Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Reunion in Front of the Doors (2)

“The method is simple. We’ll hold a secret vote for who you’re cheering on the most between Kaya and Anderson, and the person who gets the most votes will pick a team member first. But unless you’re the last person to be chosen, you can refuse.”

“… Isn’t this too similar to a popularity contest? This is the finals.”

A suspicious voice could be heard. It was Hugo’s. In response, Joseph smiled and answered, “You’re right. A popularity vote. And that popularity will depend on how you got along during the last few months. Character and charm are just as important to a chef as skills. And the same goes for this mission.”

Joseph looked back at one person.

“This is the finals. If we’re going to judge based on skills alone, we don’t even need to form teams like this. After all, the results will just depend on the difference in ability, but we still decided to do a team mission. That’s because this is what restaurants are like. There are two head chefs. One has good cooking skills with no ability to lead, and the other person is less skilled at cooking but is able to lead the kitchen. Which restaurant do you think would be more delicious?”

“… The latter?”

“That’s right. Skills are important, but what’s just as important is the ability to lead a kitchen, and the person who’ll win this competition will not only be in charge of one section, but an entire kitchen as a head chef. That means they need to be a conductor as much as they are a musician.”

Silence fell for a moment. Cho Min Joon quietly stared at Kaya and Anderson. Which one would show more potential as future head chefs…?

‘Did Kaya grow more?’

She was a lot different from when they first met, but he was worried she would cause problems. He wasn’t worried about Anderson. He was strict, but he knew how to fulfill his role.

The vote took place, and the name on Cho Min Joon’s paper was to be expected. ‘Kaya.’ Even if he was close to Anderson, he wasn’t as close as Kaya. After all, he was a fan of Kaya since before the competition.

‘Who’ll win?’

He was wondering about the vote, not the competition. Cho Min Joon thought Anderson could win. Both had difficult personalities, but Kaya was worse.

All of their eyes sparkled with curiosity. Two votes for Kaya, two votes for Andeson, one vote for Kaya, and… two votes for Anderson. 5:3. Anderson won. Kaya pouted. Emily smiled.

“Great. Anderson gets first pick. Who will you choose? Remember that they have the ability to refuse. That means… If you know you can get someone, it’s better to pick them later.”

Anderson looked at everyone in silence. When considering cooking skills, personality, and style, Cho Min Joon was the person he needed the most. In Chloe’s case, she tended to make Chinese food, but Cho Min Joon worked with all types of food.

‘But there’s no way he’ll come to me.’

Even now, Cho Min Joon’s eyes were on Kaya. In that case, there weren’t many choices. Marco and Sasha were good with desserts, but if Kaya happened to pick one of them, he just had to pick the other one. In terms of effectiveness, she wouldn’t take both.

“Chloe, help me.”

Anderson opened his mouth. Chloe’s style was different, but she had the basics down.

Chloe bit down on her lip. She was conflicted. She had voted for Kaya. Just like Cho Min Joon, Chloe was closer to Kaya than Anderson. Before the mission, she remembered Kaya trembling like a little kid and asking if they would see each other again.

She was a friend and a little sister. But when considering the time Anderson helped her, she couldn’t give him the cold shoulder. On the day she was disqualified, Anderson pretended to receive a call just to give her some time with Cho Min Joon. She couldn’t forget that since she was a nice person. She was someone who couldn’t stand her ground.

But…

“Sorry. This time, I want to be with Kaya.”

Chloe rejected. She felt bad for Anderson, but she wanted to change. She wanted to do and say what she wanted. If she made small efforts toward it, she knew she wouldn’t be the person she used to be.

The next person Anderson called was Hugo. Kaya called Joanne. Since she knew Cho Min Joon and Chloe were going to pick her, she didn’t have to call them first. Anderson called Sasha, and Kaya called Marco. Olivia and Ivanna went to Anderson’s team… While Chloe and Cho Min Joon went to Kaya’s team.

“The teams have been decided. Now you must spend time together to practice and practice again. Think of the five of you as a restaurant.”

“It won’t be all fun and games. The kitchen is a country on a smaller scale. People will conflict, and you’ll have differences in opinions. More than anything else, it’ll be hard to perfect yourselves. As you all probably know… The finals will be very nervewracking. It’s a live broadcast with customers who are top chefs. You must be ready.”

Joseph finished and glanced at Martin. Martin opened his mouth.

“Cut!”

***

“… Langoustine with watermelon gazpacho, buttermilk puree, and carrot puree, Scaloppine with roasted pumpkin, tortellini, artichoke carpaccio, and tart and apple sherbet for dessert…”

Cho Min Joon went through the recipe and order inside his head. He then smiled. The average cooking score and the formation score were decent. But that was not what made him smile. It was the fact that the philosophy Kaya had taught him was still with her now.

“You said you wanted to make a restaurant that people could visit comfortably. That shows in the recipe.”

“… You still remember that?”

Kaya’s ears turned red. She glanced over and asked, “Do you think it’s okay?”

“You thought of it. Of course, it’s okay.”

“That’s good.”

“How are you going to split up the roles?”

Chloe asked. Kaya rubbed her chin and opened her mouth.

“We should try out the recipe and claim what we think we’re best at. We can do the basic prep beforehand… But maybe we need someone to do that, too.”

“Let’s think about it as we go.”

“What we need to do right now is catch up. How were you guys? Min Joon, I heard you went on vacation.”

“Yeah, but it was nothing special.”

“I want to go, too. I’ve never been to a vacation.”

“I’ve heard you say that countless times. I’m sure you will. You’re going to be famous now. Actually, you already are. Not only in America, but all over the world.”

In response to Cho Min Joon’s remark, Kaya smiled and then wiped it off her face

“I’m not the type to daydream.”

“Okay. But no need to put on a straight face.”

“… Marco. What have you been up to?”

“Oh… Well…”

Marco hesitated. It was because he had so much he wanted to say that he didn’t know where to start. Marco smiled and said, “The truth is, I think I’ll manage a café soon. Not as an owner, but as a chef and patissier. It’s pretty new, so it’s not famous, but it’ll be my first shop.

“… You’ll be the big bread of a café?”

Joanne looked back at Marco in surprise. At that moment…

“Who’s becoming what?”

Anderson approached. To be more exact, it was Anderson and his team members. Joanne spoke in a serious voice, “Don’t spy on us.”

“Is that even possible in this mission?”

“… I guess not.”

“Tsk, so what are you talking about? Is Marco a head chef now?”

In response to Anderson’s question, Marco shook his head.

“Not a head chef… I’m just the chef of a neighborhood café.”

“That’s impressive. You’re already making it.”

“… You’re one to talk.”

Cho Min Joon spoke with a scoff. Anderson knitted his brows.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re in the finals. That’s so meaningful.”

“If I don’t’ win, we’ll be in the same position.”

“Why do you sound so unconfident? You normally would’ve said you’re going to win.”

Anderson didn’t answer. Cho Min Joon stared at Anderson’s steam members. Hugo, Ivanna, Olivia, and Sasha. If there was one difference, it was that Hugo was now better than before, and there was one way to be sure of that. The system was telling him that Hugo’s cooking skill was 7.

Even with that considered, Kaya had a stronger team. Of course, it wasn’t possible to determine who was going to win with just numbers… But that was a start to a prediction. Seeing from the system’s standard, Kaya’s team couldn’t be beaten.

‘I won’t let her lose.’

No matter what happened, no exception was going to take place in the finals. Anderson left with his team members. They had a lot to discuss as well. Cho Min Joon closed his eyes and then opened them. Chloe looked at Cho Min Joon and asked, “Are you sleepy?”

“No, my eyes are just tired.”

“Do you want me to make you some tea? I’ve been practicing.”

“No, that’s okay. It takes forever to go up to the kitchen and come back.”

“… You still have the burn.”

When Chloe said that, Kaya glanced over. Cho Min Joon touched his neck with his hand.

“It’s a scar of honor.”

“I heard they have tattoos that cover burns. Do you want to try that?”

“I’m not sure. If the scar is ugly, I would… But is it that bad?”

“No.”

Chloe answered shortly. She then continued with a smile, “It looks cool. Who’s going to say it’s ugly when you got it saving someone else? And it’s not even that noticeable. It just looks like a spot.”

“A spot…”

“Anyway, it’s fine. But don’t get hurt again. If you get another scar, I might just tell you it’s ugly.”

The way she spoke through her nose sounded cute. It wasn’t that she had a stuffy nose; it was just her natural voice. Cho Min Joon smiled. He didn’t know he could have such a warm interaction with someone he rejected.

“Thanks. And I’m sorry.”

“You can be thankful, but don’t be sorry. If you feel sorry to me, then I’ll feel sorry, too.”

“Okay.”

Silence fell between them. Not just between the two of them, but all five of them. They either didn’t have much to say or didn’t know what to say. Joanne opened her mouth.

“Should we do what we always do?”

“… Talk about Anderson behind his back?”

Kaya reflexively asked. Joanne snickered and shook her head.

“That’s good too, but let’s fill our tummies first.”

Joanne put her hands to her stomach.

“Let’s eat.”