God of Cooking Chapter 8:

On that night after dinner, Lucas told his story bitterly to Jo Minjoon . It was really honest to tell to someone he had just met, but maybe it was easier to do so as they were only related for a day .

Lucas said he was the CEO of a jelly factory . When you heard the word factory it was easy to imagine a low quality food, however Lucas was someone who tried his best to get away of that prejudice . And his efforts returned as a rather good sale .

The downfall of a factory that was doing well happened on a morning . An american program that seeked safety targeted Lucas’s factory . They went to the broadcast with a jelly that contained soil, something that could never happen on a refining process, and claimed that is a jelly of Lucas’s factory . Also that made up broadcast got popular as it got more than 10% of rating .

Lucas immediately sued the broadcast, however as the trial took really long the factory was already on a state of downfall . It was Lucas’s dream to manage a jelly factory since he was small . However they say that since then he has lost all of his will . That’s why he became a vagabond and roamed from here to there .

He spent almost three months as a vagabond . After those three months he came back to the 92nd street, but Lucas didn’t have to courage to get inside of his house . At that time it was Jo Minjoon who gave him those 5 dollars . When Jo Minjoon was holding the 5 dollar bill, there were many things Lucas was thinking on his head . The embarrassment of his shabby form to the point people treated him as a beggar, and a strange feeling he got when he was given the 5 dollars . It was a complicated feeling, but thanks to that Lucas could return to his house .

However .

“Jessie won’t forgive me . ”

Lucas mumbled bitterly . Jane went upstairs to soothe Jessie, the results were the noises of Jessie crying and Jane’s **** voice . Lucas sighed and said .

“I’m sorry . To bring a guest to this mess . ”
“……A small child will be like that . When you stop feeling sorry, you will be able to go back to before . ”
“I wonder… . Would I be able to do that? I left everything behind and left . I had a kid and a wife . I could only think of my sufferings . I’m a bad father . ”
“No father in the world can be a perfect superman . ”

Listening to that, Lucas replied while smiling .

“But all the children wish their father was superman . ”

Jo Minjoon couldn’t reply back . Lucas’s mood was really down to try to console him .

The conversation ended there . Lucas walked sloppily to his bedroom, and Jo Minjoon went to his assigned room . His head was mess . Lucas’s problem was also his problem, and this house’s problem .  Of course it wasn’t a problem he could intervene in because he thought that it was a sensitive family problem .

The problem was the schedule he had after .  First, he had to go downtown . He had to get re reissuance of his lost card, and needed a proper place to stay that wasn’t Lucas’s house .

“…… . Should I ask if they can get me there . ”

There wasn’t anything harder than to say something he would regret . It was even more on a situation like this family . It was when Jo Minjoon was sighing and was covering himself with the blanket . It could be heard that the next room’s door was opening with a creak . The next room was Jessie’s room . Where could she be going at this night? Maybe she is running away?

At the moment’s worry, Jo Minjoon opened quietly the door and went out . Jessie was walking sneakily almost to the point that nothing could be heard . And the steps those feet were directed was the kitchen . Looking at Jessie eating the cold mac and cheese, Jo Minjoon let a sigh inwardly . Right . She’s at the age she should be hungry . If she didn’t eat dinner then even more .

Jo Minjoon hesitated a moment and went downstairs . Jessie was startled and stared at Jo Minjoon . Jo Minjoon laughed awkwardly at her eyes filled with wariness .

“Hello . ”
“……What is it?”
“Are you hungry? Should I make you someth… . Oh, it’s not my kitchen . ”

He couldn’t just use another person’s kitchen . However Jessie could so Jo Minjoon said .

“After pouring some water, put some vinegar and boil it again . Then it will be eatable . ”
“… … …”

Jessie didn’t reply but she did as Jo Minjoon told her to . She poured water and vinegar in the pot and put it on fire . The vinegar would save the macaronis elasticity by at least a little . Of course there was some sour flavor left so it was best to pour just a little .

After sloppily resuscitating the macaronis, Jessie started to eat her late meal without any words . Jo Minjoon looked still at Jessie . In the end Jessie opened her mouth first .

“Why are you looking like that?”
“Your father . Heard the story . ”
“……I’m just trying to leave it like that so stop it . ”

Jessie replied with a mean voice . It was a rebellious attitude but he didn’t mind . Still, his body was one which had lived as a teacher 2 years ago . He was rather accustomed dealing with an adolescent going through puberty . He shook his head .

“I’m not thinking of lecturing you . Just to congratulate you . ”
“Congratulate on what?”
“That your father came back . Don’t you think it’s a reason to celebrate?”

Jessie didn’t reply . Her long eyelashes, characteristical of white people, pointing down . He could tell with that . That she didn’t hold a grudge against her father like what she was showing . Rather she was quite longing for him .

“I’m soon leaving . ”
“What does that mean . ”
“That you can tell me everything without being embarrassed . That your father came back, honestly you are happy . You have to be happy . If you want to eat something but can’t you keep remembering it . It’s the same . ”
“…… . do then . ”
“What?”
“What should I do then . ”

Her words were mixed with crying sounds . Jessie was biting her lips . It seemed like she didn’t want to show her weak side . Jessie continued talking while crying .

“Whenever I see Dad I get angry . In the past, he was proud and cool . Why did that kind of person… Why did he get so small? Why did he get that miserable?”
“……It’s not that he got small . Your father aged to the point you can see his small back . ”

How many fathers were on the world with broad backs . Every father is afraid of his back not being big enough in front of his children, but it couldn’t be helped for that day to come . Except he got healthy enough for his age, the children will end up knowing that their father’s back is small . Jo Minjoon opened his mouth .

“I said that I won’t lecture you so instead I will ask you a question . Do you want to hug the small back of your dad or do you want to stop looking at it?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to look at it . ”
“So it means that you want to hug him . ”

Jo Minjoon smiled after saying that . Jessie turned her head with her eyes flushed . It was a good idea . If little, she was a kid that didn’t know how to hate her parents . It was precisely that she was that kind of kid, that after all of that revolt she ended in her room which was on the 2nd floor . If she was a kid that wasn’t fond of her parents then she would have immediately ran away from her house . Jo Minjoon undisturbed, opened his mouth .

“I will cheer for you, do you want to do it?”
“……So how?”

Jo Minjoon replied .

“With the things your dad loves the most . ”

For example jelly .