Chapter 91
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Grand Chef Korea - Cheating?
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1.
I slowly raised my head and gazed at the ceiling. Intense lighting poured down on me, so bright it stung my eyes.
I squeezed my eyes shut tight. My heart pounded wildly, making my breath tremble, and my dry lips stuck together. I licked them with my tongue. I opened and closed my mouth several times.
"Hoo..."
In the end, I let out a quiet breath.
The judging area sank into silence. I couldn't tell if it was really that way or if the connection between me and the world had been severed.
To me, it just felt like time had frozen in stillness. After what felt like an eternity, sensation returned.
"...I'm eliminated?"
I slowly lowered my head. I opened my eyes and looked straight at Chef Han Seojin in front of me.
"To be precise, you're a candidate for elimination. It's not finalized yet."
"May I ask why?"
I swallowed once, then asked again. It just didn't make sense to me.
"Well..."
Chef Han Seojin hesitated for a moment. Was there something suspicious about it? Or was she reluctant to tell me?
"It's because it was too perfect."
As I waited for an answer, Chef Moon Taeo stood up from his chair behind her and spoke.
"...Too perfect, so I'm a candidate for elimination?"
"Yes. I know it doesn't make sense right now, but that's the conclusion we've reached."
I let out a long sigh.
"I can't wrap my head around it at all. Could you explain in more detail? I just can't accept it."
"Could we discuss this somewhere else? The other contestants seem unable to focus on their cooking."
At those words, I slowly turned around. Every contestant was staring at us. Yurim, in particular, had her eyes wide open, frozen in place.
Sure enough, continuing the conversation here would only hinder the others.
"...Understood."
"Thank you. Please follow me."
Chef Han Seojin bowed slightly to the other judges before moving with me. From their reactions, it seemed like they'd discussed it beforehand.
'Where are we going... Oh, the interview room.'
There are probably cameras here too. Of course, PD Jeong Inseon wouldn't want to miss this scene.
"Have a seat here?"
"Yes."
I carefully sat on the sofa. Chef Han Seojin took the seat across from me, then stood up from her chair again.
"What would you like to drink? Water, juice, green tea, or coffee?"
"Do you have cola by any chance?"
She smiled faintly.
"Cola? One moment. I think we can find some if I look."
"Thank you."
Chef Han Seojin headed to the fridge. I leaned back against the headrest and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Thinking back to how I'd gotten unnecessarily worked up and angry earlier made my face burn. I'd been overcome with sudden heat, but in hindsight, I'd been too emotional.
'...How embarrassing.'
I covered my face with both hands and let out a deep sigh. Knowing that whole scene would air on the broadcast made my stomach churn.
PD Jeong Inseon was probably grinning ear to ear right now, thrilled at having captured such great footage.
'Maybe I shouldn't have come out at all... What glory was I chasing...'
A wave of regret hit me, and I let out another long breath.
"Are you okay? You look a bit tired."
Chef Han Seojin set the cola in front of me and asked.
"...Yes. I'm fine."
I gave a short reply and cracked open the cola can. I gulped down about half of it before setting it on the table.
"Must have been really frustrating."
"The situation called for it."
Silence fell between us. I kept my gaze on the table and quietly spoke up.
"So... now that we've moved, please tell me."
I raised my head, met Chef Han Seojin's eyes, and continued.
"What exactly is the reason I'm a candidate for elimination?"
Instead of answering, she pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and placed it on the table. Looking down, I saw it was the list of ingredients I'd written at the start.
"This is... the ingredients I planned for the agnolotti."
"Exactly."
Chef Han Seojin nodded and carefully offered another sheet. I leaned forward to examine it.
'Shank meat. Salt and brown sugar. Smoked paprika. Salt and pepper...'
The ingredients were listed out. They were all too familiar.
"Is this...?"
I looked up. Meeting Chef Han Seojin's gaze, I asked.
"These are the ingredients Chef Moon Taeo used for his agnolotti. They match exactly what you wrote, Yerim."
Comparing the two sheets as she said, they indeed matched perfectly.
"That means I got them all right."
"Yes."
"Then it makes even less sense. Didn't you say extra points were given based on how many ingredients you matched?"
I'd perfectly replicated Chef Moon Taeo's agnolotti, even nailing every ingredient. What could be more perfect than that?
'There's no reason I should be a candidate for elimination.'
In that moment, one possibility flashed in my mind.
"...Or do you suspect I cheated?"
She didn't answer, just gave a wry smile. Seeing that expression, I couldn't help but chuckle hollowly. I leaned back and slowly exhaled.
'What was I thinking...'
All my worries up to now felt pointless.
Cheating? As if I'd do something like that.
The only reason I'd been tense was one thing: worry that my cooking wasn't good enough. I'd truly thought I was on the brink of elimination purely due to lack of skill.
'But it was because of suspected cheating.'
It felt hollow, yet somehow amusing.
"If you're upset, I apologize. But please understand it's a situation we had to suspect."
"I understand."
"...Really?"
My calm response surprised Chef Han Seojin into asking back.
"Yes. Truly."
"You're... not offended?"
"Have you ever played games, Chef?"
"Games? Yes, a bit back in the day. Not like the VR games now, but some PC games."
She answered my out-of-left-field question with mild curiosity.
"Have you ever been suspected of hacking then?"
"I'm not that great at games... Oh, but there was one time. The opponents spammed all-chat calling me a hacker and hurling insults."
She smiled, reminiscing.
"How did that feel? Upset? Or actually good?"
"It felt great. Like, 'I'm that good?' It boosted my confidence. Getting flamed but feeling that good for the first time."
She tilted her head.
"But why ask about this all of a sudden?"
"That's exactly how I feel right now."
"...Pardon?"
"You said being suspected of hacking made you feel good. Same here. It means I did that well."
"You're not anxious?"
"Were you anxious about getting banned when suspected?"
"No. I hadn't used hacks, so it never crossed my mind."
I smiled brightly.
"Consider that my answer too. Nothing more to say."
"Got it."
"So, what's next for the investigation? Regarding the cheating suspicion."
"The staff are probably reviewing the footage now. Once they confirm everything and find no issues, the elimination will be lifted."
"Understood. Guess I'll wait here then."
"I'll stay too. Wouldn't want you to be bored alone."
It seemed more like supervision, but I didn't point it out.
"...And Chef Moon Taeo told me not to say this, but it'll air anyway, so I'll tell you now."
As silence stretched, Chef Han Seojin spoke again.
"What is it?"
"Truth is, we were all skeptical about Yerim cheating."
"Why?"
I asked, puzzled.
On the surface, it was plenty suspicious. Nailing every spice in an agnolotti is no small feat for the palate.
"Because your agnolotti tasted better than Chef Moon Taeo's."
"...Really?"
"It's true. That's why Chef Moon Taeo insisted it couldn't be cheating. There was some debate midway, though."
"Debate?"
Did someone push hard for cheating?
"The mission was to 'exactly' replicate Chef Moon Taeo's agnolotti, right?"
"Yes."
"But yours was tastier than the original. That was the issue."
"...Issue?"
"Surpassing the original—can that truly be called replication? Does it stray from the mission intent? It was quite a philosophical debate."
I couldn't help but chuckle imagining the three judges hashing that out.
"So what was the conclusion?"
"The mission had multiple intents, hard to list all, but the core was one: test and improve cooking skills by imitating a chef's dish."
She smirked and continued.
"In that sense, surpassing the original is its own correct answer. Proof you've become a better chef."
"That's what you concluded."
"Yes. Looking back... it felt like we were nitpicking out of envy for your brilliant talent, Yerim."
"...I still have a long way to go."
I bowed my head slightly. Hearing that from renowned chefs made me proud yet embarrassed.
"True."
Her agreement caught me off guard. Isn't the polite response to deny it?
"In practice, your theory and general knowledge lag behind other chefs. Above all... you lack experience."
"...Experience?"
"Yes. Knowledge comes from books, but experience builds through time and hands-on trials. So from now on, go out, try diverse cuisines."
She looked at me warmly and added.
"Because you have that much talent, Yerim. Those experiences will be great assets."
"...I'll try."
Honestly, no promises. I've wandered enough other worlds to be tired. But for cooking, maybe.
"Admit it, you were touched?"
Chef Han Seojin teased with a playful smile.
"...A little."
I muttered, averting my gaze. I really was embarrassed.
"About to cry?"
"Not that much."
I replied seriously.
"Okay."
She gauged my reaction, then spoke again.
"Still, I'm looking forward to it."
"To what?"
"What happens when it airs that you nailed every ingredient."
"Ah."
I imagined it briefly and chuckled.
"Yeah, that I'm excited for."
I couldn't wait for that day.
2.
"...I wonder what happened to Kang Yerim? No word since she left with Chef Han Seojin."
Yurim flinched at the whispers nearby.
"Obviously eliminated, right? You saw the judges' and staff faces?"
"Dead serious. First time seeing staff that shocked. She must've caused some incident. Or botched the dish completely."
"Tsk tsk. Knew it from all those extra ingredients on the counter. Trying to stand out by showing off."
Yurim bit her lip hard. Clenching her hands, she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.
"N-No! Unnie Yerim wouldn't do that! Don't talk like you know...!"
"What?"
The gossiping contestants panicked at the sudden call-out. But only briefly. An older man flushed red and bellowed.
"You brat, yelling at adults like that! What kind of upbringing is that!"
"Wh-What does upbringing have to do with it! Then you, mister...!"
"What? Keep pushing it!"
"Hey, stop—"
—Bang!
Just as Lee Seohwa and Han Chaeyun tried to intervene, the large door at the front slid open on both sides.
Whoosh—
Pure white smoke billowed out. Spotlights converged on the door, illuminating the gap intensely.
A figure slowly emerged from within. The click of heels echoed through the smoke.
The silhouette drew nearer, until one face came clearly into view.
"Unnie Yerim!"
Yurim cried out, eyes sparkling, recognizing her.
As all eyes focused on that one person, Hayul lifted the corner of her mouth slightly and said.
"Hello."
That short greeting shifted the air in the judging area. No one could speak first, merely swallowing and staring at her.
It was the return of the king.