Chapter 56
David Chen stared at him for a moment, then picked up his fork and knife.
He cut the croquette in half.
Inside the crispy coating, colorful filling appeared with steam rising from it.
With a doubtful look, he cut off a small piece, lightly dipped it into the aged kimchi aioli sauce, and brought it to his mouth.
'Mm!'
The next moment,
'Th, this is unbelievable!!'
Crunch!
As the crisp coating shattered with a satisfying sound, the soft and moist potato mixture wrapped around his tongue.
Then came the sharp, tingling flavor unique to fermented skate, the savory juices of pork, and the deep umami of aged kimchi, all sweeping through his mouth like a storm.
The three flavors each showed their own distinct character, yet strangely enough, they created the perfect harmony of samhap.
The strong aroma of fermented skate was gently softened by the potato and fried coating.
Instead, its sharpness became the perfect accent that cut through the richness of the pork.
The aged kimchi aioli sauce served beside it brought freshness and richness together, tying all the flavors into one and creating a spectacular finale to the feast.
"Unbelievable...."
David Chen unconsciously spoke in English.
He closed his eyes and savored the lingering flavor on his tongue.
"It's like a kiss... There's romance in it...."
This was the crystallization of creativity and wisdom, born from the worst possible ingredient and a hopeless situation.
The power to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
Was that not one of the greatest qualities a true chef should possess?
"Mr. Hong Man-gi, you are... truly remarkable."
He continued in a trembling voice.
"This is more perfect than any fermented skate dish I've ever tasted, no, more perfect than any fried dish I've ever tasted. This creative idea that turned a crisis into an opportunity, this is the true ability of a chef! The best dish today is this one!"
David Chen's overwhelming praise sent shockwaves through the studio.
Master Kang Min-jung also tasted the croquette with trembling hands.
A smile of admiration soon spread across her face as well.
"Heh, this really is something remarkable."
She let out a disbelieving laugh.
"You took skate samhap, one of the most Korean food combinations imaginable, and expressed it through one of the most globally familiar forms, a croquette. It completely shattered this old woman's fixed ideas in an instant. This is truly youthful and daring cooking."
She looked warmly between Hong Man-gi and Edward Kang.
"More than anything, I feel that this dish contains the story of two people overcoming conflict and finding harmony. It couldn't have been easy, but two chefs with completely different personalities and backgrounds became one during a crisis and created this flavor together. For today's theme, 'The Most Korean Globalization,' I cannot imagine a dish more fitting than this. The best flavor today is this dish."
Master Kang Min-jung stood and applauded the two chefs.
Following her lead, everyone in the studio rose to their feet and sent them enthusiastic applause and cheers.
The foreign judging panel also forgot their fear of the unfamiliar ingredient called fermented skate.
They reacted passionately to the crispy and savory croquettes, repeatedly raising their thumbs and shouting,
"Wonderful!"
"Amazing!"
The result was obvious.
"The final result of Round 2! By an overwhelming score difference, the Hong Man-gi and Edward Kang team takes first place! Both chefs advance to the final!"
At Producer Gu Sang-hoon's announcement, the studio once again erupted into a festival-like atmosphere.
Hong Man-gi, Lee Yu-han, and Edward Kang embraced one another and celebrated.
From the worst possible crisis, they had created the brightest miracle.
After the round ended, Edward Kang approached Hong Man-gi and bowed deeply.
There was no arrogance left on his face.
Only sincere respect and regret.
"Mr. Hong Man-gi, no, Chef Hong. I am truly sorry about today. And I am sincerely grateful. I learned so much from you."
He held out his hand toward Hong Man-gi.
"We'll meet as enemies in the final, but let's compete fairly. It will be an honor to compete against a chef like you."
Hong Man-gi smiled and shook his hand.
"The honor is mine, Chef Kang."
The two shook hands, finally acknowledging each other as true rivals and fellow chefs.
A burning sense of companionship had bloomed from the ashes of despair.
Perhaps it was even more valuable than the greatest dish they had created today.
But now, they were enemies once again.
Only one thing remained.
The final battle for the title of Blue and White Cooking King.
* * *
The next day.
After the fierce second round of Blue and White Cooking King ended, several days of rest were given before the final.
Hong Man-gi hung a sign reading "Temporarily Closed" on the door of Full Moon Restaurant.
He needed time to clear away the lingering tension from the intense competition and recharge himself for the final battle ahead.
There was no need to keep operating the restaurant and serving customers during that time.
"Hup!"
Hong Man-gi rolled up his sleeves and began wiping the restaurant floor.
Lee Yu-han was beside him, carefully cleaning every corner of the tables and chairs.
It was a peaceful morning they had not enjoyed in quite some time.
The two worked silently, but comfortably, cleaning and reorganizing the restaurant together.
At that moment,
a fluffy ball of white fur suddenly popped into existence near the kitchen.
It was Poming.
Hong Man-gi had summoned her thirty minutes earlier.
Perhaps because it had been a while since she had appeared, Poming was happily flying around the restaurant on her own, fooling around.
After sniffing here and there around the kitchen, Poming flew onto Hong Man-gi's shoulder, puffed out her tiny chest, and put on an arrogant expression.
"Ahem! Chef! Mr. Lee Yu-han! No matter how much I think about it, the reason you two performed that well on Blue and White Cooking King is obviously because of Poming. Right? But now that I think about it, you did that well even without Poming there. As expected of my personal disciples!"
Poming bragged as though she had personally directed everything.
"You reached the final because of all the ultimate dishes Poming taught you, you know that, right? How was the shocking flavor of Spicy Cream Jeyuk Rice Bowl? Didn't the judges practically faint after tasting it? And when are you going to use Black Sesame Teriyaki Pork Belly Braise and Doenjang Cheese Risotto? You're saving them as ultimate weapons for the final, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I understand. It was thanks to you, so could you please be quiet for a little while?"
"Ahem!"
Poming continued chattering without pause while flying around the two of them.
Her voice carried the childish complaint of someone who desperately wanted her contribution acknowledged, but it also contained genuine pride in the two.
"Fine, fine. Yes. It was all thanks to you. Without you, we might've gotten eliminated immediately in the preliminary round."
"Hehe! Right? Right?!"
Lee Yu-han joined in with a smile.
"Poming's ideas really helped us a lot. But can't you come with us for the final? We'd be invincible if Poming was there."
At Lee Yu-han's words, Poming's expression instantly became gloomy.
"Hmm. Chef said Poming is a summon, so I can't carelessly appear in front of broadcasting cameras and things like that. The Association might find some excuse to come and capture me. Honestly, Poming knows that even without me, Chef has already become an incredibly strong Hunter. And I'm sure you'll rise to the very top in cooking too. So... it's disappointing, but Poming has no choice but to cheer for you two from behind the scenes. But! I'll prepare one more absolutely incredible ultimate dish for the final!"
Just as Poming recovered her energy and raised her fists,
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the restaurant door.
Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han exchanged puzzled looks.
They had put up a "Temporarily Closed" sign.
Who could it be?
"Could it be a customer?"
"Who knows? We haven't advertised enough to get that kind of attention yet, and we even put up the temporary closure sign...."
Hong Man-gi turned toward the door.
Standing outside were two completely unexpected people.
French chef Edward Kang, who had teamed up with them in Round 2, and Master Lee Seon-young, the Korean cuisine expert who had been their rival.
Instead of the flashy chef uniforms they had worn at the studio, both were dressed in comfortable casual clothes.
"Oh? Hello! What brings you here?"
"Mr. Hong Man-gi. No, Chef Hong."
Edward Kang awkwardly spoke first.
The arrogant attitude he had shown at the studio a few days earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he looked strangely hesitant.
"I'm a little worried that we may be interrupting... Would it be all right if we came inside?"
Master Lee Seon-young asked with a gentle smile.
Hong Man-gi was briefly surprised, but he quickly welcomed them inside.
"Of course. You're not interrupting at all. Please come in. But what brings the two of you here...?"
Edward Kang and Master Lee Seon-young entered and looked around the simple but cozy interior of Full Moon Restaurant with interested expressions.
"Heh, so this is the famous Full Moon Restaurant. It really is warm and welcoming."
Master Lee Seon-young spoke admiringly.
Then her gaze moved toward Poming, who had been proudly showing off her cuteness while causing a commotion.
"I heard that you're a Hunter... but what is that little puppy-like creature? It looks like a puppy, but also not quite... Don't tell me... you brought a monster out into society?"
Master Lee Seon-young swallowed nervously.
Poming immediately shouted in excitement.
"A monster?! I'm not a monster! I'm a summon! I serve Hunter Hong Man-gi!"
"A summon? Ah... I think I heard stories about them when I was very young... but this is my first time meeting one. Nice to meet you, Ms. Summon...."
"Ahem!"
Edward Kang hesitated for a moment.
Then, as if finally deciding to say it, he spoke to Hong Man-gi.
"Chef Hong. The reason I came is... before the final, why don't we all go camping somewhere outside the city to clear our heads?"
It was an unexpected suggestion.
It seemed that he wanted to express his regret and gratitude over what had happened during Round 2.
But perhaps his pride would not allow him to say it directly.
So he was trying to express his feelings in his own awkward way.
Master Lee Seon-young gently supported his suggestion.
"I have some excellent medicinal rice wine that I've been aging, and it feels like a waste to drink it alone. I would like to share it with good people like you and young Yu-han here... What do you think?"
Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han looked at each other in surprise.
They might be opponents on television, but outside the broadcast, these were unquestionably some of the best chefs in Korea.
They had never imagined that people like them would invite them to go camping together.
Seeing the sincerity in their eyes, Hong Man-gi soon smiled.
"Sounds good. We'd be honored. We'll come with you."
"Yes! I'd really like that too!"
Lee Yu-han enthusiastically agreed.
And so, four people who had been rivals only yesterday prepared to leave on a slightly awkward but exciting camping trip together.
