Chapter 361 - Only Looking Ahead (3)
Such idle thoughts were just meaningless, but Min-joon thought about it sometimes.
He felt that if he could have Kaya’s talent and something completely different from his dish, his cooking horizon would be completely different from now.
So, whenever he paired with her when cooking, he would feel greatly elated by the fact that he was sharing her fantastic cooking sense. Strange enough, he was not the only chef who felt so.
All the chefs who had experienced cooking with her on TV shows said it felt like they had been to a different cooking world.
Min-joon fully understood what they said about her. In his eyes, he had to wait a bit longer, but whenever Kaya turned over the meat, it looked like the heat was already there as if on cue, which he could never understand. So, he felt that Kaya could even see the ingredients on the pan or grill.
In addition, her sense of controlling seasoning was never inferior to Min-joon who relied on the system window. For example, she was different from him in sprinkling salt. It wasn’t either salty or bland, but just in between. She maximized the taste of the dish while keeping the unique taste of salt.
When he was watching her, lost in such idle thought, she frowned at him.
“I don’t like the way you look at me with an evil leer.”
“Well, it’s an expression of my respect for you.”
“Are you kidding? By the way, how are you going to make a team? Are you going to pair with Anderson?”
“Nope,” Anderson said immediately.
Min-joon looked at Anderson in a sullen way as if he was displeased with his negative reply.
But Anderson wasn’t joking. He had no intention of paring with Min-joon. No matter how good he was, he knew people would pay more attention to Min-joon.
So, he had no reason to play second string to Min-joon at the competition.
Min-joon said with a sigh, “I heard Janet and Havier would never team up with me. I felt like I was an odd man out before I knew it.”
“If you’re going to blame them, blame your own popularity first. If they team up with you, it’s obvious they are going to play second fiddle to you.”
“Oh my God, I didn’t know my celebrity status would stand in my way like this!”
Min-joon let out a sigh, shaking his head. At that moment, she asked, watching them quietly, “Then, you don’t have anyone who can pair with you right now?”
“You don’t have to confirm it like that. As you heard, I’ve got none.”
“Oh, that’s not what I mean. How about pairing with me?”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
She smiled at him mischievously.
Raising his eyebrows, Min-joon asked again, “Are you sure?”
“Why are you so surprised? There’s no reason why I shouldn’t go with you, right?”
“Of course not. But are you asking me seriously now?”
“Can’t you tell when I’m serious from when I’m not?”
She pouted as if she was disappointed. However, he could not help but feel embarrassed by what she just said because he had never thought of such an option. Although Rachel said it wasn’t necessary to pair with another demi chef, he just didn’t take it seriously at that time. In fact, there were four demi chefs under Rachel, so he felt they could pair with each other in one way or another.
However, if he teamed up with Kaya, the situation would be completely different. One of the remaining three demi chefs would inevitably have to find his or her mate among those who were not demi chefs. That was why Anderson was also in a tense mood at the moment because he could be one of those less fortunate three if Min-joon decided to pair with Kaya.
At that moment, Min-joon was pondering over something different. It wasn’t bad for him to match up with Kaya. Or his pairing with her would be a better option. Many people said that when the two combined their skills, they had a synergy effect, which he also agreed with. In fact, she always made him grow not only in emotional maturity but also in cooking.
“Answer me now. Are you going to pair with me or not?” she demanded.
“As you know, I can’t make a judgment right now.”
“It doesn’t matter at all even if you decide now. You know me and I know you. And I know the results when we cooked together. Just judge rather than agonize. You want it or not?”
“Mam, you are pushing me too hard today.”
“I have no choice but to. If you go to Paris alone this time, I will be left alone for some time.”
She lowered her head with a depressed look.
“To be honest with you, I’m sick and tired of being alone.”
“Wow, how surprising! How come you are trying to act cute to him, Kaya?” Anderson said sarcastically.
She rolled only her eyes then stared at Anderson.
“Hey, you had better look for your partner, idiot!”
“Of course, I will. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Good for you. So, Min-joon, have you made up your mind?”
Min-joon nodded his head. In fact, the moment she mentioned it first, he was already thinking of her as his partner. He wanted to be a chef who could stand next to her on an equal footing. Since he started his cooking career with that goal in mind, he could not decline her offer.
“Sure, let’s go there together.”
***
Rachel’s staff going to the competition was one thing, and their getting ready to open the new Rose Island was another. Anderson, who was standing in the kitchen while following the recipe that Rachel gave him, sighed heavily.
‘If I want to aim for this sous chef position, I think I have to get a little more knowledgeable about molecular cooking.’
It was natural he was worried about it because there was a molecular cuisine section here, too. If he really wanted to supervise the molecular cooking section comfortably, he needed to be thoroughly familiar with molecular cooking.
In that sense, Min-joon was the best suited to the sous chef position in Anderson’s opinion. Anderson even thought that Rachel deliberately encouraged Min-joon to join the molecular cooking section in order to help him be the next sous chef.
Anderson didn’t want to believe that. At that time, it wasn’t anyone’s intention that Min-joon won at the mission of the molecular cooking section. If Min-joon were intended for that position, it would be his fate, not anybody’s intervention.
Aside from molecular cooking, Anderson faced another problem now. He needed to find his partner for the Paris competition. Which one would he have to pair for the best rating at the competition, Janet or Havier?
In fact, when he thought about cooking alone, Janet was the right choice. It was an open secret that she was better than Havier in cooking. But she had a personality problem.
‘No way! I can’t control her hot temper.’
Janet was another version of Kaya. She was a little calmer and more mature than Kaya, but she was as ferocious as Kaya. Besides, her obsession with her own dish was stronger than Kaya’s. So, it would be pretty tough for him to harmonize with her at the competition.
After pondering over that matter while practicing Rachel’s recipes, Anderson finally came to a conclusion. His choice was Havier. He was less skillful than Janet, but it didn’t mean that he was not competent. It was not a matter of simple comparison between the two. Janet was simply better than him because she had more experiences than anybody else under Rachel’s wing.
After tasting the sample food, Anderson asked, looking back at Antonio, “Where is Havier?”
“It seemed like he finished cooking first, then went to the break room.”
“Really?”
Anderson took off his apron and quickly got out of the kitchen. He needed to find Havier as soon as possible to team up with him. When he entered the break room, however, Anderson looked at them with a desperate expression. Havier was not alone there.
Janet was standing in front of him. Normally, he would not have taken issue with it because it was far from strange to see co-workers mingling together. But the fact that they were here at this time suggested that they met for some purpose.
“Hey, guys, did you meet here to discuss…”
“Ah, we have decided to make a pair.”
“Damn it.”
Cursing at them hysterically, Anderson sat down on the couch. He should have thought Janet was feeling the same thing. For Janet, Anderson was probably a competent but difficult partner. It wasn’t strange that she decided to take Havier as her partner. And it wasn’t strange, either, that she made the decision more quickly than Anderson because she was exceptional in calculating her gains.
“Why are you so depressed? You can pair with Min-joon.”
“He found his partner.”
“I guess It’s Kaya.”
As soon as she heard that, Janet got the answer immediately. If Min-joon found a partner, it was impossible for him to find any other partner than Kaya.
Janet opened her mouth in a dry voice, as always.
“Well, I’m afraid you should find your partner elsewhere. Or you can find one of the cooks here.”
“I just don’t know.”
“If you don’t want to be the sous chef, you can skip the competition and take a break here. You want to be the sous chef, right? Of course, you want it, I think. But do you think you can be the sous chef?”
“Then, do you think you can be the sous chef?”
“Well, I’m just running, only looking ahead. I can’t turn around, and there’s no other way. I’m just doing the best I can. That’s all. But you have a lot of sideways.”
“What do you mean by that?.”
“It’s exactly what I said. You have rich parents and you’re famous, so it won’t be difficult for you to find a job. But I’m different. I have to do my best, thinking today is my last.”
Anderson did not answer. No matter what he said, it was true that he was in a better position than others.
Janet hastily added, “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. Anyway, you don’t have to be as desperate as us. That’s good for you, I think.”
“I am also as desperate as you,” Anderson replied in a cold voice.
When she was surprised by his cold voice, he continued as if he was complaining, “I am taking part in this competition, too. Like you, I have no other way. I promised myself that I would not pursue a different career from cooking.”
Having said that, he stood up.
As he left the break room, he said in a low voice, “Don’t think that only you guys are passionate.”