Time to Reach Out (2)
‘I wonder how Lotus Bridge will be.’
The PD, Im Taehyung, felt his appetite whet. Of course, it wasn’t as if they had not done their research beforehand. Naturally, Lotus Bridge’s reputation was not as good as Rose Island’s. That was to be expected. He had heard that the chefs, who had debuted not that long ago, had shown skills capable of surpassing Rose Island, but that actually made him doubt the information more. Because it did not feel realistic.
Actually, the information he had researched did not feel realistic at all. The steps Jo Minjoon had taken so far made him feel closer to being the protagonist of a movie instead of someone in reality.
‘If that person could be properly groomed… I believe he could at least become as much of a star as other chefs in Korea.’
Im Taehyung felt enticed. Jo Minjoon was a good candidate to abduct for the broadcasting industry, even if he was in the United States. Of course, if his credentials had not been this incomplete in the United States, Im Taehyung would not have even considered putting him on a show.
Actually, Jo Minjoon was a figure whose prospects of the future were assured. He was not thinking of prospects as a chef. Rather, he was thinking of Jo Minjoon’s prospects as a star chef. There may have been many chefs who have succeeded in Korea, but there had been none to achieve such success globally as Jo Minjoon had.
The cooking shows in Korea were in need of a transfusion of youth. If he just had the opportunity to properly leverage Jo Minjoon on television…
‘All the stations would be trying to pick that young man up.’
Setting reputation aside, sending young chefs out on the screen would normally be risky because of their skills. No matter how much you dress it up for the show, deficient skills will end up being noticed by the viewers. However, Jo Minjoon was different. He was a man who had even captured Hong Mangil’s attention. There would be no issue when it comes to him having or lacking substance.
‘He may be the only chef in his 20’s who is capable of appearing on a show in Korea.’
In addition, there was more to him than just being young. Even more than having obtained Michelin stars, Jo Minjoon had come out of the kitchen staff of the best restaurant, Rose Island. The passion he showed while shooting Grand Chef could become a great commodity now.
Im Taehyung glanced sideways at Lee Duho. Lee Duho had not been saying a single word and had been keeping his mouth closed. The moment he had stepped into this restaurant, the only words that left his mouth were about admiration for the food. Even though Hong Mangil, whom he respected so highly, was sitting right next to him, he showed no signs of nervousness.
‘As expected of Lee Duho.’
Im Taehyung had made a number of programs together with Lee Duho. And that was why seeing Lee Duho so withdrawn felt so unfamiliar. Lee Duho was a man who had gotten this far riding solely on his own pride in thinking his cooking was the best.
At this very moment, Lee Duho was proving once again that not just anyone could be Korea’s top star chef. The silence he was exhibiting after taking one bite of a dish was not some ordinary silence. It was proof that every single one of his cells was moving to feel Rachel’s cooking.
The one time he did finally open his mouth to say something was when he had tried the hake steak accompanied by golden beet and radish salad. Hake, a type of codfish, had a mild texture that matched his small size. When the combination of the meat that softly crumbles the moment you place it in your mouth and the dark-brown seared skin meets the mayonnaise and yogurt in the salad, the taste blooms even more beautifully.
“That was amazing.”
It was a brief statement, but no one could overlook it because Lee Duho’s voice was full of the shock and emotions he was feeling.
Hong Mangil glanced at Lee Duho and quietly said, “The culinary world is truly broad.”
“It appears so. That tasted truly unbelievable.”
And it was refined.
This was the reason Lee Duho was so shocked. The dish itself actually did not have very high-quality ingredients in it nor what you would find in a normal high-class restaurants, such as truffles, saffron, etc.
However, even if he were to throw all the various high-grade ingredients in, he wondered if he would even be able to immediately match the level of class present in this dish. With simply the use of mayonnaise, yogurt, and herbs, Rachel was able to cast her magic on the people partaking so they could feel a sense of ecstasy.
The important part was that the course had not finished yet. More dishes were to come, and as the course progressed, Lee Duho’s shock gradually grew even larger. It was not even simply a matter of each dish being perfect. That each of the dishes was made to form a continuity of harmony is what caused him to be dispirited.
Finally, the dessert came out. It was an Italian panna cotta accompanied by lavender shortbread and Damson plum jam. When Lee Duho chewed on a bite of the shortbread, he nodded his head as if he were no longer surprised by anything.
“Even the dessert is perfect.”
The course was not made to match the taste of someone from Korea. However, there was also no need to do so. Whether one was Korean, Japanese, or from Ghana, there was no such thing as one’s likes or dislikes when it came to this dish.
It was an unbelievable level of perfection. It was so perfect, one had to wonder if one’s mouth had ever gotten to enjoy such exquisite taste before. So perfect that although he had wondered if anyone in the world could cook better than Hong Mangil, now he had to think that the answer to that may possibly lie here.
Not just Lee Duho’s party, but all of the tables full of diners were close to finishing. Rachel had come out of the kitchen and began greeting and talking with each and every customer. Lee Duho’s turn came at the very end. Rachel approached them with a look on her face, signaling she was thinking, ‘I already know you thought it was so delicious it was to die for.’
She asked, “Was the course to your liking?”
“The course to our liking…?”
Park Shiwoo raised both hands up as if surrendering.
“I’ve lost. A complete defeat. So completely that there isn’t even a point in saying if something was to my liking or not.”
“Why is there even a defeat involved? Especially between a chef and her guests. If you enjoyed the meal, then I am thankful.”
Rachel beamed. Hong Mangil saw Rachel smiling and felt a bit regretful. If only he had been more fluent in English, and if only he had not come on the pretense of a TV show, he would have wished to speak in-depth about cooking with Rachel. It was not easy meeting chefs who could match his level.
However, he at least wanted to tell her this.
“I could really empathize with your cooking.”
The interpreter quietly conveyed to Rachel the words he had uttered in a low voice. Rachel listened and looked at Hong Mangil a bit surprised. Hong Mangil had not said that he admired her cooking nor enjoyed her cooking. He had said he empathized with it.
Saying one empathized with someone’s cooking held a certain kind of meaning for those at that level that they could immediately understand. Rachel beamed.
“I, too, would like to experience your cooking some day.”
Even after they had retired to the hotel, Lee Duho had stayed silent for a good while. Hong Mangil was silent as well. While Park Shiwoo could understand the feelings of those two, he felt a bit nervous. His experience at Rose Island had been rather appealing, but not to the extent that he would be as lost in thought as the two of them were.
He thought maybe it was because of the difference in abilities between him and them. As one can say, if what one can see is limited by one’s comprehension, then Hong Mangil and Lee Duho must have seen far more than Park Shiwoo had.
‘From what I saw, it was impressive.’
But what if that impression was not the extent of their greatness? Then just where does the limit of Rose Island’s greatness lie?
“Shiwoo.”
“Yeah, hyung,” Park Shiwoo responded to Lee Duho with a warm expression.
He had been unable to say anything for fear that maybe he would interfere with Lee Duho’s inspiration. So that Lee Duho had first addressed him made him feel thankful. Lee Duho asked with a serious expression.
“Rose Island, today. Compared to everything you’ve ever experienced, where does it rank?”
“…Well, I think for sure at least in the top 5.”
“For me, they’re first.”
“How can you be so sure?” Park Shiwoo asked doubtfully.
Cooking was not something one could make absolute calls on. Even if he were to try right that moment to pick the best restaurant, he believed he would find it to be a very difficult task. Lee Duho shook his head.
“I’m not simply measuring against my personal preferences. If that were the case, then the blood sausage soup place in front of my house would be my favorite restaurant. But that’s not what I mean. I have never seen before a place bring together a chef’s skill, earnestness, and senses… to such a high level as Rose Island.”
“…That high, really? What about Hyungsuk-sunbae’s restaurant in Itaewon? They are praised as the top Italian restaurant in Seoul.”
“They’re the best in Seoul. Rose Island’s the best in the United States. No, perhaps even the world.”
Park Shiwoo had never seen Lee Duho praise a restaurant like this before. Seeing him like that made Park Shiwoo feel regretful. He had thoroughly enjoyed the course at Rose Island, but now he feels like he missed out on properly grasping something from that experience.
“When are we going to Lotus Bridge tomorrow?”
“For dinner, I think we’ll have tacos or hot dogs at a food truck for breakfast and lunch.”
“I can’t wait. I have expectations of Jo Minjoon.”
Actually, while Lee Duho understood that this Jo Minjoon person was an impressive person, he was unable to really get a sense of Jo Minjoon’s actual level. That he had been considered the heir to the top restaurant in the U.S., Rose Island, had become hot news even in Korea. But he had also not been able to properly feel the mighty weight of Rose Island’s pull, either.
Honestly, the thought that Jo Minjoon had simply had the luck of being at the right place at the right time had even crossed his mind. However, after having eaten from Rose Island’s course today, his thoughts had been completely overturned. There would be no way someone who had made that course would choose her successor so carelessly. If there had been a time when Rachel had her eyes on Jo Minjoon as her successor, then that meant he must hold that much value as a chef.
Lee Duho clenched his fists. Until now, he had never once thought he was not as good a chef as someone who was younger than him.
Would Jo Minjoon become the exception?
He was unable to sleep well that night.
The evening they went to Lotus Bridge, Lee Duho looked to be more nervous than he had the night before. That made sense. He had gone to Rose Island without any feeling of competition.
He had gone with the intent to simply enjoy the experience.
However, it was different with Lotus Bridge. Not only was Jo Minjoon hogging the affection of Hong Mangil, someone he revered, but he was also a Korean like him. If Jo Minjoon’s cooking somehow far surpassed his own… Because of these thoughts, Lee Duho was already battling against a sense of shame that had come upon him early.
“Wow, we can finally see Jo Minjoon. Even after having met all the chefs in Korea, why was it so difficult to get a hold of Jo Minjoon?”
“Well, that’s only natural given he is in the United States,” Lee Duho responded curtly.
Park Shiwoo had not intended to hear such a response, but he could understand Lee Duho being on edge. Actually, his behavior was amusing. This was the first time Lee Duho, who had always been so proud of his cooking, had been reduced to such a state.
“Let’s go in,” Hong Mangil said with a heavy tone and started walking in.
Park Shiwoo and Lee Duho quickly followed after him, and a few cameramen began following behind. The majority of the production crew had already entered.
“Hello. We want to truly welcome you for visiting Lotus Bridge.”
The one who greeted them was a white man who anyone would agree was handsome. Even though the head chef was Korean, it was an American restaurant, after all. They had been guided to their seats. Park Shiwoo took a furtive look at the kitchen. A familiar face he had seen on TV could be seen.
‘…Fascinating.’
Jo Minjoon was essentially a celebrity among Korean chefs, not only because he was someone you couldn’t easily meet at gatherings in Korea, but also because he was driving movements globally all by himself.
Of course, after cooking shows took off, the star chefs in Korea began to draw all the attention, bringing less of it to Jo Minjoon, but that was only with regards to the viewers. Not so with the chefs.
‘He’s the head chef of a 2-star restaurant.’
As a chef, one ultimately understood the meaning behind Michelin stars. Sometimes people would say that Michelin stars were meaningless, but even if the Michelin system was not perfect, they were not ones to just give out stars without meaning. Jo Minjoon was the real thing.
And at that moment, it looked like the ‘real thing’ had spied them and he soon left the kitchen and approached their table.
“Hello, sungsengnim1. How have you been?”
The one he had approached first was Hong Mangil. He seemed to be treating someone much older than himself rather friendly. However, at that moment, Lee Duho and Park Shiwoo could not help but be even more surprised than when they had eaten at Rose Island.
Hong Mangil was laughing brightly like a child. He sprung up out of his seat unexpectedly. And then he hugged Jo Minjoon tight.
“I’ve been wanting to see you, Minjoon!”
Lee Duho’s jaw dropped.
CREDITS:
Original author: 양치기자리
Translator: Comic Seoul
Proofreader: Potato
- teacher. like “sensei” ↩︎