Prologue

Tick-tock.

In an empty kitchen, Jo Min-jun stared quietly at the clock. Don't go. Stop. Even if he screamed silently, the second hand was as arrogant as ever, confidently moving forward.

Eleven fifty-nine and fifty-seven seconds. Fifty-eight seconds. Fifty-nine seconds. And then twelve o'clock...

It was New Year's Day. The end of his twenties and the beginning of his thirties. With an unknown sense of restlessness, Jo Min-jun let out a deep sigh. Time flowed mercilessly, yet he felt like he had nothing in his hands despite the amount of time that had passed.

Jo Min-jun was a high school teacher. More specifically, an English teacher. Like most people in the teaching profession, his life had no significant success but also no significant failure. Well, at least until he turned twenty-eight. But in March, Jo Min-jun decided to quit teaching.

He realized that teaching was not the path he wanted to take. He had never even wanted to become a teacher for a single moment. What he had always wanted to be since he was young was a chef. However, he couldn't go against his parents' wishes. Jo Min-jun had good grades and had already been accepted to college through early admission. He couldn't just suddenly decide to become a chef, and there was no one to support him.

So, he continued down the same path for ten years. He followed his parents' wishes and was able to secure a position in the school office. However, that was it. His parents had said that he would eventually understand them, but it wasn't true. Even though he had stability, he only felt empty in it. So, he eventually quit.

The next step was to head straight to a restaurant. He got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant in Gangnam. For a year, he washed dishes, and in the second year, he peeled garlic. That was everything he had achieved at the age of thirty. He had nowhere to go on New Year's Day and was just spending his time in the dark kitchen of the restaurant.

Now, complaining about it would be useless. It was his own choice. So, he had no right to complain about his frustrating life. Then, the chime of the hall rang, and the restaurant lights turned on.

"Oh, Hyung Min-jun. Are you still here?"

It was his younger brother, who was two years younger but also his senior, Park Yu-seok. He was expected to become the head chef in a few years.

"Yes, Senior. How did you come?"

Jo Min-jun spoke politely, as he had to.

That was inevitable. The culinary industry has strict rules." Even though he acted uncomfortable, Park Yoo-seok secretly enjoyed hearing Jo Min-jun use formal speech towards him. Park Yoo-seok took out his wallet from a corner of the kitchen and shook it in front of Jo Min-jun.

"I left something behind. Oh, it's good timing. Hyung, could you peel this garlic? It's empty, unlike the ones we have in the morning, so it's better to do it now since we're already here, right?" "I'm a bit tired right now." "Oh... Hyung, please help me not to be rude to someone older than me. Other juniors don't even respond to this kind of request." "I understand." "I'll be going. Take care."

With those words, Park Yoo-seok left the room. As he left, Jo Min-jun couldn't help but hear Park Yoo-seok mutter to himself, "He acts so old but can't handle the pressure. He's really scary." Jo Min-jun silently watched Park Yoo-seok's back, angry but unable to say anything. If he did, he would be treated like an immature person who disregarded hierarchy, even though he was justified in his feelings.

"He talks about garlic so much."

Nevertheless, Jo Min-jun took out the garlic from the kitchen refrigerator. He peeled it for a while, then turned on his smartphone and went to his blog. His blog was the only thing that relieved his grudges about cooking. Reading the posts about the food he cooked and the comments that people left there made him feel more comfortable.

Jo Min-jun clicked the button to create a new post. The content was simple: a New Year's greeting. The message was clichéd and formal.

No comments appeared for about ten minutes. Jo Min-jun knew that he was not a famous blogger. While he was browsing other blogs to collect cooking recipes, a notification for a new comment popped up. The nickname was familiar.

MasterChef: Happy New Year, Jo-bang-jangnim! ^^ I'm glad to receive the first New Year's greeting from you.

Jo-bang-jangnim was Jo Min-jun's nickname. Even though it was just one comment, it somewhat relieved his sadness. Jo Min-jun quickly replied.

Jo-bang-jangnim: Happy New Year to you too, MasterChef-nim. It's my first New Year's greeting from you as well. MasterChef: Hehe. You didn't post a dinner recipe today. You're not starving, are you? Jo-bang-jangnim: I didn't mean to, but it turned out that way.

For a while, the conversation between the two revolved around small talk. The dialogue gradually deepened with around ten comments exchanged between them.

Master Chef: So, you're still a second-year chef, aren't you, Jo Bang-jang? Jo Bang-jang: Yes, that's right. I cook with form on my blog, but at the restaurant, I'm peeling garlic or cutting onions. Haha... Master Chef: That's too bad. If only you had changed direction when you were a little younger. Jo Bang-jang: What can I do? This is my career. I didn't have the courage to challenge my dream back then. I realized it too late. People have their own paths. Master Chef: If you could go back to when you were a little younger, would you jump right into the path of cooking? Jo Bang-jang: Yes, I would. Now that I'm sure about the path I should take, although it's tough right now...

After that comment, they waited for a reply, but the comments didn't update for a while. Perhaps they were tired of the heavy conversation. It was also too much of a conversation to have during the New Year. Jo Min-joon went out alone and collapsed onto the dining table with his eyes closed. He was sleepy. He was exhausted. He didn't want to think about anything.

Jo Min-joon fell asleep like that, and after about ten minutes, the screen of his phone lit up, and a comment notification appeared.

NEW Master Chef: That's right. Go back once. I also want to see a younger challenge from Jo Bang-jang.