Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 626: That Man’s Day

The crunchy lettuce, coupled with the sweet and sour pickles, spread right after the soft texture of the bread. The patty also had a light and clean flavor that harmonized all of the flavor in the burger. Then, just like that, Minhyuk sipped some of his cola through a straw. The refreshing and tickling feeling in his throat brought a smile to his face.

This time, Minhyuk grabbed three thick fries, dipped them in the ketchup and mayonnaise sauce, and placed everything in his mouth.

Munch, munch—

The smile of delight on Minhyuk’s face became even wider.

Meanwhile, Reporter Kim Ji-Hyeon and PD Jong-Seok, who were watching him closely, were both speechless. Placed right in front of them was a fantastic combination of ramyeon and cold rice. This was actually the best combination in PC rooms.

‘But why do I suddenly have the urge to eat burgers?’

‘Wait, can you really eat half a burger in just two bites?’

The two felt like they were watching a mukbang live. In fact, seeing Minhyuk chuckle in delight made them forget their duty, opting to watch him with fond smiles on their faces. However, Jong-Seok and Ji-Hyeon quickly snapped out of it, shaking their heads so they could fully come back to their senses.

Just like that, Minhyuk cleared his third tray, before digging immediately into the fourth tray. He rubbed his palms together in excitement at the sight of the fourth tray. The set meal that was being served was loved by everyone. It was none other than tteokbokki, sundae, fried fritters, kimbap, and fish cake soup.

“Ah. I really like PC rooms…”

For Minhyuk, this situation was a special and happy one. Those that lived normally would often come to PC rooms, with only their wallets with them on their day offs to play some games and enjoy the food that they served here. However, Minhyuk usually could not do that. That was why he felt blessed to be able to do it even once.

The first thing that Minhyuk grabbed was the tuna kimbap. The scent of the fragrant perilla leaf and the taste of the sour pickled radish tickled his mouth the moment he took a bit out of it. Minhyuk personally liked the fragrant scent of the perilla leaf on this tuna kimbap; the scent perfectly complemented the texture of the tuna and the mayonnaise.

After chewing and savoring the plain tuna kimbap, Minhyuk grabbed another piece and dipped it in the tteokbokki’s sauce. The flavor that spread in his mouth the moment he ate the piece was admirable.

“Wow…”

Then, when his throat felt dry, he grabbed the fish cake soup that was served in a disposable paper container and took a sip of the still warm soup. The warm, light fish cake soup seemed to wrap everything and wash it down his throat seamlessly.

This time, Minhyuk picked a piece of sundae. It was a little unfortunate that there was no liver or lungs present in the dish due to the nature of PC rooms, but there was nothing he could do about the fact. Even if it was not complete, the easy-to-eat sundae and its chewy texture was still enough to make Minhyuk’s mouth water.

Minhyuk first dipped a piece of sundae in salt and placed it in his mouth. The salt went well with the clean taste of the sundae, bringing a smile of delight on Minhyuk’s face. His chopsticks stretched out towards the fried fritters, the first he picked being fried squid.

Crunch— crunch, crunch—

With every bite, a crunch that was characteristic to well-fried dishes rang loudly in his ears. After the crunchy layer, the chewy squid greeted Minhyuk’s mouth.

This time, he turned his attention towards the gimmari. As always, the gimmari, which was glass noodles wrapped in seaweed and deep fried, should always be dipped in the tteokbokki’s sauce.

Crunch— crunch, crunch—

After eating the entire gimmari in one bite, Minhyuk began to munch on the fried vegetables. The fried vegetables were covered in oil, yet Minhyuk was still able to taste the underlying flavor of the various vegetables. However, the one that tasted the strongest among the vegetables was the sweet potato.

Then, it was time for the long-awaited tteokbokki. The tteokbokki that was served to him was topped with a piece of boiled egg. This fact alone proved to Minhyuk that the owner of this place was someone that knew how to eat.

Minhyuk used his spoon as he divided the egg in half. He crushed one half of the egg and mixed it with the tteokbokki’s spicy sauce. Then, he scooped a mouthful and placed it in his mouth. The egg yolk, which should feel dry to the mouth, tasted sweet and soft. Next, Minhyuk picked up a piece of rice cake and placed it in his mouth, savoring its chewy texture. After that, he picked some fish cake. Minhyuk personally liked the fish cake more than the rice cake in tteokbokki.

Just like that, Minhyuk’s mukbang continued as he wiped off the contents of his fourth tray. The fourth tray was then followed by the fifth tray, and it continued all the way until the eight tray.

“…”

“…”

Jong-Seok and Ji-Hyeon were both rendered dumbstruck at the sight of Minhyuk eating continuously like that.

After a few hours of non-stop eating, Minhyuk finally moved with his van again.

“Right, the Food God has an eating addiction, that’s why he could not stop eating earlier. But Reporter Kim, I’m sure that this time it’s the real deal.”

‘He definitely had to have secrets, just like those celebrities! If not that, then the ugly and bare face that was hidden beneath his mask!’

Jung Jong-Seok was certain that he would be able to rip off Minhyuk’s mask and show the world his true, ugly self!

Their car continued to follow behind Minhyuk, until they reached a dark and hidden alleyway. The sun was already setting by the time they arrived there. What they saw was Minhyuk moving a box from his bongo car and leaving it in front of the house along with a sack of rice.

“A sack of rice and a box…? What in the world?”

Han Jeong-Seok and Kim Ji-Hyeon looked at each other in doubt. What? Was he doing some kind of voluntary service or something? No, that did not make sense at all.

‘Why does the son of the chairman have to do something like that personally?’

They found it hard to believe. It just did not make sense. Also, many who donated usually found some way to publish articles like ‘Donating 100 million won to someone’, or ‘Donating 100 million won to earthquake victims’ to the world, whenever they gave something out. There were even pictures of the victims standing next to the people that received their donations with awkward smiles on their faces. These people usually made it into a show and tell, a business. They were spending 100 million won to buy a good image.

So, why was Minhyuk doing something like that over there? He was even doing it secretly when the sun was about to set.

Minhyuk’s bongo car continued to move. Some places that he went to were so underdeveloped that he even groaned as he carried the sack of rice on his shoulders. Despite the perspiration soaking his body, Minhyuk continued to carry the sacks of rice and boxes without stopping.

“What in the world is he doing?”

“Did he hide something there and he’s selling them like that?”

Han Jeong-Seok looked at Minhyuk, plenty of doubt flashing in his head. Perhaps, it was because he had been witnessing the dirty side of the entertainment industry for a very long time, that his thinking and personality had become cynical.

The two continued to watch Minhyuk carry the boxes dozens of times. In the end, they could not contain their curiosity and ended up approaching one of the boxes that was placed in front of a rusty gate. Then, the gate suddenly opened as a girl, who seemed to be still in middle school, appeared.

Shocked by the sudden appearance of the girl, the two stopped in their tracks. They watched as the girl looked at the box and the note left on it and smiled. Jong-Seok hurriedly stepped forward when he saw the girl turn around and called out, “Student!”

“Yes?” The middle school girl asked, looking at the two of them curiously.

“We’re observing the person that left that box behind. Can we see what’s inside?”

“You’re observing oppa? This box? Aaaaah…”

The girl, Chae-Min, was a quick-witted person. She opened the box and showed its contents to Kim Ji-Hyeon alone.

‘…Aren’t those sanitary pads?’

The box was filled with daily necessities, along with a few sanitary pads. Ji-Hyeon shook her head, the contents of the box was not what her senior, Jong-Seok, thought it to be.

“Why did he leave this in front of your door? And why did he do it by himself?”

As mentioned before, Chae-Min was a quick-witted girl. Because of that, she could tell that this was her chance to help that person the moment she heard Jong-Seok’s question. She said, “Actually, I know who oppa is. However, I’m pretending not to know. It’s because this is what he wants.”

“He does not want anyone to know?”

“Yes.”

“When did he start doing this?”

“Around four months ago?”

When Jong-Seok heard Chae-Min’s words, a piece of information flashed in his head. He knew that Minhyuk started going on his once-a-month outing four months ago.

“The first time I met oppa was during the ‘Sponsor’s Party Day’.”

That was when Chae-Min’s story began.

***

Click, click, click, click—

Sponsor’s Party Day was an event where the sponsors of orphanages, nursing homes, and disaster victims gathered to receive a plaque of appreciation. CEOs and representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises, and even famous and public figures, often attended this event.

However, it was not just these public figures that came to this event. The middle-school, high-school, and college students that they sponsored also came to this event. Why were they asked to participate in this event?

Simple. The sponsors wanted to take pictures with them to show how they were helping them live in this beautiful world. Of course, they also wanted to show off their ‘good deeds’ during the plaque-awarding ceremony.

However, for the sponsored students, it was hard to endure.

‘What if my friends at school see this picture?’

‘What if someone knows that I’m an abandoned child?’

‘I feel so uncomfortable. I want to run away.’

Of course, there were many people that did ‘good deeds’ in this world. However, the children were afraid that someone would find out about their unfortunate situation once their pictures were taken. But what would happen if they refused? Their sponsorship would be cut off. This was the cold and ruthless reality for them.

On this day, Chae-Min came, albeit uncomfortable, to take pictures with her sponsors. After taking pictures, they were brought for a meal. They came to a restaurant that served grilled meat. The restaurant was so large that all of the people that came to attend the Sponsor’s Party Day were able to mingle inside. Chae-Min had just sat at her table to eat meat when she heard the CEO of Green and Healthy Co. Ltd., the company that was actively sponsoring her, call for her.

At that table, only Green and Healthy Co. Ltd.’s CEO Yang In-Sik and Chae-Min were present. Yang In-Sik was a man in his mid-50s whose small and mid-sized enterprises started to develop recently. Because of that, he became arrogant and snobbish. He was also very greedy, and his bulging belly was testament to that fact.

“Chae-Min, you don’t have to worry. This uncle will solve everything for you until you study in university. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I know,” Chae-Min nodded, a bit uncomfortable with the man.

The loaded question meant that she would have to take pictures with him, even until she entered university and take the lead in promoting their company. Simply put, once Chae-Min entered university, an article with the title ‘A Respectable Lady, Chae-Min, Grew Up with the Support of Green and Healthy Co. Ltd.’ would be published.

Was this actually considered a good deed? Chae-Min was no fool. This was not a good deed; it was a deal, a transaction. They were taking advantage of the fact that the children could not work and that the poor could not go hungry.

“Chae-Min, this old man likes you. You are like a daughter to me~”

It started again. Again. At the same time, Yang In-Sik placed his hand on Chae-Min’s shoulder and applied a bit of pressure. Chae-Min gently lowered the hand on her shoulder and stood up with an awkward smile on her face, “I will always keep that in mind.”

Then, she hurriedly left the seat. All Chae-Min could do was sigh. She did not even have the money to buy her daily necessities and sanitary pads right away. She also could not afford to lose the support, since she needed the money for her grandmother’s hospital expenses. Poor teenagers like her were made aware of the harsh reality at a tender age and were forced to grow up quickly.

Sporting a blank look, she sat alone on a chair in the hallway of the restaurant, somewhere near the restroom while thinking, ‘There really are no good adults.’

The adults only wanted to take advantage of them. That was when she heard the sound of footsteps coming from within the restroom. Chae-Min quickly crouched down as much as she could to shield her body. That was when she heard the voice of Yang In-Sik.

“Our children will definitely grow up to be cool and lovely, right? Haha!”

“You are absolutely right, Sir. Haha!”

“Right. Among them, our Chae-Min is the prettiest. She’ll definitely grow up to become a beauty.”

Those were the words that were spoken. However, the implications of their words and the thought of Yang In-Sik’s disgusting expression as he imagined those horrible thoughts was completely revolting and disgusting.

“Ah, I feel like Chae-Min’s growing to look more and more like my daughter every time I see her.”

The words were so disgusting that Chae-Min felt nauseous. But then, a completely different voice, the voice of a young man rang from within the men’s restroom.

“I’m telling you this because you look to be my dad’s age.”

“…?”

Question marks began to float in Chae-Min’s head. Even if she did not see them, she could tell that Yang In-Sik and his secretary were flustered. Then, the voice of the young man said, “You’re quite the big asshole for your age, you f*cking bastard.”

“…”

The restroom turned silent at the sudden curse that rang loudly inside.