Chapter 55

While Cho Min Joon got his hand treated by a doctor, Chloe’s evaluation continued. It wasn’t surprising. There was no praise, but there was no criticism either.

Cho Min Joon watched Chloe approach with a lukewarm face and grimaced. Of course, it wasn’t because of the evaluation’s results. His pain got worse and worse. The doctor gave him some anesthesia and calmly said, “The pain will worsen as you get your sensation back.”

“… How long will it take for it to recover?”

“It depends on the person, but it usually takes a week, and it’ll be fully healed in 2 weeks. As for the full sensation in your hands, it’ll take longer than that.”

The doctor spoke as he stitched up his thumb. It was no surprise for a chef to injure his hand once in a while, but he didn’t like the sight of a needle going through his skin.

“Don’t look. It’s not good for your mental health.”

He looked back at the judges in response and saw Hugo receiving his evaluation. 7 points. Just like when he made Ossobuco, he realized he was quite a talented contestant. At this rate, he could even reach level 7 overall in just a few years.

“Thank you for the delicious dish.”

The evaluation ended with Emily’s words. The judges glanced over at Cho Min Joon. As for the final decision, all of the contestants had to gather together. The doctor tapped on Cho MInJoon’s wrist and told him he was done. As soon as he returned to the cooking station, Joseph announced, “We’ve decided on the contestant in 1st place. First, I’ll tell you which side won 1st place. It was the risotto.”

In response, Cho Min Joon licked his lips and looked at the judges. There were two contestants who received 8 points today. Him and Kaya. Kaya was criticized for her lack of originality while he didn’t receive any criticism, so he was hopeful.

Joseph looked at Cho Min Joon. He gestured for him to come closer.

“Congratulations, Min Joon. You’re the winner today.”

He couldn’t keep a straight face. His lips went up although Cho Min Joon tried his best to keep them down, but in the end, he flashed a bright smile. It was the first time he got 8 points and won 1st place. He just tried to survive up until now, so he had no leisure to strive for the best, but as Joseph said, he was the star today.

Joseph continued, “Have confidence, Min Joon. You’re a great chef regardless of your palate, and your risotto today was good enough to be in a restaurant. It was that good.”

“I think you underestimated your capabilities. Why did you think 7 points was your limit? Think about the risotto you made. You even said yourself that it was worth 8 points. You’re a great chef. Stop doubting your abilities.”

Cho Min Joon didn’t know what to say to Allan’s words. Since he was a level 6, he thought level 7 was the best he could do, but he couldn’t tell them that. After all, the system was a secret, but what was true was that he overcame what he thought was his limit.

He felt himself choke up, and that feeling made him want to tear up. He wasn’t intending on crying until he won. Cho Min Joon covered his eyes. He heard a voice from beyond his hands.

“Continue to cook like today. I don’t think today’s cooking was your best. Your 20s is the best time to grow.”

“… Thank you.”

His voice was chocked up. It came out nicely on screen, but Cho Min Joon felt embarrassed. He felt like he wasn’t manly or adult, but he had no other choice. Hearing that he was able to achieve his lifelong dream… made him feel happy inside. If he hadn’t felt anything, that would have meant his dream wasn’t real or he was a robot.

When he sniffled and took his hands away, Allan was looking at him with teary eyes. Cho Min Joon bowed with a crooked smile. This was a Korean way of greeting them, but he wanted to do it.

As soon as the 1st place announcement was made, it was time for something uncomfortable. They had to announce who had to go home. The judges still didn’t feel comfortable doing this. Allan spoke in a stiff voice, “We tried many dishes today. There were conflicting opinions on the risottos, but with the Paella dishes, it was more clear. Carlos and Kony, please come up to the front.”

Carlos went up with a pale face. As for Kony, she looked like she saw this coming. Allan spoke in a cold voice, “Kony, you made your worst dish today. Are you aware of that?”

“Yes… I am.”

“But that doesn’t make you a bad chef. I enjoyed your last dishes, so please don’t give up on your dream. You have lots of potential. Please leave as is.”

“… Okay.”

Kony nodded. After that was Carlos’ turn. Carlos was tense at the anticipation of what would happen next. The tattoos on his arms wriggled, but he just looked like a cat with goosebumps. Emily said, “We thought long and hard about you. There were actually many dishes at your level in the risotto group.”

“…”

“But we need to disqualify someone, so we picked someone that touched us the least. I’m sorry, Carlos, but this is the end of your run in this show. Kony, Carlos, please take off your Grand Chef badges.”

Both Carlos and Kony took off their badges with shaking hands. They put their badges on the table and walked out of the kitchen with heavy footsteps. Cho Min Joon bit down on his lip and watched Carlos leave.

He couldn’t call him a best friend, but they grew very close. They both cooked for their dreams, but in the end, they walked different paths at the crossroad.

You could say the show as a repetition of crossroads. Every time an episode finished, there was at least one disqualified contestant. At first, he strongly wanted to survive, but now, they had to compete with one another in a fierce battle.

His mouth tasted bitter despite the sweet taste of victory.

Once everyone finished their interviews with Martin, all the contestants gathered in the hall at nighttime. It was time for the broadcast to air.

Two of them were disqualified, but they weren’t all sad. After all, their dreams didn’t end just because they left the show. Cho Min Joon rubbed Hugo on the shoulder. Hugo flinched and looked back at Cho Min Joon.

“You must feel lonely now that your best friend isn’t here.”

“… Ugh, I don’t know.”

Hugo shook his head and sighed. Since he was the closest to Carlos, he was probably the saddest.

The show began. Ironically, the first one to appear on the screen was Kony. She looked at the camera and spoke with a sparkle in her eye.

I’m a single mother. My child is four now and goes to kindergarten, but I can barely afford for kindergarten at the moment. My talent? No, I don’t know if I can call it that. This is my last hope. Do I enjoy it? I’m not sure. To be honest, I feel more desperate than feeling enjoyment. This is my last hope after all. This is for a stable life for me and my child… I can’t be defeated here. I have to win. I’m not knowledgable like the others, and all I know are things I picked up from working at restaurants… but I have a clear reason why I should win.

The content was heavy. The bright atmosphere quickly turned dark. Most viewers would probably cheer her on as they watched, but they already knew what was going to happen; that Kony was going home.

‘That damned Paella.’

Cho Min Joon sighed inside his head. Even if Kony had survived this time, she wouldn’t have won. There was a difference in basic ability, but he still felt bad.

The show covered the three-course mission. Cho Min Joon was able to watch that situation more closely. To be more exact, he was able to watch Kaya and Anderson’s fight. After their fight over the main, the scene ended with Kaya’s hands blurred out. Joanne tapped Anderson and asked, “Do you want to beat a kid that badly?”

“… Shut up.”

“You two are the same.”

In response, Kaya glared at Joanne with a grimace, and Joanne lifted both hands to surrender.

After that, it was predictable, but there was one thing that he overlooked. The fact that Carlos was also on Anderson and Kaya’s team. Anderson’s team lost and Kaya asked Cho Min Joon to help her when commercials came on. At this point, not even the contestants talked about the love line. They thought they teased them enough, but it was a different story for the viewers.

“Everyone’s going to be busy checking comments tonight,” Hugo said with a smirk.

Cho Min Joon looked at Hugo and asked, “Don’t you look at them?”

“I look at them a little, but it’s not like I can say anything, and they’re not saying that much about me. The producers didn’t give me a love line.”

“… Be thankful they didn’t. It’s stressing me out.”

“Why?”

It wasn’t Hugo who asked the question. Cho Min Joon turned his head. Kaya was staring at him blankly.

“Aren’t you reading the comments because they stress you out?”

“I’m stressed but it’s not because of that. You should be honored to be connected to me. Why are you stressed?”

“… Others shouldn’t butt into marriage fights. I’m out.”

“Forget it. Sit down. What marriage fight?”

Cho Min Joon sat Hugo back down. Hugo looked around and then whispered in Cho Min Joon’s ear.

“I’m scared of her.”

“Teenagers are like that.”

“I wasn’t like that.”

“That was a long time ago. How old are you? 28?”

“Ugh…”

Hugo showed a sad face and turned away. Kaya was going to say something, but she shut her mouth. The show was starting again.

It went as expected. They showed the contestants’ stories and why they couldn’t be disqualified, and the same went for Kaya.

I have no intention of going back to the sewer. I’m sure others have their reasons for why they can’t go home, but I’m sorry. I have my reason too. I’m going to win even if I have to kill everyone.

Her words were extreme, but no one blamed her. After all, they all knew her personality by now, but the viewers didn’t.

When he glanced over at Kaya, she looked serious. At that moment, Carlos’ voice came on over a footage of him cooking.

I used to do drugs, and cooking got me out of it. Really, I’m not making this up. I really only had cooking to rely on. It helped me focus, and I enjoyed it. Other than drugs… cooking was the only thing I had. Maybe cooking is like a drug to me, and I plan on using that drug to win. I’m going to win over reality and withdrawal. Everything.

The contestants mumbled amongst each other. No one knew Carlos did drugs. Not even Hugo knew seeing how he looked so serious. Cho Min Joon patted Hugo on the shoulder.

“I’m sure it’s fine. He was disqualified, but that doesn’t mean he quit cooking.”

“… Right?”

“Yeah. He’s a good guy. Trust him.”

Hugo smiled bitterly and turned back to the screen. The show proceeded to when the winning team and the losing team were announced, and once the Grand Chef logo filled the screen, Cho Min Joon realized just how cruel the show was.

Winning this show was a huge error, but that error was going to be given to one person, and other than that person, everyone else was going to fail. The disqualification of contestants probably made viewers shed a tear or two, but for the contestants, it led to great misery.

And what was at the end of that crossroad?

Cheering? Or…