"I'm sorry, sir. Our staff made an error with the reservation, and it seems the dining times overlapped."
"Oh, then I'll wait until they're done eating..."
[Sit down.]
Ha Eung Eung slapped the seat next to her with a firm motion.
Lee Hae-chan, with a pained expression, quietly sat down.
Viewers in the chat were thrilled by the ridiculous coincidence.
Lee Hae-chan, reading the chat in desperation while pretending to communicate, felt his face burn.
From a facial perspective, he could be considered a beauty, but with the Silent Swordsman—who, in terms of personality, was a Demon King herself—staring at him, it was a very awkward situation.
Lee Hae-chan: "Guys, save me."
"Wow, Lee Hae-chan, as a pro streamer, you don’t stop communicating, do you?"
"Oh, it’s just an addiction. Sometimes, I should turn off the stream and live alone, but every time I do something, I think, ‘Isn’t this perfect for a VTube broadcast?’ so..."
"Ah, yeah, we all have those moments."
"Ujiwoo, do you ever stream?"
"Not streaming, but sometimes, if I slack off, I can avoid getting caught and have an hour of fun. Or if I hide somewhere, no one will notice, right? Haha."
The two men, uncomfortable with the situation, desperately tried to divert the conversation, but that wasn’t a wise decision.
The root of all evil was the tongue.
Ujiwoo confessed, in front of the Guild Leader, that he slacked off, and Lee Hae-chan was taken aback.
"Ah, I’m so frustrated. I need something to drink. Chef, do you serve alcohol here?"
"Yes, I can offer a refreshing glass of cheongju."
"Do you have heated rice wine?"
"That’s crossing the line."
"Huh?"
"Who drinks heated alcohol with sushi? If you get into that weird habit, people will start calling you a tasteless fool."
The chef, eager to show off his knowledge in front of Ha Eung Eung, couldn’t resist.
"Fine, just give me the cheongju quickly."
[I'm hungry.]
Even Ha Eung Eung, who was hungry!
The viewers’ jokes no longer felt like jokes.
Lee Hae-chan quickly pushed the crab soup in front of Ha Eung Eung.
"Here, eat this. The soup and alcohol don’t go well together, so I’ll give it up."
"Tsk."
The chef was visibly irritated.
He wanted to win Ha Eung Eung’s favor, thinking her pretty face might be enough to overlook the lack of taste, but then, this streamer appeared and stole all the attention, like a shining gold sun.
The act of sweetly offering his food also seemed pathetic, and nothing about the situation pleased him.
"Don’t give it to her."
So, he decided to act petty.
"You have to stick to the right portion if you want to enjoy it properly. With omakase, you must trust the chef completely."
"What? Are you crazy?"
"She’s got a strong ego, doesn’t she?"
Stop being a fool, we’re trying to save your life here.
The chef, not understanding Lee Hae-chan and Ujiwoo’s urgency, only made things worse.
"You customers really need to learn some manners. Your dining etiquette is terrible."
He had crossed the line and boldly provoked them.
Instead of being angered, Lee Hae-chan and Ujiwoo were cold with fear.
Ha Eung Eung, who was listening with a smirk, was thoroughly entertained by the situation.
"Can you back up those words? This is a live broadcast, and all the viewers are watching."
"Not only that, how can you treat the customers like this? My boss was just hungry, and now we’re being insulted!"
Before Ha Eung Eung could lose it, Lee Hae-chan and Ujiwoo quickly tried to take the initiative and shout at the chef.
But it was too late to backtrack.
[This is fun. I’ve never been treated so badly while spending money.]
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the first time.
In that damned Hao Mun, there were many in society’s lower classes.
Including concubines, musicians, and even housemaids and innkeepers.
‘There was a housemaid who resented me and made my life miserable.’
In the days when I was weak, I was oppressed by someone with such insignificant power.
Looking back, it was just food that could be bought for a few bucks.
The housemaid was simply afraid of someone invading her territory of cooking, and in an attempt to keep her power, she raised her voice and threatened.
[I understand. It’s natural for a master to take pride in their skills or have a quirky temper.]
"Hey, don’t talk about quirks carelessly..."
When Ha Eung Eung’s nails scraped across the table, the chef’s hand froze, and the sound of ice forming on his palm made everyone tense.
[Listen quietly. I’m showing mercy now.]
"Hah! My hand...!"
Lee Hae-chan recognized it.
It was a fusion technique combining the chef’s skills and Ha Eung Eung’s freezing technique.
What Ha Eung Eung was doing now seemed more like magic than martial arts—her influence was growing uncontrollably.
[I enjoy driving a knife into the head of rude people.]
"Please, save me!! Help!"
[Still, if they’re really skilled, I might forgive their rudeness just once.]
"I’m sorry. I won’t disrespect the customers again!"
[I’ll accept your apology.]
Phew. No stabbing occurred.
Lee Hae-chan, Ujiwoo, and the chef let out a collective sigh of relief.
[I’ll accept the apology, but only after confirming that you’re a chef worth my time.]
However, it was too early to relax.
"Well, about that certification..."
[I don’t judge by others’ standards. I trust only what I see with my own eyes.]
"Are you perhaps from the National Omakase Association?"
What was that?
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It was strange, but Ha Eung Eung denied it.
[I’m not from that association.]
"How can you judge my skills if you’re not from the association?"
[But I could invite someone from the association as a judge.]
A judge.
That name, so familiar yet ominous, made Ujiwoo start to wonder if something was off.
"What tournament are you planning to hold? Are you seriously thinking about holding a dark chef battle where the losers lose their lives?"
[That sounds fun.]
The chef looked shocked at Ujiwoo.
Ujiwoo, just as surprised, shouted back.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I just asked a question! It’s not my fault!"
[It’s not a tournament this time.]
"Phew."
[The tournament this time is the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Chef Tournament.]
"...Give me back my peace. This is definitely not reassuring!"
Even Ujiwoo, normally so carefree, felt the weight of his mistake now.
Whenever the Guild Leader made an outrageous statement with that calm face, massive chaos always followed.
Wasn’t the great upheaval in Gladiator Growth, resetting the game entirely, caused by such calm faces?
"Damn... it’s not even my problem, but I feel a gut-wrenching feeling."
Shaking with trauma, Lee Hae-chan too trembled.
The rude chef’s actions suddenly felt pitiable and sad—magically so.
The fact that Ha Eung Eung had targeted him was already enough to stir sympathy.
"Hang in there. You might not understand why it’s called the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Chef Tournament, but if you just give up now and forfeit, you won’t suffer much."
"Huh? What...?"
"Don’t you watch the news? You’ve just been marked by the Guild Leader of Haenam Faction."
"The Guild Leader of Haenam Faction... The Demon King Swordsman?!"
"...How did the first keyword that popped into your head be the Demon King Swordsman? What do people even know him as?"
Well, it wasn’t like Ujiwoo even wanted to know.
That poor chef... no, the cook was just reaping the consequences of his actions.