May Sima — a quiet, observant sous-chef — watched it all unfold from the corner of the kitchen. She was the one who understood Sam-soon the most. Sima had come from a small town, learned French pastry from online videos with bad translations, and now found herself translating more than recipes: she translated the silences between Sam-soon and Jin-heon, the longing neither would name.
After catching her boyfriend cheating on her during Christmas Eve, Sam-soon found herself jobless, loveless, and broke on a freezing Seoul night. That was when the universe — cruel and kind at once — led her to the doors of Bon Appétit, a fine dining restaurant owned by the handsome, arrogant, deeply wounded Hyun Jin-heon. May Sima — a quiet, observant sous-chef —
“What’s that?” she asked.