Chapter 95: Four People, Four Dreams (3)
Chapter 95: Four People, Four Dreams (3)
When the private plane arrived at the airport, the first person Rachel and Serguei encountered was Martin.
Serguei smirked. “At least this fellow doesn’t seem ill-mannered.”
“...I told you to watch your mouth.”
Rachel immediately put some distance between herself and Serguei, as though embarrassed by him. Considering that they were two wrinkled elders, their exchange was remarkably childish and affectionate.
Martin shook both their hands with a broad smile. “You’ve come a long way. It’s truly an honour to meet you.”
“What honour? Since when did Americans start speaking so formally?”
“With names like Serguei and Rachel, this much courtesy is hardly excessive.” Martin smirked as he replied.
It was not empty flattery. He genuinely felt that way. Their names carried weight of their own. Serguei was not someone who appeared on television very often, and the same was even more true of Rachel. Yet countless viewers in the United States had longed to see them. Just how enormous had the reaction been when Rachel appeared, even briefly, during the food truck mission?
Martin was already dying of anticipation over the response this broadcast would receive. There was no need to conceal that excitement, and it showed plainly on his face.
Serguei stroked his beard. “By the way, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Chicago...”
“I’m sorry, but the mission is scheduled to—”
“Ah, I understand. But there’s no need to act so nervous around me. I only behave like a son of a bitch towards two kinds of people. First, bastards who cook like dog shit. Second, people who eat delicious food like dog shit. You’re not a chef, and you haven’t become one of my bastard customers yet. So—ah! What are you doing?”
“If you’re old, act your age.”
Serguei rubbed the shin Rachel had just kicked and frowned. “You crazy old hag...! I came because you begged me to!”
“I didn’t ask you to embarrass me.”
“There’s no reasoning with this woman. None at all. Hey! I’m nearly seventy! If I break a bone, it won’t even heal properly!”
“If a woman’s kick is enough to break it, then it was about time anyway. Stop saying pathetic things. I’m tired of listening to them. Martin, let’s go. Where’s the car?”
“Ah, it’s over there.” Martin led the way like a courteous waiter.
The vehicle he had prepared was a spacious van, but once Serguei climbed inside, it suddenly did not seem quite so roomy. He was both tall and heavily built.
After watching the airport recede through the window for a while, Serguei spoke. “So, how many contestants did you say are left?”
“Four. Would you like me to explain them?”
“Briefly.”
“Yes.”
Martin showed Rachel and Serguei several photographs and began speaking calmly.
“First is Jo Minjoon. He’s famous among viewers for having an absolute sense of taste, and his overall cooking ability is quite good. At first, he had some shortcomings compared with the other three, but considering how quickly he’s improving, it’s difficult to know how far he’ll go. And Anderson Rousseau—”
“I know roughly who he is. I’m acquainted with his parents. He’s promising. Explain the others. More briefly than before.”
“Yes. Then there’s Chloe Jung. She seems to have learned cooking from her mother, and she’s particularly skilled with Chinese cuisine. As for Kaya Lotus, she doesn’t specialise in any single national cuisine. Rather than elaborate dishes, she gives the impression of being especially skilled at home-style food. Apparently, she learned to cook by watching people working in the market...”
“Wait.” Serguei raised a hand and frowned, as though he had heard something strange. “She learned just by watching? Is that even possible?”
“Well... she’s unusually talented in that regard. During the elimination round, she grilled eel and left a strong impression on everyone.”
“Hmm... Then there shouldn’t be much to see in terms of technique, should there? Wasn’t it just luck? Even if people were cooking in a market, wouldn’t it mostly be things brushed with barbecue sauce or seasoned with salt? If it were Italian or Spanish food, they’d just fry some rice and serve it. Isn’t that usually how it goes?”
“Actually, she was initially considered the strongest candidate to win. And she lived up to those expectations. Recently, though, the others have been improving too, so she no longer feels quite as overwhelmingly dominant as before. Even so, people still call her a genius.”
“Genius.” Serguei stroked his beard and fell into thought. After a while, he looked down at Kaya’s photograph. “Rachel, perhaps this Kaya girl is better suited than that Jo Minjoon fellow. I mean for the talent you’re looking for. She’s a kid who grew up in a market with nothing.”
“That applies to Minjoon too. And he has an absolute sense of taste.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. A market is a place where you can encounter all sorts of cooking cultures, but at the same time, constantly eating low-quality food can dull your palate... Even so, to me, that background is more interesting than an absolute sense of taste.”
At his words, Rachel looked at Kaya’s photograph with surprised eyes. Kaya had been overshadowed by Jo Minjoon until now, but after hearing Serguei’s perspective, Rachel began to wonder whether that cat-like girl might be a pearl buried in mud.
“I’ll have to see for myself.”
“What’s there to see? We’ll know once we taste their dishes today...” Serguei’s mouth twisted into a rough grin. “...whether they’re delicious or not.”
-
The director had told them that the mission would begin that evening. Standing in front of the mirror, Kaya slowly wiped away her eyeliner.
Someone might have expected the area around her eyes to look dark without it, but once the makeup disappeared, the girl reflected in the mirror was no longer the fierce Kaya Lotus everyone knew. There were freckles across her nose, black pupils hidden inside pale blue irises, thin, lightly coloured lips, a pointed nose, and eyes that were not particularly deep-set. If she were walking down the street, she would simply look like a pretty, lively schoolgirl.
...I’ll just put on some lotion.
Kaya carefully spread lotion over her face. She was confident about how small her face was, so a single drop was enough to cover everything.
Economical too.
Kaya smiled in satisfaction and turned away from the mirror.
When she left her room, Chloe was the only person in the hall. The moment Kaya saw Chloe’s face, she unconsciously touched her own cheek. Chloe’s skin was remarkably smooth. There were no visible freckles or blemishes. She had a few moles, but it would probably have been rarer not to have any at all. Sunlight pouring in through the window reflected clearly off Chloe’s cheek.
Kaya swallowed her envy and asked, “The guys still aren’t out?”
“They seem to be doing their hair.”
“How fancy are they planning to make themselves...?”
An awkward silence followed. The reason was obvious. Neither of them could stop thinking about the mission that was approaching. A sigh escaped Chloe’s lips.
“It would be nice if there weren’t a mission.”
“If there’s no mission, you can’t win.”
“If I had to choose between winning and keeping things the way they are now... I might choose the latter.”
At Chloe’s words, Kaya repeatedly opened and closed her mouth. When she finally forced the difficult words out, she could not quite look at Chloe.
“...Actually, I think so too.”
Chloe looked at Kaya in surprise. She knew Kaya had opened up somewhat, but this was still the first time she had expressed herself so plainly. A smile appeared on Chloe’s lips, only to fade just as quickly when she saw that Kaya did not look particularly happy.
After hesitating for a moment, Kaya continued.
“I... This is the first time I’ve ever had such a peaceful time. I feel bad saying that because of my mum and my sister, but life was usually hard. Heavy. But here, I can act like a careless girl, and I don’t have to worry about whether I’ll eat tomorrow. And... the people.”
Kaya closed her mouth, but Chloe could guess what she had meant even without hearing the rest. She reached out and took Kaya’s hand. Kaya did not pull away.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to keep living like that from now on. And no matter what happens in the mission, you can still see me. You weren’t planning on never seeing me again, were you?”
“...Will we really be able to? To be honest, we live far apart, and we’ll only get busier. Will we... actually be able to meet?”
“If you really want to, we’re bound to see each other again. And I...” Chloe held out her fist. “I made it this far.”
At those words, Kaya hesitated briefly before slowly raising her own fist.
Bump.
The instant their fists touched, Kaya coughed and leaned against the wall. For someone with her personality, this was clearly embarrassing. Chloe laughed brightly.
Anderson and Jo Minjoon emerged from their room.
“Ah, you were already out.”
“You’re late.” Chloe puffed out her cheeks.
Kaya looked at Jo Minjoon and smirked. “You didn’t even do anything special. Why did it take you so long?”
“My hair’s straight, so it kept getting messed up. I ended up washing it again.”
“You should’ve just come out. I like messy hair.”
“If you’d seen mine, you wouldn’t say that.”
At Chloe’s words, Jo Minjoon shook his head.
The four of them headed towards the kitchen. They wanted to win, but they did not want to part ways. Those conflicting feelings showed in the slowness of their steps. When they reached the kitchen entrance, all four stopped at once, as though they had agreed on it beforehand.
Jo Minjoon glanced to either side. They looked at one another, each appearing as though they had something to say, only to close their mouths again.
Kaya finally spoke in a low voice.
“Let’s go.”
Unlike usual, the judges were already waiting inside the kitchen. Jo Minjoon glanced around. He had heard there would be a shocking event, but nothing seemed particularly unusual.
Joseph opened his mouth. “Have you all been well?”
“It was a good week.”
“I hope today will also become a good day. Of course, for one person, today may never be pleasant.”
Jo Minjoon fell silent. The nervousness he had almost forgotten pressed against his chest again. Passion, fear, expectation. All those emotions pounded within his heart.
“Before we reveal the mission, we’ll play a simple game. You’ll draw lots.” Alan held out his fist. Several folded slips of paper protruded from it. “Three are marked with an X, and only one with an O. Whoever draws the O will be given the right to choose their teammate.”
A team mission.
With only four contestants remaining, they had expected as much.
Chloe stepped forward first. The moment she pulled out her slip, the other three no longer needed to draw. An O was written at the end of it.
Chloe smiled awkwardly. Choosing one person also meant not choosing the other two.
“Choose your teammate, Chloe.”
“Ah, yes. Give me a moment.”
At the judges’ urging, Chloe continued thinking inwardly. No, in truth, she already knew whom she wanted. The only question was whether they would make a good team.
But the longer she thought about it, the more her emotions took over.
This might be the last time.
For him, or for her.
Once she thought of it that way, the decision became easy.
Chloe opened her mouth.
“Minjoon. Will you team up with me?”
Jo Minjoon looked surprised for a moment, then smiled softly and nodded.
But there were two people who were even more shocked. Chloe choosing Jo Minjoon was not the problem.
Kaya was looking at Anderson.
And Anderson was looking at Kaya.
As they exchanged equally sour looks, the exact same thought ran through both their minds.
Me... with him/her?