Chapter 105
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Grand Chef Korea - Has She Given Up?
1.
"Kang Yerin-ssi. Are you done cooking?"
As the bell rang, the three judges approached me. Perhaps because I finished faster than expected, questions were evident on their faces.
"Yes. I'm finished."
They looked at the plate without a word and nodded. They looked as if they accepted it.
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Chef Kang Taeyeon moved his steps to the kitchen on the opposite side. A moment later, he returned with Chaeyoon.
"Fortunately, she was at a timing where she could stop."
Chef Kang Taeyeon said.
"Because food tastes best when it's just completed. Being evaluated together would be better for both of you too."
I nodded. Actually, that was better. If I waited and it cooled down, I would have felt bad.
"Kang Yerin-ssi, you can serve it directly."
Chef Han Seojin continued.
"We will proceed with the meal in the order you intended."
"Understood."
I bowed my head and picked up a fork and knife. I placed the tip of the knife between the apples and pressed slowly. The crispy surface crumbled, revealing the soft flesh of the sea bream beneath it.
I moved the pieces onto plates one by one. I drizzled sauce around them lightly, and finally placed herbs on top.
I put down the plates one by one in front of the three judges and Chaeyoon.
"You can eat the apple and sea bream together by dipping them in the sauce."
At my explanation, the three judges and one chef nodded.
Subtle anticipation could be glimpsed on the judges' faces, but Chaeyoon next to them was stiff. It was clear she was tense.
"Then, we will eat."
Chef Kang Taeyeon cut the sea bream first and put it in his mouth. His two eyes closed slowly. It was an attitude of focusing entirely on the food.
"...Wow."
A small exclamation leaked out. It was an exclamation made by Chef Han Seojin. Chaeyoon flinched her shoulders hearing that sound. She was still observing the sea bream on the plate.
Chaeyoon's hand moved carefully. She scooped a piece of sea bream and put it in her mouth. With her lips tightly closed, she slowly closed her eyes.
'She must be analyzing it.'
That was the same for the other judges. Without a single word, only knife and fork work continued. Only the suppressed exclamations heard occasionally and short breaths shook the silence briefly.
"Han Chaeyoon-ssi. If you have eaten everything, you may return to your spot now and continue your cooking."
And finally, the meal ended.
"...Understood."
Chaeyoon looked vacantly at the plate emptied without a trace. She looked like she would cry at any moment. However, she turned around silently and went back to the kitchen.
"Kang Yerin-ssi."
Chef Kang Taeyeon called my name.
"Is the sea bream dish in front of us right now the best dish you can make?"
"I don't know if I can call it the best."
I hesitated for a moment and answered.
"But I can certainly say it is my utmost effort. Because this plate contains my life, my contemplation, and all my efforts and emotions."
He smiled slightly and nodded.
"You're honest. Since Kang Yerin-ssi spoke without hiding anything... I will also tell you my impression just as it is."
Kang Taeyeon looked at me quietly instead of continuing his words.
'This person, he wasn't like this when we did a collab broadcast in virtual reality. Did his tone change because it's a broadcast? Why is he taking his time like this?'
Every time he spoke like this, I wanted to hit him once. I suspected other participants probably felt the same.
"At least, to me, it was the best."
At the high praise coming from Chef Kang Taeyeon's mouth, I bowed my head low.
"Thank you."
Still, I heard an impression worth the wait.
"Sea bream is a fish loved by chefs all over the world. It has little fishy smell, is clean yet rich in umami. It also has a subtle sweetness the more you chew."
"That is correct."
The reason I chose sea bream out of the many fish was exactly that.
"Sea bream is a fish that shows a completely different face depending on the cooking method. It's truly an all-rounder. The taste and impression vary widely depending on the chef's philosophy as well."
He looked at the plate in front for a moment, then lifted his gaze and continued speaking again.
"There is one question I felt here. Why did you bother removing the sea bream skin? Sea bream is a fish famous for the taste of its skin too; is there a reason you deliberately left it out?"
"Because I believed the apple would play the role of a new skin. At the same time, it was also to suppress the fish's unique scent and greasiness."
"Do you personally think the apple performed well enough to surpass the skin of the sea bream?"
Instead of answering, I pointed to the empty plate. This alone would have been the answer.
"Good. My judging ends here. It was a truly excellent dish."
"Thank you."
"Do the others have anything to add?"
Chef Kang Taeyeon asked looking at the judges next to him. The two people smiled awkwardly and shook their heads.
"Since Chef said everything, I don't really have anything to say. My curiosities were resolved too."
"That is correct."
Chef Moon Taeo chimed in at Chef Han Seojin's words.
"Still, to give a short impression, I think replacing the sea bream skin with apple was a truly excellent choice."
She gulped and looked at the plate.
"In a state where the subtle sweetness of the apple and the nutty scent of the butter harmonized, with the sea bream coming on top of that... it really felt like taste and flavor exploded in the mouth."
"It was also really good that the apple was grilled crispy like a crust, giving fun to the texture. The scent of white wine was also really good."
Before Chef Han Seojin's impression even finished, Moon Taeo cut in urgently. He must have been anxious she would say everything he wanted to say.
"Personally, it is a dish I would like to serve in my restaurant."
"Thank you."
I smiled brightly and bowed my head slightly. It meant I heard the highest praise I could hear from the judges.
"I enjoyed the meal very much. Kang Yerin-ssi. Now please rest for a while until Han Chaeyoon-ssi completes her cooking."
"Yes. Understood."
They all left the kitchen. Being left alone, I sat on a chair and leaned against the backrest. Suddenly staring blankly at the ceiling, a sense of pride surged from deep within my chest.
'I did it.'
I gathered my hands and clenched my fists tight. The corners of my mouth went up on their own. This was truly a sense of accomplishment felt after a long time.
The expressions of the judges bursting into admiration just a moment ago were still vivid before my eyes. In addition, Chaeyoon's face, dropping her head while on the verge of tears, was also clear.
'Will she be okay.'
What made her despair to that extent? I couldn't know the reason, but I just hoped she wouldn't crumble.
*
Ding-
At the clear bell sound ringing in the kitchen, my blank thoughts were cut off. This sound meant only one thing.
'She finally finished.'
Checking the time, an hour had passed in a flash before I knew it. Did she prepare a dish that required that much work? Or did she fail in the middle and start again from the beginning?
Whichever it was, it would have been a time that was never easy for Chaeyoon.
"You may go outside now."
A staff member approached and said. I nodded and rose from my seat. As I opened the door and went out, the three judges were waiting for me.
"You came out. Let's go together."
"Yes."
I headed to Chaeyoon's kitchen with them.
What caught my eye first was her exhausted appearance. She was blanking out like a person who had burned all her passion right there.
'I see some failed works.'
Behind the kitchen, three or four plates were cleared aside separately. Failed works in the dish she is most confident in? Just what is going on?
"Ah..."
In front of me as I inadvertently turned my gaze, I saw the plate she presented. Food with a very familiar appearance was contained there.
The judges also flinched, seemingly recognizing it immediately. Chef Kang Taeyeon looked at Han Chaeyoon and opened his mouth.
"Han Chaeyoon-ssi. May I ask for an explanation of the food?"
"What you see in the middle is foie gras. Below that, I laid chestnut soup with a subtle sweetness, and on the side, I accompanied it with smoked duck breast and pickled celery."
Chaeyoon explained with a trembling voice. Chef Han Seojin nodded and opened her mouth.
"I heard you well. Then, let's try eating. Will you serve it yourself, Han Chaeyoon-ssi?"
"Ah, understood."
She carefully picked up a fork and knife and started putting ingredients on the plate one by one. Finally, she poured the separately prepared chestnut soup smoothly on the bottom to finish.
"H-Here it is."
"Thank you. In what order should we eat?"
"First, please eat the foie gras, then eat the smoked duck breast. Finally, you can finish with the pickled celery."
"Understood."
I poked the foie gras with a fork first. Smoothly, it went in without resistance like cream. Thinking it might flow down, I put it in my mouth immediately.
'It's delicious.'
The soft texture and rich flavor of fat wrapped around the inside of my mouth. Added to that was the subtle sweetness of the warm chestnut soup, forming a perfect harmony.
The smoked duck breast I ate next definitely had much more chewiness than the foie gras. The smoke scent lingering in the mouth spread pleasantly, holding the center with weight.
Finally, the pickled celery refreshed the inside of the mouth. It was a taste that closed a meal that could easily be heavy, cleanly and neatly.
'So you wanted to realize this kind of taste.'
I smiled and put down the plate. When I looked up, Chaeyoon was looking at us alternately with her lips bitten tight.
I gave her a thumbs up without a word. Chaeyoon widened her eyes round, then smiled broadly. But that was also brief; she hurriedly coughed in vain and put on a serious face again.
It was an appearance that might make someone suspect bipolar disorder if they saw it.
'Cute.'
The other judges also finished their meal. They exchanged glances for a moment, then Chef Kang Taeyeon looked at me and opened his mouth.
"Kang Yerin-ssi. If you have eaten everything, you may return to the accommodation now. Or you can stay here and continue cooking."
"Understood."
I bowed my head low and came outside. I sat in a seat far away from her kitchen and waited for people to come out.
As I blanked out leaning my body against the backrest, suddenly a question came to mind.
'Why did she bother presenting the dish she failed back then again as the dish she is most confident in?'
Chaeyoon said she definitely wanted to beat me. But why did she bring out the dish she failed in the Four Seasons mission again here?
She seemed closer to impatience than calmness, closer to wavering than confidence.
'Surely, has she given up?'
It was the moment that thought was about to brush past. The door opened, and the three judges came outside. A gentle smile hung on the corners of their mouths.
The chefs, who bowed their heads low towards me, disappeared outside straight away. And following behind them, Han Chaeyoon walked out slowly.
The moment I saw her face, I realized. That all the conjectures and suspicions I harbored until now were wrong.
"Ah."
That was absolutely not the face of a person who had given up. Rather, it was the expression of an achiever, which only those who have overcome fear can make.
Chaeyoon's gaze reached me. She flinched for a moment, then smiled triumphantly. I smirked, rose from my seat, and approached her.
"Take this."
I held out a note from my pocket and gave it to her. Chaeyoon tilted her head and took it.
"Then, see you next time."
With those words as the last, I left the kitchen.
'This battle won't be easy...'