Were You Planning Something Fun Without Me?
Countless chefs stared up at the platform with tense faces. Seated in ornate chairs above, the judges conversed in serious tones.
Yun Tae-ho unrolled a scroll and spoke.
"We said we would eliminate half of the two hundred, but… the standard is higher than expected."
Baek Mi-ong, seated beside him, opened his mouth.
"This tournament is truly unprecedented. Some of the dishes would not look out of place even in the imperial kitchens."
"Rules are rules, however. No matter how high the level, only one hundred may advance."
"Indeed. Let us see, then."
Baek Mi-ong smiled meaningfully. In his hand rested the evaluation sheet for Kang Yeon's dish.
"One dish in particular… held depth within its simplicity. It made me reconsider what a mother's home cooking truly is."
"Ah, you mean the egg fried rice?"
Yun Tae-ho recalled the flavor and let out a soft exclamation.
"I was genuinely astonished. To draw such emotion from such ordinary ingredients… the rumors clearly were not exaggerated."
Baek Mi-ong smiled gently.
"Exactly. The moment the spoon entered my mouth… it felt as though I had returned to childhood."
"There was no technique, yet sincerity filled every grain."
Baek Mi-ong added calmly,
"Sometimes sincerity resonates far more deeply than flashy skill."
The judges went on to mention other impressive dishes as well.
"Geumsu-do's Golden Abalone Stew was superb. The luxury of the ingredients and the precision of the technique stood out."
"Chef Cheongyeon's Lotus Tofu was like a work of art. Almost too beautiful to eat."
In the plaza the chefs waited in anxious silence for the results.
"Please… please let me pass…"
A young cook clasped his hands and prayed.
"This is my last chance. I have to make it through."
A middle-aged chef clenched his trembling fists. At last the judging concluded. Jin Cheon-myeong stepped forward on the platform. When he cleared his throat, the entire plaza fell silent in an instant.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"Now then! We shall announce the passers of the first cooking contest!"
While everyone still held their breath, Jin Cheon-myeong began calling names.
"First—No Jin-yang of Kaifeng!"
"Wooaaa! Yes!"
A white-bearded old man clenched his fist and roared with joy. The people around him offered congratulatory applause.
"Baek Mi-rang of Chang'an!"
"As expected… the owner of Chang'an's finest old establishment."
Cheers and sighs crossed with every name announced.
"Geumsu-do of Luoyang!"
Geumsu-do lifted his chin proudly, an arrogant smile curling his lips as though the result were only natural.
"Hmph. Of course."
"Chef Cheongyeon of Hangzhou!"
Chef Cheongyeon offered a graceful bow. Relief bloomed across her face.
"Thank you."
The names of the passers continued to ring out. Yet as the remaining spots dwindled, the tension only climbed higher.
"Only ten places remain!"
At Jin Cheon-myeong's words the faces of the still-unnamed chefs turned pale.
"Please… please…"
"Announcing the final ten! Lee Pyeong-san of Xuzhou! Wang Dae-hae of Chengdu! And…"
Jin Cheon-myeong deliberately paused. The tension in the plaza reached its peak.
"Kang Yeon of West Lake!"
In that instant the plaza erupted as though it had exploded.
"Wooaaaah!"
The loudest cheer of all burst forth. The people of West Lake clapped with wild enthusiasm.
"That's our Chef Kang!"
"The pride of West Lake!"
"West Lake Number One Inn is the best!"
The inn family rejoiced as well.
"I knew it, Oppa! You made it!"
Jo Seol bounced up and down, waving both hands.
"Young Master, congratulations!"
Nang Hyeon and Jang Mu-eon celebrated with genuine joy. Kang Yeon merely bowed his head in quiet greeting, yet a faint smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.
When the final name had been called, sighs of the eliminated cooks broke out here and there.
"Ah… so it's over…"
Some sank to their knees on the ground.
"Damn it! It was perfect!"
Others shouted in fury.
"I stayed up all night preparing…"
A young chef wept openly. Thus half—one hundred—were eliminated. Surprisingly, several renowned cooks were among them.
"What? Even the head chef of Jin's Flour House in Henan was cut?"
"A master with twenty years of experience couldn't advance…"
"This tournament's level is no joke."
Yun Tae-ho rose and addressed the eliminated contestants.
"Though you were regrettably eliminated this time, every one of you is an excellent chef. May this experience become the foundation for even greater growth."
Baek Mi-ong added with a warm smile,
"The path of cooking is long and deep. Today's failure will become tomorrow's success."
Yet even words of comfort could not fully soothe the sting of elimination. Off to one side of the plaza, Muk Hyang-ru quietly watched his master, Baek Mi-ong. He himself had passed the preliminaries yet had chosen not to enter the main tournament formally, remaining only as Kang Yeon's assistant—and that choice was proving the greater education.
Master was right. True cooking comes from the heart, not from technique…
During the break after the first round, Muk Hyang-ru asked Kang Yeon,
"What are you making next?"
"Hmm. Something simple."
"Again? The ones left now are real experts."
"Doesn't matter."
When the break ended and the gong sounded, the chefs stirred once more. This time Kang Yeon headed for the meat storage.
"Pork loin… here it is."
Muk Hyang-ru followed and asked,
"So what are you making?"
"Tonkatsu."
At the unfamiliar name Muk Hyang-ru tilted his head.
"Tonkatsu? What's that?"
"It's a specialty of our inn. Something delicious."
Nearby chefs looked puzzled as well. The people of West Lake, however, reacted differently.
"Oh! Tonkatsu!"
"Chef Kang's tonkatsu?! This is going to be huge!"
At those reactions Kang Yeon offered Muk Hyang-ru a brief explanation.
"It's another dish from my hometown. You pound the meat thin, coat it in breadcrumbs, and fry it."
"There are places that cook like that?"
Kang Yeon began carefully pounding the meat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A steady rhythm of meat being tenderized rang out.
"It loosens the muscle fibers so the meat turns soft."
He cracked eggs, dusted flour, and coated the meat in breadcrumbs, each step deliberate and precise. Muk Hyang-ru watched the simple yet meticulous process, utterly absorbed.
"This… is a method I've never seen either."
Just as Kang Yeon finished preparation and began heating the oil, an unknown energy slipped in, attempting to manipulate the stove fire. Its clear intent was to spike the oil temperature and ruin the dish.
"Hmm? What's this now?"
Kang Yeon did not even blink.
"Tricks like that won't work on me."
A thread of fine inner energy flowed from his fingertips and perfectly regulated the oil's heat. The interfering energy vanished as though it had never existed.
"Did something feel off just now?"
Muk Hyang-ru, who was watching the oil, tilted his head. Kang Yeon glanced at him and said,
"Nothing important. Keep an eye on the oil for me."
Soon the oil reached the exact temperature Kang Yeon had specified.
Sizzle—
When the tonkatsu entered the oil a bright, cheerful sound rose. The breading turned a beautiful golden brown, capturing every eye.
"Whoa… what is that?"
"The smell is incredible."
The rich aroma unique to fried food spread across the entire plaza.
"Perfect."
Kang Yeon lifted the tonkatsu out at the precise moment. Then he began slicing it into appetizing portions.
Slice. Slice. Slice.
At the sound of the crisp cut, Muk Hyang-ru swallowed hard. The urge to snatch a piece right then filled his head.
"Just wait a little. I'll let you eat after the judging."
Kang Yeon arranged the finished tonkatsu on a plate, accompanied by shredded cabbage and a special sauce. Meanwhile the judges began tasting the dishes one by one.
At last it was Kang Yeon's turn.
This time several judges arrived together.
"This is… tonkatsu, you said?"
The first judge took a bite.
Crunch—
"This is… fried meat? How can it be this tender and this crisp at the same time!"
Yun Tae-ho tasted it himself. His eyes went wide.
"An entirely new technique. Outstanding creativity. Crispy outside, moist within… such harmony of textures."
Baek Mi-ong, already familiar with the dish, still wore a look of pure satisfaction.
"As expected… a taste that never changes."
The murmur was soft, yet it reached Kang Yeon's ears clearly.
The second round of judging concluded.
"We will now announce the passers of the second dish!"
The announcement followed. With the numbers already halved, the list of survivors was read in a flash. This time only fifty of the hundred remained. Kang Yeon was, of course, among them.
"The final contest will be held in three days! The fifty chefs who remain, prepare with everything you have!"
Just as the words "prepare with everything" suggested, the organizers added that—unlike the first two rounds—each chef would now be responsible for securing their own ingredients.
On the road back to the inn, Jo Seol chattered excitedly.
"Oppa, you're amazing! Making the top fifty! Wait—no, of course you did!"
Nang Hyeon marveled as well.
"And with overwhelming evaluations. The way the other contestants were watching Young Master was no joke."
Jang Mu-eon and the former Black Wind Association members offered their congratulations too.
"Congratulations, Young Master!"
Yet Kang Yeon glanced once over his shoulder at something that had caught his attention. Someone was following them. The person was disguised as an ordinary citizen, but the gait and the weight of the gaze belonged unmistakably to a martial artist.
"Finally… I found him."
A low voice drifted from far behind. Too soft for ordinary ears, yet perfectly clear to Kang Yeon.
He looked back slightly and murmured as if to himself,
"Looks like another troublesome matter is about to start…"
His expression, however, remained perfectly calm—as though he were long accustomed to such things.
The moment they arrived at the inn, Jo Hwan came running out of the kitchen. Flour dusted his apron thickly, and a bright smile filled his face.
"Yeon-ah! I heard! You passed?"
"Yes, I made it through safely."
Jo Un stopped his cleanup and hurried over as well.
"Yeon-ah, you're really something!"
"And in overwhelming first place!"
Jo Seol added proudly.
"Heheh, our Yeon is truly splendid."
Jo Hwan's eyes grew moist. He looked as happy as if the victory were his own. Just then Jin Mu-gyeong descended from the second floor.
"Congratulations, Yeon-ah. But don't get too famous. If you become too famous, who will cook for me?"
Kang Yeon let out a short laugh.
"What kind of logic is that?"
Jin Mu-gyeong sat at a table and continued,
"You made tonkatsu, I hear? Quite a bold choice."
Muk Hyang-ru nodded.
"Truly astonishing. Even though it was a method I had never seen, the judges couldn't help but be moved."
"Of course! Our Yeon's skill is the best!"
Jo Hwan said, beaming with pride.
"On a day like this we must celebrate! Yeon, you rest—I'll prepare the food!"
Jo Seol clapped her hands.
"Yes! Let's close the inn early today and celebrate just among ourselves."
Nang Hyeon smiled and suggested,
"Then I'll go buy some good wine. Brother Jang, come with me."
"Gladly."
Jang Mu-eon agreed at once. Yeong-ho, Cheol-san, and Myeong-wol each offered to help with preparations.
"We'll handle the tables!"
In moments the entire inn bustled with celebration preparations.
Then the inn door burst open and Ak Hu strode in.
"Huh? Why's it so noisy? What—were you planning something fun without me?"
Ak Hu grinned at Kang Yeon.
"I heard, Hyung. You took first place? As expected of my hyung!"
Half a shichen later the inn had transformed completely into a festival. The tables overflowed with dishes Jo Hwan had prepared with care—Dongpo pork, mapo tofu, crispy chicken, and even the simple stir-fries Kang Yeon especially liked.
"Everyone, sit down!"
Jo Seol called them all together. Nang Hyeon poured the Yeoahong wine he had bought and raised his cup.
"To today's protagonist—Young Master Kang Yeon!"