CHAPTER 37

Caring so much about a child’s education seemed no different, whether you were a Hollywood A-list actress or the sushi chef at Hilton Head Island.

[I’m working on Rose exclusively until summer vacation. If you contact me after June, I can provide a more definite answer.”

Minhee replied to Natalia, glancing at her current employer, Taejun. His brow creased slightly.

[Okay, thank you! Geez, look at me, it’s already 5 PM, I was going to pick her up and go right away, sorry for taking up so much of your time, TJ].

The corners of Natalia’s eyebrows drooped, the actress’s rich expression changing dramatically.

[It’s okay.]

Minhee found Taejun’s deep, low voice and the way he addressed Natalia with politeness and formality a little unfamiliar.

[Ludovica, bring Angela out, it’s time to go home!]

Natalia called out to the playroom, a dark-haired South American nanny with a round patch of black at the roots of her dyed yellow hair, came out holding Angela’s hand, followed by Rose on her own. Mei-ling must have left work just in time for Taejun’s arrival.

[Andrew sends his regards. He said that if next time you have a good space investment, maybe you can work together. I don’t know why he asked me to pass the message; he could have done it himself. TJ, I’ll see you around. I’m throwing a garden party in South Hampton the second weekend in May, and I’d love to invite you].

Natalia lightly tapped Taejun’s arm as she said this.

[Thank you. Please let me know the date, and I’ll inform you through my secretary about my attendance.]

[We will install play equipment for the kids to run around in the garden, where the hydrangeas and peonies are blooming beautifully, so please come with Rose.]

Taejun nodded silently, lifting the corners of his mouth gently. It was a rare smile, the kind you see once a week or so.

Natalia was his business partner’s wife and Rose’s best friend’s mom, so maybe he was being unusually polite and kind to her.

‘Or is it because she’s an otherworldly beautiful actress?’

As a tinge of unwarranted jealousy crept in the direction of his smile, a swiftly rolling stone hit her side, making her gasp.

[Ouch!]

‘Was this a wake-up call?’

Minhee looked down at her side.

[Miss Minnie!!!]

[Guys-! Danger-]

When Rose and Angela rushed towards her simultaneously, she staggered backward from the impact. Taejun, who was standing nearby, instinctively reached out towards her as she swayed.

As Taejun bent down and pulled Minhee’s back towards him, her face momentarily buried in the collar of his shirt. The subtle scent of his cologne mixed with the faint aroma of Vetiver made Minhee’s heart flutter. Taejun slowly straightened his upper body, pulling Minhee up with him.

[Are you okay?]

‘Snap out of it! You’re in front of another parent! Don’t blush!!!’

[Yes!! I’m fine! …… Thank you.]

Taejun shrugged as if it was nothing. Through his open jacket, Minhee’s tinted lip balm was imprinted on the white shirt in the shape of her lips. Minhee blinked her eyes several times.

[Sorry, I’ll wash your shirt for you.]

[My shirt?]

Taejun glanced down at his shirt and then looked up again. The corner of his mouth twitched, and his jaw tightened.

‘It’s a super-strong tint, what if it stains? I’m screwed!’

[It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about it].

[Still…….]

At that moment, Natalia pulled Angela, who was clinging to one of Minhee’s legs.

[Angela, that was dangerous! Apologize to Miss Minnie!]

[Sorry, Miss Minnie!]

[It’s okay, Angela.]

In unison, Rose also looked at Minhee and repeated, ‘Sorry, Miss Minnie,’ like singing. It felt as if she were in a classroom at school, and Minhee, in the chaos, managed to regain some composure

Rose and Angela were hugging each other on the porch as if they were saying goodbye to a friend they would see again. Minhee and Natalia gently separated the two children and stood holding hands. When Taejun opened the front door and stood next to Rose, she grabbed his hand with her other hand.

Standing in the middle of Minhee and Taejun, Rose suddenly stretched both arms out, swaying like a pendulum. Minhee wavered under Rose’s weight, and as a surprised Taejun braced himself with the arm that held Rose’s hand, an excited Rose tilted her head as she dangled and giggled.

[Rose, it’s dangerous.]

[Rose, stand up straight.]

As Minhee and Taejun told Rose at the same time, she planted her foot and stood up. When she looked up to greet Natalia, she looked back and forth between Minhee and Taejun with a meaningful glance.

Minhee and Taejun bid farewell to Natalia. As they did, she stretched her alluring lips and, with a mischievous wink, looked at them with a sly smile.

[You know what? What’s meant to be is meant to be.]

This was Natalia’s famous line from the Academy Awards after winning the Best Supporting Actress award. She blew a kiss to the three bewildered individuals and turned away.

After seeing off Natalia and Angela, Minhee took Rose and headed towards the kitchen. The chef was busy moving back and forth between the cooking station and the stove. Tonight’s dinner was a bit special.

On the day Minhee first came here, Taejun mentioned that he liked grilled fish and miso stew as they were folding up the plane. 

So she suggested to the chef that once a week, he would prepare his favorite Korean dishes. On Wednesdays, she and the chef brainstormed and planned a menu called “Home-cooked Menu”.

For tonight’s dinner, they planned to serve grilled silver hake with a subtle aroma, accompanied by simple side dishes like rice, seasoned vegetables, and miso stew.

The plan was based on the simple logic that people would be more likely to give in to temptation if they were in a good mood after eating a delicious meal.

‘It does prick my conscience a bit that I’m using the chef’s carefully prepared first Korean meal for my own personal purposes…….’

The chef, however, was more than happy to oblige, saying that he was in need of fresh menu ideas.

As Rose sat at the kitchen island, doing her reading homework, occasionally glancing over, Minhee assisted the chef, helping with seasoning and plating. Before they knew it, it was dinner time. 

[Rose, the dinner is ready. Ask your uncle to come over.]

Rose leaped from her chair and scurried out of the kitchen like a squirrel, her booming voice echoing through the spacious penthouse living room and hallway.

[Santooooon! Dinner, is, readyyyyy!]

Taejun’s fingers, typing a work-related email in the study, paused on the keyboard.

‘Whose voice does Rose’s remind me of?’

Taejun pondered, wondering if there was anyone in his family with such a loud voice. There was no escaping Rose’s voice within the confines of his penthouse.

He stopped dead in his tracks, shocked that he’d thought of his family so casually. As soon as he realized it, a dull ache and rumbling in the top of his diaphragm followed.

Stopping in the middle of the living room, he suddenly took a deep breath. There was a smell that was both familiar and unfamiliar. It was a scent that seemed intensely nostalgic, something he desperately missed and longed for.

Entering the dining room, Rose and Minhee were sitting side by side. The chef finished setting the table, offering Taejun a friendly smile as he left.

[TJ, I made Korean food today, it’s the first time, and Minhee helped me a lot, from shopping to the recipe, I hope you like it.]

Taejun stared at the table for a moment, at a loss for words. Absentmindedly, he alternated between looking at Minhee, the chef, and the neatly arranged Korean meal. The chef waved goodbye and left, and Taejun sat down in front of the food arranged across Minhee’s side.

His eyes scanned the white rice, stew, grilled fish, various seasoned vegetables, and side dishes piled on small plates. Instead of a fork and knife, there were neatly arranged Korean chopsticks with slender handles and chopstick rests.

For no particular reason, he swallowed the lump that had risen to the bottom of his throat with difficulty. He picked up the cutlery, dimly aware that he was being sentimental.

A part of his brain that had been frozen solid seemed to have melted away. It felt like a hole had opened up in the place where he had been containing his emotions. A fierce siren wailed a sense of crisis, of being overwhelmed.

“Try it quickly. I bought miso paste from a market in Koreatown, and it tastes pretty good when it’s simmered with dashi. The silver hake is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside thanks to the miso sauce, so it’s really delicious.”

A voice, as pleasant as tickling feathers on his ear, cut off the sirens. Taejun looked up and saw Minhee shyly smile at him.

‘Oh, it’s her. The one who convinced my Italian chef to try making Korean dishes he’s never done before.’

Every time Minhee’s sweet voice, light as air, flowed into his ears, Taejun felt as if he were enchanted, and his body reacted before his thoughts. He stirred the soup with his cutlery, ate the rice, and picked up the side dishes.

Savoring the flavors of food was a recent change; before, food was a source of energy directly related to survival, so taste had been irrelevant. He used to endure tasteless lunches at work without complaint.

‘No, even feeling that lunch tastes bad is a change.’

Eating a simple breakfast gave him an inexplicable sense of comfort when leaving the house. Lately, the dinner table with Rose and Minhee was frequently adorned with new dishes.