God of Cooking

Chapter 15: The 100 chefs (1)

The people who passed to the second round were basically set to be a hundred people. But in reality you couldn’t exactly know if there were a hundred or not. Because the broadcast didn’t show each one of them.

And right now, Jo Minjoon could know the truth.

‘98,99,100… There’s exactly a hundred.’

He didn’t know how they made it to exactly be 100. But one of his curiosities were resolved. The people who passed to the second round were a hundred. There weren’t less nor more. Exactly 100. The differences from all around the country that were elected were gathered here.

Jo Minjoon took out a zipper bag. Inside it were different coloured jellies, enlarged like worms. It was made by Jessie. After the incident on that day, whenever she was bored, she would make some jelly.

“Not delicious.”

It was an honest thought. It wasn’t sweet, nor soft. If you kept on chewing, it just hurt your mandible. And that was the worst kind of jelly. But somehow, when he chewed that, the nervousness all faded away. Should he say that it was as his parents were holding his hands?

The participants were holding conversations with the people around with a nervous face surrounded by the installed cameras. The broadcasting place was inside Grand Chef’s building in Chicago. The 5 floored building was a place only people with connections with Grand Chef could get in. Even the rooms the participants could stay were provided inside. Of course, it didn’t mean that all 100 participants could stay. The rooms for the participants were at least 30. And.

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‘That means that at least 70 of us are not going to pass.’

After letting a short sigh, Jo Minjoon turned his head. And soon put on a face. Next to him was seated a familiar person. Kaya. It was Kaya Lotus.

It wasn’t like they seated together on purpose. It was because they were both participants from New York. Although the seats weren’t assigned by countries, the participants that entered in the room ordered themselves as if they were being loaded on a truck. They weren’t an exception just because they came together from New York. The four people that passed were on a state that didn’t even know why they were like that.

“Ahem, how about we present ourselves properly? Earlier on the plane I thought I was dying of awkwardness. I’m Amanda Olsen.”

The one who opened her mouth was a fat, no, a big bodied white girl. She was a ginger with freckles, and because of the fat on her face, it was difficult to determine her age. However he was sure that she was at least on her thirties. The one who replied Amanda was a black man near Jo Minjoon’s age. He had a height that seemed to surpass 180cms but compared to his height, he was quite the timid type. He said while laughing awkwardly.

“Oh…… I’m Marco Denver.”

“Jo Minjoon.”

Jo Minjoon replied briefly. He was a bit unkind, but he didn’t want to hold a long conversation with people he would probably soon separate. He didn’t want to make friends in vain, because in case they disqualified he would feel uncomfortable. Precisely speaking, he was thinking that about Amanda. Jo Minjoon, before reincarnating used to watch Grand Chef season 3. And even knew who passed and who did not. For Kaya, it was obvious. Because she was the winner. And……

‘Marco. This person got to the top 10, probably.’

He didn’t exactly know when he got disqualified, but he remembered that he survived for quite a while. However Amanda didn’t. In the first place, Jo Minjoon didn’t even see her on the broadcast. Even if he did, that scene didn’t give him a deep impression. If that wasn’t the case, then there would be no way to not remember her.

Holding a long conversation with someone who was soon going to get disqualified, only he would feel bad. Even so, it wasn’t that he chose to distance himself only with Amanda. So Jo Minjoon chose to distance with everyone. In the first place, he wasn’t even feeling comfortable. The mission that was soon coming, Jo Minjoon knew well. So he practiced beforehand…… But he wasn’t confident that he was going to be successful.

“What about you? What’s your name?”

Amanda asked Kaya that was keeping her mouth shut. Kaya looked at Amanda. Her trademark, the smokey make up, made her eyes more frightening, but amanda just looked at Kaya laughing hospitably. At her laugh, Kaya couldn’t seem to keep acting crudely. She let a sigh and said.

“Kaya Lotus. I’m a bit sensitive, so if possible I would like to be silent.”

Her husky voiced combined well with her blunt tone of the voice. Amanda stopped for a moment, and looked at Kaya’s body. Her skinny body stood up even more next to Amanda. Amanda said with a smile. Looking at that, Jo Minjoon thought inwardly. That it could be a useless thought to distance himself from others. Until now, he didn’t have an opportunity to like a person with that kind of smile.

“Are you tired? Cooking is stamina. Being slim must be quite difficult.”

Kaya looked at Amanda flabbergasted. And slowly raised her fist. It was at that moment when Amanda looked at that fist confused. The middle finger of the fist slowly rose. Looking at the fat Amanda’s face, Kaya said with a sharp voice.

“Your jokes are lacking compared to your weight.”

Jo Minjoon couldn’t help but laugh by himself. The reason Kaya was called as the worst genius was precisely because of her attitude. Sensitive and sharp like a stray cat. Kaya Lotus was someone who could satisfy the audience by showing her wild image without the need of editing.

So rather, she became more popular. Her wild attitude was funny and pleased them. Of course it wouldn’t be so pleasurable if you were on the side that got attacked. Even so, Kaya didn’t fight anyone. She only acted like that like Amanda’s example just now.

And Amanda wasn’t as big hearted to receive that gesture. She opened her mouth while flushing her cheeks.

“You, why are you talking like……!”

However Amanda couldn’t end her sentence. Before she could say what she wanted to, steam blew out of the stage, and from the door behind it came the judges. They were Joseph, Alan and Emily. Immediately all the participants shut themselves. From the judges, Joseph was the first to speak.

“Congratulations. You are the selected few from the thousands. It’s good to feel proud just by being in this place.”

Nobody opened their mouths. Joseph looked at the participants and smiled. Alan, who was next to him, said with a cold voice.

“One of you today will become the Grand Chef. Nobody knows if that will be you, or the person next to you.”

No, Jo Minjoon knew. He knew who would be the protagonist of this competition. Jo Minjoon looked at Kaya. She was looking at the judges with an expression hard to decipher. At that moment, Kaya turned her head. Her sky blue eyes were staring at Jo Minjoon. She opened her mouth. It seemed as if she wanted to say something, but at that moment, Emily’s voice sounded from the speakers and covered Kaya’s voice.

“The winner will take 300 thousand dollars along with glory!”

Jo Minjoon opened his mouth. He didn’t have interest on the judge’s stories. However, when he wanted to say something to Kaya, his voice got covered under the cheers of the participants. Jo Minjoon let a sigh and turned his sight to the stage. When the cheers died a little, Joseph opened his mouth. It was a harsh rather than soft voice.

“Then I’ll reveal the first mission of Grand Chef.”

Along with what he said, the walls on the broadcasting zone opened. And a truck containing a huge container was coming in. Even if it was the first floor, won’t the floor collapse? The truck was so big it made people think that.

The participants looked nervously at the truck. However Jo Minjoon wasn’t. Because he knew what was inside of it. Joseph said with a rough voice.

“The menu for the first mission…”

Even before he finished speaking, the walls of the container box started to open. And at that sight, the participants laughed dumbfounded. Joseph continued speaking.

“It’s catfish.”

Inside the aquarium the many catfishes were swimming. Jo Minjoon thought of the recipe he prepared in his head. And as he did so, besides him appeared a window like always.

[The estimated cooking score is 7.]

< The 100 chefs (1) > End

Translator: Subak

Proofreader: Maled