Chapter 26: Suspcious Meat Restaurent.

It had been exactly three days since the announcement about opening the YouTube channel.

I headed to a beef restaurant located a bit away from my house to meet Park Jae-seong and Yoo Na-yeon, as we had

discussed beforehand.

“…….

I was waiting at the front of the restaurant to enter together, but even after the appointment time of 2 PM had

passed, they were nowhere to be seen.

Looks like a couple is late together.

I thought about whether I should contact them, so I took out my phone from my pocket, but just then, at exactly 2:10

PM, I saw the two of them crossing the crosswalk.

“Hey, Woo-joo!”

“Ugh, that idiot… showing up so cheerfully after being late.”

Yoo Na-yeon, with her shoulder-length blonde hair fluttering, greeted me brightly, and Park Jae-seong, who stood

next to her, asked with a slightly apologetic expression, “Did you wait long?”

“Do you guys have no concept of appointment times?”

“Sorry, Na-yeon forgot her phone and we had to go back for it.”

“Hehe, sorry.”

Seeing Yoo Na-yeon apologize with a face that didn’t look the slightest bit sorry, my bubbling anger faded away.

Her cheerful and innocent personality made me feel foolish for being upset. That’s probably why we’ve been able to

stay close this long.

“Anyway, now that you’re here, let’s go inside.”

“Yay, beef! Beef!”

“Today, we’re going to indulge ourselves a bit.”

Setting aside the lateness issue, we moved inside, with the two of them following me with bright expressions.

Creak.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation, sir?”

As we opened the sliding door and entered the restaurant, a well-built man standing at the entrance greeted us.

Wow, his build is something else… He looks more like a bodyguard than a restaurant staff member. His facial

features are also quite pronounced, making him appear even more intimidating.

“Uh, I have a reservation under Kang Woo-joo.”

“!?”

I felt a bit taken aback momentarily but didn’t show it as I stated the reservation name.

The staff member stood there, looking somewhat shocked, then began tapping on a device nearby to confirm something.

“Um, are you really Kang Woo-joo?”

“Uh? Yes, yes… that’s me.”

What’s going on?

It’s rare for a staff member to double-check the reservation name, but this one’s reaction felt particularly unusual.

Anyone would think they had just seen a celebrity.

“Finally, he has come!”

“Ugh, now I can finally take off this apron…!”

I heard a commotion from the kitchen, but I couldn’t catch the details.

Something about the atmosphere feels off. Did I accidentally come to the wrong place?

“I apologize for the intrusion. Your reserved table is prepared, so please follow me.”

“Ah, yes….”

The way they ensure good service makes it feel like a proper restaurant. Just looking at the menu, all the items are beef.

Maybe there’s been some misunderstanding.

“I guess the owner has changed.”

While the owner went to the kitchen to set up our table, Yoo Na-yeon muttered quietly while looking around the restaurant.

The owner has changed? That means…

“Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, my uncle treated us here for his promotion. We all came to eat together.”

“Oh, I remember now.”

I had never heard that before, but Park Jae-seong nodded as if he had heard of it and began pouring water for us.

Right, today I’m the one pouring water, so I should at least get treated like this.

“But it seems like the owner has changed since then. The staff seems a bit rough around the edges…”

“Exactly. Do they hire staff based on their physique?”

At Park Jae-seong’s comment, I turned to look at the staff moving between the kitchen and dining area, and it was

clear that their builds were quite impressive.

The smallest-looking staff member seemed to be about the same build as Park Jae-seong, who was the fittest among us.

It’s quite surprising that there’s only one female employee. Usually, restaurants tend to hire at least some female

staff to serve in the dining area.

“Well, the new owner probably hired them. Enough of this pointless chatter; let’s choose a menu… Huh?”

As I handed the menu board to the two of them, offering them the chance to choose, I heard a sound like a cart being

pushed from somewhere.

I thought they might be bringing it to another table, but since we were the only customers, I figured that wasn’t the

case and turned my head.

What I saw was,

“What, what is that?”

“Wow, that’s huge.”

A gigantic chunk of meat, boasting a dazzling color and appearance, was being wheeled toward us on a cart,

something you’d expect to see in a fine dining restaurant.

To maintain the freshness of the meat, it seemed they were using some kind of device to release cold smoke from dry

ice beside it, giving it a truly luxurious vibe.

But why is that coming this way?

“Excuse me.”

The staff member, who brought the cart filled with meat and side dishes, suddenly started piling all that food onto our table.

But we haven’t even ordered yet?

“If there were other customers, I’d think they mistakenly brought this to us, but since we’re the only ones here…”

Wondering if there had been a communication error between the owner and the staff, I cautiously spoke up, but the

staff member, looking at me with a smile, explained.

“Oh, this is a service. We provide a special service for our ten-thousandth customer.”

“…Excuse me? A service?”

“Wow! Really!?”

The news of the service seemed to have delighted Yoo Na-yeon, who cheered loudly, but I was utterly perplexed.

I could understand giving a service for the ten-thousandth customer, but wasn’t this a bit excessive? When I think of

a service, I imagine maybe a complimentary drink or, at best, a side dish if I leave a review.

This was clearly a full spread of premium beef, and it left me dumbfounded.

Moreover, there was way too much. Just looking at it, it seemed like two of us would end up bursting if we tried to

eat all of it.

Are they really giving this away for free?

“Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let us know.”

“Wow, thank you!”

“I’ll eat well, boss!”

With a table overflowing with dishes, the staff bowed deeply and left.

In the meantime, Park Jae-seong and Yoo Na-yeon were so thrilled about getting expensive beef for free that they

stood up to thank the retreating staff.

But just how much is all of this worth?

“Wow, the meat must be really good.”

“The staff said it’s two-star Hanwoo.”

“Two-star? Seriously, can they just give this away as a service?”

“Seems like a place with a strong service spirit.”

Am I the strange one for not being able to accept this situation at face value?

The couple sitting across from me, oblivious to my confusion, were fixated on the elegantly marbled beef, swallowing

their saliva as they eagerly looked at me, as if to say, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and start grilling!”

Alright, if they ask for money, I’ll just pay. For now, let’s eat without worrying too much. The meat looks delicious.

Sizzle.

“Eat a lot, especially you, Yoo Na-yeon, since you’ll have to work hard from now on, so I’ll make sure you get extra.”

Once the beef was cooked to a decent level, I decided to serve Yoo Na-yeon, who would be working with me as an editor, placing a few pieces on her plate.

Then, with a teasing expression, Yoo Na-yeon picked up a piece of meat and waved it in front of me, as if to taunt me.

“If someone saw this, they’d think you’re treating me, not that it’s a free service.”

“Hey, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be able to enjoy this free beef today!”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that.”

As I firmly rebutted her, she quickly backed down and started dipping the beef into the sauce.

It felt a bit like I was becoming the witch from Hansel and Gretel, fattening up my soon-to-be slaves under me.

“Hey, you should eat too. Don’t just take care of us.”

“I’m not that hungry. You guys eat plenty.”

As I served beef on Park Jae-seong’s plate as well, he seemed to feel uncomfortable with just me grilling, trying to

reach for the tongs, but I dodged his hand and replied nonchalantly.

After all, there’s plenty of meat, so I could fill them up first and then take my time eating.

Besides, it’s quite strange to hand the tongs to someone else when we’re at a beef restaurant. Grilling it myself is the safest and tastiest way to enjoy it.

Sizzle, sizzle.

…?

After sharing a reasonable amount with the two of them, I put the last piece of meat in my mouth and chewed when I

heard a sound like someone mopping the floor.

Curiously, I turned my gaze to see a woman diligently mopping the floor, the only female staff member I had noticed

when we entered the restaurant.

But she looked somewhat familiar.

“…Huh?”

I knew it was rude to stare at someone I hadn’t met before, yet I couldn’t help but keep my eyes on her.

Just as she seemed to finish her work and raised her head, a surprised sound escaped my lips.

And no wonder; standing before me was none other than…

“…!?”

“Hello. What a coincidence to see you here, Cosmos.”

It was Seo Ha noona.

What? Is it really a coincidence that I ended up at the beef restaurant where Seo Ha noona was working part-time?

Is there such a thing as fate?