Published at 4th of December 2020 06:15:12 PM
Chapter 330: Difference in Their Competence (1)
What bothers celebrities the most was that people had a fantasy about them beyond their interest .
There was a joke that said actresses eat only dew . People tended to see all the celebrities in this frame . And Min-joon was also suffering from that frame .
“You don’t have to be conscious of us . I can understand even if you are talking to me casually as you used to,” one of the Grand Chef participants said .
“I’m talking to you as usual…”
“Nope, I know you don’t . I’m a participant in the current Grand Chef competition . So, I’ve watched all the previous Grand Chef competitions . I watched how you talked to people after the Grand Chef was over,” said another participant .
Min-joon was embarrassed . He could understand them if they had a fantasy about him, saying they knew he was thinking about cooking all the time, what kind of dish he was enjoying, or the way he thought about dishes uniquely .
However, their fantasy about Min-joon was completely unexpected . So much so that Kaya nearly split her sides laughing .
“Well, I don’t like to talk cheesy . ”
“Well, I understand because you meet us for the first time here . If I have a chance, I’d love to see you once before I go back . Can I look forward to it? Brother?”
A black man who identified his name as Jaden spoke to Min-joon, chuckling . Min-joon could hardly understand because of Jaden’s unclear pronunciation peculiar to Black English, but since Jaden spoke to him in a friendly manner as if he was a long-time friend of his, Min-joon was more embarrassed . The only black friends Min-joon had were Marco and Havier’s cook, Fred .
Besides, they were unique rather than the typical blacks .
‘Well, this guy is rather unique like Marco or Fred…’
Min-joon looked at Jaden again . Sturdy and skinny, he seemed a nice guy . A gentle Japanese man next to Jaden shook his hand and said, “Hey, stop there . Min-joon is going to be upset . ”
“No, I’m not angry, but I’m just embarrassed . ”
“I’m sorry . This guy has a nasty personality . Have you watched the Grand Chef competition this season?”
“No . Unfortunately, I was so busy I couldn’t watch it . ”
“I wish you had . This guy has become notorious for odd behavior during this competition . ”
“Oh, I see . I can understand why . ”
Min-joon nodded with a smile . Junichi, the Japanese man, looked at him with his eyes trembling a bit .
“I really wanted to see you, Chef Min-joon . I’m your fan . ”
“Hey, don’t you think you were so nice to him when you were so mean to me?” Jaden demanded .
“Nope, I cheered Kaya when she came down here,” replied Junichi .
“Enough, guys . Chefs love this guy all the time,” Kaya cut in .
When she said that, Junichi’s cheeks turned red . He seemed to be happy that she called him a chef even indirectly .
Looking at her, Min-joon said, “Okay . Tell me what you’re doing here these days . ”
“You know what the Grand Chef mission is like . They are dividing the teams every day . This time, the participants are divided into three teams, and each season’s winner is supposed to be their team leader . ”
“Got it . What is the theme this time?”
“Course meal . ”
“I think they’re going to feel comfortable about it because they’re used to it . ”
Even though it was an event-oriented restaurant, Kaya had also been active as the head chef of that restaurant for almost half a year . She was sure she would be at least as good as the other winners of the Grand Chef competitions, even if she was not better than them .
“Let us leave early . We don’t have enough time for dating . ”
“Oh, I can feel you guys are cheesy . Look, you can do it!” Said Jaden with a smile, tapping Min-joon on the shoulder .
Min-joon looked at him with an embarrassed expression then hurried to get out of that place . While Kaya was giggling at him, Min-joon muttered in a tired voice, “I’m not going to talk cheesy to you in the future . ”
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Do you feel I’m cheesy, too?”
“Yeah . ”
“Well, I have to fix it then . ”
“You’ve been doing it, and I always warned you against it . Stop it from now on, okay?”
“It’s because I am speaking in English, which is not my native language . ”
“Hey, you’re trying to make excuses by blaming your English . ”
She looked at him with a suspicious expression . He could not reply at all .
He hurriedly changed the topic .
“So how is your life here? Is it okay?”
“Well, so far, so good . They are quite cooperative, and if there’s a problem…”
At that moment, she blurred for some reason . It seemed like she had something to say, but she smiled lightly at him and said, “Let’s go inside . Are you going to sleep here tonight?”
“Sleep here? I don’t think they’re going to give me a room . ”
She said with a smile, “Don’t worry . My bed is queen size . ”
“You look tired,” said Martin .
“It was a long journey,” Min-joon replied awkwardly .
Martin looked at him quietly . Just like a Korean who washed twice a day, Min-joon’s hair was neat and his skin was clean even early in the morning . However, in contrast with his neatness, he had bags under his eyes, and his eyelids were often closed as if he felt sleepy .
‘Well, isn’t it natural, given he is sexually active at that age?’ Martin thought to himself .
As if he understood, Martin smiled and looked at Kaya .
“How do you feel after seeing your boyfriend after a long time?”
“Martin, I think it’s a working disease . You always try to talk in the form of an interview . ”
“Don’t you think you usually start a conversation by asking? Did you say my occupational disease? Doesn’t anyone have it unless they are unemployed? Please understand me . ”
“By the way, I think we’re seeing each other too often . To be honest, when the shooting was over, I thought it would be difficult to see you again other than by chance . ”
“You’re so mean . Well, as long as Min-joon keeps this kind of romantic relationship with you, I think I will see you sometimes even in the future . I think I’m going to ask the winners of the Grand Chef for help like this sometimes anyway . ”
“Well, that depends on whether I can accept your request . ”
“Once that’s the story of when I accept your request for help,” she said curtly .
Martin put his hands together and looked at her desperately as if he was begging her .
“Hey, please don’t be so mean to me, Kaya . We’re on good terms, right?”
“I don’t think so . ”
“Man, you hit the nail on the head!” Said Martin, dropping his head sullenly .
Now, Min-joon looked at Martin with a smile, “If Kaya declines, call me . Let me help you when I am available . ”
“Are you serious?”
“I owe a lot to the Grand Chef competition . I’ve received much more than I gave . I want to pay it back if I can . I have a lot of affection for this place . ”
“I’m really touched by your remarks…”
Martin’s voice trembled a bit as if he was really touched .
Min-joon said, shrugging a bit, “Don’t have a crush on me . ”
“Nope…”
“Sorry to bother you when you are so busy . In fact, an outsider like me should not move around like this here,” said Min-joon .
“But you allowed us to film you . As a matter of fact, if we can shoot some scenes of Min-joon and Kaya spending time together and you talking to other participants, we’ll be absolutely happy . ”
“If you think so, I’m greatly relieved . ”
“Did you meet other people?”
“Well, I met Kaya’s team members briefly yesterday . I didn’t see others yet…”
“If you feel up to it, please meet them . I’m sure there are quite a few members who want to see you here because you’re one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Grand Chef . ”
Martin didn’t say that out of courtesy . Actually, that was what not only Martin but also lots of people in the food industry and TV viewers said about Min-joon . Everyone knew that Min-joon, who was not the winner back then, is currently the most popular chef in the restaurant industry .
Min-joon’s fame was not just felt at the Grand Chef . Among all the chefs from various fields, there were almost none who stood out more or attracted more attention than Min-joon as quickly as possible .
Of course, there were quite a few chefs who received good reviews in the gourmet circles, but what was most important was Cho Reggiano because his dessert conquered America .
“Come to think of it, I think I’ve benefited from the Grand Chef a lot here . ”
“We didn’t give you anything . We just showed people who you were . Back then, you proved that your strength in cooking was really unique . ”
“Well, as you know, it’s not easy for a chef to show his or her cooking skills to people . ”
“I admit that . ”
Min-joon ended his conversation with Martin in a good atmosphere . Shortly after, Martin, who seemed busy, left . A couple of men popped out as if they were waiting for that moment .
One of them was a white man who seemed to be quite nervous, and the other was a woman who seemed to be of Southeast Asian origin .
They spoke to Kaya first, “Good morning, Kaya . May I ask who this gentleman is?”
It seemed that the man didn’t recognize Min-joon .
Kaya replied in a sullen voice, “He’s my boyfriend, Min-joon . Don’t you know him?”
“Oh, I heard about him, but I can’t remember his face . Nice to meet you . I’m Brian . ”
“Nice to meet you . ”
“I’m Laura . I personally love Cho Reggiano very much . ”
“Thank you . ”
A smile touched the corners of Min-joon’s mouth . To the best of his memory, Brian was the winner of the Grand Chef Season 1, and Laura was the second winner of the Grand Chef Season 2 .
Brian asked, looking at Kaya, “Kaya, did you check the recipe I sent you last time?”
“No . ”
“Please . I’m curious what you think of my recipe . ”
“What are you talking about?” Min-joon asked as if he was curious .
Brian glanced back at him and shook his head as if it was nothing .
“I asked her a light favor . I’m working on a recipe with Kaya . ”
“Hey, you’re not working on it with me! You’ve asked me for a favor . Can’t you be honest?”
“Man, you’re so mean today, Kaya . ”
Min-joon looked at Brian with a bit displeased expression . He felt somewhat uncomfortable .
‘I wonder if this guy is trying to hit on Kaya before her boyfriend…’
Right at that moment, Kaya grabbed Min-joon’s hand and walked ahead .
“I’m hungry . Let’s cook first to eat some food . ”