Chapter 571: Each Team (2)
Chapter 571: Each Team (2)
Climbing one more step might mean the world to those just beginning to ascend, but it was meaningless to those who had already climbed thousands of steps. Minjoon had taken countless steps since the day he first set foot on that path. Recalling the young and innocent Minjoon he once knew, Martin suddenly felt a strange sensation.
“What do you think of the participants this time? Do you still consider Michael the favourite, and are you still rooting for Gwen the most?” producer Martin asked.
“Well, if you want detailed answers, I might give you a few different ones, but my opinion about Michael and Gwen hasn’t changed. If I had to single out the participant who surprised me the most, it would be Peter,” Minjoon replied.
Martin was surprised. He realised Minjoon wasn’t mentioning Peter simply because of recent changes. As long as this interview aired unedited and Minjoon spoke well of Peter, viewers would consciously or subconsciously focus on Peter’s strengths alone.
Minjoon’s praise wasn’t a major shift, but even allowing people to reconsider Peter’s character would help him escape the hellish situation he’d faced.
Come to think of it, I’m no less than a devil in Peter’s eyes, Martin thought bitterly.
As the show’s producer, he knew viewers would blame him if he aired a segment showing Minjoon’s positive interaction with Peter, but he accepted it as fate. He felt sorry for Peter, but would have made the same choices in the same situation.
“What surprised you?” Martin asked.
“I was impressed that Peter approached Merlyn first and listened more than he spoke. He’s quite different now. I’d say he’s grown up.”
“Really?”
“Unless you run a one-person kitchen, team play is essential for a chef. Peter is no longer the old Peter. Many think the team of Peter, Gwen, and Merlyn is unstable, but I believe they’ll achieve the best results.”
“You seem to have mixed feelings towards Peter. Do you feel sorry for him or something?”
“No, I’m not sorry,” Minjoon answered without hesitation.
Martin’s eyebrows rose at the colder-than-expected reply, but Minjoon continued seriously, “Peter argued with us back then, and it got ugly. Objectively and subjectively, it was his fault. Viewers might question whether we had the right to be angry, but it was inevitable that we had a bad impression.”
Looking into the camera, Minjoon spoke directly to potential viewers, “Peter knew he had to change, and he did. He’s different now. I want people to stop hating him like before. Don’t hate him, please.”
After the interview, many teams were still deep in discussion. They had countless small decisions to make—how to distribute roles among members, for example. Should each person be responsible for a dish, or divide duties by type of dish? Both had pros and cons, but none held a clear advantage, especially given their lack of experience cooking together.
Well, there’s another way to divide roles.
They could select someone as head chef to lead, but if anyone could take that role, it was Hugo alone. Hugo had some experience leading a small kitchen, and his team now had only three members.
The contest was underway, and each team would reach their conclusions in time. Suddenly, a harsh voice rose from Michael’s team.
“Hey, Michael! Why are you arguing about the recipe alone?”
“Because I see both merits and faults. If you serve shrimp pie as an appetizer, the portion must be small, and the sauce needs moderate acidity; otherwise, the oiliness becomes tiresome. One mistake there could wreck the entire meal.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve had shrimp pie as an appetizer before, and it worked fine.”
“You’re not making the same dish. There are dozens of types of shrimp pie, and you don’t have the same sauce recipe. If we use your recipe, it’ll taste sticky, not sour. It’s the worst for an appetizer.”
“How dare you say that without trying it first?”
“Taste is science. If you understand taste components, you can predict flavour just by studying the recipe.”
“Are you trying to imitate Minjoon? Fine, let’s ask him. If he disapproves, I’ll withdraw it.”
They proceeded to cook regardless of Minjoon’s opinion, but soon approached him to explain the shrimp pie sauce recipe.
Minjoon felt uncomfortable with their childish behaviour.
How immature!
Of course, teams could ask judges for feedback, as long as it didn’t affect decisions, but Michael’s team was essentially begging Minjoon to judge their quarrel. He could assist with cooking but didn’t want to arbitrate disputes.
Aside from the angry woman confronting Michael, Minjoon hadn’t expected him to act this way. As a college professor, Michael should have made a more sensible judgement. Instead, he seemed indifferent to appearances, as if showing his eccentricity.
Minjoon asked, “Do you think it’s appropriate to ask me now?”
“Can’t I?” the woman snapped back.
“It’s embarrassing that you don’t realise.”
Minjoon sighed, and Kaya beside him sighed and shook her head. Only then did Michael scratch his head awkwardly.
“Well, I’m sorry.”
“You need to resolve your issues yourselves. I won’t give feedback under these circumstances.”
“Sorry.”
Realising the situation, the woman stopped her anger and retreated. After she left, Michael hesitated, looking at Minjoon as if wanting to say more, but Minjoon was not in the mood.
Eventually, Michael left too, and Minjoon muttered, “These guys don’t appreciate cooking.”
Though sudden, Kaya understood and smiled wryly.
“Well, they’re desperate. I can understand.”
Kaya herself hadn’t had the luxury to focus on the beauty of cooking in the past. Having shared their experience, she couldn’t blame them harshly.
But Minjoon shook his head.
Kaya was different—a fine chef driven by desperation to improve. Rather than defending her pride, she worked hard to overcome challenges and produce better dishes.
At that moment, Minjoon recalled a lesson he’d been told: self-confidence and self-respect are different. Searching for your strengths and values can turn confidence into inferiority when encountering someone better. Then your worth becomes meaningless. Yet with self-respect, even when facing someone superior, you needn’t feel inferior.