Chapter 44

* * *

Na Seyoung was momentarily flustered by Baek Seungjin’s glowing praise.

She had expected they might receive a decent evaluation after tasting Kang Chan’s food, but she never imagined a reaction this strong.

The practice kitchen buzzed with murmurs.

“Wow. Has Professor Baek ever praised someone like that before?”

“Seriously. I think the only time I’ve seen it was when Han Taepyeong got praised.”

“But honestly the topic they picked was pretty safe.”

“Seyoung probably carried the team. She’s always working insanely hard.”

“That freshman’s lucky. He teamed up with Han Taepyeong before, and now this too. Total bus ride. I’m jealous.”

Hearing the students whisper, Na Seyoung felt something strange stirring inside her.

She had started cooking later than everyone else.

Because of that she always had to work twice as hard as the others.

The prejudice and assumptions that followed her as a transfer student.

Within that environment she had quietly fought her own battles alone.

Without words of encouragement.

Without anyone reaching out a hand.

Of course, after endless effort her grades were not bad.

Even so, no one had ever paid her much attention.

There were plenty of days when classmates passed by without exchanging a single word.

In group assignments she was usually just the quiet person in the background doing what she was told.

But today was different.

Everyone’s attention was directed straight at her.

Not at some anonymous transfer student.

At Na Seyoung herself.

With complicated emotions swirling inside her, she quietly looked at Kang Chan.

He remained calm.

His expression barely changed even after the praise.

All of this was thanks to him.

She smiled sincerely.

“If it wasn’t for your food today, we wouldn’t have gotten praise like that. Thank you.”

“No. The side dishes you made are what brought out my food.”

And he was humble too.

She couldn’t respond for a moment.

He was talented and his personality was good as well.

Honestly it almost felt admirable.

Even though he was technically her junior, she felt there was a lot she could learn from him.

After finishing all the evaluations, Baek Seungjin gave the highest score to Na Seyoung and Kang Chan.

As she noticed the students looking at her differently, Na Seyoung left the practice kitchen with a strange feeling lingering inside her.

Then someone suddenly approached.

“Hey.”

“…Oh? Hello.”

A man stretched lazily while yawning.

It was Han Taepyeong.

Na Seyoung was technically a member of the Korean cuisine club, but she had never actually spoken with the club president Han Taepyeong alone before.

He always acted indifferent and seemed uninterested in others, which made him hard to approach.

Rumor had it he was so lazy that people even called him “Sloth.”

Still, she honestly admired his exceptional cooking skills.

So why was he suddenly talking to her?

Seeing her confused expression, Han Taepyeong scratched his head and spoke.

“It’s nothing serious. Just wanted to ask something.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You worked with Kang Chan today, right? What do you think of him?”

“…What do you mean?”

His style was to skip all the buildup and jump straight to the point.

She had heard about that habit before, but it was still surprising.

What did he mean by what she thought of Kang Chan?

Wait… as a man?

Well, he was handsome, tall, and had a good build…

She suddenly caught herself thinking something ridiculous and quickly shook her head hard.

Seeing her reaction, Han Taepyeong burst out laughing.

“I didn’t mean it like that. You know about the exchange program this vacation, right? I’m thinking about who to bring, and Kang Chan’s someone I’ve been considering.”

“Ah… I see.”

Only then did she understand and her cheeks flushed slightly.

She had heard through other club members that he had already picked someone in mind for the exchange event.

But she never imagined it would be Kang Chan.

“Yeah. So I’m asking. How was he during the practice today?”

Na Seyoung thought about what she had seen earlier that day.

Without realizing it, she answered with conviction.

“When you watch Chan cook, he doesn’t feel like a freshman at all. He’s skilled, quick to react, and even humble. Honestly I felt like I had more to learn from him.”

It was a sincere answer.

Han Taepyeong listened quietly.

Then a slow smile appeared on his face.

“So that’s how it is… Anyway thanks for telling me.”

He nodded and began to turn away.

At that moment Na Seyoung suddenly asked.

“Are you going to take him?”

Han Taepyeong replied shortly while walking away.

“Yeah. I’m sure now.”

* * *

At that same time, at the broadcasting station.

PD Noh Seondo was holding a meeting with the staff about the cooking competition program he had planned earlier.

Looking down at the proposal on the table, he asked.

“Have you narrowed down the candidate list?”

“Yes. We focused on skilled chefs and aspiring cooks who trained at professional institutions.”

Nodding, Noh Seondo flipped through the documents.

But as he turned the pages, his expression gradually became strange.

He placed the stack of papers on the table and muttered.

“Isn’t this kind of predictable?”

“Considering the nature of the program, we had to focus on people with verified skills and experience. Complete beginners would make the competition structure difficult…”

Noh Seondo rubbed his temples and let out a deep sigh.

The meeting wasn’t making progress.

The proposals and participant lists were neatly arranged on the table.

Professional chefs.

Graduates from famous cooking academies.

Winners of small competitions.

The names looked impressive.

But something about it felt stale.

Noticing his darkening expression, one of the writers spoke carefully.

“There are also some well known chefs we could invite. Most of them work overseas so we didn’t include them on the list. Should we try contacting them anyway?”

“No. That’s not it.”

He looked down at the documents again and spoke firmly.

“We need completely new participants.”

Given the direction of the program, it would be natural to recruit proven chefs or aspiring cooks with formal training.

But Noh Seondo was not a chef.

He was a PD who made television programs.

There was only one thing he cared about.

Whether the program succeeded or failed.

And that decision always belonged to the viewers.

Viewers primarily wanted entertainment.

Of course it mattered how amazing the cooking was.

But they also wanted stories.

Unexpected moments during competition.

Surprising emotions.

Humor.

Those elements made a show far more immersive.

That was why the cast couldn’t be chosen only by skill.

Light shines brighter when there is darkness.

When someone performs poorly, the talented ones shine even more.

Everyone currently on the candidate list had enough skill.

But what Noh Seondo wanted were different kinds of characters.

Background decoration.

Attention seeking weirdos.

Emotional manipulators.

Villains.

He needed personalities that would act like seasoning for the program.

After thinking for a moment, Noh Seondo spoke in a heavy voice.

“We need a new face. Find one no matter what.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Oh right. When can the new intern PD start work? The name was… Yoon Gaeul, right?”

“Ah yes. She can start immediately. I’ll contact her.”

“Good. This program’s going to be especially busy. Tell everyone to prepare themselves.”

* * *

After finishing Korean cuisine class, I hurried to the Western cuisine lecture room.

As soon as I sat down I started organizing my notes.

At that moment Kim Cheolsu peeked at my notebook and asked curiously.

“Hyung. What are you writing?”

“Oh. It’s for the Korean cuisine report. I have to research North Korean dishes.”

“North Korean dishes?”

“Yeah. It’s harder than I thought.”

Right after the group practice ended, Professor Baek Seungjin had assigned a report on North Korean cuisine to be submitted by the next class.

I immediately pulled out my phone and started searching for information.

There was more material than expected.

History of North Korean food.

Representative dishes.

Food culture.

There was plenty of information.

But it was all just generic explanations.

Nothing felt quite right.

Something felt missing.

Frustrated, I tapped my pen against my fingers and sighed.

Kim Cheolsu widened his eyes and shook his head.

“This is exactly what I told you. You shouldn’t have taken third year classes.”

I chuckled softly.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Why don’t you check the library? There’s probably better information than the internet.”

“Hmm. That’s a good idea.”

“Then let’s go after class. I have something to look for too.”

“You have an assignment as well?”

“Yeah.”

“Hang in there.”

After class ended, Kim Cheolsu and I headed to the library.

Now that I thought about it, this might be the first time I’ve visited the library since enrolling here.

Actually, how long had it been since I last stepped into a library?

Was it when I first went to France?

A memory surfaced of visiting the library often while learning French.

Le Cordon Red didn’t use academic grades as the main admission requirement like typical universities.

What mattered most was whether you could afford the massive tuition.

Even so, although there were no strict academic requirements, basic communication ability was essential.

You had to be fluent in at least English or French.

Since I was interested in Western cuisine, basic communication in English wasn’t a problem.

French, however, was.

I thought I would naturally pick it up after living abroad.

But it wasn’t that easy.

There was so much I wanted to learn, yet I couldn’t understand what people were saying.

Eventually I chose to study on my own.

Back then I visited the library quite often.

While looking through books with Kim Cheolsu, time flew by before I noticed.

Just like he said, the information in books was deeper and broader than what I found online.

Coming here had definitely been the right decision.

As we left the library and turned the corner, I suddenly collided with someone coming down the stairs.

“!”

The person almost lost their balance.

I instinctively grabbed them.

“Are you okay?”

The woman leaning lightly against my arm slowly raised her head.

Long wavy hair.

Large eyes.

Pale skin.

She had a sophisticated aura.

She was the kind of beauty who stood out even from far away.

“Thank you. I was looking at my phone and didn’t see where I was going.”

“It’s dangerous. Try not to use your phone while walking.”

She stared straight at my face without saying anything.

What is it? Why is she staring like that?

“Okay.”

After that short reply, she walked away.

Not thinking much about it, I started walking again.

Kim Cheolsu suddenly hit my arm excitedly.

“Hyung. Did you see that just now? Her smile was incredible.”

“Huh?”

“That was insane… You know who that was, right? That was the famous Cha Hyeju.”

“Who’s Cha Hyeju?”

Kim Cheolsu stared at me in disbelief.

“Hyung, how do you not know anything? She’s the president of the Chinese cuisine club and the most famous beauty in our school. A fourth year senior.”

I thought it was something big.

I replied casually while continuing to walk.

“I see.”

“I see? Why are you so calm? Wasn’t she unbelievably pretty? I’ve never seen someone that beautiful in my life.”

“That much?”

“And everything she was wearing was luxury brands. There’s even a rumor she’s from a rich family. Pretty and rich. Perfect.”

I admired him sincerely.

“You’re impressive. How did you notice all that in such a short time?”

“It can’t be helped. My eyesight improves whenever I see something pretty.”

Kim Cheolsu looked extremely proud of that fact.

Your eyesight improves when you see something pretty…

It wasn’t completely impossible to understand.

I shrugged as I thought of Gaeul’s simple face without makeup.

“Maybe you’re right. Anyway I’m heading out first.”

“Where are you going? Let’s grab some food together.”

“I’ve got an important appointment today. Let’s eat next time.”

“Important appointment? Hmph. Fine.