Seoul Kitchen: Side Story 4 (Patreon)

A Curious Case of Cheeseburgers

Faraday liked to believe that he is a man with a refined palate, a gourmand; one that required to be satiated from time to time. While some would call it a waste, to splurge out on something as simple as food, he sees it as enjoying the finer things in life. To enjoy a good meal is to live a good life. What use would all his wealth would be if he was a miser, keeping it hidden or locked away in some secure bank vault?

Still, he wasn't one to needlessly spend money. Besides, there was a challenge in finding the hidden gems. Not only did it helped him stretch his proverbial legs in intel gathering, having to search for them through word of mouth or through valued informants, but it was also an exercise in sifting through information; seeing the truth amongst rumors and hearsay.

Now when rumors starts swirling about of a stall, one located near the entrance of the Cherry Blossom Market, that sold dishes that could put even the best restaurant to shame, he just had to drop by. The fact that he could drop by Lu Rai after was just icing on his cake.

As he waited in line alone, his foot tapping on the concrete floor, he'd hear a familiar voice call out to him,"Fancy meeting you here Faraday," turning to his side, he'd find Kiwi standing beside him, arms crossed while her tail(?) wagged agitatedly, "Isn't there a Buck-A-Slice nearby? Why not have a slice first, the line's quite long."

Well, that's new. Cocking a brow at the curious appendage, and matching features with two vulpine ears standing perked up atop her head, he greeted back, "It's nice to see you as well, Miss Kiwi," As curious as he was however, he could hardly call out someone for their choice in aesthetics especially when the woman wasn't to happy seeing him around.

Flicking her ears, the woman then replied, "Quite surprising that you of all people would drop by around these parts," reaching for her pockets, the netrunner fished herself a cigarette before lighting it up, "Thought you're more the type that dines at the Bleu."

He frowning, he spat back, "Oh please, as if that overpriced sham of a restaurant is worth my time," Did she really think so lowly of him? "Only those sorely lacking in taste and sense dine there. If you want some place worth the time, might I suggest Pepper & Spice," he then added, a bit mystified at her hostility even for her.

He wasn't a exactly a stranger to the netrunner, she owed him a favor or two after all, but even for her, this was a step above her usual venom. She wasn't exactly what people would call a people's person. She was rather caustic, enjoying people squirm from either her sharp tongue or sarcastic retort. Still, it was more teasing than anything; what he's facing wasn't that however.

She was angry, like she didn't want him around. Was she hiding something, he wondered. With narrowed eyes, the woman then said "Ever the food critic huh," letting out a puff of smoke before she continued, "If you're here to have some exciting meal however, you might find yourself disappointed. Chef couldn't figure out what to cook today so he just ended up with Cheese Burgers and Soda."

Ahh, so that was what this was about; He finally understood why. Smiling, he then replied, "Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," Before glancing over to the store as the lined moved, "Often times, it's the simplest of things that tells the most about something,"

Chef, what a curious name. For someone that the netrunner holds close, he'd expect first name basis. Were they just friend perhaps? No, that can't be. Such relationship shouldn't warrant such hostility. It was definitely something much closer. Smiling, he could see things clearly now.

With narrowed eyes, the women questioned him, "So, what really brought you here Faraday," quickly dropping what little formalities she had as her tail stood sharply, puffing up as she muttered darkly, "You're not one to drop by all the sudden on some unknown shop," staring at him as her eyes turned to slits.

Feeling those cat like eyes on him had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Credits where credit's due, her gaze was certainly unnerving. Glaring at him, the woman then asked "What are you here for, truly?"

He had sorely underestimated the woman's ire. As he gazed around, finding one of her comrades just lingering around. Feeling the tall, amazonian woman gaze settling on him, he knew when he was beat.

Slipping his hands in his pockets, he answered, "They say there's a shop out in Japan town with meals so good and prices so low that you wouldn't believe," before pausing as his eyes wondered about, seeing Mox's and Tyger Claws alike talking amicably, "Of a chef that cooks with such passion that he brought peace between gangs in his little slice of heaven."

"It's all too hard to believe, isn't it?" He replied, chuckling at the impossibility before him, "Yet here I see in truth in those rumors," He then said before he looked back at the netrunner, "It makes you wonder, what else is true?"

The two held their stare for a moment before the net runner let out a snort as she looked away, "So you got curious huh?" The woman asked as she took one last puff before tossing her cigarette down on the floor, crushing it underheels, "Good to know you're still human under all that shit," she jeered as her tail wagged languidly once more.

He rolled his eyes at her childish mockery before he replied,reassuring her, "I'm simply here to satisfy my curiosity, no one else's. Good stores are hard to come by in this city," Not everything had to revolve around one's work. Sometimes, he mere want to feel the simple satisfaction of knowing something.

Kiwi nodded as she reached for her pocket and pulled her pack of cigarette. Shrugging, he reached out and grabbed himself one before slipping it in his pocket. As the line moved once more, he then said, "If you're so worried about your input though, don't be," He couldn't help but smirk slightly at the sight of her widened eyes.

Reaching up, she gently massaged her temples as she muttered, "I take his advice on the fox ears one time and they won't shut up about that," shaking her head, she then said, "Whatever."

He let out a chuckle as he looked down and checked his watch, stepping forward as the line moved. He thought he'd be here for a while but with how fast things were, he could probably drop by for some coffee as well. Glancing over to the woman, he then asked, "Is there anything else you want to talk about, Kiwi?"

"Eh, nothing really," Kiwi replied as she looked around boredly, "Just don't be your usual self," The woman then said as she walked off. Pausing, she turned back before she added, "Oh, one last thing."

He blinked as a message appeared on his feed. Opening, he read, "Don't look too deep into things, Faraday. Trust me, it's not worth it."

Before he could even ask anymore question, the woman had already left; having joined with her crew who seemed entranced by her new features. Frowning briefly, he wondered what she meant before he shrugged as he moved along. The woman was simply worried about someone close to them, nothing more.

-x-x-x-

With the line moving so swiftly, it wouldn't take long for his turn to order; a simple fare of cheese burgers, some fries, as well as a large glass of cola. As rumors had it, the whole order cost little; more a pittance that anything. If he didn't know any better, the man only taped on the price to avoid suspicion. Still, he wasn't one to complain.

Muscling his way into one of the seat amongst the haphazardly laid out tables, he got himself comfortable. Looking around, he found that he didn't stand out all too much. With all the sharply dressed suits around, he found himself strangely at home. From Arasaka employees, to Biotechnica Scientist and even some Militech agents, there seemed to be a suit from every company present.

While it was a golden opportunity to network, that wasn't what he was here fore.He was here to indulge on his gluttony. Picking up the hefty burger, he marveled at delectable it looked. With the thick patties topped with the all americana classic of slice cheese that melting down the wonderfully browned meat served on golden buns, he could have sworn he was eating in some upscale, not a stall tucked in a corner of the Cherry Blossom Market.

Breathing in the wonderful aroma, he licked his lips at the scent of beef mixing in with the toasted bread cradling this prime piece of meat. He simply can't resist anymore. Opening wide, he bit down, tearing away at his meal. One bite after another, he gorged himself, enjoying the wonderful taste all melting in his mouth. Before he knew it, he found himself staring at his empty hands.

As he sat there, all he could ask was one simple word, "How?" How, how was it that good. Grabbing himself some fries, enjoying how perfectly crunchy it was in mouth, he started to wonder.

To most, this would have just a simple fair; One which can be found in any burger joint in the city. It should have been a simple fair yet it wasn't. The more he looked at it, the more he savored its flavors and aroma, the more he grew suspicious. How can food stall afford such ingredients.

As a connoisseur of the finer things in life, he knew beef when he tasted it. This was not SCOP, nor was this cloned meat born from the labs of Biotechnica, but pure farm raised beef. While it was almost indistinguishable in this day and age, there was still one thing lab grown meat still couldn't quite replicate; texture.

While he could not quite describe it, there was something different about farm raised meat. It was firm in a way that lab grown weren't, dense in both substance and in flavor. As far as he knows, there was simply now way to replicate the wear and tear that meat goes through as cows lived and breathed.

Any attempts have proven to be too costly, to uneconomical to even replicate. Surely such a dingy stall couldn't serve such meat but here he was, having eaten a burger that stood heads and shoulders above the rest. All he could think now was how Seoul Kitchen could serve such high quality product.

He was swift to discount it being made from people. He trusted his tongue enough to know when he was eating something that had pork. Besides, it didn't have that gamey taste often accompanying such… tainted product.

Could it be some form of experimental product? No, it can't. Biotechnica would have been all over the Net, hyping up the existence of the product. Any company worth their salt that cracked the age all problem of making meat that could rival farm raised meat would be serving this amongst the rich and powerful, damn the consequences if there was any.

This had to be beef but if so, how? How can this man afford it. Could he be perhaps a trust fund baby, someone that was masquerading as a simple cook. No, that can't be. The man should be more heavily guarded, not just the few Edgerunners milling about, calling this their hangout.

A front for a company perhaps? An entity? A corporation? Licking the salt off his fingers, he briefly considered it. Biting his tongue, he reminded himself that this was just a simple outing yet his curiosity got the better of him. He dipped into his contacts to know more about this place.

As he was about to contact one, he paused as the words of the netrunner echoed in his mind, "Don't look too deep into things, Faraday," Trust me, it's not worth it," He grimaced, considering it before, pressing on. He simply could not resist.

How can he not when the beef alone was staring to making him go insane? That wasn't even the touching the topic of the potatoes used in the fries, the beef tallow used to fry it, and the drinks served with it. He refused to acknowledge it was genuine Coca Cola. That was simply too much. Most, if not all the remaining original stocks are in vaults.

As he inquired about the shop, the more he noticed inconsistencies. He had hoped to find his supplier but he found that no delivery vehicles ever dropped by. The man had only ever ran out of stock ones and he delivered it himself. Speaking of the man, he was a mystery onto himself.

This man, this Chef, was proving to be more of an enigma. A former cook to a restaurant, he was unremarkable. No records of crimes, almost no chrome to speak off, his record was almost spotless, that was until he found himself looking at a blank page.

His entire record, every video, every picture of this man was contained with a decade. Before that, nothing. No family members to speak off, no relatives, nothing. There was not a single mention of the mans name aside from poorly forged birth certificates, schooling and vaccinations. It was the man just suddenly came into existence a decade ago.

The more inquired more on the man, the more he realized that he had stared into the abyss. Just who was this Chef? Where did he came from, what was his goals? He had to know, he needed to know. Standing up, he left his seat, pushing trough the crowd as he made a beeline for the man. "Just who are you Chef?"

So focused was he on the man that he didn't noticed the tiny woman baring his way. He was nearly sent down on the floor as he bumped into the woman. "Hey, I'm walking here," A young teenage voice called out, annoyance all but dripping in their tone.

Growling in annoyance, he fixed his suit as he glared at the woman only to freeze as her gaze met his. He felt ice fill his veins as he stood there frozen, his heart dropping as he realized who he had just bump into. Of all the people he could have crashed into, it had to be her.

"I-I uh-!" He stumbled on his words before she cut him off, shushing him with her cold unfeeling stare. He felt so small, so tiny before her. Why, why was she here?

"Just fuck off will you?" She growled, her hands reaching out for his collar, "You're blocking the way," before she roughly tossed him aside.

He cried out, his legs going out under him as he stumbled in the ground. He cowered, shielding himself despite knowing how futile it would be. His end however did not came as he expected as a voice called out to them, "Hey Red! You're here to grab your order?."

"Took you long enough to notice," The woman replied, making him freeze up. Keeping his gaze on the tiny terror as she walked over to the counter, he then heard her, "I've been standing there for ages. So where's my pizza?"

"You really should speak up you know," Chef laughed as he gave her a pat on the head, "Couldn't here your adorable voice in the crowd."

"Oh fuck off," The girl replied as if she was bantering with an old friend. This, this was simply too much.

As he gathered his wits, he bolted, refusing to look back. Despite the mystery presented to him, of this enigma of a person before him, it was simply not worth it; not when she hovered around him like a specter. "I should have listened to her," he muttered as he made himself scarce, hoping that she didn't follow him.

A/N:

Heh, you might notice that Kiwi here is now sporting some Foxy features. I may be planning on having her take such upgrades in the future after our Chef makes a comment. Oh yeah, one more thing. I'd like to apologize for this being bit late. Had my teeth worked on yesterday. Could have made this if it wasn't for that emergency. I couldn't even drink without screaming in pain.