Chapter 22

“Uh… That’s quite a provocative thing to say.”

Marco whispered in a quiet voice. To be honest, Marco probably spoke up for all of the contestants there. By saying that Kaya was going to win, he was saying that everyone else was going to be disqualified.

Cho Min Joon sighed inside his head. He felt like he made a mistake, and he also wondered why they had to air that portion. Fortunately, he also understood. It was interesting for viewers to see someone root for a genius like Kaya.

There was no way the producer considered Cho Min Joon’s stance before letting everyone see that. He probably didn’t even think about it.

But it didn’t really matter at this point. What was important was the gazes he was getting at the moment. It wasn’t everyone, but most were giving Cho Min Joon looks that weren’t so kind.

They were bitter. They all tried to avoid looking at Cho Min Joon in the eyes, but when he turned around, he saw Kaya. She was glaring at him in disappointment. Cho Min Joon felt like it was unfair. All he did was say nice things about her.

Nonetheless, this wasn’t the time to think about that. The first episode ended with Cho Min Joon’s comment. It gave credit to Kaya’s genius, but all it did was make the hall grow quiet.

‘Am I an outcast now?’

Since he was a foreigner saying such a thing, there was no way it would seem favorable. At least Marco didn’t seem to hate him…

The contestants got up one by one and left the hall. Among them, one of them even said a few negative things about Cho Min Joon. When Cho Min Joon let out a sigh, someone stood in front of him. He could not help but lift his head. A handsome man with blonde hair. It was none other than Anderson. He spoke with an angry tone.

“I’m curious to see if you’re skilled enough to criticize the rest of us.”

Cho Min Joon just stared without a word when Anderson whispered in his ear.

“That’s why don’t make anything shitty. Or I’ll lose it.”

Anderson left and Marco tapped on Cho Min Joon’s shoulder.

“D-don’t worry about him. People will forget.”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know about this one.”

It wasn’t Cho Min Joon who answered Marco. She was staring at Cho Min Joon with a slightly unkind glare. Kaya then asked, “What’s your deal?”

“I’m a contestant.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking. Why did you talk about who would win or lose? People have a bad impression of me now.”

It was understandable for Kaya to say that. Everyone sensed Kaya’s abilities, but they didn’t talk about her. Sadly, Cho Min Joon changed that. The very talented, Kaya Reuters. She now had a reputation.

It was normal for Kaya to feel bothered about it, it wasn’t even her mistake. It was Cho Min Joon who spoke about her favorably, but that was another story. Kaya glared at him and Cho Min Joon said, “Sorry.”

“You should just act shameless, then I’d feel better about trash-talking you.”

“You can cuss me out if you want. I deserve it.”

In response, Kaya stared at Cho Min Joon for a while and then let out a sigh.

“Forget it. That’ll just make me into a bitch. I can’t even get mad at you.”

“…Speaking of which, I meant what I said in my interview. You’ll win this season unless any exceptions happen.”

Cho Min Joon sounded certain. Since he knew about it from future experience, he was certain. He knew the future of all the contestants and that none of them would defeat Kaya.

However.

“And I plan on being that exception.”

But Cho Min Joon hadn’t lost to her yet. It wasn’t about cooking levels. He had no reason to surrender to Kaya just yet. After all, they had never competed before.

That’s why Cho Min Joon was the only one who stood a chance. That’s what Cho Min Joon believed. Or at least, he wanted to. He didn’t want to cook as a losing contestant. Everyone held onto their hopes as they cooked their dishes. And Cho Min Joon wanted to do the same. No, he had to.

“Do what you want.”

Kaya grumbled as she walked away. Cho Min Joon simply watched as she walked off. And Marco, who was watching them both, pointed at Cho Min Joon and asked, “Are you fighting out of affection?”

“…No.”

…

-Tiny Jung: Did you see Grand Chef? I feel like I’ve seen Kaya before.

-Abdul N: She works at a market, maybe you saw her there. Isn’t there one in every high school?

-Cersei Lannister: I didn’t like Tyrion among the contestants. I feel an urge to harass him.

-George Martin: I don’t know. I liked him.

-Eve Rose: Kaya’s the most rebellious. Her glare is scary.

-Devy Jones: @EveRose, she’s just keeping her distance. She’s a young girl who’s nervous to be on TV.

-Golden Rosemary: I can’t say much because I don’t have an interest in cooking. I feel like the Korean’s the best chef, but most people are talking about Kaya.

-Christine R: Min Joon did seem to make a better dish, but Kaya’s eel was the most difficult. I didn’t know a teenager could cook like that.

-Evil Empire: Cheer for Kaya! Min Joon was right. I think Kaya will win.

-Trull Trull: You never know, but I agree. I want to see Kaya win. I want to become a fan. Or maybe I already am.

-Taylor Love: Min Joon’s snapper was great. I liked Chloe’s too. But the eel… I’ve never had eel before, so I’m not too into it. I wanted to eat Min Joon’s cooking the most. Beyond everything else, he’s sexy.

Cho Min Joon read comments all over social media. As soon as the show ended, countless comments were made about the show. He smiled at times and grimaced at others. But after a while, Cho Min Joon didn’t show any expression at all.

There were too many comments to react to. They were all too different. Some were mean, while others were nice. There were even some who favored him. At times, there were some Koreans abroad who commented on him as well.

-Erina Choi: Personally, I don’t think we can say Kaya won yet. She was great, but I don’t like her attitude. It doesn’t sound like she thinks she’ll win.

-Helena Vodianova: I agree. Maybe it was the editing, but she didn’t seem confident.

Cho Min Joon agreed with that. What he said was a mistake. Just because he knew the future didn’t mean that he really knew. Or maybe he was just bragging. Just like a father who brags about his child, maybe he wanted to brag about Kaya as a fan. Cho Min Joon was a fan of hers. He wanted to be just like her. He might have been satisfied with her abilities and results, but…

But right now, that wasn’t enough. He couldn’t mistake Kaya’s accomplishments as his own. They were competing against each other. In order to keep up, he had to think of ways to defeat her. He couldn’t become an audience member and a fan. He wanted to stand next to her on the field. That’s what he wanted to achieve.

It was rash for him to talk about Kaya’s win. He didn’t really think straight. He did think it through, but the results weren’t great. At that moment, Cho Min Joon realized he was no longer at school or in the kitchen as a 30-year-old. This was Grand Chef. It was a place where everyone remembered every word he said.

He wasn’t discouraged though. He was just disappointed at what he said. If he was a contestant, there was no way he could speak of who would win. Only viewers could say that. Cho Min Joon was no longer a viewer.

He refused to lose. Cho Min Joon’s eyes looked fierce. Cho Min Joon then left a comment through a nickname.

Cooking Man: Cooks should speak through their cooking.