Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Unexpected Winner
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I figured Heyni would be crushed by the judges' savage roasts.
But no.
Heyni still wore that plucky expression. Thank goodness.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief inside before handing each judge a sheet of paper.
"Just score it there!"
They took the papers and immediately started scribbling scores. No hesitation whatsoever.
"4 points!"
"I'll give it 2!"
"0 points from me."
Average of 2 points. Heyni's face fell at the surprisingly low score.
Even someone as tough as her would wilt at an average of 2.
I patted her shoulder to console her.
Then I offered the judges the remaining dishes.
"Alright, please try the next one. Go for the spicy pork stir-fry in the middle!"
"Mm, looks tasty."
"This one's the only one that actually looks like food."
"Right! Bet it tastes great!"
All three were praising it before even taking a bite. The other two dishes had been that rough-looking.
Soon, the judges scooped some spicy pork stir-fry onto their plates and started eating.
Nom nom.
"Mm! This flavor...!"
That's when Dolbalman's eyes went wide.
I looked at him and asked,
"What's up? That good?!"
"I-it tastes just like the stuff my mom used to make! This perfect spicy kick and umami! Ugh! Mom!!"
Dolbalman's eyes suddenly welled up. He looked like he was missing his mother something fierce.
"That good, huh...? Like, reminding you of your late mom?"
"Huh? My mom's still alive."
"......But you said it tastes like the stuff your mom made before..."
"Oh, she doesn't cook anymore. Just orders takeout these days. I think I give her too much pocket money."
Turned out he wasn't filial—he was the opposite.
I averted my gaze from Dolbalman right away.
"Ahem, sorry. My bad—I misunderstood."
💬 Comments — Viewer Park Jae-ho's personality lmao — Viewer Thalrulla's lost it lmao — Viewer Anyone would've misunderstood that lmao — Viewer Dolbalman is hilarious lmao Anyway, Dolbalman's ridiculous gag lightened the mood a bit.
I turned to Harin and Zara this time.
"What do you two think?"
"It's good! A little spicy, but I can handle it!"
"And Zara?"
Zara looked like she was hunting for something to roast. But she soon shook her head.
"Sigh, it's good for me too."
Even the roast queen called it tasty.
Naturally, the scores reflected that.
"10 points from me!"
"9 points!"
"Hm... 8 points for me!"
Average of 9. Compared to Heyni's, it was sky-high. Basically locked in the win.
An Young Sister's face lit up, of course.
I glanced her way.
Her mouth was twitching like crazy, like she was barely holding back a grin.
I introduced the final dish.
Honestly, the winner seemed set, but who knew? Dokgo Hwayeon's weird creation might pull off a miracle.
"Finally, please try the royal court tteokbokki!"
"This is royal court tteokbokki?"
"Isn't it black jjajangmyeon?"
"Ahem, serving this for us to eat..."
All three trashed it before tasting. Even Dolbalman piled on.
I snuck a peek at Dokgo Hwayeon.
Her eyes were trembling, and her fists were clenched tight. She looked pretty pissed.
I shifted to block the view of Dokgo Hwayeon. One look at her, and the judges might catch on. Had to hide it.
Once she was fully obscured, I pressed on.
"You still gotta eat it!"
"Ugh..."
"W-well, I'll give it a shot!"
"Sigh, that's why the appearance fee was so high."
Soon the three tentatively scooped rice cakes onto their plates. They wore faces like they were heading to the gallows as they chewed.
Nom nom.
That's when it happened.
"Mm...!!"
Dolbalman's eyes flew wide open again. Same as before.
I shot him a warning glare right away. No weird jokes this time, or else.
"Don't pull any more weird gags!"
"No, seriously—this is good!"
"Huh?"
"It's really good! What is this?"
Dolbalman scooped more with a shocked look and took another bite.
Chew chew.
"Oh! It's seriously good! And it's addictive too? What gives?"
And it wasn't just Dolbalman.
Harin and Zara chimed in with praise.
"Right! It's good! Amazing!"
"Mm...! Looks like dog poop, but... surprisingly pretty tasty?"
Crunch.
At the "dog poop" line, a scary crack came from Dokgo Hwayeon's fist. But the follow-up praise kept her from losing it, thankfully.
I got curious.
So I grabbed a bite of Dokgo Hwayeon's tteokbokki myself.
Nom nom.
"Mm...! This flavor...!"
And I was genuinely shocked. It was really good. The rice cakes had the perfect chew, seasoning spot-on. Plus, that weird addictiveness Dolbalman mentioned.
'Guess she put in some real effort over those three days?'
Didn't match the looks at all—the taste was top-notch. Now things were getting interesting. I thought An Young had it in the bag.
"Alright, judges—score it!"
The judges pondered with serious faces as they wrote. Total opposite of Heyni's judging.
Dolbalman scored first.
"10 points from me!"
Dokgo Hwayeon's face lit up. Seemed happier than winning the sparring tournament.
Harin followed, holding up her paper high.
"9 points! It's seriously good!"
Now Zara's score would decide the winner.
Zara mulled it over deeply, then decided.
"Hm... 9 points from me too. Shape's meh, but the taste is legit."
Average 9.33. Just barely edging out An Young's 9.
Dokgo Hwayeon caught on and started jumping in place.
"Kyaa!"
First time seeing her this giddy. Elegance out the window—she was bouncing like she was at a club.
The judges immediately looked panicked.
"W-wait, this was Dokgo Hwayeon's dish?"
"Eep! I said the shape sucked..."
"I-I called it dog poop..."
Even roast queen Zara feared Dokgo Hwayeon. Her face was grim.
No big worry, though. As far as I knew, Dokgo Hwayeon didn't hold grudges. Plus, she won—no way she'd sweat it.
I looked away from Zara and at Dokgo Hwayeon.
Her face was beaming. Happier than when our team won the big content last time.
"Dokgo Hwayeon, aren't you too happy?"
"Huh? Oh, ahem."
Only then did she snap out of it and play demure. Too late—everyone had seen her wild side.
💬 Comments — Viewer Boss lmao — Viewer First time seeing Boss that happy lmao ⭐ Top Comment — Viewer Cute! — Viewer So cute — Viewer Yeah! Of course, everyone loved her unexpected cute side. The chat reactions said it all.
Still, Dokgo Hwayeon seemed pretty embarrassed. Her cheeks were flushed red.
Anyway, time to wrap up. I approached Dokgo Hwayeon and hit her with the question.
"The final winner is Dokgo Hwayeon! You've won 1 million won and a wish voucher! How do you feel right now?"
"Feels amazing! Cooking's easier than I thought."
"Huh?"
I stared at her in disbelief. If I hadn't told her it was tough, she wouldn't have placed first.
I shook it off and asked one more.
"Did you learn from somewhere special?"
"Oh, from our family chef... No, didn't learn. Just natural talent, I guess."
"Ah, got it."
Inside, I thought she was kinda cute. First time seeing Dokgo Hwayeon like this.
Final question for Dokgo Hwayeon.
"More importantly, you've got a wish voucher. Any plans?"
"I overheard An Young eyeing that drama content."
"And?"
"I'll take the female lead for episode 4."
"Nooo!"
Heyni's high-pitched cry came from behind. Her lead role snatched in a flash.
But a wish was a wish.
I nodded.
"If that's your wish, so be it."
Honestly, not bad for me either. I'd already done plenty of sweet collabs with Heyni. Fresh face sounded fun.
'Plus, Dokgo Hwayeon pairing would draw mad viewers.'
Might even break 100k. Worked in my favor.
"Hiiing..."
And with that, the cooking content wrapped.
Way more successful than expected. 80k viewers.
'Might crack the top 5 streamers at this rate?'
Keep the momentum, and top 5 agencies were possible. Killer content.