“Jinseoyeon, how was your first day at work?”
Yongbok tilted his head slightly as if he was relaxed. His hair flowed softly and his eyes turned to Seoyeon.
“Ah… I’m still not in my right mind.”
Seoyeon nodded her head hesitantly. Her tense fingertips hovered awkwardly over the dishwashing tub.
“Don’t just break the plate. It’s my precious work of art.”
Yongbok's warning sounded like a joke. But his eyes were serious.
Seoyeon's head was complicated.
'Ugh... This is so scary... If I break a plate, I might really get kicked out!'
She took a deep breath and answered.
“Yes! I will do my best.”
***
The kitchen was bustling.
Yongbok's hand movements as he poured the sauce on the plate were as graceful as a dancer's.
His every word was clear, and all employees had to follow his rhythm.
“Reduce the amount of sauce. If you add too much, it will be greasy.”
“Yes, Chef!”
“Match the vegetable colors!”
"yes!"
As Yongbok’s voice grew sharper, Seoyeon’s heart also started to beat faster.
But the task given to Seoyeon was different.
Plates piled high, and soft jazz music flowing from the hall.
'Wake up, Jin Seo-yeon. Since we've started, let's do it perfectly.'
But hardships came quickly to the novice dishwasher.
Clang-
“Ahh!”
Seoyeon slipped on the soap bubbles and dropped a small bowl.
A moment of silence.
Yongbok rolled his eyes.
“What just happened?”
Seoyeon's face turned red and she quickly bent down.
“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!”
Yongbok snickered, then came over and lightly lifted her hand.
“Is your hand okay?”
“Okay… I’ll be careful…!”
Seoyeon's cheeks flushed. He was closer than she thought.
At that moment, the restaurant door opened.
“Chef! I heard you have a VIP reservation for today. At 7 o’clock.”
The serving team leader shouted urgently.
Yongbok nodded briefly.
“Okay, I’ll change the menu today. I’ll have to re-plan the course with fresh seafood.”
And then he turned his head and looked straight at Seoyeon.
“Seoyeon, today is the first day, so you need to be more alert. VIP guests don’t tolerate mistakes.”
Seoyeon swallowed hard.
“....Yep!!”
***
The kitchen became busy again.
Seo-yeon glanced at Yong-bok's hands while washing the dishes.
'Chef... you're really cool... I wonder if I can become a chef like that someday...'
“Ahh!”
Seoyeon was lost in thought when the bowl slipped from her fingertips again.
'No...no!!!!!'
Shards of broken dishes litter the kitchen floor.
The surroundings instantly froze.
"Seoyeon, are you okay?"
My colleagues asked me.
Yongbok looked at her with sharp eyes.
“Ms. Jin Seo-yeon…”
In that short name, you could feel how angry he was.
“I’m sorry… I really won’t do it again this time.”
“We are currently preparing for the VIP course. We cannot tolerate mistakes like this.”
Seoyeon bowed her head deeply.
"yes…"
But that wasn't all.
She noticed that a piece of broken dish had landed in the bowl of just-finished shrimp soup.
I was out of breath.
'Ugh...what should I do? If I tell you...I'll get in trouble more. Ugh...ㅠㅠ What should I do...'
Suddenly, the first thing that came to mind was the shrimp soup my father used to make for me when I was little.
‘Can’t I…make it again?’
Seoyeon sneaked into the corner of the kitchen and clumsily made the shrimp soup again.
I quickly cooked something, reminiscing about the taste of my childhood.
'Was it originally in there? Dad put it in, but...'
Finally, Seoyeon's soup heads to the VIP table.
Seoyeon's heart was pounding as if it was going to burst.
'Please... don't notice... ㅜㅜ I guarantee the taste...ㅜㅜ'
However, Yongbok made a slightly frowning expression after the bowl was put down.
Because it looked different from the soup I made.
‘… This is not the soup I made.’
"Sir, there seems to have been a mistake. I'm sorry, but could you please wait a moment..."
The VIP tasted the soup in silence.
And then a low, authoritative voice flowed out.
“ Okay. Bring the person who made this soup to me right now.”
"Uh...what???"
Iron-pudeok-
Seoyeon fell forward and was caught eavesdropping on the conversation outside.
She thought to herself...
'It's over…'
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