Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 207: Master of Mukbang Audition (1)

"Hello. I am Lee Jin-Taek, a third-year student at the Korean Culinary Talent High School."

The Korean Culinary Talent High School was a school where aspiring professional chefs fiercely competed for admission.

I had heard that one must be able to cook hotel-level meals just to get admitted.

'But he's a third-year high school student there?' I thought.

That meant he must have the skills of a fairly competent restaurant chef. He even said that he brought his own special knife.

"A pro showed up where amateurs are playing around," I responded to his introduction.

Lee Jin-Taek waved his hands dismissively. "Ha ha, I'm not a pro at all."

Only then could I understand why Ma Dong-Pal wore such a confident expression.

I took a slight glance at Haru in case he was discouraged. But fortunately, Haru didn’t seem intimidated.

'I'm so proud of him,' I remarked inwardly.

After the previous incident with Woo Sung-Chan, Haru had matured mentally. But that's when Haru gave an unexpected response.

"My name is Haru, a third-year student at Hanyoung Arts Junior High. I learned cooking from the cafeteria ladies."

Lee Jin-Taek burst out laughing at Haru's confident response. "Pfft. School meals... Ahem. I'm sorry, I just didn’t see that coming."

I frowned. 'What? What’s wrong with learning from the cafeteria ladies?'

I did not need to be discouraged when Haru was standing proud.

But Lee Jin-Taek began to make a relieved expression as if he had no reason to worry about it.

At that moment, Yoo Hyun-Ji announced the start of the audition. "Alright, it looks like everyone who’s supposed to be here has arrived. Talent agents, please step back and actors come forward."

At the same time, the actors started moving forward and separated from their talent agents.

Ma Dong-Pal waved his hand and moved aside with Lee Jin-Taek. "See you later then."

Haru was also ready to face the judges. I stopped Haru before leaving and started giving my final advice.

"Haru, listen carefully. This isn’t a cooking competition but an audition to find the lead for Master of Mukbang. They are going to pick the best Park Ill-Sik, not the best chef. You got that?"

Haru nodded. "Yes. I’ll pay attention not only to cooking but also to acting."

I pointed to the two cameras stationed on either side of the judges' seats. "No, you need to pay much more attention than you think. Once you step forward, the cameras will start rolling. See the camera directors on both sides?"

"Yes, I see them."

"It might be nerve-wracking, but once you stand in front of the judges, think of yourself as Park Ill-Sik in the cooking contest. Remember the script when you're stuck."

As I advised him on how to act and how to think, Haru’s face seemed to brighten a little bit.

"Okay, hyung. I’ll do my best and come back."

"I believe in you," I encouraged him.

After hearing Haru’s reassuring response, I gently pushed his back. "You got this!"

Haru walked forward to face the judges.

***

The judges included food franchise expert President Baek Jong-Suk, world-renowned chef Eric Park, Yoo Hyun-Ji, and Kim Tae-Chon.

"Alright. First up for the audition, President Baek and Chef Eric will have you recreate rolled omelets and soybean paste stew."

At that moment, Lee Jin-Taek suddenly raised his hand. "Ms. Yoo, what about the rice?"

"Oh, I forgot about that. The actors will have to cook the rice themselves as well," Yoo Hyun-Ji replied.

The dish the auditionees had to make was the soybean paste stew and rolled omelet that the main character ate at a local diner in the first episode of Master of Mukbang.

Therefore, the rice also had to be based on the first episode, and the method for cooking was clearly stated in the script.

'PD Yoo is quite pickier than I thought,' I remarked inwardly.

It seemed that Yoo Hyun-Ji was using this opportunity to check how well the auditionees knew the script.

At that moment, Lee Jin-Taek raised his hand again. "Um, can we choose any pot freely? There seems to be a clay pot, an electric rice cooker, and a stone pot available."

Yoo Hyun-Ji nodded. "Of course."

Yoo Hyun-Ji seemed to like Lee Jin-Taek's question as she started looking at him with interest.

At the same time, I noticed the red REC buttons on both cameras light up.

'The audition is starting,' I thought.

Baek Jong-Suk began making the soybean paste stew, and Eric Park started cooking the rolled omelet.

"Alright, everyone. Watch us carefully, okay?"

Baek Jong-Suk was boiling the soybean paste stew in a clay pot, and Eric Park was frying the rolled omelet in a frying pan.

The two finished cooking in about 15 minutes.

After completing his cooking, Baek Jong-Suk stepped back and said, "Pretty easy, right?"

Some of the actors laughed as they were relieved.

"Actors, stop laughing and come forward to taste the food."

"Yes, Ms. Yoo."

The actors hurried forward at Yoo Hyun-Ji's instruction.

On the judges' table were the boiling soybean paste stew in a clay pot and the rolled omelet on a wide ceramic plate looking delicious.

The savory smell of the soybean paste stew made with diced zucchini, potatoes, and tofu, wafted to the end of the set.

And the rolled omelet, embedded with finely chopped carrots and green onions, appeared even more appetizing thanks to its vivid yellow color.

'Just smelling it makes my mouth water,' I thought as I tried to stop myself from salivating.

At that moment, I heard the sound of gulping from various places.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to try it?"

At Yoo Hyun-Ji's words, the hesitant actors began to grab the plates in front of them and tasted the food.

"Wow, it’s delicious."

"This tastes amazing!"

The actors who tried the soybean paste stew and rolled omelet cheered, momentarily forgetting they were in an audition.

Haru quietly observed the actors before he started tasting at the back. He took a small piece of the omelet, chewed thoughtfully, then reached for the bottled water next to him. After rinsing his mouth with water, he scooped up the soybean paste stew and slurped it down.

At that moment, Haru began to smile contentedly.

And simultaneously, I could see Yoo Hyun-Ji's face light up with pleasure.

'You're doing great, Haru,' I silently cheered him on.

The other actors were so focused on recreating the dishes that they momentarily forgot they were in the audition for Master of Mukbang.

The main character of Master of Mukbang, Park Ill-Sik, was a character who thoroughly analyzed any food he tasted.

So he always tasted a bit of each dish before properly cooking the meal, just like Haru right now.

But Haru was the only auditionee tasting the food like Park Ill-Sik as I had advised.

Once everyone finished tasting the food, Yoo Hyun-Ji shouted, "Alright! Now you have 30 minutes to cook. Start!"

With Yoo Hyun-Ji's booming voice, the second hand on the large clock set on the stage began to tick away.

At that moment, the actors rushed to their respective kitchen tables.

Haru also headed to his table with a determined expression, resolved to secure the leading role no matter what.

***

All the actors fetched pressure cookers from the back shelves to start cooking rice.

Lee Jin-Taek fiddled with a stone pot for a moment but eventually chose a pressure cooker as well.

Just as the actors were about to start washing the rice, Yoo Hyun-Ji suddenly shouted loudly,

"There's 25 minutes left. Keep an eye on the time."

The actors looked up at the clock. Although there was still plenty of time, awareness of the time suddenly made everyone anxious.

As a result, many actors haphazardly rushed through washing the rice, not doing it properly.

However, Lee Jin-Taek and Haru remained steady amidst the chaos and properly washed the rice. They even set aside the cloudy rice water to use later for the soybean paste stew.

And at the moment everyone started the rice cooker, only Lee Jin-Taek and Haru placed a piece of kelp on the rice just as written in the script.

That's when the judges turned their gazes on Lee Jin-Taek and Haru, as watching other actors had become meaningless.

After starting the rice cooker, the two began to prepare the ingredients as if showing off their cooking skills.

The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was steady.

Thump, thump, thump.

The zucchini was cut precisely with the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board, and the leeks, potatoes, and onions were also neatly cut and began to adorn the plates on the kitchen table.

The two continued cooking flawlessly from the time it took to prepare the ingredients to the appearance of the ingredients.

"There's 15 minutes left."

Lee Jin-Taek continued cooking with a relaxed smile. After all, these were easy dishes for a professional to make. Thanks to this, Lee Jin-Taek even had the leisure to look around.

But Haru was different.

He meticulously prepared each ingredient and cooked while humming to himself, enjoying the cooking itself like Park Ill-Sik, the main character of Master of Mukbang.

I felt proud regardless of the outcome because Haru hadn't forgotten my advice. Just the fact that he heeded the talent agent's advice was a great joy to me.

And just like that, the first part of the audition progressed swiftly.

***

"Stop!"

The actors pulled their hands away from their food at Yoo Hyun-Ji's command.

The 30 minutes had passed in a flash, and now it was time to present the dishes.

Ma Dong-Pal approached me with a confident attitude. "Why drag it out? I would give up now if I were you. It’s clear that Jin-Taek's cooking is superior. Don't you think so?"

The dishes recreated by the actors after tasting those prepared by Baek Jong-Suk and Eric Park were now on the actors' kitchen tables.

As Ma Dong-Pal boasted, the most striking was indeed Lee Jin-Taek's dish. Being a professional, his presentation was on another level with a hotel restaurant-level decoration.

Though everyone made a rolled omelet, the way it was presented made it look like a different dish entirely.

Even the tofu in the bubbling soybean paste stew Lee Jin-Taek made in the clay pot had perfect angles.

Compared to that, Haru's dishes looked somewhat ordinary from the outside.

"Cooking isn't crafting. You have to taste it to know who made the better dish," I replied.

Ma Dong-Pal chuckled. "Look at you, always talking back. But that overconfidence needs to be broken at least once. Just watch. It won’t work this time."

While Ma Dong-Pal and I were bickering, the judges began tasting the food.

And shortly after, the moment came for the judges to announce the results.

But at that moment, Kim Tae-Chon and Yoo Hyun-Ji began whispering urgently while exchanging serious looks.

'What’s going on?' I wondered.

After a brief talk with Baek Jong-Suk and Eric Park, Yoo Hyun-Ji announced the end of the audition.

"Our lead for Master of Mukbang will be Haru from Hoop Entertainment. Thank you all for your hard work. And Mr. Jung, please stay behind."

At that moment, the actors and talent agents began to stir and protest.

The audition's first part, cooking, was supposed to be followed by a second part featuring mukbang acting to decide the lead. But that process had been unexpectedly skipped without notice.

"What? Ms. Yoo. How can this be?"

"Didn’t you say you’d give extra points to those who eat heartily? Jun-Sik's acting is remarkable! You need to watch him act!"

"What’s lacking in Dong-In? His mother runs the best fried chicken house in Suwon! Try his cooking one more time! He’s confident in his skills!"

"This isn’t right. What does Yong-Jin lack compared to that guy?"

The flustered talent agents were making complaints they usually wouldn’t dare make to a PD.

Of course, Ma Dong-Pal didn’t just stand by either. However, his frustration was directed not at the producer but at me.

"Team Lead Jung. How much did you pay the CP? What did you give him to get such a ridiculous result?"

I smirked at Ma Dong-Pal’s words. "Do you think everyone is like you?"

"What? Say that again?"

"I don't bribe with entertainment like you do. Haru was chosen because he performed well."

At that moment, Lee Jin-Taek began to protest to the judges as he was unable to accept the result. "Ms. Yoo! I can’t accept that I have lost in cooking. I need an explanation that makes sense."

At that moment, Yoo Hyun-Ji’s expression furrowed deeply.

I raised my eyebrows. 'Uh oh...'

The power of a broadcast station's producer was immense, especially in cases like Master of Mukbang where the producer personally planned the project. In planned dramas, the position of the writer was merely to serve as the limbs reflecting the intentions of the producer.

Simply put, Yoo Hyun-Ji was akin to a king in Master of Mukbang.

And here was a green, yet-to-debut actor demanding an explanation directly from the producer.

This act alone could ban him from appearing not just in Yoo Hyun-Ji’s dramas but in any drama at TVM broadcasting station.

In an instant, Ma Dong-Pal’s face turned white beyond pale. "H-he must have gone mad!"

The horrified Ma Dong-Pal rushed to Lee Jin-Taek’s side.

But Yoo Hyun-Ji was quicker to express her anger. "Kids have no sense these days. Are you asking for an explanation from the producer? You can't accept the result, you say?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji made an incredulous expression and retorted in a sharp voice. "Don’t you think that Haru was chosen because he was better than you?"

But Lee Jin-Taek stood his ground and replied. "No, Ms. Yoo! It’s impossible that I lost to that young kid in cooking."

The moment the two clashed, a chilling tension began to circulate in the audition hall.