God of Cooking

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Reform (3)

The next day, Cho Min Joon and Kaya didn’t continue their conversation. It wasn’t because they had nothing to say. There were too many thoughts and emotions they wanted to convey in a short period of time, and if they tried to rush it, it could get tangled up into a mess.

So Kaya and Cho Min Joon said goodbye with disappointed faces. Cho Ah Ra whispered in Cho Min Joon’s ear.

“Min Joon, did you do something wrong?”

“Don’t ask.”

Seeing how his voice sounded sad, she was right. But there was no point in saying anything.

She hoped that something else would come up to get rid of their weird vibe… But time had on intention to wait for such a thing to occur. The staff announced that the flight was departing soon, so he had no choice but to get into the car.

Cho Min Joon looked through the window at the Grand Chef House. He would be back soon… But this was the end of him as a contestant. The thought made him tear up.

But it was time to say goodbye. Cho Min Joon looked down. Kaya and Anderson were looking at him. They had their own paths to walk.

‘I can’t fall behind.’

The bottom of his feet tickled.

***

#Was Cho Min Joon’s disqualification expected? Or a shocking surprise?

The third season of Grand Chef was coming to an end. And the season was hot, so much that people called it the best season yet. What was the cause of that hot response? Many viewers said it was the characters.

The fact that the three contestants with the most distinct character remained until the end made both the viewers and the producers happy, so Cho Min Joon’s disqualification made people sad. That meant the viewers loved him that much, but it also had to do with the fact that the process of disqualification wasn’t so smooth.

The 16th episode broadcasted on the 6th was ‘Cooking For Family.’ Considering the family aspect of cooking, it was an understandable theme to cover. But the problem was that the mission was a handicap for Cho Min Joon.

Cho Min Joon was a foreigner from Korea, so he had no choice but to make Korean dishes, but the judges kept a strict attitude toward foreign flavors and this day was no exception.

The judges pointed out Cho Min Joon’s nervousness as the reason for disqualification, but what was the reason for his nervousness compared to the others? Was it because it was an unfamiliar meal? Many viewers thought so. What Cho Min Joon made was different from a traditional Korean meal, and that meant he was very considerate toward the judges’ judgment.

…(omit)…

People say cooking is subjective, but it was true that many are sad about Cho Min Joon’s disqualification. People can only hope that what he does next will comfort his fans.

The final episode of Grand Chef will air live on July 13 at 7 PM.

2010.07.07 – Angela Eve

“Not this person again…”

Most of the decent articles were written by Angela Eve. She was much better than that reporter— Jessica—that showed up at the restaurant out of the blue.

Cho Min Joon sighed. His breath beneath the mask warmed up his face. July. It wasn’t cold even in New York. The sun was warm, and most people walked around in t-shirts, so it was especially warm at the airport, but Cho Min Joon had to wear a mask.

It wasn’t to look cool or because he had a cold. When his face was exposed, many people recognized him and approached him. At first, he liked the attention… But now he was tired. He heard a familiar voice.

“Are you looking at articles again?”

“This person writes good articles?”

“Stop looking at those. They’ll make you sick.”

“You’re all grown up now. You’re worrying about me now? Did you enjoy America?”

“… Stop talking like you’re a native here. You don’t know this place either.”

Cho Min Joon smiled in response. Once he left the Grand Chef House, he toured around America with Lee Hye Sun and Cho Ah Ra. He showed them the Grand Canyon, and even the Hollywood sign. The end was in New York. They also ate lots of delicious food. Lee Hye Sun spoke in a sad voice, “I wish your father was here.”

“He can come next time.”

“… When are you coming back to Korea?”

“I’ll go back after the finals. But… I don’t know what’ll happen after the program ends.”

“Don’t lose sight of yourself no matter where you go. I’m happy if you succeed… But I’m also anxious. So many eyes are on you now. And many of them will try to attack you. Don’t let them sway you. And don’t feel scared. You understand me, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

At that moment, the announcement rang. His flight was about to depart. Cho Min Joon smiled and said, “You have to go now. It’s time.”

“… Okay. Take care. And call me if anything happens.”

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen, but I’ll call you.”

“Min Joon.”

Cho Ah Ra called him for the last time before leaving. Cho Min Joon stared at her. Cho Ah Ra smirked and said, “Kaya looks better in person. Anderson is handsome, too.”

“… What?”

“I’m just saying.”

Before he could scold her, Cho Ah Ra disappeared in the line. Cho Min Joon turned in sadness. It was time for him to leave… for Chicago. Today was the 7th, And the finals was on the 13th. And today was the day Martin wanted him at the Grand Chef house, and the 7 others in the top 10 probably got the notice as well.

‘I’ll see them again.’

***

Magazines had a cool image for being very analog. The coated pages were filled with handsome and beautiful models surrounded by words. Of course, the standard of the magazine depended on what the words were saying.

“… This magazine is trash, too.”

Kim Dong Bin chewed on his beets and salad with a grimace. After becoming a reporter for a cooking magazine, he had gotten used to it. He had to eat out multiple times a day, but he still wasn’t used to eating food that tasted bad.

The dishes kept on coming out. Mussel soup and pork sous vide, but his expression didn’t change even after that. It was so bad that the employee in the hall kept glancing over.

It feels like eating a piece of paper folded into what looks like food. The service and vibe were good, but the dishes were horrible. It’s just a worthless restaurant that’s good for its vibe. It’s really one of the worst. On top of that, the linguine made me want to throw up…

‘I’d better write that when I get back.’

He felt insulted just sitting there, and when he saw the 65,000 won that was typed on his receipt, he got even madder. The cashier smiled and asked, “Did you enjoy your meal?”

“… It was fine.”

He couldn’t tell her it was good, but just hearing him say it was fine was enough for the cashier to realize. He wasn’t the first customer like that. She continued to smile, but the hope within the smile disappeared, and that fact made him feel comforted.

“How can you sell that crap for money? 65,000 won my ass. I’d rather eat rice soup for 6500 won.”

He didn’t stop grumbling on his way back to the magazine publisher. The intern looked at Kim Dong Bin and smiled awkwardly.

“Another failure?”

“Those food bloggers are scam artists… Haven’t they tried any decent restaurants? Phew, why are they still in business? Are they the owners of the building? Still, they should spend that time renting out the space to someone else.”

“Maybe they have a romance with food… Or it could be a hobby for them.”

“Hey, there’s no such thing as romance with bad food. Even if they’re located in the beautiful mountainside, it doesn’t matter if their food is shit.”

The intern was unable to answer Kim Dong Bin. Kim Dong Bin glanced at the video on the intern’s laptop. A few familiar foreigners in chef uniforms, as well as their dishes, were shown on the screen. Kim Dong Bin looked closer.

“Is that Grand Chef?”

“Yes. There’s a Korean contestant named Cho Min Joon, but he got disqualified this round. Speaking of which…”

The intern continued, “Now that the competition is over, he’ll probably return to Korea. How about we interview him?”

“Hey, we’re a reputable cooking magazine. What are we going to do with an amateur who didn’t even win?”

“But it might be okay since he has the perfect palate. That’s not something even the best chefs have.”

“That only matters if he becomes a chef one day, and who’s to say he’s not faking it?”

“We can test him. And if we treat him as an aspiring chef, we won’t really be at a loss.”

“We have a lot to write on already. Let’s focus on what we already have, and don’t spill that ramen on your keyboard.”

Kim Dong Bin went back to his seat. Having to write a negative review on the last restaurant made him think of what the intern had said. He hid the window he was working on and went on the internet. As soon as he searched Cho Min Joon’s name, something interesting popped up.

Perfect palate Cho Min Joon.

He almost sounded like the lead in a cooking comic. He told the intern that it was probably fake, but he knew there was no way. There was no way such top-class judges of a famous cooking show could let that slip.

And seeing from the results, his skills were impressive for his age. He had many fans as well. Thanks to his good looks and his perfect palate on top of his genius and mysterious persona, both Korean and foreign fans were crazy about him.

‘He’s as popular as a real chef before his debut.’

He admired and felt sad by the power of broadcast at the same time. He mumbled in a low voice, “Interviewing an aspiring chef…”

The sound of his mouse clicking didn’t stop for quite some time.