God of Cooking Chapter 9:

“Jelly?”

Jessie asked once more . It wasn’t because she didn’t know what jelly was . But because it was an idea that has never crossed her mind . Jessie, of course knew that Lucas liked Jelly . It wasn’t that her father raised a factory just for that reason .

However she never thought of making some jelly and giving it to him as a present . She thought that it was just like making some pizza and gifting it to the pizza store owner . However now that she thought about it, the situation was different compared to this circumstance . The jelly factory disappeared and the jelly that Lucas liked so much wasn’t near him anymore .

If she were to make some jelly to the current Lucas… . Jessie lifted her head and looked at Jo Minjoon thinking like that . The deep blue eyes with double eyelids was staring at Jo Minjoon . On those eyes, Jo Minjoon was like a weird person . For a person she had just met, to request her to make some jelly for her father . That kind of weird person .

But she seemed to trust him . Although she didn’t know why . Maybe that weirdness made him more trustable . Jessie opened her mouth .

“……But I don’t know how to make it . ”
“It’s okay . Because I do . ”

Saying the truth he didn’t know too well as to say it that confidently . However Jo Minjoon thought that making the jelly was more important and the flavor was only secondary . Just the fact that Jessie made the jelly, was enough of a meaning .

Jo Minjoon while thinking like that, realized something . Even if it was the same dish the food on the dish could become a completely different thing depending on who cooked it .

‘What kind of mind should I keep while cooking?’

Suddenly that question popped in his head, but it was not the right moment to be speculating . Jo Minjoon opened his mouth . This house’s kitchen was Jane’s area, but for now Jane should understand her . Granted that Jane didn’t understand her and cursed her because of that, it was a completely different matter . Whatever the result was, the most important thing was to fix the relationship of parent-child . It was that thinking .

“For now can you bring some fruit? If you don’t have any some juice is also okay . ”
“I think there’s some apple . But it shouldn’t be ripe . ”
“Then it’s better . When making jelly, the less riper a fruit, the more delicious it becomes . ”
“Oh… . . ”

Jessie nodded and brought the apples . And she also brought some sugar . She didn’t have gelatin but it didn’t matter . Jo Minjoon knew of a way to replace it .

“Didn’t you make jelly when you were young?”
“I did . But instead of making it I liked to eat it more . ”
“It’s okay . If you make something you like to eat, it is meant to become delicious . ”

Jo Minjoon said that and smiled brightly . Jessie glanced at Jo Minjoon and asked .

“Mister, are you a chef?”
“No . I aspire to become one”
“Are you sure you make it well?”
“Why . Are you worried that it’s not tasty?”

Jessie didn’t reply and keep her mouth shut . Jo Minjoon while looking at Jessie handed over the knife . Looking at the puzzled Jane, Jo Minjoon opened his mouth .

“Divide the apple in 4 and carve the seed . After that split it in four and don’t peel it off . ”
“Why the skin?”
“Because there’s pectin on the skin . That will do instead of the gelatin . ”

Inside the skin, and the pulp below that were the most important pectin ingredient for making jelly .

“You can do it right?”
“… . . This much is easy . ”

Jessie talked as if telling him from refraining to disregard her, and lifted the knife . However her handling of the knife was quite sloppy . While holding the apple with a hand, and the other for holding the apple, when she tried to slice it the knife got stuck after it went all the way to the middle . Even so Jessie didn’t try to press the  back of the knife with her other hand . Jo Minjoon opened his mouth .

“You should press the back of the knife with your hand . Yes . Like that . ”

Even after Jessie finished with slicing the apples Jo Minjoon didn’t make a move . After all there was no meaning if Jo Minjoon made it . Jessie had to make it by herself . For her father . And because of herself .
“Now put it on the kettle and pour some water until the peak of the apples get slightly out of the water . And put the fire on low . ”
“Are you really going to make me do it all?”
“Do you want me to help you?”
“……… . Fine . I’ll do it . I will . ”

Jessie poured the water accordingly . To say the truth, this was the part where most of the beginners made mistakes . In reality even Jo Minjoon made them . After pouring a lot of water the next thing he planned to do was to boil it down until the moisture evaporated . However, when put lots of water the fruits turned bad .

So depending on how she regulated the water decided if the jelly was a success or a failure .
Jo Minjoon just stared still at the kettle that subtly started to boil .

“Now what do I do?”
“After waiting for a while more, when you think the apples are turning soft start to squash them . But first let’s prepare all the other processes . Can you bring me a cotton cloth and a bowl?”
“Okay . ”

Jessie, as if she gave up, obeyed . After leaving the cotton cloth and the bowl by a side of the table, Jessie and Jo Minjoon stared at the kettle in silence . The first one to speak was Jo Minjoon .

“High School?”
“No . I become a high schooler the next year . Mister?”
“It’s not mister but MinJoon . I’m a college student . After thinking about it we didn’t even present ourselves properly”
“……Jessie Dean . Where does mister come from? Japan?”
“Where do you think I come from?”
“Hmm . China, if not Korea . Japanese people aren’t as calm minded as mister . ”

Jo Minjoon nodded while grasping an image of japanese children . Jo Minjoon opened his mouth .

“I’m korean . And I’m travelling . ”
“I don’t know why people like New York so much . It’s a city that doesn’t have many things to see . ”
“It’s like you don’t know the value of something you usually have by your side . ”

It wasn’t something he said with only New York on mind . Jessie also understood the meaning under Jo Minjoon’s words . She spoke with a calmer voice .

“I want you to know that it’s not that I’m forgiving dad . ”
“There’s no need to . But can’t you try to understand? All the dreams he pursued for crumbled in an instant . On that situation not every father can become a superman . ”

Jessie nodded at what Jo Minjoon said and shut her mouth . After a while of not opening her mouth, she barely opened it and spoke .

“Even so, every daughter wish their father to be a superman . ”

She was right . Jo Minjoon lifted the spoon he had by his side and covered Jessies eyes . And making round motions he said .

“Even super men have times they want to hide . If you saw spiderman you would understand . ”

Jessie laughed and looked bitterly at the floor . Jo Minjoon opened his mouth .

“Enough of this superman talk, now slowly stir the insides of the kettle . The apple should be soft . As for the pulps, squash it with the ladle . ”
“Okay . ”

Compared to the first time, her voice was softer . Jessie, after taking of the lid of the kettle, started to stir with the ladle . The bubbling sounds and the sweet aroma that could be felt, the unique fresh aroma was similar to paste .

When the pulp was almost done squashing, Jo Minjoon covered the bowl with the wet cotton cloth . And said .

“Pour the things inside the kettle on the bowl, slowly . ”

Jessie tilted the kettle . From the kettle’s bird flowed the squashed pulps and the fruit juices . Those things started to gather on top of the cotton cloth . It was then . Jessie grabbed the cotton cloth and tried to squeeze it . Jo Minjoon hurriedly raised his voice .

“You can’t!”
“Yes, Yes? Why?”
“If you do so then the pulp gets through the cotton cloth and the mixture loses oxygen . Just let the pulp to flow like this . ”
“… . Mmm . It’s going to take a while . ”
“Jelly is a cooking you need patience . ”

In the end Jessie let out a sigh and had to wait for the pulp to naturally flow out of the cotton cloth . After that, everything ran smoothly . After showering the pulp with sugar on a 4-3 ratio and mixing it, you stirred it while boiling . You had to boil roughly until the jelly slipped off the spoon .

Then you had to cool it down after putting it in a vessel . After finishing all of those processes it was roughly past 1am . Jessie stretched while having sleepy eyes . Jo Minjoon smiled and said .

“How is it? To cook for someone else . ”
“I don’t know . It feels as if i just achieved something . And unexpectedly relieves the stress . ”
“Congratulations . On giving your first step . ”

What kind of step was it? Understanding your father? Or starting to cook?

She was curious but she couldn’t ask . If she asked something like that then she would be treated like a kid that didn’t even know about hidden meanings . And somehow Jessie didn’t want to be treated like a kid .

The morning was bright . The sunlight that leaked through the iron fences melted the snow piled on it . Lucas opened his eyes slowly . The first thing he saw was his wife’s nape . He felt a warm feeling looking at that familiar yet unfamiliar sight . However, at the same time when he remembered the angry look Jessie gave him, the smile on Lucas’s face immediately disappeared .

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh . He didn’t know how to ease the anger of his daughter . He couldn’t think of any answers . Lucas left his bedroom without strength .

He wanted to regain some strength with drinking at least a glass of water, but he saw something strange when he opened the fridge . Next to the water bottle was a big paper bowl . The thing that was wrapped with wrapping paper was definitely jelly . And handmade jelly on top of that .

“It’s apple jelly . ”
“Jessie… . . !”

Jessie looked at Lucas with her swollen eyes . Could it be that hsr daughter really made jelly because of him? Lucas was getting confused thinking about that, so Jessie said bluntly .

“First eat it . It was hard making it at dawn . ”
“Ri . . , right . ”

Lucas ate some jelly after swelling his eyes a little . It was a bit lacking, but for it to be homemade was definitely a good jelly . And in the first place, quality wasn’t even that important . He couldn’t even feel the flavor of the jelly properly .

“Delicious . It’s delicious . ”
“……Fine then . ”

It was that moment when Jessie tried to give her back . Lucas hugged her . Jessie didn’t push Lucas back . Lucas was fighting back his tears  and opened his mouth, but no sound could be heard from his mouth .  It only had a sobbing feeling . Jessie too, rolled her teary eyes but she pretended to be calm .

Jo Minjoon while looking at that sight, turned his back . He wanted to keep that moment for the two of them . However what he encountered was Jane’s teary eyes . Jo Minjoon said with an awkward face .

“I’m sorry . I used your kitchen without permission . ”
“……It’s okay . Thank you for helping my child on making the most delicious dish in this kitchen . ”

Jo Minjoon turned his back with a smile on what Jane had just said . In his eyes appeared the cooking points of the jelly . However Jo Minjoon didn’t look at that score . He had no need .
Because that jelly didn’t have the need to be judged with points . Jo Minjoon replied back unperturbed .

“It’s one of the greatest dishes I have seen in my life . ”

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