So This Is What It Was
Before dawn broke, West Lake was already awake.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of knives chopping rang out from every corner. Chefs who had passed the preliminaries were pouring themselves into final practice ahead of the main round. Torches blazed brightly along the streets from the earliest hours for their sake, and merchants were already hard at work preparing their stalls.
"Today's the day!"
"The finals! Who do you think will take the crown?"
Yet Kang Yeon himself remained perfectly at ease.
Swoosh.
His hands moved with quiet composure as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen, just as he always did—as if this were the start of any ordinary day.
"Oppa, aren't you nervous at all?"
Jo Seol asked, worry clouding her eyes.
"About what?"
Kang Yeon answered with complete calm.
"Come on, today's the finals! The greatest chefs in the Central Plains are all gathered here."
"I'm not really nervous. Just... do what I always do, and the result should take care of itself."
"You're amazing. So this is what it takes to stand at the peak of a craft."
Nang Hyeon chimed in from the side.
"Young Master, shouldn't you prepare just a little? I heard the other contestants practiced through the night..."
Kang Yeon cracked an egg and grinned.
"Nang Hyeon, I always say this: cooking is the heart. Forcing preparation doesn't make it better. Cramming the night before never improves a chef's skill."
Just then the inn door opened and Muk Hyang-ru stepped inside. Instead of his usual flamboyant attire, he wore a simple chef's uniform.
"Chef Kang."
Kang Yeon tilted his head at the sight of him.
"What brings you here?"
Everyone wore surprised faces. Jo Seol's eyes went wide.
"Huh? Chef Muk Hyang-ru, why are you...?"
Muk Hyang-ru spoke with a serious expression.
"Will you go to today's competition together? And... I have a request."
"What request?"
"I wish to serve as your assistant in today's tournament."
The kitchen fell silent for a moment. Nang Hyeon's mouth opened and closed. The Food God's chief disciple offering to assist someone else?
"My assistant, all of a sudden?"
The main round of the Central Plains Number One Culinary Tournament was known for its punishing schedule. Time allotted for cooking was short. Most chefs would bring assistant cooks with them. Kang Yeon had originally planned to take Jo Un.
Muk Hyang-ru answered Kang Yeon's calm question.
"After our last match, I realized a great many things. That technique alone has its limits. I want to learn what true cooking is by remaining at your side."
"Hmm... An assistant has to follow my orders without question. Think you can manage that?"
"..."
Muk Hyang-ru's face flushed red. Then he bowed deeply.
"I will obey your every word. Please."
Jo Hwan poked his head out from the kitchen.
"Yeon-ah, why not accept him? A skilled assistant would be a real help. Un here is only good for prepping ingredients at best."
Jo Un immediately agreed with his father.
"Yeah, Yeon-ah. I'm still not good enough."
"He's right. If it's Chef Muk Hyang-ru, he'll be a tremendous help to Young Master Kang."
Nang Hyeon added his support as well. Kang Yeon let out a sigh.
"Haa... Fine. But you do exactly as I say."
Muk Hyang-ru's face lit up.
"Thank you!"
"Alright then. Let's eat breakfast first and head out."
Kang Yeon quickly set a breakfast table. The side dishes were simple, yet the moment Muk Hyang-ru took a single spoonful his eyes flew wide.
From such ordinary side dishes... such profound flavor...
The central plaza that served as the tournament grounds was already packed wall to wall with people.
"Whoa! Look over there! It's Geum Su-do of Luoyang!"
A middle-aged man in a splendid gold robe strode forward with confidence.
"Cheong-yeon of Hangzhou is here too!"
An elegant woman appeared. A faint floral fragrance drifted along the path she walked.
"Baek Mi-rang of Chang'an!"
A white-haired elder approached slowly, leaning on a staff. Age had marked him, yet his eyes were sharper than anyone else's. When Kang Yeon and Muk Hyang-ru arrived at the plaza, every gaze turned toward them.
"Huh? Who's that guy?"
"The one beside him... is that Muk Hyang-ru?"
"Didn't they say the Food God's disciple was competing? Don't tell me he's here as an assistant?"
Whispers spread. But the people of West Lake all knew Kang Yeon.
"Chef Kang's here too."
"Of course—when it's West Lake, it's the West Lake Number One Inn."
Hearing the name Kang Yeon, Geum Su-do approached with an arrogant look.
"Hooh, so you're the Kang Yeon of West Lake? Word is you've got some real skill."
"I just know how to cook a little."
Kang Yeon's calm reply drew a snort from Geum Su-do.
"Playing humble, are we? Well, your true skill will show soon enough."
Cheong-yeon also drew near and smiled softly.
"I've heard the renown of the West Lake Number One Inn since arriving in Hangzhou. I'm looking forward to today's contest."
Baek Mi-rang simply watched Kang Yeon in silence. An unreadable emotion rested in his eyes.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Drumbeats rolled and the plaza fell quiet. Jin Cheon-myeong climbed the platform and shouted in a great voice.
"We will now announce the names of the two hundred who advanced through the preliminaries!"
Cheers erupted with every name called. Several chefs from West Lake made the list as well.
"And from the West Lake Number One Inn—Kang Yeon!"
The loudest roar of all exploded. It was plain how high the expectations of West Lake's people ran.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"His Excellency Yun Tae-ho, Imperial Culinary Appraiser, and the panel of judges will now enter!"
Yun Tae-ho appeared at the head of a splendid honor guard. Several judges followed behind him. Among them was a figure every soul recognized.
"Huh? That man is..."
"That's right! It's the Food God, Baek Mi-ong!"
Baek Mi-ong took his seat among the judges with a gentle smile. His gaze rested briefly on Kang Yeon before shifting to Muk Hyang-ru. Muk Hyang-ru bowed his head beneath his master's eyes.
Yun Tae-ho rose and spoke with solemn gravity.
"The main competition will consist of three dishes. Half the field will be eliminated after each round, until a single champion remains."
The contestants listened with tense faces.
"Furthermore, this tournament will judge not only flavor, but the sincerity and philosophy invested in each dish, as well as creativity—all assessed comprehensively."
Baek Mi-ong added his words.
"Cooking is not merely filling the stomach. It is the conveyance of the heart. Do not forget that."
Yun Tae-ho unfurled a scroll.
"Now, I shall announce the theme of the first dish."
Everyone held their breath.
"A Bowl of Memories!"
The plaza buzzed.
"Memories?"
"That's far too abstract."
"What exactly are we supposed to make?"
Geum Su-do wore a flustered look. A theme of "memories" was awkward for a man who had intended to flaunt dazzling technique. Cheong-yeon sank into thought for a moment, while Baek Mi-rang gave a bitter smile.
"The time limit is one shichen. Ingredients may be chosen freely."
At Jin Cheon-myeong's signal, the doors of a massive mobile warehouse prepared off to one side swung open. Inside lay every mountain and sea delicacy the Heavenly Treasure Merchant Guild had assembled.
"Begin!"
At the sound of the gong, the chefs moved as one. Most sprinted for the ingredient warehouse.
"Top-grade abalone!"
"The dragon whiskers are mine first!"
"Out of the way! That sesame oil is mine!"
But Kang Yeon did not move. He simply stood with his eyes closed in quiet stillness.
"Hey. What are you doing? Aren't you going to claim ingredients?"
Muk Hyang-ru asked, baffled.
"A Bowl of Memories..."
Kang Yeon opened his eyes and smiled softly. A hazy recollection rose before him.
In childhood, the dish his mother had made for her hungry son.
"Alright. I've decided. Today's dish will be egg fried rice."
"What?? What did you just say you're making?"
"Muk Hyang-ru, bring me some eggs and green onions. I'll fetch the rice and cook it."
Muk Hyang-ru's face filled with shock.
"Wait—you're saying that's... all of it? With all these supreme ingredients right here?"
"Yeah. Oh, and soy sauce too."
The surrounding chefs murmured.
"Egg fried rice? Something that ordinary?"
"Isn't that way too simple? Is that guy really a famous chef?"
Geum Su-do sneered.
"Pathetic. So the rumors were exaggerated after all?"
But Kang Yeon paid it no mind. When Muk Hyang-ru returned with the ingredients, Kang Yeon tied on his apron and spoke.
"Well then. Shall we begin?"
The expression on Kang Yeon's face as he poured oil into the iron wok—the iron pan—was gentler than ever. It was the face of a child truly thinking of his mother.
Mother...
Kang Yeon cracked an egg. The yolk began to sizzle in the pan. Meanwhile, the other chefs started cooking while calling up their own memories.
Geum Su-do tried to recreate the imperial banquet he had shared with his father as a boy. Cheong-yeon sought to express a dish she had shared with her first love. Baek Mi-rang began preparing the rough fare he had once shared with comrades on the battlefield.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Cooking flared to life all around.
Sizzle—
A savory aroma began to rise from Kang Yeon's pan. It was simple egg fried rice, yet the gaze with which he watched it held a deep longing.
I wonder if they're all doing well.
Especially after meeting Baek Mi-ong, memories from before he had awakened in the Central Plains had begun to surface more often. The thought that there were others in these lands who had endured the same circumstances kept drawing Kang Yeon's mind that way.
Muk Hyang-ru watched him and thought:
So this... is true cooking.
There was no flash, no clever technique. Yet more sincerity resided in it than in any other dish.
"Muk Hyang-ru."
"Y-yes?"
"Chop the green onions finer. Mother always cut them extremely fine when she put them in."
"Ah... she did?"
Muk Hyang-ru nodded and began slicing the onions. People who saw the Food God's chief disciple chopping green onions were astonished once again.
"Haha... What? So Chef Muk came as that man's assistant?"
"Good heavens. This is unbelievable."
Time passed, and the chefs' creations were finished one by one. Lavish dishes, intricate dishes, unique dishes... memories of every kind filled the plates.
And Kang Yeon's egg fried rice was finished as well.
"Done. Complete."
Yellow egg fried rice nestled in a plain white bowl. Finely chopped green onions were scattered across the top—nothing more.
"Time is up. Everyone, stop cooking!"
When the limit expired, the judges began tasting the dishes one after another. Exclamations burst forth; at times they tilted their heads in puzzlement.
At last Kang Yeon's turn arrived. The man who came to judge his dish was Imperial Appraiser Yun Tae-ho.
"This is... egg fried rice?"
Yun Tae-ho asked with a puzzled look.
"Yes. The egg fried rice my mother used to make for me."
Yun Tae-ho took a spoonful and placed it in his mouth. In that instant his eyes flew wide.
This is...
It was simple egg fried rice. Yet warmth lived inside it. A mother's love for her hungry child was present, spoonful after spoonful. In terms of creativity—one of the judging criteria—it fell short, but in every other respect, and especially under the theme of "memories," the dish held unmistakable power.
"Remarkable. I never expected such emotion from so simple a dish. It was excellent."
From a distance, Baek Mi-ong—who had been tasting other dishes—watched Kang Yeon with a meaningful gaze. And Muk Hyang-ru bowed his head, enlightenment written across his face.
Cooking... so this is what it was.
Heart added to technique. Watching that, a small change began to stir in Muk Hyang-ru's chest as well.