Chapter 40: The role of a head chef (2)
He evaded Kaya’s gaze and Jo Minjoon fell in his thoughts. Did Kaya originally become the team leader? At least, it didn’t happen in Jo Minjoon’s memories.
‘Did it change as I came?’
It was understandable. Because the butterfly effect wasn’t a word that existed in vain. Saying that history changed because there was one more ball added, wasn’t a weird thing to say.
Alan opened his mouth.
“The two team leaders has been selected. Come to the front.”
Jacob simpson, and Kaya Lotus. Alan looked at them slowly. And then opened his mouth.
“Are you confident?”
“No.”
Kaya didn’t hesitate for even a moment and replied. Her eyes that seemed fierce because of her make up, seemed all the more fiercer. If a person that didn’t know her saw her, they could think that she was angry, but Jo Minjoon or Chloe knew what kind of person she was as they were always together. That it was a nervous face. Kaya’s character was like a porcupine. That the more afraid she was, she acted all the more stronger, she had a bad tendency to act like a villain.
‘It would be good if she did something about that character of hers.’
Jo Minjoon felt sorry for Kaya. But of course, it wasn’t in a situation where they could relax. Although she was living a peaceful life in Grand Chef’s house, her real home was in the ghetto. Reality was still the same. But of course, many things would change after this program ends.
“Before making the teams, first, there would be a survey. Each of the participants would have to stand in front of the team leader you want to team up with.”
At those words, everybody glanced at Kaya and Jacob, and started to move their feet slowly. And the results were as expected. There were six people with Jacob, and ten with Kaya. And from those ten there were Jo Minjoon, Chloe, Marco and Anderson. Jo Minjoon looked at Anderson with unexpected eyes. He whispered.
“I didn’t know you would come here.”
Through the first and second episodes, the image they made Anderson and Kaya have, was that of rivals. At first, they weren’t conscious of each other, but could it be called hostility? It was a weird image. That’s why it could only be unexpected for Anderson to join Kaya’s team. Anderson replied.
“The odds are higher here.”
Because it was too honest, Jo Minjoon couldn’t find the words to reply back. It was just as he had said. Kaya was a better chef than him, and the skills of the participants were quite good. Because right now, there were Marco and Chloe with their respective level 7 skills. And Jo Minjoon that was known to have an absolute taste.
In the other hand, Jacob Simpson wasn’t a participant that particularly got any attention. His character was cool, but the competition wasn’t so light as to follow him with just that.
Jo Minjoon looked at Jacob’s level.
[Jacob Simpson]
Cooking level: 6
Baking level: 5
Tasting level: 6
Decoration level: 5
It was ordinary overall, and didn’t have any special points.
‘But it doesn’t only require skill to be a head chef.’
Anyways, even Kaya was unable to perfectly take the role as head chef. Maybe, he thought that a person like Jacob, that had a friendly character was more suited to it.
But of course, saying that someone had more advantage wouldn’t influence his decision. And the reason he chose Kaya wasn’t simply because she stood out more. He was Kaya’s fan, and right now, he was her friend. He didn’t know how Kaya thought of him, but at least, he thought like that.
Jo Minjoon looked at Kaya. What kind of thoughts would this porcupine like girl be having? At that moment, Kaya rolled her eyes and looked at him. She was asking with her eyes. ‘What are you looking at?’ Jo Minjoon too replied with his eyes. ‘Just so.’ Kaya’s gaze became sharper. However, they couldn’t properly start the stare fight. Alan was raising his voice.
“The team leaders have to appeal themselves for each of the participants. Who wants to start?”
Jacob raised his hand instantly. Alan nodded and made a hand gesture. Jacob coughed and took a step. And he said with a voice filled with momentum.
“I’m Jacob Simpson. Probably, there would still be people that don’t know about me. Because I still couldn’t show you something special.”
No different reaction could be seen. However, Jacob didn’t sulk and continued speaking.
“Since small, I have grown and looked at my father’s back that was working in the kitchen. Although he didn’t command someone cooking, he knew well how a head chef had to act. Please, believe in me. And i’ll certainly repay you.”
And that was the end. Alan nodded and looked at Kaya.
“Kaya. Come up.”
Kaya let out a sigh and walked towards the judges. And she slowly looked at the participants. After hesitating for a while, she finally opened her mouth. It was along with her usual provocative gaze.
“I won’t be appealing myself. Do as you wish. Come, or don’t.”
“……Is that the end?”
“Yes. What else should I say?”
Kaya talked like that and turned her back to Alan’s perplexed face.
Jo Minjoon let out a sigh inwardly. She cared about the camera and negative comments about her, so why are the words that come out from her all like that? Is it some kind of defense? He couldn’t know.
Jo Minjoon grabbed the mic in his fist and whispered in her ear.
“Why are you acting so spoiled?”
“Shut up. Don’t act like you are my oppa.”
Kaya said sneering. Jo Minjoon asked again thinking like ‘don’t tell me that’..
“Are you acting like this because you think that you became the team leader because of me?”
At that question Kaya glared at Jo Minjoon for a while, and kept her mouth shut. Chloe hit Jo Minjoon with her arm, and when he turned back, he intersected his arms and shook his head. It meant that she shouldn’t bother her.
When Jo Minjoon clicked his tongue and got away from Kaya, Chloe whispered in a low voice.
“Don’t irritate Kaya when she’s sensitive.”
“I’m not trying to…..”
“Minjoon, Chloe! Concentrate!”
As they were about to start conversing, Alan shouted loudly. Chloe’s cheeks blushed and she closed her mouth. Alan looked severely at them, and then continued speaking.
“You can each select one person at a time. But, in the case where the opposing person denies, the opportunity passes to the other team leader.”
It was a simple rule. Kaya and Jacob stood in front of the judges. Alan opened his mouth.
“Decide the order. However, the person that picks second can ignore the right to deny you. Who wants to go first?”
“I want to.”
Kaya raised her hands without hesitating. Alan looked at Jacob. He nodded his head as if he agreed to it. Saying the truth, even if he got to pick after Kaya, the right for him to pick a candidate forcefully felt better. Because, even if got to pick first, if he got refused it would be meaningless.
The moment Jo Minjoon heard the rules, his thoughts got complicated. What would happen if Jacob picked him. No, there wouldn’t be a ‘what would happen’. Because Jacob could ignore his right to refuse him. Because absolute tasting was a skill that aside from cooking, was a really useful weapon.
However his worry was all in vain. The next moment, Kaya’s voice was heard and it ended with his worries.
“Minjoon. Come here.”
It wasn’t even a proposal. At her expression that was confirming that he would come, he let out a forceful laugh. Of course, when he was told to pick a team, he chose Kaya. But looking at her, that just recently was acting like that, to call him as if it was an obvious thing, he felt it quite funny but at the same time he felt good. Jo Minjoon didn’t hesitate and nodded.
And at that moment, there was a person that had a bigger smile than Jo Minjoon. It was Martin. Martin was smiling brightly while looking at Kaya and Jo Minjoon that were inside the screen. However he put it, the relationship between the two was good material to pick for the viewers. He had already mentioned their relation through the previous announcement chapter, and from those who had viewed the first chapter, there were many that cheered for Jo Minjoon’s and Kaya’s relationship.
At first, he just thought of making them look like a couple, but there were just too many precious scenes between them to throw away. It was also when Kaya was doing her disqualifying mission. And the appearance of Kaya, when Jo Minjoon grabbed her mic and whispered to her, made his heart beat and seemed cute and sexy even for him.
But not only because of that would Martin be this happy. The absolute taste that was revealed at the last mission, and the geniusness of Kaya that was usually emphasized. When they were together the reactions would soar to a new height. Martin wanted to immediately fall asleep and wake until that scene was broadcasted.
Of course, there was also a person that didn’t like Martin’s actions. It was the PD that was next to him. He let out a sigh and said.
“Aren’t you liking this too much? In the first place, this is a cooking program, so if you focus too much on romance….I wonder if the identity of the program is going to get destroyed.”
“If you add a kiss scene in an action movie, does it become a melo movie? This is the same. Just because you put in a romantic scene doesn’t make you unable to concentrate in cooking. The case where the identity is destroyed is only when a different story is transmitted.”
Some people might say not to add scenes that are not cooking in a cooking program. But those were only words of a certain someone. The viewers can’t get satisfied with just cooking alone. The drawing system that was implemented was also proof of that it needed a fun factor.
You wouldn’t know if it was a documentary. And to sloppily make an entertainment program more heavy was a stupid thing. And clearly, Martin wasn’t a stupid person.
“Those two are going to be in charge for this season’s ratings. The screen is made by the casting director, but the scenes are given by the participants. With that meaning, those two are specialists. It’s to the point that they make me wonder if they aimed for it.”
Maybe he was having fun, but Martin’s words got longer. The youngest PD shook his head and turned his head. Jacob was thinking about who to take as his teammate. Alan pressured him with a calm voice.
“Jacob. Choose now. Who are you going to nominate?”
“…….Wait a moment.”
Jacob was deep in his thoughts with his brows frowning. Actually, the one he wanted to take was Jo Minjoon. An absolute taste was an outstanding ability for all kinds of team missions. Because he could precisely judge and evaluate their dishes.
However, he was taken by kaya. For Jacob, it was as if plans got ruined from the start. He looked at each of the participants that wanted to go to Kaya’s team. Because it was an obvious thing to take a participant in her team forcefully. And at the same time, their skills had to be good.
The candidates were simple. Chloe, and Anderson. They were the participants that were claimed to be winning candidates. And aside from them, the ones he wanted to pick would be Jo Minjoon and Kaya. Precisely speaking, he was paying attention to Jo Minjoon from the start. Of course, when he claimed that Kaya was going to win, he also attracted attention. But that was different to right now.
Absolute taste. An ability that everyone dreamed of having, but in the end, they couldn’t possibly have. However, Jo Minjoon was a person that did have it. He wasn’t normal. He would be different. He couldn’t help but think like that. And didn’t people that were really prideful go to Jo Minjoon begging him to try their dishes?
But it didn’t have any meaning right now. Because the ones Jacob could pick were Anderson and Chloe. Anderson’s western cuisine and Chloe’s chinese cuisine. The more he thought about it, Jacob got more inclined to one option. In this mission, the team’s harmony was more important. So he couldn’t help but prefer western cuisine.
“I will go with Anderson.”
Anderson flinched for a minute, but he didn’t show bad manners like frowning. Jo Minjoon laughed and said.
“Bye bye, mister A.”
< The role of the head chef (2) > End
Translator’s note: Regular chapter!Thanks for reading and for your support!
Translator : Subak
Proofreader : Maled