Chapter 533: Unexpected Twist (13)
Chapter 533: Unexpected Twist (13)
Nathan had led a very inefficient life as a chef. He lived with the constant thought that he needed to change, but never turned his resolve into action. To put it in culinary terms, he always finished preparing the ingredients but never heated or cooked them. That meant he was idle during that crucial time—effectively just wasting time.
Man, I’ve wasted my time here, too.
Nathan smiled emptily. Cameramen busily clicked their shutters to capture his enigmatic smile, but viewers looked puzzled.
“Was this my last chance?” Nathan asked quietly.
He didn’t explain what the chance was exactly because he assumed it was obvious. Rachel said nothing, simply watching him silently.
“I wanted to do well. I wanted to be the best. But I realised I wasn’t. I couldn’t do better than June or Dave. I knew it because I already knew who would win. I thought it wouldn’t matter if I cooked as usual in this contest. And it was true—I would lose. So, I had to do something else.”
Rachel replied, “It’s natural to want to do something different. I have no quarrel with that. But what did you do to achieve it? Rely on Minjoon’s advice? So you recklessly mixed dishes without thinking for yourself?”
“What else could I do? That’s my limit!”
“I don’t believe that. That’s why I’m angry!” she shouted. Many frowned at her outburst in the cold air.
She pressed on, “You haven’t shown your limit. More than that, you haven’t shown your best skills. Saying it’s meaningless to cook as usual means you’re too weak-minded to compete fairly!”
He stayed silent—not because he accepted her words but because deep down he wondered if it was okay to be weak. He wanted to argue, but he knew the fault was his.
“Then what should I do? What if I don’t want to be weak-minded?”
“Just cook your own way,” she replied quietly. “It doesn’t matter if your dish is better or worse than others. Don’t rely on luck. Make your dish something no one can surpass. Just do that!”
Minjoon nodded silently, recognising her words as the correct answer. A chef might create one dish that’s beyond their usual skill, but expecting every dish to be exceptional is impossible.
The only way to display a chef’s best is by cultivating their skills steadily. If they turn away from that simple truth, everything collapses—just like Nathan.
Rachel continued, “Let me wrap up the evaluation of your cooking…”
The reaction to Nathan’s judgement was more intense than Deborah’s, especially among the chefs. Deborah’s impressive improvement was remarkable but unsurprising given her hard work. It wasn’t unusual for inspired chefs to progress quickly over a short time.
But a competent chef like Nathan failing under pressure forced the other head chefs to reflect. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
“Well, the judges are tougher than I expected,” Deborah said, surprised.
Perhaps she hadn’t been criticised the previous day and expected a friendly atmosphere for everyone. She hadn’t realised until now that her dishes stood out compared to Nathan’s.
June smiled. “I’m sorry for Nathan, but it’s good for him. One question about him has disappeared—some thought our judges would go easy on their former students.”
“How cold-hearted! How can you say that when Nathan was humiliated? I just feel sorry for him.”
“Well, I think he’ll feel sorrier for those who pity him.”
“He won’t like a woman like you who thinks his failure is good.”
“Good for him. I don’t want Nathan’s affection, either.”
No one could out-talk June. Deborah turned away, lips trembling, as if she wanted no more argument with her.
Dave, nearby, said, “It was surprising. I know Rachel’s comfortable criticising us because she’s close, but Minjoon was even harsher with Nathan than she was. I thought he’d just say something nice.”
“Saying something nice?” Deborah asked, surprised.
“No?” Dave challenged.
“Looks like you’ve never been criticised by him at all!”
Deborah guessed that after trying Dave’s dishes, Minjoon probably said nothing negative.
Most likely, Minjoon showered Dave with praise out of admiration. If that was Dave’s impression, it explained why he misunderstood Minjoon as polite, meek, and kind. They were hugely mistaken, but June didn’t correct Dave on purpose. He’d find out as the contest progressed, and more chefs would meet Minjoon’s harsh critique.
Watching June quietly, Dave asked, “When will you give them your evaluation? I thought you’d do it early, but you haven’t.”
“The atmosphere isn’t right yet. I don’t want to step forward now. I’ll do it when people pay more attention.”
“Does their attention matter? The results are decided by you and Rachel. People’s attention doesn’t affect that.”
“Results don’t matter—I’m going to win anyway. I want to win dramatically.”
“Confident of winning? That’s different from what I know.”
“What you know is always wrong,” she teased casually.
Dave gave her an empty smile.
“Remember, if I win, you have to give up your stubbornness.”
“I don’t need to remember; I’ll win.”
“If you think you’ll win, promise me you’ll stop being stubborn.”
She slowly turned her head toward him, looking into his eyes—still pure like a child’s, despite his age. Why did this man still adore her? Why did his heart remain unchanged?
She knew she was no longer who she once was. Her pure heart had long been replaced by shrewd ambition, chasing bigger dreams. But why did his heart remain the same?
“What if I give up my stubbornness?”
“Well, you’ll return to the right path—where you belong.”
Deborah watched them with twinkling eyes, but they didn’t notice.
“If you really do, let’s date again.”
Deborah turned sharply to June and signalled with her eyes that she should say, “Okay.” But June hesitated, unable to answer right away. She was articulate among social circles, but now her tongue seemed frozen.
“You can’t beat me in this competition.”
Childish words, but that was all June could say.
Dave smiled. “Then swear on your honour you’ll give up your stubbornness.”
“That’s unfair. How can I bet on myself? If I win, what will you give me?”
“I’ll give up my stubbornness too,” he replied seriously.
She understood and looked into his eyes. “Sure, I’ll be your woman then.”
Rumours spread quickly among the chefs: Dave and June had reconciled and were dating again. Though they promised to restore their relationship in Deborah’s presence, gossip would have arisen anyway given their unusual interactions during the competition.
June was displeased when Minjoon glanced at her strangely.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
“Oh, I thought it’s good for you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I know something.”
June sighed. She blamed it all on Dave. She wondered if he really spoke like that in Deborah’s presence. Dave hadn’t contacted her for ages, so why was he suddenly eager now?
Maybe Dave was more hopeful than ever. He might think he finally had the chance to mend their broken relationship, which had dragged on so long.
Their relationship was truly complicated. They liked each other then and now. It wasn’t an intense passion that made her miss him daily, but when she thought of someone she wanted to have when her life stabilised, no one else but Dave came to mind.
He was her first love. He wasn’t the first man she dated, but he was the first and last man she truly loved. While chasing her own desires, Dave was someone even those desires couldn’t overshadow.