Episode 3
“Really? Truly?”
Manseok looked at Inhyeok with wide eyes, but Inhyeok merely closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and kept his lips tightly shut.
“ohmy…”
Manseok shook his head and sat down next to him.
Some time passed…
Still waiting silently in front of Jang Seok-gap’s door, Inhyeok and Manseok sensed another presence approaching and instinctively hid their bodies.
“Master, it seems someone else is coming.”
“Shh. Be quiet…”
The man who had arrived pounded the door fiercely and shouted in a rough, intimidating voice:
“Jang Seok-gap! I know everything inside, so open the door immediately!”
‘Huh? That outfit…?’
Inhyuk tilted his head at the man’s familiar attire, and as if on cue, the alert sound rang, and a status window appeared before his eyes.
Ding!
[Information]
Saongwon Gamseon ‘Jo Hyun-myeong’
“Why is the Gamseon here?”
“Is that really the Gamseon?”
“Yes, it is… but why would he come here?”
Meanwhile, Jang Seok-gap chose to confront the man rather than let the door break. As the door opened, Jo Hyun-myeong stepped in briskly and barked:
“How dare you refuse the allocation? Don’t you know that refusing without reason is a grave crime?”
“I already submitted a memorial through the Deputy Jejo explaining that it is difficult to operate! Yet how could Your Excellency demand double the usual allocation?”
Inhyeok, eavesdropping, frowned while Manseok quietly called his master:
“Master?”
“Something’s off… this is completely different from what I heard from my father.”
“Really? Then what is this all about?”
“Let’s listen a bit more.”
The previous day, Inhyeok had heard from his father, Kim Jae-hwan, that only half the usual amount of fish should be allocated. Jang Seok-gap shouted in frustration, but Jo Hyun-myeong shook his head with a cold expression.
“It’s a royal order. Do you dare doubt it? Do you think your life will be safe forever? If you allocate now, it might be possible to prevent the memorial requesting your punishment from reaching the king… So, what will you do?”
Jang Seok-gap gritted his teeth, trembling as he looked at Jo Hyun-myeong.
“The fish haven’t been caught properly! How can I serve them immediately?”
“Tch. Then there’s no choice. I will personally go and receive the answer regarding the punishment memorial.”
Jo Hyun-myeong left abruptly without even looking back.
“So that’s why he got so angry as soon as he heard you were from Saongwon…”
After hearing the full exchange, Inhyeok nodded, understanding the situation. He realized that Jo Hyun-myeong had attempted to seize part of the fish allocation.
“The punishment from Gamseonjejo will come later. First, we need to put out the urgent fire.”
Inhyeok sighed and addressed Jang Seok-gap seriously:
“It’s true that the Gamseon submitted a memorial requesting your punishment. The one preventing it from reaching the king is my father, who sent me here. But that’s only until today. If the fish aren’t ready for tomorrow’s Qing envoy banquet, you won’t escape punishment. Are you sure there’s really no fish at all?”
“There is.”
“There is?”
“Yes. Not much due to the tides, but enough for the banquet. Follow me.”
Inhyeok, astonished that there really was fish, quickly followed Jang Seok-gap, with Manseok silently behind.
When they reached the warehouse, Jang Seok-gap opened the door, revealing dried croaker and white croaker (min-eo) kept in relatively fresh condition.
“Manseok, we need to take all of this fish.”
“All of it?”
“Yes. Every last piece.”
“ohmy, that’s impossible! Even just looking at the amount, there’s no way our boat can carry it all!”
“I’ll prepare. We have a special boat for transporting allocations to Hanyang. And you will come along.”
“You mean me too?”
“Of course. You must personally testify about what the Gamseon did.”
Inhyeok and Manseok quickly loaded the fish and hurried toward Hanyang.
The next morning, Saongwon was in chaos.
The servants scrambled to find substitutes for the missing fish for the envoy banquet. Jo Hyun-myeong blamed everything on Jang Seok-gap.
“It’s all the fish allocation officer’s fault! Only then will our Saongwon avoid the blame!”
At that moment, the door swung open, and a commanding voice stopped Jo Hyun-myeong:
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
Turning, Jo Hyun-myeong was shocked to see Inhyeok walking calmly into the room, followed by Jang Seok-gap, and other Saongwon staff carrying fresh fish.
“Here! The fish are ready! Let’s start preparing the banquet!”
The staff hesitated but quickly began working. Jo Hyun-myeong, speechless and furious, tried to leave.
“Where are you rushing to?”
“Wha—what! Can’t let go?”
“The Jejo himself demands your presence immediately.”
Jo Hyun-myeong turned even paler. Inhyeok, indifferent, returned to his station and began preparing dishes for the Qing envoy banquet.
A small group of about ten people bowed politely as he stood. Another alert sound signaled a familiar status window:
Ding!
[Information]
“All personnel in front are skilled cooks under the orders of the servants (Bongsa), specializing in Saongwon cuisine.”
‘Oh… so I’m giving them instructions like an owner-chef?’
Another alert appeared:
[Item Provided]
“Upon completing the ‘Fish Allocation Situation’ quest, you receive the item: Modern Refrigerator.”
“Tap the refrigerator icon at the bottom of the status window to use it anytime.”
The icon blinked. Curious, Inhyeok pressed it, and the effect of opening a door sounded. Before him appeared a familiar sight: his restaurant refrigerator from the modern world, stocked with ingredients unavailable in Joseon.
‘No need to overthink. Let’s use this to prepare the banquet dishes.’
He turned to a young cook:
“What time is it now?”
“About the 3rd hour (辰時).”
“The banquet begins at the 5th hour (午時), right?”
“Yes.”
‘About four hours left…’
Inhyeok began planning fish dishes using the croaker and min-eo. He brought out spices, butter, fresh cream, and wine from the fridge.
“Time is short. I’ll explain the dishes later! First, fillet the croaker and slice the min-eo thickly. Others will prepare a broth from stock.”
“Yes, Master.”
The cooks worked swiftly under his instructions. Inhyeok checked the filleted croaker:
“Now, put it in a wide iron pan. Once melted, coat the croaker with flour and fry.”
He handed the cook a small block of butter:
“This is solid pork fat. It will melt into delicious cooking oil when the pan heats.”
The cook accepted without suspicion. The croaker was coated in flour and started to sizzle. Inhyuk poured white wine and lemon juice over it to bring out a fresh aroma.
“What is this?”
“A foreign liquor. It removes fish odor. The lemon brings a fresh aroma, making the dish exotic.”
Inhyeok then turned to the min-eo:
“Is the min-eo ready?”
“Yes, Master! Here it is.”
He applied the prepared sauce:
“Now sear the outside until crispy, then reapply the sauce. That’s it.”
“Yes.”
As preparations proceeded smoothly, Inhyeok smiled, satisfied. Though unfamiliar in Joseon, these dishes would impress the foreign envoys.
“Finally, we just need to prepare the vegetables to accompany the dishes!”
