Chapter 17
Kim Hyeyoon picked up a knife.
"This should be about right……."
She placed an onion on the cutting board. She gave her wrist a light twist, then brought the knife down.
Swaak―
The blade passed through the onion without a sound.
The translucent-thin slices slid down onto the cutting board in a rustling cascade.
The thickness was perfectly uniform, with not even a hair's-breadth of error.
"……I can do this."
She murmured without realizing it.
Her wrist was fine.
Even the weight of holding the knife felt faint.
If she couldn't feel the weight, she didn't need to force it.
And if she didn't need to force it, her wrist wouldn't tremble.
All her hands had to do was trace the line she drew in her mind.
Only a few days ago, she had been afraid even to hold a knife.
She'd wake up drenched in cold sweat every dawn, the blade tip would be subtly off, and her cuts would grow more and more askew day by day.
For a perfectionist like her, it was unbearable.
But now.
Tak, tak, tak, tak―
Her hands were moving so fast they were almost invisible.
Every slice came out the same size. Nothing stuck to the blade. Her wrist felt no strain at all.
Her prime.
Back when she was making a name for herself as the youngest sous-chef in a Michelin kitchen overseas.
She remembered when her fingertips had been at their sharpest.
'……No.'
It was even sharper than back then.
If her past self saw her now, she'd definitely gape.
Her prime, and then some.
"……What on earth is this knife?"
Her heart pounded.
Her hand on the hilt tightened unconsciously.
It felt like it would work.
Just a few days ago, she'd thought everything would be over if things continued like this.
And yet.
It works.
This is absolutely going to work.
***
Private restaurant on the hotel's top floor.
"……Everyone."
Hyeyoon looked over the line of staff standing at attention.
Every one of them looked stiff-faced.
They couldn't help it.
A social gathering where titans from politics and business—names everyone would know—were all assembled in one place.
Because they were the ones responsible for tonight's dinner.
"I know everyone's nervous. But it's nothing special."
Hyeyoon gave a faint smile.
"Just do what we always do. Like we do every day."
“Yes, Chef!”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Prep began.
The stock boiled, the sauce reduced, and the ingredients were prepped.
The spacious kitchen turned like interlocking gears.
And at the center of it all was Hyeyoon.
*
Once service began, the frightened self from a few days ago vanished as if she'd never existed.
Tak-tak-tak-tak―
The knife danced.
A flick of her wrist split the thick tenderloin into even slices.
Even the sinewy parts gave way without a hint of resistance.
Because she never cut against the grain, not a drop of juice escaped.
On top of that, her body felt lighter than ever.
Since the day she collapsed, she hadn't had that damn nightmare even once.
Waking up drenched in cold sweat every dawn, the shoulders that had felt as heavy as a thousand pounds—all of it was gone.
Her body had returned completely to normal.
Every fingertip moved exactly as she intended.
…….
The finished plates were set on the pass.
The staff member assisting beside her swallowed unconsciously.
This wasn't the usual chef.
No, she was good even on normal days.
She wasn't called a genius for nothing.
But today was on another level.
The chef's hands were moving so fast they were nearly invisible.
Hard carrots, soft tomatoes, and tough chunks of meat were all sliced to the same thickness as if it were nothing.
It was as if knife and hand had become one, every motion painting a picture on the plate.
'What the hell is this person…….'
The staff member only vaguely realized that they were witnessing something extraordinary.
It wasn't just that staff member.
Swept up by the head chef's almost possessed energy, the whole kitchen heated up in turn.
Even without anyone urging them, everyone was working faster.
"Chef, the garnish is ready!"
"The sauce is reducing!"
"Lower the heat and wait thirty seconds. I'll put the meat on right away, so time it properly!"
There wasn't the slightest tremor in Hyeyoon's voice as she ran the open kitchen.
…….
At some point, the noise of the kitchen faded into the distance.
A cutting board and a knife. That was all.
Each time she cut, she could feel the ingredient's own aroma and texture coming alive perfectly.
It was the ultimate catharsis a chef could feel.
Before she knew it, a faint smile spread across her lips.
'……This is fun.'
She had devoted her whole life to cooking, but she'd never felt being in the kitchen this thrilling and enjoyable.
She was in the middle of knocking out the main dish, riding the peak of the flow, when it happened.
"Chef."
The hall manager hurried into the kitchen.
"Someone…… says they'd like to see you, Chef."
"Yes?"
Hyeyoon's heart dropped.
At a VIP social gathering like today, calling the head chef out to the hall in the middle of dinner?
'……Did something go wrong?'
Did something foreign get into the food?
Or had the meat been cooked so badly that a complaint was coming?
Her mind went blank.
Today was not a day that could afford even a single mistake.
She hurriedly adjusted her apron and followed the hall manager with a stiff face.
The deepest part of the hall.
It was a table where top-tier VIPs were gathered.
Director Yoon Se-ah, along with conglomerate chairmen and celebrities she'd only ever seen on the news, were seated there.
She swallowed hard.
"윤 이사님, 부르셨……."
"Ah, Chef Kim!"
Director Yoon rose from her seat with a bright smile at the tense Hyeyoon.
"Hahaha, Chairman. This is our hotel's pride, the head chef Kim Hyeyoon I mentioned. I told you she may be young, but her skill is beyond doubt, didn't I?"
"Ho ho, so this is the one who used to be at Le Ciel?"
The silver-haired patriarch of the conglomerate family raised his wineglass with a satisfied smile.
"I've never had steak like this in my life. It melts the moment it hits the mouth, and somehow it's packed with so much juice…… This young chef is truly something!"
"That's right! I was shocked just now when I tried it too. Chef, how did you cook this? It was just melting in my mouth."
The young third-generation chaebol heiress seated beside him also showered praise with sparkling eyes.
"I've been to most Michelin places overseas, and I think this is the best one. Really."
"Ho ho, how did you bring in talent like this? Director Yoon, how about we poach her for our side?"
"Haha, that's difficult. She's our hotel's treasure."
Director Yoon answered with a laugh.
"Everyone was praising the chef's cooking."
…It wasn't a complaint.
"Ah…… thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Only then did Hyeyoon relax her stiff shoulders and bow deeply.
She managed to hold it together, but she couldn't help the tremor in her voice.
An overwhelming thrill washed over her.
It was a place where Korea's wealth and power had gathered in one place.
And in front of people like that, her cooking was being recognized.
It was perfect.
It felt as if all the pressure that had been weighing her down had been washed away in an instant.
But this was no time to sit back.
The banquet wasn't over yet.
Hyeyoon returned to the open kitchen.
And she gripped the knife.
For some reason, the flames of the open kitchen looked especially beautiful today.
***
At the same time, in a corner of the kitchen.
Kang Mirae was gritting her teeth.
'……Fuck. What the hell is going on.'
Outwardly, she was still smiling softly.
She supported the head chef like a shadow and kept even the junior staff appeased.
A sous-chef known among the kitchen staff for being well-liked.
That was Kang Mirae.
But behind that smiling face, she was actually burning up inside.
It was definitely working.
Just a few days ago, that stuck-up head chef had been visibly falling apart.
A bloodless face. Dark circles that made it obvious she'd been up until dawn. And that right wrist she kept rubbing whenever she held a knife.
She knew all of it.
Just a little more. She only had to push a little further.
But now, that woman.
She was wielding her knife as if possessed by a god.
‘……I really hate this.’
Mirae bit the inside of her lip.
Looking back, she'd hated her from the start.
The head of this kitchen was supposed to be hers.
She'd held a knife for over ten years. She came in before dawn, turned on the lights before anyone else, and climbed rung by rung from the days she was the youngest until her hands were covered in calluses.
She had clawed her way up to sous-chef like that.
All she had to do was take one more step.
That seat was right in front of her.
And then.
They brought in some much younger kid from overseas and plopped her right into that spot.
Apparently she'd been a sous-chef overseas.
Fine. She told herself there was nothing to be done.
'……Well, she must have come because she was worth it.'
If she came on skill, she'd have to accept it.
But then she heard a rumor.
A rumor that Kim Hyeyoon had been given that seat not purely because of skill.
That Yoon Se-ah, who became a director at such a young age, had put that girl there as a kind of example to show that 'even the young can do it'.
Not for skill.
As a symbol.
'……Fuck.'
She felt like she was going to go insane with anger.
That the position she'd devoted her entire life to had been filled as a tool for someone else's symbol.
And by someone seven years younger than her, no less.
Of course, she acted friendly on the outside. She smiled warmly and took care of this and that first.
I'm a professional.
Because I'm a sous-chef.
No matter what she thought inside, showing it was something only second-rate people did.
She knew better than anyone that the moment you showed your feelings in this business, it was over.
Then, one day while she was swallowing all that bitterness.
…They reached out to her.
*
When she first heard the proposal, Mirae couldn't help but be shocked.
They said the seat was originally yours, and they'd help you take it back.
"……What?"
She couldn't quite understand what was happening.
Who were these people, showing up out of nowhere and saying this?
Did that brat make enemies somewhere?
Or… Director Yoon's side?
But there was a condition.
They said she only had to help with one thing.
To 'curse' that young chef.
"……What did you say?"
She felt instantly put off. She wondered if they were some kind of cult.
Talismans this, spiritual power that. They went on spouting nonsense, and all it did was make her laugh bitterly.
Of course she tried to leave, telling them not to talk nonsense.
…But then.
Strangely enough.
For some reason, her feet wouldn't move easily when she tried to stand.
In the end, she accepted that absurd offer.
The reason was simple.
She felt no guilt.
'……There isn't any evidence anyway.'
Even if something happened just because she stuck on one talisman, the police weren't going to come arrest her for 'cursing someone'.
Right. She'd just try it once.
She knew it probably wouldn't work anyway.
Wanting to curse that unlucky bitch who stole her place was only natural, wasn't it?
That's how she reassured herself.
*
But then.
Somehow, it really worked.
Starting the day the talisman was attached, Hyeyoon began visibly falling apart.
A gaunt face. Bloodshot eyes that clearly meant she'd been up until dawn. And that right wrist she kept rubbing whenever she held a knife.
Mirae watched all of it from the side with a gentle smile.
…Yeah.
This was all that needed to happen.
The highlight was today.
If the young head chef made a huge mistake at this important event,
or if she collapsed in front of everyone before that,
then naturally Mirae herself would fill the vacancy.
She had endured for so long for today.
And yet―
'……How did this happen.'
Mirae glared at Hyeyoon's back, as she worked the knife not just normally but like a madwoman.
Just a little while ago, that girl couldn't properly control even one wrist.
But today.
Her prime. No, beyond it.
It was as if the knife were stuck to her hand, slicing through the ingredients without the slightest shake.
That wasn't the kind of hand movement a human being could produce.
'This…… can't be happening…….'
Mirae's expression twisted more and more.
The corners of her lips, which had been smiling kindly, stiffened without her realizing it.
…No good.
This can't go on like this.
Mirae made up her mind.
By any means necessary, she would see this through today.
***
First, I loaded up on a bunch of the catering dishes.
Wow. That looks freaking delicious.
This is my first time at a hotel restaurant.
Heehee.
I sat myself down in the VIP seats and stuffed the course dishes into my mouth one by one.
Mm. Mm! This is insane!
The moment I bit in, the juices burst out and clung to my tongue. It was easily the best food I'd ever had in my life.
Actually, I'd known it would turn out like this.
Because I'd imbued the knife with intent.
‘Become delicious, just as the chef holding this knife intended.’
Something like that.
I don't know what it originally tasted like. I'd never eaten it.
But seeing how insanely delicious it was, the effect was definitely real.
My secret friend, the Apprentice Diary, was undefeated again today.
I looked toward the open kitchen with satisfaction.
Mm-hmm. That's more like it.
I could see the chef's figure flashing the knife nonstop, even from afar.
Come to think of it, that knife was the first piece I'd made in real life.
The first thing I ever created outside the game.
Maybe that's why I felt inexplicably pleased every time I saw it.
I could see the chef smiling brightly too.
Yeah, she'd be happy, of course.
Heh-heh-heh…….
Seeing a knife I made make someone smile like that felt surprisingly good.
Only then did my surroundings start to register.
Hmm.
Yeah, this really was one hell of a social gathering.
There were tons of people decked out in obviously expensive luxury brands. The watch on one person's wrist looked pricier than the deposit on my Seoul studio room.
That one over there looks familiar. Isn't he some chaebol chairman from the news?
But then.
'……Huh?'
Mixed in among the people were some who gave off a strangely strong spiritual energy.
Of course, they were hiding it tight with suppressors or something, but my eyes could still see faint traces leaking out.
So the occult world really had roots deep in politics and business, huh.
Looks like it was true.
I was leisurely savoring the food when it happened.
I saw a woman slip out from the kitchen side.
It was the sous-chef.
"……Uh, I'll go fetch some more ingredients."
She said that to someone and crossed the hall with quick little steps.
But then.
Swoosh.
Someone else quietly stood up and followed her out to the same place.
He was one of the people I'd seen earlier, the one who gave off an especially ominous aura.
And a moment later.
Inside the ingredient bin the sous-chef brought back in, something rippled.
A rippling black aura. A disgusting clump of cursed energy, similar to those spirits that had spilled out of the exhaust vent not long ago.
That's…!
***
This time, she had to make sure.
Kang Mirae's grip tightened on the ingredient bin.
She'd just received it from that man.
The moment she took it, her palm tingled sharply.
She didn't know exactly what it was.
But it was definitely something much stronger than last time.
'If I just sneak this onto that bitch's body…….'
Well, it would be easy enough to make up an excuse.
She already had that image of being warm and attentive.
If I said the chef's shoelace had come undone or that I was tightening the apron, I could stick it to the back of the apron and nobody would know.
Then it would be over.
Mirae squeezed through the crowd and moved toward the open kitchen.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Just a little more. Just a little closer.
As she was about to take one more step.
Bump.
"Ah."
She turned a corner in the hall and bumped shoulders with someone.
It was a man in a black shirt, with half his face covered by a black mask.
“Ah, sorry―”
The man didn't even look at her, simply drifting past her with languid steps toward the buffet zone.
'……What, not even an apology?'
Kang Mirae frowned.
‘He doesn't even follow the dress code here, so why the hell is he wearing a mask?’
Annoyance flared up, but now was not the time to quibble about that.
The man had already turned his back carelessly and was disappearing into the crowd.
Mirae pulled herself together and reached into the ingredient bin to check that the talisman was still there.
But then.
'……Huh?'
Her fingertips.
Were hot.
'Why……?'
Ssshhk―
A thin trail of smoke rose from the talisman inside the bin.
"……What the hell."
She didn't even have time to be flustered.
Whoosh.
The talisman turned to ash and scattered.
…….
Mirae stared blankly into the bin, where only ash remained.
It had definitely been there just a moment ago.
This.
This, what the hell.
What had happened.
She couldn't make sense of it at all.
***
Meanwhile, Dohyun was eating happily again.
Wow. There's salmon over there too.
Nice.
I got a whole bunch of it.
Munch munch.
So they said he'd really gotten on the family's bad side. Looks like he really had.
Nom nom.
It was definitely… the woman who'd been beside the chef when I went to deliver the knife last time.
I think I heard she was the sous-chef.
They looked close.
Back then too, she had clearly been acting all friendly with the head chef and even batting her eyelashes.
Naturally, I couldn't sense even a trace of spiritual power from her.
And it didn't seem like she was hiding it with some suppressor or anything.
She was just an ordinary person.
“Sigh……”
Since the head chef wasn't an option, she must have tried to go after the sous-chef instead.
Tsk tsk.
No need to point it out, I guess.
Today was probably an important day for her. Once today was over, there wouldn't be any big problem.
That was why.
On my way to get food earlier, I casually brushed past the talisman rippling inside that sous-chef's ingredient bin and drew a circuit across it.
I pretended to bump into it, brushing it as I went.
I just drew a single straight circuit with my fingertip and slipped spiritual power into it.
Well, it wasn't much.
It probably burned away long ago.
Ahem.
I couldn't let something ruin such a delicious dinner.
Munch munch.
Ahh. This place is a real gem.