Chapter 612: How to Be Somebody’s Friend (6)
Chapter 612: How to Be Somebody’s Friend (6)
While they discussed the results, Minjoon suddenly felt uneasy. Naturally, he had expected Michael and Gwen to be the frontrunners in this competition. Although Peter and Hugo were unpredictable factors who could influence the rankings, Minjoon had never seriously considered them contenders for the championship. He was convinced the title would be taken by either Gwen or Michael.
But now, the wild card named Peter had survived to this point. And Peter posed a serious threat to Michael—he might change the course of the entire contest.
It all depended on the judges, though, whether Peter could sway their verdict.
If Peter can last...
If he did, he could also alter Gwen’s destiny. Minjoon was certain of that, having gone through a similar situation with Kaya at the Grand Chef competition a few years back.
Yet the judges had to remain impartial. Michael had failed to bring out the proper flavour of the pineapple, while Peter’s toffee lacked the right shape. Which of them truly deserved to move forward?
Their debate did not drag on. Each judge had already reached a conclusion about the dishes presented by the three finalists. While presentation was important in cooking, the decisive factor was always the taste.
Once again, Peter was the variable that made all the difference.
Michael was flawless in many ways.
In his life, failure was an alien concept.
And now, he was prepared to face failure for the first time.
“You have been eliminated, Michael. It’s time to return to your usual life,” the judges told him with polite finality.
Michael had convinced himself he would not fear such a defeat. But the moment the judges confirmed his elimination, an unfamiliar sense of insignificance overwhelmed him.
Why had he thought it would be alright to fail? He believed he could leave with good memories, that losing to others was no cause for shame. He knew he was still learning his craft and didn’t expect to be the world’s best chef. After all, he was a physicist.
To Gwen or Peter, Michael’s elimination might provoke a moment of sympathy—and nothing more.
But deep down, Michael felt otherwise. Though he muttered “I’m okay” to himself, he was not okay. He truly lamented his failure.
Minjoon approached him and stared at him silently.
Michael gave a bitter smile. “Are you here to say goodbye?”
“Well, something like that.”
“I’m frustrated.”
He showed his emotions plainly. Pretending not to regret or appearing strong would have been childish.
Minjoon spoke slowly.
“To be frank, I don’t like your attitude towards cooking, but the world needs chefs like you.”
“I’m not a chef.”
“But don’t you feel like one?”
‘Feel like a chef?’ Michael muttered involuntarily.
He now understood why regret clouded his heart. Among competitors who truly wanted to become chefs, he had allowed himself to believe he was one of them. But he was not. That was a mere illusion. Having been forcibly disabused of it and confronted with reality, his regret was only natural.
“Are you serious about becoming a chef?” Minjoon pressed.
This was a crucial question. Michael had originally planned to juggle both physics and cooking if he won the competition. Outsiders saw Michael’s restaurant as a hobby for a brilliant eccentric, but Minjoon did not. Running a restaurant was demanding; it was no easy feat enduring endless chopping, heat, oil, and yelling. Only someone who truly loved cooking could persist.
Michael did love cooking, in his own way. That love would endure. So Minjoon wanted to prevent this unexpected failure—the first in Michael’s life—from disheartening him.
“Do you think I can be a chef?”
“I don’t even need to answer that.”
In terms of potential, Michael was exceptional. His intelligence was a unique strength unmatched by ordinary talent.
“I don’t care about my potential.”
Though he had just asked for it, Michael said this bluntly.
Clearly, defeat still stung deeply.
Minjoon regarded him, considering that if Michael chose to return to physics, there was nothing more to say. Life decisions were his own to make.
This was what Allan, Emily, and Joseph had told Minjoon when he was a Grand Chef contestant. Just as he had taken their words seriously then, Michael did now.
“Well, you’ll see for yourself, someday...”
Minjoon felt a weight pressing down on his shoulders. Was it the tightness of his clothes, or had he slept badly? Massaging his neck, he glanced in the mirror before leaving the break room.
The air was as dry as ever. With nostrils feeling parched, he surveyed the restaurant and thought about installing a proper humidification system.
I wonder if it’s expensive...
He sighed. Though he and Kaya lived comfortably, outfitting their new restaurant in the ritziest part of Los Angeles carried real expenses.
Well, Kaya could afford it.
He didn’t know exactly how much she earned, but he knew she made a lot from selling her signature Six Meats.
Sitting alone at a table beside the window, he felt as though he was June, reflecting on her success in the New York office while looking down at the streets. Gazing at the streets of Los Angeles, he sensed her presence inside him—and with it, the success he had yet to achieve.
Is this view worthy of me?
His thoughts drifted to the past. Had he stayed a teacher, the best he could have seen from above would be a school playground. Had he continued as a chef without looking back, might he have died unnoticed, waiting endlessly for recognition to come? Or had he somehow earned everything he had now?
No one could say what might have been. What mattered was embracing this happiness fully for now. At the same time, he felt some guilt—the change that made him happy had altered the lives of others too.
Michael was one such casualty, having lost the competition.
Kaya was different. She had never intended to found something like Lotus Bridge but had passionately run a restaurant like Irregular Labs to captivate American diners. Yet now, she and Minjoon would open a new restaurant. Their decision to run it was not born solely of a chef’s passion, but also made as two individuals—Minjoon as a man, Kaya as a woman.
“What are you doing? Are you imitating Gatsby?” Kaya asked with her arms crossed.
Minjoon slowly turned and smiled at her, clad in a black chef’s suit.
“Well, sort of. Shall we get cooking?”
“That’s why we’re here. We have to finalise the menu,” she said calmly.
She nodded brightly. Despite her recent busy schedule as a judge at both the Grand Chef competition and the Jotus Guild, she showed no signs of fatigue.
Minjoon understood her mood. This was the moment they would choose the menu for their restaurant for the first time. Of course, this menu could not be compared with that of Irregular Labs—they would make the best food they wanted, regardless of price.
They headed to the kitchen. Though their recipes were already set, the challenge was to combine them into a coherent menu to recommend.
“Let me remind you—you have to include Jo Reggiano and Six Meats,” Minjoon said.
Kaya pursed her lips at his insistence. They had developed both signature dishes long ago; she hardly felt they were unsuitable for the menu of their new restaurant.