The next evening, Makimiya made a reservation and visited the restaurant at the West Sea Hotel.
Kim Hyosan brought Jeong Seokwu to the VIP room.
“President, you seem to be in a great mood today.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m excited to try Chef Kim’s cooking.”
“It’s an honor. I’m at a loss for words.”
Makimiya continued with a cheerful expression.
“Actually, something good happened.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what it is?”
“I came here to tell you about it. It seems my long-standing illness has been cured.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. Since last night, I haven’t felt any pain at all when I go to the bathroom. I thought it was a coincidence, but even the next time I went, there was no pain. Thanks to that, I had a pleasant drink with my wife last night.”
“That’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“The hospital said it was stress or a nervous issue, and it seems they weren’t wrong. I feel a bit guilty for calling them quacks.”
“Even Johns Hopkins Hospital said there was nothing wrong, so it must have been a nervous issue.”
“After enjoying a delicious matsutake mushroom dish, I felt so good that all my stress seemed to vanish.”
“Then you should have some more and feel even better. Fortunately, we have the ingredients ready today as well.”
Makimiya, filled with joy, chatted more than usual.
Kim Hyosan, resonating with his energy, engaged in the conversation sincerely.
“Thanks to my illness being cured, I was in such a good mood that I drank a lot with my wife. I drank five times my usual amount, and my wife was quite worried. But when I woke up this morning, I felt incredibly light and had no hangover. I even had a good time with my wife after a long while.”
Makimiya winked, and Kim Hyosan awkwardly made an exaggerated smile.
“Then I’ll prepare it right away.”
“Please do.”
“Um… I have to ask for your understanding.”
“What is it?”
“We don’t have enough matsutake mushrooms to include them in every course, so we can only prepare one main dish.”
Makimiya openly showed his disappointment, and Kim Hyosan bowed his head apologetically, as if he had committed a crime.
“Oh no… The soup with matsutake was delicious, the salad was great, and the steamed abalone was fantastic… Do I have to skip them all today?”
“I’m sorry.”
“If there’s no ingredient, there’s nothing we can do. So, when will the ingredients arrive?”
“It’s not in season, so I’ll have to push the purchasing department.”
“Chef Kim, let me know whenever the matsutake mushrooms come in. Even if it’s early in the morning, it’s fine.”
“Understood.”
With a bit of regret, Makimiya enjoyed the course meal.
However, the lightly grilled matsutake mushroom as the main dish eased his disappointment.
The dish was simply grilled matsutake seasoned with natural salt, without any additional ingredients like meat.
Yet, the intense aroma and the texture that clung to the palate were immensely satisfying.
“With matsutake like this, my friends in Japan would love it. Let me know when you have enough, and I’ll invite them over.”
“It would be an honor. I’ll inform you as soon as we’re ready.”
Kim Hyosan’s face lit up.
Makimiya rarely brought his Japanese business friends over, as they seldom visited Korea.
But to bring them over just for a dish?
His friends were truly the upper echelon.
The hotel owner might have to personally host them.
After seeing Makimiya off, Kim Hyosan rolled up his sleeves and headed to the purchasing department.
“What’s going on with the matsutake mushrooms? Are they still not here? How many days has it been?”
“I contacted the supplier, but they keep saying it’s not in season and therefore hard to get.”
“Do you know what President Makimiya said? He said it was so delicious, and next time he’ll bring his Japanese friends, so he asked to be informed in advance.”
“What? President Makimiya?”
“You know who he is, right? He’s wealthier than the owner of this hotel. Can we afford to disappoint him?”
“But if the supplier says there’s no stock, what can we do…?”
Frustrated, Kim Hyosan pounded his chest with his fist.
“Give me the contact information. I’ll try myself.”
* * *
For over five years, Makimiya had been tormented by unexplained urethral pain.
Even after spending a lot of money and visiting major hospitals abroad, no abnormalities were found.
It was just a dead end.
This left Makimiya feeling even more frustrated and distressed.
If only he knew the cause, he would feel relieved, but everything came back clear…
So, what was the tearing pain he felt every time he went to the bathroom?
But now, it was goodbye.
The pain that had suddenly appeared five years ago vanished just as suddenly.
Although the reason was unknown, the mere disappearance of the persistent pain made Makimiya feel like he could fly.
However, five days after the pain disappeared…
“Ugh!”
Makimiya, who had gone to the bathroom as usual, screamed as the tearing pain in his urethra returned.
Thinking he was completely cured, he was caught off guard, making the pain even worse than usual.
Barely managing to finish his business, Makimiya stood there, unable to even pull up his pants, staring blankly at the toilet.
After standing there for a long time, anger and frustration spilled from his lips.
“Damn it…”
***
The meeting, which Jeon Seongryeol had high hopes for, did not meet his expectations.
The head of the food management team, who had been frantically searching for matsutake mushrooms, reacted indifferently during the meeting.
Of course, it wasn’t a cold reaction from the start.
The atmosphere was warm when discussing matsutake mushrooms.
The mood shifted, though, when Jeon Seongryeol subtly mentioned wanting to supply other food ingredients.
“That’s difficult. We already have long-standing partners. We can’t exclude them and open a new supply line with you.”
“Is there really no way?”
“I’m sorry. It’s unfortunate.”
Though he said he was sorry, his expression was cold.
He didn’t seem genuinely apologetic.
He might even be annoyed for bringing up unnecessary topics.
Working at Korea’s top hotel, one might expect such behavior, but it was still frustrating.
So, Jeon Seongryeol decided to take a step back.
“We can supply about 15kg of matsutake mushrooms by the end of this week.”
“Really? That’s good news. Thank you.”
“No, it’s an honor to have my ingredients used by a top hotel like the West Sea Hotel.”
He could have indirectly threatened not to supply matsutake mushrooms unless they opened up other supply lines.
But that’s something only amateurs would do.
Jeon Seongryeol maintained a humble attitude, subtly showing disappointment but never revealing any dissatisfaction.
He meticulously managed his expression to hide even a hint of his discontent.
Two days after the meeting, Jeon Seongryeol supplied 15kg of matsutake mushrooms.
It was part of the stock he had acquired from Ha Suyoung.
Let’s put the West Sea Hotel on hold for now and try to break into other hotels.
He hadn’t given up.
But in business, there are times when you need to pause or take a step back.
Of course, he hadn’t completely let go of his expectations.
As expected, calls from the West Sea Hotel started flooding his phone.
– “When can you supply more matsutake mushrooms? We’re almost out.
“I’m sorry, but we have no stock at all.”
– “President, this is a problem. You must secure those matsutake mushrooms somehow.”
“You know it’s not in season. We have no stock. I’m sorry.”
– “… This is really bad. I’m going crazy.”
