Chapter 44: Unexpected fame (1)

While Kaya’s team was in the middle of that, Martin was treating an unexpected customer. Emily Potter. It was her.

Of course, it wouldn’t be too weird to see them together. Because in the first place, they were director and performer. But right now, Emily didn’t seek Martin as a performer.

Emily smiled brightly.

“It’s been a while, since we met in a place without cameras, Martin.”

“Yes. But what happened? Are you going to agree to that proposal I made?”

Martin looked at her expectantly but Emily shook her head. Martin didn’t get disappointed and asked.

“Then why……?”

“Well, as you and I are both busy people I will go straight to the point. About that proposal, i’m thinking about it. About the tasting program that follows after Grand Chef.”

“Saying that you are thinking about it means that you have some kind of proposal?”

“You are right. You really are tactful. I want Jo Minjoon.”

At those words, Martin’s face got strange. Only then did Emily think that saying that she wanted Jo Minjoon could be interpreted in many ways. However, there was no need to correct it. Because Martin wasn’t the kind of person to not know the meaning of it. He opened his mouth.

“Is it because of his talent in tasting?”

“Yes. If the performers of the program aren’t set yet, you can at least put me and Jo Minjoon.”

“But what is Jo minjoon thinking……?”

“That’s not a problem I should be worrying about. Isn’t the director in charge of recruiting?”

Emily’s words were right. Martin fell in his thoughts. Aside from Jo Minjoon’s opinion, he could only think if the combination was the ideal one. Originally, the program Martin thought of was about sending epicureans with good reputation on a tasting travel. However.

‘Will Jo Minjoon fit in that kind of place?’

Of course, it was true that Jo Minjoon’s sense of taste was well developed. Wasn’t the sensitiveness of his tongue not comparable to any of the epicureans? But although Jo Minjoon was a pearl, he was in a non polished state. He still felt unrest letting him star as an epicurean.

And Emily saw Martin’s uneasiness.

“Of course, it would be a bit different to what you had in plan. But I promise you. Although the direction changes a little, the fun wouldn’t.”

“I agree with that. Because aside from Jo Minjoon’s talent, he can plentily become a star.”

“Then I will be waiting for a good response. Call me when you have decided.”

“Whew………The work has increased.”

“Increased? Did you have other work to do?”

At Emily’s question, Martin let out a sigh bitterly. He replied with an exhausted voice.

“There surged a little problem in Kaya’s team. Precisely speaking, it would be better to say that discord formed.”

“Well, I was also uneasy. Kaya is a good chef, but she’s not the type to guide a person. Who did she clash with?”

“Peter Gray. It was him.”

“Ah……..”

Emily nodded as if she had understood. Peter’s skill was fairly good, but his character was really back. But his skills were only good if you talked about the early stages of the qualifying rounds. The participants that survived didn’t have bad skills, and compared to them, he had quite a lot of lacking points. And even Peter himself would be feeling that.

Even so, saying that a fierce character got fiercer wasn’t a weird thing to say. Emily opened her mouth.

“However, isn’t it unrelevant? In your case, it would be better if that kind of trouble surges up because you can use it for broadcasting material. Shouldn’t you rather be more happy?”

“Of course, I should be if it was only broadcasted. But in the end, this broadcast flows through the participants. If by chance, a bad atmosphere spreads, their attitudes and emotions will also be transmitted through the screen. If you take into account the long term, it isn’t good.”

“In the end it’s that. That you have to take care of the participants mental health to a point. Right?”

“You are right.”

Martin nodded. It was at that moment. Emily fell in her thoughts for a moment and clapped her hands and opened her mouth.

“Now that I think about it, the fourth episode is broadcasted today, right? What is it about? Depending on the contents, the moods of the participants would also differ like heaven and earth.”

Martin replied with an awkward smile.

–

After finishing dinner, Jo Minjoon and the teammates all gathered in the resting room. Peter, that was feeling bad and went back to his room, came out as if he was also curious about the broadcast. It was also an obvious thing for the other team to come out. Jo Minjoon poked Marco’s side and asked.

“What did you get in charge of?”

“It’s a secret. They told me not to say it.”

“Ey, you can at least tell me that. Even so, it’s really obvious. It’s dessert right?”

Marco didn’t reply and rolled his eyes. It was at that moment. Anderson grabbed Marco’s arm and stood up from the place. Anderson was looking at Jo Minjoon coldly.

“What are you doing acting like a spy?”

“I’m a spy?”

“Of course, how else can you express stealing information?”

“Honestly, doesn’t it not matter?”

“You don’t know about that. So what are you in charge of?”

“I’m………”

Jo Minjoon was about to reply when he frowned.

“You don’t want to tell me but you want me to tell you?”

“I want to say those words back at you.”

“Leave it. I’m not curious.”

Jo Minjoon snorted and turned his head. Anderson looked at Jo Minjoon acting like that, and after he laughed coldly he dragged Marco and said.

“Don’t play with the other team. Especially with that guy. He’s a guy that has his insides black.”

“Ah, no……. Sorry Minjoon. I will leave.”

Jo Minjoon looked at Anderson and Marco getting farther and put on a perplexed face. Anderson was Anderson, but looking at Marco, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of betrayal. Could this feeling be described like when you were in school. When your friend you used to believe was your best friend goes and play with another guy when the class separates in half.

“You got dumped?”

Chloe sat next to him and asked teasingly. Jo Minjoon let out a laugh and replied.

“What are you talking about?”

Jo Minjoon looked back at Chloe. She was rather well dressed up. She was wearing a lined bandana on her head, and a red and white flowered one piece. Actually, it was a fashion he didn’t know how to evaluate. It seemed like an alps girl from the 80’s and a korean girl were standing in a boundary line. Jo Minjoon said awkwardly.

“Those clothes are pretty.”

“Really? Actually, I really like them.”

Maybe, if he had said that it was weird, she would have gotten depressed. Jo Minjoon let out a sigh of relief and changed the subject.

“And Peter?”

“He seemed to have calmed down a lot. Compared to before, he became milder.”

“What a relief. You made so he didn’t approach Kaya, right?”

“In the first place, even if I tried to make them see each other, they wouldn’t even get close.”

“Well, he also doesn’t want to get close to you.”

Jo Minjoon shrugged his shoulders. Saying the truth, it seemed like Peter was more disappointed than Kaya. Because he had bad mouthed them, and also evaluated his dish as a 5. He could think that he was hated. Chloe let out a sigh.

“You said what you needed to. You did well.”

“But I didn’t say that I regretted it.”

“You seemed bothered.”

“How could I get to that point?”

“It would be good if you are weren’t..”

Chloe talked like that and put on a light smile. It was a smile you couldn’t hate. Jo Minjoon shut his mouth and turned his head. The broadcast was starting.

The fourth episode was about the qualifying rounds, like it was announced previously. It started in Grand Chef’s house along the participant’s faces and admiration noises. Among those, there were unfamiliar faces and also ones that were not present in this place.

After the participants, a scene which the judges presented Grand Chef passed, and after that was the catfish. The perplexed faces of the participants were shown in front of the wiggling catfish but among those, Jo Minjoon’s comparatively calm face flashed through the screen. Chloe exclaimed and poked Jo Minjoon’s shoulder.

“Did you see? Did you see? You appeared just then.”

“I did.”

Jo Minjoon replied with a calm voice and kept watching at the screen. And he could feel how competitive was that mission. There were many participants that were kicked out for not being able to trim the fish well. It was a situation where they had to shorten a hundred people to a few tens. The level of the evaluation was quite harsh, so he felt quite proud to have passed that mission.

While he was thinking about those things, the screen showed Jo Minjoon. It wasn’t that he flashed by just like before, but a scene where he was cooking properly was shown. The way he was frying the catfish skin, and how he was making puré sauce. And aside from him, participants like Kaya, Anderson, Chloe or Hugo were also shown. Jo Minjoon let out a sigh and said.

“……..I will be mentioned in the internet, right?”

“You don’t want that?”

“I don’t, but i’m also expecting to it. If only good words were posted, why would I not like it? However, the ill comments that were casually posted were quite hurting.”

“If we are like that, then how hard should it be for Kaya? Whew, I would feel more comfortable if internet didn’t exist.”

At Chloe’s words, Jo Minjoon looked at Kaya. She was almost glaring at the TV from a separated seat with her usual cold face. Was she nervous? Jo Minjoon whispered to Chloe.

“Go next to Kaya. I think that if I go now, she will start to grumble.”

“Okay.”

Chloe got up and sat next to Kaya. Fortunately, Kaya didn’t get annoyed at her. Rather, a smile was formed in an instant, so it seemed that in heart, she wanted her to come.

The broadcast was soon ending. Good comments and bad ones from the participants were said, and after the logo of Grand Chef showed up, the screen turned black. It was at that moment when the participants started to stand up thinking that it had ended. The screen brightened up a little and it showed Jo Minjoon’s image.

And at that moment, Jo Minjoon let out a sigh. Because the ones that were on the screen were Kaya and himself. It seemed like they just inserted the sounds of their microphones, but in the TV only the sound of tableware clashing and the conversation from Kaya and Jo Minjoon was heard.

“It’s delicious.”

“Yours too.”

Making their lingering voices as the ending, the broadcast finally ended. Jo Minjoon couldn’t help but get bewildered. Just what was that scene for them to edit it and to show it like a cut scene that came after a movie?

Hugo that was seated in front of them turned his head. He grinned and said.

“It’s delicious.”

“Yours too.”

At Hugo’s words, another voice was heard immediately. This voice was so close that he could even feel the heat coming from the mouth in his neck. As he looked back surprisedly, he saw Carlos looking at him treacherously. Jo Minjoon frowned and said.

“It’s edited.”

“Carlos. Do you hear something?”

“What? A lie?”

“A conscience ripping sound.”

“…….You have to also get through that to get ahold of yourselves.”

Jo Minjoon replied hopelessly. It was at that moment when Carlos and Hugo were grinning and teasing Jo Minjoon. Joanne came running as if she was surprised at something. And she was even wearing high heels.

“Loo, look at this. You rose in the search engines!”

“…….Who?”

Jo Minjoon asked thinking ‘maybe’. Joanne showed her handphone as if he was asking something obvious. Jo Minjoon’s face froze. The name, no, the names that rose in the portal’s search engine were quite familiar.

3 NEW — Jo Min Jun and Kaya Lotus

< Unexpected fame (1) > End

Translator’s note: Regular chapter. Thanks for reading and for your support!

Translator : Subak

Proofreader : Maled