room.

When the water started boiling, I added the ramen and repeatedly lifted and lowered it with tongs.

“Why are you doing that?”

“It makes the noodles chewier by exposing them to air. That’s the idea.”

Some say lifting them makes the noodles less cooked, and that’s why it feels that way.

But actually, cooking this way makes the noodles feel like they don’t get soggy even after finishing the ramen.

‘Whatever anyone says, if it tastes good my way, that’s all that matters.’

I didn’t add eggs, as it would kill the fire flavor and halve the meat broth’s taste.

When the noodles were firm, I sprinkled pepper and stirred well, then turned off the heat.

“Here, try it.”

Jeong Gyeoul’s monster meat ramen was placed on the table.

‘You guys could die eating this, and no one would know.’