Chapter 590: A Chef Doing His Country Good (1)
Chapter 590: A Chef Doing His Country Good (1)
“What did you say? Who’s doing what?” Janet asked, crossing her legs, loosening them, and leaning forward.
Maya said hesitantly, “They’re getting married…”
“Yeah, I know that. I mean, what you said after that.”
“Oh, you mean she’s pregnant?”
Janet frowned. “I’ve never heard anything about that.”
Actually, a few days ago Kaya, unable to hide her excitement, had told Janet she was soon to be married to Minjoon. Janet had wondered how Kaya had endured staying unmarried to him for so long. But back then, Kaya hadn’t mentioned any pregnancy. Janet hadn’t dared to ask either; she didn’t want to give the impression Kaya was rushing into marriage because of a baby.
Besides, as far as Janet knew, Kaya wasn’t the type to worry about trivial matters. If Kaya had been forced into marriage due to pregnancy, she wouldn’t have shared the happy news of her engagement so joyfully.
“Are you sure? Sounds like a baseless rumour.”
“Well, the author of that post tried to support his claim,” Maya said awkwardly, clearly reluctant to discuss it.
Janet pressed, cutting to the chase, “What was the ‘evidence’?”
“Well…,” Maya took a moment, then told her about some so-called proof presented by internet users. Janet listened, staring blankly, her frown deepening as if hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world.
“They’re crazy bastards.”
“As you know, the internet is full of idiots spreading such rubbish.”
Though she hadn’t done anything wrong, Maya replied hesitantly, taken aback by Janet’s fierce reaction. After sneering for a moment, Janet softened. “Want something to drink?”
“Do you have lemonade?”
“Of course.”
Rose Island, where Janet worked as sous chef and Maya as a cook, was the world’s best restaurant. It was unthinkable for them not to have lemonade. Soon, Maya returned bearing a glass of cold lemonade for Janet and a mojito for herself—non-alcoholic, naturally.
Taking a sip, Janet murmured, “Kaya must be furious.”
“Maybe she’ll just laugh it off,” Maya said. “But don’t worry. Besides Kaya, Chef Minjoon is very good at dealing with this sort of thing.”
I’m not worried. But this time, I doubt it.
Janet stood, smiling bitterly. Today was important for Rose Island; Michelin inspectors were visiting. After a fire accident had cost them stars before, this time had to be different.
Three stars—by all means!
To Janet, anything less for Rose Island, Rachel’s restaurant, was unthinkable.
She took a deep breath, hoping today Rose Island would reclaim its former glory.
“How should I punish these damned bastards?”
Kaya glared at the computer screen, scrolling furiously with her mouse. She sat with her feet propped on the chair and one arm wrapped around her leg, a terrifying sight.
Normally, Minjoon would have commented on her fitness or posture. But this time, he said nothing. Even if she stared at the screen standing on one hand, he wouldn’t have mentioned it.
Rumours about her were flooding the internet. None alarming. According to them, Kaya and Minjoon were not involved in scandals or crimes. Just typical celebrity gossip about their upcoming marriage.
The rumour was that Kaya was pregnant.
The life of a real celebrity…
Celebrity lives were endless sources of amusement for ordinary people.
Perhaps the difference between celebrities and others was that gossip, which might stay private among ordinary folk, spread wildly for celebrities.
Moreover, they faced a greater risk of wrongful accusations from baseless rumours.
That was the case here.
“Calm down, Kaya,” Minjoon said gently, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
She clenched the mouse tightly but then hugged him around the waist. The pregnancy rumours alone wouldn’t bother her. What enraged her were the ridiculous so-called evidence.
Normally, netizens had no proof—because she was not pregnant. But one claimed the answer was visible in the “baby bump.”
The curious quickly turned it into a ridiculous game, comparing all Kaya’s photos online, calculating proportions of her forearms, cheeks, thighs, before and after. Minjoon didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry.
At that point, Kaya wasn’t even a person to them anymore. It wasn’t mistreatment in the usual sense—they’d stopped seeing Kaya as a woman. They were caught up in the game, caring only whether she had a bump. They were strange nerds flaunting their math and biology knowledge on trivial things.
That made Kaya even angrier. More than being misunderstood, she hated that these fools picked fights and were praised for “scientifically” predicting her pregnancy.
She gently touched her stomach. Suddenly, she did feel heavier. It struck her as almost funny that she was taking their nonsense seriously.
“You’re still beautiful.”
“Why say that out of nowhere?”
“Because you might be wondering what I think,” he smiled.
Her face fell. At that moment, she was thinking something while staring at her belly but couldn’t bring herself to say it.
He nudged beneath her fist and gently stroked her belly.
“You’re still slender, Kaya.”
“Don’t mock me.”
“I think this is how our lives will always be,” he said, holding her belly and waist tightly. Then he lifted her chin over his shoulder.
Suddenly, she felt something strange. As he leaned towards her, she expected his weight to feel heavy, but instead, she felt a profound relief.
“What are you doing?”
“Because we’re great,” Minjoon said calmly.
He paused, reflecting on why their lives were like this. Initially, he thought it was because they were famous. But that wasn’t quite right. Why were they famous? Because they’d been in the Grand Chef? Not really—many participants hadn’t become famous.
There was only one answer: they were major names in the restaurant world. It wasn’t pride or arrogance, it was reality. He’d joked about being like the football star Messi in cooking, but now he didn’t think it was just a joke.
“What I mean is, every little thing we do grabs attention. Not surprising, given how much influence we have in the culinary world. We aren’t just cooks—we’re symbols of our country’s youth.”
Their youth was their wealth for now. Compared to a star, they were just a bright comet—but they had a long way to go before becoming a galaxy, like Rachel Rose.
People talked a lot about a comet. But just as a comet didn’t care about the wishes it inspired, they needed to be composed and steady. A great chef required a great mindset.
Even if an ordinary person couldn’t handle it, they must. After all, they wanted more than an ordinary life.
“You have to be bold.”
“I know.”
“So the smartest response right now is to ignore them. As long as you don’t engage, it doesn’t matter what they say.”
“I know that too.”
But knowing isn’t always the answer. He knew that well.
He sighed. “Alright, then. Let’s make them realise who we truly are.”
For a moment, her life felt like a comedy. She just needed to reclaim it.
“I won’t tease you anymore,” he said.