Chapter 34

Time naturally passed and eventually, it was Saturday. We usually film auditions on Monday but since this one was a special online episode, we were doing it today.

Oh, but the last episode aired on Friday as usual. The online votes came in and I was steady at 5th place. Going from 9th to 5th is pretty impressive if I do say so myself. It would be even better if I can say I went up to 4th place.

“Sian’s team is going to go to the 000 pork galbi house and the 000 cold noodle restaurant in Mapo. You can find the directions online.”

Jia, Hainan, and I all nodded and stepped out of the van. We were dropped off here because both places were nearby. But, it wasn’t just us. Jun-jin and the other VJs were waiting for us.

“Hi, Sian!”

Jun-jin greeted brightly. He was still limping, but only just a bit compared to before. Up until a couple of days ago, he had still refused to talk to me but now, it seemed like he was over it.

“Hi, Jun-jin. How’s the leg?” I asked with a smirk. My mood significantly improved when I remembered hitting that leg. What I wouldn’t do to get one more blow in...

“It’s doing okay.”

“But your arm is still in a cast,” I said, looking pointedly at Jun-jin’s arm.

I needed him to heal quickly so that I could get another opportunity to break it.

“Oh, it’s just for a little while longer. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.”

“So are you going to take the lead on this one?”

“Me?”

“You’re ranked number one in internet searches for celebrities.”

“Oh, really?”

Ranked number one...Is he complimenting me...What is he up to...Anyways, I simply answered.

“I am going to eat, but Jia will be able to react better while Hainan is going to provide commentary. Are you filming right now?” I said, gesturing to the camera on Jun-jin’s shoulder.

“No. We’re going to go live in about 10 minutes.”

“Okay then. Hey guys, let’s go to the 000 pork galbi restaurant.”

At the very moment I said that, Jia held out her phone. She had already found the directions.

“Let’s go! I’m hungry!”

Jia began to run, so Hainan and I quickly followed. The VJs hurried after us.

The 000 pork galbi restaurant was closer than I thought.

“Do you have permission to film in here?” I asked the writer who had come with us.

“Nope, you have to ask yourself.”

“Oh.”

Right now, it was 10 AM. Saturday afternoons are the busiest times, which is why we were filming in the morning. But is there a meat restaurant that opens at 10? This one might open since it’s known for catering to the lunch crowd.

“Let’s go inside.”

Jia and Hainan nodded, both following me inside.

“Excuse me~”

The cool AC hit us at the moment we were inside and we could see a young man sitting in the far corner of the restaurant. There were no customers yet.

“Hello.”

The young man greeted us warmly as he approached us. It seemed like he was the owner.

“Are you open right now?” I asked.

“Uh…now? Um…”

The man hesitated as he looked around the restaurant, but then he said, “We normally don’t open until 11, but…well, it’s fine. You can sit here.”

He replied with a smile. He seemed a bit shy, but I didn’t blame him. I’m sure the three of us were a sight to behold for any man. Me, Jia, and Hainan. The holy trinity.

“Thank you.”

“But are you filming this...?”

“Oh, yes. We’re filming for a show. You can look for it online,” I explained before telling him which show we were on.

“Oh! Is Ji-hyun Yoo filming right now as well?”

“Yeah, she probably is.”

The man seemed very excited about it. I guess he was a fan of Ji-hyun.

“Let’s look at the menu,” I said as the three of us sat down.

Little did I know what was yet to come. I had no idea just how crazy and powerful my digestive system would be…

***

The man came out with the charcoals and placed the grill on top. On top of that, he placed the marinated slices of pork galbi.

“Wow.”

I oohed in awe, with Hainan and Jia following suit. I’ve never seen something look so good. As soon as I saw the meat, my appetite went raging. I’ve never been one to be so hungry. I just eat when there’s food and hold off when there’s not. But right now, I definitely wanted to eat. The sight of meat filled me with a blissful feeling. It gave me goosebumps.

“How long have you owned this place?” I asked the young owner. This is a show, so I might as well ask him some questions.

“Thirty-two years.”

“Oh.”

Thirty-two years. That’s a long time! That means this place does really well. The owner must have picked up on how impressed I was because he went on.

“We only use fresh meat and ingredients, and I prep everything myself in the morning.”

“Oh,” I said, clapping for him.

“If you do all of that daily, then you must be really busy everyday.”

“I am. But I really care about what my customers eat, which is why I do it.”

“You’re amazing.”

We all nodded, visibly impressed.

“Hey, Sian! There’s 2000 people watching us,” Hainan said after the writer told her.

“2000? What about the others?” I asked Hainan. But it was the writer who wrote something down and held it up.

[3rd]

3rd. Out of the five teams, we were 3rd. Proably because of Yoo-young and Ji-hyun. Those two are really popular...Even with the three of us, we were only third.

“We just have to try harder!” Jia said enthusiastically. She looked at the camera and began to pout.

“Guys! Don’t go! And tell others to watch us too! Okay?! Hmm?! Hmmmm?! Hmmmm?!~!”

The VJs almost lost their minds over that. Honestly, so did I. Jia was so adorable. But the best part was after that, we suddenly went up to 2nd.

“Whoa. Hey, keep going.” I told Jia.

“No. If I keep trying to act cute, it won’t be as effective. Right, boys?” Jia said, directing her question to the male viewers with a smile. And suddenly, we were 1st. This girl was amazing.

“Hey, Sian, why don’t you try?” Jun-jin asked, turning the camera to me. I somehow refrained from telling him to fuck off.

“Sorry, but I’m not good at that,” I said sheepishly. I turned away, letting my long hair hide me when I made a face. If there’s one good thing about long hair, it’s that it hides expressions you don’t want people to see.

“The viewers keep commenting. They want to see you try and act cute.”

“Hehe. Right.”

Who the hell were they? I wanted to know so I could beat their ass.

“Come on, Sian. Just once.”

“Please, Sian?”

‘Ugh...’

Fuck, I’m already over this. They want me to act cute...But I knew there was no way I could get out of this. I looked at the camera

“Sigh...”

I took a deep breath. Okay, fine. Let’s just...Let’s just get this over it...

“One plus one is gwiyomi. Two plus two is gwiyomi. Three plus three is gwiyomi. Gwiyomi. Gwiyomi. Four plus four is gwiyomi. Five plus five is gwiyomi. Six plus six is jjok! Jjok! Jjok! Jjok! Jjok! Jjok! Gwiyomi. Gwiyomi...”

Suddenly, I could feel my stomach turning. The VJs began to cheer. The comment section was going off. But the nausea was becoming worse.

“I need to go. Bathroom.”

I ran to the restroom and managed to shove myself into a stall, just before I vomited.

***

“Is this marinade made out of soy sauce?” I asked the owner.

“Yes. We placed the meat for a bit in a marinade made out of non-fermented soy sauce.”

“I’m guessing you have your own secret recipe for your marinade?”

“Yep,” the owner said with a smile. He was confident with his skills in the kitchen. I could tell just by looking at his face.

“Let’s start grilling.”

“Oh, Sian, look! There’s instructions on how to grill the meat properly!” Hainan said, pointing to a piece of paper stuck onto the wall. And sure enough, there was a list of instructions.

After placing the meat on the grill, put the heat on high for 7-8 minutes. After that, flip it over and leave it for 4-5 minutes.

After lowering the heat to medium, take the meat closest to the center and cut it into bite-sized pieces. It’s important to think about the size of the grill when cutting the pieces to ensure a thorough and even cooking.

Turn the heat on low and eat the boneless parts first.

Be sure to cook it all the way through to enjoy the full flavor and prevent illnesses.

“Let’s try that.”

I turned the heat and began to grill according to the instructions. Watching the meat sizzle was making my mouth water. I guess I like meat more than I thought. I was getting impatient...so much so that I absent-mindedly lifted my chopsticks.

“Sian, they’re not ready yet.”

“It’s fine. I can’t wait any longer.”

I picked up a piece and was about to put it in my mouth, but Hainan blocked me.

“No, Sian. When you eat pork, you have to cook it all the way.”

“Oh, okay...”

I put the meat back on the grill, but soon the meat finished. They were a beautiful brown color. The marinade was a bit oily and salty, but sweet at the same time...It would definitely taste really good with rice.

“Let’s eat...”

I grabbed two leaves of lettuce and placed a piece of meat on top. I also aded some garlic and some vegetables too. Then, I rolled it all up and stuffed it into my mouth.

“Wow~”

Yes! This was it! It felt so good to put something this delicious into my mouth. It was amazing.

“This tastes so good!” I said loudly as I faced the camera. Jia wasn’t even paying attention as she was so consumed with the meat. Hainan opened her bird-like mouth as wide as she could to stuff her food in.

“I have radish soup as well so be sure to get some after you finish the meat,” the owner suggested.

We all nodded eagerly. Radish soup. It sounded good. But first, the meat…

“I can just eat however much I want, right?” I asked the writer. She told me I could. Though she clearly didn’t believe I’d eat that much.

So I ordered two portions. At least to start off with…

***

“Mmmm~ Look at this! Doesn’t the meat look so tender?”

Jia said, holding up the piece of meat to the camera. You could almost see the marinade glistening on the meat. It was beautiful.

“Excuse me~ We’d like to add four more servings ~” I said without hesitation. The staff all looked at each other. They looked slightly apprehensive.

At first, we got four servings. Then we added two more servings…three times. And now I just added four more. Usually, four servings is enough for three people. That’s 26,000 won. But we’ve already ordered fourteen servings. That’s already 91,000 won...hey, they told us to eat as much as we wanted. I’m just doing as I was told. Don’t blame me.

“Here...”

I took two leaves of lettuce and held it up next to my head in front of the camera. It was almost the same size. I know my head is rather small, but the point is, the leaf was that big. I opened my mouth wide and stuffed one leaf into my left cheek and the other onto my right. And with that, I had a hamster face. I looked at the computer the staff had brought alone. The comments were coming up fast and they all seemed rather impressed.

(Wow)(Amazing)(Gasp!)(Unbelievable!)(That can’t be…!)(GG)(Thumbs up)

There were some from viewers and others who were commenting after hearing about what I was doing. All I did was eat some lettuce. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

I swallowed the lettuce. Fast. I wasn’t just chewing quickly. I was chewing and swallowing quickly. I didn’t even really chew before I swallowed. But the meat, I chewed. That’s how you get the full flavor.

“The meat is really tender and you can taste the flavor all the way in the bones...”

“Just eat, Hainan.”

Hainan wanted to keep talking about the meat but I silenced her. Now isn’t the time to comment on how it tastes. It was time to eat and eat and eat as much as we could. That’s what the netizens wanted too.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Jia, eat the rest,” I said. Jia nodded. Then she picked up five pieces of meat at once and shoved them into her mouth. Now that I think about it, she was eating a lot as well. And that’s how we finished up fourteen servings.

“Can we get more servings, please~”

The staffs’ mouths dropped open at my order, but I hardly cared.

“Oh, and I’d like to add three bowls of rice and a stew~”

“Sian, I think I’ll be too full if I eat the rice.”

“Really?” I said, making a face. She was going to stop? Well, that was a disappointment.

“I’m so full,” Jia said, placing her hands on her stomach. It was poking out. She almost looked pregnant. The netizens must have been thinking the same thing because they suddenly started going on about how cute she looked.

“Jia, you can’t give up now. Go and throw up.”

“Hmph.”

Jia pouted at my words.

“I can’t do that.”

“Fine.”

I just can’t. She’s too cute.

“I’m full, too.”

You too, Hainan?

“You’re still growing. You need to eat more.”

“If I eat more, I’ll throw up,” Hainan said, putting down her chopsticks.

“Traitors.”

I clicked my tongue, feeling disappointed.

“Let’s some radish soup, at least.”

“Okay!” Jia and Hainan answered in unison. I asked to change the order to radish soup instead of stew. Of course, I had every intention to eat both.

The four servings of pork galbi came out and I cleaned them out with the stew and a bowl of rice. I managed to finish one bowl with three spoonfuls. I ordered another bowl of rice. I scooped in some of the cooked marinade and mixed them together.

“Wow...”

Jia looked up from her radish soup, amazed at the sight of me eating. Hainan as well.

“You can have some too,” I said to them.

“Should I just throw up and come back. It looks really good!” Jia said, looking bitter.

“That’s why you need to pace yourself.”

The VJs’ faces grew dark at my statement. I continued to stuff both meat and rice into my mouth. And then, I finished the stew. It really did taste like nothing else I’ve eaten before.

“Oh, yeah, my radish soup.”

I dipped my spoon into the bowl of radish soup and took a loud sip. It was so small that I was able to finish it in two swallows. I ended my meal by sipping the last drop.

In total, it was eighteen servings of meat, two bowls of rice, and one bowl of radish soup.

“It’s not enough.”

I was still hungry.

***

My digestion was incredible. After going to the bathroom, I was ready for more.

“Hey, guys, are you still hungry?”

“I’m full.”

“Me too,” Jia and Hainan said with pouty faces. They had to be kidding me.

“The cold noodles at the restaurant we’re going to are supposed to be the best in the area. If you keep acting like this, I’m going to get mad.”

I grabbed their hands and dragged them to the cold noodle restaurant. The netizens continued to verbalize their awe. We were 1st by a landslide. Most of the netizens were there in support of me.

“Sian, aren’t you full?” Jun-jin asked me. He looked at me as if I’d suddenly sprouted antlers.

“Why should I be?” I asked, honestly confused. How was I supposed to feel full with just that?

“You really love food.”

“Oh, this is nothing.” I answered casually. But now that I think about it, maybe I could’ve held back a bit. But how on earth did I starve myself and go on a diet. Then again, it’s not like there was much to eat at the dorms anyway. The outside world was a different story. There were so many delicious food to eat!

But there was a problem. There were too many people at the cold noodle restaurant. It was lunchtime right now. We stayed too long at the meat restaurant.

“What should we do?” I asked the writer. What else could we eat? I was so hungry.

“Um, let’s just end here. We only have 10 more minutes of broadcast left. How about that restaurant over there?”

The writer said, pointing out a Korean fast food restaurant. The thought of bright red and sweet pieces of spicy rice cake immediately crossed my mind.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Once again, I grabbed Hainan and Jia by their hands and dragged them over to the other restaurant.