Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: Mirror Recipe (4)

It was clear what she meant by that. Cho Min Joon’s eyelids fluttered. He didn’t see this coming, so he was taken aback. Chloe had looked at him with warm and caring eyes from time to time, but he never thought that meant she liked him because Chloe was friendly to everyone. He didn’t want to be a fool who mistook that for feelings.

‘I turned out to be a fool.’

He tried so hard not to misunderstood that he misunderstood. His heart pounded. He didn’t know if it was because he was surprised… or because he felt the same way about Chloe. This situation was too unfamiliar.

“I’m not saying I want to do anything now.”

Chloe spoke in a careful voice.

“No matter what you answer, we can’t do anything right now anyway. That’s just reality. I’m sorry, but I had to do it. If we parted without me saying anything, I thought it would really be over. At least, if I told you this…”

Chloe trailed off. An awkward silence fell between them. Cho Min Joon quietly looked at Chloe. Her body was strong because she worked out, but that didn’t mean her mentality was just as strong. Chloe was a sensitive girl. It would’ve been a lie if he said he didn’t want to protect that…

Cho Min Joon’s lips shook. Inside his head, his lips opened countless times and said all sorts of things, but he couldn’t say any of it in real life. It probably wasn’t easy for Chloe to say that. She must’ve thought about it for a long time and felt scared and hopeful. Knowing that time and intent, Cho Min Joon couldn’t answer so easily.

“… I’ve dated a woman once.”

It wasn’t someone he fell for at first sight. He had met her through a blind date set up by a friend. She was a student majoring in violin, and like most music majors, she had grown up in a privileged household.

“She was pretty and kind. She was smart, too. She was someone many guys wanted. Same with me. She was great. I never felt my heart pounding for her, but I thought that only happened in dramas anyway, but I was wrong. She really liked me. Sincerely.”

Cho Min Joon’s eyes filled with pain. He slowly continued, “When it comes to relationships, the emotions involved are the most sensitive. As much as she liked me sincerely, she also misunderstood that I liked her just the same. No, I did like her. How could I not? But I don’t think I felt all too different from how I feel about you, so we broke up. It was messy.”

Cho Min Joon spoke in a natural and emotionless way, “I don’t want to make that mistake again because I like you.”

What he was saying turned out to be a rejection. Chloe tried to look calm before sniffling and gulping. It was clear she was trying to hold back her tears. Chloe covered her nose with both hands and then opened her mouth. Her voice was shaking as if she had a cold.

“I have a lot I want to say… But I feel like I’ll fall apart if I do, both me and this relationship.”

“… I won’t change no matter what you say.”

“Thi isn’t your problem. This is mine, so I’ll just say one thing. No, I just have one favor. It might sound like pleading.”

She didn’t shed tears. She must’ve really wanted to avoid looking pathetic because her eyes were twinkling with tension. That might have been because of her tears… But she protected her pride by making sure that no tears dripped out.

“Can I hug you just once? Actually, can you hug me…?”

That was a request that was impossible to refuse. Cho Min Joon couldn’t either. No, if it wasn’t Chloe, he could have refused, but Chloe was precious to him. Not as a woman but a friend.

Cho Min Joon slowly stepped forward. He sat next to Chloe and looked at her face. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. Cho Min Joon embraced Chloe. Her soft shoulders were embraced by his shoulders. Chloe breathed onto the burn on the right side of his neck. He wasn’t sure if it felt hot in that area just because of Chloe’s breathing.

Chloe was small. Not in terms of height. She wasn’t as big as Kaya, but she was of average height, but she was small, and there was just one reason. Because right now, Chloe wasn’t that confident and friendly chef that everyone knew.

Chloe hugged Cho Min Joon tightly. He was on the thin side, but he was big enough to feel trusty. Since they couldn’t see each other’s faces, Chloe finally burst into tears. Cho Min Joon wasn’t so slow that he didn’t notice the tears on his shoulder, but he pretended not to know.

She wanted him. After time passed, she wanted him to be the one hugging her like this. That made Chloe hug Cho Min Joon even tighter. She was just rejected, but the way Cho Min Joon held her made her heart pound.

Cho Min Joon held still with his face against Chloe’s hair. He could feel her despite her thick sweater. Her skin, her pounding heart, and her hot temperature. He felt bad. He wanted to comfort her, but all he could do was pat her on the back.

He didn’t know what this hug meant. Perhaps, it was longing, pain, or a type of truce or optimism. What was certain was that once they drew away from the hug, neither one looked relieved. Cho Min Joon handed her a handkerchief. Chloe used it to wipe her tears.

“I’m sorry. You must think I’m pathetic.”

“I don’t know I’ll ever think of you as pathetic. I’m the one who’s…”

“No. Don’t say anything. The truth is… if you had accepted my confession, I would have been worried for other reasons.”

He had an idea what Chloe meant by that. She even said it herself. Even if they felt the same way about each other, there wasn’t much they could do together because they had different nationalities. It was hard to even meet up, so they probably weren’t meant to be.

Cho Min Joon and Chloe laid on the sofa together. They both looked up at the ceiling when Chloe mumbled, “Life is hard. It’s hard no matter what.”

“I know.”

“When will we ever get a break?”

“Maybe we can rest once we achieve everything.”

“I just want two things. A restaurant and… But right now, I don’t have a restaurant, and I’m not even a good enough chef. I want both though. I’ll get it. You and cooking. I promise.”

“… Don’t strain yourself.”

“I won’t. It’s my dream. All dreams feel far away at first, but if you don’t stop, you’ll reach it one day.”

Their conversation ended there. They both continued to stare at the light on the ceiling as if they were looking at a starry sky. Kaya, who entered the room while kicking Anderson on the shin, knitted her brows at the sight.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Photosynthesis.”

“That only works with sunlight. I know what that is, too, you know.”

Kaya realized that Cho Min Joon was now beside Chloe unlike before, but she didn’t want to say anything about it. She just spoke in a sharp voice, “Anderson lied to me to screw me over. I knew he was crazy…”

Anderson appeared from behind while grabbing onto his leg. Chloe looked at him with gratitude and apologetic feelings, but Anderson sat down as if nothing happened. Cho Min Joon caught on to what was going on.

“Anderson, I didn’t know you were a fox.”

“I’m not a bear, that’s for sure.”

In response, Cho Min Joon dropped his head with embarrassment. Kaya squinted her eyes and said, “Huh? I feel like I’m missing out on something.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Are you leaving me out? What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“… I’m only holding it in today because of Chloe.”

They didn’t have much time left together, so they couldn’t say anything. Rather than talking, they just looked at each other and enjoyed their time together. Meanwhile, Kaya realized something strange. She noticed Chloe looking at Cho Min Joon often, and her eyes were warm.

‘… No way.’

Kaya tried to forget what she was thinking. She couldn’t believe it. Why would she like a guy like Cho Min Joon? But he did have a decent face, a nice personality, and a masculine side to him…

She shook her head. At that moment, a staff member called. “There isn’t much time until your flight. We have to leave.” It was cruel, but it couldn’t be helped. They all headed to the garden. The car parked in front of the entrance looked so unlikable to them. Chloe took a look at all three of them.

“I guess this is goodbye. I’m thankful to all of you.”

“… Chloe.”

Kaya hugged Chloe. Chloe stood still and pat Kaya on the back. Chloe whispered in a quiet voice, “Take care of yourself, Kaya. I’m cheering for you.”

“You too…”

Kaya answered in a sobbing voice. After hugging Anderson, Chloe looked at Cho Min Joon and smiled.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to say the most important thing.”

“… What?”

Instead of answering, Chloe hugged Cho Min Joon. She then went on her tippy toes and whispered in his ear, “I like you.”

Her voice was so quiet that only Cho Min Joon could hear, but it sounded very clear to his ears. After stepping back, Chloe smiled and added, “I’m sure many things will change as time goes on, but there’s one thing that won’t change.”

No one answered in response. Chloe got into the car. Chloe lowered the window. She stuck out her head and smiled.

“I won’t say who I want to win, but you’re all amazing chefs. Good luck.”

“You’ll keep cooking, right?”

In response to Kaya’s question, Chloe glanced at Cho Min Joon and then slowly answered, “I recently learned that life or dreams never go as planned, but my dream is to cook. People can abandon everything else…”

Chloe smiled.

“But they can’t abandon their dreams.”