God of Cooking

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Reunion in Front of the Door (1)

“Let me repeat myself. If you make the decision once, you can’t fix it later. Not only the theme of the course but the recipe as well. Are you happy with this recipe?”

Martin asked. Kaya nodded.

“I’ve thought about this for 10 days, only about this and nothing else. Unless the heavens give me a sign, I won’t change it, or maybe this is a recipe I got from them in the first place.”

“Hm, okay. I’ll accept it.”

“So when are you going to tell us about how the mission will be conducted? I’m sure you won’t make me make that whole course all by myself.”

“Be patient. You’ll find out before tonight.”

“Tonight?”

Kaya knitted her brows. Was that when the announcement was going to be made? She didn’t know. She didn’t even understand why they were telling her this much now. Anderson shook his head from beside her.

“Don’t act like a kid. I’m sure they have their reasons. Do you really think they’re keeping it from you to screw you over?”

“… I wasn’t talking to you.”

Kaya growled. Martin smirked. As expected, as soon as Cho Min Joon disappeared, the two of them were like a cat and dog.

“Get some rest. Don’t waste your energy fighting.”

In response to Martin’s suggestion, Kaya stared at Anderson and then walked up to her accommodation. Kaya locked her door and sat on her bed. She hated that there was nothing she could do. Helplessness? Or maybe lassitude was a better expression. She would’ve rather done the mission right then and there.

“… Chloe, Min Joon, Marco, and uh… Who was it again?”

She already forgot some of their names, but it wasn’t strange since they weren’t even that close. But the three of them were friends. She missed them. Like family.

Kaya took out her phone. She scanned the names on the screen and stopped at Cho Min Joon’s name. After having that awkward conversation that night, they were cold with each other. It wasn’t that they didn’t contact each other, but their conversations were quiet.

So Kaya pressed on Chloe’s name instead. The line rang for quite a while before he heard a panting voice. Kaya cautiously called her name.

“Chloe…?”

[Huff, huff… Yeah? What is it? Huff…]

“Are you working out again?”

[No, I’m not… Huff, I’m on my way somewhere, but the car stopped on a hill… So I’m walking up right now.]

“… Should I call you later?”

[No, no need. I’ll arrive soon. I’m here.]

That was what Chloe said, but Kaya didn’t question her further. After all, she was panting very hard. She listened to Kaya’s panting for a while longer. She then caught her breath and asked.

[But why did you call?]

“I’m bored, and my head hurts. I’m stressed dealing with Anderson all the time, and I didn’t feel like calling Min Joon…”

Kaya trailed off. She fumbled her fingers and changed the subject.

“Anyway, that’s why I called, but where are you going? Are you on vacation?”

[Hm, something like that.]

“I’m jealous. I wish I could go, too. Come to think of it, I’ve never been on one before.”

[Yes, you have. The food truck mission and the Grand House is a vacation, too.]

“That’s true… But I hate it right now. A vacation with Anderson? Ew.”

Chloe laughed awkwardly. She wasn’t the type to trash talk other people. Kaya sighed.

“So where are you? If you’re on a hill, it sounds like you’re in the west?”

[In front of the door.]

“Huh? What?”

[I’m in front of the door.]

At that moment, she heard a knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. Kaya looked at the door with a blank look on her face. Chloe spoke in a playful voice

[Delivery.]

***

Right after Chloe, the rest of the disqualified contestants began to gather. Joanne, Ivanna, Hugo, Olivia, and Sasha showed up, and just like before, they all sat around in the lobby on the 4th floor. Kaya was smiling with Chloe in her arms. She was so happy she forgot all about the mission.

“I’m so happy.”

Kaya made a short remark. When she was happy, it was hard for her to be honest. So coming from Kaya, that remark meant a lot. Anderson opened his mouth.

“There’s still 6 days until the finals. The fact that we all gathered… Is it what I think it is?”

“I’m not sure. We haven’t heard that far either, but I think it’s what you’re thinking.”

Hugo answered. He was wearing glasses unlike before. Ivanna cautiously opened her mouth.

“Hugo, did your eyesight get worse?”

Instead of answering, Hugo put his fingers through the frames of his glasses with a smile. When Ivanna saw his fingers go through, she smiled and nodded. Sasha spoke in a jealous voice, “I knew you guys were strong… but here we are. You’re in the finals.”

“We’re good.”

“… Don’t most people say they were lucky?”

In response to Sasha’s criticism, Kaya smiled with confidence. It was possible that her confidence was her charm. Sasha thought that way and trembled her body. She had gotten used to Kaya over time, but one thing was for sure.

‘She’s not a bad girl.’

She misunderstood her at first. Both her words and behavior were harsh. But the more she got to know her, the more she was like a cute porcupine. She stuck out her needles out of fear, but once she was calm, she was nice and soft.

At that moment, Someone walked down the stairs. They all looked at the stairs with anticipation. Who was it? The answer came out shortly. A bald shaved head was floating at the end of the stairs. When his body appeared, everyone smiled.

“Marco!”

Chloe and Joanne hugged Marco. Not even both their arms could surround Marco’s body, but as soon as they hugged him, they realized that it wasn’t just him. He was covered by Marco’s size, but it was Cho Min Joon. He smiled awkwardly and asked, “What about me?”

“Oh…”

“I’m just kidding.”

Cho Min Joon saved Chloe from her hesitation. Chloe reached out her hands.

“Give me your things! They look heavy.”

“… It’s just a suitcase.”

“You carried it up here though. You probably don’t have energy to bring it up any further.”

“Just because I’m not jacked doesn’t mean I can’t carry this… But okay.”

He handed over his suitcase and smiled.

“Thanks for the help.”

Chloe flushed and walked off. Cho Min Joon followed Chloe from behind and glanced at the others. As soon as Kaya met eyes with Cho Min Joon, she turned away like a little girl. Hugo, who was watching this, smiled at Kaya.

“You guys got even closer while we were gone. Kaya, are you in danger?”

“Shut up.”

She glared her heavily lined eyes. Her glare didn’t go away even after Chloe and Cho Min Joon entered. She wasn’t mad at anyone but herself. She was mad that she wasn’t able to do anything.

Cho Min Joon was uncomfortable. Chloe had confessed her feelings to him, and he had fought with Kaya last time, and the others noticed. It was too obvious. Joanne whispered to Anderson, “Hey, did something happen with them while we were gone?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why not? You were here all along.”

“Do you remember everything I did while you were here? Do you?”

“… No.”

“Same thing.”

Anderson then shut his mouth. Joanne frowned and continued to watch Chloe. She only stopped watching Chloe when Robert appeared. He looked at the contestants and said, “Please come down to the kitchen. It’ll only be for a moment. The judges have arrived.”

“… Why am I nervous when I’m already disqualified?”

Marco breathed in and out with his hand on his chest. Cho Min Joon smiled and said,

“Because you take other people’s competition seriously, even customers feel nervous around judges.”

“You’re right.”

He knew that if he ever visited Allan or Joseph’s restaurant one day, he wouldn’t be able to eat in peace.

They had mixed feelings on their way down to the kitchen. In Cho Min Joon’s case, it had only been 2 weeks, but for the others, it had been longer. There were good feelings as well as bad ones. After all, they were just here as spectators now.

And no person was happy as a spectator. They wanted to be the star of the show. No person could be free of that greed.

He was reminded of something he heard before. Was it from a drama? One writer said, “All people want to be the main lead of their own lives but that no one can. They weren’t living their own lives but watching it. The main lead was the one who was most loved, so it can’t be you but the person that you love. But that also means you can become the main lead in someone else’s life.”

When he first read that, he just thought it sounded overly romantic, but he now understood. It was hard to accept that saying. He always wanted to be the star, and he wanted to love himself the most. That was how much he wanted the path that Kaya and Anderson were on.

But the right path was always difficult. Cho Min Joon’s greed subsided. He tried to make it subside. When he clenched his fist, he felt soft skin. He flinched and looked around to see Chloe looking just as surprised.

“Sorry.”

“No worries.”

An awkward silence flowed between them. Cho Min Joon asked in a low voice, “Aren’t you sad?”

“About what?”

“That you can’t be the star of the show.”

“Can I be honest?”

“… Of course.”

Chloe breathed in and out. They were already half-way down the stairs close to the kitchen doors.

“This position is too much for me, but I’m not putting myself down. Compared to Kaya or Anderson, I have less passion and effort. I still have a long way to go. Do you know the law of action and reaction? When you push a rock, if you don’t have the strength to support it, you get pushed backward. The same goes for greed. If you don’t have the ability to have that greed… You’ll lose what you have, too. So I try not to be greedy.”

“… I admire that.”

“Heh, thanks.”

Chloe smiled. At this moment, the awkwardness faded away between them. The kitchen doors opened. The contestants lined up and naturally walked into the kitchen. The judges were smiling brightly. Emily spoke first, “It’s good to see you again. Thank you for making time in your busy schedules.”

“I know you’re curious. You’re probably wondering if you’re here as witnesses, judges, or helpers.”

They weren’t all that curious… because it was obvious, and it showed on their faces. Martin sighed from the side. He wished they looked more curious.

“We’ll tell you the results first. The 8 of you will be split into Kaya and Anderson’s teams, and you’ll cook according to their recipes and serve 50 customers. Also…”

Allan trailed off and looked at Joseph. Joseph continued with a smile, “And the 50 customers are chefs from all around America. Being acknowledged by them is no different from being acknowledged by the food industry of this country.”

In response, Kaya, Anderson, and the other 8 contestants showed twinkles in their eyes. What they said when they were recruited finally made sense. ‘Opportunity.’ They weren’t there for Kaya and Anderson, but it was a chance for them as well. Making an impression on them would give them a leg up in their careers.

“One week… No, there are exactly 6 days left. You must learn Kaya and Anderson’s recipes and satisfy the chefs. But of course, there’s one thing left to do before that. Emily?”

Emily looked at the 10 of them. She spoke in a calm voice,

“Let’s decide on the teams.”