Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Wall of Talent
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After Park Chi-hong's declaration, a heavy silence blanketed the studio.
Oh Jun-seo tilted his head, wondering if he'd misheard, while host Kim Ji-su's jaw dropped. The audience members froze, and even the live chat, which had been scrolling nonstop, came to a momentary halt.
The viewers interpreted Park Chi-hong's words differently.
Common sense dictated that a YouTuber in his early twenties couldn't possibly beat a restaurant chef. So they assumed he'd mixed up the order of the dishes.
Kim Ji-su nodded along with the flood of chat reactions.
'Phew. That startled me. As expected, Oh Jun-seo wins. Now how do I spin this?'
She quickly crafted a script to minimize backlash against Kim Haneul while praising Oh Jun-seo's skills.
"Ahaha. It seems like the professor misspoke. You're saying the second dish you tried was tastier than the first, right?"
"No. I said exactly what I meant. The quality of the first dish far surpassed the second."
"Pardon? Wait, hold on. Really? The first one was better?"
Kim Ji-su's eyes widened at Park Chi-hong's firm correction. She stammered in shock, her prepared lines shredding apart in her mind.
"Is there a problem?"
"A problem... No problem."
Kim Ji-su frantically signaled the crew. One staffer held up a sketchpad: (1: Kim Haneul, 2: Oh Jun-seo). Park Chi-hong stared intently at the dishes before him, flustered. Their quality was so high it was hard to believe they'd been made by amateurs.
The studio descended into chaos in an instant.
The chat exploded with disbelief at the unexpected outcome.
No one could believe the result.
If Kim Haneul had won by a hair's breadth in taste, it wouldn't have caused such an uproar. His cooking form and skills had been on display enough during Relay Cooking Race.
But for a Western restaurant chef to be utterly crushed on a theme he'd chosen himself? That defied logic.
'So it's come to this after all.'
Kim Haneul was the only one remaining unfazed amid the chaos.
He'd known this would happen from the moment he agreed to appear on the show. Because something similar had occurred in his previous life.
Back then, he'd entered a cooking contest to promote his restaurant. His opponent was a Michelin two-star chef. Everyone predicted his loss, but astonishingly, Kim Haneul emerged victorious.
The qualities to earn three Michelin stars and become the world's top chef had already been brimming within him.
Of course, the public didn't know that, so they cried foul. And Kim Haneul back then was naive about politics.
As a result, until he finally earned his two Michelin stars, "rigged" trailed him in every search. The reputational damage tanked his restaurant's sales.
'But that's the past. Things are different now.'
Kim Haneul smiled faintly and began clapping.
"First, let's serve the food to the audience. Oyster Rockefeller and pasta don't taste good cold."
The host seized the opportunity Kim Haneul offered. Dabbing sweat from her brow with a handkerchief, she wrestled the broadcast back under control.
"Judging by the audience's faces, they're dying to try the food. You came all this way—you can't just sit and wait. Contestants, how many servings do you have ready?"
Kim Haneul plated the Oyster Rockefeller kept warm in the oven and the reserved pasta.
"Enough for all ten. Host and staff should try some too."
"...Five servings."
The dishes from Kim Haneul and Oh Jun-seo reached the audience. They sampled them with half curiosity, half suspicion.
"“““!!!!””””
"Whoa. This is insane."
"The judge was right. This is seriously delicious."
"Th-this Rockefeller... Can I have just one more?"
Everyone reacted the same way. Lukewarm to Oh Jun-seo's dish, but they devoured Kim Haneul's like they wanted to lick the plates clean.
As the studio mood swung toward Kim Haneul, an exasperated Oh Jun-seo slammed the table and grabbed his collar.
"What trick did you pull?"
"Trick..."
Kim Haneul sampled the leftover Oyster Rockefeller and pasta from Oh Jun-seo. His palate broke it down: ingredients, processes, everything.
"First mistake you made: too textbook."
Kim Haneul gently pried Oh Jun-seo's wrist away from his collar.
"These oysters aren't top-grade from the supplier. You should've assessed their condition first, but you cooked without thinking. That faint off-flavor lingers at the end."
Kim Haneul pointed out the second error.
"You used white wine? White wine sharpens acidity but kills the crisp aroma, leaving just sourness. It makes the topping one-note."
"That's..."
"Sure, it might taste good. But Oyster Rockefeller is meant to layer flavors and delight the tongue. Third mistake..."
He picked apart every error one by one.
They weren't glaring flaws.
Laypeople wouldn't notice the subtle differences. But those tiny slips snowball like a rolling avalanche, growing into vast gaps.
Michelin is born from details like a single grain of salt or speck of pepper.
"Cook with intention. Don't rely on inertia from the same ingredients and recipe. Eliminate every variable—that's when a chef can serve with confidence. Try it."
Oh Jun-seo, hands trembling with rage, tasted Kim Haneul's dish.
Crunch crunch.
His face flushed redder with each chew, veins bulging on his forehead. But there was nothing he could do.
Kim Haneul's food was clearly on another level. Especially to him, with his sensitive palate, it loomed like an insurmountable wall.
He could see the intent and effort woven into every bite.
To deny it after tasting would mean he was no longer a chef.
"...Damn it."
Unable to face it, Oh Jun-seo stormed out of the studio.
"Host? So who's the winner?"
"Ah, yes. The winner is, of course, Kim Haneul. Congratulations."
The chat filled with mockery for Oh Jun-seo. If the match had been close, there might've been mutual respect. But the defeat was too lopsided compared to his bravado.
For a while, online communities buzzed with memes from the broadcast.
After filming wrapped, we headed to a nearby barbecue spot for drinks. The cast grouped together, and the staff did the same.
"I'll handle the grilling."
"Oh! For real? Thanks!"
I took the tongs from Kim Ji-su and grilled diligently. I gave the best cuts—perfect fat-to-meat ratio—to Sis, and shared the lesser ones with Park Chi-hong and Kim Ji-su.
"...Haneul, isn't this a bit much?"
"Try it. It's delicious too."
Pork on the grill tastes different based on technique. Kim Ji-su munched, then grabbed more. Clearly hooked, she focused on the meat.
Conversations flowed casually.
About today's matchup, how they thought I'd lose, what a embarrassment for Oh Jun-seo. The mood warmed up naturally.
"Haneul. If you have time later, wanna do something with me?"
"Like what?"
"I'm a professor, right? Lots of my students are around your age. A university lecture, or co-writing a column I'm working on."
University lectures and columns—topics that would've piqued my interest in my past life.
Lecturing at a university signals success as a chef and imprints my restaurant on talented youths.
A column reaches chefs worldwide, boosting my and my restaurant's fame.
But as a YouTuber now? Not so much.
"I'll think about it. But not right now. I'm focused on growing the channel."
YouTube shifted the topic. Park Chi-hong and Kim Ji-su ran small personal channels too.
Shared industry vibes sparked more talk.
"Oh right. Sky and Kite—no 100K subscriber celebration?"
"Yeah, most YouTubers do Q&A for milestones. You two hit it a while back."
They asked curiously.
We'd passed 100K days ago. Post-victory over Oh Jun-seo, subs skyrocketed to 150K.
"We're discussing, but nothing set."
"Better decide soon. 200K's coming fast."
At Park Chi-hong's words, we huddled and brainstormed.
"Sis, any ideas?"
"A few I've been thinking about."
Sis listed her ideas one by one.
"First: safe Q&A. Viewers have tons of questions from past vids. But you hate doing them."
"Yeah."
"Second: pick some subscribers and cook for them. Clears up skill doubts and helps plan future content."
Solid, but safe. Pass.
"Third: review local eateries or festival vlogs. No need to stick solely to cooking."
Shooting something different occasionally isn't bad.
The first two didn't excite me, but the last lit a spark.
Come to think of it, traveling was on my bucket list with Sis.
She's always loved adventures, but abroad, we were too busy for proper trips. The recent camping was fun, but I craved farther horizons.
"Wh-what? Why the intense reaction?"
"No, the third one's good."
"Where to? November—Gangwon or Jeju sound nice."
I shook my head.
"Not Korea. Japan. Food tour or vlog there."
Overseas travel date disguised as content. That was my goal.