Chapter 511: Glimpse of Jack’s Last Days (4)
Chapter 511: Glimpse of Jack’s Last Days (4)
Instead of replying, Jack looked at Minjoon as if a great weight had lifted from his mind. There was undeniable sadness in his eyes, as though he was preparing to say farewell. Minjoon noticed this but couldn’t find the heart to express anything about it.
“Well, our golden age has passed. But you all can seize it. Just show people that something eternal exists in this world. Show them they can find happiness in your kitchen.”
“Sure.”
“I’m tired. When you grow old, you don’t sleep much, but that’s not the case with me. These days, I just drift off easily, even knowing I’ll sleep for a long time afterward.”
“Jack…”
“I’m sorry if I ruined the atmosphere. I’ll bear this gloom alone, so you go ahead and get some rest.”
Although hesitant at Jack’s gentle dismissal, Minjoon eventually left. The sound of the door closing faded into silence. Jack closed his eyes, overhearing the quiet murmur of voices in the kitchen. Suddenly, he opened his eyes at a presence.
“You’ve been asleep quite a while, Jack!”
Rachel stood before him. Jack gazed at her blankly, then around. The kitchen noises remained vibrant. He felt like he had slept for a long time, but he hadn’t.
“When did you arrive, Rachel?”
“Just a moment ago. I looked for you right away, but they said you were in your room.”
“How long have you been waiting?”
“I told you—it was just a moment ago. I didn’t wait long.”
Jack wished he hadn’t revealed his vulnerable state to her. He wanted to stay stubborn to the very end, but regretting that, he rubbed his face with his bare hands.
Watching him, Rachel spoke quietly.
“I hear you gave Daniel’s cooking journal to Minjoon.”
“Oh, you already heard from him?”
“As soon as he saw me, he mentioned it with pride. But he also seemed awkward hiding it from me.”
“Well, it would be ridiculous if he hadn’t known about Daniel while working for you. I gave it to him because he needed to understand the situation better. Did I overstep?”
“Yeah, you went too far.”
Jack chuckled, as if she deserved it.
Rachel remained silent, watching him face his final days.
“Are you planning to give up like this?”
She didn’t need to ask what he meant by “give up.”
Looking at her blankly, Jack said, his voice charged with emotion, “I don’t think I’m in a position to hear you ask that after I’ve let go of my desires ten years ago.”
“Are you going to repeat my mistake? Jack, haven’t you and I lived all this time without even thinking about giving up?”
“I’ve never given up, Rachel. I just tried to convince myself I don’t have much time left. All I can do during that time is prepare to say goodbye to my loved ones, so they won’t remember me with sorrow.”
“There’s something you haven’t accomplished yet,” Rachel said sadly. “You have to let me have your bread. When I make the most perfect dinner, I need your bread for it. If you can’t do it, Lisa must make it for me.”
“You’re so spoiled! If you want to say that, you shouldn’t have disappeared for the past ten years. If you hadn’t, I’d understand.”
“Well, I’ve done things my way all my life. But I won’t let you off the hook if I don’t get your bread when I make my perfect dinner. Remember that!”
“You’re a bully, as always!”
Jack sighed, unable to help himself. But he knew she said it because she loved him. That’s why he felt sorrowful for the lost ten years while she was in hiding. If she hadn’t vanished for a decade, they could have shared more conversations, comforted each other.
“I hope Minjoon can achieve more than you ever wanted.”
“Yeah, he will. So you must survive to see it happen!”
“Please take care of Lisa. I refuse to believe she’s going to die. She’ll overcome this. She’s endured so much alone. I believe when she conquers it, she’ll enjoy happy days every day. Yes, she must. If there is a God who sympathises with those who suffer, Lisa shouldn’t die now. No, never!”
Jack said this not with firm certainty but with a fervent prayer that she would live and find happiness. Rachel watched him quietly, then grabbed his hand firmly. It would be irresponsible to assure him Lisa would be fine without grounds. Yet she chose to be irresponsible and said, “Lisa will be okay…”
She felt such irresponsibility was a humble gift granted to imperfect humans.
Daniel’s recipe book had originally been a chef’s dream gift. It contained all the recipes he had developed. If others could recreate these dishes, they could revolutionise how people enjoyed food, bringing different pleasure and glory than ordinary restaurant work.
In that sense, Daniel’s journal was more like a diary than a mere recipe book. From it, Minjoon could grasp how Daniel scrutinised ingredients and understood cooking techniques.
Since Daniel never intended the journal for publication, Minjoon found several pages filled with curses Daniel vented when frustrated by a recipe’s failure. That comforted Minjoon; the monster, the untouchable genius he imagined Daniel to be, was after all human.
What Minjoon searched for most carefully was any note confirming Daniel relied on the system as he did. But no mention of cooking scores appeared in the journal.
Minjoon considered for a moment that Daniel might have nothing to do with Yorikyoju or the system of “cooking masters.” Yet he could not conclude this, as Daniel might possess a different kind of ability. Nor could Minjoon assume Daniel enjoyed the same benefits as himself.
Did Daniel become a cooking god because of pure skill? Did he then aid a talented chef struggling to realise their potential?
If Daniel was the culinary sect leader, it wasn’t just because of those reasons; he understood Rachel’s agony and suffering. Rachel’s vitality, rekindled by hoping in Minjoon, changed her life dramatically. Without Minjoon, her life on Rose Island would have been very different, likely without a good outcome.
“Well, there’s no way I’ll find answers to these questions,” Minjoon thought.
The situation Daniel was in defied common sense and logic. At that point, Minjoon stopped pondering the culinary sect leader and quietly explored Daniel’s cooking instead.
Soon, he was forced to silence and shock.
“I really can’t believe it...”
Only then did he seem able to understand who Chef Daniel had been and why people always spoke of him. Daniel’s cuisine possessed unexpected novelty and delicacy—so much so that it was hard to accept these recipes came from someone who died more than a decade ago. In other words, his dishes were refined and revolutionary by today’s standards.
His cooking scores were perfect. Almost every single recipe in the book rated a perfect ten. The same went for the full-course dinner recipes—no dish fell below nine points. That was a level neither Rachel nor Minjoon could reach.