Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Unexpected Collaboration (3)

Like Kaya said, when he didn’t marinate the chicken leg right from the start, the meat became soft, but that didn’t mean it was worse. It was actually chewier, and the texture of the meat became more clear. On top of that, the flavor was that much more intense.

[Soy sauce stir-fried chicken]

Freshness: 93%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score 8/10

Cho Min Joon laughed and stared at the system window. He didn’t think an 8-point dish could be made so easily. But then again, when it came to cooking recipes made up 50% of the process…

“It tastes much better.”

Kaya put the newly made chicken in her mouth and nodded. The other contestants reacted in the same way. Joanne was in awe as she said, “I love this. The chicken flavor and the sauce go perfectly together.”

“Thanks.”

“… Wait, I shouldn’t be complimenting you. Min Joon, stop being so good.”

Cho Min Joon smiled awkwardly. He had sensed it as well. He sensed his abilities getting better and better, so he felt less frustrated than before, but he also felt restless. After all, level 7 was dangling right in front of his eyes. Seeing it so close within reach made him greedier.

“It’s going to be wartime tomorrow.”

“I don’t know. If your dish isn’t popular, you won’t be busy at all. The one who feels the most at war will win.”

In response to Anderson, everybody nodded. They then prayed inside their heads. They hoped that they would be the winners tomorrow.

***

Caprese, aranchini, bruschetta, broccoli soup, eggplant lasagna, mapo tofu, stir-fried chicken, frittata, strawberry chiffon cake, and tiramisu.

Those were the dishes the contestants decided on. They were the most jealous of Hugo. His caprese, after slicing cooked tomatoes and cheese into slices, he just had to put basil on top. Aside from cooking the tomato, it was an overall easy dish to make.

But Hugo was the only one to make a salad. After all, it was hard to get the most votes with a salad. If two people had gone with a salad, they would have been at the bottom.

Kaya decided on rucola frittata. An Italian omellete. To be honest, it was hard to make frittata taste good. She had to put meat and vegetables into an egg and cook it in the oven. It sounded simple, but it became harder as the process went on, but that was why she made a good choice.

Kaya’s frittata was 8 points. All she had to do was put ham, cheese, potatoes, rucola, basil, and tarragon into the egg, cook it in the oven, and then place the shallot, garlic, and tomato sauce on top, but it was the best frittata he had ever tasted.

On the day of the mission announcement at 3 in the afternoon. They were getting ready to serve customers. The judges roamed around the contestants and checked their status. Allan approached Cho Min Joon and asked, “Min Joon, is it going well?”

“The sauce has been matured, so there’s no problem.”

“I heard you said your stir-fried chicken is an 8 during the interview. We’re seeing lots of different things these days. Risotto, jelly, and now this chicken.

“I have to keep growing. There are many good chefs around, and Kaya helped me a lot with this recipe.”

Allan smiled in response. Since Cho Min Joon wasn’t so slow that he didn’t know the meaning of the smile, he sighed.

“Are you trying to pair us up too now?”

“This is an advantage for you. If you hate it, you should’ve been more careful.”

“… Let’s focus on the cooking.”

“Okay. You’re a pro.”

Allan smirked and headed over to Kaya. Kaya already put a pot in the oven and was in the middle of filtering out the egg water. She normally didn’t do it because it was bothersome, but doing this made the final product softer. Allan nodded and asked, “What’s the egg to milk ratio?”

“I add twice the egg as I add milk. Of course, if the egg is watery, I”l have to add more milk.”

“You’re very detailed, Kaya. I’m aware you never formally learned how to cook. You learned all your cooking skills from the market, yes? How did you learn such a thing then?”

“It’s just common sense.”

Kaya’s answer was short. Allan’s eyebrow twitched. He then continued, “But you can’t do everything with just common sense alone. Did anyone teach you separately?”

“They’re owners of shops. They were good at making a few things, but nothing else, and there weren’t many ladies in my town that were good at cooking, so I had to rely on my senses. It’s not even that hard. Once the batter is complete, add more water or milk, there’s a difference between when you add hot water or cold water to the batter, and make sure when you fry something, that the outside doesn’t burn while the inside cooks. Is there a need to learn anything formally? I don’t think so.”

“Cooking school exists for a reason.”

Kaya scoffed in response. She couldn’t help ignore the importance of learning considering how she grew up. She only lived 8 years as a student, and even during those 8 years, she didn’t have the time to learn anything.

It was possible that Kaya wasn’t looking down on students but was just jealous of them. That was how Allan saw it, and even the viewers were commenting on that. Kaya’s lashing out only seemed like a defense mechanism. She pretended to be strong while looking up to friends who lived normal lives but didn’t accept it herself.

That side of her might have been what gained her fans. Kaya looked really weak for someone who acted tough. Allan sighed inside his head. He understood Kaya’s response. He had also…

‘This isn’t the time to think about this.’

“I look forward to your dish.”

Allan finished off the chat and looked at his watch. 4:50. It was time for customers to arrive. The judges exchanged glances and headed to the podium in front of the kitchen. Joseph raised his voice.

“Customers will arrive in 10 minutes. You must continue to handle the customers that come in the next 3 hours. Are you ready?”

Just as they were about to answer, they heard the sound of footsteps and voices. There was no way they were staff members. The customers were here. Cho Min Joon gulped and at the same time, Joseph shouted, “Welcome your customers!”

The 10 contestants pushed their trays to the hall. It was time to win.

***

Mila Queen once thought of herself as an impressive food critic. She wasn’t picky about food, and she was able to clearly taste all components of food.

The reason why that was in past tense was simple. It was because she wasn’t able to taste food like before. It wasn’t because she was ill. Like many people, she lost some of her tastebuds as she passed into her 40s. Compared to when she was young, she couldn’t taste as much anymore. And as a result, eating was more of a sad time than a happy one.

But there was a reason why she came all the way by driving for 30 minutes. She was a fan of Kaya and Cho Min Joon. To be more exact, she was crazy about their romance on the show.

So the reason why she came was more to see their faces than to taste the food. She felt like she was at a celebrity fan signing. When the kitchen opened and the contestants walked out into the hall, she felt her heart pounding.

Cho Min Joon looked milder than he looked on TV. He looked like a school teacher. It was fascinating that he could say such savage things with that face. Just by putting on a warm smile, he could make anyone feel at ease. Mila had lived a long life, so she was able to read a person’s character from their face. He was a good person. She felt it.

On the other hand, Kaya was different from Cho Min Joon. Her eyes had smokey makeup on it, and her eyes were sharp, and her lips were confident, but she was strangely nervous. She sensed that she was straining herself.

‘I feel like they can look out for each other.’

As she got older, she became more interested in other people’s dating lives. She knew that was meddling, but she couldn’t help it. Mila smiled as she watched them.

But after a short explanation, the two went back into the kitchen. Mila put her disappointment aside and tried some of the food. To be more exact, she had to bring plates containing the exact portions scooped out by the staff.

The first dish she brought was Cho Min Joon’s stir-fried chicken. Cho Min Joon was known for his Korean cooking, but it seemed somewhat Japanese. Was it because it was made of soy sauce? As soon as she put it into her mouth.

‘Huh?’

What Mila felt wasn’t satisfaction or happiness… but shock. She wasn’t shocked because it was delicious. It wasn’t bad by any means, but the flavors were clear. Mila took another bite with a confused look on her face. When she smelled it, the scent of ginger and soy sauce ticked her nose.

It was perfectly salty and sugary, but the sauce was just the beginning. Chicken legs were normally soft while also being meaty, but not this one. As soon as she bit into it, the meat ripped like mozzarella, and the sauce was mild enough so that the flavor of the meat could be tasted clearly.

‘How long has it been since I tasted something like this?’

She got shivers up her spine. Her body trembled. She thought Cho Min Joon was better at tasting than making food, so she didn’t think he could create such powerful flavors. The ginger made her tongue sensitive, allowing her to sense a balance that she wouldn’t have before.

Was he being sensitive toward older people with dull tastebuds? This could have been a dream, but Mila felt satisfied for the first time in a long time. Mila smiled as she moved on to Kaya’s frittata.

Her heart pounded. Just like a little girl.

***

“I enjoyed it very much.”

An older woman with greying blonde hair smiled. Her smile looked so happy that Cho Min Joon smiled back.

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

“This is the best time of your life. Enjoy it.”

“… I’ll take that as ‘seize the opportunity.'”

Cho Min Joon smiled awkwardly as he responded. She smiled and left. That was his last customer.

Cho Min Joon felt relieved. That was also because he wasn’t very worried. He refilled the buffet plate 4 times. The most refilled plate belonged to Hugo. He refilled his 5 times, but Cho Min Joon wasn’t bad either. He did all right.

Aside from Hugo and Cho Min Joon, Chloe, Kaya, and Sasha also refilled their plates 4 times. Their cooking scores were also all 8 points. Anderson made an 8-point lasagna, but it wasn’t as popular. Same went for Marco. His chocolate tiramisu was great. It was 8 points after all, but people who ate greasy food preferred strawberry chiffon cake over tiramisu, so Sasha beat him.

‘There will be some difference during the voting.’

One refill equated to about 20 plates. One plate was 1 point. And since 1 vote was 10 points, 2 refills could be seen as 2 votes. New customers came every one hour, and altogether, there were 100 customers. Just by receiving 10 points, they could avoid disqualification. After all, the customers had enough plates. If anyone was anxious it was…

‘Marco.’

Even if he got many votes, there weren’t more than two refills—around 50 plates, so he didn’t have that high of a score.

Inside the empty hall, Allan opened his mouth first. He spoke calmly, “We’ve rounded up the scores.”