God of Cooking

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Reform (1)

Cho Min Joon’s lips trembled. He tried his best to smile, but all that turned into was a disappointment. Why did he have to experience this when his family was here? He couldn’t get himself to look at Lee Hye Sun and Cho Ah Ra in the eyes.

Is this how Chloe felt last week? Was this the mood she was in when she confessed her feelings to him? His chest felt stuffy. Emily tried to comfort him in a soft voice, “Min Joon, you’ve accomplished a lot. You didn’t win, but you should be proud that you came this far.”

Emily then glanced behind her. Lee Hye Sun and Cho Ah Ra got up and approached Cho Min Joon. Lee Hye Sun grabbed Cho Min Joon by the shoulder and said, “I’m proud of you, Min Joon.”

“… Mom.”

“Don’t be embarrassed because you lost today. I watched you on TV this whole time. I saw how passionate you were, how much you enjoyed it, and how talented you are. I felt it and saw it all. So Son…”

Lee Hye Sun spoke in a choked-up voice, “Don’t cry and lift your head up high, okay?”

Cho Min Joon swallowed his tears back and covered his eyes. Kaya was looking at Cho Min Joon with troubled eyes. She had never seen him like that before. He always seemed mature, and that was what Cho Min Joon was usually like, but he was crying just like a kid in pain.

All people cried. There probably wasn’t a single person who didn’t cry, but Cho Min Joon hated crying. But when it came to crying after eating the calf cheek at Rose Island, he didn’t really care, but he didn’t want to cry out of sadness.

But there was nothing Kaya could say. She wasn’t in the place to step in. She remembered what she asked Chloe last time. When she asked if they would still talk to each other after the competition, Chloe said it was possible.

‘Is that really possible?’

If they happened to part ways like this forever… That thought made her heart sink. Kaya put her hand on her chest. Underneath her badge was her pounding heart.

“Kaya, Anderson. Congratulations. You’re our final 2 contestants. That means you will be competing in the finals. Are you confident?”

“Yes, I am.”

Anderson answered, but Kaya didn’t answer. Her eyes were still on Cho Min Joon. The cameraman captured Kaya and Cho Min Joon with his camera with a smile on his face.

‘I’m filming a drama.’

While the cameraman smiled, Joseph raised his voice, “Kaya!”

“… Oh, yes? Did you call?”

“Are you confident you can win in the finals?”

“There isn’t a single certificate or trophy at our house.”

Kaya answered in a quiet voice. She stared at Anderson coldly and said, “And it’s about time we get one of them to put on our shelf.”

***

Since the families came a long way, they didn’t have to leave the Grand Chef House on the same day, so Cho Min Joon was able to do his interview without feeling rushed. It was his first interview as a disqualified contestant.

“I didn’t like the evaluation. It was a lengthy explanation… And it was all fine since they didn’t have a choice if they wanted to pick who was the worst. It’s pretty simple though. Compared to the other two, I didn’t touch them as much. That means…”

Cho Min Joon sighed in the middle of his sentence. It wasn’t because he was disappointed in reality. It was because of Martin’s face.

“… Martin, please stop smiling. It’s obvious you like this.”

“I can’t help it. Now, I can formally make my proposal. About the tasting vacation program. Have you made your decision?”

“The truth is, I didn’t really think about it. I didn’t have a chance to even consider that I might get disqualified.”

“Fair enough. Then I’ll ask you another time. Min Joon, are you going to return to Korea? Wait, do you have a place to stay?”

“I’m not sure. I know someone, but I don’t want to put them out. Is there a reason I should stay in America?”

Martin smiled. He opened his mouth.

“July 13. Since it’s June 25 now… There are 18 days left. Do you know what day that is?”

“July 13… Oh, that’s the day of the finals.”

“The finals will be broadcasted live. It’s a larger scale than you’ve seen before, and we need you that day.”

Cho Min Joon nodded. He knew what he was saying. He didn’t remember the finals being broadcasted live, but there were seasons where they had done that. They were usually for seasons with the best responses. Cho Min Joon smirked.

“The broadcaster must be proud of how Grand Chef has been doing.”

“… Well, we have you to thank for it. Our viewer ratings skyrocketed after your perfect palate was exposed.”

“I’m sure I’m not the only one… How many did you ask?”

“Haha, what do you mean?”

In response, Martin showed a calm look on his face, but Cho Min Joon continued to stare as if he knew.

“I doubt you’re calling me back just to cheer them on. Does it have to do with the mission?”

Martin’s facial expression didn’t change, but his eyes shook for a moment. He did his best to maintain a poker face and then eventually sighed.

“You know I can’t answer that. Okay, fine. I’ll tell you one thing. The top 10. Aside from the two who are in the finals, Chloe, Sasha, Joanne, Ivanna, Olivia, Hugo, and Marco. That’s 7. They’ll be there that day. I can’t tell you any more. You can make predictions if you’d like.”

“Will you give us a place to stay?”

“Of course. If we can’t secure rooms, I can even let you stay at my house, so please don’t refuse. This proposal isn’t just so you can appear on one more episode. This will be a chance that will be hard to come by in life.”

Cho Min Joon didn’t know what he meant. In response to Cho Min Joon’s confused face, Martin smirked.

“Like you said, the broadcaster loves us very much. You deserve to feel that love.”

“… Okay. It’s not like I have anything else to do anyway, and it’s a chance to see old friends again.”

“I’m glad. Then let’s talk about what I proposed earlier. The tasting vacation.”

“About that.”

A female voice could suddenly be heard. Cho Min Joon flinched and turned around. Emily was staring through the door. Cho Min Joon spoke in an annoyed voice, “Emily, you haven’t left yet?”

“… I didn’t expect you to welcome me, but I’m disappointed. I’m a big fan of yours.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Forget it. I’m just kidding. Can I join you? I think I have the right to join in on this conversation.”

“… Sure. Robert, bring a chair over.”

“No need. There’s a seat right here.”

Emily calmly sat next to Cho Min Joon on the sofa. Martin heard Cho Min Joon sigh, which made him think of something. They almost looked like a playful aunt and a grumpy nephew in his family. Their ages were similar too. But of course, Emily was much more beautiful.

“Min Joon, there’s no need to think for long about it… because I thought about it from your stance already. You should accept the tasting vacation.”

“… Emily. Let me ask you a question. Why do you want to drag me into the world of food critics? What does me becoming a food critic have to do with you?”

“I could talk all night about the reason. Do you have the time?”

“Just tell me the 3 most important points.”

“3… 3, huh?”

Emily touched her chin and thought for a moment. She had so much to say that she didn’t know where to start. A moment later, Emily lifted her head. Her face looked serious.

“You’re the only person in the world who can become a star food critic.”

“… The only person? You’re a star, too.”

“I’m not a star because my tastebuds are outstanding. To be honest, there are many more in this country who are better than I am, but the reason I can be a judge on a TV show… is something else. It’s because I’m the heir of the Porter Beer company. The extravagant life of an heir as well as a relatively high sense of taste. That’s pretty much it.”

Emily added, “Of course, it’s also because I look like an actress.” Cho Min Joon shook his head.

“Don’t you get it? You’re the only person in the world who won’t be doubted for his perfect palate. You’re able to taste everything in a dish, so if you said something is delicious, even a dish with no flavors would become a delicious dish. It’s possible you can make people walk into restaurants and think they’re tasting something great when it isn’t. That’s how much trust your tastebuds will have. People will trust your evaluation more than that of any other food critic!”

Emily vented with a flushed face.

” You can gain the trust of people easily. That’s the hardest thing to do, but you can do it without any effort.”

“… What’s the second reason?”

“It’s simple. I want to see what your world of tasting is like. Just like artists, food critics gain inspiration from the tasting world of others. The same food tastes different depending on what description you hear beforehand. I want to see how you can express different dishes. My life would be much more entertaining just by knowing your method.”

Cho Min Joon’s face didn’t light up despite the compliment. It became stiffer. He couldn’t help it. Cho Min Joon didn’t have such senses. That was why he was so calm. Cho Min Joon asked in a calm voice, “Then what’s the last reason?”

“I’m curious.”

Emily offered a short answer. She made it short because she couldn’t express everything she was feeling even if she made it long, but she continued to elaborate.

“In the world of tasting, people always say everyone has different tastebuds, that they have different tastes, and that they sense different things. If we can set some standards in a world like that… If we can differentiate good food from bad food… The standard of tasting food will increase. There’s no guarantee that that will happen, but I’m curious about that world. A world with a theory for tasting food. Something that’s not relative or subjective.”

Cho Min Joon closed his mouth. He wasn’t someone who could do that. He could pretend to have the perfect palate… But he couldn’t really be that in real life.

However, he couldn’t say that, and he didn’t want to. He felt greedy. If he grabbed onto this opportunity, it would be a great experience for him. After all, the system would make him stronger the more recipes he worked with.

Silence fell between the three of them. It was Cho Min Joon who broke that silence.

“You’ll regret it.”

“… Regret what?”

“Having expectations of me. I’m not as impressive as you think.”

He couldn’t look away from the treasure in front of him just because he wasn’t impressive. Cho Min Joon answered. The fish took the fisherman’s bait.

“I’ll do it.”

Would the little fish be able to become a big fish one day?