Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 196:

Cha Si-hyun shakes his head.

He still remembers how he cried in fear when he met Henri Marso before his grandfathers comeback. He seems to have a grudge against him.

His grandfather also has a TV appearance scheduled after dinner, so it would be too much to visit Marsos house, which takes two hours to go back and forth.

See you tomorrow. I have a prior engagement.

-Theres pizza.

I can eat here too.

He seems to know that I go crazy for pizza.

-Explain.

-Ko Hun, this is Arsen.

Hello.

I dont know what hes trying to say, but Im not going to see Marso right now.

-Ill prepare a potato pizza with plenty of Jersey Royal potatoes grown on the British island of Jersey.

Jersey Royal?

Thats too fancy for a potato variety.

-Jersey Royal potatoes are a variety that balances starch and moisture. You can feel the fluffy and chewy texture.

Hold on.

-Also, the bacon made by Raymond, the chef, boasts a rich meat flavor and a savory taste. He smoked the Iberico Bellota pork in a traditional way.

So?

-Ill use at least three kinds of cheese. You wont be disappointed with the Campania mozzarella cheese and the Swiss Appenzeller cheese, which passed strict standards.

-And Ill drizzle Madame Sherrys special mayonnaise on top.

Were in front of the Saint-Louis Bridge.

-Ill be there in 40 minutes.

As soon as I hung up, my grandfather sighed.

I had no choice.

Are you going?

Cha Si-hyun, who doesnt understand French, asked.

Yes.

Why? Lets not go.

I have to go.

What did he say?

He said he put fluffy and chewy potatoes, Appenzeller cheese, and Sherrys mayonnaise on it.

Cha Si-hyun narrowed his eyes.

Are you talking about pizza?

He said he made the bacon himself.

He stuck out his mouth.

I dont want to go. I hate that old man.

Is there a problem?

Blanche Fabre intervened.

He said hes not going.

Why?

He asked directly in English, since it was cumbersome to translate in the middle.

Its not often that you get a chance to meet Marso.

I hate that old man.

Do you hate him too?

Blanche Fabres eyes sparkled.

Then you should go and scold him.

Maybe it was because he found a comrade.

He clenched his fist and made a face, looking excited.

How?

You have to criticize his narrow-mindedness that only draws self-portraits and point out his childishness that ignores others.

Should I take him with me?

Its not wrong, but if I say that to Marso, things wont end well.

I dont like fighting.

You cant run away. Nothing will be solved.

I dont have to go and fight.

Dont you say you dont have a chance to meet Henri Marso?

Still, I dont want to say that much. It will hurt him.

Hes not the kind of person who gets hurt by that.

"How do you know, sis?"1)

He didnt flinch even when tens of thousands of people cursed him. Hes the kind of person who says hes right even when eight billion people criticize him.

He seems to know him well, even though he hates Marso.

Hoon-ah, I dont think your grandfather can go. Are you okay?

Im fine. Arsen will take me back too.

Dont play too late. You have a schedule tomorrow.

Yes. What about grandfathers dinner?

Just eat around here. Call me if anything happens. If your grandfather cant go, Taeho will go.

Okay.

Even though the landlord is weird, its the safest place in Paris.

My grandfather also nodded his head, having changed his mind about Marso a lot.

Dad. Im going to Marsos mansion now. You dont have to come since its like this. Im fine. Dont ask.

Blanche Fabre called her father.

I wonder what he would say if he knew what she was up to.

I think shes as reckless as Marso.

Yum.

The Bertillon gelato ice cream I ate while waiting for Arsen was delicious even in the cold.

**

Sir, Ko Hun is here.

Tell him to come in.

Henri Marso frowned, feeling happy that the cheeky kid finally recognized him and prepared a dinner.

Behind Ko Hun, who entered the hall, two kids were clinging to him.

Where does he keep bringing them from?

One of them was the one who talked back to him in Korea, and the other one was new to him.

He told him to bring them, but he didnt like the kids multiplying. He wanted to have a calm conversation with Ko Hun.

Look. Hes scary.

Cha Si-hyun and Blanche Fabre hid behind Ko Hun at Henri Marsos intimidating attitude.

Blanche Fabre, who was ready to fight, unexpectedly behaved quietly, and Ko Hun felt relieved.

What about the pizza?

Ko Hun asked as he sat down in the seat he was guided to.

Henry Marso winked at me.

What have you been up to?

Just wandering around.

How did the vote go?

I saw it on my way here. Damien Carter won, right?

And you had the leisure to wander around? Are you out of your mind?

What else can I do? Should I carry a sign or something?

You should do something, anything. Do you want to lose to a stuffed animal?

If you know so well, why dont you help me out, Marso?

As Ko Hun and Henry chatted casually, Chasiyun and Blanche whispered to each other.

What are they talking about?

They started arguing as soon as they saw each other. Are they really friends?

Thats what they say, but I dont know.

They cant be friends if they talk like that. Hes mad at him for not finding the pizza.

Im scared of that old man.

I dont like him.

Yeah.

But hes handsome.

?

Soon, the potato pizza that the chef of Marsos mansion had made with great care was placed in front of the kids and Marso.

Ko Huns eyes sparkled as he eyed the pizza.

Nice.

The pizza shone brightly under the chandelier.

The golden potatoes on top of the melted cheese were flaunting their beauty, and on top of them lay thick slices of bacon that were crisped on the outside.

Under the crunchy surface, there was bound to be plenty of juice from the melted fat.

But what made this pizza even more special was the homemade mayonnaise that Sherry Gado sprinkled along the outer ring of the crust. It had undergone enough Maillard reaction to have a light brown color.

I swallowed my saliva and took a deep breath.

The aroma of potatoes, cheese, pork, mayonnaise, and bread baked with aged dough was rich and irresistible.

I lifted a slice of pizza.

Yum.

The potato pizzas passionate love found my mouth with a scorching heat, and I had no choice but to close my eyes.

We had already felt each other enough with our eyes and nose, and now we only had to love with our lips and tongue.

Henry Marceau lifted the corner of his mouth as he watched Ko Hun in ecstasy.

What will you do after the contest?

Ko Hun snapped out of his blissful state.

Ill stay a bit longer if I make it to the top ten, otherwise I have to go back.

Be realistic. You have to aim for the second place.

Youre not telling me to go for the first place.

Henry Marceau, who was about to claim the first place as his own, became aware of Cha Si-hyun and Blanche Fabre.

Ko Hun finally came to his senses.

You met Si-hyun last time, right?

I dont care about him.

Thats Blanche Fabre. Fabre, this is Marceau. Say hello.

Blanche Fabre lifted her head without changing her posture of cutting the pizza and glared at Henry Marceau.

Marceau had no interest in the platinum-haired brat either.

They locked eyes for a moment, then he brought up the question he wanted to ask Ko Hun again.

How long are you going to keep coming and going?

Why?

Dont play dumb.

Ko Hun took a big bite of his pizza and sorted out his thoughts.

The European and North American markets were definitely bigger and easier to work in than South Korea.

Especially for Ko Hun, who didnt need any adaptation period in terms of language and culture, there was no reason to hesitate.

My grandfather is looking into it for me.

Yeah? Where to?

Henry Marceau couldnt hide his excitement and raised his voice.

Burbank?

Henry Marceau widened his eyes as he watched Ko Hun casually eating his pizza.

California?

Yes.

Why there!

I have an old house there. Its also good for movie work.

Youre going to live there for such a lame reason?

Why are you getting angry again? Its just one of the options Im considering.

Where else then?

New Malden.

Henry Marceaus temples throbbed as Ko Hun mentioned London.

He was frustrated that Ko Hun was talking about Burbank and London instead of Paris, the capital of art, where he lived.

You have a house in Paris too! What did you do with the one on 12-14 Rue Thomas Mann in Gobelins?

Ko Hun blinked.

How do you know that, Marceau?

What?

How do you know about the house in Gobelins?

He couldnt say that he had investigated Ko Huns past because he was suspicious.

Henry Marceau racked his brain.

There.

Where?

I tried to buy it, but it was under your name.

You tried to buy it?

Henry Marceau, who couldnt even lie properly, was replaced by Arsen.

Its a place where the real estate value has been rising steadily since the new town development. Were also buying a few other places besides that one.

Ko Hun nodded.

Im not selling it. I have tenants too.

I dont need it!

Henry Marceau snapped his fingers on the table.

Why are you so angry?

Im not selling the house. Youre so low. You think youre cool when you get angry like that.

I dont understand why that old man is angry.

If youre cool, you know how to be sweet.

?

Meanwhile, Blanche Fabre and Cha Si-hyun were having a lively conversation.

****

1)Cha Si-hyun used you to refer to Ko Hun, but he meant older sister rather than you, so I wrote it as above.