Seoul Kitchen: Chapter 35

A Matter of Trust

The ride back home was a somber affair for Chef. He felt the teen's words weighing on his mind as he stepped out of the Delamain and walked back to his apartment. In all his time helping people, not once did he consider his fellow store owners.

While his cheap food helped those in need, it was hurting those that were just earning a living. He didn't even realize he was causing them trouble until that girl shouted it at them. How much damage had he caused? What other unintended consequences slipped by his mind as he played the role of a hero? All these questions whirling inside his mind as he stepped inside his building.

Giving the guard a wave and smile, he made his way to the elevator. Staring into his reflection listlessly, he started to wonder if he's doing the right thing. He'd been at this for a month but with the razor sharp margins and the presence of the corporation, he might have pushed some to their limits. He wanted to help but he didn't want to cost others suffering in doing so.

Shaking his head, he forced himself away from such heavy thoughts as he finally got back to his room. "I'm home," he yawned as he stepped inside and kicked off his shoes. Maybe a nap would do him some good. Before he could even close the door behind him, he felt a blonde missile slam into his chest, hugging him tightly as they trembled in his arms.

"Woah there, what's this all about?" He asked, holding the girl and stroking her hair. As he comforted her, he noticed there was this acrid scent of smoke lingering in the air, "Also, what's that smell?"

"We burnt down the house!" The girl wailed as she stared up at him, all teary eyed. Clutching his shirt, she begged him, "Please don't kick us out! We didn't mean it!"

"Kick you out?" He replied, confused at the sudden turn off event. "No! No one's going to get kicked out. Just, what?" What was happening and where was Rebecca? Thankfully for his sanity, his input would stumble into the living room wearing a smudge up apron.

"Oh thank god you're back," his lover sighed out in relief as she leaned against the wall. She looked worse for wear, as if she just had a bomb blow up in her face with bits of her dress and hair still smoking from the blast.

"Rebecca?" Walking over, he pulled her in close, hugging her tightly as he checked them for injuries, "Oh god, are you ok? What happened to you two?" He questioned both, still trying to console the crying girl. "Did somebody try breaking in while I was gone?" He asked. Aside from the soot over their faces, they looked fine.

"We're good. I got it right under control," Rebecca coughed as she pushed herself away. As finally got a good look on her, he realized that he had bits of foam on her apron. "Just a bit… toasty," She told him as he reached up and pinched the smolder ends of her hair.

Looking away and rubbing his shoulder, she muttered, "We… might have tried cooking some eggs with your jet engine of a stove?" They were cooking? Wait, did they use his jet burner?

As he gave her questioning gazes, she winced. "Oh…" he whispered as he walked over to the kitchen to see the damage. "The kitchen didn't burn down while I was gone, right?" He asked, bracing himself for what he was going to see.

"... Just a bit?" Rebecca replied with a pained look on her face. Glancing over to the kitchen, he noticed the specific part of the stove was covered in foam, the one he often used when cooking stir fry and other asian dishes. Despite the mess, most of it was contained in the area.

Sighing in relief, he ruffled Toga's hair before giving Rebecca a kiss on the forehead. Walking away, he told them, "I'll go clean it up." At least they weren't hurt.

-x-x-x-

After a bit more consoling for Toga along with some promise of dessert, he finally got to cleaning his kitchen. It wouldn't take long before he got things back in order. Based on the burnt wok he found, it seemed that it was just a case of the pan catching fire and it wasn't even that big of a fire. There weren't any scorch marks aside from the fume hood.

Fortunately, they didn't throw water when they put out the fire. An oil fire would have been nastier to deal with, especially with two novices. It would probably be a good idea to teach them how to cook just to avoid any more incidents like this.

As he diced some ham, ham and green bell pepper, Rebecca apologized, "Sorry about that mess,"

"Nah, it's good," He assured her as he gave her a soft smile, "Nothing that a bucket of water and some soap can't fix." The kitchen and the ingredients they used had a price, they didn't. He'd rather have the kitchen burn so long as they weren't hurt.

Checking on the pan if it was hot enough, he tossed in some butter. Letting it melt, he made sure that the oil covered the pan before tossing in the ingredients. "I'm just surprised that my apartment didn't burn down," He jested, trying to lighten the mood.

"Haha, very funny," Rebecca rolled her eyes before she looked up to him in concern. "Hey, Is something wrong?" She asked as she walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What?" He asked, looking back at her while he stirred the ingredients in the pan, making sure that it all cooked evenly. Feeling her gaze, he sidestepped the question, "No… It's nothing. Just something in my mind, that's all."

"Come on Chef, don't give me that crap," Rebecca lightly scolded him as she hugged him tightly, making him freeze up as she told him, "Something definitely messed you up if you're moping about all things while you're cooking," Reaching up for his face, he noticed the frown he now sported. "You're usually smiling even when you're just frying eggs, you know?" She pointed out.
Taking a deep breath, he let out a heavy sigh as his shoulder sagged. "Was it really that obvious?" He asked as he gazed down, waiting for the onions to caramelize.

"Remember who you're talking to silly," She chuckled as she poked his side, making him jump. "I'm your Output," She reminded him as she grinned up at him, "I can't really call myself that if I couldn't figure out if my Inputs had something troubling him, can I?"

Smiling back, he asked, "I really can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Nope!" She answered. Pulling away, she typed in the air before a video came flashing over his vision. There, playing before him was the incident from a bird's eye view. The girl was shouting and raving while he stood there. "Plus, I had eyes on you the whole time," she admitted.

"Wait, what?" He asked. When did she even have time to set up some cameras?

Smirking, she answered, "I may have called in some favor from our favorite netrunner so I could have access to the security cameras around the shop."

"Damn it, Bee. Really?" He replied, chuckling at how ridiculous it was, "Doesn't this feel a bit overkill?" He teased her as he cracked some eggs and whisked them. The onions were turning translucent and the ham was browning.

"What? A girl needs her peace of mind," She replied easily as she wrapped her arms around his, "So, wanna tell me about what happened?" She then asked, batting her eyes at him as he spread out ingredients before he poured the beaten egg.

Seeing no way out of it, he relented, "Alright." At least he had someone to vent to as he told what happened and how a girl opened his eyes.

-x-x-x-

He told her everything. From the start of his day all the way to the incident. As he let it all out, he felt the heavy weight on his shoulder lifting. Still, some of it remained, weighing on him heavily. "Turns out, my neighbors didn't really like me," He sighed as he flipped the egg over and placed it on the plate, cutting it into three large pieces. "So much for my plan on getting liked enough that messing with me would be too much of a mess," He muttered. It was quite hard becoming truly beloved iif his neighbors hated him.

"Come on Chef, it's not that bad. People love you!" Rebecca reminded him as she hugged him tightly. Frowning, she admitted, "But yeah… I can see the problem here."

Quirking his lips, he told her, "I might have a solution but I don't think they'd like it, but I doubt they'd be happy if I suddenly offer up my supplier to them." The thought of just sharing his blessing came to mind but it had problems.

They might not see his help as genuine but rather a poisoned apple, a gift meant to harm them. After all, they'd rely on his generosity. As far as they know, he could easily pull the rug under them once they become complacent.

Rebecca opened her mouth as she looked at him before she averted her eyes. "Yeah…I don't think they would," She replied as she clicked her tongue.

It was extremely frustrating but this was just the reality of this world. Trust between people had long broken down as violence became an answer rather than a last resort. These people do not trust heroes for they have long died off and all that remains are the corporations. It also didn't help that his powers came from nothing. It would almost be too good to be true.

Looking over to Rebecca as she rested his chin against her fist and greeted her teeth, he was reminded that he hadn't told her of his secret. If he himself hasn't told the one closest to himself then what does it mean for others? Who would trust his words or anyone's word for that matter?

"God fucking damn it!" Rebecca suddenly swore as she slammed her fist on the counter top. "I swear these assholes would rather trust their landlord's contract than someone that wants to help them," she fumed as we sat there, frustrated at how things were going.

"Yeah…" He whispered before his eyes widened. "Wait, that's it!" He shouted before he turned towards his lover. "Rebecca, you're a genius!" he told her before pulling her in for a kiss. No one trusted others words but that was ok.

"Wha-?" Rebecca replied, her face red as she he finally let her go. If no one trusted his words, then he'd just give them something they trust.

"I think I might just have an answer to all my problems but I need you to trust me on this one," He told her. This might just be a crazier plan than the one he had come up with to protect Toga but it might just be crazy enough to work. Now, he just had to see how much of the Cherry Blossom Market did the Tyger Claws truly own.

A/N:

One more chapter tomorrow before I move on to some Commission obligation.