Chapter 594: A Chef Doing His Country Good (4)
Chapter 594: A Chef Doing His Country Good (4)
Her youthfulness had faded. That didn’t mean her wrinkles had increased or that she had lost the vitality of youth. Rather, the ‘immature’ traits typical of young people were no longer present in her appearance. Minjoon missed them deeply. Generally, ‘immature traits’ carry negative connotations, but Rachel’s case was different. Because of her chequered life, her immaturity had never been unattractive. She was both beautiful and respectable—a woman whose youth belied her age. He liked that youthful side of her. What had made her become so very adult?
The answer was—and Minjoon knew it—him. He had made her give up her youthfulness.
“Minjoon!” Rachel called.
Feeling an indescribable sense of loss and guilt, he replied, “Yes?”
“I’m going to take your answer as mine.”
“Pardon?”
“I hope you don’t think I’m being irresponsible. This is just the best answer I’ve found.”
She smiled, a little troubled, recalling what he had told her before—that she, not anyone else, must realise her own dream—and she hadn’t forgotten.
“It’s strange. Yes, you’re right. At some point in my life, I became more accustomed to running beside the lead runner rather than being the front runner. I told people I was Daniel’s partner, but really, I relied on their warm attention to his talent. So, when Daniel disappeared, I hid because I lacked confidence to run at the front.”
She continued, “As your teacher, I still tried to lean on you, and even now, I can’t say I don’t want that feeling. I don’t know how weak-minded I am, but I’ve finally decided to stop blaming myself for that weakness. I’ve decided to accept the burden you wanted me to carry. I’m quite willing, if it’s a load I should have borne from the start.”
“Then, have you found the way too?”
“I’m still walking it.”
“Just walking won’t solve the problem.”
“Well, it’s better than standing still, isn’t it?”
“That’s true,” he said, laughing.
Crossing her legs, she said, “I want you as my insurance. I know people tend to weaken when they lean on others, but I hope you understand me, even as a weak-minded teacher relying on you.”
“Well, I don’t know if I deserve that, since I’m your student…”
“I don’t know either. It’s up to you. By the way, this restaurant…”
She looked around the Venice branch of Rose Island. Subtle changes had been made compared to before. Dining tables had been reduced, and no customers sat at them. An empty dining hall during the day was unfamiliar to them.
But it remained her restaurant, the place where she and Daniel had built their dreams.
“This restaurant is like a jewel to me,” she said, emotion choking her voice.
She went on, “Actually, the location isn’t great. Though it’s in front of the beach, the area’s security isn’t good. I often heard gangsters shooting on the beach at night.”
“But you couldn’t give up on it.”
“No, I couldn’t. This place was my gem. So I’m puzzled now—does letting you have this place mean I’m giving up?”
It was an ironic situation. Rachel, with the most memories here, wanting to leave for a downtown restaurant, while Minjoon desired to inherit the place that held her dreams.
“Downtown Los Angeles is quite close to Santa Monica.”
“So?”
“I don’t think having two Rose Island restaurants so close is a good idea.”
“Even if close, traffic jams can make the trip here take up to two hours.”
“But normally it’s less than thirty minutes.”
“Is that proximity really important?”
“If it’s a ramen shop, no. You don’t worry about ramen prices, so no one will drive thirty minutes for the main store if there’s a branch nearby. But restaurants are different. Pricing matters. Do you want to open a branch with similar prices close to the main restaurant?”
He explained calmly, and she wasn’t embarrassed. Looking into him, she said, “It seems you want to say something else.”
“…”
“Your excuses don’t work on me. Tell me.”
After some hesitation, he said, “I want to be sure I’m no longer carrying your burden.”
He had hesitated since sensing her intentions. His voice wavered, but now it was out.
“The Rose Island sign no longer suits this Venice store.”
“You’re not putting up the Rose Island sign there?” Lisa asked, surprised.
Minjoon, sipping the orange juice Ella had given him, nodded.
“If that store has the sign, that’s Rachel’s responsibility. Using the same name would complicate things.”
“Even if you don’t own it, things are complicated. You’re the referee of Rose Island, selecting the head chef every four years. But if you have no involvement…”
“I can be fairer because I have nothing to do with it. Not using the Rose Island sign doesn’t mean I don’t want to run the restaurant. I’m willing to be head chef, but I must choose the restaurant’s new name.”
“And Rachel remains the owner?”
“That’s right.”
Ella looked on blankly, understanding nothing. Marco was puzzled too.
Finally, Marco asked quietly, “So, have you decided to work there or not?”
“I haven’t signed a contract yet, but I agreed to work there.”
“Great. So you’re moving back to Santa Monica?”
“No, Los Angeles.”
“Los Angeles?”
“Yep.” He replied calmly. “Rose Island’s main restaurant will move back to its original location, and I’ll restore it like before.”
“What!?” Marco asked loudly, startled. Lisa looked surprised too.
Ella handed him a biscuit as if unconcerned by the tension. He smiled and took it.
“What Rachel wants most is to restore Rose Island here to its original self.”
“Then why does she insist on hiring you?” Lisa asked. “Rachel wanted Minjoon to take over the main store, or more precisely, the Venice branch, believing he could restore it as Daniel had. She wants Minjoon to do something remarkable, even without the Rose Island sign there. If you give up on that, what’s the point of your contract?”
It was a pointed, ironic question. Rachel had been trying to have Minjoon fill Daniel’s void. Ultimately, though, it was she—not Minjoon—who had to handle everything.
Could he do it? Minjoon didn’t agonise. He wasn’t sure it mattered even if he did. Would Rachel be happy if he achieved results without her truly challenging things?
“Remember what Rachel said when she moved the main branch downtown? She didn’t want to be trapped by old memories in a new place. Now she must face those memories again. The downtown branch never meant much to her.”
“Okay. It’s good Rachel is back. But what about you, Minjoon? If you take over the downtown branch, what do you gain? Of course, you can be head chef…”
Suddenly Minjoon felt empty. Something was missing. More precisely, he was vague about what Lisa had pointed out. He neither fully rejected nor accepted Rachel’s hope. How should he define it?