Seoul Kitchen: Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Lunch Rush

As soon as Kiwi posted that sign up, the proverbial floodgate was opened. Customers flooded in and they did not stop coming. A huge line was forming and things were coming to a boiling point as customers as they jostled to get a slice. They wanted their one eddie pizza slice despite the harsh heat and nothing was going to stop them. It wasn’t even noon yet!

“Shit,” he breathed out, exhausted from kneading so much dough and there were still so many of them there. He severely underestimated how much work this is going to be for him. Thankfully, his new friends were there to extend a helping hand.

“Shit indeed. Just look at the crow outside, it’s probably a block by now,” Maine observed as he chomped down on his slice. The rest of the crew were sitting down on the seat and their presence alone helped keep the crowd from getting rowdier.

“Yeah and they’re not stopping,” He admitted as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He could call its quits there and then but he hadn’t even started yet. He needed to power through this but that doesn’t mean he needed to do it alone. Turning to Maine, he told him, “Maine, I need your crew help.”

Maine choked, coughing as he pounded on his chest. “Say what now?” He asked as the rest of the crew looked at him as if he was crazy.

“Seriously?” Rebecca told him as he looked at him in concern, “It’s not like you’re being paid for this, you know. No ones going to blame you if you can’t feed them all.”

He shook his head in reply, “It’s just something I want to do. If I’m going to half ass things, I might as well quit now. I’m giving this my all even if it kills me.” It was overly dramatic, yes but it was the least that he could do to make things a little bit brighter for at least a few people. It’s the little things that make a day and right now, that little thing is a pizza slice.

Rebecca was about to argue before she faltered, sighing as she asked, “Nothings go to change your mind huh?”

Nodding, he told them, “I need all the hand I could get even for just a day. There’s a whole ass crowd outside and I don’t want them leaving empty handed,” He told them as he tossed another pizza in the oven, “Even if all they’ll get is a slice each, that’ll be enough for me.”

He not only needed Maine’s crew as extra hands but he needed their guns. He wasn’t too sure about the crowd now and he needed some extra help just in case someone got a bit annoyed about the “Slow Food Service” and wanted to share a piece of their mind. In a place like Night City, you really can’t be too sure if your fellow citizen is going to shoot you or not.

“What do you guys think?” Maine asked, “Should we help a brother in need?”

There was a look of indecision from the group as they thought about it. Not leaving things to chance, he shouted, “I’ll pay you!” he then paused before clarifying, “I really don’t have money but I can pay you with something else! Anytime you come to my shop, I’ll cook whatever you want. That and you get to keep whatever pizza is left by the time Five in the afternoon rolls around and I promise you, I’ll never run out of ingredients. Ever.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” Maine grinned as he leaned in closer, “Think you can back it up?”

Looking back, he replied, “Try me.” extending a hand, “Thin you can make enough pizza by that time?” He then fired back.

“You're on Chef,” Maine replied as he shook his hand and Rebecca hooted in excitement.

“Well, whatcha y’all waiting for? Hop right in! We got some pizza to make!” She shouted as she hopped over the counter. “The crowd might be long but I doubt they’ll be faster than all of us working together!”

With those words, all of them joined in. Thankfully, he bought himself several aprons just because he hated having to wash a lone one everyday. Everyone got into gear and despite their clear inexperience in the kitchen as this might be the first time. Barely anyone in the city gets to cook anymore with all the vendo machine which would make this a challenge but he can work with this.

“Ok, first things first. Keep your hands clean. Wash whenever you can,” he shouted as he got them all to their station. “Cross contamination is a thing. Touch raw meat, you wash. Touch the counter and you’re going back to cooking? Wash. Touching your face? Wash!”

“Got it, chef!” They shouted back in good nature. Food safety might be more lax but he can’t have them not take it seriously.

After a crash course on food safety and teaching them how to operate the equipment, they all got to work. With him directing everyone, the crew worked as one. Maine got to learn how to knead the dough, Dorio got to slice and prepare the ingredients, Lucy got to watch the sauce, while Rebecca got experience making the Pizza. With Pilar operating the oven and Kiwi manning the cash register and taking payment (which she got to keep) things went smoothly.

“Damn, you’re a pro at this Maine,” He complimented the giant of a man as they tossed the pizza in the air with ease.

“I used to cook for the Army,” Maine said with a soft smile on his face as he recalled fondly, “Well, everyone of us can cook. Got to learn from a New Yorker how to toss one back in the day. Didn’t know I still had it in me!”

“Keep at it! We still got a few hundred more customers,” He laughed as he turned around, “Don’t forget to drink alright! I don’t want you all passing out on me.”

“Is this good enough? I think I added enough?” Lucy asked as she stirred the sauce. The large sauce pot was filled almost to the brim and it was bubbling dangerously so.

“Lower the heat a bit,” He told her as he flattened the dough he was working on, “But it smells right. Just make sure it tastes good. Doesn’t matter if it’s right. Add salt to adjust. Just eyeball it.”

“Got it, Chef,” Lucy replied as she looked eagerly at the sauce she was making. He chuckled at how proud and excited the girl was but that was the thing about cooking, it was rewarding to see one’s effort pay off in one delicious package.

“Damn it, how the hell do you do this so fast?” Rebecca asked as she struggled spreading the sauce over the flattened dough.

Letting his rolling pin down for a bit, he slipped behind Rebecca and grabbed her hands. Ignoring how she froze up, he started guiding her into the motion.

“It’s all about circular motion. Scoop then pour at the center. From there, spread it out,” He told her as he started spreading the sauce, “You got to remember, don’t over sauce it. You just need enough to see the dough through the sauce or the dough would get soggy. You don’t want soggy pizza.”

“Y-yeah, got it!” Rebecca replied before pushing him off with her back, “Now get off me! Don’t hog what little space I had here,” she told him with a pout. He chuckled as he backed away as he got back to work.

Things only got more hectic from there but spirits were high. They were just doing this for fun and despite the exhausting work, the edge runners were still going strong. He might just pull off a successful day!

With how many people were ordering though, from the lowliest workers to even some suit wearing corpo’s off all things, some ingredients would run dry. Peering inside the small cupboard he had, Maine shouted “Yo Chef, we’re out of flour!”

“Got it! Hold the fort for me!” He shouted as he washed his hands and jumped off, grabbing his trolly as he went off. With all of them in his shop, he got to get a bit creative with acquiring more ingredients and that means he had to run off to a back alley to make the ingredients. Thankfully, no one thought of trailing him as he kept returning over and over again with all the ingredients they needed.

In the end, by the time the clock struck five, they'd sold more pizza than he thought he’d ever see in his lifetime. He and the edgerunners were spent but all of them had a smile on their faces. After all, there were still dozens of pizzas still left. Everyone was going to have their fill to top off one successful day and he got to say… he wanted to do this again.