How did he notice I unblocked him so quickly?
As if he were dealing with someone he had known for a long time, Caesar began sending me messages every morning and evening without fail.
Most of the DMs were just regular greetings sent at the right times, but strangely, a recipe was mixed in every now and then.
I looked through the recipes from various countries and thought to myself:
‘How did he know I unblocked him just to save the recipes?’
Does he seriously have CCTV installed in my house or something?
The thought suddenly terrified me, so I searched every corner of the house, but no suspicious cameras turned up.
In the end, I half-gave up and tied on my apron. It was to try and recreate the Cacio e Pepe I had eaten before.
And about three hours later.
Holding a plate, I slumped down onto the floor with one single thought:
‘I failed.’
I had tried so many times that I used up an entire 10-serving bag of pasta, but the result was just a heap of weird-looking food.
‘……It’s roughly similar, but this isn’t it.’
It feels like the noodles and the sauce are acting separately from each other…
Thinking that, I picked up the empty pasta bag and read the ingredient list.
‘Is it because the noodles are different? I paid quite a bit for these.’
I didn’t even have a clue what the problem was.
I tried cross-referencing other people’s recipes by searching the internet, but even that didn’t help at all.
‘I never thought of myself as a bad cook, but now that it’s come to this, my confidence is dropping.’
I tossed the packaging I was holding and let out a sigh.
‘I have no idea what kind of noodles are good for pasta, or what brand of cheese I should use.’
……Surely there aren’t different types and grades of black pepper too, right?
I put the plate down and did some searching, only to realize my suspicion was a fact.
There really are different types of pepper, and the scent and taste vary by brand.
“Ugh…”
I feel stuck.
I wish someone would just appear like a wizard and say, “This is how you do it.”
As I was thinking that, Caesar, the owner of the recipes, came to mind.
‘……But it’s a bit much to call Caesar and ask him.’
Isn’t that acting way too relaxed? Even if he doesn’t cling to me relentlessly, isn’t that guy a stalker in the end?
‘Of course, he isn’t pushy to the point of being violent. But it’s also true that he’s pushing himself onto someone who said they didn’t like it.’
Since the pattern was different from the stalkers I had dealt with before, I did have the easy-going thought of, ‘Compared to them, he’s a gentleman.’
He didn’t try to break into my house or stage a sit-in protest at my workplace, saying he’d wait until I met him.
But even so, the reason he’s uncomfortable is…
It’s probably because, unlike other stalkers, his information-gathering skills are way too good.
“Seriously, how did he find out my account and bank details?”
Even if I ask how he knew, he won’t give me an answer, so there’s no way to find out…
I stared blankly at the ceiling, organizing my thoughts, when I suddenly muttered to myself.
“He knows suspiciously well. He has too much ‘information’ about me.”
I mean real ‘information,’ not just ‘data’ based on guesses.
I clicked on the message that had just arrived to check it.
‘……As expected, he sent a recipe I would like this time, too.’
How many years have I spent walking on eggshells?
There’s no way I wouldn’t know this situation is strange.
‘He knows me too well. If he’s sent this many recipes, there should be at least one with an ingredient I hate, but miraculously, there isn’t a single one.’
I muttered while scrolling through the message box.
“There’s no food that smells fishy, and no dishes using walnuts.”
Italy is a country with a developed fishing industry, and because the sunlight is strong, walnuts grow well.
Therefore, there are quite a lot of recipes that use shellfish or walnut paste.
And Caesar…… seemed to already know my tastes.
It was as if someone had whispered to him, ‘A person like Han Jeheon hates seeing this kind of food.’
‘Like a ghost, he completely left out types like clams or oysters and only sent recipes for octopus carpaccio and carabineros.’
In particular, while there were recipes decorated with pistachios, the fact that there wasn’t a single dish using walnuts bothered me.
“Where on earth is the information leaking from? I don’t even have many friends.”
But thinking about it didn’t bring an answer right away.
In the end, I spent the whole weekend agonizing over it before heading off to work.
And so, a new Monday arrived.
The moment our eyes met, McQueen threw a question at me.
“Han, is something bothering you?”
Sharp guy.
‘He sure is quick on the uptake.’
Even if I said “Nothing’s wrong,” he would probably realize immediately that it was a lie.
But I couldn’t exactly consult McQueen by saying, ‘I think Caesar is stalking me, and I don’t know who’s cooperating with him.’
Of course I couldn’t.
‘I don’t want to end up having a meeting with the manager because they think I’ve developed mental issues from the incident the other day.’
I fixed my expression and shook my head.
“It’s nothing much.”
“What do you mean it’s nothing? Tell me.”
“It’s really something trivial…”
“Even if it’s trivial, you shouldn’t keep it to yourself and suffer. What if it festers inside you?”
What a good-natured guy. Sometimes you’re a bit much, though…
But I can’t tell someone who is genuinely worried about me that they’re a burden. At the same time, I didn’t want to make him worry for no reason by saying nothing.
So, what should I say?
‘Let’s see…… McQueen said his father was a chef, right?’
After thinking for a moment within the given conditions, I picked out a suitable topic to worry about.
soon, a very light concern flowed through my lips.
“The Cacio e Pepe I ate back then…”
It was a perfectly plain consultation that stripped away every single bit of the story between Caesar and me.
“I sent an inquiry to the official account without expecting much, and they actually gave me an answer.”
I showed him the recipe I had saved in my notes and laughed awkwardly.
“So I tried cooking it exactly like that, but I don’t know if it’s my hands or what…… I just couldn’t get that taste. I was worrying because I didn’t know what the cause was.”
Then, McQueen replied with a surprised look.
“You DM’d Caesar? And he gave you a recipe instead of telling you the restaurant?”
“Yeah.”
“Then that means it’s a recipe Caesar himself had?”
McQueen muttered, “Being that good-looking and a good cook, that’s cheating.” After laughing as if it were interesting, he spoke again.
“Hmm, honestly, asking Caesar again would be the most accurate way.”
“Really?”
“Italian food is heavily influenced by the types of noodles and cheese. More specifically, there’s a big variation depending on which brand of Pecorino you use, and the taste of the noodles changes a lot depending on the thickness or drying time. Whether you emulsify it well or not is also key.”
The umami is also determined by the ratio of Pecorino and Grana Padano you mix…… and the texture is different depending on whether you added extra Parmigiano or Feta.
Plus, when you boil the noodles……
I had a blank expression as I listened to the words pouring out of him.
‘I don’t understand a single thing he’s saying…’
I thought I knew how to cook to some extent, too. But what McQueen was saying right now sounded less like a food recipe and more like a magic potion formula listed by a wizard.
‘It’s probably best to assume it was impossible to recreate from the start.’
I felt a slight sense of futility, but I tried not to let it show.
“Whatever it is, I can see that it’s just my lack of skill. Thanks for the advice.”
“It doesn’t seem like the problem was solved at all, though? How about asking Caesar again?”
I waved my hand at McQueen with a smile.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m not a kid, and I’m past the age of being obsessed with food.”
And I can’t give that guy an opening just because of some food. It would be the worst if he thought, ‘Oh, if I push, he accepts it,’ and kept clinging to me. Even if it weren’t him, I’m not in a situation to meet anyone, and it’s twice as troublesome that the one sticking to me is that guy.
“I can’t bother him twice with something like this. He’s a busy person to begin with.”
When I just kept smiling as I said that, McQueen made a “Hmm” sound and crossed his arms.
“If I just knew the ingredients, I think I could do it for you…”
“Why go to all that trouble? It’s not like I’m anyone special.”
“Don’t be so cold to a friend!”
“Please also understand my heart, which doesn’t want to burden a friend.”
I patted McQueen on the shoulder and gave him a bright smile.
“You’re a really good guy, Mac.”
And so, I ended the consultation.
Since McQueen didn’t annoyingly pry into things or urge me to contact Caesar after that…… I thought he had given up.
But that was a miscalculation.
As much as he was careful and thoughtful, he was also skilled at hiding his expressions, and like an American, he had a tendency to be obsessed with surprises.
Therefore, it was only after that man, Caesar, appeared right in front of my eyes that I realized McQueen had caused a major accident.
