# Chapter 80
“What? Moon Seoheon?”
“Yeah. I mean, I was also trying to take you to the infirmary when you lost consciousness… but then the Four came closer.”
Kim Junwoo, who seemed to be recalling the situation with an uneasy expression, soon smoothed out his furrowed face.
“When they saw you collapse, they all turned pale and came over. Are you really close with them?”
“…”
“Anyway, as I was trying to help you up, he suddenly took you away from me. I stopped when I saw how pale his face had become.”
A deflating sound escaped my lips as I listened silently. Just before I collapsed, while I was still clinging to the last bit of consciousness. I remembered the Four and Moon Seoheon walking through the crowd of students surrounding us.
I had definitely thought Kim Junwoo was the one who helped me, but that wasn’t the case.
“Anyway, Moon Seoheon carried you in his arms. I thought about following, but I couldn’t because the Four were there.”
Kim Junwoo scratched the back of his head. He added that he was glad I seemed better now, and I casually thanked him.
“Well, now that all the application forms are submitted, let’s start the class.”
Teacher Jaewon gathered all the handouts and stacked them neatly. He tapped them on the desk to align the papers that were sticking out. After the rustling noise of the papers subsided, the teacher looked around at us, having quelled the commotion.
Perhaps because the atmosphere had become quite free while discussing the competition, everyone stopped what they were doing and quietly sat down or straightened their posture.
I too put down the bag I had been carrying and took a seat. Then, imagining the figure waiting outside, I found myself constantly glancing at the clock.
There were still 30 minutes until break time. Was there a break before that? I became anxious, wondering if I might have to stay here continuously until six o’clock.
“As I mentioned at the beginning, today we’ll have time to create our own healthy dishes. This will also be an opportunity to conceptualize dishes for the competition, so be thoughtful. The prepared ingredients are here, so each group should take one bag. After freely creating your dishes, taste them within your group and score each other.”
“I’ll get it!”
“Let’s go together.”
Kim Yuna and Oh Seulbi jumped up and went to the front. The teacher placed a large box on the desk in front of him. Kim Yuna and the other members lined up and took out the contents of the box one by one. These were neatly prepared ingredients and seasonings, sealed tightly in transparent bags.
I got up from my seat to help the two who were coming back with armfuls of ingredients that were recognizable even from a glance.
“We’re making something with these? Anything?”
“Yes.”
There were vegetables like beans, cabbage, pumpkin, and potatoes, as well as fruits like apples, strawberries, and tangerines. It wasn’t just natural ingredients; there was a variety including tofu and canned goods. While arranging all the ingredients, including various seasonings that could be used to make sauces, I just bit my lip.
At a glance, it seemed like we would have to cook, and my face gradually turned pale. The other members all looked quite natural as they examined the ingredients and contemplated.
I swallowed a sigh and just watched what others were doing. Then Oh Seulbi nudged Kim Yuna’s arm and asked:
“Have you seen anything good among what you were looking at?”
“Not so much good as interesting… I saw a video, and considering the competition theme, what if we use bizarre food as a motif?”
At Kim Yuna’s answer, Lee Jinyoung and Kim Junwoo, who had been examining the ingredients, stopped what they were doing and looked at them. I remained quiet, feeling I wouldn’t be of any help here.
“Bizarre food?”
“Yes. Look at this.”
When I had entered the club room, she had expressed surprise and asked about my well-being, but then had been constantly looking at something. I thought she was just playing around, but it turned out she was actually contemplating dishes for the competition. Realizing this, I felt a bit guilty.
Kim Yuna held up her phone screen for us to see and played a video.
The video, with its attention-grabbing thumbnail that was half-mosaic with the caption “Fucking Interesting,” wasn’t a cooking video but one introducing a movie.
“Oh? I’ve seen this.”
“It’s a famous movie. There were many nauseating scenes, but it was entertaining enough to watch till the end.”
Oh Seulbi and Lee Jinyoung murmured enthusiastically. Kim Junwoo, who was beside them, seemed to agree as he repeated the caption that appeared on the thumbnail.
As the video started, a smooth voice caught our ears. True to its high view count, the video was captivating from the intro.
“Ah, this isn’t it. I think a related video popped up… Do you want to watch it anyway?”
Kim Yuna displayed confusion at our reactions, then looked at the screen and smiled awkwardly.
“Huh? Isn’t this what you wanted to show us?”
“No. It’s another video.”
As Lee Jinyoung was saying to play the video she had intended to show, Oh Seulbi interrupted. She seemed quite immersed, not taking her eyes off the screen.
“Senior, let’s finish watching this first, then switch.”
At her pleading tone, Lee Jinyoung turned and looked around. After noticing other members who hadn’t decided what to make yet were either researching like us or chatting loudly, she nodded.
In the end, we watched the entire video, and it wasn’t entirely useless as it gave us a rough idea of the title. With a satisfied expression, Oh Seulbi said:
“It does match the competition theme. The grotesque aspect would definitely catch attention, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmm… but that’s not the food itself being bizarre, it’s the presentation.”
Indeed, the foods in the video appeared elegant and delicious rather than grotesque. It was the identity of the ingredients used that was absurd. Even knowing they weren’t real ingredients, seeing the convoluted shapes of the livers and the red, firm rice wrapped in what looked like blood vessels was enough to terrify viewers.
Kim Junwoo didn’t show much reaction, but his furrowed brow and pressed lips revealed his discomfort.
“Let’s decide after watching this video.”
Kim Yuna took her phone back, checked it, and then held it out in front of us again, seemingly to play the video she had originally intended to show.
This video was also an introductory content, but it was about genuine grotesque foods, so I watched it with even more interest than before.
One of them was something I had eaten in my countryside neighborhood when I was young, which made me feel nostalgic. It was a dish called ayu rice, where several ayu fish had their heads buried in fluffy rice. The bizarre visual made people dislike it, but the taste was guaranteed, so saliva pooled in my mouth as soon as I saw the picture.
Ayu is a fish with no fishy smell at all, so it’s delicious even if you just pick the meat and mix it with sauce.
“Ugh… what is that? Isn’t it a sardine pie?”
Unlike me, who was pressing my lips with the back of my hand to prevent drooling, Kim Junwoo covered his mouth as if he was about to vomit. With a distorted expression, he turned his head away, seemingly unable to watch anymore.
The reactions of the others weren’t much different. Oh Seulbi moaned and said she wanted to stop watching. Lee Jinyoung was smiling softly as if trying to regain her composure, but the awkwardly twisted corner of her mouth showed her discomfort.
Only Kim Yuna and I watched the entire video. Soon, we all sat down and each expressed our opinions.
“What do you think? Doesn’t it perfectly match the competition theme?”
“Well, it is about unique cuisine, so even if the visuals are strange, it seems we should make it tasty and healthy.”
“Is that possible?”
Kim Junwoo said, raising one eyebrow. His tone was skeptical about whether what Oh Seulbi said could actually be achieved.
Oh Seulbi seemed to agree with his statement at first, but quickly composed her expression.
“We have to try, don’t we? Since you’re in our group now, don’t even think about doing it half-heartedly. Our goal is to win.”
“I said I got it.”
Kim Junwoo muttered irritably under Oh Seulbi’s piercing gaze. Despite the words, the softened atmosphere showed they weren’t really angry.
Just then, Lee Jinyoung gently clapped her hands to get our attention.
“Then let’s each find a good combination and try making it. Since we have to taste each other’s dishes, make something edible.”
“Yes.”
Watching the group members respond briefly, I thought I should do something too, when Lee Jinyoung approached me.
“What are you doing? Taeho, let’s put on aprons first and prepare.”
“Ah, yes.”
I answered casually, but I looked around with confused eyes, not knowing where the aprons were. Fortunately, thanks to Oh Seulbi, who took out aprons from the locker and handed them to us, I was able to put one on naturally. And like the others, I washed my hands at the sink in the corner and found a spot, but I could only stand like a statue, not knowing where to start.
Should I just mix ingredients to make something edible? While I was just standing there stupidly, taking deep breaths due to my concerns, my shoulders twitched.
Soon, rustling sounds were heard from various places as people started trying things. As only I felt anxious, I glanced at the clock, and Oh Seulbi, who was sorting out fruits, suddenly asked:
“You’ve been looking at the clock for a while now. Is something bothering you?”
I flinched in surprise. Had I looked that often? With an embarrassed face, I said it was nothing, but Oh Seulbi, who had raised her head from examining the ingredients, and the others also glanced at me.
“If you’re not feeling well, take a break first.”
“That’s right. It’s not a bad idea to take a break and think about what to make.”
“Did you come unnecessarily? You look fine now, but during lunch, you were really in bad shape.”
At Kim Junwoo’s words, Lee Jinyoung showed a surprised and concerned expression. I was about to wave my hand to indicate I was fine, but since I kept feeling concerned about the outside, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Then I’ll step out for a moment.”
“Okay.”
Be careful. Tell us if you’re not feeling well. If it’s really hard, tell the teacher. With these successive admonitions, I showed an awkward smile and went forward.
I slightly bowed my head as I made eye contact with the teacher who was walking around observing the members. I was relieved that he didn’t stop me, although he looked puzzled.
The teacher’s face, visible through the crack in the door as I opened it to leave, was gentle. A faint smile appeared and then disappeared. From his expression, it seemed he thought I was going to the bathroom or something.
Feeling reassured, I walked out to the corridor where I had parted with Moon Seoheon. I laughed hollowly, thinking there was no way he would still be there, but my steps abruptly halted at the familiar silhouette.
Moon Seoheon was still standing exactly where we had parted in the corridor.
