“What is it. I need to know your problem for being your team leader. Are you really not planning to talk?”
“Just……..”
Peter opened his mouth, but closed it again. He let out a sigh with an exhausted face, and kept his mouth shut for a long while. And then, opened his mouth and said with a suffering voice.
“I’m thinking about what am I doing right now right here. If the scene where Kaya and I fight gets broadcasted I would become a bastard and will get thousands of ill comments. And there would not be any restaurant that’s going to recruit that kind of chef. And most of all….. I don’t have the confidence to be able to do something here. It’s not only here, but wherever I go. Because i’m a guy that only knows how to make trouble just like that day.”
Jo Minjoon didn’t say anything. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel sympathy for him. Nor wasn’t frustrated. In the first place, he didn’t have that deep of a relation with him. However, for him to talk about what he was feeling to someone he wasn’t close to meant that he was suffering a lot right now.
That’s why he said.
“Even if I console you right now, those words would just be for this kind of situation. Those words wouldn’t even be meant for you, and because I want to become a good person. If you want to hear to these words, I can tell them to you. Do you want to?”
“……..If you talk like that, would there be someone that says that he wants to?”
“I asked because I knew you wouldn’t want. I don’t want to console you. And i’m not thinking to. Ah, don’t misunderstand. Because i’m not particularly thinking bad about you. I don’t know about Kaya, but I ended everything that day with what I said.”
Jo Minjoon took a breath for a moment. The sun was setting. His face was red similar to the sunset. Maybe because he was reflected to it, or his pressure was up.
“I like cooking. And because I do, I came all the way here. I want to take my first step properly in this world. That’s why right now i’m happier than ever. But what about you? You also came. It means that you liked cooking. But why are you leaving a once in a life time opportunity and talking about confidence or ill comments? Ah, right. I understand. Image, it would get bad. Because Martin isn’t the kind of person to edit that. But if you were going to worry about that, in the first place, you shouldn’t have committed that accident.”
“I didn’t do it because I wanted to. I…… I, yeah. I don’t have a social life. Because of my temperament, I got bullied in school, and there was no one I could call as friend. It’s the same here. I’m a loner. Every one I have met didn’t like me. And now, through the TV all the people around the world got to know of me. And they will also hate me. Do you get it? Not only the americans, but the whole world will hate me!”
“What about that?”
Jo Minjoon talked while twitching his eyes. Peter glared at him as if he was angry, but he only bit his lips. Jo Minjoon continued talking with a sharp voice.
“What if they hate you? Just because they hate you, do you want to live as a villain like they want? I will say it honestly. I don’t understand your place. Because I didn’t live nor thought like you. However if I were you, I would fight. Not with fists, but with cooking. Even if they hate me, I will make them not able to hate my cooking. Because that’s what I can do. And you? What are you going to do? Because everyone hates you, and don’t have any friends, you will give up? Do it. I won’t hold you back.”
Peter was putting a face like he was going to cry at any moment. But he wasn’t doing so because of his pride…….
Was he twenty four. He was in a young age. However, just like Peter’s age, he had a childish mentality. Jo Minjoon let out a sigh.
“If you are not able to give up, don’t sulk. I won’t tell you to not mind the ill comments. Because even i’m not able to do so. However just because of that, don’t try to also give up your dreams. You survived until now. Just like you said, even if you lack sociability, at least it doesn’t mean that you don’t know how to cook. But of course, that day you made a little bit of a mistake.”
Jo Minjoon smirked and slapped his back. Jo Minjoon touched his back as if he was surprised and soon started to look at his feet while laughing faintly. Silence roamed for a while, and while the sun was setting and the dark night was approaching, Peter opened his voice with an insecure voice.
“Will I………Be able to?”
“You can if you try. Don’t know about that?”
“Winning…… Will I also be able to win?”
“No.”
Peter looked at him absentmindedly at the unexpectedly poured cold water. Jo Minjoon said in a blunt voice.
“Victory is mine.”