Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 722: Real Ramen (1)

The key to a ramen commercial was showing someone eating it deliciously. That meant the actors on set had to scarf down bowl after bowl. Until the director got the shot he wanted, they even took digestive aids to keep going.

So I made up my mind to give it my all in cooking the best ramen I could for Deok-Bae. If the ramen was genuinely good, he wouldn't need to act and it would show naturally.

Bubble, bubble.

The pot of water I had placed on the stove earlier had started to boil.

Park Bull-Chool, who had been watching the scene, gave his cue. "Action!"

At that moment, I called out toward the small room.

『Deok-Bae! Ramen's ready!』

Click.

The door opened, and Deok-Bae appeared, looking completely drained.

『Hyung, I'm not really in the mood to eat right now.』

Worn out from his hectic schedule, Deok-Bae trudged over and slumped onto the table.

I turned off the stove. The noodles had been in the pot for just over three minutes, perfectly chewy. I used the residual heat to finish cooking, then gathered the toppings in the center with chopsticks for a better presentation.

Lifting the steaming pot, I set it down right in front of him.

Clack.

『It's Real Ramen.』

Deok-Bae suddenly sat up straight.

『Real ramen?』

『Yeah. Real Ramen.』

Gulp.

Swallowing a big gulp, Deok-Bae grabbed a heap of noodles with his chopsticks. He blew on them gently, then slurped them up with almost divine precision.

『Slurp!』

The entire bunch of noodles vanished into Deok-Bae's mouth like magic.

『Mmm?』

Deok-Bae's eyes widened the moment he took a bite. Clearly surprised by the taste, he looked like he had just fallen in love with my ramen.

'Great reaction.'

In commercials, models had to sell the taste through expression alone. Thankfully, Deok-Bae was nailing it with how good my ramen tasted. Of course, the newly revamped Real Ramen was tasty to begin with, but I had cooked it—so it was even better.

Fully immersed, Deok-Bae gripped the pot with both hands, unable to hold back anymore. He brought it to his lips and began to drink the broth straight from the pot.

『Slurp~』

The moment the spicy, savory broth of the Real Ramen hit Deok-Bae's mouth, I could hear the sound of broth and air swirling together, creating a wave inside his mouth.

'Great sound, too.'

Gulp.

Deok-Bae set the pot down after drinking the broth. Then he raised his thumb and shouted.

『Choose Real Ramen!』

His face lit up with a big smile after having finished every last drop.

"Okay! Let's take a short break and go for one more take of the same scene," Park Bull-Chool gave the okay and praised Deok-Bae. "By the way, Deok-Bae. You really made that look delicious."

"Thank you."

"Come on, there's no need to thank me. You really did great. At this rate, we'll wrap early today."

Staff members chimed in after Park Bull-Chool's compliment.

"Deok-Bae, was it really that good?"

"That reaction was killer. Maybe because you're an actor, but you made it look seriously tasty."

"Totally. Deok-Bae, that noodle slurp was insane."

Just then, stomachs started growling all around. It was already 1 p.m., and most of the crew hadn't eaten yet.

Deok-Bae lifted the pot. "Yoon-Ho hyung's ramen is seriously amazing. You all have to try it."

When Deok-Bae offered the bowl, the crew glanced at each other, then slowly stepped forward. Since we had to shoot the same scene multiple times anyway, the cooked ramen would need to be eaten.

"Well, in that case, we'll finish what's left."

The crew took the pot from Deok-Bae and started sharing it among themselves.

"Slurp~"

Then it began.

"What the heck? Why is this so good?"

"Wait, this is Real Ramen? It tastes like this?"

"For a revamped version, this is insanely good."

The noodles still had a perfect chew to them, drawing non-stop praise.

Even Park Bull-Chool turned away from the monitor. "What's with all the commotion? Aren't you prepping for the next shoot?"

Just then, the assistant director plated some noodles and brought them over. "Mr. Park, you should try some too."

"We're eating ramen all day anyway. Why now?"

"Come on, just try it. You can't express the taste unless you've had it. Mr. Jung's ramen is a masterpiece."

"All right, all right."

Reluctantly, Park Bull-Chool picked up some noodles with his chopsticks.

Slurp.

But in the blink of an eye, the man who only wanted one bite suddenly grabbed the bowl and scraped it clean like a madman. Then he looked at me with a satisfied expression. "Mr. Jung, what on earth did you do to this ramen?"

I grinned and replied, "I just boiled it."

There were no additives but it was cooked with just a slightly different method—Loosening the noodles one by one while lifting them up to cool and boiling them about thirty seconds less than the recipe called for.

"That's like saying, 'I just studied from the textbook.' In any case, it's damn good." Chuckling, Park Bull-Chool glanced over at the R&D chief from Jinseong Foods, standing off to the side of the set. "If the ramen tastes this good already, I guess Jinseong's development team can take the day off!"

The visiting chief and staff let out awkward laughs. If I had messed up the cooking, they were supposed to step in and make the ramen instead.

Then Jin Sung-Joon smiled warmly. "Don't worry about our staff. Just cook it well and enjoy it to the fullest."

Park Bull-Chool replied with a grin, "With ramen this good, we're sure to get an amazing shot." Then he turned to me, his face full of excitement. "Well then, Chef Jung. I'll be counting on you today."

"Yes, Mr. Park."

Something told me today was going to be a busy one.

***

Slurp~ slurp~

Deok-Bae drank the broth from the tenth bowl, raised the bowl to the camera, and shouted.

『Choose Real Ramen!』

"Okay~~~!!! Cut!" Park Bull-Chool shouted with excitement.

Yet we still needed the final approval from the client, Jin Sung-Joon.

"Mr. Jin, please take a look at the footage."

Jin Sung-Joon, Yeo Jin-Soo Jin-Soo, and R&D Head Lee Hong-Joon all gathered in front of the monitor. Jin Sung-Joon focused intently on the screen. Everyone on set held their plates tightly, waiting for the verdict.

A moment later, Jin Sung-Joon's throat moved up and down as he watched the footage.

Gulp.

"Hmm~ Thanks to Mr. Jung's incredible ramen, Mr. Deok-Bae made it look absolutely delicious. I'm more than satisfied."

Lee Hong-Joon and his team all nodded in agreement. "The noodles were cooked perfectly, and Mr. Deok-Bae's eating looked clean and natural. Even the reaction after drinking the broth was spot on. This came out really well. I'm actually getting hungry."

With a satisfied smile, Jin Sung-Joon turned to the crew and called out, "Excellent work, everyone! That's a wrap!"

Instantly, applause erupted across the set.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"Great job, everyone."

Since we had wrapped earlier than expected, the crew couldn't hide their delight.

Just then, Jin Sung-Joon cleared his throat and turned to me. "Excuse me, Mr. Jung?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Jin."

"Since filming wrapped quicker than we thought, there's still plenty of ramen left. Would it be all right if I had some too?"

Neither Jin Sung-Joon, nor Yeo Jin-Soo, nor Lee Hong-Joon had gotten a bite yet.

Hearing that, the crew—who had barely managed a taste earlier—shouted in unison, "Us too, please! What we had earlier wasn't nearly enough!"

So, still wearing my apron, I raised my voice again. "Everyone, please take a seat in the living room. I'll make another batch."

"Yay!"

The cheer was even louder than when the shoot got approved.

***

Slurp, slurp, sluuurp~~

The sound of people eating ramen echoed through the house. Jin Sung-Joon, Yeo Jin-Soo, and Lee Hong-Joon were all silently devouring their bowls.

However, something was off about Jin Sung-Joon. Compared to Yeo Jin-Soo, his reactions to the taste came a beat late.

'He must be analyzing while eating.'

As the head of a food company, that made sense.

Once the CF crew and Jinseong staff were fed, I called for Han-Ul. He came over and sat at the kitchen table next to Deok-Bae.

"Han-Ul, you want some ramen too, right?" I asked.

"Yes, Uncle!"

Grinning ear to ear, Han-Ul picked up his chopsticks. He was using a Powertuff Girls pair that Miso had given him. Judging by the pink color, Miso had picked her favorite one for the gift.

'That's right—real men wear pink.'

For a second, my mind flashed back to that bright pink sword Chae Seok-Hyun had left at my place and I almost lost consciousness, but I quickly pulled myself together and got cooking.

For Han-Ul, I decided to make my special signature ramen—Jung Ramen. Just in case, I started by adding dried pollack strips to the water to build the broth, then sprinkled in a touch of shiitake powder before boiling it further.

As bubbles began to rise, I skimmed the foam off the surface, then finally added the noodles and soup base. While cooking, I lifted the noodles in and out of the water with chopsticks, adding thinly sliced scallions and two eggs.

'One for Han-Ul, one for me.'

After boiling it for three minutes and ten seconds, I turned off the heat, covered the pot with the lid, and quickly brought it to the table.

"Han-Ul, want to count to twenty?"

"Yes, sir!"

Han-Ul put down his chopsticks and held up his fingers. He began folding them one by one as he counted like how he bragged about his older brother on The Omniscient Viewpoint.

"One~ two~"

After twenty seconds, I shouted, "Done!"

I opened the lid and a cloud of steam rose into the air. I quickly scooped the noodles into Han-Ul's bowl. He shouted a thank-you and began eating.

Slurp.

Han-Ul's eyes grew wide, then he turned to Deok-Bae. "Hyung, this is so good! You should try it too!"

Deok-Bae smiled warmly. "I've already had plenty. This is just for you."

He had eaten more than enough filming the commercial, so now he simply watched Han-Ul eat with a proud grin. Then I noticed some broth had dribbled onto Han-Ul's mouth. Deok-Bae grabbed a wet tissue and wiped the corner of his mouth. Han-Ul was eight years old, but to Deok-Bae, he was still a baby.

"Thanks, hyung," Han-Ul beamed.

Then, using his pink Powertuff Girls chopsticks, he resumed eating my specially made Jung Ramen, one strand at a time.

Slurp.

As he ate, Han-Ul broke into a never-ending smile like he had the whole world in front of him. "This is so good~"

His smile was so infectious, that it had Deok-Bae and me smiling too. The warm, affectionate scene between the two of them felt like it elevated the flavor of my ramen even more than my special recipe. It was as if every bite was soaked in happiness.

Just then, everything suddenly fell quiet. It was so quiet that the only sounds were Deok-Bae and I talking while Han-Ul ate ramen.

Puzzled, I looked around. Park Bull-Chool, who had just been eating ramen earlier, was now holding the camera himself and filming us. The rest of the staff were frozen in place, mid-bite.

'What... is going on?'

Just then, Deok-Bae snapped out of it too and turned to me. "Hyung, what is it?"

"Ah, it's just..."

With our focus broken, the shoot stopped there. Park Bull-Chool finally let out the breath he had been holding. "Phew~"

"Mr. Park, can we breathe now?"

"Yes, breathe."

The staff all exhaled in unison. "Huff, huff. Man, I thought I was gonna die."

Park Bull-Chool jumped up and walked over to me. "Mr. Jung, can we talk for a second?"

Just by the look on his face, I already knew what he was going to say.

***

Park Bull-Chool grabbed my hand and said, "Let's have Han-Ul appear in the commercial."

"No way. You saw how much Deok-Bae dotes on Han-Ul."

"I know, I know, but come on, Chief Jung. Talk to him for me. Honestly, the solo shots of Deok-Bae came out great, but the vibe when it's all three of you—Deok-Bae, Han-Ul, and you—eating ramen together? It's a whole different feeling~"

Park Bull-Chool, a genius at capturing product appeal, also had a keen sense of public sentiment. So of course, he tried hard to convince me.

Just then, Deok-Bae stepped in, already knowing where the conversation was going. "I'm sorry, but I've decided not to have Han-Ul appear on any more broadcasts. I really am sorry, Mr. Park."

"Sigh~ Come on, Deok-Bae. Won't you reconsider?"

"No."

Jin Sung-Joon and the others all looked visibly disappointed.

At that moment, I found myself curious about the footage we had just filmed. I respected Deok-Bae's decision, but I couldn't ignore Park Bull-Chool's instincts.

"Mr. Park, could I see the footage from earlier?" I asked.

It wouldn't be right to refuse a preview when both the client and director were asking.

"Ah, yes. Of course. Take a look. You'll change your mind once you see it."

I told Deok-Bae we should just watch it once and called Han-Ul over too. Reluctantly, Deok-Bae called for him. Once the three of us stood in front of the monitor, Park Bull-Chool started the playback. On screen, Deok-Bae could be seen blowing on Han-Ul's ramen to cool it, wiping his mouth afterward.

-Hey~ You have to be careful when you eat.

-Okay, hyung!

Deok-Bae's eyes never left Han-Ul and Han-Ul smiled at him in return. It was so heartwarming, it made everyone smile just by watching. The scene even gave the illusion that eating Real Ramen could bring consumers this kind of happiness.

At that moment, I knew I had to convince Deok-Bae. "Deok-Bae, I really think we should air this."

After watching the footage, even Deok-Bae couldn't say no as firmly as before. "Hyung, it's just that..."

That's when Han-Ul chimed in. "Hyung, I'm okay with being on TV."

Deok-Bae tilted his head. "Han-Ul, didn't you say the reporters scared you?"

"That was just the first time. I'm not scared anymore!"

Deok-Bae hesitated, but Han-Ul's words clearly struck a chord. "And when I see me on TV with you, it'll feel like we're together even when you're not there. So I'm okay with it. Please, hyung."

Deok-Bae pulled Han-Ul into a tight hug. "Is that really your wish, Han-Ul?"

"Yeah. It's my wish."

Deok-Bae smiled. "Okay. Let's do the commercial and The Omniscient Viewpoint. If that's what you want, I'll do it all."

Han-Ul smiled back. "I love you, hyung!"

Han-Ul hugged Deok-Bae tightly. With a smile, Deok-Bae turned to me and nodded. "Yoon-Ho hyung, I'll do it."

The moment Deok-Bae gave his permission, cheers erupted again across the set.

***

Two days after the commercial shoot, the ripple effect of The Omniscient Viewpoint was still going strong.

Earlier this week, Oh Sung-Yeon had given a stellar performance in The Infinite Job Hunt Era, and now tonight, Deok-Bae would appear in Hwaranjeon. Because of all this, Jin Sung-Joon had made the snap decision to launch the Real Ramen campaign and start sales a day early.

The current time was 9:54 p.m. In just one minute, the renewed Real Ramen ad would air for the first time. I was at Deok-Bae's house with Yoo-Jin and Miso, ready to watch the commercial followed by Hwaranjeon.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho! It's about to start!" Han-Ul shouted, hugging the Sunrise Doll Deok-Bae had bought for him.

Right beside him, Miso and Eun-Byul hugged their dolls too and called out, "Yeah! Uncle Yoon-Ho, come watch with us!"

I had been by the window to check entertainment news on my phone, but I slipped it into my pocket and headed to the living room. Behind the kids on the floor sat Yoo-Jin, Chae Sang-Woo, and Lee Mi-Ri.

Then Yoo-Jin, sitting on the floor, pointed at the TV. "Oppa~ the commercial's on!"

The Real Ramen ad had started airing. And the moment it played, it had an impact far beyond anything I had expected.