Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Three plates and one cooking (1)

“This mission is a team mission.”

The contestants mumbled in response to Joseph’s announcement. Cho Min Joon kept his mouth shut and listened carefully. He knew that this one would be a team battle. He also knew the topic.

“The topic is simple. Make a team of 3, then cook an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert as a team. You should cook what you’re in charge of, but don’t forget that this is a team mission.”

A course meal. It was a simple 3-course meal. However, it was more difficult than a single one since a 3-course meal had to establish its own balance.

Also, it was more difficult because he had to work with strangers. Cho Min Joon clicked his tongue. He wasn’t liked very much at the moment. This wasn’t a very good situation for him.

“You may decide on your teams on your own, but you must remember that you each take care of one dish. Please remember that when you decide.”

Once Joseph finished, the contestants looked around. The first person Cho Min Joon looked for was Marco. He wasn’t well-known yet, but he was a level 7 in breadmaking. He was probably the best bet for making a dessert.

But when he reached Marco, he was already with someone else. Cho Min Joon was shocked to see her face. It was an unexpected person, Chloe Chung.

“Oh, Min Joon!”

Marco called Cho Min Joon with a bright smile. Cho Min Joon slowly walked over. When he looked over at Chloe, Marco asked, “You saw her on TV, right? This is Chloe Chung. This is Cho Min Joon.”

“Hello, Famous Person.”

“…Hey.”

Cho Min Joon answered bitterly to Chloe’s greeting. Marco smiled and then said, “I was actually talking to Chloe about teams. How about you, Min Joon? Do you want to join?”

“Sure…”

Cho Min Joon trailed off and looked at Chloe. Chloe smiled and said, “Yeah, me too. I enjoyed watching you cook your snapper.”

“Thanks. I liked yours, too.”

Chloe flashed him a smile. She didn’t seem to dislike him after what happened yesterday, so Cho Min Joon felt relieved. Chloe’s face looked like that of an Asian. Chloe then asked softly.

“Then, are we a team?”

“Yup. Which parts do you want? We can’t overlap.”

Cho Min Joon looked over at Marco. He knew which one Marco would pick. He was a level 7 in breadmaking. That was a level that couldn’t be beat with simple effort. And as expected, Marco answered, “I want to make the dessert. My specialty is bread or cake.”

“Great. Min Joon, what about you?”

“I like to make appetizers.”

“Then I’ll take main.”

“Is that what you wanted?”

“I like both appetizer and main. As long as it’s not dessert, that’s fine.”

Cho Min Joon looked around as he listened. He saw Kaya. She was talking to Anderson. Were they a team? He didn’t remember. Cho Min Joon turned back. This wasn’t the time to think about that.

“What’s the theme?”

“I’m not sure… Since there are only 3 courses, it’s extra hard.”

Cho Min Joon agreed with Chloe. It was more comfortable to be certain about the direction. It was difficult to create a good combination with just an appetizer, main, and dessert.

‘If I level up some more, will I see points for course arrangements?’

There was no way of knowing. If he was level 8, he wouldn’t even need to worry about the system’s recommendations. But in order to get there, a lot more effort and experience was needed. Cho Min Joon then said, “I think we’re better off going the safe route. This is no time to experiment.”

“Hm, I agree.”

“Let’s go to the ingredient corner.”

On their way to the ingredient corner, Cho Min Joon asked, “What kind of main are you thinking of?”

Appetizers changed depending on what the main course was. Chloe gave it some thought before she answered.

“I want to make fish-flavored Guanzi.”

Chloe then looked at Cho Min Joon.

“What about the appetizer?”

“Fried soft tofu. Would that go with your Guanzi?”

“Hmm…sounds good to me. What about you, Marco?”

In response to Chloe’s question, Marco was taken aback. It seemed that he had too many ideas in his head. After a few moments only then did Marco respond.

“Mocha Biscuits. I’m going to put fresh cream on top… Would that be too heavy?”

“Hm, a little. What if you used plain yogurt instead? To make it taste cleaner and more refreshing.”

“Okay.”

Marco smiled and nodded. Chloe clapped her hands together and then said, “Okay, now that’s decided…we just have to do the cooking.”

“When did you get close to Chloe?”

“I’m not sure. She talked to me first when they told us to form teams.”

“Really? Hm.”

Cho Min Joon chatted with Marco at their cooking station. He had no choice but to feel strange around Chloe. He had never met her before. Then again, it could have been a coincidence to meet so suddenly. There were now 27 contestants left, so it wasn’t strange that Chloe talked to Marco.

It was just unexpected. Why did the contestant with one of the highest levels associate with him? And are they a team now? He had such suspicious thoughts, but he didn’t remember. Chloe really didn’t get much attention on Grand Chef.

“The rules are so strict.”

Before the cooking began, the judges introduced the rules. The contestants could only touch their own dishes. At this point, it was more of an individual mission that a group mission.

There were currently 3 cooking stations. That made sense considering that there were 9 teams. They also planned to evaluate the groups in three parts. That meant that the remaining 6 teams were waiting upstairs on the balcony.

Cho Min Joon was in the first group. He wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or not, but Cho Min Joon preferred it this way. He wouldn’t have to feel nervous while watching the other teams go first.

Cho Min Joon looked at the table beside him. Kaya and Anderson were preparing their dishes. He remembered how Kaya got mad at him yesterday and felt bitter.

‘I should just focus on my cooking.’

As he thought this to himself, he imagined the fried soft tofu recipe in his head.

[The predicted cooking score is 7 points.]

The recipe was perfect. At least, according to Cho Min Joon’s standards. He had made this dish many times before. He liked tofu, and fried tofu was one of his favorites after the tofu in Kimchi stew.

It was a dish that could be easily made at home, but the same flavors couldn’t be produced by just frying it in a pan. He had to cover the tofu in starch and put it in boiling oil to get the right color.

However, he was able to use as much oil as he wanted here. The thought of being able to make a proper fried dish excited him.

Cho Min Joon looked at the mouths of the judges. As he looked, one of them slowly opened. It was Joseph’s.

“You may now begin!”