Chapter 96: Four People, Four Dreams (4)
Chapter 96: Four People, Four Dreams (4)
The relationship between Anderson and Kaya was difficult to define. Actually, if expressed in Korean, it would be closer to jeong born from dislike than anything vague. That was simply how things were between them. When two people who considered each other enemies saw each other’s faces every day, a strange sort of attachment inevitably developed. The two of them were no exception.
(Translator’s Note: Jeong — A Korean concept describing a deep emotional bond that develops through familiarity, shared experiences, and prolonged association. It can exist between family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues, or even people who frequently quarrel. Jeong is not limited to affection or liking; attachment may remain even when the relationship also contains irritation, resentment, or conflict.)
But affection born from dislike was still rooted in dislike. Whenever they were together, they argued, and at least one of them ended up pulling an unpleasant face. If there was any difference between their relationship and genuine hatred, it was that even after fighting like that, they still kept looking at each other.
“...Why does it have to be you?”
“That’s what I want to ask.”
Compared to the psychological warfare between those two, Jo Minjoon and Chloe were remarkably peaceful. Of course, there was no reason for their relationship to be bad.
Jo Minjoon smirked and asked Chloe, “Did you plan this?”
“What?”
“Anderson and Kaya. It was obvious that putting those two together would make them explode.”
“Ah... I didn’t think that far ahead.”
Chloe looked at them with troubled eyes.
Alan raised his voice. “Now that the teams have been decided, put on your aprons. Chloe and Minjoon, you’re the Red Team. Anderson and Kaya, you’re the Blue Team.”
As soon as they had put on their aprons, Alan continued. “Now I’ll explain the key point of today’s mission. Guests you could never have imagined will be coming today. At the same time, they’ll also serve as your judges. They are people admired and regarded as role models by countless people around the world.”
“And I’m one of the people still working hard to follow their example.”
At Joseph’s words, strange expressions appeared on Jo Minjoon’s face and those of the other three contestants. Someone of Joseph’s calibre could already be considered enormously successful, a world-class chef with decades of experience. Yet even he spoke of these people with respect? They could not begin to imagine just how extraordinary the guests were.
Are they not chefs?
If they were from an entirely different field, then it would make sense. But if that were the case, could they really serve as judges? The question naturally arose.
His suspicion proved unnecessary. The next moment, Emily announced the guests’ names.
“There are two special guests visiting the Grand Chef house today. Chef Rachel Rose and Chef Sergei Dmitry Mikheyev.”
This is starting to feel more like a host show.
Emily gave a slightly self-deprecating smile at the strange feeling of it. Then the kitchen doors opened, and Rachel and Sergei entered.
Sergei smirked and walked straight towards Kaya. “I heard you came from a market?”
“...That’s right.”
“I grew up in a market too! So I know very well what kind of fucked-up place it can be. That’s why I think you’ve done damn well to make it all the way here. How about it? Can I see your hand?”
Kaya narrowed her eyes, then sighed and held out her hand. Even so, it was difficult to be too harsh with an old man acting like this.
Sergei studied Kaya’s hand with serious eyes, then tried to kiss it. Kaya immediately pulled it back and stared at him coldly. “What are you doing?”
“...Don’t Americans kiss women’s hands?”
“At the very least, not many people say they want to examine someone’s hand and then try to kiss it.” Kaya spoke flatly.
Sergei rolled his eyes and awkwardly stepped back.
Watching the two of them, Rachel pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. There was never an occasion when he could simply behave quietly.
Jo Minjoon, meanwhile, had fallen into a different line of thought.
Who is he?
For Jo Minjoon, it was understandable that he would not know. If Sergei had been a famous Korean chef, that would have been different, but how was he supposed to know a famous Russian chef? If the man had branches in the United States, he was probably quite well known, but at least Jo Minjoon had never heard his name before. He did not remember ever seeing his face either.
Rachel grabbed Sergei by the arm. “Stop embarrassing me and get over here.”
“No, why are you—” Sergei looked deeply wronged as he glanced back at Kaya.
On the other side, Anderson was wearing an unusually bright expression. It was not because watching Kaya and Sergei interact was entertaining. It was because Rachel was here. Sergei might also be an excellent chef, and Anderson was somewhat acquainted with him, but Rachel was different. She was the role model he had admired since childhood.
Jo Minjoon, however, looked at Rachel while thinking of something entirely different.
Could it be?
She had come to find him during the food truck mission. She had even helped him during the broadcast at her restaurant in Chicago... and now she had come here as a judge?
Of course, it was also possible that she had joined the programme for reasons completely unrelated to him. Even so, Jo Minjoon instinctively felt that his existence had played no small part in why Rachel was here now.
Just what does she want from me?
Was she simply trying to nurture a talented junior chef? If that were the case, he thought there were many people more talented than he was. Hadn’t Dave, who had studied under her, prepared those incredible dishes in Chicago? Just because Jo Minjoon possessed an absolute sense of taste did not mean she could be sure he would one day make better food than that.
Rachel and Sergei stood beside the judges. The contestants wondered whether there would be any further introductions, but instead Joseph pointed towards two boxes in front of them.
“These contain the ingredients for today’s mission. One box contains ingredients Chef Sergei prefers, while the other contains ingredients Chef Rachel prefers. Each team will cook for one of them, and your scores will be determined by that chef together with us judges.”
“We’ll reveal the boxes.”
Alan and Emily lifted the lids at the same time.
Jo Minjoon narrowed his eyes and studied the contents.
One box contained beef, salmon, pork, buckwheat flour, chicken, and other ingredients. The other contained onions, venison, salmon trout, several kinds of cheese, turkey, fruit, and more. Just from looking at them, it was easy enough to guess whose was whose. Buckwheat and king crab were ingredients that fit Russian cuisine, while the other box carried the abundance associated with both northern and southern American cooking.
“I think you can probably guess whose box is whose just by looking. Yes. This one belongs to Chef Sergei, and this one belongs to Chef Rachel. The right to choose goes to the Blue Team, since they didn’t get to choose their partners. Kaya, Anderson, pick a box.”
At Alan’s words, Kaya and Anderson looked at each other. Anderson wore a displeased expression, but eventually relaxed his face and sighed. He glanced towards Rachel. He did not want to look childish in front of someone he admired.
“I know you don’t like me, and I don’t particularly like you either. But this is a mission. You know we can’t let our emotions decide things, right?”
“I know.”
“Good. Then let’s think. Sergei or Rachel. Which box seems better?”
Kaya fell silent and examined the two boxes. Then she answered calmly.
“Either one is fine.”
“...That’s some confidence.”
Now that she had said that, the choice effectively fell to Anderson. He studied both boxes carefully. Honestly, he was more drawn to Rachel’s. It was an opportunity to show himself to the person he admired. Of course, he also felt that he was not ready yet, but he still wanted her to see what kind of chef he had become.
However, he could not make the choice for that reason alone. Looking purely at how troublesome the ingredients were, Sergei’s box was easier to work with. King crab could be annoying to handle, but if you knew what you were doing, it was not particularly difficult. Rachel’s box, on the other hand, contained several ingredients such as venison that could develop an unpleasant smell if mishandled even briefly.
Normally, Anderson would have accepted the challenge. But taking that kind of unnecessary risk during a mission felt childish.
He spoke regretfully.
“We’ll choose Chef Sergei’s box.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you would choose Chef Rachel’s.”
At Alan’s words, Anderson could only look embarrassed. Everyone there knew he had chosen the safer option. But considering the handicap of being teamed with Kaya—or at least what Anderson considered a handicap—he thought making this concession was reasonable.
At that moment, Jo Minjoon and Chloe both frowned in exactly the same way as they stared at Rachel’s box.
Just as they were about to begin properly designing their menu, Emily spoke.
“Good. The boxes are decided. You’ll have two hours to prepare a three-course meal using the ingredients inside. We’ll give you exactly thirty minutes to design your recipes. Use that time to discuss your ideas.”
Chloe looked at Jo Minjoon. He spoke calmly. “Let’s decide the structure first. What do you want for the main course? If we’re willing to take some risk, I think venison or lamb would be good. Let’s save the salmon trout for the appetiser.”
“I agree that fish would work well for the appetiser. Salmon trout ceviche could be good too. For the main... I’m more comfortable with lamb than venison.”
“Same. I haven’t handled venison much. But with lamb... if we just do something simple like lamb ribs, we’ll probably get criticised for being too plain. Simply sticking to the basics won’t be enough against those two. It would be better to add something distinctive through the sauce or garnish... Why are you looking at me like that?”
“H-Huh? I’m not?”
Chloe had been smiling happily, but she hurriedly straightened her expression. She could not exactly say aloud that Jo Minjoon looked really cool while designing a recipe.
I hope we don’t get eliminated. Minjoon and me.
Taken negatively, that meant she hoped Kaya or Anderson would be eliminated instead. But there was nothing she could do about it. Her heart wanted the two of them to survive until the end.
She suddenly remembered Kaya’s words, that even when the competition ended, their relationship would not. At the time, moved by what Kaya had said, Chloe had replied that of course it would not end...
Can it really not end?
She knew nothing in the world lasted forever. Even so, the time she had spent in the Grand Chef house had been one of the happiest periods of her life. Both its beginning and its ending had already been decided. She hated that, but there was nothing she could do merely because she hated it.
Chloe sighed.
Jo Minjoon flinched. “...Was what I just suggested not that good?”
“No, no. You said you wanted to use anchovy cream with the lamb ribs, right? The cream would need something like balsamic vinegar or lime juice, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmm... I think lemon would be better. There were a lot of fruits in the box, so it would be better to use as many of them as possible. If we use lime, the aroma might become too distinctive and get buried under the anchovy flavour.”
“Good. I think it’ll turn out well.”
“...Aren’t you accepting everything I say without questioning it? I can make mistakes too.”
Of course, Jo Minjoon had made all those suggestions while looking at the estimated cooking score.
Eight points.
Honestly, it was already a polished and refined recipe, but even so, he felt Chloe was accepting his ideas too readily. It seemed strange.
Chloe merely laughed softly and shook her head.
“I’ve seen the dishes you’ve cooked until now. I trust you. Besides, I think the recipe itself is good.”
“...Thanks.”
Truthfully, there was still a small uneasiness in one corner of his heart. Of the four remaining contestants, he had been the last to reach cooking level seven. Just because they were all on the same level did not mean their actual abilities were identical. In other words, he was still behind the other three.
That was why he could only be happy that Chloe had chosen him. She had picked him because, among the other three, she believed he was the best partner for her.
The atmosphere between Kaya and Anderson, however, was completely different.
Anderson frowned. “What do you want to make for the appetiser?”
“Beef stroganoff. Strain the ground beef through a sieve and serve it as a soup. It’s already a dish built around richness, so it won’t feel awkward.”
“If you make the appetiser that heavy, what exactly are you planning for the main course?”
“Just make the main heavier and deeper. It’s not that difficult.”
“It isn’t difficult, but it’s risky. Why should I take that risk?”
“Ha...” Kaya sighed in frustration. Anderson looked equally irritated.
Sergei, watching them, laughed as though he found the entire thing amusing.
“You can see everything that happens in a restaurant kitchen right there. That dabbler Anderson—his personality may not be pleasant, but he’s strong-willed, so he should normally take the lead... except his opponent is just as strong-willed, so he can’t do anything. It’s like putting two head chefs in the same kitchen.”
“There’s nothing inherently wrong with having two head chefs. The Rousseau couple are like that. What matters is how much they trust and rely on each other. In that sense, look at Jo Minjoon and... was it Chloe Jung? Those two are showing us quite an admirable sight.”
“Hmph. If you create that sort of playing-house atmosphere, even if things look fine from the outside, people slowly become lax. That’s when accidents happen. If you run a kitchen with overwhelming charisma like I do, the people under you may find it difficult, but in the end you create a safe and perfect kitchen.”
“That isn’t charisma. You’re just overbearing.”
“Ha. I don’t think that’s something I should be hearing from you. Just because I’ve become an old man who retired from the front line, are you planning to drag up my old temperament too?”
At Sergei’s words, the wrinkles on Rachel’s face deepened. She glared at him in annoyance, then sighed.
Alan spoke quietly. “Who do you think will win, Chef?”
“Is there really winning and losing in cooking? Still, if I had to name the team I expect more from, then certainly the Red Team. Not because they’re using ingredients I like... but because Minjoon is there.”
“I acknowledge that his palate is sensitive... but compared with the other contestants, his cooking ability isn’t especially outstanding. Why do you favour him so much? I heard you even asked Dave to help with the filming at your restaurant last time. Isn’t that unlike you?”
“Think about the stars Van Gogh painted. He portrayed a still and quiet night sky with tremendous movement. He could do that because of the way he saw the world. And for a painter, sight is the same as taste is for a chef. Even when he eats the same thing as us, Minjoon can perceive things we cannot. If that is truly possible, then the entire story changes.” Rachel took a deep breath. Merely speaking about it seemed to make her heart race, and despite the age in her voice, it rang with the excitement of a young girl. “If the difference were small, I wouldn’t be saying any of this. But if that difference is as great as having your eyes open instead of closed... then one day, he may be able to create a dish so extraordinary that everything else in the world tastes false beside it.”