God of Cooking

“Yeah, I sometimes feel like it’s my hometown. I miss it.”

“If you are planning to come to Chicago, stop by then.”

“Let me think about it.”

Min-joon and Kaya exchanged personal conversation for some time. After almost an hour, Min-joon entered the hotel. Janet and Javier were sitting in the hotel lounge when he arrived.

Javier waved his hand, looking at Min-joon.

“Are you done calling?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, you guys seem to be on the phone every day, and several hours at that. Do you have so much to talk about?”

“Well, we’re not talking about anything new, but just about routine stuff. We’re starting there because conversation is the basis of a relationship.”

“I agree.” Havier nodded.

Min-joon looked askance at Anderson then touched him on the shoulder.

“Let’s talk for a minute.”

“What are we going to talk about?”

“You know why I want to talk with you.”

Anderson made a complicated expression for a moment then slowly followed him,

After sitting on a chair in front of the bar on one side and ordering a cup of coffee and a cocktail, Min-joon slowly opened his mouth.

“Did you read the comments they posted about our steak dishes today?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t really want to talk about that. I feel rather uncomfortable about saying it.”

“Oh, I see. Yeah, I lost. Anderson, you were right.”

When he said that, Anderson turned to him. But Min-joon couldn’t even look him in the eye.

He said, “I always thought I was right. I thought the way I was going wasn’t wrong. But I think that’s wrong. You’re right. I’m self-righteous, arrogant, and selfish.”

“Well, I’ve never said that you’re like that...”

“No, you have never. That’s just my own description of myself. I think I pretended to cook for customers, but at the end of the day, I cooked for my own pleasure as if I was an artist. I could feel it in their comments this time.”

“So, what do you want to say.”

“I’m sorry,” Min-joon said suddenly.

Only then was there a change in Anderson’s cold and arrogant expression.

Anderson never thought he would hear him saying sorry to him. In fact, Min-joon was more stubborn than Rachel.

Min-joon went on even after apologizing to him, “It was my mistake that I didn’t listen to you properly. I took your problem lightly and pressured you on the pretext of helping you. I’m sorry for everything.”

“What’s the matter with you, man? I’m going to feel embarrassed if you say something like that.”

“You know I’m good at embarrassing you.”

Instead of replying, Anderson put a cocktail in his mouth.

Min-joon said in a calm voice, “I want to completely satisfy people. Help me, Anderson. I can’t find that know-how alone. I need your help.”

“After all, you are confessing like this because of cooking?”

“No, it’s because I love you.”

As soon as Min-joon said that, Anderson coughed as if he choked on something, covering his mouth and nose with his hands.

While Min-joon was patting his back, he said in a trembling voice, “I know why you don’t drink alcohol.”

“Why?”

“You’re a wacko when you don’t drink. If you do, I’m afraid you’re going to be a real wacko.”

“Thanks for that joke. Can I take your joke as meaning that you accepted my apology?”

“Don’t try to analyze what I say. You don’t have to apologize because I didn’t behave well, either. By the way, I’m not going to apologize to you because I feel so embarrassed. So, don’t apologize to me.”

Anderson spoke, with his face blushing, as if he was embarrassed. Min-joon opened his mouth as he clinked a cup of coffee against his cocktail glass.

“Yes. I love you, my friend.”

Anderson was choked, touched by his genuine apology.

***

‘Well, I’m so ashamed that I can’t see Rachel.’

In the end, Min-joon was repeating the mistakes he had made. He smiled bitterly and held the coffee in his mouth. Since his body was sensitive to caffeine, he felt he could hardly go to sleep tonight, but he really liked the aroma of coffee, which was so sweet.

“... If you don’t fix the way you speak, people might think you’re gay and get into big trouble.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not talking like that to everyone.”

“Stop saying that I’m special because I’m embarrassed.”

“Got it.”

Min-joon put the cup of coffee to his mouth again. Anderson shook his head, looking at him.

“I wish Kaya was here, so I can tie her up.”

“Is she a dog? Why do you want to tie her up?”

“Yeah, she is a dog. A dog that shakes her tail at anybody.”

“Let’s talk about the recipe. I think our menu is not attractive enough. Other guys are getting good feedback, but we are in trouble now.”

“Man, they have Chef Rachel and Raphael. It’s natural that they have better feedback.”

“Well, they seem to notice our cooking skills in a situation like this.”

Min-joon held the coffee cup on the table and shook it gently like a wine glass.

Anderson slightly glanced at his cup then opened his mouth.

“You are competent, Min-joon.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course, I’m a little more competent.”

“What are you talking about? Are you kidding me?”

Min-joon shrugged with a smile. He looked at the bartender’s fingertips over the bar table silently. The bartender was wiping the glasses with a napkin gracefully. It was not clear whether he did it because the glasses were dirty, or he wanted to show it to the hotel people. Min-joon felt the way he cleaned the glasses was cool.

It was a dessert truck menu that Raphael served this time. When he used molecular cooking to create all sorts of desserts, Rachel simply made Quesadilla. It was a Mexican dish of tortillas stuffed with ingredients and baked in an oven.

It was natural that both received good feedback. Unlike Min-joon or Anderson, they not only had good cooking skills but they also had a feel for a good market and location. And there was one that Min-joon took notice of. It was feedback a gourmet left in his blog.

─ Chef Rachel knows how to cook dishes that suit the time, place, and people. She knows what kind of dish the people in San Francisco like most on her food truck. Perhaps, that is the driving force that has made her the most beloved chef in this country.

‘What do I need to learn the most now from the two?’

There was only one task before Min-joon. Namely, he needed to cultivate the ability to lead the kitchen staff, for that was one of the conditions for raising his cooking level. As for his gastronomic level, it was not clear how many conditions he would have to meet, but it was also his task to find out how to approach it.

“Anderson, are you sleepy now?”

“No. Not really.”

“Let’s make some strategy.”

Min-joon continued in a calm voice, “Strategy to beat them all.”

***

“Don’t you think you and Anderson have mended your fences so quickly?” Maya asked.

“Well, that’s what happens to men usually,” said Min-joon.

“Well, I feel like I’m foolish because I was so concerned.”

“I’m sorry for making you concerned.”

“I didn’t mean to hear your apology.”

Maya chuckled then sat down on the couch.

Antonio opened his mouth with an expression that looked as blunt as Anderson.

“So, what are we doing today?”

“Developing a recipe. We are not going to argue who is right or wrong like we did last time. Let’s try to come up with a great recipe this time. The heavier your burden, the better you share it with somebody.”

“You want to get my opinion, too?”

“Of course, you are a chef, too. Aren’t you?”

When he replied, Maya smiled broadly as if she was happy. Being recognized as a chef by her supervisor, not by anyone else, made her day.

Watching the two, Anderson opened his mouth with a heavy voice.

“What do you think of our sale this time?”

“Do you want me to tell you honestly or just pretend?”

“Who would pretend when you ask me like that? Just tell me honestly.”

“It wasn’t good,” Antonio said calmly.

When Anderson and Min-joon stared at him, he continued without hesitation, “Your dishes were delicious. But, Chef Anderson’s dish was too ordinary, and Chef Min-joon’s dish was too unique. The more conceited you are, the less you see your true self. In that respect, Chef Min-joon’s dish wasn’t impressive enough this time.”

“Man, you commented about Anderson’s dish shortly, but you have so much criticism on mine.”

“Well, Chef Anderson is my supervisor, but you are not. And I feel more comfortable talking to you because I know you won’t feel upset about me because of that.”

“It seems like I’m acting like a pushover these days,” said Min-joon, and sighed in a depressed voice. Anderson patted him on the back with a smile and said, “If you take what he said differently, it means I have a personality disorder.”

“Well, there are two sides to everything,” Antonio responded casually.