Chapter 38

Yoo Ilhan felt as if he had been struck hard on the back of the head.

A true contest should be fair and honorable.

Wasn’t that what his grandfather had always told him?

If someone had strengths greater than your own, you should acknowledge them and learn from them.

Arrogance and conceit were the most useless traits.

He thought about the person he used to be.

The times when he would use any method possible just to defeat someone.

And now.

What he had done merely to gain a few points was nothing but a shameful act.

When he lifted his gaze, Kang Chan came into view.

Unaware that his dish had been switched, Kang Chan was smiling casually.

“Whoa, Cheolsu. At this rate you might really become the next president of the Western cuisine club.”

At Kang Chan’s praise, Kim Cheolsu scratched his head awkwardly with a shy smile.

Yoo Ilhan clenched his teeth.

‘That’s yours, you idiot!!’

Kang Chan, who knew nothing, still looked completely cheerful.

A heavy feeling filled his chest, followed by guilt.

He felt sorry toward Kang Chan, who had unfairly lost first place because of him.

But fear also crept in.

What if this truth came out?

How would his classmates look at him?

Everything he had built so far would collapse in an instant.

And his parents and younger brother?

They would surely have no expectations left for someone who lacked ability and even resorted to lies.

While his thoughts tangled endlessly, class eventually ended and the students began leaving.

Yoo Ilhan clenched his trembling fist.

Even if he got away with it now, could he truly live with himself?

No.

If the truth came out someday, the consequences would be far worse.

At that point it wouldn’t be dismissed as a simple mistake.

More than anything, he might stain the name of the restaurant he loved most in his life.

There is no such thing as an eternal secret.

Yoo Ilhan squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.

It was late, but he had to fix things now.

He stepped out into the hallway, searching for Kang Chan who had already left.

Then he began running in the direction Kang Chan had gone.

* * *

After class ended, I left the classroom and hurried along, planning to help at my parents’ shop.

Then someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

“Excuse me.”

When I turned around, Yoo Ilhan was standing there, panting heavily and sweating.

Beads of sweat covered his forehead as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Hyung. J-just a moment.”

Yoo Ilhan began speaking urgently without even catching his breath.

But he seemed unable to figure out what to say, his lips moving without sound.

After biting his lip several times, he finally lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

The sudden apology made me tilt my head.

“Sorry for what all of a sudden?”

“I’m really sorry.”

Yoo Ilhan apologized again sincerely. His shoulders were visibly shaking.

“Calm down and tell me what happened.”

Yoo Ilhan took a deep breath.

Then, in a trembling voice, he finally confessed everything.

The story went like this.

From the moment Kim Cheolsu received an invitation to join a club during the haute cuisine practice, Yoo Ilhan had been unable to shake off his jealousy.

Eventually, he made a choice that crossed the line.

During today’s practice, he switched my ratatouille with Kim Cheolsu’s.

I listened to his explanation and slowly pieced together the situation.

‘So that’s what happened.’

While the practice was going on, I had felt something strange.

It felt like my ratatouille and Kim Cheolsu’s had somehow been swapped.

Of course, I couldn’t be completely certain.

Since everyone had made a basic ratatouille according to the assignment, it was difficult to distinguish them just by appearance.

But after the evaluation ended, I tasted the ratatouille that Daniel Choi had praised so highly.

At that moment I was sure.

That was the dish I had made.

At the time, I thought it was simply a mistake.

Kim Cheolsu and I had student numbers only one digit apart, so the mix up could have happened while arranging the dishes.

The problem was that the evaluation had already ended.

And considering how proud Kim Cheolsu looked after receiving such praise in front of everyone, I wondered if correcting the situation would actually be the right thing to do.

The difference in scores wasn’t large anyway.

And I was someone who had already experienced the peak of the culinary world.

There was no need to prove superiority against students who had only just started cooking.

Besides, I didn’t want to put Kim Cheolsu in a difficult position.

So I decided to let it pass.

But then Yoo Ilhan showed up and confessed everything.

“I’ll go to the professor and correct what happened.”

“No. Let’s just leave it this time.”

At my firm tone, Yoo Ilhan looked at me in disbelief.

“I don’t want Cheolsu to get caught up in trouble because this turns into something big.”

Normally, it would have been reasonable to demand an explanation.

But I decided to be generous.

Yoo Ilhan might not remember it now, but in the past I had personally been grateful to him for something.

More than anything, he came here himself to confess and apologize.

Not many people are capable of admitting their mistakes and apologizing.

So honestly, I thought it took great courage for him to come this far.

But Yoo Ilhan remained firm.

“Even so, I can’t let it go like this. This was my fault, so I’ll speak to the professor and make sure Cheolsu is affected as little as possible.”

His voice was steady and unwavering.

Since he was this determined, there wasn’t much I could do.

After thinking for a moment, I asked him carefully.

“Hm… then should we go together?”

Words can easily become distorted when passed between people.

I wanted to face Daniel Choi directly and clear up any misunderstanding.

Yoo Ilhan hesitated briefly before nodding firmly.

* * *

We knocked on the door to Daniel Choi’s office.

“Professor, we have something to tell you.”

“Come in.”

When we entered, Daniel Choi looked at us with curiosity.

Yoo Ilhan took a deep breath and spoke carefully.

“There’s something about what happened during today’s practice that I need to tell you.”

“…What is it?”

Daniel Choi’s expression remained calm as always, but a sharp alertness could be heard in his voice.

“The truth is, I switched Kim Cheolsu’s ratatouille with Kang Chan hyung’s.”

For a brief moment, the air in the office froze.

“Was it a mistake?”

Yoo Ilhan lowered his head. His fingertips trembled slightly.

“No.”

“Then you’re saying it was intentional. Yoo Ilhan, you should answer carefully.”

Daniel Choi’s eyes were so cold they sent chills down the spine.

But Yoo Ilhan didn’t run.

When he finally spoke, regret and fear were evident in his voice.

At the same time, there was firm resolve not to avoid responsibility.

“…Everything happened because of my foolish competitiveness. I have no excuse. I’ll accept any punishment.”

After that, he closed his mouth like a criminal waiting for judgment.

Daniel Choi remained silent for a long time.

“Do you understand how serious your actions today were?”

“…”

“This could be grounds for expulsion.”

At those words, Yoo Ilhan’s body trembled slightly.

But he quickly steadied himself and looked straight ahead.

“I accept that.”

As I quietly listened to their conversation, many thoughts crossed my mind.

‘Even so, expulsion seems excessive.’

What Yoo Ilhan had done was undeniably a serious mistake.

Tampering with a dish that should be judged fairly harmed everyone who worked hard.

But he had admitted his mistake and didn’t try to avoid responsibility.

Many people in the world realize their mistakes but never reflect on them.

Yoo Ilhan was different.

He confessed his wrongdoing and was prepared to accept the consequences.

Then shouldn’t he be given one chance?

I stepped forward.

Standing beside Yoo Ilhan, I faced Daniel Choi and spoke.

“Of course what happened today should never have happened.”

“…”

“Everyone deserves a fair evaluation of the dishes they worked hard to make. Taking that opportunity away is something no one could accept.”

Daniel Choi watched me silently.

“But I hope Yoo Ilhan can be given one more chance.”

At that moment, Yoo Ilhan looked at me.

His trembling eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

“Yoo Ilhan realized his mistake and tried to correct it. And he said he would accept any punishment.”

“…”

“I think someone who sincerely apologizes and takes responsibility deserves another chance.”

Silence filled the office again.

Daniel Choi fell into deep thought as if considering my words.

His gaze moved between Yoo Ilhan and me.

Finally he spoke.

“Are you truly fine with letting this go?”

I knew the old me would never have let this pass.

But things were different now.

In the past, my life had been filled with wrong choices.

Just as I had been given another chance, I wanted to show the same generosity to Yoo Ilhan.

It felt like the responsibility of someone who had been granted a second chance.

“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so I want to forgive him.”

Daniel Choi stared at me.

Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

It was the expression of someone hearing an answer he hadn’t expected.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ilhan’s eyes reddened as his lips trembled.

Daniel Choi soon composed himself and spoke sharply to Yoo Ilhan.

“This won’t happen twice. If something like this occurs again, I won’t overlook it.”

“…Yes. It won’t happen again. I’m sorry.”

He sincerely apologized to Daniel Choi and then looked at me hesitantly.

After opening and closing his mouth several times, he finally spoke with difficulty.

“…I’m sorry, hyung.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t do it again.”

As I felt relieved that the situation had been resolved, one concern still lingered.

I carefully spoke to Daniel Choi.

“Professor. May I ask one favor?”

“Go ahead.”

“I hope Cheolsu won’t suffer any disadvantage from this incident.”

For a moment, Daniel Choi’s expression twisted slightly.

Then an unexpected reaction followed.

“Hahaha!”

The sudden laughter filling the office caught me off guard.

Yoo Ilhan also looked at me in surprise.

After laughing for a moment, Daniel Choi finally smiled and said,

“This year’s freshmen really are quite interesting.”