Chapter 625: Chef’s Wedding Ceremony (1)
Chapter 625: Chef’s Wedding Ceremony (1)
“Where shall we go? Kitchen?”
“No. I want to talk with you for a minute, actually. There are some things I need to discuss about my wedding.”
“All right. Then let’s go to my office.”
He followed her to the office. The sunlight streaming through the window was warm, and this was the place where he had many memories as warm as the light itself. It was here that he had first had his pomegranate dessert—Peter had struggled to duplicate that dish during the Grand Chef competition, with Rachel’s approval long ago. But he wouldn’t have to bring his dish here anymore, nor wait nervously for her verdict. Time had changed. They had changed too. Minjoon was no longer a child or a junior chef. Rachel no longer wanted to teach him, but instead held high, sweet expectations of him that she could not turn away from.
“You’re getting married, but why am I so excited?” she asked.
When she said that, he thought the reason she was so invested in his life was that he might have fallen into a victim mentality—that she regarded him as a way to satisfy something she couldn’t find in her own life.
“Thanks for the wedding menu. I have nothing to point out, but I want to ask for a few more things. I’d like a few more recipes that Kaya and I can prepare, in addition to Six Meats and Jo Reggiano.”
“You two really care about the wedding menu.”
“Well, this is a chef couple’s wedding, so I don’t want the menu to feel sloppy. It has to feel relevant to us. By the way, I have a list of additional recipes. Can you add them?”
“Well, even if I can’t, I’ll try. You know I’m still competent,” she replied calmly.
He didn’t respond. In fact, he even considered cooking the wedding dishes himself. But that seemed too crazy—cooking on his wedding day? Of course, it would be meaningful. If he could cook on the most important day of his life, how could it not? But on that day, he needed to find more meaning in his relationship with Kaya than in cooking, for that was the essence of marriage. It was a day when one man and one woman—not two chefs—would exchange vows. They promised to stay together for life, so he should restrain even his passion for cooking then.
“It’s funny. I never really thought about it when you were dating Kaya, but now I see you two are trying to run a couple’s restaurant just like Daniel and I did.”
“You bet. If your spouse is a chef, you can’t help but want to run a restaurant together. Whatever we do, we’ll have fun. We’ll be truly happy if we cook together doing what we love most.”
“Well, not necessarily,” she said quietly.
Her words dampened his excitement—his wedding was close—but he said nothing. Rachel had been married once; whatever she said, he would take with a grain of salt.
“Sometimes, when you’re doing the best things with the person you love most, you might end up hating both your spouse and the work you do. It’s sad—you lose what you love most all at once.”
Hearing that, he thought maybe Rachel’s decade-long seclusion from cooking wasn’t just because she couldn’t surpass Daniel. Cooking had killed Daniel—the only reason he baked in the summer heat was his obsession. Rachel must have hated cooking, and at the same time hated Daniel, whose death had made her hate the craft even more. That resentment had lodged deep in her mind and weighed heavily on her.
“I hope you won’t hate either of them,” she said with a faint smile.
Her smile broke his heart a little. Even though she cheered for him, she was fragile. She wished for him a happiness she herself could never have—to live vicariously through him.
“I won’t hate you,” he replied.
He wanted to embrace her weakness for now, convinced that she cared deeply. He couldn’t push her away recklessly when she truly cared.
“So… did you come to me just for this recipe?”
“Yes.”
“You could have messaged me online.”
“Well, I just stopped by for that, but I also wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine. Soon our restaurant will appear in the Michelin guide, and we’ll have more reservations.”
“Really? You’re not fully booked now?” he asked, surprised.
Rose Island’s main restaurant hadn’t received Michelin stars yet, but its reputation as America’s best was strong. Many people from around the world visited Rose Island when they came to the States, so he found it strange it wasn’t fully booked.
“No, it’s not,” she said calmly.
She seemed to expect this.
“Whenever we got close to Michelin stars, we had to move locations for various reasons, and when we moved here, Michelin delayed awarding stars again. As a result, interest in our restaurant has declined.”
“But those who’ve been here appreciate your cooking, right? Why don’t they come back?”
“Not as many appreciate it as you think,” she replied calmly. “No matter how great a dish, some find it complicated or unappealing. Most people aren’t knowledgeable about cuisine. They tend to judge food as tasty, edible, or tasteless. Sure, there are customers who truly appreciate the flavours and ingredients I want in dishes, but such guests are rare.”
He could understand what she meant.
Looking at the gulf between commercial and high-level cuisine, it wasn’t hard to imagine how simple most people’s standards were.
“It’s a bit bitter to hear that.”
“Well, it’s not just fewer people appreciating the taste. Those who do have already taken their fill of my restaurant. No matter how much we change the menu, growth is slow. Besides, not many want to eat here for every meal, for financial or taste reasons. I wouldn’t want that either.”
“Yeah, I know. No matter how delicious, eating the same food every day gets tiresome.”
“That’s the same with relationships,” she continued naturally. “Kaya’s feelings for you haven’t changed; I can see that. But I’ve seen many changes over time. When I met her, your eyes sparkled like flames. Now they’re calm as a brook. Maybe one day they’ll become frozen.”
“Really?”
Every time he heard such things, it was hard to believe. Would he ever fall out of love with her? Rachel still loved Daniel, after all. As if reading his thoughts, she said, “It doesn’t mean you won’t love her. It means your way of loving will change. I just wanted to say if your love loses its sizzle, don’t be surprised. Sorry to say this so close to your wedding.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind. I should go now—Kaya is waiting.”
“Oh, sure.”
He rose with a smile. As he walked to the door, he quietly turned back.
“Even if the way I love her changes, one thing will never change.”
“What’s that?”
“I will love the one I like until the end.”
“Yes, you should.”
“You too, right?”
She looked at him.
Meeting his old master’s tender eyes, he smiled like a child.
Shyly, he said, “Even if my feelings for you change a bit, I’ll always care for you, Rachel. I like you.”