Time to Reach Out (3)

‘…What am I witnessing here?’

Lee Duho could not help but doubt his eyes. It wasn’t just anyone. It was Hong Mangil, of all people. Hong Mangil had never once strayed from his serious demeanor, no matter how much Lee Duho had tried to turn up the charm on him.

Of course, he knew that Hong Mangil cared for Jo Minjoon specially. This was the man who could not pass a single day without talking about Jo Minjoon, so how could he not know that? However, he had never imagined Hong Mangil would show this type of doting grandfather attitude. He had thought he would have to think of him, at best, as some young junior or some rookie he would want to pat the shoulder of…

‘But that was not the case.’

The smile on Hong Mangil’s face as he grasped Jo Minjoon’s shoulders was one Lee Duho had never had the chance to witness, not even once. He thought Hong Mangil was only capable of appearing solemn and expressionless, but in front of Jo Minjoon, Hong Mangil acted more like a child.

It would be a lie to say Lee Duho was not envious. However, now that it had come to this, Lee Duho had gone past his envy and had become curious instead. Just what kind of chef was this Jo Minjoon person that he could draw out such an affectionate attitude from Hong Mangil? What was it that he had that made it possible?

“Hello.”

Jo Minjoon approached Lee Duho and greeted him. Lee Duho received his greeting with a slightly stiff expression.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard much about you from Hong Mangil.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“I am running a Korean and American cuisine fusion style restaurant in Korea. My name is Lee Duho.”

“I am on the American cuisine side. My name is Park Shiwoo. Have you perhaps heard of us?”

“Ah, yes. I believe I’ve seen you on TV a few times,” Jo Minjoon responded with a smile.

Actually, he had only heard of it recently and had not actually checked out the Korean cooking shows, but before he had regressed, cooking shows had been far more fun than any movies or dramas to watch. It was actually back then when Jo Minjoon had been a fan of both Lee Duho and Park Shiwoo.

“This is Kaya. She is the head chef along with me. At the same time, she is my wife.”

“Hell-oh.”

Kaya, who had followed behind Jo Minjoon, greeted them with a bit of awkward Korean. Seeing a foreigner have good command over Korean was always a pleasant matter, so Lee Duho and Park Shiwoo, who had been a bit nervous, had smiles spread on their faces.

Lee Duho said, “Your wife is a beauty, I see.”

“Ah, thank you. Kaya, this person said that you’re pretty.”

“Well, that’s an indisputable statement,” Kaya grinned while nodding her head.

Then she took her palm and raised it to Lee Duho. Lee Duho was unable to grasp the meaning of her palm immediately, and after being briefly bewildered, he soon awkwardly raised his palm and gave her a high five.

‘…This is most certainly a foreign country.’

She was not a character one could find easily in Korea. Of course, it was not like there were no energetic females among his own kitchen staff, but they did not show this kind of attitude toward him, someone far senior to them. And so Kaya’s attitude had secretly woken a sensibility he had forgotten. Maybe he could say it had made him feel a bit younger.

“I heard you already visited Rose Island.”

“Ah, yes. It was incredible. I feel like I have a long way to go.”

Lee Duho was honest with his admiration. There was a tendency for some chefs to be reluctant to express what impression they have received from someone else’s restaurant. The reason was simple. By acknowledging someone else’s cooking, it implies you have received a good impression of that person’s cooking and that it was something you felt because you were not able to produce it yourself. If you had already possessed that something yourself, then you would not receive as much of an impression from someone else having it.

And such an awkward situation would sometimes give off the impression that one was acknowledging one’s own incompetence. It was a rather twisted way of thinking, but sometimes even Lee Duho would fall prey to those feelings.

However, and that is how if you do not acknowledge others, that is how you ultimately end up. Lee Duho acknowledged Rose Island and that he had weaknesses compared to Rachel. Rather, he had not intended to hide his many flaws because he believed he could eventually catch up. If you were to be sensitive and make the excuse that it was because you did not have enough time, you’re essentially confessing that you do not have the confidence to surpass your opponent.

Jo Minjoon could tell from even that short exchange that this Lee Duho person was a rather good guy. He gave Lee Duho a big smile. In fact, Lee Duho was a chef he had liked long ago.

That is why he was more affectionate to Lee Duho.

“I acknowledge Chef Rachel as the best chef. Since you got to experience much of that, that makes me happy as well.”

If Jo Minjoon had been a chef associated with Korea, it may have been harder for him to say such words right now. However, that Jo Minjoon had a place for himself made the conversation between the two of them feel less stiff.

Jo Minjoon stayed to converse with them much longer than they thought he would. And so the topic naturally turned to the reason Jo Minjoon chose to stay in the United States. The one who asked him was Park Shiwoo.

“But Chef Minjoon, what made you decide to come to America? You did not have any connection with America prior to that. I feel like that was not an easy decision.”

“Actually, it wasn’t all that much of a process. I was just looking for an opportunity to show my worth and I naturally came to learn of Grand Chef. Also, I learned that Grand Chef was not open to Korea yet. And I wasn’t about to wait for Grand Chef to arrive in Korea, you see. That’s why I came. Because I believed that I could accomplish something there.

Park Shiwoo exclaimed at the explanation, “You have some drive!”

Jo Minjoon laughed as if embarrassed. And when the PD, Im Taehyung, saw Jo Minjoon’s expression, his eyes sparkled. Jo Minjoon had spoken of it as if it were nothing, but actually, that was not the case. Most people would not look around them and say that since there are no opportunities around them, they’ll go find one for themselves and hop on a plane to do so.

However, that is exactly what Jo Minjoon had done. Perhaps with the proper background and stage set, many viewers in Korea could get a great impression of this Jo Minjoon person. He had been someone who had demonstrated an impressive talent from an early age. Back then, Jo Minjoon had not had a single aspect of him properly verified.

‘He’s a charming person. Goodness.’

Im Taeyoung glanced at Kaya, who was standing next to him. This woman he had investigated was also not a typical person. For starters, her family matters had not been the most stable, and the actions she had shown after that were also not typical. She was the one who had won Grand Chef, from which Jo Minjoon had been eliminated. Her actions so far were by no means inferior to the best chefs in the world.

Also, the story of how Jo Minjoon and Kaya met at Grand Chef was so beautiful it felt like it came from a movie.

‘A star could be born here through my hands.’

Whether that star would be of any help to him was a secondary matter. Im Taehyung understood the pleasure he derived from producing a star with his own two hands. From showing the world the beautiful sides of a person that had not properly been exposed one by one and from watching over each change in the public’s reception of said person.

“But how did you two get close? I heard you two exchange recipes often, but I never got to hear the details.”

At those words, Jo Minjoon took a look at Hong Mangil. This was not something he had the right to talk or not talk about since if they were to properly explain how the two of them had met, they would have to mention how Hong Mangil had been afflicted by a slump. So this was not something Jo Minjoon could talk about first.

However, it did not appear Hong Mangil was that embarrassed to talk about it. He willingly replied.

“I had asked for his advice. I had hit a wall, you see.”
“…You were the one who asked for advice?”
“Why? Should I not?”
“I’m just… a bit surprised that a maestro like you would need advice.”

To be a bit more exact, he was more surprised that Jo Minjoon was at a level capable of giving Hong Mangil advice. Hong Mangil was indisputably the best chef in Korea. And yet he had asked Jo Minjoon for advice? He could tell from the way it was said that it was no small advice that Hong Mangil had asked for either. Is that something one could get from someone who’s lower than oneself?

Hong Mangil could sense the meaning behind the words Lee Duho did not utter. He quietly opened his mouth to speak.

“Minjoon’s advice is not some ordinary advice. People will occasionally forget, but this kid has an absolute sense of taste. He’s far more clever than the average person when it comes to senses related to food. In the end, that I was even able to leave my slump was all thanks to Minjoon.”

“…I feel a bit embarrassed.”

Jo Minjoon toyed with his fingers with an awkward look on his face. It was true he had given advice to Hong Mangil, but he felt a bit embarrassed to learn that Hong Mangil had felt quite that way about the help he had received.

The conversation progressed rather well. Even Kaya, who was next to him, was able to participate in parts of the conversation thanks to Jo Minjoon’s perfect interpreter skills. The conversation could have gone all night long, but they could not afford to do so. Jo Minjoon and Kaya had to go cook so they were heading back to the kitchen when Lee Duho grabbed a hold of him.

“Oh. Just a moment, Chef Minjoon.”

“Ah, yes. How may I help you?”

“I just wanted to ask you something. What type of chef do you want to become?”

He suddenly became curious. Hong Mangil had made Jo Minjoon want to mix Korean cuisine and American cuisine. When he has been influenced by such a prominent figure as Rachel Rose, what could Jo Minjoon’s goal be? What kind of dream does this man whose advice even Hong Mangil values have? How cool could it be?

However, Jo Minjoon’s response was not as cool as he was expecting.

“The best chef in the world.”

At the start of that sentence, he was a little embarrassed, but by the time it was done, he held no hesitation. The world’s best. There were times when he wondered if it was proper to compare oneself to others when cooking, but ultimately, Jo Minjoon could not ignore the draw of what it means to be the best.

Is that perhaps why…?

Those childish words were a bit cooler than he had originally thought.

---

Once Jo Minjoon and Kaya returned to the kitchen, it did not take long for the amuse-bouche to come out. Park Shiwoo quietly muttered while looking at the banana-shaped amuse-bouche on the chopping board.

“The atmosphere of this place is really strange.”

“Atmosphere? Why do you say that?”

“First off, the building itself is peak luxury. It sits on top of a tall building in the middle of the city. The location alone would perk customers up by the thought that they had entered such a posh place. And once they actually enter the place, the atmosphere changes. Rather than saying the atmosphere is low-class, maybe I could say it feels more like overflowing with liveliness? Of course, the servers are high class enough…”

Lee Duho could understand what he was saying. After hearing that, he could definitely feel how Lotus Bridge’s atmosphere felt different. Inside the showy exterior, he felt the interior was more youthful and innocent than he had thought. The atmosphere was chockful of youthful energy. The servers were young, and all of the kitchen staff were young. Despite all that, what gives this restaurant class is most likely not its location but rather the reputation it has acquired. A two star Michelin rating. No one could make light of any restaurant that had achieved that.

‘And all of that can be found in this cuisine, right?’

Lee Duho took a look at the amuse-bouche perched on the chopping board. It was a dish that had been meticulously put together to recreate the appearance of a banana down to the seeds. However, if you looked carefully, it was not that difficult to tell that it was a mousse dish.

‘Did they say it was made out of salmon?’

Alongside it, cream was used to express the color of a banana, and in place of where the banana seeds would be, a different type of seed was dispersed.

Lee Duho slowly put the amuse-bouche into his mouth. Surely he had confirmed Hong Mangil’s expectations, Michelin’s appraisal, and also whether it was proper for the world’s attention to be fixed on him.

Lee Duho’s eyes grew big. And trembled. Together with his voice.

“…The culinary world is truly broad.”

What Hong Mangil had said when they had eaten at Rose Island now Lee Duho said instead.

He had to ultimately acknowledge that these young chefs… were unbelievable monsters in the field.

CREDITS:
Original author: 양치기자리
Translator: Comic Seoul
Proofreader: Potato