Everything was perfect, now Ji-Ho was just anxious, wondering if everyone would like it or not. Seeing Ji-Ho's hard work, the Head Chef was quite pleased. It was the first time Ji-Ho saw a smile on the Head Chef's face. The Head Chef noticed Ji-Ho seemed very nervous, so to motivate him, he said, "Don't worry, everything looks amazing. The presentation is excellent. Honestly, I didn't expect you to cook this well. Everything is perfect."
For the first time in months, Ji-Ho heard something good about himself. A sense of calm settled in his heart, though he didn't yet know that life had many hardships still waiting for him. But for now, everything was perfect; everything was in its right place. The table looked splendid with many dishes he had prepared—a fusion of traditional and modern styles.
Around 9 PM, the whole staff became alert as Joon Hyunk and Min Jae had arrived at the hotel. They had a brief meeting with Mr. Han to discuss some work matters. After that, Joon Hyunk told Mr. Han, "After dinner, we want to inspect the entire hotel, to see if our business is running properly or if we are losing anything. We want to observe all these things closely."
Mr. Han sensed danger; he understood that these two had come with some other purpose. Smiling slyly, he said, "Of course, this is your hotel. You can inspect it however you want." There was a cunning smirk on his face. He added, "It's about time; let's have dinner."
With that, he led them from the office to the dining table where a private area was prepared for them. Seeing the dinner table, Min Jae praised, "The hotel staff is very hardworking; this looks really good. By the way, won't you introduce us to the master chef behind all these dishes?"
Min Jae smiled, and then Mr. Han called both chefs and introduced them to Min Jae and Joon Hyunk. Ji-Ho stood right behind the Head Chef as an assistant. Mr. Han then asked if they could explain what dishes were served.
The Head Chef smiled professionally and apologized, "Sir, I must apologize. Actually, there was an accident in the kitchen today, so I couldn't cook. All the dinner food was prepared by my assistant chef, Ji-Ho, under my guidance. These traditional dishes are his specialty."
The Head Chef, impressed by Ji-Ho's work, gave full credit to him and even gave him the opportunity to advance. Ji-Ho stepped forward and explained everything professionally.
Curious, Min Jae asked, "Ji-Ho, you weren't originally on the staff, were you?"
Mr. Han smiled and said, "Yes, he is part of our new staff. He joined just recently."
Min Jae praised Ji-Ho's work, while Joon Hyunk quietly sat in his place, observing everything. His instincts always gave him warning signals about danger from a distance, and he felt something was wrong here.
After finishing their dinner, Joon Hyunk got a phone call. He told Mr. Han, "Something urgent came up, so I have to leave. We will definitely meet again.
But now I have to leave, however, Min Jae will stay behind and finish whatever work is left. After that, Joon Hyunk quickly left the place. After dinner, Mr. Han had Min Jae sign some files in his office, and Min Jae spoke with the hotel staff, asking mostly professional questions about the hotel.
Finally, Min Jae requested Mr. Han, "If you don't mind, I would like to talk to your new staff to learn about their experience working at our hotel." At first, Mr. Han got a little nervous, wondering why there was suddenly so much investigation. But Min Jae quickly changed the subject and said, "I really liked Chef Ji-Ho's traditional food, so I want to know more about him and learn about his experience working here. Our staff is an important part of our business, and if they are facing any problems or if there are issues in the hotel, we want to make sure to resolve them."
Hearing this, Mr. Han relaxed a bit and called Ji-Ho. But Min Jae said, "It's okay, our work here is done anyway. I'll meet him myself, don't worry."
After that, Min Jae went outside to the hotel's large garden and asked the staff to call Ji-Ho there. Soon, Ji-Ho arrived in the garden and greeted Min Jae professionally. Min Jae smiled warmly in response.
ji ho really liked min jae —after coming here, he was the first person who made ji ho feel comfortable and at ease. Min Jae was the first person who had spoken to him with such respectful kindness. Ji-Ho really liked Min Jae's smile. Min Jae found Ji-Ho very simple and innocent, so he politely asked him, "Would you like to keep me company for a while?"
Ji-Ho got a little nervous at first, but thinking about work, he said, "Yes, sure."
Then they both started walking together in the garden, chatting. Min Jae asked where Ji-Ho was from, where he lived now, and how his work was going. Ji-Ho answered the questions softly because his heart and mind were slowly going crazy for Min Jae. His heart was beating very fast, and he didn't understand what was happening to him. After a long time, someone was finally talking to him.
Ji-Ho kept smiling shyly as he looked at Min Jae's handsome face and walked beside him. His heart wished this walk with Min Jae would last forever. After many days, he finally felt peace.
He didn't want this moment to end, but after spending some time talking with Min Jae, all Ji-Ho could remember was Min Jae's charming smile and handsome face.
Min Jae smiled and said, "I really enjoyed talking to you. Thank you for your time. The food you made was also very delicious."
Ji-Ho smiled back and thanked him for the compliment.
Then Min Jae left, waving goodbye.
Ji-Ho placed his hand on his chest, wondering what was happening to him—why his heartbeat was so uncontrollable today.
For the first time in his life, Ji Ho was feeling a strange kind of emotion. Just then, a staff member came up behind him and said, "Boss is calling you, with your head chief." Ji Ho, hearing this, went to the boss's office with the head chief.
The boss smiled and said, "I am really proud of both of you. Today's food was excellent. You both did a great team job, and the result was outstanding."
The head chief and Ji Ho thanked the boss. Then Mr. Han came to the main point and asked Ji Ho, "So, what did Min Jae want to talk about alone?"
When Ji Ho tried to remember, he couldn't recall exactly what he had said to Min Jae or what they had discussed. Only a few things remained in his mind, so he thoughtfully told the boss, "Not much, sir. He mostly asked me about my hometown, my family, and traditional cooking. He said he really liked my food, that's all."
Mr. Han smiled and said, "Alright, you both can go now. It's already quite late."
At the boss's words, they both left and headed to their rooms. Once inside, Chef Do Hyun took a shower first. When Ji Ho came out of the shower and was drying his hair with a towel, he saw Chef Do Hyun trying to apply medicine to his burned hand, but with one hand, he couldn't apply the cream properly—it wasn't spreading well at all.
Ji Ho asked, "Can I help you, Chef?"
Chef Do Hyun said, "Yes."
Then he sat on his bed, and Ji Ho sat beside him. Carefully, Ji Ho cleaned the wounds and started applying the cream to the burns. The chef was quietly watching Ji Ho very closely.
Finally, the chef said, "Ji Ho, I am really sorry."
Ji Ho was shocked, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes, and asked, "Sorry? But why?"
The chef said, "Sorry because I have been very rude to you lately. I didn't treat you well and judged you without thinking. For that, I am really sorry."
Ji Ho replied, "It's okay, Chief. You don't need to apologize. I've understood that there's no free space for anyone in this world; everyone has to make a place for themselves. You don't need to worry; I'm not upset."
The chief looked at Ji Ho and asked, "Do you know? I thought maybe you were like the other new staff who came before."
Ji Ho, understanding, asked, "You mean I'm like them?"
The chef explained, "I mean before you, many new guys and girls were hired for different jobs, coming from various villages or ordinary places like you. But I don't know what happened to them—all of them disappeared after some time, or they were fired. Often the hotel management told me that many of the new staff were removed quickly because of their mistakes or unprofessional behavior, or they just vanished. So, I thought maybe you're one of those who would never do your job properly, just come for a while and then quit unprofessionally. That's why I thought you'd just waste my time."
ji ho then asked, "But do you know where those people went?"