Chapter 109: Chocolate Daejanggeum (3)
2 PM. École de Cuisine's Atelier Hall.
"Min-jeong was right. Goodness, how many reporters are there?"
"About 12."
Caras had been set up all around the Atelier Hall of École de Cuisine.
The reporters adjusted their caras and waited for the finals to begin.
The ceiling was made of stained glass, and sunlight stained the floor in fragnts of red and blue.
The chocolate boxes resting on silver tableware were as solemn as communion offerings on an altar.
I stood at a distance with my arms crossed, watching them alongside Bo-reum, even wearing sunglasses.
"There are a lot of people."
"It really is quite a big event."
"I was surprised too—there are more people than I expected."
The blind test event began.
"This year, our École de Cuisine marks its 30th anniversary, and we've organized a small event to celebrate. It's a chocolate showdown between the 2 most promising chocolatiers at our school! We are deeply grateful to our distinguished guests and the many citizens who have gathered for this glorious occasion."
Min-jeong turned on her translation app, and the interpretation ca through her Bluetooth earphones.
It was a little awkward in places, but the general aning ca through well enough.
Introductions of distinguished guests and other proceedings followed.
Famous figures from the confectionery world had gathered at the storied examination hall, and the professor called them up one by one, leading applause for each.
And the last person to be introduced—
"The head of the French Chocolate Association, Michel Renaud!"
A louder round of applause than any before erupted.
He wore a splendid white moustache, and I had seen him once in an article while researching chocolate.
Supposedly a legend of the French confectionery world.
Apparently the very person who founded École de Cuisine and served as its first principal.
Well, I didn't know much about that.
"When are they going to hand out the chocolate?"
Tasting samples of chocolate were brought out.
This was honestly the mont I had been looking forward to most.
I reached out a trembling hand toward the tray to pick up a chocolate.
And then—
"Oh!"
One of the servers approached Bo-reum and and extended not the tray bearing the beautiful chocolates, but a tray already picked over, with nothing but crumbs left behind.
They're even pulling this with racial discrimination?
Bo-reum's expression hardened. She let out a sigh and reached out her hand, but—
Thwack!
I'd had enough and slapped the tray out of the server's hands.
The server stumbled in panic and cried out.
"What on earth—!"
Thud!
I drove a needle strike into the server's Wind Gate Point.
The server imdiately seized up and couldn't move a muscle.
In that window, I grabbed the tray with the beautiful chocolates he had been holding, and from it, I picked out only the prettiest-shaped ones, taking a full handful.
"Bo-reum, eat these."
"Huh? What's this guy doing?"
Crack crack crack—.
I applied force and bent the rigidified server's back by force.
"Looks like he's saying sorry."
"Ah… It's fine. I'm okay."
Bo-reum nodded, and I stared the server down as I put a chocolate in my mouth.
The server trembled as he looked at .
"Tch. I'll let you off."
I shaped a drop of Gu Poison and applied it to a chocolate, then put it in the man's mouth.
"You never rember us. rci. You little bastard."
I withdrew the needle.
The server looked briefly bewildered, then imdiately fled.
He'd understand.
Even if he didn't, I didn't care.
Having had his acupoint sealed and then being forcibly bent over—he'd be laid up for at least a week.
There were too many people around, so no one paid any attention to us.
I put the chocolates I'd collected one by one into my mouth and watched the proceedings.
"Huh? Oppa, the test has changed?"
"What has."
Apparently sothing had suddenly changed the day before, and the final round was to be held across 2 matches.
The first was the blind test.
It would be ideal to make the chocolate right there on the spot and test it imdiately, but since tempering and the setting process take ti—and because the contestants might identify each other's chocolates through the preparation process—they would use chocolates made the previous day from the sa ingredients.
The second was to test chocolates made on the spot at the venue.
"Wasn't the second one not on the original schedule?"
As I was puzzling over it, Michel Renaud—the head of the Chocolate Association—took the microphone.
"I apologize for the confusion. I grew curious on my own and added one more test this morning."
It seed that even the great École de Cuisine couldn't refuse a request from a legend of the chocolate world.
That explained it.
I'd noticed there were cooking utensils in the Atelier Hall.
At any rate, the competition began.
First, Louise stepped forward.
Louise appeared with her golden hair tied tightly back, looking like a princess.
She greeted the audience gracefully in her chef's uniform.
"Louise!"
"Louise!"
Loud voices cheering her on rang out.
Tweeeeeet—!
Citizens in the audience even whistled.
They were employees from an event company that had been mobilized by Louise's side in advance.
I had seen so of the professors at École de Cuisine passing envelopes earlier.
Petty lot.
"For a drug offender, she's quite pretty."
"Sorry? What did you say, oppa?"
"Nothing."
Louise took her place at her performance station first, surrounded by cheers.
Then Min-jeong stepped out.
Scattered, quiet applause here and there.
The contrast with Louise was stark.
"……"
Min-jeong seed cowed, standing in the middle of the competition floor with her head bowed.
The sunlight and the stage lights were bright, but even that light seed to press down heavily on her shoulders, making them look all the smaller.
The applause was sparse and even that faded away weakly.
"Who's she?"
"No idea. She's Asian. Ching chong."
A few audience mbers turned and whispered to the people beside them, while the event company employees hired by Louise sat in the back rows staring at their phones.
It was then.
I drew a deep breath and shot to my feet.
"Fighting, Min-jeong!"
Clap, clap, clap!
My applause tore through the hall.
It was only 1 person clapping, but that resonance—cutting through the air with energy behind it—was no simple cheer.
I channeled the principle of the Lion's Roar into the applause.
The energy drawn up from the core traveled through my palms and spread outward, making the air ring, shaking sothing deep in every person's chest.
The wave of energy rippled outward, skimming over the heads of the audience, and struck squarely into Min-jeong's chest.
A middle-aged man seated in the front row lifted his head, and a young woman sitting beside him opened her mouth without realizing it as she looked over at .
In one corner, students from École de Cuisine wearing chef's hats stirred and turned toward the competition floor.
"Oppa……"
Min-jeong slowly raised her head.
Light seeped into those trembling eyes, and a smile gradually blood over the expression that had been as gray as ash.
The shoulders that had been drawn in slowly straightened.
Her expression changed, warm as spring arriving at the end of a long winter.
It was as if a vast army had co galloping to her side on the battlefield where she had been standing alone—as if courage had welled up from sowhere deep in her chest.
My applause quickly spread through the entire audience and beca a great roar that shook every heart.
"Min-jeong! Min-jeong!"
"Min-jeong! Petit Min-jeong!"
"Jolie! Min-jeong!"
The audience erupted in cheers and applause, calling her beautiful.
Cara flashes went off aid at a beaming Min-jeong.
【Min-jeong's heart becos as firm as a tree that will not break even in a raging storm. 500 Happiness】
Even Luise and the École de Cuisine staff all looked flustered.
"Oppa……. Thank you."
Min-jeong looked at with glistening eyes, clearly moved.
"Do your best, part-tir."
I gave her a slight smile.
"Now, everyone please quiet down."
The professors of École de Cuisine settled the noisy hall and took the microphone.
"We will now begin the final."
Two tables at the center of the Atelier Hall.
Spotlights illuminated the 2 competitors.
On one side stood Louise Ferrand.
A genius born of École de Cuisine, the woman called ‘The Witch of Fragrance’.
On the other side stood Min-jeong.
From Sanwang Technical High School on the peninsula.
Forged with ingredients from a traditional market and soju—’The Witch of the Delinquents’.
The professor holding the microphone announced the the of the chocolate test to the audience.
"The the is Identity."
Put yourself into the chocolate.
Min-jeong and Louise began making their chocolates.
Skilled hands, both of them.
Louise was fast from the very start.
Caralizing almonds while simultaneously warming the cream, grinding toasted cacao nibs in between—her movents were as fluid as an orchestra conductor's.
"She doesn't make with technique—she makes with rhythm."
One of the judges murmured.
By comparison, Min-jeong's movents were quiet.
She dropped chocolate onto baking paper one drop at a ti, reading the grain of the cacao with her eyes.
The ganache that flowed from her fingertips was as black as ink, and as smooth.
The sa ingredients—but their thods were entirely different.
Louise blended her signature aromatics: Madagascar vanilla, orange zest, and a jasmine liquid.
The fragrance carried through the air and reached even the judges' seats.
An overwhelming aromatic assault that made everyone turn their heads.
But Min-jeong worked on quietly, making sothing.
"What's that?"
"Looks like rice malt syrup, oppa."
"Rice malt syrup?"
"You know, the stuff they use for making rice cakes and sweet snacks."
It looked like a ingredient Min-jeong's mother had prepared.
Drawing inspiration from traditional Korean sweets, Min-jeong had marinated peanuts in rice malt syrup and set them in emulsified chocolate.
Instead of butter, she used a touch of perilla oil, then fried garlic chips and cacao nibs to introduce a salty, crispy note within the sweetness.
"That's out of place."
"It's so unusual."
Bo-reum watched with a worried expression.
"She hasn't given up, has she?"
"I don't think so. Look at Min-jeong's face."
Min-jeong was working with greater seriousness than I had ever seen from her.
For a mont, I was reminded of the Iron Instrunt God hamring away at his forge.
‘Shennong, sir. It looks like this truly gifted seedling is finally blossoming into what it was ant to be.’
A long ti passed, and the 2 competitors' chocolates were complete.
The finished chocolates were each taken to the kitchen for setting.
The professor from École de Cuisine took the microphone.
"Now, let's give a round of applause to our hardworking students!"
Applause followed, and then—
"Professors, please take your seats, and staff, please bring the chocolates for the blind test."
The staff ca out carrying a total of 6 chocolates on a silver tray.
Min-jeong's and Louise's chocolates had been placed together on a single tray.
The professor spoke.
"To ensure fairness in judging, all test chocolates have been made using the sa ingredients, the sa size, and the sa process. However, in order to distinguish whose is whose, each chocolate has a small marble inside."
The professor held up a tiny marble, and a photo of it appeared on the projection screen on the wall.
"The marbles are identical in size and material. However, they have been very finely processed in advance, so asurent is only possible with a machine. Which of the 2 competitors the chocolate belongs to will ultimately be determined through that."
The professor gestured toward the 3 professors serving as judges.
"Now! Our 3 judge professors will each taste 2 chocolates in turn, and simply place into the machine only the marble from whichever chocolate they consider more delicious!"
Applause followed.
Bo-reum said,
"That seems fairly fair?"
"Does it?"
"Why, oppa?"
"They called it a blind test, yet they didn't actually cover anyone's eyes."
"They said they'd check with the marbles."
"There's also the possibility that the marbles have been tampered with."
"The marbles are too small. You can't tell by the naked eye."
"And isn't it odd—all the professors are wearing glasses. Did they all go to the sa optician? I suppose France standardizes even eyewear."
"Now that you ntion it. They do call it the Paris of fashion."
It was a tense mont.
Louise looked relaxed, while Min-jeong was biting her lip as though her mouth had gone completely dry.
A single chocolate was placed on each of the 2 silver dishes in front of the judges.
The judges smiled, adjusted their glasses—and then.
"……!!"
Their expressions all froze at once.
"Hey, why are they like that? They're not eating the chocolate."
Heh heh heh.
‘That's because I got my hands on things yesterday, you see.’
The professor who had been holding the microphone grew flustered and urged them to please taste it.
But the judges only looked at one another and did not eat.
Then Michel Renaud stepped in.
"Please go ahead and eat. I'm curious."
The judges had no choice but to put the chocolates in their mouths and taste them.
They closed their eyes, their brows furrowing in concentrated effort, deliberating at length.
After a long while—
Tok—. Roll.
One judge placed a marble in the machine after agonizing deliberation, and the remaining judges followed, each reaching their decision.
The 3 marbles selected from the 6 chocolates entered the asuring machine.
The professor with the microphone went over to the judges and spoke to them, then looked up in shock.
Tweeeet—! The audience whistled, pressing for the results to be announced quickly.
The professor reluctantly climbed to the podium and, with a stiff expression, looked toward Louise.
And then the professor began the announcent.
"W—we will now announce the first result. The owner of the chocolate chosen by the first judge is……"
The professor pointed to the projector screen.
Tweeeet—!
"L—Louise!"
The professor looked as though a weight had been lifted.
"Ahh, that's a sha. Min-jeong did so well. I guess it's a bit tough after all?"
"There are still 2 left. She just needs 2 wins."
"Is that possible? After watching Louise make her chocolate earlier—she was incredible. And I heard Min-jeong has lost every match against her at school."
"Wait and see."
The professor, with a noticeably more relaxed expression, made the second announcent.
"The owner of the second chocolate is!"
Tweeeet—!
"……MJ. Min-jeong."
"Kyaaah!"
Bo-reum leaped up and threw her arms around .
Ugh, what's this about.
I pushed her away and brushed myself off like sothing dirty had gotten on .
"The third marble remains—and it will decide the final winner. I'm really curious. Just who… will the owner of the 3rd chocolate… be."
The professor pointed to the screen in a trembling voice—and then.
Tweeeet—.
Letters appeared on the display board.
MJ.
【Min-jeong thinks of you as she realizes she has done it. 5,000 Happiness】
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