Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: No More Tears
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Tears like chicken droppings rolled down her cheeks, pooling at the tip of her chin. Before they could drop, she wiped them away with her sleeve.
I stood there, staring blankly at this meaningless sequence.
"I'm... sniff... I'm telling you, hic... I really..."
O Ga-eul was sobbing so hard she couldn't string words together, hiccupping uncontrollably. One of the staff members, unable to watch, handed her some tissues to wipe her tears.
"Th-thank... huff... sniff."
She bowed her head deeply but couldn't even finish her thanks. Rubbing at her eyes with the tissue did nothing to help.
Hmm. How long did I have to waste time on this pointless display?
The other staff were all waiting, and her misconception had been proven wrong.
"O Ga-eul."
Finally, I spoke up.
"The video review is over. Do you have anything else to say?"
"...Hic!"
Instead of answering, she buried her face in her hands and wailed even louder. What the hell was this?
"O Ga-eul. Crying won't solve anything."
I pressed my fingertips against my face to smooth out the grimace and keep it calm. But I couldn't hide the irritation in my voice.
It felt like I'd been listening to this crying for at least ten minutes.
"You ignored my advice, hurting your teammates, and insisted I never said it, dragging us all here."
Was now the time to cry?
"If the video shows you did hear and even respond—but just forgot—shouldn't the first step be to admit it and apologize?"
I fixed her with a sharp glare, and O Ga-eul finally stopped the tears, swallowing hiccups.
She must have realized I had no intention of going easy.
"Crying doesn't fix everything. As an adult, apologize properly and tell your teammates you're sorry."
Some of the staff started giving O Ga-eul pitying looks.
She was one of the younger contestants, and with tears streaming and her eyes red and swollen, it was easy to feel sorry for her. Who wouldn't soften at the sight of tears?
But letting her slide with sympathy votes wouldn't help her in the long run.
"Sniff... I-I know I was wrong, but..."
But?
"Song Chef, sniff, you're being too harsh... How can you demand an apology when I'm crying like this, hic?"
Her rambling went something like this:
'I was going to apologize once the tears stopped, so why rush me? I know I messed up, but it wasn't on purpose—I just didn't hear it. Isn't that too much?' ...Something like that.
It was so absurd my jaw nearly dropped. Who did she think she was playing the victim?
But O Ga-eul didn't stop there.
"Because I'm... sniff... small and young... that's why you're doing this, right...?"
The more I saw, the more it seemed she thought I was a pushover.
I let her keep talking to see how far she'd go, and she just spewed nonsense. I could feel the staff exchanging glances, thinking they'd caught a good scene.
Getting worked up here wouldn't do me any good.
I deliberately stripped all anger and excitement from my voice, replying in a cold, flat tone.
"O Ga-eul. Seems like you're misunderstanding something."
"...Sniff."
"I'm just demanding a proper apology for your mistake. I don't think that's something to be condemned for."
I didn't blink as I spoke, and her eyes welled up even more.
"And it's not that I'm underestimating you—it's that you're underestimating me."
"Huh? What do you..."
"If I were another chef, could you act like this?"
Frankly.
If it were another judge she'd have to face ongoing, she wouldn't dare. She'd be flat on her face begging forgiveness.
Whether it was unfair or not didn't matter. The other person held her leash.
That's why she could push back at me now. She'd won her team match and cleared the losers' bracket fine; I was just a guest she'd never see again.
She probably wanted to grab some excuse from my mistake to spin it as 'we both messed up~' or at least score sympathy.
Neither was a smart move.
"Not even with other judges. If I weren't a chef, could you say that to my face like you did?"
"..."
"Can't imagine it, right? Because An Chef obviously wouldn't take it. And it's too hard."
People stretch their legs where they can.
Young, no chef experience, no intimidating presence. She thought she could sweet-talk me.
She read it all wrong.
Emotional appeals would've worked better on Bong Kang-min Chef. He might've handed her tissues and even bought her a meal after filming.
Then it might've fizzled out as just a young contestant's mistake, per her plan.
"I'll say it one more time. I hate repeating myself."
I emphasized each word clearly.
"Apologize properly. Tell your teammates you're sorry."
"..."
O Ga-eul glanced around, as if seeking help—or worrying how she'd look on camera.
Or maybe gauging the room's mood.
Either way, she realized the situation wasn't in her favor.
Finally, in a deflated tone, she mumbled.
"I'm sorry."
"I can't hear you. Again."
"...I'm sorry!"
Seeing her bow deeply as she apologized finally let me breathe.
O Ga-eul fidgeted, glancing at me nervously. She'd internalized the hierarchy.
No need to crush her spirit, but unchecked recklessness needed correcting.
I patted her stiff shoulders warmly, staging a reconciliatory vibe.
"Good. Make sure you say the same to your teammates later."
"Yes...!"
"Your eyes are swollen. Pull yourself together and come out. I'll head out first."
She bit her lip, eyes tearing up again, so I shoved tissues into her hand and left the room.
Whew. Even after reconciling, she was like that—maybe just a crybaby.
I paused in the hallway. The camera director following me stopped too.
"Director."
"Y-yes?"
He seemed startled by my sudden address. I continued anyway.
"That scene just now. You'll use it in the preview, right?"
"Uh... probably."
"Everything's fine, but could you cut the part mentioning the other chef? Don't want his name dragged in unnecessarily—sorry about that."
The director pondered briefly, then said he'd ask.
That was enough.
"Let's go. Still got filming left. Need to watch the losers' bracket final."
Step, step. As I walked the hall, the director followed.
- I swear I never heard that!
- Song Chef, sniff, you're being too harsh...
Yeah, as expected.
The preview cherry-picked the most sensational bits.
It made it look like O Ga-eul and I were clashing over a big disagreement. In reality, it was mostly her one-sided denial.
But that's what makes it intriguing. I knew how broadcasting worked, so I shrugged it off.
The headache was...
"Song Chef! So what happened during Ma-She-Dae 2 filming?!"
This guy beside me, eyes sparkling. Bong Kang-min Chef kept prodding with "Huh? Huh?" so I gazed at distant mountains.
"I signed an NDA. Watch the main episode~."
"Aw~! Between us?!"
"Yes. Between us."
When I shut it down firmly, Bong Kang-min switched targets to An Derrick.
"An Chef! Have our junior spill it. Huh?!"
"Only junior when it suits you?"
An Derrick snapped back curtly, and Bong Kang-min laughed it off with "Aw, c'mon~."
"No, just worried if our Song Chef had a rough time there~ Worried, that's all~!"
"Hehe. I was pretty worried when I heard you went to film."
Jeong Ha-neul chimed in to mediate.
"Called Cold-Hair PD multiple times, asking if it was really a decent show..."
"Ahem. Why bring that up?"
Bong Kang-min coughed awkwardly, pretending otherwise.
"The preview seemed too sensational. You okay?"
Jeong Ha-neul looked concerned, so I waved it off.
"Fine. There was good reason for it."
Not using clickbait-worthy drama would be slacking.
"Ugh~! Can't wait. When's the main airing?!"
"Next Thursday."
"Gotta watch!"
Watching Bong Kang-min vow to tune in, I let a faint smile slip.
Yeah.
Oblivious to the storm that broadcast would unleash.