Chapter 110
Chapter 110: Chocolate Daejanggeum (4)
[Republic of Korea, Blue House]
President Park Jae-yeol sat in his chair with slumped shoulders.
A heavy smell of alcohol drifted off him.
Pyeon Jae-yeong approached him with a stiff expression.
"Your Excellency."
"I heard the news. Couldn't catch Kim Tae-yang's family either."
"Yes. I apologize."
"Poking at Red Dragon Gate was useless, and the ones who seemed connected have all gone into hiding………."
"I'm sorry."
Park Jae-yeol looked at Pyeon Jae-yeong and spoke.
"Isn't it strange? Ghost and the Nameless Hero—it was those two who cost us a full year and drove us out of the Republic of Korea. They showed up in a Korea that was doing perfectly fine and ruined everything! And yet! And yet………why are the people blaming me?"
‘Cognitive dissonance.’
Pyeon Jae-yeong felt a twinge of pity and, at the same time, a flicker of satisfaction.
Mental damage brought on by extreme stress.
Considering Park Jae-yeol's age, dementia might set in at this rate.
But he couldn't let it show.
"The people are nothing but livestock anyway, Your Excellency. They simply don't recognize those of us who work for them."
"Those of us?"
"I meant you, Your Excellency."
"Ha!"
Park Jae-yeol wrenched off his necktie and raised his whiskey glass to his lips.
It was barely past lunchtime, yet he was already completely drunk.
Gulp, gulp—.
Park Jae-yeol drained his glass and, as though having made up his mind, spoke to Pyeon Jae-yeong.
"Kim Tae-yang."
"……Yes?"
"I'll have Kim Tae-yang in France brought in."
"Your Excellency!"
"We wasted too much time trying to be roundabout. Deal with that one first."
"But still!"
"We can't touch the Nameless Hero. Catch Kim Tae-yang and they'll come on their own."
Park Jae-yeol seemed to have made this decision long ago.
He handed him a business card.
"The head of the National Intelligence Service's European bureau. The bureau chief tells me that in France, there's nothing money can't do. Bring him in."
"That means……?"
"It means go and handle it yourself!"
"Y-Your Excellency!"
"I see your son, Prosecutor Pyeon, is stationed at the Western Branch. I've issued his transfer effective today. He's been assigned to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Major Economic Crimes Investigation Team."
"The Major Crimes Unit?!"
The Major Economic Crimes Investigation Team.
Grand in name, but a notoriously dead-end posting.
Getting transferred to the Major Crimes Unit the moment one became a line prosecutor was no different from having one's career path sealed off entirely.
"This time, handle it properly. If it goes wrong, don't even think about coming back."
* * *
[École de Cuisine, Atelier Hall]
"It's……Min-jeong. Oh my. How did this happen."
The professor fumbled in shock and dropped his microphone.
But in this hall, the ones in shock were the professor, the judges—
And Louise alone.
From the rest of the audience seats, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
Clap, clap, clap—!
Even the part-timers Louise had hired forgot for a moment whose side they were on, and broke into applause.
【A French event company employee says they're glad they came today. +50 Happiness】
【A French part-timer says they'd come to an event like this even without pay. +100 Happiness】
It seemed they too hadn't expected such an engaging event when they'd come simply for the hourly wage.
Min-jeong, having won the first blind match, bounced on her heels like a child, while Louise glared daggers at the judges.
The judges, to a person, averted their eyes from her gaze.
At that moment, Michel Renaud rose from his seat.
The commotion in the hall fell silent in an instant.
He walked quietly over and picked up the 2 silver dishes holding the reserve chocolates prepared for the blind test.
The professor hurried over and asked him.
"Association President, what are you doing……?"
"I'm going to taste them. I simply can't contain my curiosity."
"Ahaha. These are just things the students made."
"Isn't it interesting, though? I'll taste them and drop in a marble. Let's check after the 2nd round of the finals is over."
The professor looked thoroughly flustered. His microphone was still on, so the audience heard every word.
Michel Renaud placed the chocolates in his mouth one by one, savoring each, then dropped a marble into the machine.
"Now then, shall we proceed with Round 2?"
"Ah! Yes, staff. Please bring in the tempered chocolates from the kitchen."
Round 2 began.
The chocolates Min-jeong and Louise had made earlier—entirely different from one another—were brought in.
The professor took the microphone again.
"For this round, since it was proposed by Association President Michel Renaud, he will serve as judge personally."
Clap, clap, clap—.
Applause poured forth.
Michel Renaud gave a slight bow and stepped up to the podium.
He reached first for Louise's chocolate.
First, the scent.
"Hmm. Louise's chocolate is like a chanson. Fragrant and flowing."
Michel Renaud placed it in his mouth and savored it.
"It melts the moment it touches the tongue. This is what French sensuality is."
His words were brief, but precise.
The mouths of the audience watered of their own accord.
Next came Min-jeong's chocolate.
"Hm. The fragrance is distinctive. There's a rich, nutty aroma."
Michel Renaud offered a one-line impression.
Bo-reum leaned over and spoke to me.
"That feels a bit weak, doesn't it? He called Louise's a chanson and all."
"You're seeing it wrong."
"What?"
"Shh, be quiet."
Bo-reum might not have noticed, but I had seen Michel Renaud's expression clearly.
The moment he brought Min-jeong's chocolate close to his nose, his nostrils had visibly trembled.
Michel Renaud placed Min-jeong's chocolate in his mouth.
"Hmm……."
He said nothing.
"What? There's no evaluation at all."
"He's savoring it."
He was quiet. A silence as though he were not chewing chocolate, but the whole of his life.
"Say something already. Old man."
At that moment, Michel Renaud's lips parted.
"Min-jeong's chocolate is like a poem. The first taste is simple, but as you chew, a rich, salty note rises, and in the end a faint bitterness and sweetness remain. A lingering impression that stays with you long after."
The judges said nothing.
Michel Renaud looked between Louise and Min-jeong.
"Students, I ate very well."
"Thank you."
"I am embarrassed."
"Please tell me the name of your work."
Louise answered.
"It's Invisible. The invisible hand—a fragrance that stimulates the palate."
"I see."
He gave Louise a light smile.
Next was Min-jeong's turn.
"And yours?"
Min-jeong lifted her head and spoke.
"Mom's Hands……."
"Oh. And the meaning?"
"A taste you forget every day, but long for every time……."
Michel Renaud looked at Min-jeong quietly.
Min-jeong lowered her head.
The results had not yet been announced, but—
In the hearts of the audience, the winner was already decided.
Michel Renaud turned toward the audience and the cameras.
"The winner is MJ. Min-jeong."
Waaahhhh—!
An explosive reaction erupted from the audience.
The reporters holding cameras nodded their heads.
【Min-jeong's legs give out and she sinks to the floor. +10,000 Happiness】
"Wait a moment!"
But Louise stepped forward, clearly unwilling to accept the result.
"Why? Why?!"
"Louise, my decision has been made."
"Tell me the reason. Min-jeong's work is called Mom's Hands, isn't it? What does that have to do with identity?!"
Michel Renaud explained, calmly and deliberately.
"Louise, a genius who manipulated emotion through fragrance—and Min-jeong, who made fragrance unforgettable through emotion."
His voice was calm, yet it carried a power that moved everyone present.
"Chocolate, you see—is bitter, yet sweet. That is precisely why it holds life within it."
Michel addressed Louise.
"Louise. The chocolate you made was certainly delicious. But it tasted like something I've had somewhere before. Min-jeong's, however, was different. It was distinctive, and quietly yet unmistakably revealed something of her own."
As though recalling the taste from moments ago, he swallowed.
Then he turned to look at Min-jeong.
"The theme of this contest was identity. In Min-jeong's work, there coexisted a bitterness that held the sorrow of her memories, and a sweetness that promised hope and affection. In a word, it was a chocolate that contained Min-jeong's past, present, and future all at once. And above all else."
He leaned toward Louise and murmured in her ear.
"It was delicious. Far more than yours."
"……!"
Louise took a step back.
"I-I can't believe it! You don't know anything! What—Mom's Hands? You were simply taken in by that sentimental story!"
She pointed a finger at Michel Renaud.
"I……that this Louise Ferrand lost in taste? I put in only the most expensive ingredients! Do you have any idea how much that cost?!"
Louise seemed to remember something then. She spun around and ran toward the machine used for the blind test.
"This is wrong. There's no way I lost! There's no way!"
She worked the machine, jabbing the buttons irritably.
But she fumbled with the operation, and the results screen failed to appear.
Michel Renaud approached and asked,
"Do you want to see it that badly?"
"Y-you!"
"I had intended to be merciful. I'll show you."
Tak—.
He pulled the machine from her hands and pressed the button.
Beep—.
The words that appeared on the display board were—
'MJ.'
【Min-jeong quietly begins to weep. 'Mom……. Dad…….' +100,000 Happiness】
【A reporter from a leading French media outlet thinks 'What kind of drama is this?' and decides to run it as a special broadcast. +1,000 Happiness】
Bo-reum, watching, began to cry as well.
"What is this, it's too touching."
"This is just the beginning."
"Why? What else are you about to ruin?"
I pointed toward the door of the Atelier Hall, where police officers were standing.
"We received a report—please cooperate!"
Police who had suddenly burst in.
The cameras captured all of it.
【A reporter from a leading French media outlet rejoices, thinking 'It just keeps getting more exciting'. +2,000 Happiness】
The professor rushed forward in alarm to block the police.
"W-what is this?"
"We received a report of obstruction of business. We were told this test was rigged."
"What are you saying! There was nothing of the sort!"
The police ignored such protests and headed straight for the professors serving as judges.
"Please hand over your glasses."
"……Pardon?"
The professors' faces turned ashen.
"Please hand them over."
Under the steely gaze of the officers, the professors removed their glasses and handed them over.
The police put on the glasses and examined the chocolates used in the blind test, then nodded.
"We'll be arresting everyone."
"Wh-what!"
"Hey, miss. Your name is Louise, correct?"
This time the police pointed at Louise.
"M-me? That's me, but why?"
"You'll need to come with us as well."
"Not me! What obstruction of business did I—!"
"There's that too, but there's one more charge."
"What……?"
An officer took out a phone and showed her a video that had been submitted as a tip.
"Manufacturing and distributing controlled substances."
That video, of course, was one I had filmed during my infiltration.
"What! D-drugs? What drugs did I make?!"
Louise resisted, but the officers gripped both her arms firmly.
"Do you know who I am?! You're making a mistake! Aaagh! Let go! Let me go!"
Louise was dragged away by the police.
Every moment of it was captured on camera.
【A reporter from a leading French media outlet shouts 'Incredible! Incredible! Incredible!' over and over. +2,000 Happiness】
* * *
It had been a chaotic day.
That evening.
We gathered at Min-jeong's place.
Baekgyeong had apparently taken care of things, and the apartment near Paris was both spacious and clean.
It seemed to be an area where wealthy people lived—there was even a security guard on the first floor.
It sat at a strategic point on the route to Versailles, where École de Cuisine was located, and to central Paris.
Min-jeong had met with Michel Renaud alone, spoken at length, and returned.
"What did he say?"
"He……said sorry."
"Huh?"
"He apologized for having made me go through all this."
"Is that all?"
"He said the diploma would be issued without issue, and also……."
"Also?"
"He asked if I'd be interested in learning chocolate-making directly under him."
"Hahaha! That's incredible!"
I pumped my fist with joy.
……Ah!
This isn't entirely something to celebrate.
Min-jeong is my subordinate—and now some old fox has his eye on her.
Absolutely not!
"Congratulations, Min-jeong."
"Thank you. Unni."
Min-jeong's mother had laid out a magnificent spread.
"Wow! Korean food!"
"How many side dishes are there?"
"I heard Manager Kim was coming, so I put in a little effort."
Min-jeong's mother gave Min-jeong a wink, and Min-jeong shot her a look.
"Mom. I won first place and you barely said a word, but you're all over Tae-yang oppa."
"Goodness! You were able to win precisely because Manager Kim was here."
Quite right.
Mother, every word you say is correct.
"Still, I'm a little hurt! Not even a word of praise."
"Stop puffing yourself up and eat your food."
Bo-reum shoved food into her mouth until her cheeks puffed out, savoring her first proper Korean meal in a long time.
"Is it really that good?"
"Of course!"
"Consider it an honor. Mother is a descendant of a royal cuisine family."
"Really?"
Bo-reum's eyes went wide.
Min-jeong still looked dazed, holding her spoon with a blank expression.
Then she turned to look at her mother—
Who had her back turned and was washing dishes in the kitchen.
"Min-jeong."
"Yes. Oppa."
"Your mother is more happy right now than anyone."
"……How would you know that?"
"I know everything."
【Min-jeong's mother, facing away, weeps. 'Honey, we raised our daughter well, didn't we? Please tell me I did well'. +10,000 Happiness】
Once the meal was done.
I told Min-jeong's mother the reason I had come to see her.
"There's something I need to ask of you, Mother."
"Please say anything."
"It's a difficult request. You may not like it. In fact, it's only natural that you wouldn't."
My expression was that of the greatest sinner in the world.
"It's alright. Go ahead."
I pointed at Bo-reum.
"She's my little sister. Would you be willing to let her stay here with you? And maybe look after her meals as well."
"What's so difficult about that? Of course, I'd be happy to."
Bo-reum's face flushed crimson as she shouted at me.
"Oppa! What's difficult about it and what's not to like—!"
"I don't like you."
"How funny!"
"You saw her just now. Her personality is a bit like this. She sometimes talks to fruit and bread too—don't think of her as slightly crazy, think of her as completely crazy. I apologize in advance."
"What's there to apologize for! Hey! You little—ah……Mother. I'm so sorry. I'm not normally like this, and the talking to bread thing was while I was filming a vlog—"
"Ohohoho! I know, I know. I'm perfectly fine with all of it."
The laughter didn't leave for quite a while.
I returned to the hotel room with Bo-reum for the time being, and pulled out a box tied with a heart ribbon from my bag.
It was the chocolate Min-jeong had made.
Honestly, this was a more nerve-wracking moment than almost anything else.
"Please let this be a success."
I put it in my mouth.
Ding—!
【Bonus Mission Complete】
【Turn Min-jeong into a master of chocolate.】
① Happiness Points +50,000
② The martial art Ten Thousand Streams Return to Origin will be granted.
Right.
I knew I could count on her!