Chapter 5

As I said this, I set the camera back on the tripod and sat down again.

"Still, the chairman must have thought of you as a son. He was so cold about it... There must have been a reason, and his heart wasn't in it, right?"

When we were alone, Mom lowered her voice and said this.

I got really annoyed. Even Mom's eyes started to well up as she said this.

"Ah, forget it. He probably just didn't have a chance to change his will after suddenly becoming a vegetable. Don't get all emotional over nothing. It's annoying."

"..."

Mom fell silent.

Because of the issue with my birth, Mom had always been cautious around me.

When I was young, the chairman, who was my father, used to come over once or twice a week to play with me.

Back then, I didn't feel any particular problem.

I was told to tell my friends that my father was a wealthy sailor on a long-distance fishing boat, and I did.

Kids my age are quite savvy about money.

"Long-distance fishing boat captains all make a ton of money!"

"Wow!"

The kids were most interested in whether my father was rich.

If he made a lot of money, that was the end of it.

I was able to get through school without any major issues.

However, things changed when I became a middle school student and my father stopped coming to see me altogether.

I didn't cause any major trouble, but I became someone who wouldn't tolerate being pushed around.

Fortunately, I became the type who would attack with words rather than fists.

Thanks to that, I never got into any major trouble.

There were times when kids who started arguments with me ended up punching me in the face, but these days, even in middle and high school, the one who gets hit is considered the winner.

So, I managed to graduate from high school and enter the Media and Communication department at a university in Seoul.

This was a life with no major problems, except for the 'secret of my birth.'

However, after my father stopped coming, Mom started to be cautious around me.

I think she took my tendency to respond with words seriously and saw it as a serious issue.

I was annoyed that Mom treated herself like a has-been and also felt guilty towards me.

Thinking about it, wasn't the chairman the worse one?

He ruined a promising young actress's life, and he was even married.

Mom might have been at fault too, but I didn't want her to act like a sinner in front of me.

"At least don't act like a sinner in front of me. You've made a lot of sacrifices too, Mom."

When I said this, Mom wiped her eyes again.

Sigh. Having these conversations always annoys me. How many times has this happened?

"Ah, forget it. Let's just eat some sushi today and stop talking about weird things."

As I said this, my phone rang again.

- Ding Dong.

"Ugh, this is so annoying."

I went into the YouTube app settings and turned off the vibration notifications.

Now, I won't know about comments or subscriber notifications unless I look at the screen.

"88 subscribers? Already?"

Chef Yoo Min-hyuk's influence is impressive.

And the YouTuber I commented on has over 150,000 followers, so that might be part of it too.

- Haven't you verified yet? Didn't you say you were about to arrive?

Sigh. Internet users are so impatient.

I replied with a frustrated look.

YouTube allows replies to comments.

- Please wait a moment. I'm here, but we haven't started eating yet. And I need to film and edit it roughly before uploading.

As soon as I replied, a comment appeared within a minute.

- Hah, really?

Huh. These people. Have they been living in a bubble?

Some people seemed to be convinced that I was bluffing about being here.

- Who said you need to verify with a video? You could just post a preview on a bulletin board.

Sigh. Suddenly, I'm being treated like a scammer.

- I don't care if you believe me or not. I haven't even set up a bulletin board yet.

I replied.

- Hah, you've got some nerve?

- You made me follow you by posting a comment, didn't you? Shouldn't you take responsibility for making me follow?

Comments started pouring in.

But then, a comment with a different tone appeared.

- From what I see, if this is the first broadcast of 'Sushi Yoo Min-hyuk,' it could get a lot of views. Just take a few photos and make a video to announce it. That will increase views, right?

Oh, that's convincing.

Wait. This comment gave me a chance to think again.

I'm annoyed, but getting these comment reactions is an opportunity.

So, I should use it?

I operated the buttons on the FX9 to take photos of the sushi counter and the large plate on top.

Sushi omakase is usually served on a large plate, with each piece placed on it.

Since I had made a promise with Chef Yoo earlier, I tried to frame only the sushi counter and the plate, then roughly edited the video and uploaded it.

- I'm at Sushi Yoo Min-hyuk. It's the second day of opening. I'm looking forward to it!

I wrote this in the description and uploaded it. Immediately, a comment appeared.

- Haha! I knew it. Where are you scamming from?

What now?

Now I'm curious about the next reaction.

108 subscribers

"What's the problem..."

As I muttered this, the mystery was quickly solved.

- You must have taken photos at the old place and pretended to be at the new one. You're a pathological liar.

- What? You're a pathological liar?

"Wow..."

I was stunned by that comment when the server came to pour tea.

"Excuse me, but the plate and sushi counter here look exactly the same as where Chef Yoo used to be, right?"

When I asked this, the server smiled and replied.

"Yes! To maintain a consistent atmosphere, they bought the same plates and asked the supplier for the same type of wood for the sushi counter."

"Oh, that's why..."

So, the misunderstanding happened because of that.

The plate and sushi counter look the same, so it's easy to think it's the old place.

I nodded and opened my phone to post a clarification comment.

- Ding Dong!

Before I could unlock my phone, a YouTube comment notification rang.

- As expected! YouTube is a haven for pathological liars!

This was a comment agreeing with the previous one.

- Haha... Do you know what pathological liars have in common? They're stupid. Did they think they wouldn't get caught by taking photos like that?

I can understand the misunderstanding with this comment.

- I hope all the pathological liars die.

The next comment was a sudden, aggressive one.

"Hey, you..."

I held back the curse that was about to burst out.

Actually, I have a strong keyboard warrior tendency.

That's why Mom was so worried about me going to discuss the inheritance with my half-siblings.

I felt my temper flare up instantly.

"These people have been living in a bubble..."

As I muttered this and was about to post a comment,

"Here, we'll start with chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) today. First, eat just the egg, and then mix it with the ingredients halfway through. It contains crab meat and finely chopped shrimp. I deliberately chopped them to enhance the flavor."

The server's kind explanation was a stark contrast to the fierce comments.

I suddenly calmed down.

Can't resist chawanmushi?

I put my phone down and opened the lid of the elegant container.

"Wow..."

The visual was impressive.

And when I opened the lid, the subtle smell of crab meat and shrimp hit my nose.

"Ah, let the keyboard warriors have their fun. I'll eat first."

Mom asked from the side.

"What are you mumbling about?"

I smiled at Mom and said,

"That's what I was thinking. I realize I didn't eat lunch properly. I'm suddenly hungry."

I wasn't supposed to have an appetite before going to a difficult meeting about the inheritance.

But the smell of the chawanmushi was stimulating my appetite.

"Ah, it's so delicious! How can it be so rich and delicate? You should try it too."

Seeing Mom's amazement made me even hungrier.

So, I picked up my spoon, and a thought came to me.

"Ah, wait. Instead of arguing in the comments, which would look silly..."

I muttered this and reached for the camcorder.

"Huh? Why aren't you eating?"

Mom asked.

"Ah, just a moment."

I closed the lid of the chawanmushi container again.

- Ding~

When I pressed the button on the camcorder, a light sound was heard, and the recording started.

'Good...'

Since it was still hot, steam rose nicely, though not as much as at the beginning.

I placed the camcorder horizontally and focused on the container and the steam, then gradually tilted the angle to capture the chawanmushi inside.

I didn't forget to zoom in a bit.

Then, I carefully scooped up the top layer of the egg with a spoon.

"Wow..."

The egg was cooked meticulously with the right temperature, removing any bubbles.

The egg, combined with the appropriately salty Japanese broth, gently enveloped my tongue.

As I scooped out a spoonful, the hidden shrimp and crab meat revealed their pink color.

I zoomed in a bit more.

Then, I started to mix the crab meat and egg carefully while the camcorder was recording.

The pink of the shrimp and crab meat and the light yellow of the egg mixed appetizingly.

The visual was impressive.

Another spoonful into my mouth.

"Wow..."

Unlike the previous combination of the delicate broth and egg, the strong flavors of the shrimp and crab meat hit my tongue.

After eating two spoonfuls as Chef Yoo suggested, I zoomed out the camcorder.

During this process, I cleverly revealed the kitchen.

- Ding.

I stopped the recording after this.

A video of about one minute was created.

When I played it back, the close-up of the food looked great.

Since it was a 4K video, the visual was even better than what I saw with my eyes.

Moreover, the kitchen was subtly revealed, filling the screen for a moment.

If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to tell what the kitchen in the video looked like.

I had met Chef Yoo's request not to film too openly while achieving my goal.

"Good."

I uploaded it immediately.

It's the 5G era.

Even though it was a 4K video, it was uploaded by the time Chef Yoo brought the next dish.

- The first dish at Sushi Yoo Min-hyuk is chawanmushi with shrimp and crab meat. I'll skip the detailed explanation. I'll only upload this video today. I'll edit and post the full meal later.

I kept the commentary as simple as possible.

After the entire posting process was done, I enjoyed my meal comfortably.

"Here, this is sea bream seasoned with salt..."

"The next is rockfish slightly marinated in yuzu juice..."

I listened to Chef Yoo Min-hyuk's explanations and ate a few pieces of sushi.

"Wow, this is really delicious."

I genuinely praised it.

"Haha, come often. But, you must bring your mother, right?!"

Chef Yoo laughed and said this after hearing my praise.

"Oh, really..."

Mom blushed in embarrassment.

"Will I be treated poorly if I come alone?"

I asked jokingly.

"Maybe I won't put wasabi in your sushi? Haha."

Chef Yoo responded with a joke and, out of concern, quickly added,

"To be honest, that would be crossing the line. But every time you bring your mother, I'll include a dish that fewer than ten people in Korea have tasted."

"Wow..."

That's an incredible offer. Moreover, from his expression, it wasn't just empty words.

"For example, a sushi with foie gras, caviar, and matsutake mushrooms on top of sea urchin?"

"Really?!"

Chef Yoo's eyes widened when he heard me.

"No, that's just a list of expensive ingredients. Have you thought about the harmony of flavors? Haha."

Chef Yoo laughed and said,