Chapter 220 - Everybody has their own story (6)

Min-joon could ascertain it just by looking at her plate. Turkey tenderloin and jumbo shrimp cannelloni, and braised beef at that. Who could think that they could be served on one plate? But the problem was…

[The component score of grilled asparagus, roast turkey, jumbo shrimp cannelloni, and braised beef is 10.]

his kind of unfamiliar mix was responsible for the perfect score. Besides, her cooking skill was an excellent 9. It was the best Janet could think of.

Min-joon asked with a fork, “Do I have to eat anything first here?”

“Eat the cannelloni first. I put jumbo shrimps inside. Its savory taste will enhance your appetite. After that, eat beef, rinse your mouth with asparagus and then eat turkey, so you can enjoy the aftertaste.”

“Alright.”

Like she said, he put cannelloni in his mouth. Cannelloni was a kind of dumpling pasta.

The crunchy crust baked in the oven tasted like fries when he chewed it. Then he rinsed his mouth with asparagus before chewing turkey. The savory flavor of the shrimps was good, along with its gentle scent.

“You used saffron here. Are you going to steal the show from the start?”

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes, I can. Very good. I really like it.”

While nodding, he kept putting different dishes in his mouth. The soft beef and the subtle aroma of vanilla added to the aftertaste of the shrimp. He rinsed the aftertaste of the shrimp with asparagus and chewed the turkey.

He had no choice but to nod, satisfied with the dish.

“I thought that if you braise it with honey on the surface, it would not taste good, but it just moderately enhances your appetite. It’s really delicious. I think you’re qualified as a sous chef, not serving as a demi chef here.”

“Oh, don’t flatter me like that.”

“I’m not flattering you. Seriously.”

As far as cooking was concerned, Min-joon didn’t say empty words. Since Janet knew that too, there was a bit of a smile on her face. Her smile itself meant that others in her position would smile broadly.

Janet asked, clearing her throat and covering her mouth with her hand, “So, how do you think Rachel would comment about my dish?”

“I’m not Rachel, but if I think I’m a judge and judge this…”

Min-joon smiled refreshingly and said, “This is a failure.”

“Hummm. Do you know what you said doesn’t match with your expression?”

“You smile when you eat something delicious, right?”

“You mean it’s delicious, but it’s not good enough to serve as a menu?”

“Honestly, I guess you’re feeling it too. This is good enough for a regular restaurant menu. It’s delicious and refreshing. But what should I say? I don’t feel anything like an impact. Something like ‘Wow, how come this is so delicious with this kind of ingredient component?’ In other words, you have to impress your customers with that kind of impact. And…”

Min-joon paused for a moment. He put his hand on his forehead as if he was tired. He then took out the mask in his pocket and wore it. As soon as he was done, he coughed.

He said with a smile, “I’m sorry. I think you might have caught my cold if I was a bit late.”

“That’s fine. Just go ahead and pick up where you left.”

“Nothing particular. I want you to remember that Rose Island’s cuisine is Master Rachel’s cuisine.

If we want to put our menu on the course, we have to make the dish that was good enough to be called Rachael’s. So… cough! Oh, my head is throbbing.”

“Okay. I know what you mean, so go ahead and take a break for a while. Otherwise, you might collapse.”

“Well, I feel like I want to get sick sometimes as you worry about me,” he said jokingly.

He felt it strange that Janet, who was always noted for her ferocious temper, could say nice things like this. He felt like he was seeing the past Kaya who kept changing her short temper. But Janet was different from Kaya. In this situation, Kaya would get angry or make excuses when he teased her, but Janet muttered quietly in a gloomy voice, “I know someone like you. That guy was sick, but he tried to ignore it and make a dish at the kitchen table. In the end, he got worse.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So, when you’re healthy, take care of yourself well. Ruining your life takes just one moment. Thanks for trying my dish.”

Janet said that then turned without hesitation. Min-joon eventually took off his hands from the cooking table. He looked at Maya and asked, “Maya, I’m sorry, but let me take a nap for about 30 minutes. If you don’t hear from me, can you wake me up? I’ll be in the break room.”

“Sure. Take a good rest, so you can get better in the evening,” Maya replied, worriedly.

Min-joon breathed out once and headed to the break room. The moment he was about to head to the makeshift bed on one side, he had to stop. It was occupied by someone else. She cried in a low voice, “Uncle Min-joon!”

Ella was waving her hand with a smile. Lisa was asleep in bed next to her.

As he sat on the sofa, Ella, who had her ass attached to the end of the bed, approached him and tried to hug him. He hurriedly reached out.

He whispered, conscious of Lisa, “No. You might catch my cold.”

“I only catch a cold once a year. I have already caught one this year, so I’m fine!”

“When did you catch a cold?”

“Um… January, I guess.”

“Look. It’s been almost a year. No.”

She lay face down, next to him, with a sullen expression. He glanced at Lisa slightly.

It seemed that she was sound asleep because she didn’t even wiggle her eyebrows when they were whispering like that.

In fact, it was Lisa who was assigned the toughest job in the kitchen right now. She supervised everything from kneading to fermenting and baking at her bakery, and she had to do the same thing when she came here. This was the only break time she had all day long, so he felt sorry for her.

Ella muttered in a sad voice, “In the past, I could play with my Mom, but nowadays, she is sleeping all the time.”

“Good girl, Ella. You don’t want to wake up Mom, right?”

“She is having a hard time, you know. I don’t want to bother her.”

“What do you want from Santa Claus for Christmas?”

At his question, she thought about it for a moment. Then she said, holding her cheeks and smiling happily, “I hope my Mom can laugh brightly.”

“Uh?”

That was an embarrassing answer because he expected a childlike answer from her, such as some snacks or food, a doll, or a dress.

She said, lying down on the sofa, “I’ve never seen her laughing cheerfully. When I saw a TV program the other day, somebody said you have to laugh hard to live long. I want to live with my Mom for a long time.”

“That’s why you want your Mom to laugh?”

“Yes.”

“I hope Santa Claus could grant your wish.”

“He might not because I cried so much this year.”

“It’s okay, Ella. Let me tell Grandpa Santa that since Ella is a really nice kid, he should grant her wish by all means this year.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thanks, uncle. That’s why I like you the most.”

She looked at him with eyes twinkling then put her head on his laps. He raised his hands with an embarrassed look. He was worried that she might catch his cold, but he just let her do it.

He slowly closed his eyes.

‘It’s Christmas…’

“Ella, do you want to eat something on Christmas Day?”

“Well, candy! And Jelly!”

“That’s for Halloween rather than Christmas…”

While trying to continue, he suddenly hit upon an idea. At that moment, there was a recipe that came to his mind. He thought he found the solution.

‘Alright. If I choose this recipe…!’

Jelly and candy, what inspired him was candy in particular. He was so thrilled that he didn’t want to take a nap anymore.

He was about to stand up when she looked up at him with a sad expression.

“Uncle, are you leaving now?”

If he said yes, she would let him go because she was so good at reading his mind for a child.

She was considerate and kind. That was why he could not leave right away.

He looked at her quietly. With a chubby cheek, she might be so bored if he left now.

He smiled at her brightly and said, “No. I’m going to play with you a little more.”

“Really? Isn’t it hard for you?”

“It’s hard for you, too. You have to come here every day as soon as your class at the kindergarten is over. You have no friends, but your mom is working, right?”

“But I love this place because my uncle and my Mom are here. And I can get some delicious stuff here…”

“You might get fat if you eat too much.”

“I don’t gain weight,” she said in a confident voice as if she was telling the truth about her weight. Given her chubby cheek, she must be a bit overweight, but he didn’t point it out.

He looked at her with a smile. She rolled around for some time then lay down on his lap and closed her eyes as if she was tired.

Looking at her, he felt sad. She didn’t ask him to play any game, nor did she crack any interesting joke. She just approached him and lay down. That was what she wanted. She was lonely because she had no father, but that was the way she expressed her loneliness, no matter how much she tried to hide it.

He wanted to gently stroke her hair, but he didn’t want to have her catch his cold. She just waited quietly until she fell asleep. In no time, she was already falling asleep with her hair being a mess.

“Are you sleeping, Ella?”

She didn’t answer. He carefully pulled out his lap and looked around. He wanted to cover her with something, but he could not find any blanket. After all, he folded a new apron and put it over her like a blanket. He then left the break room.