Chapter 138 - Chapter 138: Kitchen (2)

He felt as though he stole something, but it felt refreshing. He wasn’t sure if it was morally correct, but what could he do? That was his ability. Alfredo believed that even if he tasted it, he wouldn’t find out the recipe, but that belief was wrong. He just decided to think about it that way.

Of course, just because he knew the recipe didn’t mean he could perfectly recreate it. After all, Alfredo’s method was more than just the perfect proportions of ingredients and temperature control. If he could make the batter in the same way with the same strength, number of times, and angles, that would be his recipe, not anyone else’s.

“What do you think, Min Joon? Can you guess?”

“I don’t know if I can comfortably answer that question.”

“Haha, sounds like you didn’t figure out the recipe.”

“Well, I could tell you the proportions of the ingredients… but that itself isn’t that special.”

“You got it. The basics are the best way to go. Think of it as climbing a mountain. The path has been decided, so there’s no reason to take another route. People think I put something special in my noodles.

Cho Min Joon answered with a smile. Kaya brushed off Cho Min Joon’s shoulder and spoke with a proud look on her face, “Good job.”

“Of course.”

The others were now tired of even reacting to the two. Anderson looked at Alfredo and asked, “How much noodles do you make a day? I’m sure you don’t only make linguine.”

“We do make a lot of different kinds, but our most popular is our linguine. After that comes spaghetti, fettucini, tagliatelle, and such long pastas… But short noodles like fusilli or lasagna aren’t that popular. Oh, but that doesn’t mean they taste bad. Our place is so famous for our long pastas… that some customers think it’s stupid to buy anything else from us.”

Alfredo offered information that they didn’t even ask for. The sight of his proud face and lifted shoulders made Cho Min Joon laugh. For a master, he seemed more innocent than solemn, and he found that refreshing. He opened his mouth.

“Would it be okay if I used the same recipe one day?”

“Ha, try it out if you can. In order to make good pasta, you need a good arm. You need better arms than that. I feel bad for your girlfriend.”

“… Girlfriend?”

“Oh, isn’t that your girlfriend next to you? I thought you were.”

Alfredo spoke with a calm look on his face. Kaya coughed and stepped away from Cho Min Joon. Cho Min Joon opened his mouth.

“Anyway, your linguine was delicious. It was the best I’ve ever tasted. Thank you for making it worthwhile to come to Italy.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Cho Min Joon spoke from his heart. It was the perfect pasta. Of course, it was Allan and his kitchen who cooked it… But Cho Min Joon believed that the biggest player was Alfredo. Without his noodles, the score would have been impossible.

‘Will I be able to copy it?’

He found out the conditions. The system taught him how to rub the batter in which circumstances. The problem was whether or not he could copy it. He didn’t think he could do it right away, but perhaps it would be possible if he practiced for years… That was what he thought. He was being very optimistic, but he couldn’t help his excitement.

Sarah looked at Cho Min Joon with jealousy from behind him. She also felt how delicious and perfect the pasta was… But was it because she wasn’t a chef? She didn’t know it was so good that it would receive 10 points.

So naturally, she didn’t know the ingredients in the batter was basic either. She thought he would have had to add something special to get that flavor. And knowing that the palate was a barrier that she couldn’t overcome, she felt pathetic. Sarah opened her mouth.

“Emily, you’re impressive.”

“What? Why? You’re scaring me.”

“When you first realized Cho Min Joon had the perfect palate, you predicted this would all happen. That means you understood what it meant to have a perfect palate. I only realize these things now… So I’m impressed by you.”

“Our viewer ratings didn’t explode after his perfect palate was revealed for no reason. The reason why Min Joon was the most popular contestant probably had to do with his romance with Kaya, too, but his palate is the bigger reason. And like I said…”

“I know. There’s no point in being jealous of something I don’t have, and that we’re valuable in our own ways in the food world.”

Emily stared at Sarah with a dropped jaw and then rolled her eyes. Sarah glanced over at Anderson.

“Anderson must be jealous. It’s hard to have a friend that talented.”

“You think…?”

“Yeah. The thought of catching up makes your shoulders feel heavy.”

Sarah then glanced back at Emily, but Emily was too busy looking at Anderson. It was possible that the cameraman captured all of this, but Emily only saw that scene once it was broadcasted.

But Rachel heard their entire conversation. And what caught Rachel’s attention the most was about Anderson. She realized that while she asked Cho Min Joon to join her kitchen, she had never asked Anderson such a thing.

‘Was I too inattentive?’

She wasn’t able to repay everyone in the world who showed her kindness. After all, countless people smiled at her. All she could repay them with was her own smile.

But seeing Anderson’s backside made her feel worried. He was the son of a friend, and the kindness he showed her was so transparent that it caught her eye. While she stared at Anderson, Jeremy smiled and asked, “Are you thinking of hopping onto a different horse?”

“… How many times do I have to tell you to act your age?”

“I don’t know. Until you get sick of criticizing it?”

“I guess you’ll never fix it. They’re still young kids. Don’t talk about them as if they’re kitchen tools.”

“Kitchen tools? Why would I? I’m not even a chef anymore. Maybe that’s what you’re doing. I still don’t get what greed is making you want that kid, Min Joon. Is it just for the reincarnation of Rose Island’s main restaurant? Or is there another objective?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I have something to say, but I shouldn’t say it in front of the camera.”

Rachel glared at Jeremy before opening her mouth, but she didn’t spit out any curse words. Anderson felt something going on and approached.

“Jeremy, are you bothering Rachel again?”

“Haha, what do you take me for, a little troublemaker?”

“I’m not sure. You might not be little, but you do seem like a troublemaker.”

“You caught me.”

Jeremy made an exaggerated surprised face. Anderson sighed. Meanwhile, Cho Min Joon was browsing around the kitchen. Was it because Allan and the cameras were there? The chefs were holding their pans with more anxiousness than usual. Allan spoke in a calm voice, “Like I said before, I wanted to bring you into this kitchen. Do you remember when your perfect palate was first revealed?”

“How could I forget? It was memorable for everyone.”

“That’s when Emily advised you to become a food critic, and I told you not to be swayed.”

Emily raised her head after hearing her name. Allan immediately lowered his voice. He was practically whispering. He spoke so quietly that no one else could hear except for Kaya beside him, “You told me that you were so happy to be a chef that you would never change your mind, and I told you that the rough roads to becoming a chef would tire you out.”

“I remember.”

“I doubt… you’ve changed your mind. Even though this program might be hard, it’s sweet compared to working in a kitchen. If you work under Rachel, you’ll never have to worry about the lack of customers, but it won’t be as sweet as this. It’ll become saltier than sweet. I hope that even if something salty enters your mouth… you won’t spit it back out.”

“Excuse me.”

Kaya jumped unto the conversation. She spoke with a grimace, “Why do you look down on Min Joon so much?”

“That’s not what I’m doing. I’m just trying to prevent him from collapsing because of a fantasy…”

“So you’re saying Min Joon will be defeated. Well, that won’t happen. Min Joon will never leave the kitchen.”

“… Why do you think that?”

“Because Min Joon endured even me.”

Kaya spoke in an angry voice. No, she was actually mad. She knew Allan was saying these things for Cho Min Joon’s sake, but she didn’t like that he was underestimating him.

“He even endured a bitch like me, so he’ll definitely endure a kitchen. Min Joon’s not like that. He has more determination and will than you think, and he’s manly. He won’t run away from the path he chose.”

“Kaya.”

Allan cut her off in a calm voice. He smacked his lips in hesitation before continuing in a low voice, “I’ve run away once… from the kitchen.”

She normally would have shut up from the weight of that confession, but Kaya really wanted to prove that Cho Min Joon wasn’t weak. She looked at Cho Min Joon with teary eyes.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Allan’s just worried about me. Don’t be like that.”

“… Are you saying you could quit cooking?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. He’s just telling me not to give up when it’s hard.”

“You won’t do that.”

Kaya answered stubbornly. He then noticed her moist and sparkling lips.

“You’ve never lied to me. Not even once.”

“… There’s no reason to lie.”

“And you told me you want to open a restaurant. That you want to cook forever. That’s what you told me.”

Kaya sniffled. She then breathed out quietly.

“Don’t make that into a lie.”