Chapter 184
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: First Round
Na Gang-in grabbed only a helmet that looked like a robot's head from the fabrication outpost.
Restaurant Penelope's head chef, Oh Gyu-cheol, met him in the city.
Oh Gyu-cheol held up a few paper bags.
"I brought some clothes for you, Gang-in."
Na Gang-in took the bags and checked the clothes inside. There was a jacket with a subtle uniform vibe, along with a matching shirt and pants.
"Nice design."
"I picked ones that suit your vibe from the sponsorship offers. But..."
Oh Gyu-cheol checked what Na Gang-in had brought and gave an awkward smile, looking flustered.
"You brought a helmet instead of a mask?"
"To cover the back of my head too. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Of course not. Now that I look at it, the clothes I picked really match the helmet."
Na Gang-in changed into the outfit and rode with Oh Gyu-cheol to the Masked Chef set.
On the way, Oh Gyu-cheol explained.
"Our show involves a lot of cooking, so instead of a cable station, we set up a dedicated outdoor set. You'll have to wait in the green room first when we get there."
"A dedicated set?"
"It's nothing fancy. We rented a prefab warehouse and renovated the inside."
When they arrived, filming prep was already in full swing. Since it was a dedicated set, the basic kitchen equipment was fixed in place.
But broadcast gear like cameras wasn't permanently installed. They brought that in fresh for each shoot.
Staff working nearby glanced at Na Gang-in as he passed. He'd put on the helmet before getting out of the car.
"New challenger?"
"Robot concept this time."
"Past vs. future showdown?"
"Nailed the vibe."
The production team had renovated the warehouse to include two green rooms, complete with signs like "Challenger Green Room."
Na Gang-in inspected the inside of Green Room 2.
"Hidden cameras?"
"Door's locked... Guess no green room shots since it's live."
Na Gang-in stood in front of the mirror wearing the helmet. He saw the jacket with its uniform-like feel, black pants, and shirt with multiple straight lines.
"Clothes match the helmet perfectly. I could star in a sci-fi flick like this."
"Designs back then advanced 60 more years—shouldn't they be better? True excellence is a current design holding up in the future."
He sat on the sofa, killing time on his smartphone. Midway, Oh Gyu-cheol stopped by to recap the format and left.
A while later, a staffer knocked.
"Time to prep for broadcast."
The live show began.
The judges were normally four, including Oh Gyu-cheol.
But today, Oh Gyu-cheol stood with the host instead of at the judges' table.
In Masked Chef, judges usually scout the contestants themselves.
But if the scout judges the cooking too, it raises fairness issues in the "real deal battle" concept. Arms tend to bend inward.
Excluding the scouting judge entirely would mean no one scouts anymore.
Production's compromise: The scouting judge co-hosts that episode with the main host.
It still sparked fairness debates, but it was the best they could do.
Today, Oh Gyu-cheol—who brought the challenger—co-hosted.
The show kicked off. The previous winner was introduced first.
"Gumiho Chef. On a rampage with three straight wins. One more victory, and the throne is theirs."
The three-win chef wore a fox mask. No tail, but nicknames were whatever—the chef called them Gumiho anyway.
The host called Na Gang-in next.
"Challenging this dominant three-win champ! Iron Man Chef! Come on out!"
Na Gang-in strode out from backstage. Spotlights followed him.
Behind the three judges sat twenty civilian panelists.
Gasp erupted from the panel as Na Gang-in appeared.
"Whoa..."
"A real robot?"
Na Gang-in's bulletproof helmet encased the full head. Sized for a human skull, it wasn't oversized. The outer shell's design was sleek too.
He walked to center stage, looking for all the world like a robot approaching.
The host was seeing Na Gang-in for the first time too.
"Wow. Iron Man Chef. I legit thought a robot was walking out."
Co-host Oh Gyu-cheol chimed in smoothly.
"Iron Man Chef spent ages crafting that robot mask just for today."
"Makes sense. Looks totally real. You owe us some Wing Chicken now, right? Oh, ignoring me? Cold as iron indeed!"
Na Gang-in's helmet had no display functions.
It should've, but he skipped it thanks to Jeon Ji-in controlling his AR Lens.
The host explained the format for viewers.
"Expert judges describe and critique the dishes verbally, but they get zero votes."
Twenty panelists sat behind the three judges.
"The civilian panel hears the judges' input, tastes the food, then scores across categories. Ties go to the judges' votes."
"I'm only doing this once, face fully covered by helmet. No one'll recognize me."
Masked Chef, not even two months old, was already popular.
The two-hour live broadcast had ad breaks for rests, but otherwise pure live showdown.
Face masked, no need for Na Gang-in's backstory or resume.
Format: Hosts and three judges bantered throughout.
Chefs won purely on skill.
The host announced.
"First round theme: Meat dishes!"
Simple genre didn't mean free rein. Production provided genre-matched ingredients.
Not just ingredients—live timing meant 20-minute limit for feasible dishes.
One serving? Plenty options. But panel existed.
Host clarified.
"Chefs prep enough for three judges, twenty panelists, two hosts—twenty-five total. Time limit: 20 minutes."
No need for twenty-five full portions since it's tasting, but five per contestant from allotted ingredients in twenty minutes.
Ingredient limits, headcount, time—all narrow options sharply.
Gumiho Chef made French-style. He artfully arranged veggies on five plates. Meat was the star, of course.
Host admired.
"Wow. Gumiho Chef. Beautiful as always. Feels like a fancy restaurant."
Oh Gyu-cheol backed him up.
"That's Gumiho Chef's strength."
"Meanwhile, Iron Man Chef..."
The host turned to Na Gang-in and yelled in shock.
"Whoa! Dumping in seasonings!"
"Yeah... he is."
Na Gang-in used Field Tactical Cooking to whip up generous five servings.
Opponent made quick housemade sauce; Na Gang-in stuck to production-provided store-bought sauces and seasonings.
No skimping on them either.
Issue was public perception of seasonings. Live chat exploded.
Na Gang-in usually stir-fried massive batches in a PC bang pan. But not today—showing off strength might tip his identity.
So his pace was slower than usual.
Judges bantered with hosts while chefs cooked—that was their role, the show's flow.
"Letting customers enjoy the process visually matters. Performance-wise, Gumiho takes it."
"Iron Man Chef looks half-assed."
"No clue what he's making. Something weird..."
"Hands are fast, though."
Even slower than usual, Na Gang-in finished first.
Plating: Divide into five dishes. Cameras show it, judges praise or roast for viewers, then staff portions onto small plates for panel tasting.
Na Gang-in just stir-fried, grilled, plated plainly. Gumiho added flair even to plating.
Gumiho's looked way prettier too.
Host noted.
"Visuals? Gumiho crushes it. Iron Man's only lead: cooking time."
Oh Gyu-cheol countered.
"Looks matter, but taste more so. Game's not over."
"Right. Panel decides after tasting."
Staff portioned onto small plates and distributed to judges and panel.
Hosts got some too.
Host tasted Gumiho's first.
"Wow. Pretty rice cake's tasty too—flavor's spot-on."
Trouble hit with Na Gang-in's.
"Huh?"
Host unwittingly took seconds.
"Damn, this is good."
Oh Gyu-cheol had looked tense mid-cook, with Na Gang-in seeming outmatched.
'A light pan flip with heaps of ingredients would've scored performance points...'
His stiff expression melted after tasting Na Gang-in's dish.
"Told you—looks matter, but taste rules."
Panel murmured, tasting both.
"Huh? This is legit tasty."
Full bellies bias early rounds. They'd been warned not to finish portions.
Yet Na Gang-in's vanished wholesale. None finished Gumiho's.
Judges' faces hardened post-taste.
"Uh... tasty."
"Yeah. Gumiho's good, but Iron Man's..."
"Fire control masterful. And... seasonings perfectly balanced."
Judges' commentary sways the panel.
During cooking, their takes on performance, ingredients, origins—all influence civilians.
The show was built that way: experts guide amateurs.
But final call? Panel's direct taste test—less room for judge sway.
Chat piled up.
Scoring: Per-category points.
Taste weighed heaviest. Na Gang-in dominated there.
Everything else? Gumiho higher.
Host watched scores rise and shouted.
"Total score's what counts! First round winner... results in! Gumiho Chef!"
Gumiho took Round 1.
Ads rolled immediately.
During break, staff tidied the kitchen. Ingredients and some seasonings swapped for next theme.