Chapter 268

Special Interest (1)>

If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 

Once the dinner was over, Jemma moved over to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Grace followed her but was stopped by Jo Ara.

“I will do it. Take it easy Grace.”

“No. Since I was invited, I should be the one cleaning up.”

“I can’t let a jetlagged person work. It will make us look bad. So just let me clean the dishes.”

Hearing those words, Grace kindly gave up. Jo Ara smiled as she stood next to Jemma.

“I couldn’t even talk to you properly because of the awkward atmosphere. How have you been, Jemma?”

“I have just been… studying.”

“What have you been studying?”

“Various thing…”

Jemma replied with a smile on her face. Looking over the table where Jo Minjoon and Kaya were sitting, Jo Ara said in a low voice.

“It’s really interesting how we could become a family like this. Just a year ago, we lived on the opposite side of the world and didn’t even know what each other looked like.”

“Minjoon is a good person. I feel happy that my sister was able to meet him.”

“You don’t need to praise my brother in front of me. There are plenty of people who do that.”

Jo Ara shook her head as if she was tired of hearing it. They weren’t an empty words. Whenever someone saw her they would say something along the line of, ‘I saw your brother on the internet’, ‘Your brother appeared in the newspaper’, ‘my dream is to be a chef, can I meet him?’, etc… It was to the point that sometimes she felt like she was living as Jo Min Joon’s sister, not as Jo Ara.

It didn’t mean that she hated it. It was very ambiguous to say that it felt good, but the fact the people’s attention came toward Jo Ara was proof that Jo Min Joon was successful. But even so…

“Don’t you feel trapped sometimes? Even though I can’t surpass him, I want to be just as successful as Oppa. But it seems like I can’t even reach that.”

Kaya, who was younger than Jo Minjoon, was just as successful as he was. Thus, Jo Ara wondered if Jemma felt the same way as her. Thinking that she could find a companion in Jemma, Jo Ara looked at Jemma’s expression.

Jo Ara was surprised. Jemma had more complex expressions and feelings than any Jo Ara had ever seen. There were so many emotions on her face that it would take a whole lifetime to just read them one by one.

“I…”

As Jemma was about to say something, she closed her mouth. So, Jo Ara couldn’t even guess what kind of thoughts were in Jemma’s mind. Thus, she couldn’t comfort her or even ask further questions.

Jo Ara didn’t know anything about Jemma. How it was like to live as Kaya’s younger sister. How it felt like when her sister’s father came back but her own father’s whereabouts were still unknown. How she had to challenge every day to live with a disability.

Jemma was considerate of Jo Ara’s confused look and smiled. It was a smile that was quite far from natural beauty since the ends of the smile were shaking.

“I am not going to be greedy.”

“Yeah. If we try to be greedy it will only tire us. Right?”

Jo Ara was quick to agree but the dark atmosphere behind Jemma’s hazy smile didn’t disappear easily. The dark atmosphere was created not by Jo Ara’s words but by the future burden that Jemma must carry. She couldn’t help but show some signs of that burden.

By the time the dissonance created by Jemma’s awkward voice and Jo Ara’s exaggeratedly bright voice ended, both Jemma and Jo Ara seemed down. But they were not the only ones who seemed down. Bruce was also feeling down since he was nervous and didn’t know what to do. Whenever Jo Soohyup asked in broken English, Bruce replied with a voice full of energy, just like how it was now.

“Yes, I have a distribution business.”

“I heard it was difficult to become successful in the distribution business. I am amazed.”

“It was nothing. How am I amazing? I just got lucky and everything fell into place. I am more amazed at our children who used their talents to rise to the top. But to raise such a bright son I am amazed by you Mr. Jo.”

It was both sad and cute watching the two visibly trying not to offend the other. But their intentions were pure of heart. Because of that reason, their conversation smoothly transitioned to a topic that was both light and important.

“Have the kids set the dates for the wedding?”

“…Why are you asking Bruce? You could just ask us directly.”

“We don’t have plans for a wedding just yet.”

Jo Minjoon answered in a calm voice. He knew that once he got home, he was going to have to talk about this topic. Since Lee Haesoo and Jo Soohyup had quite a conservative mindset, it was a step forward if the two didn’t reject the marriage.

Jo Minjoon was not flustered since Grace and Bruce were there in person. Due to that reason, it was not easy for So Jo Soohyup and Lee Haesoo to nag about marriage. This marriage was not about them but it was about Jo Minjoon and Kaya.

When Jo Soohyup heard those words he had to pause for a moment.

“How about an engagement?”

How much did Jo Soohyup practice for this moment that the English that came out of his mouth were so smooth compared to before? He sounded like a completely different person.

Neither Jo Minjoon nor Kaya predicted that such an offer would come out, so they couldn’t say anything and just murmured. Bruce saved his words since he didn’t want to intervene in the couple’s marriage, and Lee Haesoon couldn’t speak English. In the end, the only person that could answer that question was Grace.

“Engagement?”

“Of course, we can’t decide. The decision is up to the children. Although I respect both Kaya and Minjoon, both are still young. And the young bloods always create unexpected accidents. So, I want to create a safety net between the two… Something like a seat belt.”

“…Can’t we just decide?”

“I’m not saying you can’t decide. I’m just making an offer so that you can think seriously about it. You don’t even need to decide today. You have plenty of time.”

As soon as Jo Soohyup finished speaking, Lee Haesun whispered to him in Korea, ‘Did you say everything you prepared?’ Jo Soohyup nodded with a proud expression. This put Jo Minjoon on the spot as there were more things to consider now. He knew that the talk about marriage was on the table amongst the potential in-laws.

But he never expected engagement. It was fortunate that Jo Soohyup didn’t demand an answer right away. When Jo Minjoon looked at Kaya, she was awkwardly scratching her head avoiding his gaze. At that moment Lee Haesun whispered to Jo Minjoon in Korea.

“Kaya is beautiful.”

“I know.”

“Then you should put your claim on her. Say that she is yours before she leaves.”

“Do you think that’s going to prevent her from leaving?”

“Then you should go for it.”

Lee Haesun answered in a bleak voice. Jo Minjoon sighed and looked away. At that moment, his phone rang. It was a number that he did not know. Normally, he wouldn’t answer the random number, but he needed an excuse.

“Hold on, let me get this call.”

Kaya glared at him with a resentful look as if she wanted to say how can he leave her alone in that place. Averting her eyes, Jo Minjoon entered a room and put the smartphone to his ears.

“Hello?”

<<Oh, Minjoon. It’s Kim Minsuk>>

“Oh, yes. How is it going?”

<<I am sorry to call you so suddenly, but I wanted to thank you for the comment that you made on Starbook.>>

“It was nothing. I wrote some comments about the good dish that I had. There is no need to thank me.”

There was no sound coming from the other end as if it was muffled by the words that Jo Minjoon said. But he waited patiently in the silence. Soon after, Kim Minsuk said in a slightly weeping voice.

<<I know that I may sound absurd and bothersome… but can I treat you to a drink?>>

Jo Minjoon paused for a second. If a middle school alumnus that Jo Minjoon hasn’t met in a few years asked him to drink, then how much pain and loneliness would that alumni be feeling right now. Jo Minjoon couldn’t turn down the offer.

“No, I can’t.”

<<…Of course, I understand. I am sorry.>>

Kim Minsuk replied in a depressed voice. Jo Minjoon looked at the living room. It was a long-awaited family meeting, but he couldn’t leave Kim Minsuk alone. It wasn’t because they were alumni.

It was because they were both chefs. He wanted to hear the story of the chef who couldn’t be recognized even after making a good dish. Even though he might not be able to solve the problem, he wanted to be there with a supporting arm.

So, he opened his mouth.

“I just said I won’t be drinking. How about some coffee? Is there a good cafe nearby?”

**********************

“Mr. Jo.”

Kim Minsuk smiled and lightly waved his hand. Jo Minjoon hastened his pace and entered the cafe. There some people who gazed at him as if they couldn’t believe their eyes. Quickly catching on, Kim Minsuk apologized.

“I’m sorry. I forgot that you were rather popular.”

“It’s alright. They would have noticed eventually. Anyway, didn’t we say that we were going to be informal the next time we meet?”

“Yeah, we did. No, I mean, yeah we did Minjoon.”

“This is awkward.”

“I know.”

For a moment, the two looked at each other with an embarrassed expression and laughed. Jo Minjoon calmly asked

“Why did you call me?”

“Sorry. I know we are not that close, but I wanted to talk to someone. And when I was thinking of someone who could relate to me and understand me, the only person I could think of was you. Funny right?”

“I am thankful that you called me. Means that you see me in a good light.”

“Who wouldn’t see you in a good light. You were always a good guy. Whether it is now or during middle school.”

“How was I during middle school days?”

Jo Minjoon asked with a curious expression. For Kim Minsuk, it might have been eight years ago, but for Jo Minjoon it was rather fifteen years ago. It was obvious Jo Minjoon’s memory was a bit hazy. Kim Minsuk made a perplexed expression as if it was difficult to answer. Then he slowly said.

“There was something unusual about you. You seemed normal, but you were always calm and never got overly excited like the other kids. I should say you were like a modern-day aristocrat. So, when I heard that you became successful, I wasn’t surprised. I knew you were going places”

“Thanks for the praise, but I think you are overpraising me.”

“I know. But you know what? You became successful. Everyone in the world listens to your voice now. Do you know how many people visited the restaurant after you left that comment? We were fully booked, and people even lined up to have a taste.”

“… Your noodles were good. People finally realized how good they were. That is what I believe.”

“That is what I wanted to believe.”

Kim Minsuk muttered with a bitter voice. He stared at the table for a moment and said in a painful and helpless voice.

“But I was wrong. People don’t understand the taste. Even the people who think they know the taste mistake it. Just a few days ago most people who visit our restaurant would say, “I don’t know what flavor makes this noodle crave-able.” But do you know the response was today after you left the comment? They were mostly “Jo Minjoon did it again.”, “He found a hidden gem like this.”, etc.”

“… Don’t you think people say that because they know that your restaurant is delicious?”

“We had a food critique visit us before.”

Kim Minsuk said in a calm voice. Although he pretended to be calm he said in a voice that was devoid of life and power.

“After my mother passed away, they came and said, how can young people like yourself revive the deep taste of the noodles. Even though we used the same method and recipe that our mother used after that one post everything changed. People said things like ‘Oh that place, the taste changed after the owner changed, don’t go there.’ Do you know how frustrating it was?”

“I know. I am aware of the negative bloggers.”

“I don’t have confidence anymore. They don’t believe our noodles but your words. When I think about it, I don’t know what I am doing with my life. I want to walk this road with pride. I too want to have pride, but I don’t think I can do that if no one believes in me. What am I doing with my life?”

Kim Minseok looked as if he was about to cry. If they were drinking alcohol rather than coffee, his face would have been red covered in tears. Jo Minjoon slowly patted Kim Minseok’s shoulder.

“I know.”

“…Know what?”

“I know the true value of your noodle. It is too beautiful of a treasure to let go. I know that it is more beautiful than a painting worth millions of dollars. I know.”

Jo Minjoon smiled in an apologetic manner.

“Is that not enough to fill your confidence?”

If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 

<Special Interest (1)> End.