Chapter 2
The situation was dire, a twisted irony for both Leza and Honsu. Despite his cold rejection earlier that day, Honsu found himself gripping her hand with white-knuckled intensity. The weight of her body was crushing his chest against the cold metal grill of the bridge. His breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to hold on.
"You... you are a completely insane girl!" Honsu gritted out, his muscles screaming under the strain.
Leza, suspended over the dark, churning abyss, looked down at the water and then back at Honsu. The romanticized idea of death had vanished the moment her feet left solid ground. Terror surged through her.
"No! No! Pull me up! I don't want to die!" she shrieked, her body swaying dangerously in the wind.
Even in his pain, Honsu couldn't help but feel the absurdity. "You are truly strange! First, you jump to end it all, and now you're begging for your life?"
Leza began to sob hysterically, her fingers slipping against his palm. "My brain... it wasn't working right! Please, don't let go! I don't want to die, please!"
Honsu's shoulders were on the verge of giving out. "I... I can't hold on much longer! My grip is failing!"
"Don't let me fall!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. "If you save me, I'll cook you the most special dish of your life! Just save me, please!"
Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt behind them. It was Dohon. Seeing his brother draped over the railing in such a precarious position, he sprinted toward them, panic etched on his face.
"Brother! What on earth are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Honsu roared through clenched teeth. "I'm playing cricket! You idiot, can't you see I'm trying to save a life? Help me!"
Dohon blinked, a nervous grin tugging at his lips. "Oh! Sorry! I thought you were trying to jump too."
With Dohon's help, they finally hauled Leza back over the railing. She collapsed on the pavement, gasping and dizzy, while Honsu doubled over, his hands on his knees as he fought to regain his breath. Once he could speak, his fury erupted.
"How could you be so reckless? You were going to throw away your entire life just because of a rejection?"
Leza shook her head, trying to steady herself. "It wasn't just your rejection. It was my fiancé..."
At the mention of the fiancé, Honsu's expression soured, and he went silent. He turned toward his car, his voice dropping to a calmer, sterner tone. "Never try to die again. A human life is far too precious."
He climbed into his car, but Dohon called out in a worried voice, "Brother, she's passed out!"
Honsu looked back to see Leza slumped on the concrete, unconscious. He sighed, stepped out of the car, and gestured to his brother. "Help me put her in the car. We can't leave her here."
When Leza finally opened her eyes, she found herself in a luxurious, impeccably designed bedroom. Honsu was sitting nearby, waiting.
"So, you're awake," he said coolly. "Get up. It's time for you to go home."
Leza looked around the room, her eyes widening in genuine appreciation. "Wow... this room is beautiful. But," she added with a hint of a sad smile, "it's not exactly bigger or more beautiful than mine."
Honsu narrowed his eyes. "What? Are you saying you're wealthy enough to have a better room than this?"
Leza looked down, the smile fading into a bitter expression. "I am wealthy, Honsu. I live in a massive house, all by myself. My parents left me an inheritance that is practically unlimited. I could never spend it all. But my fiancé... he betrayed me. He fled the country with more than half of my fortune."
Honsu studied her with a skeptical gaze. "If you're so rich, why were you desperate for a job in my kitchen?"
"Because I was tired of the silence of that big house. And because my fiancé told me I was good at it. But his last text... it said I should spend the rest of my life cooking for money because no man would ever want to be with a 'four-fingered girl.' He said he was leaving me half my wealth only because he had a shred of humanity left."
The cruelty of the story hung in the air. Honsu didn't offer empty pity. "Hmm. He certainly didn't do right by you. So, what's your plan now?"
Leza looked up, a spark of defiance in her eyes. "I don't care about the money he stole. I care that everyone discards me because of my hand, even though it's not my fault. I love cooking. I wanted to work in your restaurant to prove to the world what I can do."
Honsu had always believed that true talent required perfection, and in his eyes, Leza's missing middle finger made her 'imperfect.' Her chances had been zero. But something about her resilience moved him.
He let out a long, weary sigh. "If you're truly that confident in your cooking... then tonight, you will prepare a meal for me and my siblings. If the food is as good as your words, I will give you the job."
Leza's face lit up with a surge of hope. "I'll cook a meal so good that all three of you will want to eat your own fingers along with it!"
Honsu couldn't hide a small, fleeting smile. "Then prepare yourself for your trial. Your future depends on this plate.