Chapter 478: Between Art and Cooking (5)
Min-joon’s voice wasn’t loud. His low voice rang with even a friendly tone. However, Downey felt like his voice was blaring into his eyes.
Downey couldn’t reply easily. He felt like he was sinking into the deep sea.
But Min-joon did not push him to answer quickly. It would be impossible to expect him to give up his stubbornness overnight, which had become stronger for the past several months. Of course, Min-joon could wait for a little longer, but not indefinitely.
“So, tell me how you tasted it.”
In the end, Osla asked Downey as if she was so curious that she could not stand it anymore.
Nonetheless, Downey still didn’t answer her question. When she cautiously sent an eye signal to Min-joon, he nodded. Then, she put his potato dish in her mouth right away.
She could finally taste it. It stimulated her tongue secretly and quietly. It made her happy, but at the same time sad. She was now relieved to confirm how extraordinary it was.
‘Isn’t it fantastic enough to convince you without any reservation?’
In Osla’s mind, this was a dish that gave Downey little room for being stubborn. Soon, the other kitchen staff came and tried it one by one. And they cast a sharp glance at Downey like Osla. At that moment Downey felt more pressured than Min-joon’s caustic words.
“Why don’t you respond? If you don’t like my recipe, just speak out freely.”
What he just said was harsh because he knew better than anybody else that Downey could not dislike his recipe. Downey slowly looked at him. Watching him quietly, Min-joon felt something strange in his eyes, as if he had some mixed feelings.
“It was delicious.”
Just by saying that, Downey felt like it was the last straw. But Min-joon had no intention of giving him a pa.s.s. He spent dozens of minutes cooking this potato dish, which he never planned to do and didn’t need to do. So, he had no intention of just forgiving him with such a simple compliment.
“I think you should say something more.”
“Well, I …” Downey slowly opened his mouth. He tried to say something with difficulty at first, but in the end he confessed. “I was wrong.”
The moment Downey admitted his wrongdoing, he found himself contrite before he knew it.. Hs ugly behavior, stained with jealousy and envy until now, vividly came to his mind, and his narrow-minded and negative bias toward Min-joon made him face himself seriously. He really could not face his ugly old self. And that was his face. Whenever he saw Min-joon, he would have to recall his old self and regret his disgusting behavior.
Only now did he begin to see what’s been hidden deep down in his heart. It was hatred. And the target of hatred was Downey himself. He was hating himself who was so narrow-minded and consumed with negative prejudices against Min-joon.
‘ I have been so mean to him…’
Actually, Downey himself knew it from the beginning. He knew he had done wrong to Min-joon. In his mind, he himself was always illogical and emotional, not knowing how to control his emotions. He was just throwing a tantrum at Min-joon just like a child, although the latter was not his father who could accept his tantrum.
“Okay, you admitted your wrongdoing. If you know what it means to repent, can I believe that you won’t bother me anymore in the future? Got it?”
“Yes, you can trust me.”
Downey nodded at his question obediently. Only then did the kitchen staff begin to feel relaxed subtly. As a matter of fact, they were worried that Downey would not give up his stubbornness to the end. But Downey didn’t seem foolish enough to stick with his stubbornness this time. Even if he was a fool, he would have no choice but to admit Min-joon’s dish was delicious.
Only then did Min-joon also begin to relent a bit. When he thought he was so bothered and frustrated by Downey’s nasty behavior, he wondered if he should forgive him so easily like this.
But if Downey really repented himself, Min-joon thought he had to forget it once and for all.
While making up his mind like that, Min-joon was going to say when Downey first opened his mouth.
“Let’s accept the conditions you set forth, but I would like to do one more thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“I intend to quit here.”
At that moment, the atmosphere that seemed to turn bright suddenly froze. Osla looked at Min-joon and Downey several times with a confused expression.
She then opened her mouth, slapping Downey’s forearm.
“What are you talking about? Are you crazy? Chef Min-joon has forgiven you already, so just forget it.”
“Stop it, Osla.” Min-joon stopped Osla.
With her stepping back hesitantly, Min-joon looked down at him, with his arms folded.
He asked coldly, “What else do you want to say this time?”
“Chef Min-joon did nothing wrong.”
“Then, why do you want to quit? I didn’t tell you to quit. Are you making fun of the concern of the kitchen staff here? Or are you making light of my good intention?”
“Well, it’s funny that I should say this..” Downey replied with a self-mocking voice. “You have proved what I have been doing until now ended up doing harm to our staff. I’ve been turning a deaf ear to it, but I can’t stand it when I come to think of that now because I’m so sorry for them.”
“Sure, quit then.”
Downey flinched at his resolute reply.
Min-joon asked as if it’s not a big deal, “You said you want to quit. Alright, let me grant your wish. Just get out.”
“Chef Min-joon!”
“Shut up, Osla.” Min-joon silenced Osla, who was trying to defend Downey.
With mixed feelings Downey briefly looked at them. To be honest, Downey could not believe he said he would quit. He could not believe how he could say he was going to leave this workplace he loved so much. But he already mentioned it openly, and it’s too late to take back what he said. With Eva following Downey leaving the kitchen, Min-joon let out a sigh.
“That idiot…”
“Downey, Downey!”
Eva quickly caught up with him and grabbed his shoulder. He slowly turned to her.
She looked at him sternly, catching her breath.
“What the heck are you doing now?”
“I’m sorry, Chef Eva. I knew that you must have had a hard time because of me, but I was only concerned with myself. Maybe I am the worst guy. Yeah, I am.”
“Yeah. It’s good for you to repent like that. And it’s good for you to admit your mistake. But it’s not right to quit like this.”
“Well, how can I keep working with you in the kitchen when I have confessed like this?”
“Why don’t you be bold enough to stay on just like you were bold enough to admit your wrongdoing?”
Downey laughed bitterly at her words.
As if she thought he was pathetic, she opened her mouth, looking at him.
“How foolish you are! Don’t you know how much Min-joon has taken care of you until now?”
Downey didn’t answer. Given that his eyes were trembling nervously, he must be listening to Eva from the beginning. He opened his mouth when she was about to continue.
“Every time I watched a movie, I always thought why that guy was so bad, why he wasn’t thinking about the good stuff. I wished such a guy should never have been born.”
“…”
“But when I came to my senses, I found myself a bad guy like him in the movie. That’s why I want to quit before I do any harm to this restaurant that I like best,” he said, smiling lightly.
But her face only got harder.
She said in a quiet voice, “You’re mistaken. You’re not a bad guy. You’re a fool and mean guy.”
“What’s the difference?”
“It’s different. Bad guys know how to behave themselves, but you can’t. You are now trying to get kicked out of this restaurant voluntarily. Don’t you think you are an idiot?”
“It hurts.”
Eva didn’t even care even if he felt offended.
She scolded him sharply, “If you’re going to complain about it with such poor excuses, just go back to the kitchen right now!”
“Chef Eva…”
“If you still think of me as your savior, go back right now.”
Eva ordered him without giving him any time to respond.
She continued, “Did you say you feel ashamed to keep working with us? Sure, you should feel so. Actually, you have made us uncomfortable, hara.s.sed Min-joon without any reason, and threw a tantrum everywhere. Yeah, you should feel ashamed about what you did, so apologize to them instead of trying to pretend to exit beautifully. Don’t run away like this. Go back and bow to them and offer sincere apologies to them.”
“Chef Eva…”
“You’re making everyone uncomfortable because you can’t give up your bad temper. You are making all of us have a hard time. Although you are talking about your shameful behavior, you don’t want to be submissive to Min-joon, after all. You don’t want to face the truth that you have lost to him. So, shut up and stop complaining anymore.”
Then she shouted at him, pointing at the kitchen.
“Go back! Do you feel ashamed?” she told him with a sneering smile. “Of course, you should.”
It didn’t take long for Downey to return to the kitchen.
All the kitchen staff whispering among themselves looked at Downey.
Their gaze made him get cold feet and feel how small he was.
He felt like he exposed his most embarra.s.sing weakness to them.
Min-joon asked teasingly, “I think I granted your wish to quit.”
“Can I cancel it?”
“What if I say no?”
Downey hesitated how to respond to his unexpected question.
Watching him, Min-joon suddenly recalled an old episode when he was a soldier.
Finally, he said with a sigh, “How should I treat you?”
“You can treat me roughly because it’s me who did wrong.”
“Just stop pretending to look miserable. I want to kick you out.”
Min-joon looked at him with a sigh. Downey was standing outside the kitchen, not daring to come inside.
“Come back.”
“Pardon?”
Min-joon frowned at him. He walked to Downey and pulled him inside.
Watching him step inside awkwardly, Min-joon said quietly, “Peel all the potatoes that we’ll serve on the table for the next one week. Got it, you nasty dude?”