Chapter 164: Proclamation (2)
Chapter 164: Proclamation (2)
‘The real Rose Island’ had returned.
The name Rose Island was familiar to most Americans. There were twelve branches throughout the United States and thirty-seven restaurants worldwide with the name hanging above their entrances. Every head chef had once been a disciple of the Rose couple, and they were all so close that, at one point, people had even nicknamed them ‘the Rose Division’.
Yet what made Rose Island famous was neither the skill of its chefs nor the friendship between them. In order for a restaurant to use the Rose Island name, it needed the complete approval of the Rose couple, and the disciples entrusted with that name would never do anything that might tarnish their teachers’ reputation. Since there was not a single Rose Island branch without at least one Michelin star, it was only natural that the general public recognised the name.
That was why the closure of the flagship restaurant for ten years had been such a painful loss. Older generations and many food critics had always insisted that the original Rose Island was the best of them all, and the chefs running the other branches had never disputed that claim. Since no one could visit the flagship restaurant anymore, how much must food critics have imagined and longed for the taste they could no longer experience?
But the situation had changed.
Rachel Rose had publicly announced in front of Rose Island’s Venice branch that the flagship restaurant would reopen, along with a new chef audition. The judges would include Rachel Rose herself, Grand Chef runner-up Anderson Rousseau, and Jo Minjoon, the chef famous for his absolute taste. With everyone already wondering whether Rachel could overcome a ten-year absence from the kitchen, the announcement naturally became a major topic of discussion.
Janine Fischer: Anyone auditioning is going to be walking straight into hell. A world-famous chef, someone with absolute taste, and Anderson as judges.
└Yulia Lott: Is Anderson really that difficult?
└Janine Fischer: @Yulia Lott Think about what Anderson is normally like. He’ll tear them apart without mercy.
“…That’s what people are saying. What do you think?”
Jo Minjoon smiled as he showed the screen to Anderson. Anderson skimmed through the posts and snorted.
“When have I ever been that harsh? You were much worse than I was.”
“When was I like that?”
“Don’t you remember Peter?”
“Peter? Oh, him.”
Jo Minjoon had to think for a moment before the memory returned. Peter was the Indian contestant he had scolded after the man fought with Kaya during Grand Chef. Jo Minjoon hummed thoughtfully before asking,
“Do you know what he’s doing these days?”
“He seems to have been completely burned by the whole thing. People didn’t have a good impression of him afterwards. Once he showed that kind of personality on television, no respectable restaurant would want to hire him unless they were deliberately looking for controversy.”
“…When you put it that way, I feel a little sorry for him. If it had happened anywhere else, it would’ve been a minor incident. But because it happened on television, it ended up becoming a black mark on his entire life.”
What had Jo Minjoon told Peter back then, when the man had been completely discouraged? If people hated him, then he should accept that hatred and use it as fuel to grow.
Jo Minjoon had no way of knowing how seriously Peter had taken those words, or how much he had changed since then.
“How’s Kaya? Have you talked to her recently?”
“…What’s gotten into you? You never ask about Kaya.”
“I’m asking because I’m worried you might be concerned. She hasn’t been showing up in the group chat either.”
“I don’t really know how she’s doing. Maybe she’s struggling alone again. It doesn’t look like she’s been contacting anyone else much either.”
Jo Minjoon sighed, his expression frustrated. Perhaps Kaya’s desire not to make him worry had grown stronger than before, but that kind of growth did not feel particularly comforting.
[Me: Are you very busy?]
Jo Minjoon stared blankly at his phone screen. Since she was not answering his calls either, he somehow felt that repeatedly calling her would make it seem as though he were losing.
Anderson glanced at him and remembered what Amelia had said on the way back.
See? It’s hard once you leave home, isn’t it?
What are you talking about?
No matter what happens, your mum and dad will always love and cherish you most. Rachel isn’t like that. Are you confident you can turn her attention towards you?
What irritated Anderson most was that he had been unable to answer that question confidently.
The audition was only four days away.
Jo Minjoon’s current routine was simple. Aside from exercising to maintain his health, he spent nearly all his time inside Rose Island’s kitchen.
What he did there was equally simple.
Cooking and eating.
And between the two, he spent more time eating.
“Hmm… Try the carrot soup with this red-wine bread.”
“The pairing doesn’t work particularly well. The red wine leaves a distinctive bitter aroma, so unless the soup is made a little sweeter, I don’t think the flavours will come together.”
“Do you think we should adjust the soup? Or should I change the bread?”
“I don’t think there’s any need to do either. Hand me that butter roll.”
At Jo Minjoon’s request, Lisa handed him a beautifully shaped butter roll curled like a conch shell. Jo Minjoon tore off a piece, poured a little carrot soup over it, and ate it.
“How is it?”
“Perfect. If we refine the soup a little more, I think we could serve it to customers. As it is now, it still feels slightly too simple.”
After listening to him, Lisa tried the butter roll with the carrot soup as well, although she dipped the bread instead of pouring the soup over it. She nodded.
“It’s definitely much better. The softness of the butter and the sweetness of the carrot complement each other perfectly. You really do live up to your nickname, Absolute Taste.”
“…Any chef could do this, Lisa. It only seems more impressive because of the nickname attached to me.”
“I like that modesty. Though I still think it’s impressive. If I had an ability like yours, I think I’d become unbearably arrogant.”
She said it with her usual stoic expression, without even the slightest smile, but the words themselves were surprisingly warm. Jo Minjoon smiled brightly.
“You’re impressive too, Lisa. You wake up early enough to put bread in the oven and prepare the dough for the next day, then you come here and work until after dinner. I don’t even understand when you find time to sleep.”
“I may look dedicated, but I sleep as much as I need. While the bread is baking and while the dough is rising, I simply make good use of all that waiting time.”
“That is the definition of dedication.”
Lisa merely shrugged.
From the counter facing the dining room came two light tapping sounds. When they looked over, Ella, wearing a yellow dress, had her chin resting against the edge of the counter as she stared at them.
“What’s wrong, Ella?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Hmm. Lisa, what should we do?”
“Since she’s hungry anyway, we might as well have lunch. When are Anderson and Rachel coming back?”
“Shopping will probably take them at least an hour, so I think we should eat first.”
With that decided, they set the table.
The only thing already prepared was soup, but Jo Minjoon was a chef. Making a steak and a couple of plates of pasta within ten minutes was hardly difficult for him.
The meal itself was simple: Caesar salad, carrot soup, spaghetti alle vongole, and beef tenderloin with cheese cream sauce.
(Translator’s Note: Spaghetti alle vongole — A traditional Italian pasta dish particularly associated with Naples and Campania. It combines spaghetti with clams, usually with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and sometimes white wine. Versions may be prepared in bianco without tomatoes or in rosso with tomatoes.)
Jo Minjoon had to move back and forth between the kitchen and the table a few times, but whenever he saw Ella smiling with sauce smeared around her lips, the fatigue seemed to wash away.
“You must be happy. You have such a beautiful daughter. I hope I can have a family like this someday too.”
“Why would you even need to worry about that? You’re handsome, and your girlfriend is beautiful too. If the two of you ever have a child, I’m sure the child will be beautiful.”
“…Girlfriend?”
“Ah. Anderson did tell me that if I mentioned Kaya Lotus in front of you, you’d deny it.”
At Lisa’s words, Jo Minjoon awkwardly placed a cube of steak into his mouth. Wrapped in the soft richness of the cheese cream, the distinctive flavour of the tenderloin spread pleasantly through his mouth, sophisticated yet comforting.
Lisa looked at him.
“Are you going to be all right? That has cheese in it. You said dairy doesn’t sit well with your stomach.”
“I need to train myself to handle it. How can a chef have foods he can’t eat? It only gives me a stomach ache; it isn’t an allergy. If I eat it gradually, I’ll probably get used to it.”
Jo Minjoon happened to turn his head at that moment and found Ella staring at him with an expression so devastated it looked as though the world had ended.
His eyes widened.
“What’s wrong, Ella? Is something stuck in your throat?”
Instead of answering, Ella began to cry and wiped at her tears with one hand. Then she looked towards Lisa, sniffling.
“Mommy. Minjoon… has a girlfriend…”
“Yes. He does.”
Even though it might have been reasonable to lie when her daughter was looking that heartbroken, Lisa answered without hesitation.
That only made Ella cry harder.
Having finally understood what was happening, Jo Minjoon did not know whether he ought to feel flattered or troubled as he looked at her.
Ella struggled down from her chair, walked over to him, and stared straight into his face. Jo Minjoon had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet somehow he felt as though he were being judged.
Ella tightly gripped his hands.
“Minjoon. Are you going to marry that girl?”
“What do you think I should do?”
“Ella doesn’t want Minjoon to go… but if you really have to go, I’ll let you go. Ella can handle it.”
“Let’s blow your nose first. Here.”
Jo Minjoon took out a napkin and held it gently beneath Ella’s nose. She blew into it, then looked up at him with her nose and cheeks completely red and her lips trembling in a pout.
The expression was unbearably cute.
What on earth was this child saying?
Jo Minjoon lifted Ella and placed her back in her chair. Lisa spoke casually, almost as though she were discussing someone else’s daughter.
“Looks like you’ve stolen my daughter’s heart.”
“Apparently I’m more popular with children than I realised.”
“They say children like pure-hearted people. Maybe you’re that kind of person, Minjoon. Kaya must be happy, though I’ve never met her.”
“Even I can barely remember the last time I saw her. It’s been almost a month, and we haven’t even spoken properly in more than a week.”
“You can’t contact her?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s busy, or…” Jo Minjoon stopped and shook his head. “I shouldn’t say. If I did, I’d be talking about Kaya’s personal life without her permission.”
He answered bitterly.
Lisa took a sip of water, considered the matter for a moment, and then spoke.
“Don’t make it too complicated. There are usually only two reasons a woman doesn’t contact you. Either she’s lost interest, or she wants you to contact her first. Did you do something wrong recently?”
“Nothing I can remember.”
“Then you already have your answer. Call her.”
“I have. I’ve called and texted her, but she hasn’t answered. Maybe she’s busy, or maybe she’s avoiding me. It’s probably the second one. No matter how busy someone is, they wouldn’t go an entire week without looking at their phone.”
He could guess why.
Kaya had told him herself before. She did not want to rely on him. She did not want to become a burden to him.
Jo Minjoon simply could not decide what the right answer was.
Should he respect Kaya’s wishes and give her space, or should he keep trying to protect her even if she resisted?
Lisa laughed softly.
“At least I’ve confirmed one thing. No man struggles this much over a woman when there’s nothing between them. Why do you keep pretending otherwise? Nothing will change just because you admit it.”
“…If there really were nothing between us, there’d be no reason for me to struggle this much just because we’re apart. That’s exactly why it bothers me.”
“That makes more sense. And right now, you definitely look like you’re struggling.”
Jo Minjoon smiled.
Strangely, hearing that made him feel better.
If his distress was that obvious, then at least it proved his feelings were real.
Yes.
He needed to admit it.
Jo Minjoon liked Kaya.
As a chef.
As someone he admired.
As a woman.
At first, even he had not been certain whether those feelings were simply the admiration of a fan. But now he knew.
Even if it had started that way, if those feelings had grown this intense, then they had already become something else entirely.
“You’re right.”
“That you’re having a hard time?”
“My feelings. You were right about them.”
“I knew that without you saying it.”
For the first time, Lisa gave him a faint smile.
Ella, however, could not do the same.
She chewed a piece of meat with a miserable expression, then abruptly pushed her plate away and dropped her forehead onto the table. Apparently, this was Ella’s way of expressing despair.
Seeing her daughter suffer her first heartbreak at such a young age, Lisa sighed quietly and lifted Ella into her arms.
“Don’t rush things. Just trust her. I don’t know why she isn’t contacting you, but she might appreciate your trust more than she would appreciate you constantly trying to comfort her. Of course, take that advice lightly. You know her much better than I do.”
“I will.”
Jo Minjoon picked up his phone.
Slowly, he poured everything he wanted to say into each word he typed, then closed the phone and looked at Lisa with a smile.
“Thank you for the advice.”
“Can I ask what you wrote?”
“No. You can’t.”
Jo Minjoon pointed towards Ella and lowered his voice mischievously.
“It isn’t appropriate for children under seven.”
“What should we do?”
The agent stared at Kaya with a rigid expression.
Kaya silently looked at her reflection in the mirror.
There had been a time when she thought it was a pretty face.
Now, it was simply irritating.
Are traces of him… still left in this face?
“Miss Kaya?”
“…Send him away. I have absolutely no intention of meeting him.”
“Are you sure? This is the second time.”
“Then I’ll say the same thing for the second time. My father died a long time ago. Tell that impostor to get lost!”
“…Understood.”
The agent left the kitchen with a grim expression.
Kaya bit her lip.
She had thought she could postpone the problem by ignoring calls, but her biological father had now shown up at her signing events.
Twice.
Her phone chimed.
When she looked at the screen, a warm smile gradually appeared on her face.
A familiar name had sent her familiar, comforting words.
[Jo Minjoon: I may not believe in Santa Claus, but I believe you’ll overcome this.]
Kaya pressed the phone against her chest and leaned back in the chair.
Perhaps because she was exhausted, her half-closed eyes began to tremble slightly.
“Yes… I’ll overcome it.”