Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: The Power of Science (1)

What Kaya said must’ve been shocking. Chloe, who was drinking her orange juice, choked on it. Kaya tapped Chloe on the back with a calm look on her face.

Cho Min Joon didn’t know how to react to what Kaya said. If Kaya had known how Chloe felt about it, she wouldn’t have been able to say it. But that doesn’t mean she could say it either because it could make things awkward. Cho Min Joon cautiously opened his mouth.

“There’s no reason to decide right now.”

“I know. Let’s think about it. We have lots of time.”

They chatted about this and that after that, but all they remembered as they left Kaya’s place was her asking to live together. It was shocking at first, but it was a tempting suggestion. But if a problem ever occurred…

“Anderson, I’ll take Min Joon home. I have something to talk to him about. Is that okay?”

Anderson nodded. He didn’t criticize Chloe about the fact that she lived on the opposite side of them.

Cho Min Joon got into Chloe’s car. Chloe spoke in an embarrassed voice.

“Sorry. My car’s too small.”

Chloe drove a small mini cooper that only had 2 seats. Cho Min Joon smirked and said, “It’s not bad. I feel like I’m in a spaceship.”

“You’re good at teasing people.”

“That’s how it becomes when you spend time with Deok Sam.”

“… Poor Anderson.”

A dull laugh filled the car. Cho Min Joon spoke up again, “What did you want to talk to me about? Is it about what Kaya said?”

“Not only that. But let’s start there first. Would you be okay with that? If we live together?”

Cho Min Joon wasn’t able to say anything. Since it was a cautious question, he needed to give a cautious answer. He had to think. He had to think of a way that would hurt neither Kaya nor Chloe. But if one side had to get hurt, then…

“It might help us to become friends like old times.”

“It might make it worse, too.”

“I don’t want that to happen though. And I’m sure you agree with me.”

He spoke as if he was stressing that they couldn’t let that happen. It was Cho Min Joon’s firm voice. The car stopped. They were in front of Rachel Rose’s house. Chloe opened her mouth.

“You must trust me.”

Cho Min Joon spoke in a calm voice.

“I don’t trust all my friends. But I trust you Chloe because you wouldn’t hurt other people.”

Chloe didn’t answer. She smiled faintly before opening her mouth slowly.

“See you later…”

“Yeah, call me when you’ve made up your mind. Thanks for the ride.”

Cho Min Joon opened the door and left. Chloe watched Cho Min Joon leave as she mumbled to herself, “… He’s not even looking back at me.”

***

His mind didn’t become complicated because of Kaya’s proposal. To be more exact, he didn’t have time. Rafael made Cho Min Joon memorize countless recipes of molecular dishes. And at the same time, he had another homework. He thought it would be easy, but it was bothersome.

“… So no one wants to cook molecular dishes yet?”

Cho Min Joon asked in a low voice. The cooks tried not to make eye contact with Cho Min Joon and shut their lips. It was a given. Since the demi chefs tried to avoid it, why would cooks be any different?

So the cooks had no choice but to avoid it even harder. Their job was to prepare things for their demi chefs. And once the demi chefs finished, they had to wrap it up.

That meant that they had to do all the knitty gritty things. No one liked that, and this was the result. They were told to let them know if they were interested in volunteering for molecular cooking, but no one did. Cho Min Joon sighed.

“Why is everyone so scared of molecular cooking? It’s still cooking. The only difference is that it’s scientific in a way.”

“… But you didn’t want to do it either.”

“Because I was a liberal arts major.”

He answered confidently. Cho Min Joon glanced over at Maya.

“Maya, were you an arts or science major?”

“I studied art.”

“What about you, Gerrick?”

“Liberal arts.”

“Antonio, what about you?”

“I did phys ed.”

“… Fred, answer me.”

“I majored in science… But I had really bad grades! I swear!”

Cho Min Joon looked at them with a frustrated face. Havier, who was watching from the side, looked amused. He laughed as he whispered to Janet, “I can’t believe the 1st place is suffering the most. How ironic.”

“Seeing how the last place is chilling, it is pretty ironic.”

“… But I’m a main. It’s the most popular section in all restaurants.”

“Wow, how impressive, last place.”

Their conversation was bound to continue in such a way. Since like Janet said, he was last place. Havier looked back at Cho Min Joon.

Cho Min Joon was still talking to the cooks. It appeared that he wanted someone to volunteer than for him to force anyone. The problem was that no one was willing to become the scapegoat.

“Gerrick, remember what you said to me? You said you wanted to become a chef. You should learn under me so you can get better.”

“I should watch from a distance if I want to see the forest instead of one tree.”

“… Seriously?”

The truth was, Cho Min Joon wanted two of the chefs—Gerrick or Maya. In the case of Gerrick, he had the basics down, and Maya had good hands. Her small hands was perfect for detail-oriented dishes that molecular cooking was known for.

“You leave me with no choice. I wanted to be civil, but one of you will be my assistant. As for which one, it’s up to you. I can’t wait any longer. You have until tomorrow.”

Maya and Gerrick looked at each other in shock. Cho Min Joon left them behind and headed to the kitchen. And Rafael, who was still watching, laughed and said, “Do you finally understand how I feel?”

“… Yes. It’s pretty bad.”

“That’s how it is for molecular cooking. Even if you want to start it, you give up because it’s bothersome and complicated. But let me tell you one thing that might give you hope.”

Rafael leaned toward Cho Min Joon’s ear.

“You’re the most talented demi chef in molecular cooking.”

“… How are you so sure? Because of the competition results?”

“I know a thing or two about your cooking style. You’re interested in the combination of different ingredients. And rather than becoming an expert in one dish, you want to create something new using all sorts of different cooking methods. In other words, you’re creative. That means you’re an artist. And that’s important in molecular cooking.”

Cho Min Joon answered with a bitter face, “You’re being so nice. I’m scared to find out when you’ll pull out the whip.”

Rafael smirked and answered, “It’ll happen soon enough.”

***

“Here. What about this house? It’s a house in Mar Vista. The distance is good for everyone… But would Beverly Hills be better?”

“… You only think about houses these days.”

“I can’t help it. It makes me excited just thinking about it.”

Kaya answered with a flushed face. Cho Min Joon pinched her cheek and said, “Chloe needs to answer first.”

“I thought Chloe would want to do it right away.”

“But housing is an important issue. I understand.”

Kaya laid her head on Cho Min Joon’s shoulder. But she flinched with her head still on his shoulder. Rachel was entering the kitchen. And in her hands was a pot full of Paella. Cho Min Joon’s eyes sparkled.

[Lemon Paella with shrimp and scallops]

Freshness: 89%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 9/10

‘… How did she get a 9 with such a simple recipe?’

It was only possible if she paid special attention or used an exceptional cooking method. Rachel smiled softly and said, “I felt like Min Joon wanted to eat rice lately, so I tried my best. Kaya, do you like Paella?”

“I like everything. Thank you.”

Kaya answered with a smile. Her smile reminded him of old times. He liked the way she looked like a rose with thorns, but she also looked pretty right now as a delicate lotus. Her roots might have been beneath the mud, but she was in full bloom.

When he got a taste of the Paella, he felt like the flavor was even clearer. He had eaten many good meals this year, but that didn’t take away from the fact that he would still feel touched by food.

It was salty and savory. On top of that, the shrimp and scallops were spicy. The texture of the Paella was fun to chew on, and seafood and vegetables absorbed into the rice, making it feel like the rice was everything.

“Wow… this is delicious.”

It was Kaya who was in awe. Rachel smiled and answered, “I can’t feed my pupil’s girlfriend something bad.”

“Thank you for the invite. I felt a little awkward at first.”

“I like that you’re honest. You’re managing a restaurant in LA, right?”

“I’m not the one managing it. There’s a head chef. I’m just a mascot… And the person who comes up with the menu.”

Kaya answered with a shrug. She didn’t look restless while answering. It was impressive that she had come this far at her age. Rachel nodded.

“No need to get hung up on the label of a head chef. What’s important is whether or not you can cook. So all you need to do is stand inside a kitchen at your age. Then you’re bound to improve.”

“… Come to think of it, it was hard for women to be chefs when you were little. Was it hard to endure?”

“I endured it with my temper.”

Rachel thought for a moment with Paella on her spoon. Her eyes looked deep in thought. She continued slowly, “If anyone cussed me out, I gave them 10 times more. But I got kicked out a lot because of that. And later, I couldn’t even pass an interview because they thought I was crazy. But then, I joined a restaurant that my husband worked at…”

“And then you fell in love.”

“No, I was shocked. I was very arrogant at the time. I thought all the men couldn’t even cook and just acted like they could. But he was different. I was shocked and angry. I wanted to beat him… But before I realized it, I was his partner.”

Rachel’s lips turned into a smile. And Cho Min Joon understood because he felt the same way about Kaya. At times, he felt helpless in front of Kaya’s talent, and he felt angry. Rachel continued, “I hope you become like that. I hope you motivate each other to be better.”

“I hope so, too.”

“At times, you won’t tell each other something because you don’t want to worry them. And it might be more wise to not say anything. But secrets can kill you. If you’re sick, say so, and if it’s hard, say so. Sorry. I never wanted to become the type to lecture. But I’m getting old.”

“No, that’s okay. Thank you. I’ll remember that.”

Cho Min Joon answered with a smile. And Kaya was thinking about something. Cho Min Joon gave Kaya a strange gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hm… It’s a little embarrassing to say.”

Kaya’s face looked iffy. She looked shy and hesitant. And when she opened her mouth, Cho Min Joon’s eyes glared.

“Is it because I’m popular? Or maybe they’re a crazy fan. But there’s something like that.”

“… What?”

“Hey, don’t look so serious. It’s just random texts. Like, ‘I love you, Kaya! Sleep tight!’ Stuff like that.”

“What crazy guy texts a woman like that…?”

“I don’t know if they’re a woman or a man. Don’t worry. I’m a good fighter.”

Kaya spoke with a clenched fist. But that didn’t make Cho Min Joon’s face any brighter. The same went for Rachel. Rachel looked outside and opened her mouth.

“It’s dark. Kaya, are you busy tomorrow?”

“No, not really. I just have work at the restaurant as usual.”

Rachel nodded.

“That’s good. Then sleepover. As the landlord, I give you permission.”