Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Scandals (1)

Dont be sad, Ivanna.

Joanne patted Ivanna on the head as she sobbed. Ivanna bit down on her lip and hugged Joanne tightly.

Ill do a good job for both of us.

Okay. Just win this thing. Im cheering for you.

Joanne smiled and pat Ivanna on the back. She felt like the comforting was directed backward, but Joanne didnt care. Since Ivanna was having a hard time, she felt a little better. She felt happy that she made a real friend here.

She glanced at the other contestants. After a certain point, Joanne knew she wasnt going to win. The other contestants were too strong. In the case of Anderson, he could become the sous chef or even the head chef of a famous restaurant. After all, he didnt fall behind in terms of any basics.

Sigh, I knew this day would come.

Joanne mumbled in a sad voice. Disqualified. Today was the day that word became reality. Anderson slowly opened his mouth.

You did good.

Youre uptight until the very end, huh?

Shut up.

Anderson glanced away from the awkwardness. Saying goodbye was never easy, but that didnt mean he could leave either. They still had interviews to do. They couldnt part until the interviews were over.

In a sense, they had more time to spend together, but Joanne just felt uncomfortable. Anyone would be uncomfortable when they become the topic of pity in the room.

The mood had to change. Joanne looked back at Chloe. She then held onto her hands and grinned.

Good luck. I hope you win.

She didnt mean win the competition. Chloe flushed and laughed awkwardly. She didnt even bring it up, so it would have been weird to say she didnt like Cho Min Joon. Joanne glanced at Cho Min Joon and changed the topic.

Come to think of it, you said Chloes dish was a 9. Was it that good?

To be honest, shark fin is not a delicious ingredient. It doesnt have a flavor or scent. Although, maybe some food critics can taste something But Im not educated enough yet. Anyway, the dish was surprisingly delicious. I couldnt believe it was your first time making it.

It wasnt the first time. I made it with my mom a few times. But of course, my mom always took the lead, so I just helped out

Your mother must be an excellent cook. You said you learned pretty much everything from her.

Yeah.

Chloe nodded. Cho Min Joon was the most jealous of Anderson and Chloe. Chloe learned how to cook from her mother, and Andersons parents were professional chefs. They mustve eaten lots of delicious food since they were little. Joanne smirked and asked, Then how did Kayas taste?

Dont ask me again. I dont want to think about it.

Are you dissing my cooking?

No Just think about it rationally. Do you think I like eating that kind of thing?

I told you. Youre not cut out to be a chef. Youre so picky about ingredients. Expensive ones at that. Id eat everything just so I dont waste it.

Kayas face looked serious. Cho Min Joon spoke with an annoyed face, Dont you have taste in certain foods?

I never lived a life where I could be picky.

She answered in a self-ridiculing kind of way. Cho Min Joon glared his eyes and then said, Which part of the fried chicken do you like the most?

The wing No, wait. This is different.

Thats a preference, too.

Kaya knitted her brows and shut her mouth. She thought about what to say. Joanne, who was watching by, asked Chloe, Can I ask why you cried earlier? I didnt think you knew how to cry. Youre always so cheerful.

I feel embarrassed to talk about it.

Why? Women are pretty when they cry.

Then why dont you cry right now? You should be in this situation.

Anderson smirked and teased her. Joanne knitted her brows.

If you stay a jerk, youll never get married.

Im celibate.

Really?

Cho Min Joon was surprised by Andersons response. Anderson nodded and answered, Why are you so surprised?

I just never got that idea from you

Min Joon, dont believe him just yet. Celibates always end up getting married first.

Theres a saying like that in Korean, too.

In response to Joannes remark, Cho Min Joon nodded. Andreson glared his eyes and said, Dont judge other peoples beliefs.

Sorry, I wasnt trying to pick a fight.

She smiled and lifted up her two hands. He didnt have anything to say once she apologized. Anderson swallowed up his anger and turned around.

Kaya, who was watching the whole dispute, spoke in a cold voice,

Do you like each other or something?

It grew silent for a moment. Anderson looked back at Kaya with a raised brow. Joanne had a similar look on her face. Kaya shrugged her shoulders and said, If you dont, forget it.

That was a horrifying question.

Joanne shivered. Kaya answered in a calm voice,

You always do that to me and Min Joon.

Joanne didnt have anything to say to that. Cho Min Joon smirked and showed the palm of his hands. Kaya smirked and gave him a high 5.

The staff called Joanne first for the interviews. Once Joanne left, the awkwardness subsided a little. Chloe sighed and looked at Min Joon and said, Thanks for today.

What do you mean?

For the handkerchief and the 9 points.

I just told it like it is. You shouldnt be thankful for your results.

I still am.

Chloe smiled like a baby. Cho Min Joon scratched his nose with an awkward look on his face. Chloe smacked her lips out of hesitation and then continued,

To be honest, I wasnt confident when I was making it. I did my best but I wasnt so sure, but you smiled at me before the evaluation, and thats when I felt comforted. Since that was before you tasted my soup, I wasnt sure how it was going to go Isnt that weird?

Im glad I could help. Whats weird about that? People can think about how they want.

So I wanted to thank you if I survived. No, I was going to thank you even if I was disqualified.

He didnt have to think about how to answer Chloe. Joanne came out of the interview room and called Cho Min Joon.

Im done. Min Joon, you turn.

Oh, okay.

Chloe looked like she had more to say, but he couldnt leave the staff waiting. As soon as Cho Min Joon entered the room, Martin playfully smiled as he said, I hope you enjoyed your meal.

Im neither thankful or resentful. The dishes were good, but I still want to wash out my mouth.

He was still traumatized by Kayas stew. Chloes shark fin, on the other hand, was so flavorful that it graced his tongue. Cho Min Joon smiled bitterly as he continued, I thought about the tasting trip program you talked about the other day. After today, Im starting to change my mind.

Okay, Im sorry. Dont scare me like that, okay? I really want you to join us. Did you mean that?

Wouldnt I have to keep eating food like that? Stuff like stinky tofu, grilled tarantula, or monkey meat.

No way.

Martin grinned and Cho Min Joon sighed. He still didnt know if he was going to join that program or not. After all, if he won the show, he wouldnt be able to participate. Martin asked in a calm voice, You tried penis for the first time today. How did you feel?

It was disgusting. Beyond the dish, I just didnt want to put that food in my mouth.

Come on, chefs should be able to eat that much.

Thats career discrimination. Chefs have preferences in food, too. Look at the judges. They didnt want to eat it either, but then again, Emily seemed to be just fine But shes a food critic.

It was rare for Cho Min Joon to grumble in the interview room. That meant he was very dissatisfied. Martin looked a little sorry when the youngest producer, Robert, approached with a serious face and whispered in Martins ear. At that moment, Martins face stiffened up.

What is it? Cho Min Joon questioned. Martin hesitated before getting up.

Im sorry. Lets take a break.

Is there a problem?

Its not about you. Actually, maybe it could be. Just take a break.

Martin left with his staff. He knitted his brows and asked, Who said what?

It was posted 2 days ago. The person is claiming to be a former classmate from Kayas middle school But whether or not its true, its getting a lot of attention. Take a look.

Tess Gilly: I have something to share. I was classmates with Kaya Reuters in middle school, and the person thats conveyed on TV is really different. I know she was poor and didnt get an education, and its true that her personality sucks, but seeing her being conveyed as some poor victim with a sad history makes me want to bark. Shes just a teenage girl in puberty. Shes a total thug. Look at her relationship with Cho. Shes going around dating on that show. Thats who she really is. Just because she sold fruits at a market and took care of her sibling doesnt mean shes a good person. Also

Why is she being so harsh?

Martin frowned. He had grown close to Kaya over the days. Of course, he didnt know how Kaya felt about him, but he saw her as a little niece that he wanted to take care of, so he didnt like seeing this kind of post.

There are over 500 comments on that post, and as for views there could be over 1000 or 10000. Those people are bound to spread rumors And in the worst-case scenario, it could even end up on the news.

Call all the newspapers. Tell them well sue them for defamation if they write anything on this.

Do you think theyll be scared of that? Itd just be a civil case

Then do we just sit back and watch?

Maybe we should use it for noise marketing like Peter

Martin sighed. He looked at Robert with great disappointment.

Are you serious? You think Peter and Kaya are the same? 30% of our viewer ratings are thanks to Kaya! Kayas scandal will just turn into noise without the marketing. She wont be able to continue her character with Min Joon, and shell turn into an evil character.

What do we do?

I dont know.

Martin fell deeply into thought. He then remembered something Kaya said in an interview.

Ive gotten close to many people. 18. That seems to be a short time, but its not. Ive met all sorts of horrible and great people, and Ive gotten close to people, but Ive never actually gotten close to anyone. We might have pretended to be close, but in the end, they all left me.