The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 89

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 89. True Feelings
“Wow! Haran, you’re insane! Congratulations! Go out there and completely dominate those arrogant chefs! I’ll stay here in the hall and cheer you on with all my heart!”
Jin-woo threw both hands up in the air and let out a cheer.
His voice was brighter and more exaggerated than anyone else’s.
Haran blushed shyly at Jin-woo’s enthusiastic congratulations, but nodded with determination.
“Thanks, Jin-woo. I’m going to slice like crazy to really help the Owner!”
“Of course! With your knife skills, even the sous chefs at fine dining restaurants would be crying!”
“Haha. How would they cry?”
“Really! I cried so much watching your scary knife work from beside you!”
“You’re such a joker!”
“Hehe. I’m serious!”
Jin-woo laughed good-naturedly and gave Haran a thumbs up.
In the warm atmosphere, the selection of the second round’s assistant seemed to be wrapping up pleasantly.
But the moment Jin-woo turned toward the sink.
The bright smile hanging on his lips crumbled helplessly.
‘Ah… I could do well too.’
Standing before the sink, Jin-woo quietly turned on the water.
Then he looked down at his own hands.
The wet fingertips were trembling slightly.
When the Owner—no, Seonwoo earlier said he would pick an assistant.
His heart had raced wildly.
‘I really was confident this time… I worked so hard.’
He had practiced day and night without rest.
He was the one who had vowed to learn cooking first by the Owner’s side.
If there hadn’t been hope that he might be the one chosen.
That would be a blatant lie.
But Seonwoo’s gaze had landed elsewhere.
On Haran.
‘Am I… not yet qualified to stand beside the Owner…’
As he turned his head, he saw Haran’s perfect julienne on the cutting board.
Compared to Haran, the vegetables he had cut looked somehow crooked and uneven.
‘…Just like my heart.’
It felt crumpled somehow.
The contrast was cruelly stark.
‘I’m struggling with this anyway, so what would I do on broadcast?’
The pressure of live broadcasting.
To support the cooking of a hundred servings without wavering in that pressure.
Haran, who was strong in real situations, was overwhelmingly the better fit.
His mind understood it a hundred, a thousand times over.
‘But still…’
But no matter how I tried to rationalize it, a dull ache throbbed in the corner of my chest, sharp and biting.
On the surface, I played it cool, cheering and congratulating him without a hint of concern.
But inside, I found it unbearable to accept how small and pathetic I had become compared to him.
‘Someday… will I be able to stand confidently beside him like that? Will I even have the will to try?’
Jin-woo clenched his lips tightly and scrubbed his hands roughly under the cascading cold water.
A bitter sense of self-loathing he didn’t want anyone to witness.
As if he wanted to burn that self-loathing away in the icy stream and wash it helplessly down the drain.
* * *
Time flowed endlessly until Thursday came around again.
The filming day had arrived.
When the three of us entered the Broadcasting Station, it was even more crowded than before.
“Now, let’s begin the highly anticipated Round 2 live broadcast! We welcome the 100 distinguished citizen judges who will be evaluating today!”
Jang Han-su’s resonant voice rang out.
Along with it, brilliant lighting illuminated one corner of the studio.
The judges’ seating area, arranged like an audience section, held all 100 judges. They were all winners selected through applications submitted by PD Ga.
Next to it was a massive screen.
It was filled with live broadcast footage and a flood of chat messages scrolling upward.
-Wow lol am I on broadcast right now? Hi everyone
-Check out the citizen judge lineup.
-They all have such intense looks in their eyes
-Some of them look like they’re here just to get a shot at fame
-I’ll filter out all the haters with my absolute taste lol everyone just watch
-Lol how are you filtering anything through chat
-A blind taste test plus live broadcast? The PD’s planning is insane
-Lol already getting dopamine rush
-Where’s the neighborhood restaurant owner? That Jamon soup was insane last time, wonder if he’ll kill it today
The live broadcast camera panned across the faces of the judges.
Soon, people of all kinds appeared on screen.
“Oh! How did you happen to come here?”
“I’ve visited 1,500 soup restaurants across the entire nation! I came with the confidence that my palate cannot be deceived! Jamon soup? Is that even really soup?”
“Oh, so you came to offer some harsh criticism?”
“No, I came because I wanted to try it!”
“Puhahaha! Is that so? Seonwoo! What do you think about this?”
“Well, if the opportunity arises, I can prepare it for you.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. However, the ingredient costs are…”
“…I’ll pass.”
“Khrhr. Yes! I appreciated your thoughts… or rather, your impressions!”
The soup enthusiast with a towel wrapped tightly around his head.
-Lolololololol
-got pushed out by reality
All sorts of laughter bloomed in the chat window.
But he never lost his momentum.
He clenched his fist solemnly toward the camera.
The real deal was something else entirely.
“I don’t put anything in my mouth unless it’s fine dining.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Today I’ll evaluate whether this commoner’s cooking can truly satisfy my palate—very coldly and objectively.”
“Commoner’s cooking? Wow. To say such things so openly on broadcast. That’s quite something!?”
There was also a self-proclaimed absolute palate VIP adorned in luxury brands, sitting elegantly with her legs crossed.
She was the real deal.
Hahaha, crazy. Where does he live?
That guy? He’s like our parents’ generation lol
-So where does that person live?
-Why?
I’m curious, so what do you do for a living? lol
There wasn’t a single person here who could stop the real deal.
“Is that so? Is there some problem?”
“Not at all! A problem, you say? Just remember one thing, please.”
“What’s that?”
“When you signed the application, you would have checked the terms and conditions, but any misfortunes arising from you hereafter are your responsibility…!”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that….”
“Well then, next person!”
“Hey! I still need an answer…!”
The atmosphere exploded even further.
Hahaha, Jang Han-su’s crisis detection sensor has been activated.
Hahahahahahaha
-Insane… First time seeing Jang Han-su dodge.
-!&*$*&*&%
In the meantime, Jang Han-su completely averted his gaze.
“Well then, shall we hear from that person over there!”
He found someone else.
Indeed. The real deal was such a formidable existence that even Jang Han-su would avoid her.
To escape her, Jang Han-su eagerly moved to the side, then to the other side.
* * *
Jang Han-su was moving through the audience seating.
In the meantime, there was a man wearing a cap pulled low, sporting a sinister smile.
It was none other than Bang Owner of Buduramen.
‘A blind taste test where no one knows who anyone is?’
He was internally exulting.
I had submitted an application on a whim, and by sheer luck, it had been selected.
‘Let me show you just how exceptional my palate is. The moment anything that isn’t refined and sophisticated touches my tongue, I’m giving it a zero without hesitation.’
He intended to use this fortune to its fullest advantage.
By scoring anything that wasn’t sophisticated as a zero.
It was a decision born from doubt that Kim Seon-woo could ever produce something truly refined.
Jang Han-su, who had been building the atmosphere, took over.
[Alright, we’ve gathered everything we need, so let’s move on to the next round!]
He didn’t miss PD Ga’s voice, which sounded energetic.
He immediately launched into his main commentary.
“The judging format for this second round is quite simple yet brutal. First! A total of twelve contestants will be eliminated in this round! Only three will remain!”
He announced how many would be eliminated.
Then.
“Next, the rules for this round are absolutely terrifying! This round is a completely blind taste test!”
As Jang Han-su shouted, the staff sprang into action.
They distributed black blindfolds to each of the judges.
“Look at that! Those blindfolds will ensure a perfect blind taste test!”
PD Ga had the camera capture him from multiple angles.
As exclamations flooded the chat.
The commentary continued.
“The chef’s name, the dish’s appearance, no prejudice whatsoever can interfere! Only the taste that touches your tongue! Victory depends solely on that explosive flavor!”
Only taste!
At those words, sparks erupted inside the studio.
It was a device PD Ga had used with perfect timing.
“Alright! Everyone, put on your blindfolds!”
One hundred blind judges.
Plus the four original judges. Ha-yun, Sonny, Saerom, and.
As they all simultaneously put on their blindfolds, a peculiar tension descended upon the studio.
With sight blocked, only smell and taste would be heightened to their maximum.
Boom—!
Right on cue, the sound of a drum also burst forth, heightening the tension.
* * *
‘Live broadcast, mass cooking, and a blind taste test. This format really is entertaining….’
I made brief eye contact with Haran, who stood beside me. The kitchen knife in her hand gleamed sharply under the lights.
“Haran, are you ready?”
“Yes! Owner, just give the order!”
“Haha, that’s great spirit!”
One hundred and four judges with their vision completely blocked.
They held their lips firmly shut.
The moment anything entered their mouths, they were ready to chew and swallow immediately.
And below them, the chefs were scheming to tear each other down however they could.
Whether Jang Han-su had brought them or not, the competitors’ determination was extraordinary—they clearly intended to seize this tournament as an opportunity to elevate their reputations.
The atmosphere was absolutely brutal.
‘I actually prefer it this way.’
This kind of intensity was exhilarating to me.
There was something thrilling about facing formidable challenges ahead.
“Then, let the hundred-portion mass cooking culinary showdown begin!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————