Chapter 26

The first round ended seconds later, and the presentation of the food began. The scores were not revealed until after each contestant had their meals sampled.

When it was Ghuine's turn to present his food, all the judges were satisfied and impressed with the flavor. And the judges' expressions made Minjoon apprehensive. He knew his opponent would win the first round, but what about him?

Yumi turned to face her companion and noted his worried expression. She sighed as she saw the man doubt himself yet again. With a soft nudge, she whispered, "I know we'll be fine."

Minjoon returned her gaze, anxious, while he returned hers with a reassuring grin. He returned the smile and nodded. "You're right. We'll be fine," he assured himself.

After a few minutes, it was finally their turn to present their dish. Minjoon took the lead in explaining what they had created, while Yumi served each judge a plate with the sauces.

"What you see in front of you is what we created, called pizza. We made the dough as its crust and placed the tomato sauce on top, as well as cheese with some other toppings to create various flavors that will satisfy your hunger."

"Please give it a taste!" Yumi added as they began to eat.

The judges were intrigued, as they had never had or seen something like this before. Watching them examine, smell, and taste their creation made the chef gulp nervously in anticipation.

They were given comments like:

"This is amazing!"

"I've never seen such creative food."

Or, "This is very addicting; I can go for more!"

Even though it pleased them both, Minjoon was unsatisfied. He couldn't be relieved until they passed the first round.

The score was then computed minutes later. Angela was given the results by the judges to announce.

"You all did fantastic in the first round, but only four pairs will advance to the second; who could it be? Let's find out!" she said as she opened the envelope.

With a smile, she announces, "In 4th place for the 1st round are Veronica Solar and Pinky Green.”

“In 3rd place, Pan Slater and Philip Oat.”

“In 2nd place, Rain Shirét and Ghuine Shirét."

Just as Minjoon thought, his opponent would pass the first round. He had received positive feedback from the judges; it was obvious he'd be chosen.

"The last contestant who won 1st place in the 1st round is," Angela said.

There was only one pair remaining, and the tension Angela was creating made it even more nerve-wracking than it already was!

"Minjoon Seo and Yumi Mizukasa!" she exclaimed joyfully as everyone cheered for the winning contestants.

Yumi couldn't contain her joy at getting through the first round! She shifted to her partner with a delighted smile on her face, and Minjoon did the same, giving each other a high-five as their mini-celebration.

The event went by quickly, continuing with the second round. However, for this round, they started working on their dessert. The chosen ingredient is mango.

Just like the first round, they were given an hour and 30 minutes to prepare and bake their dessert.

The dessert they will be making has three layers. To quicken the process, Minjoon took care of the crust while Yumi made the filling. But first, the chef preheated the oven while Yumi chopped the mangoes into little slices and mixed them with sugar and cornstarch.

Minjoon made the crust by combining three ingredients in a large bowl. He then placed it in the food processor and pulsated it until small crumbs formed, adding cold butter as needed.

Combine the wet ingredients, then add them to the crumbs in a separate bowl, making sure the mixture is slightly crumbly.

He began by transferring two-thirds of the batter to the bottom of the baking pan, which Yumi had already covered with parchment paper. He presses them down before his companion adds the mango mixture and spreads it evenly on all four corners.

Minjoon finished by sprinkling the top with the remaining crumbles before baking them for 35 minutes. This only took them 15 minutes to prepare, leaving, again, much time before time runs out.

They waited a few minutes for it to cool before cutting it into squares and plating each plate, completing their task before time ran out.

Yumi and Minjoon were the first contenders to exhibit their desserts. As his companion explained, Minjoon served them the sweets this time.

"For this round, we decided to make something from our childhood, and we call it mango crumbles. We put in mango chunks sandwiched with our special recipe for the bottom and top layers of the crumble. A simple, delicious dessert to enjoy for snacks or events!"

"Enjoy your dessert!" Minjoon added as they took a bite.

"You never cease to impress me with your originality! It's very delicious!" exclaimed the middle judge, earning a phony smile from Yumi.

She felt awful about having to lie about these dishes being their "original" creations when they were not.

Ghuine was the last to present his dessert. A mango pie, which was their family’s original recipe. The crust was perfectly baked, and the filling glistened wonderfully on the interior.

The score for the second round was computed minutes later. Angela was given the results again by the judges to announce.

"The results have been calculated!" She said, "Only two pairs will remain. Who will stay for the third round and who will leave? Let's find out."

She opens the letter by saying, "The contestant who placed second in the 2nd round is Minjoon Seo and Yumi Mizukasa!"

Their eyes widened in unison. They weren't expecting themselves to win at all with a simple dish; nevertheless, they won!

Minjoon and Yumi smiled and embraced each other as the audience congratulated them with applause.

"The contestant who placed first in the second round is the Shirét brothers!"

Minjoon shifted to the other pair while they waved at the audience. Ghuine cast a quick glance towards Minjoon and smirked.

It was now just their team battling against each other for the final round, but it was now or never for him to prove that he is not only a skilled performer but also a professional chef.

Ghuine unintentionally ran into his brother, Rain, as they strolled alongside them. The child gave his brother a menacing glare before smiling softly.

Minjoon had a sense that the two brothers did not get along after witnessing what transpired.

There was a brief pause, and the remaining competitors were given permission to use the restroom before the third round began.

Minjoon encountered the Shirét brothers in the male washroom in the backstage area. He swiftly hid behind the open door and began to eavesdrop.

"Brother, I'll be in charge of the final round."

"We'll both handle the final round. This is done as a team, not individually."

"I don't want to lose this competition; you’ll just be in the way of my victory," Rain stated as he walked out.

Ghuine was left in disbelief in the restroom. "Brat," he murmured to himself.

Overhearing their conversation, Minjoon was indeed correct in his suspicions. The Shirét brothers had a poor relationship with one another. But to say that to your own brother was just too egoistic and cruel.

Minjoon thought as he watched his adversary walk away, "No wonder Ghuine has a nasty attitude; it runs in the family." as he entered the restroom.

***

The final round began just a few minutes after their break. Both teams were nervous about this round because they didn't have much preparation for it.

The crowd went wild; both teams were in their designated kitchens, and the judges were seated back at their seats. It was time to continue on with the event.

"And now, the Final Round of the Cooking Competition! Your theme will be…" She raised her arm above her head as someone raised a flag with their theme on it. "Family Picnic!"

"You will prepare your dish using the ingredients you brought; reusing ingredients from previous rounds is permitted; and the contestants will have two hours for the final round."

"Get Ready, Get Set," trumpets blared, and "Start Cooking!"

While the contestants were in the process of conceptualizing their chosen cuisine, the audience roared in support of the team they were rooting for.

"What are we going to make?" Minjoon inquired a little anxiously.

"Since the theme is picnic, I was thinking of making a bento. What do you think?"

"What does a bento need, though? And we'll need 3 bentos for each judge."

"It is a picnic; we can gather the judges together as if we were having a small picnic," Yumi suggested with a shrug.

Minjoon's mouth dropped open in awe at how amazing the idea was, "Noona, that's a genius idea!" He softly said.

Luckily, Yumi had brought many items and components that she believed they might require. She also brought some cute cutlery and bento boxes that were ideal for their theme!

Yumi took over the planning of their meal, and she devised a plan to put all fruits and vegetables on the first box, rice dishes on the second, and side dishes on the third.

Combining various sorts of food in the three compartments while presenting it in an appealing manner.

Minjoon is in charge of the first and second boxes because he is a speedy cook. Yumi, on the other hand, will be putting together the final box.

It took them 20 minutes to plan their food, whereas their competitor had already begun working on their dish a few minutes before.

Yumi planned to create three different flavors of karaage, fried squid rings, micro tempura, egg rolls, sweet and savory sausage rolls, and chicken balls for her box.

Minjoon, on the other hand, prepared the top box first before tackling the challenging box in order to complete the task quickly.

He planned to put strawberries, blueberries, melons, mango, peaches, apples, and salad in the first box of fruits and vegetables.

The second box contains rice egg rolls, three different flavors of onigiri, kimbab, and sushi rolls.

Yumi and Minjoon were creating something foreign, whereas the Shirét brothers were creating something familiar to the Houndlet netizens.

The two contestants were making something different from each other, and this intrigued both the judges and the audience watching.

Yumi was concentrating on the plating with 5 minutes left. Minjoon had completed plating his boxes and was now assisting her in getting the task done faster before time ran out.

The Shirét brothers were the first to take the stage, serving snacks for an afternoon picnic tea. Sandwiches, little cakes, and warm tea were elegantly served.

The judges were enjoying every dish, but one judge wasn't satisfied with what they'd created for the theme.

She wasn't impressed with the concept they came up with because it was a common meal, but she was impressed with how delicious the meals were.

When it was Minjoon and Yumi's turn, they presented them with a plain box. It didn't pique the judges' interest, but it most certainly perplexed them.

"A box?" one of the judges wondered.

"May I request the judges to stand in front of this box?" Yumi said.

They all gazed at each other in bewilderment, but they followed her request anyway. They stood up and walked towards them, encircling the box in front of them.

"What Minjoon and I thought of is," Yumi drew out three boxes and showed the judges and audience the nicely arranged dishes within each box. "Hanami," she continued.

"Hanami?"

"From where I live, Hana means flower and mi is short for sightseeing. Put them together, 'Flower sightseeing'. When I was a kid, my parents and I would have a picnic in a park while viewing nature around us, especially the beautiful flowers," she explained. "We gather around like a family and dig in to feast together as we enjoy each other's company as well as nature."

"Please take a bite!" Minjoon added, handing them dinner forks to delve into the tiny feast.

They have introduced something new in this dimension yet again, and they are unsure if they should be concerned or not.

[Minutes Later]

The judges had completed tasting both contenders' dishes, and everyone, including the audience, was waiting for the results with bated breath.

Minjoon was just as nervous as Yumi, but the Shirét brothers weren't nearly as nervous. They gave out an entirely different vibe, appearing quite confident, which irritated Minjoon.

"We finally have the result!" Angela exclaimed, causing everyone to become even more apprehensive than before. She handed the microphone over to the head judge, who would announce the winner of this cooking competition.

"Both pairs did an absolutely fantastic job with the battle. But of course, every competition should have a winner. Remember, when we announce who the winner is, that doesn't mean the pair who didn't get called out is untalented. You all did fantastic, and you all deserve a round of applause!"

The judge then looked at the result card she was holding and continued, "We computed all of the judges' scores for each pair, and it came to a winner."

"Congratulations to…"

Minjoon gulped uneasily as Yumi clutched her hands together, praying for success.

"MINJOON SEO AND YUMI MIZUKASA!"

When the result was announced, Ghuine jolted his attention to the winning pair in shock that their names weren't called instead.

Yumi turned to Minjoon, her eyes widening in surprise, and he did the same as the audience applauded their victory.

They both hugged each other in euphoria before heading to the stage to get their trophy and a 10-diamond award as everyone cheered them on.

[Yumi’s P.O.V]

We were congratulated by the contestants who did not make it after winning the competition. As a result, it took us a while to leave the arena.

And when we did, we found our friends waiting for us outside. They ran over to us as soon as they saw us, cheering for our success and giving us all a group hug.

Angela noticed what was going on when she exited the arena and raced in to join the hug.

"Congratulations, Minjoon-ah, Yumi noona!" Jeongmin exclaimed, beaming.

"I knew you guys would win!" said Sujin.

"I can't believe we won!" exclaimed Minjoon.

It had been years since he had joined a cooking competition, and years since he had won first place.

Even though he shouldn't be concerned about his position at the top, he couldn't help but strive for it.

"Same here; who would've thought we would win?" I laughed.

"Let's celebrate!" Jaeseong said, his arms over the chef's shoulder.

"To the cottage we go to celebrate!" Heric said joyfully, eliciting another loud cheer from the crowd as we made our way back to the cabin on foot.

However, one’s fortune was another man's misfortune. When Minjoon looked around, he noticed Ghuine watching them from one of the windows.

From below, he couldn't see his expression, but he was envious. He wasn't happy with the outcome, and it was clear.