God of Cooking Novel - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Scandals (2)

It was possible one of the people that left her was Tess Gilly. Actually, considering the situation, she was definitely one of them.

Checking if it was true came first. There was no guarantee that Kaya was going to tell the truth… But if she did lie, that responsibility would be on her, so they expected a wise answer from her.

Martin got moving. Once he sat down in front of Cho Min Joon, he smiled tiredly. Cho Min Joon looked at him in anxiousness.

“What’s the matter? You said it could have something to do with me.”

“… Since I can’t hide it and there’s no need to, I”ll just tell you. Kaya’s involved in a scandal.”

“A scandal.?”

“It sounds like something from her school days… But we’re not sure yet. What’s important is that many people saw that post, and it’ll probably go viral.”

“And Kaya knows about this?”

“Not yet. But she’ll find out soon enough. After all, we have to hear her side of the story.”

Cho Min Joon’s face grew dark. He knew a little about it. That something big happened when Kaya was in middle school. After all, after she became a star chef, she talked about it herself.

He didn’t remember the name, but he heard she was quite close to Kaya, but unlike Kaya, she was from the upper class, and that was what split them up in the end. When they grew so distant that they couldn’t even face each other, a permanent scar was left on the other person’s body, and Kaya ended up getting expelled, but it wasn’t just about Kaya. Kaya was a troubled child, but the other person also had issues, but it was just the other person who had a scar to prove it. If it was the other way around, it was possible Kaya still would have went to school.

But did a scandal break loose because of this? Cho Min Joon didn’t remember. It was possible this was his influence. After all, if there was a difference from before and now, it was his presence. Before, she starred in the show in the shadows, but because of him, Kaya spent her days being more cheerful. That might have been the trigger causing this scandal. The trigger that wasn’t previously pulled. Cho Min Joon asked, “… When are you going to tell her?”

“Right after your interview. The earlier the better.”

“Sigh… You’re right.”

Imagining Kaya having a hard time over malicious comments made him feel sad, and out of consideration for Cho Min Joon, the interview was cut shorter. After answering all this questions with a smile, he left the room and saw Kaya leaning her back against the wall. He glanced at her hand and noticed that she wasn’t holding her phone.

“What are you doing here?”

“They told me to wait for my interview.”

Kaya gave a short answer. It sounded like she was dissatisfied with something. Cho Min Joon suspiciously asked, “Did I do something wrong again?”

“You’re always like that. You act like I’m always mad. I’m not mad!”

“You sound mad.”

Kaya’s eye twitched.

“You’re always so friendly to girls like Chloe, but you always treat me like I’m a troublemaker. I might be poor and uneducated, but that doesn’t make me stupid. I have sense and pride. Stop treating me like a kid.”

He was about to refute, but he stopped himself. If he thought about it, it made sense that Kaya thought that way. Just like how everything a parent said sounded like nagging… He might have always nagged her when he just had her best interest. He answered with a sad face, “Sorry.”

“… Don’t apologize. Why are you so serious all of a sudden?”

Kaya grumbled less as if she wondered if she went overboard. Cho Min Joon just looked at her without a word. He wasn’t sure if she could handle the scandal. He also felt bad because he felt like it was his fault. He spoke in a lower voice, “When you go inside, you’ll hear something unexpected.”

“Something unexpected?”

“It’s not good, but you have to get through it. Don’t fall apart and don’t be upset. Just think of it as something that’ll pass.”

“What is it? Why do you sound so serious?”

Kaya looked at him with anxiousness. Cho Min Joon smiled.

“I believe in you, so don’t be anxious. Remember that at least one person is on your side.”

***

The interview ended. Kaya ignored everyone’s worried gazes and headed to her room. No one stopped her. It was clear just how angry she was. Actually, that might have been fear, not rage. But no one asked Kaya how she felt. The slam of the door wasn’t the issue. No one knew what to say to her.

Kaya laid on her bed and screamed into her pillow. Since the scream didn’t leave the room, she still felt frustrated.

Tess Gilly. She didn’t think that name would ever show up in her life again.

“That crazy bitch. She’s a storyteller now, eh?”

Kaya huffed and puffed in front of her phone. Her post was long, but the content was simple. Kaya was a problem child in middle school, and she tried to be friends with Kaya, but all she got in return was violence. Kaya laughed out of absurdity. Her laugh then turned stiff, and her lips trembled with rage.

Kaya Reuters: This is Kaya Reuters. Say that bullshit to my face. Are you still a mythomaniac? You bitch…

Kaya typed out a response out of rage, but at that moment, a call came in, and she saw a familiar name. It was her little sister. Kaya paused. She loosened up her face and put an awkward smile on her face. It was obviously forced, but that was okay. It wasn’t a video call. She only smiled to fix her emotion. If she put on an angry face, it was going to be conveyed in her voice.

“Hello?”

[Kaya… a-are you okay?]

Her little sister’s accent and pronunciation lacked control. Her strange voice made her feel at lease. Her little sister, Gemma, suffered from brain paralysis. She was unable to speak, move, or make facial expressions naturally, but Kaya had never felt uncomfortable by it. If anyone were, she didn’t hesitate to cuss them out. That was the kind of big sister she was.

Kaya spoke in a soft voice. If anyone had heard that, they would have been shocked by how caring she sounded.

“Of course, I’m okay. But why are you calling? Did one of those market thugs harass you again?”

[I’m fine. B-but Tess. That girl…]

“I know. Don’t worry. It won’t be a problem. Does Mom know, too?”

[No… I didn’t tell her.]

“Good. Don’t tell her. Promise me, okay?”

Gemma hesitated for a moment, but she eventually said yes. Kaya smiled sadly.

“It’s hard without me, isn’t it? Sorry. I”ll be back soon.”

[I’m doing just fine without you, so don’t worry about me.]

“How can I not worry? You’re worrying about me, aren’t you? I’m fine, so don’t think about it. Worrying about it won’t help. Okay?”

Gemma didn’t answer. Kaya sighed.

“My phone is going to get overcharged. I”ll call you later. Okay?”

[Okay… Cheer up.]

“Okay. I will.”

She hung up. As soon as she did, she saw the comment she was just writing. She erased it. She just told her sister not to worry, so she couldn’t make this situation worse.

At that moment, she heard a knock. A soft and cautious knock. Just the sound of the knock made her realize who it was.

“Can I come in?”

It was Cho Min Joon. Kaya hesitated before standing in front of the door. She then answered in a low and coarse voice, “If you come in, I’m going to take my anger out of you, so don’t come in.”

“You can take it out on me. I’ll let you.”

Kaya was unable to answer. She didn’t want to take it out on him. She didn’t want to treat him in such a harsh manner. After all, Cho Min Joon treated her as someone with worth. It was the first time. The feeling of being respected.

So she became more sensitive around him. ‘What if he looks down on me? What if he starts seeing me as a thug just like everybody else?’ But Cho Min Joon never did. This might have sounded weird to people, but Kaya felt as though Cho Min Joon was seeing someone different in her, and she didn’t hate it. She might have been delusional, but it felt good to be evaluated positively by someone.

So she didn’t want to always act like a kid around him. Her words were different from her actions. She always told her not to look down on her for being poor and uneducated, but she was the one who asked for it with her behavior. Even she saw herself as dumb, so she didn’t know why Cho Min Joon thought so highly of her.

She couldn’t open the door. She didn’t know how much lower she would fall if she did. She couldn’t do it anymore. That was what she decided. She didn’t want to act like a kid anymore, but why was it…? Her hand gravitated toward the doorknob. Kaya looked at her own hand with shaking eyes. ‘No. I can’t.’ Kaya opened her mouth. She mumbled. So quietly that she wasn’t sure if he could hear it on the other side.

“If you don’t leave… I’ll feel too pathetic. I’m a loser. It’s true. I always tell you not to look down on me, but the truth is…”

Kaya shut her mouth. She couldn’t bear to say it with her own lips. She bit down on her lip and continued in a frustrated voice, “… Maybe I’m looking down on myself more than anyone. That’s why. So don’t make me feel more pathetic than I already am.”

Each word was hard to spit out. ‘I wonder what his face looks like right now. I wonder what he’s thinking. Does he think I have a problem?’ Kaya didn’t know.

“Go. Please.”

She didn’t get an answer. Kaya stood still in front of the door. How many minutes after? One minute? Five minutes? Perhaps, it was 10 minutes later. Kaya opened the door.

No one was there. At that moment, she felt her heart drop. Although she was the one who told him to leave, she had some hope. She felt pathetic.

As soon as she was about to turn around, something caught her eye. Beside the door was a small plate. It was a sandwich. Kaya stared at it with blank eyes. After how many minutes, she slowly picked up the plate. She then bit into the sandwich on her bed.

“… loser.”

It tasted bitter.