Chapter 115 - Chapter 115: Scale of Victory (3)

“It’s already the third time, but I can’t get used to this.”

“That’s understandable. There’s nothing more nerve-wracking than defining moments, even if that’s not the end for us.”

In response to Allan’s grumbling, Joseph answered. The chefs had made their votes. All that was left was the announcement. One of two would be given the world while the other half would be devasted at the door to Heaven.

‘I hope they handle it well.’

The lights were bright, but the dark cooking stations and black walls made everything look dark, but the tables with white tablecloths and the 50 chefs wearing white uniforms made this moment seem very important.

The doors opened. The door that was big enough for an elephant to enter through opened, and behind it was Anderson and Kaya looking tense. Joseph spoke in the middle of 50 chefs.

“Kaya! Anderson! Before we announce the results, we’d like to praise you. Not because you came this far. Not a single chef here thought any of your dishes were disgraceful.

“And that’s not because the chefs have great personalities. As you know, many of them have quite the temper.”

In response to Allan’s remark, the chefs glared at him with fierce eyes. Allan smirked and continued, “Cameraman, would you mind zooming in on those chefs’ glares?”

“… But my point is this. These chefs with high standards were satisfied with your dishes. Someone even said, ‘I could put this in the menu at my restaurant.’ If you know how much chefs value a good dish, you should also know that they don’t say such things easily.”

“So.”

Emily spoke with both happiness and sadness, “We feel relatively lighthearted despite having to disqualify one of you today. We believe that even if you’re disqualified today, you’ll succeed in the world of cooking.”

“Yes, I believe that. I believe you’ll both become great chefs, and that you’ll end up setting up restaurants that will be competitive against these chefs’ restaurants.”

Kaya and Anderson stared straight without a word. They always bickered back and forth, but ironically, they agreed this time. ‘I don’t want to lose.’ They had to look at it in the long run, but in the short run, they wanted to take a step forward.

The winner of the Grand Chef. This was a shortcut for a typical chef. Being verified by great chefs from all around the world gave them verification from the public as well, and the question of how far they could go as a celebrity chef was completely up to them.

More than anything, they both had reasons why they wanted to win the competition. Just like how Columbus discovered new land, they wanted to harvest a new fruit. They wanted to put that sweet fruit juice in their mouth.

Then they would say it was sweet. That it was the sweetest thing they had ever tasted.

But only one of them could have that taste. The 52 chefs and 1 food critic would only choose one king or queen. Kaya bit down on her lip. At that moment, she thought of her family’s faces. She thought of home The one-room, studio apartment that the 3 of them shared. She also remembered getting her clothes from a second-hand store and telling the kids at school that it was new.

She then thought of her mother who couldn’t do anything for her daughter. She didn’t want to live in that state anymore. Even if she didn’t win this competition, her life was going to change. Many restaurants were going to want her, and if she was lucky, she would even get a sponsor. But… she wanted to escape her life as soon as possible. She didn’t want her feet tied anymore.

Kaya squeezed onto her right pinky. She received something when she pinky swore with Cho Min Joon, but she couldn’t say what it was that she received but she received something that made her change. And she felt like her pinky was full of it.

Joseph raised his voice.

“The winner received 34 votes out of 53 judges. They are the true champion.”

“We could say a lot about this person. We could spend another 30 minutes talking about what this chef is capable of, but we won’t… because just the fact that you’re you makes you valuable.”

Their eyes turned to her.

“Kaya. If you win, what would you do next?”

“… I would scream.”

“After that?”

Kaya thought for a moment. She then answered with a determined face, “I’m going to scream even louder.”

Joseph flashed a smile.

“Then go ahead. You’re the winner of Grand Chef 2010!”

A moment later, the chefs and staff had to plug their ears.

***

It came to an end. At the same time, there was a party. In Korean terms, it was an ending party. They were there to congratulate Kaya on her win.

Cho Min Joon looked in the mirror after putting on the tuxedo the producers provided him. That was him in the mirror, but what he was looking at was the TV in the waiting room. Kaya was screaming after finding out she won.

Why was it? That wasn’t his accomplishment, but he felt like he gained something. Kaya was the one who took a step forward, but he felt like he grew as well.

‘… Is this what it feels like to be happy for someone?’

Cho Min Joon smirked and left the room. There was someone in the halls. It was Anderson. He wore a black suit as if he was at a funeral. He had his hands in his pocket and his back against the wall as he stared blankly at his shoes. Cho Min Joon put his feet next to his. Anderson slowly lifted his head.

“… Oh, hey.”

“You must have a lot to think about.”

“No. I actually don’t.”

In response, Cho Min Joon leaned his back against the wall as well. He then spoke in a quiet voice, “Kaya was better.”

“Are you ridiculing me?”

“It would have been hard if it was Kaya in the beginning. She was trouble, but Kaya grew and became better than the elite chef that you are.”

Anderson stared blankly at Cho Min Joon. Cho Min Joon continued, “We just have to continue growing. In marathons, you don’t know who’ll win until you get to the end.”

“Didn’t Kaya already finish?”

“Well, then we’ll just have to finish later. Ugh, seriously. Why do I keep saying this stuff with you guys? Sorry if I’m confusing you.”

“… Don’t worry about it. The reality is simple. I lost. But why did it have to be that annoying thug from New York?”

“How is Kaya a thug? That’s mean.”

“People who act like her are usually called thugs.”

He couldn’t refute. He didn’t even have a reason to defend Kaya so hard. Cho Min Joon took his back off from the wall.

“Are you just going to stand here? What about the party? You should drink.”

“… Okay. Let’s go.”

Most of the chefs were at the party. Seeing them look so dressed up made them wonder if it was really them who criticized their dishes. As soon as Cho Min Joon and Anderson entered, some of the chefs approached.

“Anderson! I enjoyed your dishes, but I voted for Kaya.”

“… Then don’t say that.”

“No, but it was really delicious. It was just not as good as Kaya’s. To be more exact, it wasn’t fun enough. It was boring. You really take after Fabio…”

“Can you stop talking about how I resemble them? And don’t you have customers in Washington? Stop fooling around and go back to work.”

“Haha, why do you think I raise a pupil? It’s so that I can leave the work to them while I have fun.”

Anderson sighed at the unfazed response. He heard that the party was prepared so that they could relieve their stress from the competition, but it felt like his head hurt even more. The old man who was glancing over at Cho Min Joon coughed and said, “I’m Brian Harper. I’m managing Big Table in New York. Are you that person with a very sensitive palate?”

The calm way Brian started the conversation surprised Cho Min Joon, but he didn’t make it show. Whether people believed it or not, the nature of chefs was very similar to that of artists. Just like artists, many chefs had bad tempers. Cho Min Joon answered in a serious voice, “Yes. I know how to sense ingredients and recipes.”

“I saw the show. You were sent to the East Rabbit Garden, right? You would’ve liked my cooking better than that Jamie’s.”

“Oh, I’ve wanted to go to Big Table, but it’s hard to get a reservation. I heard the waiting list is 6 months.”

“I understand. Our restaurant gets more reservations than Jamie’s… because it’s more delicious. And we’re much more popular!”

He didn’t think Brian sounded unlikable despite his bragging. The way he bragged about his restaurant made him sound like a proud grandparent bragging about his grandson. He understood, and it made him feel closer. Cho Min Joon smiled.

“I’ll visit sometime.”

“Are you going to come and steal my recipe?”

“I’ll learn lots, that’s for sure.”

In response to Cho Min Joon’s clever answer, Brian squinted his eyes and grinned.

“Great. I’m curious to see if you’ll be able to steal my recipe. Call me if you ever come to New York. If there’s no seating, I’ll get an extra bench.”

“I’m honored.”

“Haha, is it because you’re Asian? You’re very well-mannered. Natalia, Natalia! Come and learn from him. He’s so mannerly, and he’s not even my pupil.”

“Ugh, that’s because you haven’t hit his head with a ladle yet! Of course, he’s respectful. I’m still the most respectful out of all your students!”

“When did I hit you with a ladle…?”

Brian’s voice went up and then it went back down. He finally remembered. Cho Min Joon held back his laugh and glanced around. His eyes shook. He saw a dress, and it was no ordinary dress. To be exact, the dress itself was ordinary. But the person who wore it made it look extraordinary.

It was Kaya and Chloe. Joanne and Ivanna were there as well, but he could only see the two of them. It wasn’t because they were close. Just like in the movies, the dresses made them look as beautiful as angels.

They looked completely different. Kaya looked like Chloe, and Chloe looked like Kaya. Their clothes did, at least. Chloe wore a black dress that exposed her shoulders, and her hair was voluminous, and she had smokey-eye makeup like Kaya. Her earrings and necklaces had rubies on them, and that splendid beauty hid the fact that she was just an ordinary country girl.

On the other hand, Kaya wore a beige lacy dress that exposed her breasts, and she didn’t have any eye makeup. Her dress was fancy, but she looked softer than usual. Cho Min Joon smiled and asked, “Did you change your style?”

“Kaya is the champion. Champions should look more refined, and the losers should look more fierce.”

Chloe smirked and answered. Kaya shyly fumbled with her dress and asked in an anxious voice, “Does it look weird?”

“No, just unfamiliar. You look great.”

Cho Min Joon immediately answered. This was the first time he saw Kaya dressed so nicely. He had never seen her like this before. Of course, for her, she had probably dressed up before in her life. Kaya spoke in an embarrassed voice, “This is too exposing. Why did the producers give this to Chloe?”

“Did you change dresses?”

“That one’s too tight.”

Kaya pointed at Chloe’s dress. Cho Min Joon thought, ‘It doesn’t look so tight on Chloe.’ Chloe flushed.

“That’s because I exercise. I lost weight.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t look so sorry. Compared to Kaya… You just look slim. But you’re average, I swear.”

Chloe looked like she was about to cry.

“Don’t avoid my eyes!”