Chapter 05
“Make kimbap.”
“Why kimbap all of a sudden?”
“That question is the millionth one.”
“Isn’t it natural to ask? You’re like a full-on cooking master now.”
Wearing a traditional hanbok with her hair tied neatly in ribbons, and cooking in the kitchen, she was bound to draw attention.
“You were always solving practice problems to get into college, and now you’re cooking? What’s going on? Are you joining a cooking show?”
Sung-hoon, part of an idol group and a year older than her, had been like an older brother since they were kids, working together in countless child roles. She saw him so often it became exhausting.
“No, it’s just something.”
“Oh, come on, what is it?”
“…Is it done?”
Seol clumsily stirred with a wooden spatula and picked up a piece of carrot to taste it. Her first attempt at cooking was proving to be tough.
[Our sweet girl, people live on food.]
When Seol asked her grandmother for advice on winning over a man, her grandmother laughed for a long time before giving her one line of advice. She added that after being abroad for so long, he must be craving Korean food.
Her grandmother really knew everything—was this wisdom that came with age?
“Why kimbap though? If you’re aiming for a cooking show, shouldn’t you make something fancier?”
Seol scoffed at his clueless remark.
“Don’t you know? They say you can tell if someone’s a good cook just by their kimbap.”
“Who says that? Chef Paik?”
“A cooking blog.”
She planned to pack a pretty kimbap lunchbox and bring it to her teacher. It would be perfect if they could go on a little outing.
This was her “Make Kang Tae-joo See Me as a Woman” project. Step one: Win over his stomach. Then, make him fall for her completely.
Brimming with determination, she focused on frying the carrot. But Sung-hoon, now sitting nearby, picked up a sheet of seaweed from her ingredients and ate it.
“Ahh! Stop bothering me and go away!”
“Aw, come on, Yoon Seol, don’t be stingy.”
“I’m serious right now. This is the most important mission of my life!”
“So what is it about?”
As they bickered, a camera suddenly appeared. It was part of the marketing material for a drama-making film. Seol instinctively put on a smile.
“Oh, Yoon Seol, this looks great! Could you roll one kimbap again for the camera?”
The director’s instructions were clear, so Seol adjusted her posture. The thought of her teacher possibly seeing this made her put in extra effort.
With enthusiasm, she rolled up her sleeves, spread rice on the seaweed, added the ingredients, and managed to roll it. Success!
But when she cut it, the side burst open.
“Pfft.” Sung-hoon burst out laughing beside her.
“You’re adding too much rice.”
Looking dejected, Seol slumped her shoulders. Even as he teased her, Sung-hoon grabbed an end piece and ate it.
“Why are you eating that without asking?”
Though she scolded him, she was curious about his opinion. She anxiously watched him chew.
“…It’s super salty.”
“Really?”
Distraught, Seol quickly tasted the kimbap herself. Chewing carefully, she realized it wasn’t bad at all.
What? He lied?
Swallowing her indignation, she glanced at the stylist nearby and made eye contact.
Kimbap. Carb overload.
The stylist mouthed the words, reminding Seol of her earlier comment about Seol looking like she had gained weight during a fitting.
Panicking, Seol discreetly spit the food into a tissue while the camera turned to Sung-hoon.
“Yoon Seol, can you give a compliment about Sung-hoon’s appearance?”
The director’s request came with a smile.
“A compliment? Hmm.”
“What’s with the long pause? Just say I’m handsome.”
Seol studied Sung-hoon with wide eyes.
“Face Genius” was the title that always followed him.
But Seol couldn’t agree. No matter how she looked at it, her teacher was way more handsome.
Oh, how she missed him.
Even though her teacher was finally back in Korea, she couldn’t meet him yet. She had to wait three more days until she turned 20.
‘No, Yoon Seol. Don’t get greedy. You’ve waited four years, what’s three more days?’
Still, the thought that they were under the same Korean sky comforted her.
While counting down to the day in her head, she spotted a man stepping out of a newly parked car. Her eyes widened like saucers.
“…Teacher?”
Was she seeing things because she missed him so much? Why would her teacher be here?
Seol tried to rub her eyes but stopped, remembering her makeup. Blinking rapidly, she looked again.
The radiant figure before her was undoubtedly Kang Tae-Joo, her teacher.
But he wasn’t alone.
A beautiful woman was with him.
Seol’s round eyes narrowed into triangles.
What? He’s only been back for a few days!
Walking side by side, they looked close. Seol couldn’t just stand there anymore and jumped to her feet.
“Yoon Seol, where are you going?”
To catch my teacher in the act of cheating!
“Me? Bathroom!”
She waved off Sung-hoon’s question, grabbed her skirt, and bounded away.
“Hello, are you Kang Tae-joo?”
The woman approached Tae-joo as he stepped out of the driver’s seat and held out her hand.
“We spoke on the phone earlier. I’m Kim Soo-hyun.”
“Kang Tae-joo. Nice to meet you.”
Tae-joo lightly shook her hand before letting go. She was the secretary and translator managing director Jason’s Korean schedule.
“Director Jason has been spending most of his time at this studio lately, so I had to ask you to come here. He’s very interested in Korea’s filming system.”
“That’s fine.”
Director Jason, a Korean-American, was a renowned filmmaker even in his seventies.
“You’ve finalized the rights to River of Memory, right? That company must have a capable representative. Even famous production companies failed to secure it.”
“I was lucky.”
Tae-joo kept the fact that he was the company’s CEO a secret.
To avoid his grandfather’s watchful eye, he had someone else serve as the figurehead while he worked behind the scenes.
“The director seems very interested in the project.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Kim Soo-hyun didn’t hide her admiration for him.
As they toured the studio, she suddenly brushed something off Tae-joo’s shoulder.
“There was a bug.”
She smiled flirtatiously, but Tae-joo’s response was cold and brief.
“Is that so.”
When he didn’t react, Kim Soo-hyun awkwardly laughed and changed the topic.
“Looks like the shoot’s running long.”
“Then I’ll take a look around by myself for a bit.”
“…Oh, sure. I’ll call you when the director is free.”
Kim Soo-hyun left reluctantly.
‘What was that? Did she just touch his shoulder?’
Seol’s eyes flared as she watched.
Teacher, what are you doing here? Who is that woman to you?
Surely he didn’t come here for me… right?
Seol bit her lip nervously.
‘What are they talking about? I can’t hear a thing.’
She trailed them cautiously, watching them chat continuously.
‘He barely talks to me, but with her, he’s so chatty?’
It hadn’t even been ten years since she’d last seen him, and yet, everything seemed so different.
‘It’s probably just work, right? Just work?’
Still, the sight of the woman beside her teacher made Seol uneasy. She was an intellectual beauty, clearly mature and sophisticated.
Even her height, boosted by high heels, matched Tae-joo’s, making them look like a perfect couple.
And to top it off, her figure was curvy and seductive.
Seol glanced down at her flat chest.
‘…It’s just the hanbok.’
Trying to reassure herself, she felt her anxiety spike when the woman brought a hand to her ear as if to make a call.
‘Did they exchange numbers?’
Shocked, Seol stiffened. Just then, someone tapped her shoulder. Startled, she turned to see a passing staff member.
“You can’t stand here; it’s dangerous.”
“…Oh, sorry.”
Realizing she was in someone else’s filming area, Seol bowed and shuffled away, trying to stay unnoticed.
But by the time she looked up again, both her teacher and the woman had disappeared.
‘Huh? Where did they go?’
Anxiously searching, she rounded a corner in the set and nearly bumped into someone.
“Oh, sorry…”
“Looking for me?”
That familiar deep voice froze her in place.
Seol slowly looked up.
There he was, her teacher, arms crossed, staring down at her.
Startled, she held her breath.
