Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: Friendly Judge (4)

The reason why Cho Min Joon criticized all of their dishes wasn’t because he didn’t want ingredients going to waste. It was also for their good. If he was going to subtract points, it was better to do so on a successful dish than one that was messed up.

And once they learned what mistakes they were making, they could at least fix it next time.

In the end, Cho Min Joon walked around the cooking stations until everybody was finished. And this was a perfect time that shed light on what kind of demi chef, and later on, a head chef he would be.

Havier mumbled, “I’m glad I’m a demi chef. If I worked as his assistant, my ears would’ve hurt.”

“You’re not a demi chef yet. You’re an applicant.”

“I’m going to pass anyway. Do you intend on staying an applicant, Janet?”

“I only talk about the present…”

“Are you fighting?”

Ella looked at them with strict eyes. Janet stopped talking and sighed. Ella opened her pink backpack. She took out a small bag and gave it to them.

“Eat this. Don’t fight.”

“… What’s that?”

“It’s jelly that Uncle made. Don’t eat the yellow ones. That’s my favorite.”

Something Cho Min Joon made. It was just jelly, but it was still his cooking. Havier’s eyes lit up. He put a jelly into his mouth with anticipating eyes. The color he picked was a transparent color.

“It tastes like apple. Oh… Seeing how it’s not very chewy, I don’t think he used gelatin.”

While Havier evaluated it, Janet also tasted one. And a moment later, Ella looked like she was crying.

“I told you not to eat the yellow ones!”

Janet put the jelly in her mouth with a calm face. It was as Havier said. He must’ve been considerate of children’s teeth because rather than the chewiness, he focused on the sweet and sour flavors instead.

“It’s good.”

“… Is it? You just stole mine!”

“You gave it to me.”

“The lemon-flavored ones are mine.”

Ella clenched her fists and trembled her body. Janet held back her laugh and spoke to Ella, “I’ll make more for you. They’ll taste even better than these. I’m good at making jelly.”

Ella seemed tempted for a moment, but she then spoke in a bratty voice, “If you get disqualified, you won’t be back anyway. I know all that. I’m an adult, too!”

“You are?”

“Yup. I even wash my doll’s hair all on my own.”

Ella widened her shoulders. Janet was unable to maintain her cold attitude any longer. She contemplated whether she should pat her head or not. That was when Havier opened his mouth.

“Oh, the evaluations are starting.”

In response, Janet turned her head. Rachel stepped forward and slowly opened her mouth.

“This time, it was a little hard. Min Joon made criticisms, but considering the first dish you made, I think you did reasonably well. So I’m a little sad that we can only take four of you.”

Cho Min Joon looked at the half-empty plates without a word. There was only one thought that dominated his mind.

‘… Do we have to throw all this out?’

Unlike right now, his parents were strict when he was younger. Whenever he left a grain of rice in his bowl, they forced him to eat it, and they hated it when he was picky about food. ‘Think about the farmers who grow the rice.’ It was a conventional saying, and that was why it stayed in his memory.

At this point, most people just threw out food if they couldn’t finish it… But Cho Min Joon tended to consider every ingredient as precious, even more so than his parents. He felt like the ingredients were whispering to him, ‘Are you going to throw us out? We grew so well.’

“Min Joon?”

“… Y-yes?”

In response to Rachel’s sudden voice, Cho Min Joon flinched and turned around. Anderson clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.

“She asked you a question. Do you have anything else you want to say to the applicants?”

“Oh…”

Cho Min Joon groaned and looked back at the applicants. Their eyes all looked different. Because of all of his scolding, some looked at him uncomfortably… while some still looked at him with interest.

But compared to when he first entered Rose Island, their gazes were okay. It was inevitable. They saw for themselves that Cho Min Joon’s image wasn’t built on anything. That he was a true chef.

They had to accept it even if they didn’t want to. Those who looked down on him for having no experience changed their minds. While everyone focused on him, Cho Min Joon cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“I apologize for all of my scoldings. My voice was a little loud too. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

Nobody answered. Cho Min Joon calmly continued, “Four of you will become our family, and the rest of you won’t. But it seems like you’ll stand in a kitchen of another restaurant, so don’t fret. Let’s do well together, on this journey.”

Two or three people clapped quietly before it grew silent. Rachel opened her mouth.

“Let me announce the applicants that passed.”

***

“… It’s finally our turn.”

Both trainees and cooks were chosen. As for the breadmakers, they were with Lisa in the oven section. It was time for the demi chefs to be tested. Havier looked at Janet and opened his mouth.

“What do you think the topic will be?”

“I’m not interested. Whatever it is, I’ll pass.”

“… I’m jealous of your confidence.”

If Havier had seen Janet’s hands and how much they trembled, he wouldn’t have said that. However, Havier didn’t see them but Ella did. Ella wriggled her legs and got down from her chair. She then stuck out her pinky at Janet.

“You’re going to make me lemon jelly, right?”

“… What?”

“You said so earlier that you’d make me lemon jelly. It probably won’t be as good as Uncle’s though.”

In response, Janet looked at Ella in silence. Ella was glaring at Janet as if she was having a stare-off. Janet linked her pinky with hers.

“I will, and it will be better.”

Her hands didn’t shake anymore. Janet took her hand away and walked over. The sight of all 27 applicants standing up was a sight. Rachel stood in front of them and said, “Since the kitchen is small, we can’t test all of you at once. So we’ll have 18 of you enter first. The rest of you, please wait outside. We can only tell you the topic of the mission as soon as you’re about to begin cooking.”

Rachel pointed in the middle of them as she spoke. It was right between Havier and Janet. Janet, who watched Havier enter the kitchen, was then led to the office by Issac.

‘… I should’ve stood a little more forward.’

She thought it would be less nervewracking to just get it over with. Of course, those who cooked first still had to wait for her group to finish… But she would’ve been able to predict her results anyway.

Janet sat in one of the chairs and leaned back. Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t help it. Rachel Rose, that name was the most meaningful in her life. That was the name that gave her hope when she couldn’t see tomorrow.

And the reason wasn’t all that special. It was a little predictable and childish. Rachel Rose was someone who proved that women could succeed. Kitchen, knife, and fire, she was a chef who defeated all of the men in that dangerous environment and came out on top.

But when she first wanted to become a chef, she wasn’t interested in Rachel Rose. There were many chefs in the world, and there was no reason to be a big fan just because she was a woman.

However, she felt differently when she experienced her first kitchen. The work was harder than she thought, and her stamina was weaker than she expected. If she looked even a little bit tired, the chefs always said, ‘Stop acting like a woman.’ She held it in because she didn’t want to hear it. When she felt like she was dying, she prepared to die and continued to prepare the ingredients.

But when it became much too hard to handle, she wondered, ‘How did Rachel do it?’ Of course, she wasn’t able to find out the way, but one thing was for certain. Rachel did endure it, so she had to as well. She couldn’t use her gender as an excuse. Because no matter how hard it was, it was even harder for Rachel Rose.

In that restaurant, she even made it up to a demi chef. And since there was talk that she was next in line to be a sous chef, she felt like her hard work paid off.

But the reason why she resigned anyway was simple. When she heard that Rachel Rose was looking for a new family, she couldn’t resist. She wanted to be a part of it. So…

‘… Min Joon.’

Janet just thought about the jelly that she tasted. It was all right. She could sense his basic skills just from the jelly, and the way he cooked in front of the applicants was flawless.

‘But that spot is mine.’

She endured everything at the thought of Rachel Rose. To Janet, Rachel was already her mentor. So she wanted to be acknowledged. ‘You’ve become a great chef. I’m impressed.’ That was what she wanted to hear.

So an hour later, Janet’s face looked determined as she stood in the kitchen. Cho Min Joon glanced over at Janet. And when Janet glanced back, Cho Min Joon flinched and whispered to Anderson, “That woman keeps looking at me.”

“… Fix your prince disease before I tell on you to Kaya.”

“No, that’s not what I mean… She’s glaring at me. Did I do something wrong?”

“How would I know?”

Anderson replied in a chic voice, but Cho Min Joon couldn’t help but continue to glance over at the woman. It wasn’t just because it looked like she was challenging him.

‘Cooking level… 8.’

She was the only applicant with a level 8. And if she cooked to her full potential, it was possible she would become his colleague.

And beyond that, he couldn’t help but feel in awe. Cho Min Joon knew what it meant to reach level 8. But that woman looked not much older than 30. Of course, Anderson and Kaya were level 8 as well… But it wasn’t fair to compare her to Andreson, who grew up under chefs, or Kaya, who was just a genius.

“First, let me announce the topic of the mission. Signature dish, well, seeing how you don’t seem surprised, you probably saw it coming.”

It was to be expected. Demi chefs were the first step to becoming a real chef. Being a chef meant that you had a certain philosophy of your own and a distinct color. Of course, it wasn’t a completed level, but it was enough to have a discussion with the sous chefs and head chefs.

So when many restaurants picked demi chefs, what they often used to evaluate their abilities was through signature dishes. A dish that shows off their true colors. Cho Min Joon opened his mouth.

“You may use any ingredients you can find in our storage.”

As soon as Cho Min Joon said that, Issac sent a signal to Rachel. And Rachel, who got the message, immediately whispered in Cho Min Joon’s ear. At that moment, Cho Min Joon made an awkward face and coughed.

“… Ahem , except for the Fois Gras and Caviar.”