Chapter 32

When I gently flipped the mold over, soft, bouncy jelly slid out onto the plate.

The moment Ari saw the colorful jelly shaped like teddy bears, hearts, and stars, she let out a cheer.

“Wow! Jelly!”

I picked up one piece and handed it to Ari as I spoke.

“Then shall we try it?”

Ari carefully put the jelly into her mouth, then broke into a bright smile.

“It’s yummy!”

As she chewed the jelly with her tiny lips, Ari suddenly stretched out her hand and offered me a heart shaped jelly from the plate.

“Uncle too. Aah.”

“…Huh? Aah.”

I opened my mouth without thinking, and Ari popped the jelly right in.

A sweet flavor wrapped around my tongue, followed by a chewy texture.

Ari happily kept eating jelly, then suddenly picked up a red strawberry jelly and pointed at the menu board.

“Same!”

I wondered what she meant, then looked at the menu board she was pointing at. There was a picture of tteokbokki.

“Jelly and tteokbokki are the same. Right, uncle?”

I almost laughed out loud, but I had to nod at Ari’s observation.

The chewy texture. The red color.

From a kid’s point of view, it made sense.

As I looked back and forth between the jelly and the tteokbokki, a flash of inspiration hit me.

Glass noodle tteokbokki.

With its chewy texture and spicy sweet sauce, glass noodles were more than enough to become a new twist on tteokbokki.

Especially since glass noodles had gone mainstream around 2019, becoming a staple menu item at major tteokbokki franchises.

If I added it to the menu right now.

I could get ahead of the trend faster than anyone else.

I’d already been struggling over what to add as a new menu item.

This was perfect.

Looking at Ari, who had unknowingly given me the clue I needed for a new dish, I smiled warmly.

“Wow. Thanks to you, Ari, uncle just got a really good idea. Thanks.”

“Really? Because of Ari?”

Ari’s eyes widened as she puffed up proudly.

“Of course. Our Ari is so smart.”

At my praise, Ari burst into giggles, unable to hide her joy.

Watching her innocent face, my thoughts drifted to my married life with Gaeul in the past.

We didn’t have a child.

Gaeul wanted one, but back then, I was always busy.

Crushed by work and chasing success, I never had time to spare for my family.

Those were days when I couldn’t even catch my breath for myself.

Having a child was something I couldn’t even dare to think about.

And so, little by little, distance grew between us.

What if Gaeul and I had had a child back then.

Would our relationship have been a little different?

Would Gaeul have felt less lonely?

If I get to marry Gaeul again in this life, I want to have a daughter like Ari.

A bright, confident daughter who looks like Gaeul.

Gently stroking Ari’s hair, I let myself imagine a distant future.

* * *

Why does time pass so fast. Before I knew it, the first day of the semester was right around the corner.

As I slowly walked into the classroom, familiar faces from orientation were scattered all around.

Everyone looked like they were carrying a mix of excitement and slight tension for the new semester.

I took a seat off to one side.

That was when someone suddenly popped up in front of me.

“Hyung!”

“Huh? Hey.”

“You’re already here?”

It was Kim Cheolsu.

He used to act like he hated it when I talked to him first, but ever since orientation, his attitude had clearly changed.

He liked it but pretended not to. Such a simple guy.

I chuckled softly and moved the bag I’d placed on the seat next to me as I greeted him.

“Yeah. You been doing well?”

Cheolsu nodded as he sat down beside me.

“I’ve been good. Did you do well with course registration, hyung?”

“Yeah. You?”

“I did fine too. I decided to take one elective with you. What else did you sign up for?”

“I chose Korean cuisine.”

“Huh? That’s unexpected. Still, that’s good. Yeojin said she’s taking that too.”

He glanced around, then waved toward Song Yeojin, who was sitting quietly off to the side.

Yeojin got up with a pleased expression and walked over to us.

“Song Yeojin. Didn’t you say you’re taking Korean cuisine too?”

“Yeah. That’s right. Why?”

“Chani hyung said he’s taking it too.”

“Really? That’s great. Then let’s go to class together later, oppa.”

Yeojin looked at me with a bright smile, clearly happy.

But I couldn’t bring myself to respond.

“Ah… am I making you uncomfortable?”

Yeojin’s expression visibly dimmed, as if she’d misunderstood something.

“No, it’s not that….”

I glanced between the two of them, then continued with an awkward smile.

“Actually, I signed up for a third year class.”

“What?”

“A third year class?”

The two of them raised their voices, looking completely stunned by my answer.

At the sound, the surrounding students all turned to look our way.

Lowering their voices, the two whispered urgently.

“Hyung. Are you crazy?”

“Oppa, didn’t you mess up your registration?”

“Yeah. You messed it up, right?”

At their over the top reactions, I scratched my head and replied calmly.

“Huh? No.”

“No? Then why?”

Cheolsu stared at me with wide eyes, completely unable to understand.

Under their puzzled gazes, I answered evenly.

“Professor Baek Seungjin is retiring this year, so if I don’t take his class now, I won’t get the chance.”

“Professor Baek Seungjin?”

“Yeah. He’s someone I really respect. This year’s my last chance.”

The reason I chose Korean cuisine was actually simple.

In my past life, I majored in Western cuisine.

After studying at Le Cordon Red, I built my career at various places, from famous restaurants in Italy to small ones in France.

Because of that, Western cuisine was familiar territory, and there wasn’t much left that felt new to learn.

I’d been given the chance to live a second life, and I didn’t want to repeat the exact same path.

After thinking it through, Korean cuisine felt like the best choice for me.

I’d loved Korean food since I was young, and even while abroad, I never lost interest in it.

After returning to the past, helping out at my parents’ snack bar and cooking popular Korean dishes myself only deepened my interest and enjoyment.

Of course, I’d studied Korean cuisine on my own before and built up the basics.

But learning it properly in Korea felt different.

Traditional Korean cuisine taught directly by Korean professors.

It had been a long time since I’d felt this excited.

Back then, I’d been obsessed with fine dining and captivated by elegance.

Now, cooking and engaging with everyday food brought a different kind of fun and fulfillment.

While looking through the curriculum, I discovered that Professor Baek Seungjin taught at this school.

Known as a pioneer of fusion cuisine that combines Western and Korean cooking, Baek Seungjin had built a strong reputation both domestically and internationally.

In particular, he’d studied classical Western cuisine in places like France and Italy, then gained attention for creatively reinterpreting Korean food using those techniques.

The problem was that Baek Seungjin was about to retire.

If I wanted to learn Korean cuisine properly, starting step by step from first year classes might be ideal.

But I couldn’t miss this chance.

The last opportunity to learn from Professor Baek Seungjin.

I wanted to seize it, and that was why I signed up for a third year class.

Cheolsu let out a deep sigh and patted my shoulder.

“What am I gonna do with you, hyung. This semester’s probably doomed, so just take it easy and hang in there.”

Seeing how sincerely he was comforting me warmed a corner of my heart.

He always acted indifferent on the outside, but Cheolsu was kinder than anyone when it came to worrying about me.

Meanwhile, Yeojin spoke with a worried look.

“There’s still the add drop period, so think about it again. Don’t regret it later.”

I nodded lightly at her words.

“Alright. I’ll think about it.”

Seeing the two of them worrying so seriously about me made me feel a bit sorry.

But I had no intention of changing my decision.

Soon, the professor entered and class began.

As always, I straightened my posture and listened carefully.

Still, my focus slipped more than usual.

Glass noodle tteokbokki kept circling in my mind.

Knowing future trends might be an advantage, but simply copying them wasn’t my style.

I wanted to reinterpret glass noodle tteokbokki with Kang Chan’s own recipe.

Keeping the spicy kick and chewy texture, but adding one more point.

As I took notes while listening to the lecture, sauce ratios, ingredient combinations, and plating ideas kept forming in my head.

I felt an urge to put it into action right away, but for now, I decided to organize my thoughts.

While quietly refining the idea, the professor’s voice rang out.

“That’s all for today. Good work, everyone.”

When I looked up, the classroom was already bustling with students packing their things.

I slowly gathered my bag and stood up.

That was when Cheolsu tapped my shoulder.

“Hyung. Watching you in class, you didn’t look focused at all. Something going on?”

“No. It’s just stuff I read in books before enrolling.”

When I answered calmly, Cheolsu sighed deeply and shook his head.

“You’re really something. Even if class feels boring now, there’s a lot here that’ll help you later. Don’t just tune it out. Try to focus.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll pay attention next time.”

Looks like Cheolsu’s the only one at school who worries about me this much.

Shaking his head, Cheolsu headed out of the classroom.

“Anyway, I’ll get going first.”

“Yeah. Take care.”

* * *

After the required major class, the next one was the Korean cuisine elective.

The moment I opened the door to the third year Korean cuisine kitchen.

Every pair of eyes inside turned toward me. The air felt tense, like the whole room was sizing me up.

“Who’s that?”

“Huh? Isn’t he a first year?”

“Looks like it. Then why’s he here?”

“Did he get the classroom wrong?”

Starting with a few whispers, the room quickly grew noisy.

Some were curious, some confused, and others showed subtle wariness.

It was a natural reaction to seeing an unfamiliar face.

Ignoring the whispers and sharp looks, I calmly found an empty seat and sat down.

That was when a senior sitting right in front of me asked in a mocking tone.

“Hey. Did you mess up your registration?”

His face carried a sneer, masked as fake concern.

I lifted my head and answered firmly.

“I didn’t register wrong.”

At my words, laughter broke out around the kitchen.

“You didn’t mess up? Then why’s a first year here?”

“This is funny. Is he an attention seeker?”

The seniors didn’t bother hiding their ridicule, and some openly stared at me while shaking their heads.

The atmosphere in the kitchen grew colder by the second.