Fate
Title: Fate
Pairing: Song Jae Rim/Kim So Eun
Genre: Romance
Rating: pg-13
Summary: In search of something greater
Special thanks to my fellow Solim shipper and twitter friend, Sabine ( @Happychu_Ne), for her help with locations in Paris. Merci, mon ami!
Kim Soeun had always been described as being hard-headed. Once as a kid participating in a school race, a visiting aunt told her that girls weren't supposed to be athletic. Running around, sweaty and determined was just not befitting a young lady. With that, she left her aunt with her parents in the stands, pulled her hair into a ponytail and won the race, coming in first of her entire class of boys and girls. When she crossed the finish line, she glanced at the audience and caught the eye of her aunt, who was sitting there with her jaw on the ground, obviously gobsmacked that her niece had won an impressive contest with relative ease and simultaneously proving her wrong that girls had no business on the athletic field. Adding insult to injury, Soeun went on to train briefly as an athletic skier, much to the chagrin of her aunt, while Soeun delighted in eliciting yet another ignorant negative reaction.
Her determination was something that got her through school. School work never came easy to her, but she forged on, spending a lot of her time studying to be ranked high in her class. She was the first person in her family to go to school, so she took advantage of every possible opportunity and always reminded herself of her grandmother who still lived in Namyangju, who had worked so hard as a young woman to give her family a better life.
When she got into Chung-Ang University, she called her grandmother to share the good news.
"Halmoni, I got into Chung-Ang University!"
"That's wonderful!"
"I'm thinking of going into theatre. Or business. I'm not sure. What do you think?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Do what makes you happy."
"Halmoni!"
"I mean it. Don't live your life unhappily. Are you happy, Soeun-ah?"
The question sobered her. She never thought about it. Wasn't she supposed to go to college and become a contributing member of society? Sure, she was down to prove people wrong, but ultimately, was she doing things for her own happiness or to meet other people's expectations? Her grandmother's voice brought her back to the present.
"Are you dating yet?"
"Halmoni! I'm too busy."
"Too busy for boys?"
"Yes. I have a lot to do."
"Well, be sure to date. You don't want to go through life alone. Dating helps you find the person who will complement you."
"Halmoni..."
"I'm serious."
"But how will I know he's the one?"
"You'll know."
"I'll just bring him back to Namyangju and you can approve of him."
They talked for a few more minutes before they said good-bye, but the conversation began to work through Soeun's brain and her best laid plans.
She ended up going into theatre and upon graduation, traveled the world for a year, visiting amazing corners of the earth and learning about new cultures. She ended up fixating on food so most of her time abroad was spent learning how to cook. Never having cooked anything beyond instant ramyun, she bought a set of chef's knives in Japan and began working in kitchens in the countries she visited to earn some money, but mainly to gain cooking skills, learn new techniques, and see how specific dishes were made. At the end of her time on the road, she had collected a journal of recipes she wanted to bring home.
When she arrived home, her parents gently asked her what she was going to do now that she was home. She had no idea, but the thought of pursuing a regular job made her cringe. Her classmates were slaving away in the real world and she was so out of touch with that reality that she didn't even know where to begin. She asked that they give her a few months to figure it out, to which they agreed because the knew Soeun would be good for it and actually create a plan of action.
***
For two weeks, she tried applying to restaurants, but they were too concerned about where she learned how to cook and where she had been working since graduating. If she had not learned from École Ferrandi or a school associated with Alain Ducasse or Guy Martin, then she really had no business in a French restaurant in Korea. The same was true for other ethnic food establishments and their need to have someone educated under esteemed chefs of the cuisine, so she did the only thing she could think of. She went home to Namyangju and lived with her grandmother for one month. In that time, she learned all of the dishes her grandmother cooked, using locally grown produce and ingredients.
It was comforting to learn how to cook Korean food and it helped her to reacclimate to being back home. Before long, she was the person cooking every meal in the house and it was common to find her grandmother watching her cook from the dining room table.
"You look happy," her grandmother said one day.
"I am."
"Then maybe it's time you stop running and do what you know you need to do."
"I'm not running, Halmoni."
"Yes you are. You need to go back to Seoul and start working as a chef."
"It's not that easy, Halmoni. Restaurants want people who are professionally trained and I'm not."
"Hogwash."
"It's true. I've already tried. They won't hire me."
Her grandmother sighed. "Well, there are other options, Soeun-ah."
She nods as she spoons a gojujang reduction over a perfectly cooked skirt steak from a local farmer, then arranges bowls of ban-chan they had made when she first arrived in Namyangju. She then brings everything else to the dining room table and sits down.
"I've gained 5 pounds since you moved home," her grandmother says, but still looking excited about the food they're about to eat.
She went to bed that night, keenly aware that her deadline to get her life together was drawing to a close, but she still had no prospects so she tossed and turned, not getting a wink of sleep. When she crawled out of bed, her grandmother laughed at her.
"How can you look like you had a hard night after sleeping in the country? It's not like we have places for young people to stay out all night drinking."
She stopped pouring a glass of milk and turned to face her grandmother. "What did you just say, Halmoni?"
"You look hung over."
"No, the other thing."
"What? Places for young people to stay out all night?"
"Drinking."
"Yes, staying out all night drinking."
She ran up to her grandmother, approaching her carefully so as not to scare her, and pulled her into an embrace. "Halmoni! That's it!!"
"Silly girl! I take it you're going back to Seoul?"
"Yes," she says, going back to the kitchen counter, downing the milk she poured, and returning the carton back to the refrigerator. "Halmoni, I think I've figured it out," she says, washing her glass and all of the other dishes in the sink. "It's going to take a lot of work, but I think I'm up for it. This could work."
"Okay, girl. Let's see it."
She packed up her stuff that morning, spent some time with her grandmother, then caught the next train back to Seoul. Bounding through the front door, her parents and sister sat at the dinner table, simply staring at her making a commotion, dragging all of her stuff into house and talking hurriedly on her phone. After she dropped her stuff into her room, she was out the door again, leaving her family to wonder what was going on.
***
Over the course of the next week, she spent her time researching permits, equipment rentals, and real estate. She would leave home early in the morning and not arrive until well after midnight and her family began to grow accustomed to not having her around as well as not getting much information about what she was doing. She felt bad, but she needed to get everything arranged before getting people's hopes up.
Then one night, she came home early, prepared a 9-course dinner, which she carefully created by combining traditional Korean cooking with influences from her time in France, Japan, Taiwan, and Brazil. Her family arrived home to a house teeming with the aroma of freshly cooked food. She seated them and commenced with serving dinner, course by course, with explanations of each plate.
When they were done with the final course, she sat down and her family was speechless. Her sister broke the silence.
"You actually cooked all of this?"
"Yes."
There was a hush in the room and her family sat incredulous of what they had just experienced.
"So this is what you've been doing this past year?" Her father asked.
"Yes."
"How?"
"My first stop was Japan and I loved all of the food. I thought, 'I want to be able to feed people too,' as I watched a sushi chef filet fish right before my eyes. That's when I bought my set of chef's knives."
"I still don't understand how this happened," her mom said, shaking her head.
"When I traveled to countries after that, I picked up experience by temping in kitchens and restaurants, learning recipes as I went."
"But you never cooked before..." Her mom said, still wondering who her daughter had become.
"I know."
"Well, what are you going to do?" Her sister asked.
"Well, when I first got home, I tried applying to restaurants, but they wouldn't hire me, so I went home to Namyangju to learn how to cook from Halmoni and that's where I had this idea to open up a pojangmacha, but not a regular pojangmacha."
"Huh?" Her father asked, puzzled by the beginnings of her explanation.
"I spent some time in Los Angeles and they have an amazing food truck culture."
"Food trucks? What kind of food do people sell out of trucks?" Her sister asks, to which she laughs.
"All kinds of food. The thing is, opening a restaurant is expensive in the States, so they have lots of talented chefs who basically sell their amazing cuisine out of trucks. It's a huge thing. Chefs are free to experiment, try new things, infuse different tastes, and they develop huge followings. People follow them on social media and it's common for food trucks to converge and people go from truck to truck, trying all of the different dishes," She realizes that she is rambling on and on and that her family is watching her with curious eyes. "Well, food trucks are not a thing here in Seoul and there's a push to actually begin closing down pojangmacha, but I figured, maybe it's worth a try to get started out of a pojangmacha, appeal to the younger generation of professionals, who don't have a lot of money to eat at expensive restaurants, but are still looking for well made, sophisticated food. It won't be forever. I just need to develop a following and then see if I have what it takes to open a real restaurant."
Her parents are visibly overwhelmed by the massive load of information she's just dropped on them, so she sighs and tunes down her message.
"What did you think about the food I prepared? Appa? Mommy?"
"I thought you ordered it..." Her sister chimes in.
"It was delicious," her dad says as her mom nods.
"Do you think I can make it in the restaurant business? And don't just say it because I'm your daughter."
They are quiet for a moment before her dad says something again. "I think we need to maybe invite a few of our friends and see what they say. Do you think you can do this again? Maybe we can see if we can get a few backers to help you out..."
She went to bed feeling great. Although she was exhausted, she was excited for what could be her new life.
The next week, she did as her parents suggested, preparing a meal for 3-4 of their high school classmates and again, she impressed them and they all agreed that she was onto something. They helped her in the weeks to follow, by getting the word out to their friends about a young, upcoming cook. Her dream of a new kind of pojangmacha was coming to life.
She made a few major decisions about her drink menu and she decided that she would feature makgeolli, including the newer, posh infused makgeolli, which she would serve in traditional metal kettles. Sure, soju would be available, but she would encourage pairing her food wih the milder of the rice wines so that people can actually taste the food and appreciate it. She would alternate her main dishes, but she would have some steady appetizers and hopefully, they would garner followings of their own.
She would stay up late at night, planning out her menu and giggling to herself at how exciting everything was. One night, her sister peeked into her room as she was sitting at her desk, contemplating possible dishes.
"Hey."
Soeun looked up and smiled. "Hey."
"You busy?"
"A little, but I need a break. What's up?"
Her sister moves across the threshold and into the room, sitting down on Soeun's bed and picking up the family cat, Khunnie. "So, you might need some help with your po-cha..."
"Okay. What are you proposing?" Soeun asks, leaning back in her chair.
"Well, I would like to earn a bit of cash. You know, just so I can do stuff when I'm not going to class."
"You're in college. You need to study."
"Yeah, but you need wait help. You can't cook and take care of customers at the same time. You said it yourself, this isn't your typical po-cha."
"Okay, so what do you have in mind?"
"Well, I don't have class in the evenings and that's when you'll likely be setting up. You'll probably be open from 5:00 to about midnight, right? Well, I don't have class until 10, so I'll be able to get enough sleep."
"And what about homework?"
"I have class from 10:00 am to about 2:00 pm. Which means I have 2 hours to study before reporting to work."
"What about having fun?"
"It's overrated. Besides, you know how I need to stay busy. And, what better way than to gain experience for my communication degree than to communicate with people?"
"Drunk people."
"Well, drunk people are people too. Besides, isn't the point of your po-cha to not be a place where people get shit-faced drunk? It's supposed to be a different dining experience. I've been reading up on managing the "front of the house" and I think I can help."
"Okay, so what's the terms?"
"Since we're family. I'll just work for 5% of the earnings at the end of the day."
"Are you serious?"
"Yup."
Soeun doesn't hesitate. She extends her arm to shake her sister's hand. "Deal."
"By the way, I was wondering if you could give me some advice. Okay, so there's this guy..."
Before she can finish, Soeun shuts her down. "You should know by now that I'm not one for dating."
"But..."
"But no. I had a few dates, but it wasn't my thing."
"That's because you didn't want anything to progress beyond the first date. Those guys were cute and they were totally into you..."
"Still. Go ask mom."
"Are you serious?!!" her sister shrieks. "Eeww!"
***
She arrives at noon to check out her humble, new space in Jongno and she sees that the equipment is limited and the space is scarce. It really won't do. Po-cha are really meant to serve easy food, not actual meals. She sighs. This discovery is discouraging, so she calls her dad and tells him there's been a set back.
"Dad. I don't know if this is going to work. I'm texting you a picture right now... Do you see it?"
"Oooh. That's tiny."
"I need counter space and actual cooking appliances. What am I going to do?"
Her dad is quiet before telling her, "Let me make some calls. Give me an hour."
She finds a coffee shop and ducks in, ordering a small black coffee, and sitting down to enjoy it while waiting for her dad to call her back. She pulls her journal out from her bag and starts doodling. She has a habit of drawing rabbits when she's worried or anxious. She doesn't know why, but perhaps drawing and looking at them helps her to calm down.
She looks up to see a tall, slender man dressed sharply in a suit and wearing a trench coat walking down the street. He is handsome, she decides and dismisses another thought about him, but when she looks up from her journal again, she sees that he's ducked into the coffee shop and is awaiting his order, checking the watch on his wrist before looking around. She catches his eye and his gaze lingers on her for awhile, their eyes locking, and a slight smile appears on his lips. He looks away when the buzzer he's been given starts going off, signaling that his drink was ready. She quickly looks down at her journal and turns the page, writing a few ideas down for new dishes she's like to try.
"Hi," she hears and looks up to see the handsome stranger beside her table.
"Oh, hi." There is a pause in their exchange and for a moment, they are examining each other's faces.
"Sorry. I don't normally do this, but I thought you might be an interesting person to meet," he says, obviously shy. She chuckles at how cute this man-child is.
"Do you want to sit down?" she asks, motioning to the chair across from her.
"I only have a few minutes, but sure." He pulls the chair out and she closes her journal.
"Kim So Eun," she says, extending her hand out.
He takes her hand and shakes it. "Song Jae Rim," he says, his name slipping off his lips and she immediately notices his adam's apple. He doesn't let go of her hand straight away, and when he does, she feels a bit out of sorts. "Do you come around here often?"
"No. Not often. You?"
"I'm just here for a meeting. I don't normally work in Jongno." She examines his appearance again and she feels like a complete slob sitting across from him. He looks like he belongs on the cover a GQ, while she looks like she just rolled out of bed.
"What do you do?" she asks, wondering what someone who's dressed to the nines would be doing sitting across someone as sloppy as her.
"It's stupid."
"I doubt it."
"I'm a model," he says, trailing off so she can't hear.
"A what?"
"A model."
Somehow she's not surprised, but she can't help but feel more dumpy in his presence. "Wow."
"What do you do?"
"I'm unemployed," she says, throwing caution to the wind and being perfectly blunt. She watches him and he offers no reaction other than nodding to understand. "I learned how to cook traveling aborad and now I'm trying to open a place of my own."
"That's amazing. Seriously. I knew there was more to you that I wanted to know," he says, smiling. He has a lovely smile and she smiles back, hoping she doesn't have food in her teeth from the breakfast sandwich she had earlier. "So which country did you like the best?"
She pauses, giving the question some thought. She never talked to her family about her travels and forget her friends. They aren't even on the same page anymore. "Hmm, I'd have to say France."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. Food is a huge thing there."
"But Brazil comes in a very close second."
"I've never been. I've been to France, but not Brazil. Is it as amazing as it sounds?"
"Yes. I really enjoyed my time there. Wait, you've been to France?"
He nods enthusiastically. "I've actually been there for work. Twice."
"Your favorite food establishment?" she asks, perking up in her seat.
"Nanashi," he says, grinning. "And you?"
"Pierre Hermé. I ducked into the location at Champs Elysées and was hooked after that. They have the best macarons. Wait, did you just say Nanashi? I've been to Nanashi!"
"Let me guess what your favorite dish was," he says, squinting as if to indicate he's considering her taste. "Duck udon."
"Oh my god! That is my favorite."
"Yeah, mine too."
"It reminds me of home, but with a Parisian twist."
He nods and chuckles, then looks at his watch. "Ugh. I need to get going, but would you like to meet up again sometime?"
Meeting someone you jive with is rare for Soeun, so she readily agrees. "Sure."
They exchange numbers and he's rushing out the door, putting his aviator sunglasses on once he hits the street. He turns around and waves at her and she waves back. How serendipitous to meet someone who has the potential to be a great friend. Just then, her phone rings. It's her dad, so she downs the last of her coffee, answers the phone call, and walks out the door, but not before throwing her cup away.
***
They are sitting in the living room and she's concerned about what he might tell her.
"Soeun-ah, what about a different concept?"
At this point, she can't be choosey. "Ok, what did you have in mind?"
"There's an empty restaurant front in Gangnam."
"But a restaurant is expensive."
"Yes, but not if you're renting it out for the night."
"You can do that here?"
Her dad's eyes are sparkling. "Yes."
"So appliances, tables, chairs?"
"We'd have to rent them and the space for 1 night."
"Wait, so how did you find out about pop-ups, appa?"
"Well, I've been doing some research since that dinner," he grins. "The fad is done in the States, but I think Korea is ready for something different. Plus as you've mentioned, po-chas and food trucks are either on their way out or non-existent."
"So can we get a good price on the restaurant?"
"Remember Mr. Seo? My classmate who came to dinner?" She nods. "He owns the building and he's willing to loan it to you for a couple days, for free."
"Oh my gosh, really?! So all we'll need to rent are appliances, tables, chairs, plates, utensils, and linen?"
"Yes, but it won't be that much. It's not like you're cooking for 1000 people."
"But what about business?"
"My classmates are floating your name around, but you'll need to come up with a name for your spot. Have you thought about some names?"
"Not really."
"Then you should start. This is happening in a week. I've already purchased the insurance."
When her sister got home, she enlisted her help to come up with names and once settled, maybe her sister could also help her set up social media accounts.
"The name doesn't matter to me," Soeun told her sister.
"But the name means everything. It grabs people's attention."
"Okay, what about 'Food'?"
"Seriously?"
"No? Okay, 'Fork'?"
"Stop. 'Fusion'."
"How is that not worse?" Soeun asks. "'Fate'."
Her sister is quiet for a moment and nods her head, then begin typing away on her laptop, securing profiles on Instagram and Twitter for the new venture.
***
The day of the opening, Soeun is up early, prepping the cooking area and awaiting the delivery of fresh produce and meats. The space looks good. Her sister did a fine job with setting everything up. It helps that her pop-up is actually a restaurant space. Trying to make it work in a space not suited for dining would've been much harder. She also did a great job with the simple centerpieces, round vases housing baby's breath in blue and pink tones and compiled a lovely play list of songs to play softly in the background. Soeun had to hire 4 reliable people for the kitchen and 3 wait help, not including her sister. Her mother will likely be the host, while her father will be the bartender, prepping kettles of local infused makgeolli.
As she's walking around the space, her phone chirps. Song Jae Rim. She smiles at her phone and remembers the last time they spoke in the coffee shop last week. He was a charming fellow and his call comes at a good time. She needs to be distracted for a tiny while.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Kim Soeun?"
"Who?" she kids.
"Kim Soeun?"
She can't help but laugh. "Yes?"
"Ha! I thought I had the wrong number."
"How have you been?"
"Good. And you?"
"Busy."
"That's great, right?" he asks, probably remembering that she mentioned being unemployed.
"Oh, yes. It's great."
"I was wondering, if, um, you, uh..." She is grinning on the other side of the line. She knows he's going to ask her out, but could he be more adorable about it? He clears his throat and starts again. "Well, I was hoping we could see each other again. Soon."
To say she's never had a good feeling about a guy asking her to date is not an understatement. There's something about this Song Jae Rim that she seems to like. Sure, he's tall and handsome, but he's got an ease about him that makes her feel comfortable. "Okay," she says without thinking. "How's about tonight?"
He chuckles and she can imagine him smiling. "Sure."
"Great. I'll text you the address. How's about 4:00?"
"Okay, that works."
"I'll see you then."
"Oh, and Soeun?"
"Yes?"
"I was hoping I'd get to see you sooner rather than later. See you this afternoon."
The phone clicks and she is smiling like an imbecile.
"What's wrong with you?" she hears her sister ask from a distance. She smiles and turns her attention back to the kitchen, leaving her sister to wonder what in the heck is wrong with her sister now.
***
At about 3:50, she is in the midst of prep when she hears her sister. "I'm sorry, but we're closed. We don't open until 7:00."
She looks up and sees Song Jae Rim. He is well dressed, again, and she looks down at what she's wearing and sighs. He's wearing a white cotton button down shirt with dark slacks. He's rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his forearms and his hair lies over his forehead. She really does look like a bum today, but then again, her first priority is cooking, not dating, so she accepts it and wipes her hands.
"It's okay. I asked him here." Jaerim walks past her sister and behind his back, her sister is making faces at her, no doubt wondering who the tall, handsome guy is looking for her sister. "Hey," she says, coming out from behind the counter to meet him at the bar.
"Wow. Is all this yours?"
"Yup, for tonight."
"Huh?"
"It's called a pop-up. One night only."
"Oh. So what happens after tonight?"
"We'll have to wait and see."
"Do you need help?" he asks, looking around the space. "I used to bus tables."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I had to pay my way through college. In fact, that's where I was discovered, bringing people's plates away and washing them."
"I wouldn't dare ask you to spend your evening bussing tables. You probably have lots to do."
"On the contrary, I'm free tonight."
"Seriously?"
He nods, "And you can pay me with dinner."
Not one to decline the offer, she agrees immediately. "Okay, but I don't need a busser. I need a waiter. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely."
"Great!" she motions to her sister to approach them. When she shows up, she says, "This is Song Jae Rim. He'll be one of the waiters tonight. Please help him learn the menu and get dressed."
He flashes a brilliant smile at her before leaving her company and she moves back into the kitchen to finish what she started. She begin preparing for the 9-course meal, instructing and showing her cooking staff how to prepare everything from the amuse bouche all the way to plating the mignardises and brewing the specialty coffee they've flown in special from Hawaii, the last international stop in Soeun's year long education in international cuisine.
The doors open at 7:00 and the room and the tables all fill up. In between prepping dishes with the rest of the kitchen staff, she looks up to check the service, the alcohol being sold, and the general flow. From what she can tell, people are enjoying their entrees, socializing well, and enjoying the food. Well into dessert, the kitchen staff seems to be doing okay, so she takes the time to meander through the tables, making small talk with people and checking in with them on the food. She notices Song Jae Rim sneaking glances at her as she makes her way through the room and she suddenly feels pretty, despite her shiny face, messy hair, and dark circles. She smiles at him and he bows his head slightly at her.
After the last guests leave, she and the rest of the staff, including her family and Jae Rim, clean up.
"Good job, everyone! Please continue cleaning up and I'll make dinner."
She prepares the bowls and as everyone sits and talks about the busy evening, exhausted, but still excited about what they've just experienced, she begins bringing out ban-chan and chopsticks, and then starts placing bowls in front of the staff. Jae Rim looks down at the bowl placed before him and she can see him look at her out of the corner of her eye. When she sits down, people are trying to figure out what they're about to eat.
"Ahh," she says, standing up again, "This is Peking duck udon. Please enjoy." She glances at Song Jae Rim, who is sitting back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest, and smiling at her, to which she looks down shyly.
***
6 months later...
She is walking through Noryangjin, inspecting the seafood like she does every day, looking for inspiration for tonight's dishes.
"Soeun!" she hears behind her and she sees a jovial man waving at her. "I have abalones!"
She turns around to walk toward him, her shopping bags in hand. Her eyes gaze down on the collection of shells in the water. "These are huge, Mr. Lee. Will you give me these for a good price?"
"Of course!" She selects her abalones, gives Mr. Lee money and bids him farewell, making her way to her car.
Just as she closes her door and starts the ignition, her phone rings. Before she can even answer, the voice on the other line startles her. "Unnie! Where are you?!"
She chuckles, still not used to her sister telling her what to do. "I'm leaving Noryangjin right now."
"Mr. Park called. He can't deliver the beef today. You'll need to head over."
"Alright."
"And don't be late."
"Got it."
"You know how you're always late."
"Yes, I hear you."
"You can't be late today."
"I got it. I'm going now..." She hangs up and laughs. When they were younger, she'd get mad, but now, it's a nice reminder that they're getting older and that their lives are even more closely intertwined than they might've imagined.
She finishes her errands in 1 hour and parks her car outside the store front. Her sister stops what she's doing when she hears Soeun walk through the door. "It's about time!"
She puts everything on the counter and peeks over at what her sister is creating today. "Omija and pear macarons," her sister grins.
"How are we doing today?" Soeun asks, inspecting the near empty bins on display.
"We're entirely sold out of melon pan. They were gone by 10:00. We have a couple of bánh pâté chaud and Jeju orange custard puffs left. And then there are these macarons..."
Soeun picks one up. "Is this the pear?" Her sister starts to object, but stops and awaits a reaction. "Nice," and picks up an omija one. "Oooh, this is good too," she mumbles withher mouth full. "Are we serving these tonight?"
"Yes."
Two weeks after the pop-up event, Soeun was encouraged to open her bistro, Fate, which happened 1 month later, and since then, they've been booked solid, attracting a new generation of foodies, while staying true to Korean cuisine. The concept is omakase, with her selecting the dishes of the evening for the patrons, while also constructing the culinary fate of the night for them. It gives her the culinary freedom to try dishes that flex the knowledge and skill she learned on the road and so far, it's been a success. People have to wait three weeks for dinner reservations.
During the day, the space doubles as a patisserie that offers afternoon tea and Sunday brunch. Her sister has been the point on daytime operations, coming up with pastries, breads, and cakes they first sell during dinner and if they are well received, they then make it into the patisserie line-up, which people flock to once they've had it during dinner.
"Oh, before I forget," her sister says, "Oppa dropped by. He'll be back. He has a few errands to run."
After that night, she and Jae Rim started getting closer, but they somehow kept things platonic, which her family didn't understand. Her parents loved him to pieces and her sister, well, she can't stop telling Soeun that he's perfect for her.
"We're busy," she often tells her sister. "With the restaurant and his career taking off, it's just as well we stay friends. What's wrong with just being friends?"
"I give up."
"You always say that, but here we are having this conversation again."
Tonight, is no different.
"Oppa, looked good today."
"I'm sure he did. He's a model."
"I think he looks better than usual."
"Then why don't you date him?" Her sister huffs in response, obviously irritated again with her ambivalence. "You two are hopeless."
At the same moment, Jaerim walks through the door. "Hey,"
"Hi oppa," Soeun says.
"What's on the menu tonight?"
"Still thinking about it."
Her sister interjects. "I'm going to leave you two alone now. Can you manage the store while I'm out?" She doesn't wait for an answer and leaves in a hurry. "Bye!"
Jaerim goes to stand beside Soeun. "Need help cutting stuff?" he asks.
"Nah, It's fine."
"What about folding napkins?"
"They're done."
"Hmm. Well, I guess you don't need me around..." he says sadly.
"Nonsense. You keep me company. How are your jobs coming along?"
"Good. I'm scheduled to be in Milan next week."
"For how long?"
"3 months."
"What? 3 months?!!"
"Yeah."
"Well, it is a good opportunity," she says, trying not to sound sad, but the truth is, she'll miss seeing him on a daily basis. "You'll do well. I'm sure you'll miss home, but you'll be back soon enough."
He's quiet for awhile and she doesn't know what to say, so they stand beside each other in silence. "Will you even miss me?" he asks softly, maybe hoping she won't hear it, but she hears it loud and clear.
"Of course, I'll miss you."
He turns to face her. "Is it just me or does timing suck?"
"What do you mean?"
He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "Nothing. Wait, no." He grabs her shoulders and turns her to face him. "It's been over 6 months since we met and I thought maybe I could be happy just being your friend, but I'm not. I'm crazy about you, Soeun-ah, but if you don't feel the same, then let me know and I'll stop. I'll go to Milan and let this go."
"Why do things need to be complicated?"
"So you don't feel the same way, then? Okay... I've got it," he says sadly as he turns to leave, but she grabs his arm.
"Look, I've never been good with these kinds of things and I've either sidestepped things or put things on indefinite hold with other guys, but you're different." His expresion softens. "Every other guy who's tried to date me, I've friend-zoned and they've never stuck around after that, but not you. You've stayed and in that time, I've grown to... like you. And now you're headed to Milan."
He pulls her close and she exhales in his embrace. "Yeah."
"And if I asked you to stay?"
He laughs. "I don't know."
"You're right. I, of all people, shouldn't be making an unfair request like that. I've been chasing this dream and you've never asked me to compromise it. Sorry."
"It's okay. I'll be back though."
"I know. But if you end up feeling differently or you meet someone else, then all I ask is that you tell me as soon as it happens, okay? I don't want to be holding out hope for you if you..." He reaches down and kisses her softly on the lips.
"I've waited this long," he says after he pulls away from her.
"But you'll be in Milan, surrounded by beautiful people, beautiful women... tall, skinny, beautiful women."
"True, but none of them can cook like you do. They barely eat. Besides, I don't love them. I love you."
It's her turn this time to reach up and kiss him. Her arms snake around his neck and she pulls him close, relishing how it feels to be with him and how special he makes her feel, which is unlike any guy she's dated before, even if she has to wait another 3 months. He kisses her back and she closes her eyes, dreaming of sharing a plate of buttery Milanese risotto with Jaerim.
She pulls away and looks around. Fate is more than just a restaurant for her. It's the result of searching for purpose and on the way, finding passion, love, and above all, self.
Pairing: Song Jae Rim/Kim So Eun
Genre: Romance
Rating: pg-13
Summary: In search of something greater
Special thanks to my fellow Solim shipper and twitter friend, Sabine ( @Happychu_Ne), for her help with locations in Paris. Merci, mon ami!
Kim Soeun had always been described as being hard-headed. Once as a kid participating in a school race, a visiting aunt told her that girls weren't supposed to be athletic. Running around, sweaty and determined was just not befitting a young lady. With that, she left her aunt with her parents in the stands, pulled her hair into a ponytail and won the race, coming in first of her entire class of boys and girls. When she crossed the finish line, she glanced at the audience and caught the eye of her aunt, who was sitting there with her jaw on the ground, obviously gobsmacked that her niece had won an impressive contest with relative ease and simultaneously proving her wrong that girls had no business on the athletic field. Adding insult to injury, Soeun went on to train briefly as an athletic skier, much to the chagrin of her aunt, while Soeun delighted in eliciting yet another ignorant negative reaction.
Her determination was something that got her through school. School work never came easy to her, but she forged on, spending a lot of her time studying to be ranked high in her class. She was the first person in her family to go to school, so she took advantage of every possible opportunity and always reminded herself of her grandmother who still lived in Namyangju, who had worked so hard as a young woman to give her family a better life.
When she got into Chung-Ang University, she called her grandmother to share the good news.
"Halmoni, I got into Chung-Ang University!"
"That's wonderful!"
"I'm thinking of going into theatre. Or business. I'm not sure. What do you think?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Do what makes you happy."
"Halmoni!"
"I mean it. Don't live your life unhappily. Are you happy, Soeun-ah?"
The question sobered her. She never thought about it. Wasn't she supposed to go to college and become a contributing member of society? Sure, she was down to prove people wrong, but ultimately, was she doing things for her own happiness or to meet other people's expectations? Her grandmother's voice brought her back to the present.
"Are you dating yet?"
"Halmoni! I'm too busy."
"Too busy for boys?"
"Yes. I have a lot to do."
"Well, be sure to date. You don't want to go through life alone. Dating helps you find the person who will complement you."
"Halmoni..."
"I'm serious."
"But how will I know he's the one?"
"You'll know."
"I'll just bring him back to Namyangju and you can approve of him."
They talked for a few more minutes before they said good-bye, but the conversation began to work through Soeun's brain and her best laid plans.
She ended up going into theatre and upon graduation, traveled the world for a year, visiting amazing corners of the earth and learning about new cultures. She ended up fixating on food so most of her time abroad was spent learning how to cook. Never having cooked anything beyond instant ramyun, she bought a set of chef's knives in Japan and began working in kitchens in the countries she visited to earn some money, but mainly to gain cooking skills, learn new techniques, and see how specific dishes were made. At the end of her time on the road, she had collected a journal of recipes she wanted to bring home.
When she arrived home, her parents gently asked her what she was going to do now that she was home. She had no idea, but the thought of pursuing a regular job made her cringe. Her classmates were slaving away in the real world and she was so out of touch with that reality that she didn't even know where to begin. She asked that they give her a few months to figure it out, to which they agreed because the knew Soeun would be good for it and actually create a plan of action.
***
For two weeks, she tried applying to restaurants, but they were too concerned about where she learned how to cook and where she had been working since graduating. If she had not learned from École Ferrandi or a school associated with Alain Ducasse or Guy Martin, then she really had no business in a French restaurant in Korea. The same was true for other ethnic food establishments and their need to have someone educated under esteemed chefs of the cuisine, so she did the only thing she could think of. She went home to Namyangju and lived with her grandmother for one month. In that time, she learned all of the dishes her grandmother cooked, using locally grown produce and ingredients.
It was comforting to learn how to cook Korean food and it helped her to reacclimate to being back home. Before long, she was the person cooking every meal in the house and it was common to find her grandmother watching her cook from the dining room table.
"You look happy," her grandmother said one day.
"I am."
"Then maybe it's time you stop running and do what you know you need to do."
"I'm not running, Halmoni."
"Yes you are. You need to go back to Seoul and start working as a chef."
"It's not that easy, Halmoni. Restaurants want people who are professionally trained and I'm not."
"Hogwash."
"It's true. I've already tried. They won't hire me."
Her grandmother sighed. "Well, there are other options, Soeun-ah."
She nods as she spoons a gojujang reduction over a perfectly cooked skirt steak from a local farmer, then arranges bowls of ban-chan they had made when she first arrived in Namyangju. She then brings everything else to the dining room table and sits down.
"I've gained 5 pounds since you moved home," her grandmother says, but still looking excited about the food they're about to eat.
She went to bed that night, keenly aware that her deadline to get her life together was drawing to a close, but she still had no prospects so she tossed and turned, not getting a wink of sleep. When she crawled out of bed, her grandmother laughed at her.
"How can you look like you had a hard night after sleeping in the country? It's not like we have places for young people to stay out all night drinking."
She stopped pouring a glass of milk and turned to face her grandmother. "What did you just say, Halmoni?"
"You look hung over."
"No, the other thing."
"What? Places for young people to stay out all night?"
"Drinking."
"Yes, staying out all night drinking."
She ran up to her grandmother, approaching her carefully so as not to scare her, and pulled her into an embrace. "Halmoni! That's it!!"
"Silly girl! I take it you're going back to Seoul?"
"Yes," she says, going back to the kitchen counter, downing the milk she poured, and returning the carton back to the refrigerator. "Halmoni, I think I've figured it out," she says, washing her glass and all of the other dishes in the sink. "It's going to take a lot of work, but I think I'm up for it. This could work."
"Okay, girl. Let's see it."
She packed up her stuff that morning, spent some time with her grandmother, then caught the next train back to Seoul. Bounding through the front door, her parents and sister sat at the dinner table, simply staring at her making a commotion, dragging all of her stuff into house and talking hurriedly on her phone. After she dropped her stuff into her room, she was out the door again, leaving her family to wonder what was going on.
***
Over the course of the next week, she spent her time researching permits, equipment rentals, and real estate. She would leave home early in the morning and not arrive until well after midnight and her family began to grow accustomed to not having her around as well as not getting much information about what she was doing. She felt bad, but she needed to get everything arranged before getting people's hopes up.
Then one night, she came home early, prepared a 9-course dinner, which she carefully created by combining traditional Korean cooking with influences from her time in France, Japan, Taiwan, and Brazil. Her family arrived home to a house teeming with the aroma of freshly cooked food. She seated them and commenced with serving dinner, course by course, with explanations of each plate.
When they were done with the final course, she sat down and her family was speechless. Her sister broke the silence.
"You actually cooked all of this?"
"Yes."
There was a hush in the room and her family sat incredulous of what they had just experienced.
"So this is what you've been doing this past year?" Her father asked.
"Yes."
"How?"
"My first stop was Japan and I loved all of the food. I thought, 'I want to be able to feed people too,' as I watched a sushi chef filet fish right before my eyes. That's when I bought my set of chef's knives."
"I still don't understand how this happened," her mom said, shaking her head.
"When I traveled to countries after that, I picked up experience by temping in kitchens and restaurants, learning recipes as I went."
"But you never cooked before..." Her mom said, still wondering who her daughter had become.
"I know."
"Well, what are you going to do?" Her sister asked.
"Well, when I first got home, I tried applying to restaurants, but they wouldn't hire me, so I went home to Namyangju to learn how to cook from Halmoni and that's where I had this idea to open up a pojangmacha, but not a regular pojangmacha."
"Huh?" Her father asked, puzzled by the beginnings of her explanation.
"I spent some time in Los Angeles and they have an amazing food truck culture."
"Food trucks? What kind of food do people sell out of trucks?" Her sister asks, to which she laughs.
"All kinds of food. The thing is, opening a restaurant is expensive in the States, so they have lots of talented chefs who basically sell their amazing cuisine out of trucks. It's a huge thing. Chefs are free to experiment, try new things, infuse different tastes, and they develop huge followings. People follow them on social media and it's common for food trucks to converge and people go from truck to truck, trying all of the different dishes," She realizes that she is rambling on and on and that her family is watching her with curious eyes. "Well, food trucks are not a thing here in Seoul and there's a push to actually begin closing down pojangmacha, but I figured, maybe it's worth a try to get started out of a pojangmacha, appeal to the younger generation of professionals, who don't have a lot of money to eat at expensive restaurants, but are still looking for well made, sophisticated food. It won't be forever. I just need to develop a following and then see if I have what it takes to open a real restaurant."
Her parents are visibly overwhelmed by the massive load of information she's just dropped on them, so she sighs and tunes down her message.
"What did you think about the food I prepared? Appa? Mommy?"
"I thought you ordered it..." Her sister chimes in.
"It was delicious," her dad says as her mom nods.
"Do you think I can make it in the restaurant business? And don't just say it because I'm your daughter."
They are quiet for a moment before her dad says something again. "I think we need to maybe invite a few of our friends and see what they say. Do you think you can do this again? Maybe we can see if we can get a few backers to help you out..."
She went to bed feeling great. Although she was exhausted, she was excited for what could be her new life.
The next week, she did as her parents suggested, preparing a meal for 3-4 of their high school classmates and again, she impressed them and they all agreed that she was onto something. They helped her in the weeks to follow, by getting the word out to their friends about a young, upcoming cook. Her dream of a new kind of pojangmacha was coming to life.
She made a few major decisions about her drink menu and she decided that she would feature makgeolli, including the newer, posh infused makgeolli, which she would serve in traditional metal kettles. Sure, soju would be available, but she would encourage pairing her food wih the milder of the rice wines so that people can actually taste the food and appreciate it. She would alternate her main dishes, but she would have some steady appetizers and hopefully, they would garner followings of their own.
She would stay up late at night, planning out her menu and giggling to herself at how exciting everything was. One night, her sister peeked into her room as she was sitting at her desk, contemplating possible dishes.
"Hey."
Soeun looked up and smiled. "Hey."
"You busy?"
"A little, but I need a break. What's up?"
Her sister moves across the threshold and into the room, sitting down on Soeun's bed and picking up the family cat, Khunnie. "So, you might need some help with your po-cha..."
"Okay. What are you proposing?" Soeun asks, leaning back in her chair.
"Well, I would like to earn a bit of cash. You know, just so I can do stuff when I'm not going to class."
"You're in college. You need to study."
"Yeah, but you need wait help. You can't cook and take care of customers at the same time. You said it yourself, this isn't your typical po-cha."
"Okay, so what do you have in mind?"
"Well, I don't have class in the evenings and that's when you'll likely be setting up. You'll probably be open from 5:00 to about midnight, right? Well, I don't have class until 10, so I'll be able to get enough sleep."
"And what about homework?"
"I have class from 10:00 am to about 2:00 pm. Which means I have 2 hours to study before reporting to work."
"What about having fun?"
"It's overrated. Besides, you know how I need to stay busy. And, what better way than to gain experience for my communication degree than to communicate with people?"
"Drunk people."
"Well, drunk people are people too. Besides, isn't the point of your po-cha to not be a place where people get shit-faced drunk? It's supposed to be a different dining experience. I've been reading up on managing the "front of the house" and I think I can help."
"Okay, so what's the terms?"
"Since we're family. I'll just work for 5% of the earnings at the end of the day."
"Are you serious?"
"Yup."
Soeun doesn't hesitate. She extends her arm to shake her sister's hand. "Deal."
"By the way, I was wondering if you could give me some advice. Okay, so there's this guy..."
Before she can finish, Soeun shuts her down. "You should know by now that I'm not one for dating."
"But..."
"But no. I had a few dates, but it wasn't my thing."
"That's because you didn't want anything to progress beyond the first date. Those guys were cute and they were totally into you..."
"Still. Go ask mom."
"Are you serious?!!" her sister shrieks. "Eeww!"
***
She arrives at noon to check out her humble, new space in Jongno and she sees that the equipment is limited and the space is scarce. It really won't do. Po-cha are really meant to serve easy food, not actual meals. She sighs. This discovery is discouraging, so she calls her dad and tells him there's been a set back.
"Dad. I don't know if this is going to work. I'm texting you a picture right now... Do you see it?"
"Oooh. That's tiny."
"I need counter space and actual cooking appliances. What am I going to do?"
Her dad is quiet before telling her, "Let me make some calls. Give me an hour."
She finds a coffee shop and ducks in, ordering a small black coffee, and sitting down to enjoy it while waiting for her dad to call her back. She pulls her journal out from her bag and starts doodling. She has a habit of drawing rabbits when she's worried or anxious. She doesn't know why, but perhaps drawing and looking at them helps her to calm down.
She looks up to see a tall, slender man dressed sharply in a suit and wearing a trench coat walking down the street. He is handsome, she decides and dismisses another thought about him, but when she looks up from her journal again, she sees that he's ducked into the coffee shop and is awaiting his order, checking the watch on his wrist before looking around. She catches his eye and his gaze lingers on her for awhile, their eyes locking, and a slight smile appears on his lips. He looks away when the buzzer he's been given starts going off, signaling that his drink was ready. She quickly looks down at her journal and turns the page, writing a few ideas down for new dishes she's like to try.
"Hi," she hears and looks up to see the handsome stranger beside her table.
"Oh, hi." There is a pause in their exchange and for a moment, they are examining each other's faces.
"Sorry. I don't normally do this, but I thought you might be an interesting person to meet," he says, obviously shy. She chuckles at how cute this man-child is.
"Do you want to sit down?" she asks, motioning to the chair across from her.
"I only have a few minutes, but sure." He pulls the chair out and she closes her journal.
"Kim So Eun," she says, extending her hand out.
He takes her hand and shakes it. "Song Jae Rim," he says, his name slipping off his lips and she immediately notices his adam's apple. He doesn't let go of her hand straight away, and when he does, she feels a bit out of sorts. "Do you come around here often?"
"No. Not often. You?"
"I'm just here for a meeting. I don't normally work in Jongno." She examines his appearance again and she feels like a complete slob sitting across from him. He looks like he belongs on the cover a GQ, while she looks like she just rolled out of bed.
"What do you do?" she asks, wondering what someone who's dressed to the nines would be doing sitting across someone as sloppy as her.
"It's stupid."
"I doubt it."
"I'm a model," he says, trailing off so she can't hear.
"A what?"
"A model."
Somehow she's not surprised, but she can't help but feel more dumpy in his presence. "Wow."
"What do you do?"
"I'm unemployed," she says, throwing caution to the wind and being perfectly blunt. She watches him and he offers no reaction other than nodding to understand. "I learned how to cook traveling aborad and now I'm trying to open a place of my own."
"That's amazing. Seriously. I knew there was more to you that I wanted to know," he says, smiling. He has a lovely smile and she smiles back, hoping she doesn't have food in her teeth from the breakfast sandwich she had earlier. "So which country did you like the best?"
She pauses, giving the question some thought. She never talked to her family about her travels and forget her friends. They aren't even on the same page anymore. "Hmm, I'd have to say France."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. Food is a huge thing there."
"But Brazil comes in a very close second."
"I've never been. I've been to France, but not Brazil. Is it as amazing as it sounds?"
"Yes. I really enjoyed my time there. Wait, you've been to France?"
He nods enthusiastically. "I've actually been there for work. Twice."
"Your favorite food establishment?" she asks, perking up in her seat.
"Nanashi," he says, grinning. "And you?"
"Pierre Hermé. I ducked into the location at Champs Elysées and was hooked after that. They have the best macarons. Wait, did you just say Nanashi? I've been to Nanashi!"
"Let me guess what your favorite dish was," he says, squinting as if to indicate he's considering her taste. "Duck udon."
"Oh my god! That is my favorite."
"Yeah, mine too."
"It reminds me of home, but with a Parisian twist."
He nods and chuckles, then looks at his watch. "Ugh. I need to get going, but would you like to meet up again sometime?"
Meeting someone you jive with is rare for Soeun, so she readily agrees. "Sure."
They exchange numbers and he's rushing out the door, putting his aviator sunglasses on once he hits the street. He turns around and waves at her and she waves back. How serendipitous to meet someone who has the potential to be a great friend. Just then, her phone rings. It's her dad, so she downs the last of her coffee, answers the phone call, and walks out the door, but not before throwing her cup away.
***
They are sitting in the living room and she's concerned about what he might tell her.
"Soeun-ah, what about a different concept?"
At this point, she can't be choosey. "Ok, what did you have in mind?"
"There's an empty restaurant front in Gangnam."
"But a restaurant is expensive."
"Yes, but not if you're renting it out for the night."
"You can do that here?"
Her dad's eyes are sparkling. "Yes."
"So appliances, tables, chairs?"
"We'd have to rent them and the space for 1 night."
"Wait, so how did you find out about pop-ups, appa?"
"Well, I've been doing some research since that dinner," he grins. "The fad is done in the States, but I think Korea is ready for something different. Plus as you've mentioned, po-chas and food trucks are either on their way out or non-existent."
"So can we get a good price on the restaurant?"
"Remember Mr. Seo? My classmate who came to dinner?" She nods. "He owns the building and he's willing to loan it to you for a couple days, for free."
"Oh my gosh, really?! So all we'll need to rent are appliances, tables, chairs, plates, utensils, and linen?"
"Yes, but it won't be that much. It's not like you're cooking for 1000 people."
"But what about business?"
"My classmates are floating your name around, but you'll need to come up with a name for your spot. Have you thought about some names?"
"Not really."
"Then you should start. This is happening in a week. I've already purchased the insurance."
When her sister got home, she enlisted her help to come up with names and once settled, maybe her sister could also help her set up social media accounts.
"The name doesn't matter to me," Soeun told her sister.
"But the name means everything. It grabs people's attention."
"Okay, what about 'Food'?"
"Seriously?"
"No? Okay, 'Fork'?"
"Stop. 'Fusion'."
"How is that not worse?" Soeun asks. "'Fate'."
Her sister is quiet for a moment and nods her head, then begin typing away on her laptop, securing profiles on Instagram and Twitter for the new venture.
***
The day of the opening, Soeun is up early, prepping the cooking area and awaiting the delivery of fresh produce and meats. The space looks good. Her sister did a fine job with setting everything up. It helps that her pop-up is actually a restaurant space. Trying to make it work in a space not suited for dining would've been much harder. She also did a great job with the simple centerpieces, round vases housing baby's breath in blue and pink tones and compiled a lovely play list of songs to play softly in the background. Soeun had to hire 4 reliable people for the kitchen and 3 wait help, not including her sister. Her mother will likely be the host, while her father will be the bartender, prepping kettles of local infused makgeolli.
As she's walking around the space, her phone chirps. Song Jae Rim. She smiles at her phone and remembers the last time they spoke in the coffee shop last week. He was a charming fellow and his call comes at a good time. She needs to be distracted for a tiny while.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Kim Soeun?"
"Who?" she kids.
"Kim Soeun?"
She can't help but laugh. "Yes?"
"Ha! I thought I had the wrong number."
"How have you been?"
"Good. And you?"
"Busy."
"That's great, right?" he asks, probably remembering that she mentioned being unemployed.
"Oh, yes. It's great."
"I was wondering, if, um, you, uh..." She is grinning on the other side of the line. She knows he's going to ask her out, but could he be more adorable about it? He clears his throat and starts again. "Well, I was hoping we could see each other again. Soon."
To say she's never had a good feeling about a guy asking her to date is not an understatement. There's something about this Song Jae Rim that she seems to like. Sure, he's tall and handsome, but he's got an ease about him that makes her feel comfortable. "Okay," she says without thinking. "How's about tonight?"
He chuckles and she can imagine him smiling. "Sure."
"Great. I'll text you the address. How's about 4:00?"
"Okay, that works."
"I'll see you then."
"Oh, and Soeun?"
"Yes?"
"I was hoping I'd get to see you sooner rather than later. See you this afternoon."
The phone clicks and she is smiling like an imbecile.
"What's wrong with you?" she hears her sister ask from a distance. She smiles and turns her attention back to the kitchen, leaving her sister to wonder what in the heck is wrong with her sister now.
***
At about 3:50, she is in the midst of prep when she hears her sister. "I'm sorry, but we're closed. We don't open until 7:00."
She looks up and sees Song Jae Rim. He is well dressed, again, and she looks down at what she's wearing and sighs. He's wearing a white cotton button down shirt with dark slacks. He's rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his forearms and his hair lies over his forehead. She really does look like a bum today, but then again, her first priority is cooking, not dating, so she accepts it and wipes her hands.
"It's okay. I asked him here." Jaerim walks past her sister and behind his back, her sister is making faces at her, no doubt wondering who the tall, handsome guy is looking for her sister. "Hey," she says, coming out from behind the counter to meet him at the bar.
"Wow. Is all this yours?"
"Yup, for tonight."
"Huh?"
"It's called a pop-up. One night only."
"Oh. So what happens after tonight?"
"We'll have to wait and see."
"Do you need help?" he asks, looking around the space. "I used to bus tables."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I had to pay my way through college. In fact, that's where I was discovered, bringing people's plates away and washing them."
"I wouldn't dare ask you to spend your evening bussing tables. You probably have lots to do."
"On the contrary, I'm free tonight."
"Seriously?"
He nods, "And you can pay me with dinner."
Not one to decline the offer, she agrees immediately. "Okay, but I don't need a busser. I need a waiter. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely."
"Great!" she motions to her sister to approach them. When she shows up, she says, "This is Song Jae Rim. He'll be one of the waiters tonight. Please help him learn the menu and get dressed."
He flashes a brilliant smile at her before leaving her company and she moves back into the kitchen to finish what she started. She begin preparing for the 9-course meal, instructing and showing her cooking staff how to prepare everything from the amuse bouche all the way to plating the mignardises and brewing the specialty coffee they've flown in special from Hawaii, the last international stop in Soeun's year long education in international cuisine.
The doors open at 7:00 and the room and the tables all fill up. In between prepping dishes with the rest of the kitchen staff, she looks up to check the service, the alcohol being sold, and the general flow. From what she can tell, people are enjoying their entrees, socializing well, and enjoying the food. Well into dessert, the kitchen staff seems to be doing okay, so she takes the time to meander through the tables, making small talk with people and checking in with them on the food. She notices Song Jae Rim sneaking glances at her as she makes her way through the room and she suddenly feels pretty, despite her shiny face, messy hair, and dark circles. She smiles at him and he bows his head slightly at her.
After the last guests leave, she and the rest of the staff, including her family and Jae Rim, clean up.
"Good job, everyone! Please continue cleaning up and I'll make dinner."
She prepares the bowls and as everyone sits and talks about the busy evening, exhausted, but still excited about what they've just experienced, she begins bringing out ban-chan and chopsticks, and then starts placing bowls in front of the staff. Jae Rim looks down at the bowl placed before him and she can see him look at her out of the corner of her eye. When she sits down, people are trying to figure out what they're about to eat.
"Ahh," she says, standing up again, "This is Peking duck udon. Please enjoy." She glances at Song Jae Rim, who is sitting back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest, and smiling at her, to which she looks down shyly.
***
6 months later...
She is walking through Noryangjin, inspecting the seafood like she does every day, looking for inspiration for tonight's dishes.
"Soeun!" she hears behind her and she sees a jovial man waving at her. "I have abalones!"
She turns around to walk toward him, her shopping bags in hand. Her eyes gaze down on the collection of shells in the water. "These are huge, Mr. Lee. Will you give me these for a good price?"
"Of course!" She selects her abalones, gives Mr. Lee money and bids him farewell, making her way to her car.
Just as she closes her door and starts the ignition, her phone rings. Before she can even answer, the voice on the other line startles her. "Unnie! Where are you?!"
She chuckles, still not used to her sister telling her what to do. "I'm leaving Noryangjin right now."
"Mr. Park called. He can't deliver the beef today. You'll need to head over."
"Alright."
"And don't be late."
"Got it."
"You know how you're always late."
"Yes, I hear you."
"You can't be late today."
"I got it. I'm going now..." She hangs up and laughs. When they were younger, she'd get mad, but now, it's a nice reminder that they're getting older and that their lives are even more closely intertwined than they might've imagined.
She finishes her errands in 1 hour and parks her car outside the store front. Her sister stops what she's doing when she hears Soeun walk through the door. "It's about time!"
She puts everything on the counter and peeks over at what her sister is creating today. "Omija and pear macarons," her sister grins.
"How are we doing today?" Soeun asks, inspecting the near empty bins on display.
"We're entirely sold out of melon pan. They were gone by 10:00. We have a couple of bánh pâté chaud and Jeju orange custard puffs left. And then there are these macarons..."
Soeun picks one up. "Is this the pear?" Her sister starts to object, but stops and awaits a reaction. "Nice," and picks up an omija one. "Oooh, this is good too," she mumbles withher mouth full. "Are we serving these tonight?"
"Yes."
Two weeks after the pop-up event, Soeun was encouraged to open her bistro, Fate, which happened 1 month later, and since then, they've been booked solid, attracting a new generation of foodies, while staying true to Korean cuisine. The concept is omakase, with her selecting the dishes of the evening for the patrons, while also constructing the culinary fate of the night for them. It gives her the culinary freedom to try dishes that flex the knowledge and skill she learned on the road and so far, it's been a success. People have to wait three weeks for dinner reservations.
During the day, the space doubles as a patisserie that offers afternoon tea and Sunday brunch. Her sister has been the point on daytime operations, coming up with pastries, breads, and cakes they first sell during dinner and if they are well received, they then make it into the patisserie line-up, which people flock to once they've had it during dinner.
"Oh, before I forget," her sister says, "Oppa dropped by. He'll be back. He has a few errands to run."
After that night, she and Jae Rim started getting closer, but they somehow kept things platonic, which her family didn't understand. Her parents loved him to pieces and her sister, well, she can't stop telling Soeun that he's perfect for her.
"We're busy," she often tells her sister. "With the restaurant and his career taking off, it's just as well we stay friends. What's wrong with just being friends?"
"I give up."
"You always say that, but here we are having this conversation again."
Tonight, is no different.
"Oppa, looked good today."
"I'm sure he did. He's a model."
"I think he looks better than usual."
"Then why don't you date him?" Her sister huffs in response, obviously irritated again with her ambivalence. "You two are hopeless."
At the same moment, Jaerim walks through the door. "Hey,"
"Hi oppa," Soeun says.
"What's on the menu tonight?"
"Still thinking about it."
Her sister interjects. "I'm going to leave you two alone now. Can you manage the store while I'm out?" She doesn't wait for an answer and leaves in a hurry. "Bye!"
Jaerim goes to stand beside Soeun. "Need help cutting stuff?" he asks.
"Nah, It's fine."
"What about folding napkins?"
"They're done."
"Hmm. Well, I guess you don't need me around..." he says sadly.
"Nonsense. You keep me company. How are your jobs coming along?"
"Good. I'm scheduled to be in Milan next week."
"For how long?"
"3 months."
"What? 3 months?!!"
"Yeah."
"Well, it is a good opportunity," she says, trying not to sound sad, but the truth is, she'll miss seeing him on a daily basis. "You'll do well. I'm sure you'll miss home, but you'll be back soon enough."
He's quiet for awhile and she doesn't know what to say, so they stand beside each other in silence. "Will you even miss me?" he asks softly, maybe hoping she won't hear it, but she hears it loud and clear.
"Of course, I'll miss you."
He turns to face her. "Is it just me or does timing suck?"
"What do you mean?"
He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "Nothing. Wait, no." He grabs her shoulders and turns her to face him. "It's been over 6 months since we met and I thought maybe I could be happy just being your friend, but I'm not. I'm crazy about you, Soeun-ah, but if you don't feel the same, then let me know and I'll stop. I'll go to Milan and let this go."
"Why do things need to be complicated?"
"So you don't feel the same way, then? Okay... I've got it," he says sadly as he turns to leave, but she grabs his arm.
"Look, I've never been good with these kinds of things and I've either sidestepped things or put things on indefinite hold with other guys, but you're different." His expresion softens. "Every other guy who's tried to date me, I've friend-zoned and they've never stuck around after that, but not you. You've stayed and in that time, I've grown to... like you. And now you're headed to Milan."
He pulls her close and she exhales in his embrace. "Yeah."
"And if I asked you to stay?"
He laughs. "I don't know."
"You're right. I, of all people, shouldn't be making an unfair request like that. I've been chasing this dream and you've never asked me to compromise it. Sorry."
"It's okay. I'll be back though."
"I know. But if you end up feeling differently or you meet someone else, then all I ask is that you tell me as soon as it happens, okay? I don't want to be holding out hope for you if you..." He reaches down and kisses her softly on the lips.
"I've waited this long," he says after he pulls away from her.
"But you'll be in Milan, surrounded by beautiful people, beautiful women... tall, skinny, beautiful women."
"True, but none of them can cook like you do. They barely eat. Besides, I don't love them. I love you."
It's her turn this time to reach up and kiss him. Her arms snake around his neck and she pulls him close, relishing how it feels to be with him and how special he makes her feel, which is unlike any guy she's dated before, even if she has to wait another 3 months. He kisses her back and she closes her eyes, dreaming of sharing a plate of buttery Milanese risotto with Jaerim.
She pulls away and looks around. Fate is more than just a restaurant for her. It's the result of searching for purpose and on the way, finding passion, love, and above all, self.