God of Cooking

As he looked outside the window, many sceneries flowed slowly. Inside the shaking bus. Jo Minjoon stared at the horizon absentmindedly. Now that he thought about it, it was impossible to experience looking at the horizon with his own eyes in Korea. Because the word horizon didn’t really suit with Korea. The only place you could properly see the horizon in Korea was gimje(김제). But of course, he had never travelled to the south to just look at that.

“What’s there to look that you are looking like that?”

“It’s different to look at the horizon in Korea.”

“What? Why?”

“There are many buildings and many mountains. No, you are just unable to look because of the many mountains.”

Anderson was putting a face as if he didn’t understand. Jo Minjoon shook his hands and said.

“People from big countries like you wouldn’t be able to understand.”

“I didn’t particularly say that I wanted to.”

Anderson grumbled and turned his head. Hugo that was seated behind them smiled and said.

“Do you fight every time you meet?”

“This isn’t called fighting.”

“I wonder. In my eyes, it seems like it.”

Looking at him smiling seemed like even if they told him something, he was still going to say what he wanted to. Jo Minjoon didn’t reply and looked again outside the window. It wasn’t even a grassland, but the wild. And this wilderness was so vast it made you feel fresh.

The reason they got in the bus like this was simple. After the mission of the risotto and paella ended and after two days passed, Martin summoned them. There was only one sentence he had said. “We will move to the next mission place.” Many questions poured at him, but there was no reply.

So of course, the bus could only be filled with curiousness and frustration. Kaya grumbled while playing tetris in her handphone.

“Martin needs to suffer once to wake up. We hide his salary envelope in a secret place of his house and when he asks where it is we reply ‘It’s that place you think it is’.”

“It’s good. But nowadays, they don’t give you in cash. They deposit it directly to your bankbook.”

“Then we just have to hide his bankbook and cards. Enjoying hide and seek with Martin. Just like that.”

Everyone laughed. Marco laughed awkwardly and opened his mouth.

“But really, where could we be going to?”

“Looking at the past season, they did things like distributing food to all the soldiers.”

There was also that time when they sailed to the sea. And cooked with the fish they had caught.”

Jo Minjoon just smiled without saying anything. He remembered well where they were heading to. Because it was that fun of an episode. If it wasn’t different to the original, the place they were heading to……. He opened his mouth.

“It’s a bit boring to just go like this, wanna bet?”

“Bet? How?”

“We each bet the place we think we are going to, and the one’s who gets it wrong must pay the price to the one who won. Washing the dishes, or making food. If not, a temporary errand coupon would also be good.”

“Ah, then let’s do it like this. The person who gets it right becomes king for a whole day. And if that person orders it we have to listen to him or her. How about it?”

“That’s fine.”

At Hugo’s words, Jo Minjoon nodded. Hugo looked at his surroundings seeming to be having more fun.

“Who wants to participate? No. Who doesn’t want to?”

There were only two people who had raised their hands. Anderson, and Kaya. Hugo opened his mouth regretting it a little.

“Hey, you are the ones we want to make you work the hardest, so how can you get out?”

“It’s just like you said. If I lose, it seems like you are going to drain everything out of me.”

“You just need to win.”

Kaya raised her finger without saying anything. Of course, it wasn’t the thumb. Nor the index, ring or pinky finger. Hugo put on an astringent face and looked back at Anderson.

“Anderson. Why aren’t you playing?”

“Don’t bother me and play among yourselves. I’m going to sleep.”

Anderson just closed his eyes as if he didn’t even want to reply anymore. Hugo let out a sigh and turned his head. And he looked at the other participants and said.

“Okay. Where do you think we are going to? I’m betting in the army.”

“The hotel.”

“Hotel seems fine. Hotel for me too.”

“Restaurant for me.”

“……… A family’s house?”

Aside from them, many guesses poured. Hugo wrote the names and the places on his handphone. And he glanced at Jo Minjoon and asked.

“Minjoon. Where?”

“Rent Car.”

“……….What? What are you saying so suddenly?”

Hugo looked at him as if it was absurd. Rent car and cooking. It was a combination that didn’t suit each other at all. Even if he looked at him as if he wanted to purposefully make it funnier, Jo Minjoon was just smiling brightly. Hugo frowned and said.

“There’s no backing down later.”

–

“………This crazy.”

Hugo looked in front and said absentmindedly. The thing that welcomed them when they got down of the bus was a signboard that said ‘Rent car. We will become your feet.’ Hugo turned his head as if he couldn’t believe it. Martin was getting down in a mid size jeep car. Hugo asked.

“Rent car? Are we maybe making the food for the employees here?”

“Maybe. Wait a moment. You will soon see the mission.”

It was at that moment when Martin ended talking. From the parking lot, a loud sound rang and soon, three cars entered. Those were trucks. Foodtrucks. Only then could Hugo understand the relation of rent car and cooking. Jo Minjoon laughed and held Hugo’s shoulder.

“When should we do the king thing?”

“…….Did you expect this?”

“If I didn’t, there was no way I replied as rent car.”

“Are you extraordinary or do you bet real money……”

Hugo said with a strengthless voice. It was at that moment. The people that were getting down the food trucks were all familiar people. They were the judges. Jo Minjoon let out a laugh and looked at them. Emily sighed as if she was a bit nervous.

“It’s really difficult driving a truck.”

“You drived well, Emily.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

Emily shook her head with a worn out face at Alan’s words. Alan smirked and looked at the participants. He opened his mouth.

“Actually, showing you this much you should be able to know the theme of this mission. Yes. This is a food truck mission.”

Jo Minjoon looked at the truck with a smile. It was a size 15 people seemed able to get in. Actually, Jo Minjoon had a desire about this kind of mission. Precisely speaking, he wanted to feel getting in a food truck to travel everywhere and use the ingredients to feed the residents from all the places.

With that kind of meaning, Jo Minjoon felt this mission to be a reward for him. However, the real reward hadn’t started yet. Joseph looked at Jo Minjoon and said.

“There are three trucks. So of course, there will be three teams. And the team leaders would also be three. And one of the team leaders shall be the person who got first place in the last mission. Minjoon! Come to the front!”

At the unexpected act, Jo Minjoon walked to the front with a confused face. To be a team leader. He couldn’t even imagine that the day he would have that role would come. He could only get perplexed. Joseph continued speaking.

“There are currently 13 survivors. It’s a number that can’t be divided exactly by three. So naturally, there will be a team with 5 people in it. And Minjoon, that will be your team.”

“……..Is that a good thing?”

“Normally it would. Because you would get one hand, no, two more hands.”

Joseph talked like that and laughed. And then looked at the participants.

“And I will pick two more team leaders among you. It’s not only the last mission, but they are the people who had showed to be the most suitable to be team leader. Chloe. Hugo! Come to the front.”

Chloe and Hugo walked hurriedly to the front with a surprised face. Looking at their blushed cheeks for being nervous, Emily said in a teasing manner.

“You aren’t blushing because you are angry, right?”

“Yes? Yes! Of course.”

Chloe got surprised and shook her hands. Alan said in a calm voice.

“After you make your teams, you will have to make business traveling the zone for one week. You are free to choose what you will sell. The evaluation is simple. I will compare the ranking of you guys. To the team that got first place, they will be given a coupon to eat in a luxurious restaurant, and to the last place team, a disqualifying mission will be given. There are no rewards or punishments to the second place.”

“One week…….”

Everyone mumbled with an absent minded voice. It was longer than they had thought. However, it wasn’t that bad. They thought that they would be having fun for one whole week. But of course, their bodies would get exhausted. Because when you did something you liked, even if your body found it hard it couldn’t fight back.

“The basic funds will be supplied by us. It’s your choice to sell good ingredients expensive, or use cheap ingredients to sell it cheap. Then, let’s make the teams. Minjoon. I will give you the right to choose first. Who will you pick? By the way, they can’t deny you.”

At those words, Jo Minjoon slowly looked at the participants. There were three that got his attention. Kaya, Anderson and Marco. First, Jo Minjoon excluded Marco. His baking skills were certainly outstanding, but the combination with food truck wasn’t that good. Because he couldn’t be baking bread inside the truck.

The remaining ones were Kaya and Anderson. Actually, he would be picking Kaya based on his feelings. Because he was her fan, and was close to her. On the other hand, he and Anderson were always quarreling. They weren’t in bad terms but it couldn’t be said that they were in good terms either.

However, there were two uncertain things to just pick by skill. First, the temperament. For the temperament, he thought that the both of them wouldn’t be able to treat the customers well. No, maybe Kaya would be better off. Because she grew up in the market. She wouldn’t be frowning next to her mother while she was selling fruit.

In the case of Anderson, compared to Kaya, the good point he had was the vast knowledge about luxurious cooking. Especially, in the case of culture, Anderson was many times higher than Kaya. On the other hand, Kaya had learned many things thanks to jumping through the boundaries. Perhaps, she was similar to Jo Minjoon in that aspect.

In that moment, he remembered Kaya calling his name in the previous mission. However, this wasn’t the time to be shaken by friendship.

“……Anderson. Let’s go together.”

There was no better participant than Anderson in this kind of mission, where you didn’t know the direction it would go to. Because wherever you placed him, he could complete his role without any problems. On top of that, he didn’t really like the fact that people were thinking that they were dating.

Anderson nodded without saying anything and stood in front of him. Jo Minjoon slightly glanced at Kaya, but turned his head because he flinched. Kaya was putting on a really scary face right now.

The next was Chloe. She didn’t hesitate even a moment and opened her mouth.

“Kaya. Please come.”

And Hugo picked Marco. After each of them named three teammates, the remaining one was Peter that just like irony he had caused trouble in the last mission. After that, people tended to consider him as a participant without skills. Peter went to Jo Minjoon with an awkward face. As the last member, the only place he could go to was Jo Minjoon’s team that was possible to form a 5 man team.

And the teams conformed like that. Jo Minjoon’s team was like this. Jo Minjoon, Anderson, Ivana, Joanne, and Peter. Alan clapped and opened his mouth.

“Good. You will have to get along like this for 1 week. The fees you use in the middle will all be up to you. It will be important to calculate the sales amount and the travelling distance.”

“The customers and place. You have to grasp all of that. The only thing I tell you is that you are forbidden to do business in the same place for more than two days. Keep roaming. It’s your work to design food that will suit the location.

Joseph added. Listening to that, Jo Minjoon felt that this was a rather difficult mission. Because you had to do business, and not only cook. There were more things to think than usual.

And the one who was responsible of it all was the team leader. At that moment, he felt that reality more clearly.

< Travelling, cooking and business (1) > End

Translator’s note: Regular chapter!

Thanks for reading and for your support!

Translator : Subak

Proofreader : Maled