Chapter 596: A Chef Doing His Country Good (6)
Chapter 596: A Chef Doing His Country Good (6)
Those participating in the Grand Chef competition didn’t wait for Minjoon and Kaya, regardless of whether they were ready to leave New York or open a new restaurant. They didn’t even allow him a moment’s rest. Whenever Minjoon, Kaya, and Joseph appeared at the Grand Chef House, the number of participants steadily dwindled. There were now only eight left.
Gwen muttered, “I heard they’ve gone back to Los Angeles. They’re mentioned in the Star Book.”
“I wonder what kind of restaurant they’ll open. I definitely want to visit.”
“I don’t just want to visit—I want to work there,” Gwen said quietly.
Ken asked, surprised, “I thought you wanted to win this competition?”
“Even if I win, I want to work there.”
“Why? If you win, wouldn’t you be able to open your own restaurant?”
“Well, it’s not my best option.”
Some Grand Chef participants mistakenly believe that winning fully validates them as chefs. While winning does confirm a certain level of skill, even if the standards are sometimes questioned, having a sophisticated palate is no guarantee of true fulfilment.
I just don’t know.
When Gwen entered the competition, her principal goal was social success. But after meeting Minjoon, her perspective shifted. He was the greatest chef she knew. Although Kaya was her role model due to a similar background, Minjoon’s achievements far surpassed hers.
“You know? Even at the top, Minjoon still hungers for more.”
“You mean he’s greedy?”
“Yeah. At first, I thought he was foolish—unaware of all he’d achieved. But in hindsight, he appreciated his success and understood what was still beyond reach. Imagine having a lump of gold before you but no pickaxe to dig it out. Even with broken nails, you’d try to dig through. But I couldn’t see the gold while Minjoon did. That’s the difference. And that difference dwarfs any conventional standard.”
“I want to learn from Minjoon and Kaya. They’re unlike ordinary chefs—I can feel it,” Gwen confessed.
Ken said nothing, sharing the sentiment quietly. Even Hugo, overhearing at a distance, agreed.
I’m just frustrated…
Thirsty, Hugo went to the fridge, gulping cold water, but it offered little relief. His throat still felt sore.
When he first entered the contest, Hugo didn’t consider the other contestants rivals. His true rivals were Anderson, Minjoon, and Kaya. Yet he struggled to even surpass the other participants. Minjoon would easily beat them all.
This drove Hugo mad. Time passed, his friends advanced, but he lagged behind. Why? What caused such a gap?
Peter and Hugo faced similar struggles but with differing goals. Peter wanted to prove he wasn’t worthless. Hugo wanted to compete equally with old friends. Yet he only proved he was far behind.
What would Minjoon think? Hugo wondered.
He bit his lips. Though he saw Minjoon as a rival, he craved to imitate him—a weakness he despised.
If a colleague races ahead, and those behind catch up to run beside him, who is his true rival?
He felt miserable. In some ways, his plight was natural. Like flies drawn to filth, how could he meditate on lofty things when mired in misery?
I wanted to compete with him—not just cook here. But I haven’t even begun.
Muttering this nonsense preserved his last shred of pride.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing…”
“Well, you look worried.”
Michael smiled warmly at him.
Was he trying to comfort Hugo—or prank him?
Watching Michael—who would have been a social outcast without his intellect—Hugo sighed.
“It’s nothing. Just leave me be.”
“If someone says they’re not worried, they just speak their mind.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“The problem is—you have no problems.”
Irritated, Hugo thought Michael crazy. He was trying to stay calm. Michael was the most disliked person at Grand Chef House—not because of arrogance, but because he was a genius.
Michael never flaunted his talent, nor considered himself special. That was his sinister edge. He felt sorry witnessing others’ lack, but his shallow pity pricked them painfully.
His indifference hurt everyone. Luckily, he wasn’t a culinary prodigy—just a smart one. He wanted recognition for his culinary calculations and formulas, not for his dishes.
Yet he knew even the brightest students struggled to keep up with him. He hid frustration but was poor at masking it, rubbing others the wrong way.
If he wins…
Would Hugo envy him?
Maybe not.
Minjoon and Kaya seized the chance to buy a house—Kaya took the lead. She earned significant money from her hit original dish Six Meats, though less than Minjoon’s unprecedented success with Jo Reggiano.
Unlike Minjoon, not greedy for money, Kaya kept all proceeds from Six Meats, so her finances were healthier.
Here, in a Beverly Hills house, the two relaxed.
“How about enjoying a year without work?” Kaya asked calmly, lying on the lawn, basking in sunlight. She loved how the sun warmed her skin.
Minjoon almost agreed. He’d been exhausted wrestling with Rachel over the Rose Island Venice branch and his future, but these past few days’ leisure felt wonderful.
“Come to think of it, we’ve never truly relaxed.”
“You bet.”
Since the Grand Chef competition, they hadn’t had a real vacation.
They had been buried under endless work and events. Even now, their break was incomplete—they still visited the Grand Chef House nearly every week.
“Well, I think we have to give up judging next season.”
“We don’t have to decide now, but unless things go well, we might have to.”
Regardless of their new restaurant’s success, running it and serving as judges simultaneously would be tough. Kaya had judged while running Irregular Lab but had to close it unexpectedly. Fortunately, Irregular Lab was experimental; an ordinary restaurant wouldn’t risk such closure.