Chapter 503: Confrontation (2)
Chapter 503: Confrontation (2)
“Are you ignoring my dishes right now?”
“I already told you I was disappointed.”
“Well, it’s my mistake for expecting much from someone who doesn’t understand Japanese food or its traditions.”
“As you said, I may not know Japanese food and tradition, but I do understand cooking. There’s no fun in your dishes.”
“You don’t eat food for fun. You eat for taste and happiness.”
“Well, I was less happy because there was no fun.”
Kaya fired back without a hint of hesitation.
Watching her spar with the head chef, some might have mistaken it for a battle of pride or a clumsy emotional fight. But Minjoon knew better. She was genuinely disappointed with Yoshimoto’s cooking. She respected his skills but, like Minjoon with Mangil Hong—the master of traditional Korean cuisine—she couldn’t hide her frustration when she saw Yoshimoto was clinging to outdated ways.
At that moment, Minjoon accidentally caught the eye of Yoshimoto’s sous chef beside him. Unlike his boss, there was no resentment or displeasure in his gaze. Curious, Minjoon studied the man’s expression. Then Yoshimoto turned and spoke.
“Well, I wish I hadn’t come here, young men. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the meal, but I don’t think it’s my fault. Your half-baked opinions are the problem. Goodbye.”
With that, Yoshimoto walked away. However, his sous chef lingered. When Kaya and Minjoon watched him, he waited until Yoshimoto was out of sight and quietly asked, “What’s your rating?”
“To be honest, it’s not very good.”
“Will you post it in Jotus Guide?”
The question was ambiguous. Minjoon narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but the sous chef pressed on, seeming eager to clarify.
“Please post your ratings.”
“Pardon?”
“Chef Yoshimoto has received too many praises before. He can’t properly self-examine anymore. There was fun in his dishes once, but he’s addicted to praise and love from customers.”
“So, you want us to hit Chef Yoshimoto with our ratings?”
“Yeah,” the assistant said. “Please scold him.”
Scold the head chef? Minjoon hadn’t imagined the sous chef would say that openly. He regarded him with a complicated expression. The way he spoke didn’t indicate a bad relationship with his boss, so was Wasabi’s situation really so desperate?
“To be honest, I’m embarrassed you asked,” Minjoon said hesitantly. Then he glanced at the system window that appeared beside the sous chef.
[Yohei Koyama]
Cooking Level: 9
Baking Level: 5
Gastronomic Level: 9
Decoration Level: 7
What the heck?! This guy is great!
Yohei’s scores spanned many fields impressively. Compared to the head chef Yoshimoto who had just left, Yohei was no less. His cooking and gastronomic levels were equal to Yoshimoto’s nine, and his decoration level was even higher.
Minjoon thought his own skills were close to a head chef’s, but Yohei’s surpassed his. He couldn't understand why such a chef was working under Yoshimoto instead of leading a kitchen himself.
Seeing the cooking level convinced Minjoon to take the sous chef’s request seriously, though Kaya wasn’t aware of the system window.
“If you want to scold him, why not do it yourself?” she asked bluntly.
“I have tried. But I’m still his student. The teacher looks down on what the student says. There’s a red line I can’t cross.”
Minjoon immediately thought of Rachel. Although Minjoon and Rachel’s relationship was subtly different from Yohei and Yoshimoto’s, in that Rachel wasn’t stubbornly tied to outdated cooking, both masters frustrated their students, who couldn’t freely express their opinions.
“What exactly do you mean by asking me to scold him?”
Kaya asked again coldly.
Yohei showed no displeasure. In fact, he seemed polite.
“Just make him face the reality. Few have told Chef Yoshimoto the truth.”
“So some have already tried but failed to change him. Do you think we can?”
“I can’t honestly answer that, but I hope he can—because you’re not ordinary evaluators. You know better why that’s important.”
Kaya touched her lips, embarrassed by the compliment, and glanced at Minjoon, seeking his response.
Finally, Minjoon sighed and spoke.
“No matter what, we plan to give honest ratings based on actual observations. Of course, it reflects our subjective opinion.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to. It’s our job. But I have one question.”
“Sure, ask anything,” Yohei smiled softly.
Minjoon wasn’t sure if it was natural or polite, but the smile felt reassuring.
“It’s nothing big. I’m impressed by your attitude toward Chef Yoshimoto. Have you worked for him long?”
“Oh yes. This is where I started cooking.”
“Have you only worked here?”
“Yes, more or less. I once worked at a local restaurant with Yoshimoto’s permission, but even then I was affiliated with Wasabi, not that hotel.”
“I feel your dishes are fantastic. I want to taste them someday.”
“It would be an honour if you evaluated my cooking! You’re welcome anytime.”
Yohei’s pure happiness made Minjoon wonder if he, leading a seemingly clean life, was actually stuck in his mundane routine.
“Your expectation is just our evaluation, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
As their visit to Wasabi ended, Kaya looked at Minjoon on the way home.
“You seem to like Chef Yohei a lot.”
“Why do you think so?”
“It’s obvious. You asked a personal question for the first time. Also, you exchanged Starbook IDs. Isn’t that enough?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Did you feel anything special?”
“Well, something like kinship.”
After hesitating, Minjoon said it because of their similar struggles. He knew how tough it was for a student worrying about a master chef. But more than that, Yohei was too skilled to be under Yoshimoto. Maybe more skilled. Yet, polite and humble, Yohei stayed under his master’s thumb.
Minjoon thought it wouldn’t hurt to get closer to Yohei, though he couldn’t reveal everything to Kaya—above all, the system’s existence.
At that moment, he questioned himself, Why don’t I tell her?
He looked at Kaya’s pretty face—stubborn, sharp eyes, prominent nose, thin long mouth, the slight wrinkles like dimples when she smiled. He realised how much he loved every feature.
Kaya hid nothing from him; there were no secrets between them.
But Minjoon was different. He asked himself why he couldn’t share this secret.
The existence of the system seemed absurd to her. She might be confused or suspicious, but ultimately she would trust him. Borrowing her own idea, he thought maybe it was better to consider how to use his abilities fully.
But one question lingered.
Should I tell her I came back to myself seven years ago?
If he told her about the system, not revealing he had returned seven years in the past would be strange. Yet, it was hard to tell her so easily. She once said part of why she liked him was because he recognised and appreciated her own potential before she did.
But if she found out he chose her mainly for her future promise, how would she react? Would she feel betrayed? Disturbed? She might forgive him kindly... or she might not. He just wanted to stop worrying and tell her everything.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just thinking.”
“Sounds like it’s about me.”
“No way,” he deflected with a smile. But she remained suspicious. Watching her face, he cautiously asked, “If I did something wrong, what would you do?”
“I’d beat you first.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you have an affair?”
“No, of course not!”
“Then what is it? Don’t you think you’re treating me badly?”
“Well, I don’t want to say that right now...”