Chapter 38

No one could speak. They couldn’t. They had a hard time accepting what just happened. To be more exact, everyone but two people. One of them was Kaya. She was looking at Cho Min Joon with a flushed face and her arms crossed, and the other person was unexpected. Martin.

Martin had no choice. No one expected Cho Min Joon to have such a palate, and the same went for Martin. But then again, could that even be called a palate? It was hard to believe what they were seeing.

‘This… this is good.’

This was the best scene of the season. No, the best scene of the entire show. There was nothing more exciting than a talent that transcended people’s expectations. Hearts were pounding so hard at this moment that they could almost be heard, and the producers couldn’t wait to see the reactions of the viewers. It was possible they would call it fabricated. Controversies caused issues, and issues brought back great viewer rates. Martin smiled from ear to ear.

He didn’t know Cho Min Joon was such a blessing. He liked that he was good looking with a good attitude, but in the end, this was all about cooking. His cooking was particularly outstanding compared to the other contestants, but coupled with Kaya and his visuals? That was what the producers wanted to sell.

“We left a gem on the ground without knowing…”Martin mumbled to himself. He was regretful that he didn’t know of his talent until now. At that moment, the youngest producer whispered in Martin’s ear, “Sir. Do you think… there was an information leak?”

“That’s nonsense. It was the judges who filled the tofu pouches. In order for Min Joon to know the answer, he would have had to bribe all of the judges. Do you really think the judges would have done that for that young man?”

“… But how did he get all of them right? Is that possible?”

“There are times when reality is more fictional than fiction itself. A legendary scene like this doesn’t happen often in a producer’s career.”

Martin looked at Cho Min Joon with excitement. Allan hesitated with his mouth open.

“Min Joon. You have the perfect palate…?”

“… Something like that.”

That was how Cho Min Joon answered. It wasn’t true that he had the perfect palate, but he couldn’t reveal his system either.

He could have avoided this if he wanted. All he had to do was get some of them wrong, but he didn’t want to do that. He had thought of the system as cheating, but he wasn’t going to do that anymore. His near disqualification jolted him back to reality. This was a warzone where he could get killed at any moment.

That meant Cho Min Joon had to give everything he got. There was no room for complacency.

He also got all 20 of them right in order to make a promise to himself. He wanted to show all of his abilities. He wanted to show everything to the judges as well as other people.

Cho Min Joon asked, “May I go now?”

Cho Min Joon pointed toward where the group set to be saved from disqualification gathered. Allan paused and looked back at Joseph. Joseph was also surprised by Cho Min Joon’s palate. Joseph said, “… Let me announce the disqualified contestants. Selena, Dan, Jordan. I’m sorry, but this is the end of your journey on Grand Chef.”

Selena burst into tears, and the judges and other contestants watched in sadness. The three contestants left the set, followed by a moment of silence. Cho Min Joon didn’t know if that silence was for him or the ones who had left.

Cho Min Joon looked up at the 2nd floor. They were all looking at him. He didn’t feel pressured, just unfamiliar. Was there a time when he had all the attention? Oh, yes. There was one time when he said Kaya was going to win.

But the meaning behind the gazes this time was different. Jealousy? Hatred? He couldn’t make out their eyes. He had never received such looks before.

Cho Min Joon lowered his head and to the side of his eye was Joseph. Joseph showed a desperate look on his face and said, “I didn’t know you had this talent. I’m surprised.”

“Thank you.”

Cho Min Joon answered with a calm face. But Joseph couldn’t remain so calm. Chefs had to be sensitive to flavors to become great. To be able to understand flavors meant that they were able to create better ones themselves.

Joseph opened his mouth again, but he closed it soon after. The words were too heavy to say in a hasty manner. He was speechless for a moment.

In the end, Joseph had to calm himself down. Once he did, he said, “I’d like all the contestants to come downstairs.”

The contestants on the 2nd floor chatted as they came down the stairs. When they lifted their heads, Cho Min Joon saw Kaya looking at him. As soon as Kaya’s mouth opened, Chloe’s face popped up in front of her.

“Congrats. I didn’t know you could guess ingredients so well.”

She was staring blankly just a minute ago, but she must have organized her thoughts in no time. Chloe smiled and asked, “Do you have the perfect palate? I’ve always been curious about that.”

“Ahem.”

Allan coughed. Chloe then realized that the evaluation wasn’t over just yet. Chloe’s face flushed as she shut her mouth. Cho Min Joon glanced over at Kaya. But she was looking at the judges.

“Congratulations. The 18 of you will go on to the next mission.”

At that moment, everyone cheered. 3 contestants were just disqualified, but they were still happy. But of course, those who were closer to the 3 just quietly clapped. Emily smiled and said, “You have free time until your next mission. Please have a good time.”

“But don’t let your guard down. Don’t forget that you’re in the place where all amateur cooks dream of. This place demands pride as well as responsibility from all of you.” Allan spoke in a rigid voice. He scanned the contestants and then smiled when he saw Cho Min Joon.

“It looks like you have a lot to talk about. You may go. Go ahead and rip each other apart.”

Allan then turned around.

At that moment, almost all of the contestants turned to Cho Min Joon.

Making Allan’s consideration useless, the next place Cho Min Joon was headed to was the interview room. He had already spoken in an interview before the mission, but the vibe was different this time. Cho Min Joon saw Martin’s eyes sparkling like crazy, and his expression made him feel burdened and a little disgusted. Cho Min Joon spoke in a bitter voice, “Martin, are you just going to keep staring at me like that?”

“You’ve got to understand. I feel like I picked up a rock to find that it was a gem worth thousands. That’s how I feel right now.”

“… Should I be happy about that? You’re calling me a rock.”

“I’m calling you a gem.”

Margin then smiled. Cho Min Joon wasn’t sure. Right now, Martin was even happier than Cho Min Joon, but he did understand. There was nothing more precious to a producer than a great scene, and the disqualification mission just now was legendary.

“So what about the interview?”

“Let’s start with the basics. How do you feel right now?”

“To be honest, not bad. I’m still here, right? So I’m not sad.”

“How did you feel when you found out that it was a tasting mission?”

“I’m not going to go home.”

Cho Min Joon answered without hesitation. Martin nodded in understanding.

“So you were confident in your palate.”

“Something like that.”

Cho Min Joon answered confidently. He also felt like he was being praised for getting 100 on a test he cheated on, but it wasn’t like he was being shameless. Whether it was his palate or his system, it was him who did it.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you had an outstanding palate…?”

“Because it’s not about cooking. There was no need to mention it, and since there was no need to hide it either, I showed it during this mission.”

“Then does this have to do with why you mentioned scores last time?”

Cho Min Joon paused. He didn’t know how to answer this one, but since it was the same system, he decided to credit his palate. Cho Min Joon nodded and said, “Yes.”

“And a perfect score is a 10?”

“Yes. But I’ve never tried a 10 before. Rather than the simple flavor of the dish, it’s more about feeling the chef’s technique and experience.”

Before, he would have just called it a bluff, but after seeing the tasting mission, he completely believed it. Martin smiled and looked at Cho Min Joon. In response to his admiring smile, Cho Min Joon pulled back a bit.

“By that, you mean you’ve tried a 9 before?”

“Yes. Once. It was at East Rabbit Garden. The lamb ribs were a masterpiece.”

“Just once… I see. Then what about 8?”

“8 is good enough to make my entire day happy. I haven’t seen it in this competition. Hm…”

Cho Min Joon traced back his memories. He had seen many 8-point dishes before. Kaya’s eel was an 8 although it never went into the judges’ mouths, and the salmon tataki salad was also an 8. Chloe’s Guanzi was an 8… So for an amateur competition, there were quite a few 8s. The level of this season was quite high.

But the only things he could mention were the foods that he tried. He couldn’t put scores on what he hadn’t eaten, and there was only one, Chloe’s Guanzi. The Fois Gras he made with Kaya was also an 8, but there was no time to eat it due to the evaluation. Cho Min Joon said, “Chloe’s Guanzi was an 8. I haven’t tried anything else besides that.”

“What’s the highest score you’ve made yourself, Min Joon?”

“… Unfortunately, I’ve never made one. 7 is the best I can do at the moment.”

This scene made him look comical. Even Michelin was strict when evaluating a restaurant, and he was doing it as an individual person.

‘But it’s different if you have the perfect palate.’

That was what Martin thought as he continued to smile until his lips trembled. Considering the great gift Cho Min Joon gave him, it was all worth it.

The interview went on for a while. It was longer than usual. As a result, Cho Min Joon was pooped by the time he got out. He felt like it was harder to speak in the interview than to cook.

He thought about going back to rest, but it was obvious that the other contestants would question him afterward. He left the interview room with a tired mind. As soon as he opened the door, Cho Min Joon stopped in his tracks. A person with curly blonde hair was standing in front of him. Cho Min Joon spoke in a puzzled voice, “… Emily?”