Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: Seeking Company (1)

Venice. Most people thought of ‘Merchant of Venice’ when they heard that. And of course, they knew it was a place in Italy.

Venice was in Italy, but the Venice Cho Min Joon was at wasn’t in Italy, but rather in a neighborhood near Santa Monica in LA, California. The beach, people would expect there to be fancy buildings and hotels, but there were actually older apartments and villas lined up.

But it was strangely a beautiful neighborhood. There were people wearing bathing suits or casual wear, and on top of the boardwalk were people enjoying a stroll or fishing.

It was also beautiful that it was hard to distinguish between natives and tourists. Along Venice Beach which could either be a fantasy or reality, Rose Island was located.

The main restaurant wasn’t that large. It was nearly the height of 2 stories, but it was actually just 1 story. The building was white with blue roof as if it came straight from Greece. There were pillars that reminded one of Temple of Olympus, an open balcony, as well as wooden windows.

If it was in any other place, it could’ve looked bland or tacky. But since it was Venice Beach, the two locations brought each other to life. Also…

‘… Look at those people.’

In front of the restaurant, Cho Min Joon saw a group of people in front of the restaurant. He was stressed thinking of how he could get through them, but there was nothing he could do. He heard that people gathered in front of the restaurant before Rachel even landed in LA.

There was a wide variety of people. Tourists who wanted to see Rose Island, reporters who wanted an interview, and chefs who just wanted one glimpse of Rachel in person.

At that moment, Cho Min Joon was hesitating on how to get through when one woman’s eyes grew wide.

“Oh, you’re… Min Joon! You’re Min Joon, right?!”

“What? Where?”

“Wow, it’s Min Joon!”

“Can I get a photo?”

Since they looked so delighted, he couldn’t even pretend to be busy. In the end, Cho Min Joon gave autographs and even took photos. Not everyone was like that, but even accommodating for some of them made the time fly by. And the reporters didn’t stay quiet either.

“Min Joon, how does it feel to work at Rachel’s restaurant?”

“There are many rumors about the timing of Rose Island’s reopening. Do you know the truth?”

“How will the kitchen staff be formed?”

Many questions were asked. After replying with, ‘That’s a little hard to answer,’ he immediately began walking. Despite the camera flashes and continuous questions, once he went through the door, they were unable to get to him.

“Tsk, tsk. You’re too hard-working. Why did you go along with that?”

He heard Anderson’s voice. Cho Min Joon sighed and entered the hall. There were 40 chairs without any owners. He enjoyed the emptiness.

“Where’s Rachel?”

“She’s in the office. Anyway, did you do what I asked?”

“Yeah, I registered.”

“Give me the ID.”

Anderson and Cho mIn Joon were talking about Starbook. Anderson searched Cho Min Joon’s account and knitted his brows.

“… You already have 800 followers?”

“Is that a lot?”

Anderson didn’t answer. He had 800 followers in just one day. It took him a week to reach that number. Anderson pressed his screen with a displeased face. A moment later, Cho Min Joon’s phone rang.

Min Joon has entered the chatroom.

[Hugo: Oh, Min Joon finally signed up for Starbook.]

[Anderson: I told him to do it.]

[Hugo: He already has so many fans. He might have 1000 by the end of the day.]

[Min Joon: This feels weird. I’ve never used social media before.]

[Joanne: Min Joon! Hey. It’s nice to see you here.]

[Min Joon: I know, right? I feel like we’re back in our competition days.]

[Joanne: I’ll let you in on a little secret. Kaya wins it all!]

[Min Joon: Wow, no way.]

Cho Min Joon smirked while looking at his phone. He texted or called them from time to time, but seeing them all at once in a chatroom felt different. Anderson scoffed and said, “See? I told you it was a good idea.”

“I would’ve done it earlier if you told me there was a chat.”

The only reason Cho Min Joon signed up for Starbook was the chat. Since it was 2010, chatting apps weren’t as popular yet.

[Ivanna: I’m jealous of both of you. I wish I could work at Rose Island.]

[Min Joon: We don’t work here yet. There’s a lot to prepare before opening, and even when we do open, I can’t work.]

[Joanne: Huh? Why not?]

[Ivanna: Did you get hurt?]

[Min Joon: No, it’s nothing like that. It’s because of my visa. It’ll take at least 2 months before I get it.]

[Joanne: Then are you here on a tourist visa?]

[Min Joon: Yeah. That’s why I can’t work yet.]

He didn’t have income at the moment, but that didn’t affect his lifestyle because Cho Min Joon was living at Rachel’s house. And if he had to buy something, that was no problem either. It wasn’t just because of the money he earned from Hunger Trip. Inside his wallet was a card that Rachel gave him.

[Joanne: I’m so jealous. Rachel Rose! You’ve made it, Min Joon.]

[Min Joon: I heard you were scouted as a head chef recently. You’re the one who made it.]

[Joanne: It’s just a small restaurant with 5 tables. You can’t even call it a head chef.]

[Min Joon: Don’t say that. You’re a head chef no matter what people say.]

[Ivanna: Anyway, Kaya and Chloe aren’t here. They’d be happy to see Min Joon.]

Cho Min Joon looked at his phone awkwardly when they brought up Chloe. And although they couldn’t see him, he immediately fixed his face. He was still keeping in touch with Chloe, but it felt weird hearing her name in front of everyone.

As for Kaya, he hadn’t heard from her very much. He thought she was mad because he told her to lose weight at Anderson’s command… But that wasn’t it. She wasn’t keeping in touch with the others that much either.

[Anderson: She’s probably filming. She’s busy.]

[Marco: Oh, Min Joon’s here.]

[Joanne: You’re late, Marco.]

“Min Joon, Anderson.”

A stern voice could be heard through both of their ears as they looked at the chat screen. They both slowly looked up. An old man with a clean updo was staring at them. Cho Min Joon and Anderson immediately got up.

“Hello, Mr. Diaz.”

Issac Diaz. That was his name. He looked like someone who would have a strict personality, and that was really the case. Seeing how even Cho Min Joon still called him by his surname said a lot about how difficult he was to deal with.

“The kitchen chief is looking for you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Just because Issac was hard to deal with didn’t mean he was a bad person. He was strict. He was always proper as if he was a military soldier, and it clearly showed on his clothes. His sleeves were never wrinkled, and they always looked perfectly ironed. Just like how the color of meat suggested its flavor, his clothes showed his true personality.

For that reason…

“Oh, you’re here.”

“Yes. I brought him.”

It felt unfamiliar to see him smile softly like a young boy whenever he was with Rachel. The contrast was huge. So much that even Anderson and Cho Min Joon, who never gossiped, wondered if Issac had feelings for Rachel.

It had already been 3 days since Hunger Trip ended, and they landed in LA. There wasn’t much that Cho Min Joon or Anderson did at that time. To be more exact, that applied to Cho Min Joon. LA was unfamiliar to him. 3 days wasn’t nearly enough to learn the lifestyle and rules of a certain region.

Anderson was different since he grew up here. His parents, Fabio and Amelia, had a restaurant that was only 5 minutes away from Rose Island in Venice. And that meant…

“Oh, Rachel. You’re open already. Hey, Min Joon. Long time no see.”

… They could visit Rose Island at any time. Cho Min Joon answered in a bitter voice, “… Hm, it’s been around 10 hours. I saw you when you picked up Anderson last night.”

“Do I need to explain to you what 10 hours actually means? That’s the time it takes for raw chicken breast turns into treasure in a souvide machine. And the broth that boils inside…”

“Mom! Please, are you going to start nagging Min Joon, too?”

“Anderson, like I’ve always told you, you should never call the words of a parent nagging.”

Anderson sighed. Just like how all children acted when they were nagged, he decided to stop responding. And that was always an effective response. Amelia was about to say something to Anderson when he wouldn’t respond, but in the end, she turned to Rachel and said, “I’m impressed. There are so many people out there.”

“Half of them are old regulars who came to watch, and the other half are either reporters or chefs. Many people are even asking to become interns here.”

By that, they were volunteering to clean, do dishes, and wipe the sweat off of the chefs’ foreheads. The problem was that those who were qualified demi chefs were willing to be interns at Rose Island.

Cho Min Joon looked out the window, and he was in awe. There were a lot of people. There were more than 50 people outside.

‘Rachel… is impressive.’

“Do you see who you have as a mentor?”

“Yes. I’m in awe.”

“You need to brace yourself. Rose Island, and especially its Venice location, is famous for how hard they go on the chefs.”

“… Really?”

Cho Min Joon looked back at Rachel. Rachel was staring at everyone with a calm face, but why was it that she looked anxious? Anderson opened his mouth.

“But what brings you here in the morning? Shouldn’t you be preparing to open?”

“Don’t worry. Your father will go and get it started.”

“… What? Why should I go?”

Fabio answered as if he had no idea. Amelia glared at him. And in response, Fabio lowered his head in sadness while Rachel opened her mouth.

“I called them here because I needed a bridge.”

“A bridge?”

“There are many people who are angry at me, so I needed someone who can mediate.”

“… May I ask who that is?”

“Jack Hudson.”

Rachel immediately answered Cho Min Joon’s cautious question. Cho Min Joon didn’t know that name. Rachel continued in a slow and faint voice, “He used to be the patisserie here.”