Chapter 214: Taking the first step (5)
Raphael said, grinning at her, “You look so old after you met the three! You seem to be 70, not 60.”
“I don’t want to hear you teasing an old woman like me. I’m p.o.o.ped out.”
“How do you feel when you saw your guests after ten years? Are they still pretty?”
At Raphael’s words, she made a gloomy look for a moment, unable to open her mouth.
He regretted asking her a hard question, but she quickly replied, “Yeah, they were. They were more beautiful than the brightest flower in the world. I haven’t seen them for 10 years. Now I think I know I’ve been living in a barren place like a desert until now.”
“Well, you have a bad year then you have a good year, too. Now that long bad years have pa.s.sed, you’ll have good long years.
“Do you really think so?”
“Well, but even if I don’t think so, I think I have to give you some lip service like this.”
“… You must be kidding.”
“Whatever…” He responded casually.
Instead of talking back, she turned her eyes at the kitchen. Janet and Anderson in the appetizers and pasta section were already clearing up the cooking table. Havier in the main dish section was also wrapping up the cleanup, but only Min-joon was still busy. He looked like he still had a lot of work to do, such as preparing ice cream for dessert and plating the chocolate spaghetti he had presented at the previous LA compet.i.tion.
Janet muttered, looking at him, “He seems to be very happy.”
“Who? Min-joon?”
“Yeah. He looks like he’s staying relaxed usually, but when he is cooking, he can’t be happier. It seems he’s enjoying every moment.”
“Don’t be hooked on him. If you have a crush on him, you’re going to start going through a lot of headaches.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t have any interest in dating a guy. I would stay away from a guy like him who has a girlfriend.”
“I was kidding. You don’t have to respond so seriously.”
When Anderson said that, Janet knitted her brows and stared at him.
Watching Min-joon quietly, he opened his mouth.
“I know he said he didn’t want molecular cooking in the beginning. He even threw all kinds of temper tantrums at me.”
“I don’t know. He didn’t throw any tantrums at me.”
“Man, it’s always me who got his tantrum. I couldn’t even imagine receiving this kind of treatment anywhere else.”
“Hey, your parents also seemed to think you look easy.”
“Don’t talk about them,” said Anderson with a sigh. Janet smiled at him and reached out.
Watching her hands blankly, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“Don’t you know how to shake hands?”
“I didn’t know you would ask for my handshake like this.”
“Why do you think I won’t even shake hands with you?”
“You are not sociable, Janet.”
“Well, I think I am more sociable than you. Don’t you think so?”
“Maybe.”
Anderson held her hand, grinning at her. Janet waved Anderson’s hand a couple of times then let go of it and whispered, “Congratulations on standing in a restaurant kitchen for the first time! I know you once worked in Gluto’s kitchen, but it’s the first time that you were independent from your parents like this, right?”
“I know. By the way, I appreciate your handshake, but I never expected you would congratulate me. What’s up in your sleeve this time?”
“Just give and take. Since I have congratulated you, just do the same for me. I just want to hear anybody congratulating me.”
“How do you want me to congratulate you?”
“Just say it like this, ‘Good job, Janet. You proved yourself like this.’ Got it?”
Anderson frowned at that. It was something he really didn’t have the nerve to say as she wanted. He moved his lips slightly then said with a sigh, “Good job!”
“What the heck? Was that it?”
“Shut up. If you want it, go and ask that sissy boy. He will flatter you a lot.”
“Oh man, Anderson, you look so cheesy, but you can’t flatter me?”
Janet shook her head as if she didn’t expect he would. She turned her eyes from her.
Actually, she didn’t have to hear it from Anderson because other guys’ smiles in the kitchen already showed they appreciated her achievement with something like ‘Good job. Wonderful, Janet.’ She momentarily put her hand on her belly then took it off. Her heart was throbbing.
If joy was too great, was it rather pain? The moment she thought like that, Rachel approached her. “You guys did a great job today. We all took the first step.”
“Thank you, Chef.”
There was a gentle smile on her face. Min-joon approached them after cleaning up his cooking table and asked, “How did it go, Master? Are you satisfied today?”
“Yes. I feel good it’s a successful start. But we shouldn’t care about today. Every day we have to be conscious of change and evolution. Things don’t change just because I change. When all of you have to make progress, this restaurant can also grow.”
“Can we grow more than now? Honestly, I can’t imagine a more perfect restaurant than this one anymore.”
“Even if you have fully grown, your hair keeps growing, right? Even if it’s trifling, you have to improve it if you find any room for improvement. The moment you are done growing means you are perfect.”
“Oh, I understand.”
As always, she didn’t have to explain things too much to Min-joon. She liked him because he was smart.
She took a deep breath, slightly tired, then looked back at the hall. The customers were almost done dining now. Some of them tried to leave as soon as they were done eating as if they were in a hurry, but others tried to stay on and enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant.
There were much more people who glanced at her than expected. They wanted to approach her and chat with her, but apparently, they were hesitant to do so.
“Let me go and see some of the customers first. Please clean up well.”
Then she moved to the tables alone. Min-joon was watching her quietly. The customers were curious about which table she was heading, or which expression she was making on her face. As if they earnestly waited for her to come to their tables, they were looking forward to her.
Someone might say she had such a following among the customers because of her popularity, but Min-joon could not agree with it altogether. Rachel’s cooking was perfect, let alone her recipe and her warm embrace of her kitchen staff. When she said something, it changed every aspect of the dish in the kitchen, which happened several times for an hour.
“Do you think she is cool?”
“Oh, Lisa. I’m sorry I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”
“I mean Rachel. Do you think she is cool?”
Min-joon could not answer her right away. Of course, he agreed deep down she was cool.
But he was careful not to reveal it to Lisa because they didn’t have a smooth relations.h.i.+p.
Fortunately, Lisa seemed to ask him in pa.s.sing rather than being curious about his opinion.
She continued, “I really hate Rachel. She broke all my father’s dreams and made me the daughter of a father with broken dreams. I’m really upset, but she is cool. I want to keep following her. It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“Even parents sometimes hate their children. Sometimes, they raise their voices as if they were enemies. But they love their children all the time.”
“You tend to talk to me in a way that I don’t understand easily, Min-joon. You said you wanted to be a teacher, right? I think the way you are preaching me now suits you well.”
“Sorry. I’m trying to keep my head down, but it’s hard. As you know, I’m not a fun guy,” said Min-joon, smiling awkwardly.
Many people misunderstood him because of the way he spoke, but he meant well, of course.
He had been accustomed to that kind of att.i.tude for long. When they called him a “nerd,” he tried to change that image several times, but he gave up because that was what he was.
Lisa said with a slight smile, “You know you’re the most interesting guy to Ella, Min-joon. You’re like a lovely fairy to her.”
“Oh, what is Ella doing now?”
“She’s taking a nap in the office. She’s having a hard time because of this stupid mom. She should be playing with her friends by now.”
Lisa didn’t look well at the moment. Looking into the office, she seemed to blame herself for not being a good mother to her.
Min-joon sighed, feeling a bit frustrated at her situation. He wished he could help her, but there was nothing he could do in reality.
“Is it difficult for Jack to take care of her?”
“She’s a kid. I think she doesn’t want to be in the house with her grandfather all day long. My father isn’t healthy enough to take a walk freely, even for a little bit.”
“Yeah, life is hard.”
“Sure it is. Min-joon, choose well when the moment of choice comes along. Difficulties come along suddenly without any notice. Sometimes, your life gets twisted regardless of your choice.”
“But we’re still young, right? We have a lot of time to get it right and move on. Don’t be too hard on you. Oops! You think I’m boring again, right?”
“What’s good for your body doesn’t always taste good. I appreciate what you said. Thanks.”
When their conversation came to an end, Joseph, Sarah, and Jeremy appeared.
Sarah smiled brightly and hugged Min-joon and Anderson.
“Wow, it’s been a long time since I saw you both. I missed you.”
“You didn’t call me, right?”
“Oh, don’t say that. I texted you often.”
“I was kidding. It’s nice to meet you like this. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well. But I don’t think I’m going to do well anymore. How can I do well when I have to miss the taste of Rose Island dishes all the time? Anderson, Min-Joon, and the other chefs, I really envy you. You’re employed by a really good restaurant.”
“I realized why the head chefs of Rose Island branches were under the name ‘Rose Island’ instead of going their own ways. It’s a very proud name, at least to us chefs working here,” said Min-joon.
Joseph grinned at that and said, “Actually, I was wondering how you guys were doing, but it’s nice to see you keeping well here. By the way, I was surprised. I never imagined that Min-joon would be in charge of the molecular cooking section. Are you satisfied with your job, Min-joon?”
“As a matter of fact, I was a little embarra.s.sed at first because I wasn’t familiar with this kind of cooking. But recently, there was a cooking occasion where I was really satisfied.”
“Let me do some guesswork. It’s potato soup, right?”Joseph said as if he could clearly read his mind.
Min-joon asked, with his eyes wide open, as if a little surprised, “That’s right. How did you know?”
“Potato soup is more of a home-cooked dish than a restaurant menu. But it was served as an appetizer in a top-notch restaurant like Rose Island. And it got the best acclaim from the customers because of just one factor, namely bacon foam. You have been skeptical about the boundaries between high-end and ordinary dishes since you attended the cooking contest.”
“That’s right. This potato soup has taught me quite a bit.”
“What is it exactly?” Sarah asked with a slightly confused expression as if she couldn’t understand what they were talking about.
Min-joon replied with a smile, “With the existing cooking methods, there is a clear limit to further improving home cooking. But if we introduce a new approach called molecular cooking, it’s a totally different story.”
Min-joon paused for a moment. As if he found it hard even to breathe because his heart was so full at the moment, he took a deep breath and laid his hand on his chest.
Then he said in a pa.s.sionate voice like a boy, “You can go beyond the limit.”