Shall We Finish This?
CLANG—!
At the sound of the gong signaling the start, all four chefs moved as one.
Geum Su-do bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“The dish I will create is Nine Dragons Contesting for the Pearl!”
What he produced were nine kinds of the finest seafood. Golden abalone, dragon-king prawns, sea cucumber, silk octopus. They were not quite on the level of a golden dragon-scale fish, but each and every ingredient was a treasure in its own right.
Shhhk— shhhk—
Geum Su-do’s knife began to dance. Under his hands, each piece of seafood transformed into the shape of a dragon.
“I can’t believe it! Look at that delicacy!”
“Each dragon looks like it’s alive!”
Nine dragons lunging toward a golden abalone at the center. It was not merely a dish—it was a work of art.
“This is truly a masterpiece fit for the Imperial Court!”
Fwoosh—!
When he finally used liquor, a towering pillar of flame roared upward.
“Wooooah!”
The crowd went wild at the spectacular display. Meanwhile, Chef Cheong-yeon quietly began her own work.
“The dish I will create is Immortal Dance Under the Moon.”
What she brought out was a duck of the highest grade. The moment she took up her knife, something astonishing happened.
Ssshk— ssshk— ssshk—
The duck meat was sliced as thin as lotus petals. So thin that light shone through it like paper.
“How can it be that thin…?”
“Knife work bordering on the divine!”
Chef Cheong-yeon began arranging the meat one piece at a time on the plate. The placement was soft and luminous, as if moonlight itself had settled there.
Sizzle—
When she burned cinnamon to raise a veil of smoke, a mystical atmosphere took shape. Truly, it looked as though a celestial maiden were dancing beneath the moonlight—a fantastical vision.
“Cuisine must satisfy not only the palate, but every sense.”
At her quiet declaration, many in the crowd nodded. Baek Mi-rang slowly began opening his wooden boxes.
“I will make Space-Time Transcendence Soup.”
When Baek Mi-rang opened the first of his boxes, an astonishing fragrance unfurled.
“That’s… the scent of dried tangerine peel??”
“It smells incredible. It must be something truly precious?”
Baek Mi-rang began handling his ingredients with care. His movements were slow, but precise.
“Past, present, and future… I will pour the flavors of three eras into a single bowl.”
The medicinal soup he was making was divided into three layers. Each layer used ingredients and techniques from a different age.
“This is not mere cooking. It is time travel.”
At Baek Mi-rang’s declaration, even the judges wore expressions of interest. At last, every gaze fixed on Kang Yeon. He slowly tied on his apron and spoke.
“For the finale, shall we go especially flashy?”
Muk Hyang-ru’s face registered pure shock.
“Flashy? You?”
Kang Yeon grinned and took out flour.
“I can do it when I feel like it.”
He turned toward the judges.
“The dish I will create is Heaven and Earth Creation Noodles.”
“Noodles? At a competition like this…?”
Noodles, at a moment this important? And hadn’t Kang Yeon just said he would make something flashy? People looked puzzled. But the moment he began working the dough, the atmosphere shifted.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of him kneading rang out like drumbeats. The crowd stared, spellbound by the rhythmic movement of his hands. The dough under Kang Yeon’s touch rippled as if it were a living thing.
“Look at that dough…”
“It’s like it’s alive!”
Kang Yeon flung the dough into the air.
Whooosh—
It spun and stretched as it rose. His movements were spectacular yet precise. While working the dough, he spoke toward Muk Hyang-ru.
“I’m going to boil the broth. Pour water into the pot for me.”
Muk Hyang-ru nodded and brought over a large cauldron. Kang Yeon added the ingredients he had prepared in advance.
Fwoosh.
Flames leapt high. Kang Yeon breathed the qi of fire into the blaze. The fire beneath the pot turned into a blue flame.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
People marveled at the fire pouring out such intense heat. But the true marvel was only beginning. Kang Yeon lifted the dough he had matured by pouring his energy into it.
Shwooo—!
He hurled the dough high into the air. At the same time he spun his body and caught it again.
“What?!”
The dough began to split in midair. One strand became two, two became four.
Papapapap—!
In an instant, a thousand strands of noodles were made. In the air. In a single motion.
“That’s impossible!”
“Is that even possible?”
More astonishing still was that the thickness of every strand matched exactly. As uniform as if drawn by a machine. Kang Yeon kept spinning the noodles through the air. The strands danced in beautiful arcs, as if dragons were ascending to heaven.
“Is that man really a cook?”
“Isn’t he a martial master?”
Muk Hyang-ru, too, stared in a daze before coming to his senses.
“To think he was hiding skill like this…”
As Muk Hyang-ru muttered in hollow amazement, Kang Yeon answered with a laugh.
“No need to go this far in ordinary times.”
Muk Hyang-ru understood. Kang Yeon had deliberately cooked simply in daily life. He simply refused to cling to flashy technique—but if he chose to be spectacular, there was nothing he could not do.
Just how much more is he hiding?
Finishing the thought, Muk Hyang-ru focused and backed Kang Yeon’s dazzling performance with perfect timing. Preparing the water to boil the noodles, dressing the garnishes, warming the bowls—every step moved as one seamless whole.
Even while working on his own dish, Baek Mi-rang kept glancing sideways at Kang Yeon.
That man… is no ordinary opponent.
Baek Mi-rang quietly began circulating his inner energy.
Hum—
A faint vibration traveled to Kang Yeon’s counter. The intent was to disrupt his knife work.
Tak!
But Kang Yeon’s knife did not so much as quiver. If anything, he dressed his ingredients with even greater precision. This time Baek Mi-rang tried to disturb the temperature of the fire under the pot.
Hiss—
A strange current of air flowed around Kang Yeon’s stove. The flames wavered, the heat growing irregular.
“Huh?”
Muk Hyang-ru sensed something wrong.
“The fire’s acting strange. There’s no wind, and yet…”
Kang Yeon answered casually.
“Ah, the wind’s a bit strong today. Hard to keep the fire steady.”
But Kang Yeon had already grasped everything. He began naturally offsetting Baek Mi-rang’s inner-energy interference with his own.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
The fire returned to normal. It was Baek Mi-rang who started to grow flustered.
My interference, focused on a single person, doesn’t work?
At this rate, there would be no difference from before. Growing anxious, Baek Mi-rang tried to use stronger inner energy. But—
“Ugh!”
A sudden rebound force struck him, and he lost concentration on his own dish and made a mistake.
“Ah—no!”
Baek Mi-rang hurriedly tried to salvage it, but it was already too late. The balance of the three layers had shattered.
Just who is that man…?
Baek Mi-rang no longer had the strength to spare for interfering with Kang Yeon. Even recovering his own dish was more than enough. Meanwhile, the other contestants moved into their final stages.
Geum Su-do was refining his nine dragons to the last detail, and Chef Cheong-yeon was putting the finishing ornaments on her mystical presentation.
And Kang Yeon—
“All right. Shall we finish this?”
He dropped the thousand strands of noodles into the boiling water. It was the optimal time he had calculated.
Shwaaah—
The moment he lifted them out, the springy noodles writhed as if alive. Kang Yeon nestled the strands into a bowl. Then he approached the pot. The instant he opened the lid, a deep fragrance billowed out.
“Haaah…”
Those standing nearby swallowed hard. The aroma of the bone broth, drawn out in so short a time, was an art in itself. It was a fragrance no one could believe had been steeped so briefly.
Kang Yeon took out twelve spices and began blending them one by one.
“Three cloves of clove, two star anise, and cinnamon…”
The way he mixed the spices in exact proportions recalled a pharmacist. At last, Kang Yeon brought the dish to perfect completion.
At that very moment—
“Time is up!”
At Yun Tae-ho’s declaration, every chef’s hands stopped. Four finished dishes were set before the judges.
“We will begin the tasting in order.”
First was Geum Su-do’s Nine Dragons Contesting for the Pearl.
“Oho…”
The judges let out soft gasps of admiration. The nine dragons were plated with such dynamism that they truly seemed alive and in motion.
“Technically, it is perfect.”
One judge lifted a piece to his mouth.
“The flavor is excellent as well. Each seafood keeps its own taste while still achieving harmony.”
But Baek Mi-ong spoke quietly.
“It is superb. However… in trying to hold too much, it feels as though it has lost its center.”
Second was Chef Cheong-yeon’s Immortal Dance Under the Moon.
“Oh…”
The judges were left speechless. The dish itself was almost too beautiful. Truly, it was as if a celestial maiden were dancing in the moonlight.
The masked judge lifted a piece and tasted it.
“The harmony of aroma and flavor is excellent. The cinnamon tames the richness of the duck without harming its essential taste.”
Yun Tae-ho, too, was moved.
“It feels like eating a work of art.”
But once again Baek Mi-ong spoke with a touch of regret.
“It is beautiful. Yet the excess of artistry seems almost to obscure the essence of the cuisine itself.”
Third was Baek Mi-rang’s Space-Time Transcendence Soup.
“Hmm…”
The judge who took the first spoonful opened his eyes wide.
“Oh? A distinctly different taste with each layer?”
With every sip, a different flavor revealed itself. The deep taste of the past, the freshness of the present, the mystery of the future—all coexisted. But Baek Mi-ong tilted his head.
“Baek Mi-rang, why is the flavor so scattered? This is not your usual skill…”
Baek Mi-rang could not answer. It was the result of losing his own focus while trying to hinder Kang Yeon. Last came Kang Yeon’s Heaven and Earth Creation Noodles.
“Noodles, is it…”
The judges wore faintly surprised expressions. Compared to the other dazzling dishes, it looked simple. But the moment they lifted the noodles with chopsticks—
“Oh?”
The strands wrapped around the chopsticks, springy and full of life.
“This chew, this bounce… is perfect!”
And then, a sip of the broth—
“Good heavens!”
Yun Tae-ho could not hide his shock.
“How, in so short a time, could one produce a broth like this…?”
The masked judge, too, set down his spoon and paused. Then he looked at Kang Yeon with a meaningful expression.
“It looks simple… yet the technique and devotion contained within it surpass all imagination.”
Baek Mi-ong quietly ate the noodles and smiled.
“This… is the true pinnacle of cuisine.”
When the tasting was finished, the judges gathered to deliberate. At that very moment, the masked judge rose to his feet.
“A moment. There is something that must be revealed before the judging.”
As every eye turned to him, the masked judge pointed at Baek Mi-rang.
“During the cooking, Chef Baek Mi-rang used his inner energy to interfere with another contestant.”
“What?”
The plaza erupted in murmurs.
“What do you mean by that…?”
Baek Mi-rang was flustered. The masked judge explained calmly.
“Interfering with an opponent in a cooking contest is a clear foul. And to use inner energy makes it all the more unforgivable. In particular, did you not concentrate your interference on Chef Kang Yeon’s cooking?”
Yun Tae-ho, who had already guessed the situation, looked at Baek Mi-rang with a stern expression.
“Is this true?”
Baek Mi-rang lowered his head. It was a fact he could not deny. To commit foul play at an event involving the Imperial Court was a grave crime indeed.
At that moment, Kang Yeon stepped forward.
“Just a moment.”
Everyone looked at him.
“To be honest, I knew as well. But it’s fine. A true chef should not be shaken by any interference.”
Kang Yeon looked at Baek Mi-rang and smiled.
“If anything, it made for excellent training. Thank you, Chef Baek Mi-rang.”
The crowd burst into admiration.
“What a magnanimous man!”
“To think Chef Kang knew and still held his tongue…”
“No—he made a dish of that level even while being interfered with by inner energy? A true master is different!”
Baek Mi-rang’s face flushed with shame. The knowledge that his opponent had known of his underhanded act and said nothing flooded him with humiliation.
“Mm. Understood. Since the injured party, Chef Kang, does not wish to make an issue of it, we will let it pass for now.”
The judges gathered once more to discuss the final result. It did not take long. Yun Tae-ho ascended the platform and declared:
“I will now announce the champion of the Greatest Culinary Competition of the Central Plains!”
The plaza fell silent.
“In technique, flavor, creativity, and even the dignity of a chef… overwhelming in every respect…”
After a deliberate pause, Yun Tae-ho cried out.
“Chef Kang Yeon of the West Lake Number One Inn!”
“Wooooooah!”
All of West Lake shook. The cheers rose as if to pierce the sky.