Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Chicken for 100 Soldiers
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Knock knock.
"Recording starts~!"
"Got it. Let's go."
At the staff's call, I jumped up from my seat.
"Let's head out."
"Sure."
Anderic and I walked to the spot the staff pointed out and took our positions. It looked like we'd have to wait a bit while they filmed the opening.
"Oh, that must be the stage."
Even from the waiting area, we could catch a glimpse of the studio. The grand "Master Chef Showdown 2" logo and the kitchens lined up on either side came into view at a glance.
Master Chef Showdown.
As the name suggested, it was a tournament-style cooking competition to crown a number one. This format had been all the rage at the time.
They'd been whittling down contestants since the preliminaries, and now only eight remained, or so I'd heard.
Clack!
The lights came on, and the opening finally kicked off.
"The eight contestants who've made it this far—great job."
A man with his hair neatly combed back gripped his script and began his lines. His solemn face, devoid of even a hint of a smile, left a strong impression.
"But the trials aren't over yet. Today, two contestants will leave 'Master Chef Showdown Season 2' and head home."
The two judges seated on either side maintained a similarly grave atmosphere.
The participants' resolve hung heavy in the air, making it hard to even speak. Hmm, way heavier than I expected. The weight of responsibility settled even more firmly on my shoulders.
"This mission, like the last one, is a team battle. Four players each on the Red Team and Blue Team. The losing team will face the elimination challenge, where the final two dropouts will be decided."
Got it. As I nodded along, one of the judges introduced us.
"For this mission, we've brought in two special mentors."
"Give them a big round of applause!"
Clap clap clap clap!
At the staff's signal, I strode forward confidently. Following the directions, I soon stood in full view of the contestants.
"First up, Chef Song Woo-yeon. CEO of [The Song], which runs multiple franchise chains, and a culinary researcher with proven cooking skills."
A bit embarrassing to be introduced like that. I gave a quick bow, and I could feel the contestants' eyes light up.
They were definitely thinking, [That's the Chef Song Woo-yeon from Fridge Raid!]
"Next, we have Chef Anderic. A graduate of Europe's renowned culinary institute CSI..."
Unlike me, his flashy credentials rolled on and on. Anderic himself seemed utterly unfazed.
The performers' gazes darted busily between Anderic and me, sizing us up.
[I heard the contestants here come from all walks of life. From total amateurs to pros with years of training.]
After seeing only these imposing, charismatic judges, spotting someone young and green like me must have sparked all kinds of thoughts.
Feelings of injustice or looking down on me—unavoidable, really.
[Whatever. As long as they don't show it outright, who cares?]
I wasn't here with any grand expectations anyway.
Once our introductions wrapped up, the judge spoke again.
"Now, we'll reveal the main mission for Master Chef Showdown Season 2, Round 7."
Doo doo doo doo.
Tension thickened the air as he let it build, then continued.
"The main mission is 'Serving Delicious Chicken to 100 Soldiers'!"
Oh ho.
"The rules are simple. Each team assembles 'one dish' to the best of their ability. The soldiers will taste all the teams' dishes and vote for the tastiest one. You'll head to a nearby army base and serve the meals on-site."
That's the setup. Unique that the tasters weren't judges but regular folks.
"Making enough for 100 will be a huge challenge in itself. That's why each team gets to pick one of these two special chefs as your mentor!"
I'd seen something like this before regression. Just spiced up with me and Chef Anderic.
They'd introduced the mentor system to amp up the rivalry between teams.
Pop!
Spotlights snapped on above Anderic and me.
"The Blue Team, winners of the last team battle, picks first. The Red Team gets whoever's left."
The Blue Team stared at us in surprise.
"Blue Team leader, you have five minutes to discuss. Decide once you're done."
Tick tock, tick tock.
[05:00]
A massive digital timer appeared.
The Blue Team huddled up, whispering furiously.
"Uh, what do we do?"
"We can only pick one..."
"Chef Anderic, right? Long career, main chef at a Chinese place for years."
"Yeah. We need someone who can oversee everything."
Mumble mumble. They were far enough that it was faint, but I caught it all.
[Coming up with excuses, but they clearly don't trust me.]
They wouldn't say it outright on camera, but my name never even came up. They wanted Anderic from the start.
[Guess I'll end up with Red Team naturally.]
I glanced at Red Team—they'd picked up on the vibe and looked a little downcast.
They wanted Anderic too, but no dice. Not obvious, but the mood was readable.
"We'll go with Chef Anderic."
"Blue Team gets Chef Anderic, Red Team gets Chef Song Woo-yeon as mentors."
"Yes."
"Got it."
We moved to stand by our assigned teams.
"Pleasure working with you."
I flashed a smile, but the Red Team gave awkward bows.
They weren't thrilled.
[Age is a hurdle, huh.]
I'd shown decent skills on TV, but still getting side-eye like this.
No need to show displeasure, though. We were in this round together, win or lose.
"Let's do our best."
Game on,
and I had no intention of losing.
"Haa. What do we do? We're totally at a disadvantage!"
One Red Teamer, Im Do-hoon, couldn't hold back his frustration. The others in the waiting room nodded silently in agreement.
"I mean, come on! Chef Song—sure, but he's not even a real chef. Isn't it too much just because he showed his face on Fridge Raid?"
They got stuck with a dud mentor while the opponents snagged the legendary Chef Anderic.
How were they supposed to compete with that gap right from mentoring?
"Haa. I really think I'm gonna drop this time. What now, hyung?"
Im Do-hoon turned to Choi Yak-rok beside him. His reply was straightforward.
"We just do well."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry, Do-hoon. We do well, and we're good."
As Im Do-hoon pouted, Choi Yak-rok replied calmly.
"No point crying over it now—the pick's done. Plus, if we'd won last mission, we could've had Chef Anderic."
"..."
"It's the winner's perk. No helping it. All we can do is focus on overcoming this setback and coming out on top."
All true, but Im Do-hoon pursed his lips.
[This hyung's chill 'cause he's not at risk.] He grumbled inwardly.
"Recording starts soon~! Stand by~!"
"Yes!"
"Let's go."
Red Team headed to the studio. Both teams lined up at their kitchens as cameras lit up.
"You have just three hours!"
[03:00:00]
The massive timer appeared.
"Begin!"
Contestants rushed for ingredients. With the theme "chicken dishes," butchering chickens fast was key.
They hustled chickens over, and Im Do-hoon rolled up his sleeves to break one down.
"What dish are you making?"
Song Woo-yeon approached. Im Do-hoon felt annoyed but played it cool.
"BBQ chicken. With fried rice, fries, and salad for a full meal."
"Hmm. Not bad."
Song Woo-yeon nodded, then stood beside him, watching closely.
[What's this? So intrusive.]
Im Do-hoon kept glancing over, irritated. Time's tight—why interfere?
"...Hmm. Where'd you learn to butcher chicken?"
"Didn't learn—just did it a ton as army cook."
He was a pro at it now. Though always with a team.
"Hold up."
Song Woo-yeon stepped in, snatching the knife from Im Do-hoon.
"Huh?"
Im Do-hoon checked the time reflexively. Damn it—no time to waste. He scowled impatiently.
"Butchering like that would take all day."
Slice, swipe.
Song Woo-yeon lightly scored the leg, twisted it.
And the bone popped right out.
"See here? That's the tendon. Snip it, and it comes off easy. Like this."
Snikt.
No real force, yet the leg meat peeled clean.
"Chicken doesn't need deep cuts. For the body, like this."
Swipe. Pull with his hand, and bone separated from meat in one go.
"!"
Im Do-hoon's eyes went wide. Like magic.
[How long for that whole chicken?]
Quick time check—barely 40 seconds gone.
Including talking...
[30 Seconds?!]
A whole chicken in 30 seconds.
[Makes sense?!]
Im Do-hoon stared blankly at Song Woo-yeon.
"See? Easy, right?"
His smiling face was almost infuriating.