Chapter 84: Where Have You Been?
Mina had almost forgotten that the girl, who had been catering to her, still had duties other than caring for her or bringing her clothing. Right now, Tara had come into the kitchen to help the cooks prepare dinner. She had heard that there were last minute guests coming over for dinner, and all capable staff was called to the kitchen to help speed up the process. Under normal circumstances, the kitchen staff was at least given a four-hour notice when additional servings would be necessary, but today they had only been given two. Tara was not a chef, but she knew how to properly wash and chop most vegetables. Naturally, when the call for anyone capable went out, she was one of the first to be summoned. Tara had worked with the kitchen staff once before and therefore, they trusted her.
The kitchen quieted down at the sight of the unfamiliar Mina, and the head chef stepped forward to question the young lady. The woman's face was unfriendly and she looked as if she were prepared to bite Mina's head off, but once Mina explained that she would be staying in the Lee mansion for a while, the woman simply walked away assuming that Mina was one of the dinner guest. The chef still glanced up at Mina from time to time, wondering if the girl was around for business or a distant relation. Just going based off of how the woman was dressed, it suggested that she wasn't very well off, although her mannerisms and speech after being confronted was simple and polite, like that of a person who was raised well.
Remembering her orders to take care of Mina, Tara pulled her deeper into the kitchen where there was what looked like at least ten pounds of each type of vegetable waiting to be cut. Mina, who had nothing better to do, thoroughly washed her hands and absentmindedly picked up a knife to start helping with the workload. She enjoyed the feeling of being able to do something as mundane as cutting carrots. She half ignored Tara, who rambled out what seemed like, thousands of questions at a time. She knew that Tara was trying her best to avoid asking what she really wanted to know. Which was 'how did you get out?' but the girl wisely held her tongue. While Tara spoke, Mina had chopped her way through several vegetables like a pro.
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After a while, the head chef, who had grown tired of listening to Tara's voice, walked forward only to see that Mina had perfectly chopped nearly half of what was placed before her.
"Miss Mina, may I ask if you have culinary experience?"
"I believe you just asked," said Mina cheekily. She winked her eye at the woman who shot her a warning look. Mina laughed so sweetly that even the unfriendly woman scowling at her had to smile. The truth was that Mina was happy that someone got Tara to stop speaking. "I used to help my mom cook a lot," Mina admitted. The head chef followed up with questions about Mina's parents maybe being chef or household cooks, but the girl said her mother was an orphan who was raised as a domestic. All the while, Mina never stopped chopping the vegetables. She was obviously used to talking and using a knife at the same time.
Contented by Mina's responses, the head chef let down her guard. She had been afraid that Mina had been sent to replace her, but after questioning, she realized that the girl was just a wretch, albeit a pretty one. Before the woman walked away, Mina asked the woman how she should address her in the future.
"You may call me Chef Tan," The woman said, and Mina's face contorted. She was desperately trying to hold in her laughter. "What's so funny?" the chef asked, and Mina could no longer hold it back. She laughed loudly as she spoke.
"Chef Tan, as in Chieftain?" The head chef's lips curled up in a playful smile.
"It's merely a coincidence," she said, then she walked away.
"Whatever you say chief," Mina quipped. She was good at word play and even better at small talk. Mina could instantly tell that she had nothing to fear from the head chef, and she felt a small sense of ease.
By the time Mina was finished cutting the vegetables, she was hungry. Tara helped her find something to snack on, and Mina excused herself from the kitchen. Although she was a mystery to them, she was friendly toward everyone in the kitchen and she helped in almost all aspects. She cut vegetables, washed dishes, and helped clean spills. No one except Tara knew Mina was the prisoner who had been locked upstairs. When Mina was gone from view, one of the men in the kitchen spoke up.
"She isn't dating President Lee, is she?" Tara of course denied this with much emphasis. She knew how Mina had previously suffered. "Who is she?" the man asked, and Tara responded by telling the man to ask Mina directly. Confident in his ability, the man agreed.
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When Mina walked out of the hall, she saw that she was standing in another small kitchen. Before, she must have taken the staff entrance to the area she just left and that is how she ended up face to face with the busy cooks. She wondered why a home would require two kitchens, but when she thought about the important guests who must come in and out of the place, she realized that a regular kitchen like the one she was in now, was not convenient for preparing large scale meals. Shrugging she pushed open a large wooden door and entered a grand dining room. From the large crystal chandelier to the table, everything looked like it was fit for royalty. The furniture was not thick and gaudy as one would expect. On the contrary it was lightly designed. The simplicity of it brought out the elegance in the room and it was very eye catching.
Mina continued exploring and walked through a beautifully decorated visitors' room. She could tell that the room was barely used and even the carpeting looked new. After stepping through a large archway, Mina found herself in the foyer of the home, and from where she stood, she could see that the main entrance was just a few feet away. Mina looked at the large cream-colored doors and before her mind even had a chance to think about doing anything, her arm was gripped by someone strong.
"Where have you been?" A voice growled.