Chapter 358: In the Cage (4)
Min-joon could understand why she said that. He silently ate the clams she made. Although she said her cooking skills didn’t improve, he knew that’s not true. Her recipe was the sa as it was last ti, but he could clearly notice refinent in her cooking skills.
“Wow, this smoke taste is richer than before. I can’t bla this chewy clam because clam is like that anyway. And the sauce here is well balanced with the condition of this clam. I think you’re still good at cooking. Don’t say your skills stopped growing, Chloe.”
He didn’t praise her on purpose. That’s how he frankly felt toward her. Honestly, she lived in an environnt where she could improve her cooking skills. In so respects, she was in a better situation than before. In the past she had to gain her cooking skills while studying in college, but she had to cook not only when she had to prepare a al for herself, but also when she was on a TV program.
However, it was not unreasonable for her to feel that her skills didn’t improve, for her close friends such as Kaya, Anderson, Min-joon, and Marco improved their cooking skills incomparably better than before.
She said, “You’re so cool. Kaya, Anderson, Marco, you guys are all great.’
“You’re cool, too,” he replied.
“Do you know why I say you are cool?”
He shook his head.
She looked down at his hand with a light smile and said, “Because you guys don’t live a calculating life. If there’s sothing you want and you need to do, you are trying to pursue it without looking back. That’s hard for . On the other hand, I calculate the gains and losses of what I want, then decide what’s the best for objectively. So, my problem is to look at things objectively.”
“Why? Because you don’t have your own view?”
“Right. Living a life based on the given path is not my life after all. There is sothing else I want. There is sothing else I want to do. That’s why I’m going to stop my job as a broadcaster. I feel like I’m going to lead a completely different life from what I’ve thought, if I keep this broadcasting job.”
He could understand her point better than anyone else because he also once lived a calculating life. In fact, many people in the world are living in a calculating way. And, as always, if they relied on calculating lives, they could not make their dreams co true, for they could not simply convert dreams into numbers. Because of that, their calculating lives were no more than an imaginary number that could not be an unknown.
And it took too long for her to realize the value of that imaginary number.
Leaning against the island, he said, “I’m rooting for you. I’m not cheering you up because it’s you. I’m cheering because I think your decision is right.”
“Do you really think my decision is right? Well, I don’t want to regret my decision later, wishing I really didn’t have to do this aningless adventure.”
“If you fail, you will regret your decision, of course. But Chloe, if you don’t give up, you won’t fail. The mont you give up is the mont you fail. And I know you. You’re the type who succeeds, not fails.”
“Are you telling now that success suits when you had experience the most painful failure?”
“Man, you’ve beco rather harsh...”
“I said it already. When you work in this broadcasting field, you get tough.”
He scratched his cheek and turned his gaze when she said with a gentle smile.
But he felt less awkward now because he confird she could ntion this kind of stuff to him with a light heart.
“Co to think of it, I have lived a life so obsessed with the success and failure of my life. But I just want to live by doing what I want to do from now on. I want to get out of a dichotomous way of thinking and live a life, just focusing on my dream.”
“I know how you feel, and that’s a good idea.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled beautifully. Watching her smiling, he also smiled before he knew it. He liked that feeling because it seed that he now nded fences with her. He really felt it was sweet to see the awkwardness between them gone now.
The two enjoyed such a warm atmosphere. It was rather ambiguous to call their relationship sothing like a pure friendship. Anyway, what they could do for now was to empty each other’s plate without saying anything.
When she emptied her plate, she asked, “So, what are you going to do/ Are you really going to leave Rose Island?”
“Well, I don’t have anything to say if you want my answer right now. But I’ve realized one thing recently. Maybe soday...”
He looked far away for a mont, then said with a sigh, “I’ll probably leave Rose Island.”
It wasn’t because he was afraid of the possible political fight with June, nor because Rachel didn’t reflect on herself. It was purely because of his own greed, which he had been feeling at so point. He couldn’t be satisfied with being sobody’s deputy. Rather than inheriting the tradition, he preferred to create it.
“I like Rose Island. Or I can even say I love it. But when you ask if I can dedicate my life to Rose Island, I can’t say yes, to be honest with you. I want my own restaurant with the sign that I have chosen. I respect Rachel, and I respect the fact that she had a dream for , but ...”
His eyes looked a bit sad for a mont, but he said firmly with a determined expression, “I have no intention of making Rachel’s dream mine.”
***
“So, do you have any updates about the main restaurant of Rose Island?”
“Yes. Chef June. According to what I’ve heard, the Venice branch has already been renovated for a long ti. However, there is no sign that they are reopening it.”
“They’re not preparing for reopening?”
June raised one of her eyebrows. She could not understand why they didn’t reopen when they had finished rebuilding the burnt restaurant. She lifted her finger and tapped the desk slowly. Then she asked again, “What about the rumor?”
“Yes, I have spread the rumors to the relevant people that the alleged speculation about Min-joon’s being Rachel’s successor is groundless.”
“You have to take care of it step by step. If they focus too much on him, it might undermine my position.”
Her head was throbbing because of a headache. She raised the other hand and pressed her temple firmly. The manager watched her without a word. She looked at him with a bitter smile.
“Don’t you think I’m leading a weary life?”
“To be honest, i think so. Right now, you have a solid presence in this field. It’s true that Chef Jun has gained a lot of recognition among people recently, but they are the general public. To talk about the gourt world, you are in an incomparable stronger position than him. Why are you so wary of him? From my point of view, if you just do what you’re doing as the head chef here, you will naturally take over Rose Island...”
“There is no free lunch in the world,” she said in a cynical voice.
She looked at her hands with burn marks and blade scars.
“Because I had these scars, I could improve my cooking skills. When I earned sothing, I had to prepare and pay the price for it. This is the sa case. If I do nothing, I won’t have anything. I’m not a fox in the Talmud who gives up in the end while waiting for the bunches of grapes to fall in vain, and complains that it’s a sour grape. If I want to eat that grape, I’ll buy it. And if it tastes so good, I’ll buy the whole vine.”
The manager couldn’t say anything to her. Her ambition often looked beautiful and cool, but sotis it seed so sad. At that mont her cell phone rang. She looked at the manager, put her finger on her lips, then took the phone to her ear.
“Hello.”
“This is Dave. It’s been a while, June.”
“Yeah, we haven’t seen each other for so long that I even feel awkward. I thought you still hated . Was there any reason for you to call first?”
“I’ve never hated you. When we were lovers, and even now, I don’t hate you.”
“I don’t think you called to talk about the things of the past. What’s up” You must have a reason to call .”
“Mam, you’re heartless as ever.”
“If you don’t cut to the chase right now, let hang up the phone. I can’t afford to have a chat with you now.”
Since she spoke coldly, he just stayed silent for so ti.
At last he said in a heavy voice, “I know you’re wary of Min-joon now.”
“So what?”
“Don’t be so an. Minjoon is not a guy who will do you harm.”
“I’m not wary of him. I am just wary of the situation.”
” I know well what has made you co up as far as here. And I know why you’re scared. But why don’t you trust Rachel a little more? If you are qualified, she will definitely give you what you want.”
“I’ve always trusted Rachel. But I can’t trust myself.”
Dave was speechless, shocked by her unexpected confession.. Imagining his perplexed looks, she closed her eyes. Then she confessed in a calm voice, “That’s why I’m getting ready. If your body and face aren’t pretty, I’ll have to wear more colorful clothes to look less ugly.”
” I don’t care if you wear more clothes. But if you try to take off soone else’s clothes to gain Rachel’s favor, I won’t remain as an onlooker.”
“What are you going to do if I do?”
“There is one reason you are not wary of . It’s because I have no ambition. You know I’m not interested in the general manager position of Rose Island. But if you cross the line, and trouble Rachel’s mind, you should be more wary of than Min-joon.”
“Are you threatening now?”
“Actually I’m saying this for your good.”
“Wow, that’s very touching. Let hang up now. I won’t pick up your phone in the future.”
After hanging up the phone, she threw the phone on the desk hysterically.
Checking her moods, the manager asked carefully, “Are you okay?”
“Nope, not at all.”
Although she said that, it seed she was overco with emotion, given her eyes burning intensely with tears or anger.
Finding the manager hesitating for a mont, she raised her hand to cover her eyes, and said, “Get out and check out what they think about our branch these days. Don’t forget to collect the rumors about , too. Any tips or rumors including SNS and tabloid news.”
“Sure, I will do.”
After he went out, there was silence for so ti.
She muttered in silence, “Dave. I’m not taking off other people’s clothes. I won’t because I will dress up so gorgeously that I don’t have to, so nobody can compare with .’
She cald down and pulled herself together. She couldn’t even afford to cry or close her eyes. She decided that she would only look at the road ahead because it would be rough and difficult, as always.
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