God of Cooking

“Yes, she did,” Min-joon said.

“That’s great. You haven’t been able to leave because of her until now. Isn’t it time you went out and worked at other restaurants?”

“Well, I also want to leave because I don’t want to make her worry about me.”

He sighed deeply. He knew this should be his next move because Rachel didn’t want him to be another Daniel, and he himself didn’t want to.

Nonetheless, he could not help but feel sad. Maybe he had been thinking for some time that he wanted to stay forever at Rose Island as its member and leader, so he could follow Rachel forever.

“Hearing what you say, I don’t think you’re going to be the head chef of Rose Island’s main restaurant. So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. No idea. Seriously.”

“Given the way Rachel told you, it seems she wants you to work with June.”

“I think so. I thought about going to join Chef Dave, but there is no opening for a sous chef at his restaurant. What I need now is to cultivate my ability to oversee the kitchen as a sous chef, rather than understanding the cooking process as a demi chef. That’s why...”

One day, he could grow as a perfect head chef by gaining more experience as a sous chef.

Kaya said, “Wait. But if you work with Chef June, aren’t you supposed to go to New York?”

“I have no other choice unless Chef June moves her restaurant to Los Angeles.”

“I don’t like that...”

She wanted to avoid standing in his way, but she felt New York was simply too far from Los Angeles. In other words, she couldn’t meet him unless she flew to New York. For a chef who didn’t have any off days every week, his relocation to New York meant she might not be able to see him again.

“But if you think about it, there is no reason you should stay here in Los Angeles, right?” he asked

“Uh?”

“Now, you don’t have to work at the Grand Chef restaurant in Los Angeles. In fact, you’re free, right?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right.”

Kaya touched her ear with an embarrassing expression. Why hadn’t she thought about living outside Los Angeles? Maybe it was because she brought her mother right here, or because she became fond of this city itself because of her good memories.

“Well, you might think it childish if I tell you I don’t want to leave because all my friends are here...”

“Of course, you’re childish, but I understand.”

“If you go to June, I can get a job at a hotel or a restaurant in New York.”

“Don’t you want to work as a sous chef?”

“Well... honestly, I don’t want to work under somebody’s supervision. If I do, I feel like cooking is work. I want to cook what I want to cook, and do what I want to do.”

“Wow, you’re great.”

Min-joon was impressed by her living philosophy like this. Honestly, he once felt the same way, namely skipping the process of becoming a sous chef or demi chef and just growing as a professional chef by directly interacting with the market because he felt it would be fun and romantic on its own.

However, he didn’t translate his dream into action probably because he was Korean who valued reality more than dreams and romance while putting everything on stability.

‘Well, I’m still the same...’

Of course, he wasn’t a coward at all. He did not avoid the challenge. But he always looked at the challenge in a calculated way. He found a way to get the best results.

And it was his conclusion that he should work for June to get the most out of his next move.

In fact, running a restaurant on his own or driving a food truck around the country would also give him lots of things.

But that was something he could do at any time. It wasn’t too late for him to start after absorbing all of June’s know-how and abilities in the restaurant business. However, this was the right moment when he could join June since he needed experience as a sous chef.

Kaya could read his mind without any difficulty because she spent a long time with him and built an intimate bond with him. What really upset her the most was that all the words she could spit out to object to his relocation to New York were only childish.

So, Kaya didn’t stop him. Actually, she could not stop him.

“So, you have already made up your mind.”

“Well, sort of...”

“You don’t have to make excuses. You think it’s right to work for June.”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you were sick and tired of New York, but why do you want to go there? You have received offers from other restaurants. Jefferson even offered to set up a restaurant for you this time.”

“I’m still not good enough,” he replied, rather embarrassed.

Having heard him, she said as if she thought his reply was ridiculous, “Why don’t you say that to those who were defeated by you at the Paris International Cooking Contest?”

“They are better than me. And my basic skills are not good enough.”

“Gosh, you are driving me nuts.”

Kaya shook her head as if she was tired of his effort to be a perfectionist. Maybe it was his strength.

“So, you want me to join you in New York?”

“You don’t have to come because of me. You can make the best choice for yourself.”

“Shut up. You know I’m coming with you anyway, right?” she said, staring at him.

He avoided her sharp glance, but she murmured something as if she recalled something.

“Well, since you have decided to work for June, Valiya’s offer for me is automatically rejected.”

“Valiya? Who is he.”

“Oh, that woman who is stalking you.”

“You mean Delia?”

“Oh, that’s her name? Actually, she gave me an offer to work at her hotel.”

“I’m very suspicious about her motivation.”

“Well, I don’t care about her motivation because I can reject her offer anyway. Well, no matter what her motivation is, I can’t accept her offer.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because I have to join you in New York.”

He was lost in thought for a moment.

Then he muttered in a low voice, “Maybe, let me see...”

***

“No problem. I have got a hotel in New York, too.”

A few days later, Delia, who came to meet Kaya proudly, replied without any embarrassment when Kaya declined her offer.

So, Kaya asked again, thinking she might have heard what she said wrong.

“You mean you have a hotel, not your house, in New York?”

“Yeah. My dad bought me one before. It was built a long time ago, but it has been recently renovated, so its facilities are very good. It had 4 stars, but considering that there was no restaurant in the hotel, 4 stars was good. So, if you can make it a five-star hotel, let me grant one of your wishes.”

“Who the hell are you? You look like a spoiled kid if I look at the way you act. How come you have hotels everywhere?”

“You know what? People like nerds who are sincere and honest don’t have hotels. Only childish people like me own all the downtown buildings.”

“Anyway, this world is crazy. Seriously,” said Kaya with a sigh.

Checking her expression, Delia cautiously said, “So, Min-joon is going to the Rose Island New York branch?”

“Hey, why are you so inquisitive about my boyfriend? You are a stalker!”

“No, I’m not a stalker, I’m his fan!” Delia snapped in an annoying voice as if she got upset.

But she had no choice but to back down in no time because Kaya was staring at her fiercely as if she could be more mean than Delia.

Clearing her throat, Delia said, “So how about my offer? Has anybody given you a better offer than mine?”

“Oh, yes.”

“See, that’s why you have to sign a contract with me...What? Did you say you received a better offer?” Delia looked at her as if she couldn’t believe it.

Kaya replied, shrugging, “Yep, that’s true.”

“Be honest with me. You are telling me that because you want a better offer, right? Nobody can give you a better offer than mine. If there is, he must be stupid. I’m offering you more than just the benefits you can bring to my hotel.”

“I’m sorry, but that idiot is your father.”

“Uh?”

Delia looked at Kaya blankly.

Kaya said, shrugging, “It’s your father. He gave me a long list of benefits that really made me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t say it’s an offer. Actually, he wants to give me anything I want.”

“So, do you intend to work for him?”

“Well, there’s no reason I can’t.”

Although she said that, she didn’t want to accept his offer. She didn’t want to live under the protection of her father because she didn’t feel attracted to such a life at all.

‘She is cute.’

When she first heard from Min-joon about her stalking, Kaya thought this woman must be crazy, but when she met and talked with this woman, Delia didn’t seem a crazy woman by her standards.

“Anyway, do you have an opening in your New York hotel? If you’re going to fire an existing head chef to hire me, I’m not interested at all.”

“Ah, no! There is an empty space in the hotel, so I’ve been thinking about how to use it. Now you have decided to work for me, let me install a kitchen and a dining hall.”

“Gosh, you really like Min-joon, don’t you?”

Kaya was really surprised that Delia was so generous enough to hire her just to make friends with Min-joon.

Smiling at her, Delia asked, “Are you nervous because of me?”

“No

“Because you are cute. You said you like him as a fan. So, let’s put this in the contract. If you have been fond of him for some other reason, you agree to give the hotel to me.”

“I don’t like that...”

“I’m kidding, idiot.”

When Kaya giggled at her innocent response, Delia bit her lips as if she was angry. She never imagined that she would encounter a woman so rude to her, but as it turned out, she was Min-joon’s sweetheart.

“Let me give you a reply after looking at your hotel in New York first. Let me go to New York, tour other restaurants, and compare them with yours before I give you the final answer.”

“Don’t forget I’m going to be your employer?”

“Not my employer, but my partner. No?”

“Hey, you are ripping me off! Don’t you know how much I’m investing for the renovation?”

“If you don’t like me, look for another one.”

“Oh my God...”

Delia lowered her head as if she couldn’t.

Kaya looked at Delia with a smile and said, “Why do you like Min-joon so much?”

“He was so cool at Grand Chef. When he showed his perfect palate, I immediately became his fan.”

“Then, you didn’t even become his fan because of his cooking, right?”

Kaya shook her head as if she couldn’t understand. She even felt sorry for Delia.

Maybe working with him actually could spoil her illusions of him because Kaya knew the truth about him.

‘I think I should let you know he is something of a simpleton.’